May 18, 2014 Letter

Today we have a sweet trip planned to Matsushima so it’s going to be quick!

Culture point:

So when European countries started coming over on ships to Japan there was of course a lots of cultural things that got swapped and also with that some language things! So for my father here are some words that we stole from the Portuguese:

kabocha- pumpkin

kappa- rain coat
tenpura- tempura
kasutera- sponge cake

 Fun Food Fact:

I am starting to forget what I have told you guys about... haha how bout I tell you how to make a super Delicious onigiri?! (rice ball that you put in your sack lunch)
- First, you cook rice.
- Then you dice up half an onion and one bell pepper.
- Open two cans of tuna and mix the fish with the vegetables (drain out the water or oil before)
- Add kupi (Japanese mayonnaise but if you don’t have that probably normal will work)
- Next, lay down some plastic wrap and maybe sprinkle some salt on it if you want it salty.
- Next, smear out the rice on the plastic wrap about 1 cm thick. Then, blob some of the fish and vegetables in the middle and carefully wrap it up into a ball or if you are authentic you can do a triangular prism. Lastly, if you have some, wrap it in dried seasoned seaweed and prepare yourself for something very good!

Spiritual thought:

Sometimes it’s easy to love people and other times it’s a lot harder. How do we feel that love for those that it’s a bit harder to love? There is scripture in the Book of Mormon, page 524 verse 48 (Moroni 7:48) that speaking of charity says ``...pray unto the father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love..`` and I took that principle to heart about a year ago and I have prayed that prayer almost every day for the last year. But honestly I don’t know if it was with all the energy of my heart. I wanted it so badly but like I felt love for pretty much every single person around me so it was like asking for a glass or water when it was pouring rain and I could just open my mouth and get a little all the time. But I had an experience where it was a bit harder for me to love someone and quite frankly I was suppose to help them I was worried I might end up punching them instead.. so I got to do that prayer with a bit more energy.. and it’s funny.. It worked out.. I had a little more eternal perspective that gave me the patience and the vision to have a wonderful time with this person.  I do not think God will always give us the fruit but he will give us a step ladder to climb. We can grow if we ask for it.

Funny Story:

So in our training meeting last week, we took a page out of Elder Packer’s book and did an object lesson his wife did where you take a cake and you ask who wants it. Everyone says oh me oh me then you take a handful and just nail someone, then you ask who wants more no one does, you cut a beautiful piece lay it on a plate with a napkin and fork ask who wants it etc.  Point is how we give something is super important. Love is important in inviting. Anyway, that alone was awesome. But there is this Japanese Sister in our zone that is so tiny, so pure, so quiet and so young looking. Everyone loves her! So we called her and prearranged that we were going to nail her. (we would have felt too much guilt) and so when we did it we about started a riot in the Zone meeting. Everyone wanted to kill us because how dare we hit her of all people! I can tell you about it better someday!

Love each other for me!

Law Choro