October 12, 2014 Letter

1700 hours; the path of the typhoon.

You need not worry about us too much because in typhoon season it is really not that bad this far north. Just lots of rain and wind. :-)

Fun food fact:

I sent pictures to support my story! So at stores there is normally a section (my second favorite section) where they just have different ice cream treats to eat! This is one that I had never even heard of before coming here. Its ice cream in the middle and is normally vanilla but you can get chocolate or other flavors. On the outside is a layer of what is called mocha, which is beaten cooked rice. Unless you have eaten mochi, it’s really hard to explain the texture. I can’t do it! The closest thing I can imagine is wrapping mom’s pie crust around something and not cooking it, but it sticks together more and doesn’t fall apart in your mouth at all. It’s a tiny bit gummy almost. Anyway, you can eat it about 1000 different ways, but this is one of them! It’s yummy but you always want more after you finish. :-p

Culture point:

 I am 80 percent sure I only imagined telling you guys about his in my head, but, if I did tell you forgive me. You can say thank you while driving to other people by flashing your blights or turning on your hazard lights for a couple blinks!

Random Pictures for your enjoyment:

 Elder Ito's Birthday party

This is what happens when dress slacks meet a ravenous bike seat

Spiritual thought:

It’s kind of interesting be a foreigner in a country especially here for me because pretty much everyone gets that I wasn’t born here.  Everyone will ask the obvious question of why am I here: work? You might be a graduate student? (people in Japan look young until they are 106 so the average guess of my age is 26) and then I say I am a volunteer missionary that teaches people about what I have found to be of great value in my life, and that I am doing that and teaching a free English class for anyone that wants to learn.  They say something super nice because that’s just how they are. Then they ask me why I decided to this. I found a talk by an apostle of Christ that explains the reason and I would like to share it!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/print/2014/10/come-and-see?lang=eng

Funny story:

We went to a famous park on p-day as a district and were having a merry old time eating good food, meeting cool people, seeing cool flowers. Once we had saw most of it, we found a big grassy area and one of the older elders had brought some balls, a Frisbee and a boomerang. And like any normal human being I wanted to throw some balls, runaround a bit, and play. So I did.  I showed my companion how to throw a football, shot some hoops, threw the Frisbee a bit. I then decided I had to give the boomerang a whack. But this was no ordinary boomerang. It was the expert level kind I think. Very very difficult. With patience, having experimented around a bit, I got it almost to come all the way back to me, it was just a bit short, a bit on the weak side. But other than that pretty much perfect! So being ready for my big debut and wanting to show everyone how cool I am I give the famous, "Hey watch this." So everyone shuffles over to me and stands in a couple lines on either side. I just get the perfect angle and use every bit of strength I got from my feet through my hips and into and whipping arm...

So there is a sister in our district that reminds me a lot of Sarah... she is actually from North Carolina but more soft spoken and less rough and tumble. So just imagine that.

I swear on my life that that boomerang shot straight out of my hand, winked at Newton, and took a hard left.

Right in the face of the admiring Sister... you could hope for a like glancing head shot or something but no... She didn’t even cry or wail or give me what I deserve... but Low Choro got a pretty good laugh out of it.

Love each other for me!

Law Choro 

September 29, 2014 Letter

1700 hours the Eastern Coast

 

I wish you could understand better then this picture, but you see those ancient Japnese paintings with the mountains and the little clouds.. that is exactly what everything looks like once you leave the coast (and in a lot of places the coast too).

 

 

It's transfer week and my beloved Kawamura choro is gone with the wind to the most remote isolated place in the mission to keep him isolated. ;-) hahah But my new companion is Elder Ito who was born in a place kind of close to Tokyo called Aichi. He is too pure for me.. I will corrupt him.. He is 21 years old (the guy that got the pie in the face) and he got baptized when he was 18, is the only Christian in his family which shows you the level at which he is committed to Christ. He also loves Basketball and meat. When he smiles his eyes disappear and he kind of has chubby cheeks with dimples. He also was my first day split in my mission when both of our trainers were at a district leader meeting. But that was over a year ago.. :-P

 

elder ito far left middle is elder Low (way confusing for people in the ward) and the far right is Kawamura

Culture point:

Drivers test. So I have heard it said from someone that has done both that as a foreigner getting a drivers license in Japan on the test is actually more difficult then getting a P.H.d But who knows.I gave it a try this last week... and crashed and burned... hahahah. It actually hurt my little heart more then I was expecting. The bit of sunshine was that the other 6 people with me also crashed and burned :-D so my pride was helped a bit! It is not so much the rules of the road they are strict on but on little things. I failed because I was in the middle of my lane when I made turns instead of hugging the left side of my lane for left turns and the right side of my lane for right turns. But they explained it to me and I hope to not make that mistake again for my next and final attempt on Friday this week. Wish me luck!

 

Fun food fact:

So I have talked about a lot of Japanese food, and I have yet to find a Japanese food I don't like! Of course there are some I wouldn't say I would kill for (they are just normal) but I enjoy every single food I have eaten so far except.... Pumpkin. I never really ate it in America but that doesn't seem to matter for me. I love vegetables, love squash, but normally when I get pumpkin I always had my eyebrows kinda come to together and my lips go to the left (my left not your left) and I would eat it. It's not like its gross, it's too mild to be gross, it just always was odd. But this last week I have been served it three times and the first time was a salad with raisins and brown sugar. I think and it was way good! Then I had a pumpkin pie (I have never seen one made outside of the air force base and I praised that good sister for days for her love) and then I had it just the normal way again, and I liked it!!! So my point is... I think that I am becoming a man.

 

Random Pics (They made me stand in the girl one):

 

Even if nothing else comes out of these two years... teaching a 3 year old how to do this was worth it.

 

 

 

Spiritual thought:

I had a chance to read a talk by an apostle of the Lord named Dieter Uchtdorf called Grateful in any Circumstance. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng I recommend reading or listening to it! But I had a favorite part. He says,

"How blessed we are if we recognize God’s handiwork in the marvelous tapestry of life. Gratitude to our Father in Heaven broadens our perception and clears our vision. It inspires humility and fosters empathy toward our fellowmen and all of God’s creation. Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.¹⁶ "  That kind of clicked a few things for me. If I am lost, depressed, sick and tired, confused, and stuck, I think the practice of a deep breath then taking in the eternal perspective, the ability I have to be redeemed form death and mistake. The knowledge that I know there is a bigger picture. And just kinda breath that true air, then I can have the vision to choose to love, be patient, become humble or full of hope. Its a catalyst to all Christlike attributes.

 

Funny story:

So I got to see Elder Takeshita again!!!!! He came back to the mission home and nagamachi!! He hasn't changed in the slightest, spent way too much money on me (delicious ingredients for the food I like), made the same jokes and helped the same people. It was way fun. But while he was here for the day he came to church with us! In church there is this 2 year old that is scary cute, like she is cute physically of course but she just runs all around and falls hard all the time and then just laughs and laughs. But she was in third block with her dad standing by his legs just playing around distracting us and then it became a competition on who could get her to just smile at them between Kawamura Choro and Takeshita Choro. They were trying sooo hard for like 5... 10 minutes going way over the top. (they repented for not paying attention in church I am sure) the following pictures is some of their weaker faces...

and this was her reaction for those 10 minutes...

 

I was dying.

 

Love you all! Love each other for me!

Law Choro

 

 

 

September 19, 2014 Letter

2022 Hours Honbu

Hey everyone!! It’s been a really long, busy, fun week, so I am sorry this took so long... I am going to make it good though!

So maybe I will mix up the flavor a little I am kind of sick of Neapolitan.

My Doryo(the person I am with 24/7):

He is from Shizuoka which a bit to the south of Tokyo and he can actually see mount Fuji from his parents’ house. He is 27 years old and feels like he is way older. He graduated with a degree in teaching physical education but actually worked at a newspaper, where he became an editor. He really loves that job and hopes to return to it when he is finished serving as a missionary. He is famous for how much of a smooth talker he is, he can talk to anyone about anything, he loves Ginger ale and mints and also any chocolate based drink. He has a really dramatic back story like a super hero but I am not sure he wants me to tell everyone. He says the reason he originally came on a mission was, that he wanted to have his older brother come back to God. When his younger brother went on a mission it brought him back so he wants to repay the same favor. He has 5 kids in his family and says he wants to get married soon when he gets home and have 5 kids, too. He is also waaay too into basketball and takes this cheesy little fake jump shot about 4 times a day at the most random times. (I have started to do a fake volleyball bump to say I am practicing too) He loves people easy... and I have learned from him, from the first time I meant him about a year ago to now, probably more than any other missionary. He also is blood type A. (that’s a big deal here)

Our mission President and His Wonderful wife:

So, they came here for the first time a few months ago and since I live right next door to them I have got to see them quite a bit. They met at college many years ago, and then he went on a mission to Japan. They kept in touch until he got back. They dated and fell in love all over again.  He went to Israel for 6 months and studied and they kept in contact by letters. He came back and they got married and since have had 6 kids. (If you want a way better much more colorful version I recommend asking Sister Smith.) He was a surgeon that specialized in knee and hip replacements. (Pretty much he is insanely smart, too.) But, they are the most humble people you will ever meet. She kind of in a scary way reminds me of Mom a lot. She like says the things about church everyone kind of feels but doesn’t say because it’s awkward, She knows how to follow the promptings of the spirit better than anyone else. She has a really good example and story for any talk; she is always giving us and buying us way to much stuff. Pretty much I feel like I am at home having mom sneak me fun money behind dads back. hahaha! She is just a ball of sunshine! You know if Sister Smith is in the meeting everyone will leave with a big grin on their face. President Smith is a man who relies on the Lord, and loves God sooo much. He wants to follow him step for step doing his will with as much exactness as he can. But speaking frankly if I had to speak of something to describe what he’s like I would think of this one time when I kind of did something stupid, and kind of lead others into doing something stupid... and I got a phone call from him about it to correct my behavior. Now we are not a business. We are a church, so I wasn’t expecting to get like screamed at or anything, but I was a bit nervous and expecting to leave the phone call with a bit of a sweat. But what happened was I had a very clear explanation given to me of why the phone call was made, where we want to go from here on to resolve the problem in the way with the least pain, and then I had some of the most kindest things I have ever had said to me said. He showed me so much love I felt dizzy. Then the phone call ended. There is a quote by Abraham Lincoln that goes something like “If you would win a man to your cause, you must first convince in him that you are his true friend." And he is a true friend to everyone he meets. Both of them are way too nice, I feel like I am going to corrupt them.

Funny story:

So we had a long road trip the other day and we ended up at McDonalds for lunch (yes they have them here too, but you call it Makudonarudo which is a great tongue twister for English natives) and we were sitting next to this young li’l family with a mom and dad and 1 year old. The one year old had ripped up chicken nugget on his plate and some bread, but all he would eat is French fries so they would give him a couple and then he would eat it and then grunt for some more and then eat. Grunt eat grunt eat... but then his mom was like "No. (go into that slightly too high and the words are slightly too long, in Japanese, but mother language is universal guys) you have to eat your chicken" he gives a few more grunts but once he sees its hopeless, he takes the initiative and starts unsheathing himself from his high chair and making his way for the apple pie box (he knew it was red cardboard) but he quickly learned his mistake and went for the fries and then nestled back into his throne to eat. His parents were both way surprised... (He wasn’t so agile a few weeks ago, but you give a kid calorie packed food like Mickey D’s and they are bound to grow quick) So at this point I kind of think I am all cool going to join this episode (honestly I was just looking for a chance to show off my two nieces) and so I am like "he sure does like French fries doesn’t he" and the parents kind of smile, but the little guy just stops and stairs strait at me... and his eyes go all narrower (I look inside and find my love for Asian levels high enough to make that comment without being racist) and he just mad dawgs me for about 10 solid seconds with his dad chuckling nervously. Then I do the big "hey there li’l buddy" and he just freaks. Fries went flying and he was into his dads lap and up around his neck so fast and just starts crying... not my best moves, but he was funny.

Love you all tons!

Love each other for me!

Law Choro

September 7, 2014 Letter

1800 hours Long City (Nagamachi in English)

The worst thing to have a as a volunteer missionary is a slow week... but this week has been way busy! :-)
 

Culture point:

So I would like to use this picture of my super cute niece to talk about this point! So Japanese people are very clean and stylish. I feel that there is a more formal level (like us riding around on bikes in ties is not weird at all). And also just clean; like your clothes and cars and shoes are just always clean. For better or worse that's just kind of the culture. So while inside sitting on the floor is much more normal in Japan, sitting on the ground outside is a little more odd. Like of course at a park its normal to sit on the grass, but on a curb is pretty odd. So instead when people want to take a break you keep your heels on the ground and sit your bum on your ankles. That is super hard to understand unless you see the picture. But you sit in this position to rest and most foreigners find it really painful and hard to do. I am pretty much a Japanese so I can do it.. ;-)
 

Fun food fact:

I have talked about how people peel their grapes before. Another side note on that is that the best, most expensive grapes you can buy (and the ones most common) are grapes that are like a juicing grape in my mind.(I grew up juicing concords). They sometimes have a grapes that I swear are concords but others called a masukato. It basically can be shot into you mouth by squeezing the skin and are very sweet and have seeds. I pretty much ate a ton of them at this farmers house in aizuwakamatsu yesterday.. they were sooo good.
 

Spiritual thought:

From when I was a pup I always heard that there are three things that will help you solve any problem. At least the foundation are these three: church, scriptures, and prayer. That is pretty much right and so everyone kinda jokes those are the "primary child answers". But I heard from a friend that he likes to think of those fundamentals as being 4. He said that along with those 3 is a fourth way to build a relationship with God that is just as important and I agree with him. Fasting. Fasting is a tool that God gave us so we can focus more on spiritual matters, a way to put more into our prayer than we could otherwise, a way to show we need or want something more. It's a huge blessing! The Savior himself did it before he opened his ministry. I really can testify of the blessings or perspective, peace, and power that comes through our fasting. It is done by saying a prayer and explaining the specific reason why you are fasting and dedicating yourself for that time. You can then fast for as long or as short as is healthy for you and not eat or drink whatever is healthy for you, but normally a fast is 24 hours of not drinking or eating. Then you end with a prayer as well. I really recommend it especially if you have a question or a prayer that you really want to ask. I testify God will answer through our diligence so we can learn and that a way to learn even more is fasting.
 

Funny story:

So I guess that there is some type of weird culture in the church in Japan that you smash a plate of whip cream in someone's face on their birthday (it's a dark evil tradition that I do not yet understand). But the sisters in our district really wanted to do it to Elder Ito - the most kind man on the planet (our district leader)- and I was not especially for it. But we tricked and lied him to come to an area at the right time that they planned on doing it. Then they wanted us to grab him and hold him but no one wanted to (because it is evil) so it got really awkward and slow and he got really confused and then realized what was happening and then ran away a little bit. Then he felt bad for the sisters that prepared so my companion fake held him as they could smash pies in his face. Pretty much he is an angel and women are evil and heartless is what I learned... we all did laugh though..
 

Love you!

Love each other for me!

Law Choro

August 17, 2014 Letter

1400 Hours - the land of the broken heart.

I am transferring and it kinda hurts the old ticker more then I would have guessed... but I am going back to my beloved Nagamachi so all is well. :-D

This is Atsushi! He was an exchange student back in WA. He just happens to be from my area and the internet has kept us in touch. He is such a good friend and I am so happy we got to meet up. It was TONS of fun!

Fun Food Fact:

Wanka soba! It's like a contest. I have a too bad a case of love for competition and dislike of throwing up too participate but basically it's a how much can you eat contest. It's super fun! You sit and have a little bowl. And then a person (normally very kind looking young lady) drops about one solid bite worth of noodles into your bowl. Then you take your chop sticks and just slurp it down. Then she says something witty like "good job!" or "next! keep it up!" and drops in another. Slowly you eat a whole ton load of soba and that nice looking lil' lady turns into a demon that never gives you a break. haha! Elder iida is kinda legendary at it! He did 185... impressive.

Culture Point:

My Moma wanted to know about weddings. I have never been to one, but from what I hear there is a huge western influence in what a "cool" wedding is. So, about half the weddings are just white dress and tux like we think of them. But the other half are kimonos which is what you think of when you think of samurai dress. I have to say I did not appreciate how beautiful they were until I saw some nice ones on handsome guys and beautiful women. It is just (if not way more) money and time put into making them as big dresses. But I have no idea how they do the ceremony and my companion is worthless in that department. I got all surprised he didn't know and he was like "I have never been married man how am I supposed to know". But I think he is slacking as a Japanese citizen.

Spiritual Thought:

I have learned lately that I think there are more then one kind of service and it all depends and how you are thinking. There are times when you actively push yourself to help others and that I think is when we grow the most. There are times when we are kinda forced into it by someone or circumstance and I think that doesn't effect me the most. And then there are times where we actively choose for so long that a small habit forms that we just do it out of instinct. Like a 40 year old man opening a door before he knows what he is doing, a lady smiling at a baby on accident when it is sad, all those "cute" little things. But I think that is when we find the joy in the service, when we become that person. In Matthew 10:39 is a great scripture that I think partly means that if we can completely pull out of ourselves those selfish desires only then can we truly have all the joy. So then I comes to how does one truly change there desires? and that is where Christ comes in I think. We also start with faith in the little commandments. I want to testify that we can change how we influence the world and how happy we are through Jesus Christ; He is our savior. 
 

Funny story:

We were walking home from a restaurant with a friend and the three of us were just chatting away. I was on the far left away from the road, then Iida choro, then sato kyodai. We are just have a jolly time on a hot day at about 1 in the afternoon. Then I hit a mine. In the states I might have got angry but in Japan it was not only the first dog crap I have ever stepped in but the first I have even seen! So mostly it was surprise and confusion on my face I think. Iida choro totally had seen in coming but was bound in a deep talk about the work of our friend and didn't want to be rude and interrupt. And Sato Kyodai is just talking and asking away and didn't see any of this... and I am just like oh not such a big deal just kinda walked so the one leg drags for a few steps and all will be well. But I don't know if it was the humidity or a sick stray dog or something but it was really gross... and the smell was lingering.. so i had to be rid of this! I find out it's stuck between the heal and the sole of my shoe so I start dragging it on the edge of the curb like any poor soul in my situation would do. This is just all gross. The funny part was elder Iida. He is a laugher, you can get him crying just by dancing silly in the apartment. He is trying to be calm as he watches all this develop and by the time I use the curb he is just dying, but sato kyodai just keeps going. So I start to do like leg shakes to fake get it off and Iida just like ceases up. I love this guy; I feel super funny around him.
Love each other for me!

Law Choro

p.s. its a bit of a spiritual rollercoaster for us all.. testimony and then dog poop.... any improvement points?

August 10, 2014 Letter

0840 hours Miyagi-ken

It was an awesome week! I got peaches from a lady at church that loves me!

Culture point:

So I think that I have told you about matsuri; but its giant festivals. The Japanese culture is full of them and everyone just loves them. Normally they are in the summer and the Big one in Sendai is called Tanabata. and it was this week! For tanabata there are tons of fireworks on Tuesday night then from Wednesday to Friday there is a huge street that has these giant ornaments that hang down and you can walk down the road (its over a mile but I am not sure how long). There are tons of shops all over the sides and food and people (lots of people) and if you are there at night (especially the fire work show, then probably 90 percent of the girls and 30 percent of the boys are dressed up in traditional Japanese clothes. It's way fun! I bought a summer one but didn't get a chance to wear it. Here are some awesome pictures for you:

 

 

Yes Jaimyn, I chose this one just for you!

 

Fun food fact:

I just want to share something with you: if you leave cookies out in Moses Lake WA you get these crunchy stale puck, if you leave cereal out in Moses Lake nothing changes. In Sendai in the summer if you leave out a cookie it gets super soft and gooey and falls apart. If you leave out a bowl of cereal without milk, it will begin to get soggy. And I am not kidding or being dramatic!!! You put a lid on it to keep it crispy!!

Spiritual thought:

I just want to share my testimony that Jesus is the Christ. And the reason I feel that way is that I have studied what he has taught and find that when I apply it I am liberated from the sorrow that comes from my mistakes. Especially when I pray for forgiveness through his name. I can testify from experience that you can receive peace and forgiveness. We can be clean and progress through Christ.

Funny story:

If you want your own funny story eat a peach with the skin on in front of someone Japanese... hahah!

But this weeks funny story comes to us from a place we go to for service. It's a hospital where we talk to the people that are living there and don't get to get out much. There are many elderly people there and I have this one table that I totally love, they are mostly in their 90s. They actually are super interesting to talk to. They were in their 20s during world war II and lost siblings in it and had some really hard trails. But for the most part they just compliment the heck out of you, are super bright and make love jokes. I know they are like this so on a split i had a young American missionary go and sit with them and I just kinda watched from a distance. I was just dying. He was just red as can be the whole time and had this nervous smile and strained laugh the whole time. After he came back with all these new vocabulary words he learned like secret lover,  handsome man, stud ect... you kinda had to be there but it turns out you can get harassed in Japan too.. haha!
 

Love each other for me! 

Law Choro

August 3, 2014 Letter

0849 Hours in the place where you don't need to flip the egg to cook it on the sidewalk; it just steams the top too. :-D (I came up with that myself this morning).

Fun Food Fact:

Something about honey from Japan, New Zealand, Austrailia, or Korea doesn't quite match that of Canada or U.S. honey. It is not quite as sweet but still good.

Culture Point: When you ask someone their name you: ask their name, they tell you, then you ask what kanji are used and they describe them! Then you kinda say "wait this one?" and you draw it on your palm with your index finger, and then you say that's a cool name! And they normally are super cool and it's not a lie. If a Japanese person read this culture point they would laugh so hard but i testify it is true!

Spiritual Thought: Family history! We can help our ancestors! Check out first cor 15:29 and then talk to your mormon friend and they will hook you up with a bunch of free tools to research where your ancestors are from! It's way fun!

Funny Story: We called my beloved Miura Kyodai and started randomly singing happy birthday just to mess with him. The first time he just hung up the phone and when we called back he said he didn't want to embarrass us by telling us that we had called the wrong person. That is how nice Japanese people are- haha- I love this place!

Love each other for me!

Law Choro