December 4, 2014 Letter

1400 hours; Eight Tree Mountain (when you write the Yagiyama on my letters that is what you are writing ha-ha)

 Culture point:

Here are 10 good manners to do when visiting a home in Japan:

1. Ring the Doorbell ONCE

2. Once inside the entryway do not take off your jacket until asked to come in (taking it off is assuming you are going to be brought in)

3. Take off your shoes with your face towards the door

4. Once inside the home first greet the Head of the home

5. Let the Host eat first

6. Say your thank yous to every one before leaving

7. Put the slippers you were given for walking around in the home in a neat position

8. As you put back on your shoes make sure your face is always towards the host

9. Don’t "stomp" your shoes on

10. As you walk away kind of back up the whole time and don’t turn your back to them tell a good 10-20 feet away from the door.

So, Japanese people are the nicest people in the world and no one is going to get mad at you if you don’t do one of these things, but they will be so happy and impressed if you do these things! They normally give you warm tea and a warm rag to wash your face and hands on. 

Also Caroling, when you don’t understand that culture at all imagine how terrifying it would be to see a large group of people suddenly appear on your porch and start singing religious songs. Ha-ha. I don't have any experience but I get a chuckle out of just the thought.

Fun food fact:

Sashimi is what you call eating raw fish. If you take that piece of fish and put it on top of a ball or vinegar rice or wrap it in rice and seaweed you get sushi. I actually prefer sashimi because then you can eat more fish. Ha-ha! 

So fish is actually pretty expensive so we hardly ever buy it we always just get it from people that love us too much or when we eat out. But cutting up the fish is SO difficult like it’s an art to get all the little bones out. True sashimi or sushi never has bones in it. Only when I make it. Ha-ha! Another interesting thing is that once that fish is dead you have 2 days to eat it raw. (That’s if it has been refrigerated well the whole time. Older than that and its cooked no matter what. I really love fish. :-)

Spiritual thought:

I write this one to anyone who hasn`t had much experience with Jesus Christ or to someone who would like to help someone who doesn`t know but about Christ. When you get someone you really loves the Savior of the world they will get all excited and start throwing around all these words like love, joy, mercy, peace, confidence, comfort. They sound so great but they sound so general at the same time. I have found it really hard sometimes to bridge that gap between the person who has experienced it to the person they are trying to share with. But i just want to add my testimony that the mercy you felt when your parents forgave you when you wrecked the car, or the peace you felt with the 12 month year old sleeping on your shoulder, or the awe you felt looking into the sky on a deep night is the same... God did not start calling to you today. You know the basics of those feelings. I also know that all of those feeling can be enhanced and purified through the savior of the world. I know the reason he asks us to do things is to get to a state where we experience those feelings forever as a family.

Funny story:

 So Gas stations in Japan. Half are like Washington and half are like Oregon. So they have both self-serve and serviced. I normally, being a Washingtonion go to the self-serve. But the other day I went to the service one. And you pull up, and they are directing your car... and in English your like (your good your good yeah your good keep coming, yeah ok stop) but in Japanese you normally hear (hai Hai Hai Hai hai) which sound like (hi, hi, hi hi) and I would always think someone was trying to greet me back in the day, but now I am more seasoned. So I pull up and I used to not be super nervous in Oregon, but this is in japan and I don’t know the rules or if there is going to be some new Japanese I don’t know. Elder Inamori is with me but he has never put gas in a car, so he doesn’t know what is right either. They bow super low to me and I bow back. I roll down the window and give them my card. "Mantan regiura desu ka?" I say yes. She walks away to fill up my car, but before she does she lays a little moist towel on my door where the window is rolled down. It’s all folded up pretty.  I felt the pressure. I knew I was to do something with that towel. It just has that flavor to it. So I casually glance around pick it up. At this point I think I know what it is because it’s warm. I have had a hundred warm towels just like this given to me over the year and a half when ever I visit restaurants or people houses. So I start wiping my hands with it getting all those little dirties off. Then just as I am three quarters the way up to my face to wipe it off I see the guy in the car next to me wiping off his dash and windshield with the same pink rag. Ha-ha-ha Elder Inamori was laughing pretty hard. I learn new things every day!

Love each other for me!

Cameron Choro

November 23, 2014 Photo Update

This is my favorite picture from the mission. It wins the cutest award! And yes those are little peace signs in the mittens!

November 16, 2014 Photo Update

Sign the aomori elders made to welcome us

The group of people for my birthday lunch

Left is my companion, right is Low choro - that confuses people so much!

Picture from splits

My beloved brother Sato!

Different splits

Elder Ito when his shoes were too wet

Old district picture when we made fondue on p-day.

November 9, 2014 Letter

So 2 angels, that are the other elders in my apartment, are being way too nice. So, I am going to get in a quick letter.

Culture point:

Freeways; there are big beautiful freeways that run all up and down the country. In Tohoku they are wide, straight, and traffic is normally not heavy. They go through those mountains that you see in all the ancient pictures.  There are tons of tunnels and bridges. It would blow my mind to even guess how much went into making them and maintaining them each year. To drive on them is (at least to me) very expensive. You come onto them at a gate and pull a number and when you leave it you pay. An hour cost about 20 bucks, I think... it’s by distance not time. The speed limit is 80 -100 kph but EVERYONE goes 100-140kph. Wild people. ;-)

Fun food fact:

I about died this morning on the way home from the airport, when we stopped by this little bread shop and bought some kare pan (curry bread) I have had it a ton. It’s just bread with curry in it. But this place new their stuff. It was like a fresh cooked scone (like the deep fried dough scone) full of quality meat and curry crazy sauce) 

Spiritual thought:

I had the most wonderful experience meeting someone. they had had something weird happen to them and had to return to the same place like 5 times over a span of months and we had some weird things happen to us and we had to return there like 7 times. But on the time we both had to go back there, it was all a success and we should not need to return. That person was so interested in the message we had, that God loves them and wants to answer their questions and guide them. I know God loves everyone and wants to guide them back to him. We just have to be ready to open our mouths in a sweetly bold way.

Funny story:

 President smith was taking the driver’s test for his permit this last weekend and there is one spot where they want you get up to 50 kph on a straight away. To prove you can go fast and be ok. So he just gunned it at that part and he is going and going, but it just wouldn’t get up there... just kind of hovering at 40 and so he just floors it and it bumps up a little bit but comes back down and he is like wait... the tachometer... his speed was more like 65. Then Sister Smith did the exact same thing! (Their car is set up opposite) and I am sure that the teacher thought American drivers were like insanely fast... I got a good laugh..

Have a great week! Love each other for me!

Law Choro

November 2, 2014 Letter

17:20 the office.

I want you to imagine a Japanese kid comes to your Halloween party. He is kind of small. Can understand most of what people are talking about but when he talks there are a lot of cute grammar errors. He has really bad pronunciation. Someone has dressed him up in a Mickey Mouse costume. He has never even seen Mickey Mouse but he says he likes it because he has seen it all over since he came to America. He keeps doing this whistle and acting like he is driving a boat. He has no idea what it even means but with those ears and his little nose and that tail you can’t help but laugh and coo and vote him to be the champion for the costume party that night. 

That was totally me and I won the costume party as Anpanman. My Doriyo tried to be the Japanese version of Bugs Bunny. (Doraimon) and he made children cry and got no prize. It was a bit of a real heartbreak for him. But the face paint Christine sent was just too real on him, while I looked cute.

Food fact:

Chinese is like the Mexican food of Japan. Maybe even more mixed up then us and Mexico. Pot stickers are called gyoza and we eat them like candy. Ha-ha-ha! Well they are a lot more expensive then candy but taste better too!

Cultural fact:

There are a ton of ways to say the word "I”.  There are punk cool ways like "ore" there are super polite ways like "watakushi" there are informal ways like "boku" there are ways to kind of skirt the rule like saying "personal pen" instead of my pen like "jibun no" It can be pretty confusing at first. Kids don’t know this obviously. What is insane is that a 3 year old will already start the word that a little girl will say, and a little boy will say what a little boy should say. At church this week a 3 year old told me they were Boku`s shoes. and then a little girl (this is soooo cute) she told me it was Miko`s candy. That is like me saying "that’s Cameron`s candy" like talking in the third person but for a little girl its ok and super cute sounding to my foreign ears... :-)

Spiritual thought:

I saw a man that was what a lot of people would call the worst of the worst. Problems with gangs, alcohol, was a race car driver, and a rock star, kind of wild maybe. I saw him pray to God, ask for help, receive guidance, follow that guidance, enter the waters of baptism and become so happy. A light. I believe it only takes one day for a man to change. I am so thankful for that power that is the atonement. I know it is real.

Love each other for me!

Law CHoro 

October 19, 2014 Letter

1600 hours

The trees are changing and its super pretty! Like a rain forest that goes orange and red!

Culture point:

Imonikai! So this is something that is specific to the Tohoku Region! (Tohoku is the top 6 prefectures on the big island of Honshu) (Which is the area that I can transfer within) So if you translate it, it means sweet potato celebration. Kind of like a harvest festival. But the main event that they all have is a Soup that is what you would get if potato soup and miso soup had a child. Its way good!  Everybody seems to be having one these things. Pretty much, I try and make it to as many as I can. :-)

Fun food fact:

So I learned this cool thing from my companion a few transfers back about the "ABC`s of cooking is Japan. They of course use their alphabet.

SA さ - SAto     - Sugar!

SHI し - SHIyo  - Soy Sauce

SU す - SU       - Vinagar  

SE　せ - SEishu- Sake (Japanese alcohol)

SO　そ- miSO   - Miso (a paste made from soy beans)

So these are 5 letters that fall in a row in the writing system. This is the order in which you put things in while you are cooking to give flavor! (Whenever I start talking about food with a mom I somehow bring that up and they are like super amazed, so if you come here I recommend it). They all have a reason for their order. For example Miso is a bacteria like yogurt and so if you boil it for too long it doesn’t quite taste the same. Or if you put sake in fire by itself, it’s for obvious reasons kind of dangerous. I am sure there are about 100 other reasons I know nothing about)

Spiritual thought:

I want to share a story I heard of two kids today. (It was the Grandchildren of the Smiths).

Their dad normally woke up around five, but he had a chance to sleep in till seven. But like we all do he woke up at the normal time and just kind of laid there and relaxed. Then he heard his 5 and 2 year old out in the hall playing by their door. He heard the play flow to a problem, "woody is gone!" so they searched, and looked, but couldn’t find him! Then the 5 year old turns to the 2 year old, "mom said if we lose something, we can pray, and God will help us!”.  So they kneel down and say “heavenly father please help us find woody. Amen" "Amen." They begin searching. So Dad probably feeling like he is in some country song kind of wanders out to watch and they ask him if he has seen Woody. He kind of thought about it, and, it popped into his mind where he had actually seen it. So he told them to check there, So they went and checked and then found him! They were so excited. They went shouting into their mom, that God does answer prayers! She asked them if they said thanks to God and they stopped. They ran back upstairs and said they would. They returned later. "Did you say thanks to heavenly father?" "Yes! And he said you`re welcome!"

I was reminded of the most often promised thing in the scriptures "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened." I just want to add my testimony that I know God does answer prayers. Most of the time it isn’t when or how I want it, but it always works out if my desires are righteous. I also have found that the second or third time we continue that previous discussion with Heavenly father, we can get even more answers just like the two kids.

Funny story:

So within a different culture, speaking a different language, I think anyone who has done it will say the same thing but sometimes you have these horrible situations where you want to laugh sooo hard but you shouldn’t because others will completely misunderstand your laughter. I had a really bad one this week.

I was on a trip with Elder Ito and this wonderful couple missionary to a 2nd hand store to try and get some cheap appliances and things to furnish their apartment. They are both American and full of personality and fire for life. I am American. Elder Ito is of course Japanese and in the store was all Japanese workers and shoppers. So to set the stage, we all start looking at space heaters then over to the vacuums. They are kind of discussing what they need and so I might have got a little distracted by the shirts (I am always looking for cool shirts with kangi on them to wear). So I am digging around and then I hear a vacuum start up. Not super weird, but I knew the others had been over there, so I wander on over to see that, they had found an outlet behind a rack of clothes and wanted to try out the vacuum, to see if it works. Maybe a little weird to plug it into the middle of the store in the states but not bad at all, but I thought it might be a bit much for Japan. Sure enough, a cute little professional lady scurries on over in about 3 seconds saying, "Hey, can I help you guys test that out up front? It’s against store policy to do it here." We of course go to the front. (the reason I tell you this part is so you know that because Japanese people are soooo kind she probably felt guilty about making a customer do that and so wanted to be sooo nice and professional the rest of the time.) We go up to the register and Ito Choro and I are kind of standing 5 feet off watching this next scene.

So they plug her in... She comes roaring back to life and they start searching for dust bunnies to test her out on. They are both looking her over good, kind of bent low over it, the helper gal is like straight faces looking forward like a soldier on guard, and are just watching...

Then I start to get this tingle... like a warm breeze when you’re hot. Then the warm feeling starts to go a bit on the soar side. Right when I cock my head he spews the word in his Japanese accent (I am sure my accent is much more funny in Japanese we don’t make fun of each other but all the same it sounds super silly sometimes) that killed my composure.. "Stinky" and he bales out into the forest of cream colored plastic and too short t-shirts. That’s when it gets bad. The vacuum is just puffing out air for days and I start to like cough. The Sister missionary is giving these faces full of pulled lips and concerned eyebrows, her husband is searching all over for the source, and I am just dying it’s so bad! I knew the smell, it wasn’t my first encounter, but it had been a long time. Then Elder Hill ( I normally try and keep names out but they won’t care) looks up straight and with a victorious grin "cat pee." And that when I just die... everyone is dying from this horrible gas the machine is putting off.  Our helper lady is just like the stone soldier. I just started laughing from it all, like tears coming down my cheeks, and no one knew what the heck I was doing! But man it smelled so bad...

Love you all! Smile and love each other for me!

Law Choro

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