September 2, 2013 Letter

19:39 Pacific Front

Moral: Way too high! I have been sooo busy this week and everything we do is fun!

Fun food fact:

So you know when you get a sun burn and your mom slathers you in vinegar? This isn't about that heartless mother, its about the loving mother who puts aloe vera on her children. We have all rubbed it on with a love hate, soothing and sticky relationship. You might have even had a life skills teacher or two that had a plant in their classroom. It's like medicine, one of the medicine man tricks that works like money. Turns out you can eat it!

 They peel it, throw it in some sugar water that is kind of like canned pineapple water (notice the Dole) and then you pound it. The way I had it was you put a big bowl of plain yogurt (not vanilla plain and I could talk to you about that for an hour! I will next week!) then you sprinkle some brown sugar on the yogurt and throw some aloe on it. Super super tasty! Oddly enough the closest thing I can say it tastes like is a big peeled grape!

I also eat Indian curry

Culture fact:

Malls. I kind of talked about this before I think; it's starting to get to the point where I can't remember what I have told you! haha But the malls have something totally different about them and I finally figured out what it is! There is no real walls. In America there is a whole bunch of stores and they are all in the same building. Like you walk into a store through a door and then walk around almost in a separate room. In Japan the separate stores don't have doors because they don't have a front wall! Half the time they don't have side walls either; they just flow from one into another. It seems like it would be a security nightmare but I think they just don't have that big of a problem with it. People are awesome like that here. Sometimes I am kind of confused where to pay though. haha

Spiritual thought:

I would like to take you to the bible today, the gospel of Mathew. The Pharisees are talking to Christ and one of them, a lawyer it says (the worst ones are always lawyers ;-)) asks him, tempts him even with a question: "which is the great commandment in the law?". This is what He said, " thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the laws of the prophets"

I love the last bit. I love it all and really could stop right there and be a content as a clam. The focus is the first bit and it is my opinion that we should all focus on doing that bit. But as an after thought I would like to add this. The last bit, where is says all the rest of the commandments and teachings of the prophets hang on the first two, I love it! If ever I lack the "WHY" why is this commandment important? Why are you giving me this answer to my prayer? Why do the scriptures tell me this? I always find the answer in the first two great commandments. God is the creator of this universe and so his laws always are the most, natural, efficient, and correct. We live in a world of men so sometimes we are blinded by this lesser level of thinking, but if we look hard enough we can always see the truth of God's way. I testify this way brings happiness, in Christ's name. Amen.

 

 Long story I will have to explain later

I made delicious pancakes!

Funny story:

So there is a brother that we try to visit every other week at least. He is about 1000 years old, sweet as they come, and a little crazy maybe. We repeat a lot of our messages because he has a hard time remembering. He is sooooo kind and lives on his own because he is a stud and his house is always spotless! I love him!

So we ring his doorbell. Nothing, no big deal, this is normal. So we yell "COOONICHIWAAAA.." super normal and very japanese poi (it means ish and is a super useful word). We hear a shuffling and see some movement through the textured window. He starts walking toward the door and we begin to make out his human form... his oddly all the same color human form. The color is a tannish white. I think the technical name for the color is actually nude. All the same color. I start the slightly cocked head and stare with a "no, no, no..." under my breath. My companion's normally cute little squinty eyes aren't squinting. He always walks up to the window that is right by the door and opens it to see who it is before he opens the door. The window come flying open. It come to about his belly button. I was actually surprised by how good he looked! Pretty buff and pretty shirtless.... "oh! it's the missionaries! Good to see you... let me open the door!" He is half deaf folks; He couldn't understand our screams of terror let alone our cries to stop. The door come flying open and all he is wearing is a smile...

 

and a pair of nude colored boxers. Who the heck makes nude colored boxers?! I almost died! Some other time I will give you a culture point on people's answering the door clothes... Oddly naked.

I promise there is a point to this picture

Bike ride with the President

My companion:

This might be a bit long and boring for all of you but I want it for me after and my moma will want it. Takeshita choro! He is from just north of Tokyo, he could get on a train and be home in literally less then a few hours. This is the Boise Idaho mission of his world but he has learned to truly love it he tells me! I would physically describe him but you all have pictures!

His hobbies before the mission were the clarinet (he doesn't know who Squidward is) and traveling. When I say traveling it's not really what I think most Americans think of as traveling. He would get a summer train ticket (all you can ride type of deal) and then he would literally go all over japan by himself by train. He wouldn't really go to specific tourist places but sometimes certain festivals though. He would just spend all day riding, listening to music, reading a books he bought at the last stop, eating good snacks, napping, looking out the window. He LOVES this! So he also loves everything about trains! The older slower ones are better than the bullet trains. I asked him why and he asked me if I would rather ride in a 747 or biplane. I said good point.

He is incredibly smart and wants to design trains when he gets home. He was in an accelerated schooling program thing sounds kind of like running start and a.p. classes mixed. Kind of cool!

His family is him, his parents (both converts in there teens and returned missionaries) and a little sister who is 19 and has a "severe handicap". I don't really know much more than that but she is still small (like 10ish size). I asked if she likes pens too and he says yes and she also loves milk.

He is the most loving missionary in the world. He gets so emotionally into the people we teach! Sometimes it makes him so tired but it is such a blessing to us! He is very good with correcting my Japanese (he dad is a teacher who teachers radio, news, and other professional speakers how to speak Japanese correctly and beautifully and I think it rubbed off). He is super humble and treats me as a 50 50 partner in all decisions even though he is my trainer. He loves summer weather like I have never seen anyone! He is the best chef in the mission according to all and I learned how to make some kick bum Japanese food from him! He is as obedient as they come and it makes getting along the easiest thing in the world. He might be the only person in the world who drinks more milk then me before the mission (I have quit. It is too expensive and it's different so I am not as tempted).

He is very Japanese in almost every way except two. I could talk for an hour about how Japanese he is but instead I will tell you the two weird things. He doesn't like raw food. SUPER weird for a Japanese person. Eggs, fish, vegetables, you name it he prefers it cooked but can eat anything! The second makes me laugh.. I am actually going to use it as a funny story! Sorry.. another day...

I love you all! Love someone for me!

Law Choro