March Photo Update

Scallop ice cream cone

March 15th, 2014 Letter

1300 hours a place of tears.

I got transferred. It is so sad.... I was kind of shocked and I am so hurting to leave Macnab Choro and all my friends in Aomori.  I am going to a place called Odate. It’s in the north part of the Akita prefecture. It’s still the same zone just a lot more to the west and a little to the south. My new companion is Elder Koide who has been out the same amount of time as Sheldon. He is Japanese but I don’t know where he is from yet. I will tell you when I find out!

Culture point:

Shikishi. They are these boards that are normally about a 1 foot square. They are about as thick as cardboard but a lot harder, kind of like wood but not that strong. You write notes on them and give them to people for goodbyes or congratulations or birthdays or anything! The best ones have lots of pictures plastered all over them and fun notes. They are super fun to get and I hold the one I have like a treasure. (I got it way back in Kamisugi days from the Kamisugi Sisters (thank you Gass shimai and all the others that helped if you read this!)  I am making two of them today for Sister Hayashi and ELder Nishiie who are going home this week. Sister Hayashi was in 3 of my districts. In 3 different areas! She is a stud. Nishiie choro was the one here in Aomori that got where I was coming from all the time and had my back. I am going to miss him... ahhh transfers are the worst.... haha

Fun food fact:

So we got these from Brother Ebina last night and Macnab Choro was dying so I have to share. (also be aware this is not super normal Japanese food this is the first time I have ever heard of it) so they take eggs ( I love eggs) and they put them in the hot springs (called onsens and LOVED by the people) and let the egg sit there for 20 minutes and then pull it out. The minerals in the water give the eggs some extra flavor that is yummy and the weirdest thing is the water is very hot but not bowling so the yolk and the white both cook at the same speed and both are not solid but not hard at all either. All the slimy is kind of gone but it’s not solid at all... hard to explain maybe scary the first time you try one but if you like the taste of egg yolk very yummy!!

Spiritual thought:

 Goodbyes could be really scary I think. I hate them because it just sucks but they aren’t scary most of the time. It’s just a comfort to me that I know when I pray and ask God if there is an afterlife and if coming to Christ through Baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the right way to return to him I just feel peace and warm. So I firmly believe we can meet all our friends after this life if we aren’t able to later in this life. It just give me hope and a smile now. I am happier now because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s my thoughts lately.

Funny Story:

 Birthdays. Everyone likes them but I think it’s especially important to make a good one for missionaries who are away from home without a family. Missionaries are divided into groups of 4-8 called districts and then 2-5 of those districts make up a zone. So the district is kind of like your family away from home. So we had a birthday in our district last week with Sister Hayashi. She is going home this week and we really felt we needed to do something that would make her day awesome! but.... we might have forgotten about it until the night before and it was 9:30 so we were in for curfew and the next day was Sunday and since it’s the Sabbath we try and focus on the Lord that day and not do other activities that take people away from their families like shopping so there was no going out and buying ingredients for a cake.. So I start digging through my stash of good for cooking from my Mama and beloved sisters and I find this box of Reeses cookies! (There is another story about having to tie and gag Macnab Choro, because he said he had been saving those for a special occasion when he, who could truly appreciate American candy, could enjoy them,) but we decide to make them! But it was too late so we hit the sack and decided to bake it and then go early before church and ding dong ditch it at their apartment. The other Choro needed to participate too so they found some old balloons they had bought and said they would blow them up and leave them all over the hall. So we went to bed and then woke up the next morning to me having a great idea to take the cookie dough and make the kanji for her name! (It’s a way easy kanji that just means a grove of trees) (林） So, I make the dough, make the shape and then so to bake it... if you run the toaster and microwave/oven thing we have you kill the breaker. We needed to make breakfast so I ended up having to use the toaster oven... and a long story short it went down pretty quick. We ended up with burnt tops and soft under and it just got a lot thinner and flatter in the oven (go figure right?) but we had no time and no better ideas we put it on some cardboard we cut out (a plate ended up being too small) are we throw it in the bike basket and hit the road! (The other Choro went ahead to prep the balloons) and we got chucks of cookie falling off into the road behind us, avoiding the snow piles, wind in our hair... that’s freedom. We get there and we run up the stairs and about 2 stories before we get to the top we hear all this puffing and breathing and a few huge pops... we get to their floor and all the floor is covered with balloons... heart balloons. Someone accidently bought heart balloons. We can hear the sister missionaries laughing on the inside of the door because of the balloons popping... ugh. It was a total fail but it was still a good B-day I think so sho ga nai...

Love each other for me!

ラー長老

March 8, 2015 Letter

1400 hours a place with 6000 year old ruins (I am going there today!)

The weather continues to get warmer and the snow hasn’t been sticking at all!

Fun food fact:

So one of the most delicious things is called onigiri which is just a rice ball that I have already talked about. One thing that seems so normal now, but is actually kind or weird maybe, is a type of rice ball that I have never seen sold, but people make them all the time.  It’s pretty much like sautéed mushrooms and carrots and all sorts of other brown plants that you have never heard of or seen and then they dump it in rice and mix it up make balls half the size of your fist, wrap it in plastic and you got a way good lunch. I can pound those things... good stuff. :-)

Culture point:

Children can go to preschool and most kids do. Sometimes it’s for like 5 years they go (more like day care.)

Then you become a first grader the year that you will be turning 7.

Grade school is 1-6

Then middle school is 1-3

And then high school 1-3

So your grade is determined by what year you were born in. (way easier to understand I think)

If you ask someone what grade they are and they say "I am a second grader in high school".

All kids in middle school and high school have school uniforms and all kids in elementary school and preschool have these really cute backpacks.

 Spiritual thought:

I really enjoy church. When we are baptized we are making a promise to follow Jesus Christ.  In return he promises us that we can have his holy spirit to be with us and that we can have eternal life. We go to church every week so that we can renew that two-way promise or covenant with God by taking the sacrament. I really felt that when that becomes or biggest reason to go to church is makes for a really powerful experience that gives us new strength from the spirit to become what we want to be.

Funny story:

 So I either told you this and I forgot or I somehow missed a good one.

In the office in Sendai I worked with many senior missionaries (retired adults) and one of them was his lady named Shitami Shimai. She is sweetest lady you will ever meet. SSOOOO nice. Because she knew I was transferring she made me apple cake. I said thank you 100 times and was so happy. Then I did the worst thing anyone in the world can do and I forgot it on my desk when I transferred...X-P sooo stupid... that’s another story. But I came up here to the north and was here about 2 days when I got a package in the mail and it was the cake she had made me! She saw I forgot it and shipped it to me. (I am telling you no one is as nice as this lady) then to make it even worse she had put inside it a note and a box of chocolates. sheesh I am feeling stupid and yet loved. Mixed emotions. Anyway. the chocolates were this brand called melty kiss that I have had a few times and speaking honestly I was never a huge fan but with all the thanks and guilt in my heart I cracked those suckers open planning to down the whole box with a smile. I get through one and it was just not good at all... like normally they are just kind of strange but this was just off... not even sweet and it wasn’t like dark chocolate. I eat a few more... still that same grossness.. So I do the same thing anyone would do that doesn’t want to be wasteful and I go put them on the desks of the other missionaries in the apartment. Then Nishiie Choro comes in later that night munching on them and is like "where did these come from can I eat them?" and after I explain he throws some back and is like "these are great!" (He is crazy) and then I say they are weird and he is like "yeah they do have a unique flavor I have never had this either" and so he starts reading the box...

Turns out they were full of alcohol in the middle. (We don’t drink in our church and so its super funny that a saint, the nicest woman in the world who also doesn’t believe in drinking sent them to a bunch of missionaries)

Love each other for me!

Law Choro

March 1, 2015 Letter

1300 hours the melting iceberg

It’s defrost time with lots of wind and slushy rain and sunshine!

We love snow, but we love bikes most, so, we are down with anything.

Culture point:

I think this is less Japan and more just bigger city culture maybe. I don’t know. Since the people are a lot more packed it seems that when it comes to elementary school, students all walk home. I say this because if you time it right (depends on the school what time) but if you go in the area around an elementary school in the midafternoon you will be surrounded by an army of them going home. They all have the same backpack and all genki and draggin their hands in the snow and when they are in large groups like that, they are a lot braver about shouting "hello" in English. We shout back and then 50 of them shout hello back and pretty much we become super cool to the 3rd graders... also if you say just "konichiwa" you will very much impress them how you speak Japanese. Pretty much if you need a pick me up, they got your back.

Fun food fact:

This is something I think I mentioned a while back, but I want to capitalize on it because I have been watching for it lately. When you are served a big meal in Japanese style normally there will be about 20 smallish dishes and you take a small amount from each one. (Normally is about 5 dishes but I have actually seen twenty once) and so you get a serving of each one. I never did this consciously and its not super clear cut, but, I think I generally ate a whole something then moved on. I ate my roll then I ate my potatoes as I was getting to the end of my potatoes I might take some meat and put it in the same  gravy a little out of order but generally I finished the potatoes. In Japan they eat like one bite of one thing and then a bite of something else that looks good and then get a drink then something else. It’s all spread out whatever sounds good at that second and generally at the end it’s like one bite of each thing left and it all ends at the same time. I don’t think one is better than the other buts it’s just funny how clear the difference is. I have been comparing all the American missionaries too and they all eat like I eat! Crazy stuff. haha

Spiritual thought:

I want to just share an experience today. Missionaries do this thing called exchanges where we switch who we work with for 24 hours just to mix things up and learn from each other and to make sure everyone is doing well. So I went on one of these Saturday and we decided that our goal for the day was to find a good chance to just serve someone. So we planned some times where we would be walking through areas that might have people out working, we called up some people we thought might be able to use our help, then we prayed really hard for a chance on Friday night. Then prayed hard for a chance the next morning. Then when we opened the door to go out our apartment on Saturday morning we had to wait because our neighbor was waddling down the stairs with a huge box. After a bit of talking we found out he and his mom were moving that morning and they actually could use some help with the bigger stuff. We get what we desire and God answers prayers is my thought today! Keep praying for that chance you are looking for it will come!

Funny story:

This funny story has been one that has the story of my last 3 months with Macnab Choro. He is from Arizona and new and speaking frankly (in his own words) "he is one who has always enjoyed simple tastes" he was supposedly in the words of his mother on Skype "the pickiest eater ever" BUT in his defense he has not refused to eat anything served him and if we were in public places he will always smile and say he either likes it or that it is still new and he will like it soon. He is just a total trooper and all the people totally love him for it and when food scares him they love him more for it. Anyway... he never says anything negative BUT sometimes things are just going to be scary in a different country. So a couple weeks ago when we went to that seaside shop and a friend bought us scallop ice cream and I told Macnab Choro what is was and as he was holding it and waiting for others to get their ice-cream I took a quick sneak shot of him holding it. He said out loud he was so grateful for the treat and it sounds exciting but his face. The picture is not posed it was just his face... I die every time I see the picture of him holding it... scallop ice-cream.

Love each other for me!

I love you all!

Law Choro

February 22, 2015 Letter

1400 hours "The Storming Six"

The weather took a crazy turn for the warm! We are having like record lows for snow fall in the end of February... so i have been basking in the sun like a cat! Loving the sunshine!

 

Culture point:

There are two big holidays called " hinamatsuri" and "kodomo no hi" and they are pretty much kids day! The second one literarily translates to "kids day" and I think I talked about this before but I know more now. Both are celebrated by putting out decorations like a nativity at Christmas to us. But pretty much that's all the holiday is. So the first one is hinamatsuri and its like girls day and you have these dolls that look like ancient Japanese emperors and queens and princesses and stuff. They look really fancy and cost thousands of dollars. When the first daughter is born into a family the parents of the mother of the daughter is traditionally expected to buy those dolls for the family.

kodomo no hi is the boy version and the decorations are armor especially a samurai helmet. When the fist male of a family is born tradition says the fathers parents buy those decorations. Kinda fun but looks expensive! (That's why I think the grandparents who love the child most buys it.. haha)

 

Fun food fact:

Pizza. Macnab choros favorite food is pizza so we have been thinking about it lately. The thing with food in Japan is if you have the right connections and endless amounts of money you could probably get any type of food from anywhere in the world. so you could get a pizza hut deep dish pizza that is medium size but it will cost you around 50 dollars. That is kinda fun. Sometimes the church members are way too nice and will sneak us stuff like that... crazy! But you can get cheaper pizza around - most of the time there is corn and mayonnaise on it. Or the second most common is chopped up sausages that are kinda like a high quality hot dog. Both are good once you get your imagination wrapped around them! I have never seen pepperoni pizza here besides the military base.

 

Spiritual thought:

We had a really close friend lose their mother this week and it has kind of shook us a little in the right direction. I have never been close to death yet so I wont try and pretend like I know anything of the grief or burden of losing a loved one; but I do always think of a scripture "But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ." Mosiah 16:8 (pg.178 of the Book of Mormon). Death used to be so scary to me until I talked to God about it through prayer. Though Prayer I know that we can have the fear and sorrow that in associated with our own death be taken away. My friend seems to be having her burden taken away too. I am so thankful for Christ's sacrifice for us. I am thankful that God has a plan for us and this is not the end of us or our family unit.

 

Funny story:

Japanese people are so funny about nakedness to me... but I suppose I am funny about it to them too.. sometimes I want to read my companions letters home. haha!

 

For example, in a magazine of a new hot spa there might be a picture with 10 men bums on it. No one thinks anything of it - the male body is just like a baby body nobody cares. Girls bodies are probably the same as in America I think. They all grow up going to public hot springs where they separate the boys and girls and everyone is nude while taking a bath and so they are so much used to that type of thing then I think Americans are. That being said... I was laughing so hard when I heard this adult man in his 60s tell us about his most awkward moment in English class.. (it started off in elfish but as he got more passionate it went into Japanese:

 

"You wanna hear a crazy story!? I used to be in the military and I had a few chances to go into that American base over in misawa. It was a great place - everything was huge and the people were friendly but I had the craziest experience.. you know in the bathrooms you have a door right? like a normal strong tall door? (in japan they are pretty much always floor to ceiling doors on stalls) Well back in the 80s when I went into that base I went into the bathroom and there was no doors! I was feeling so awkward and then it got way worse when a bunch of American guys came in the bathroom as well.. we could see each other!! And then you want to know the craziest thing.. they were talking to each other! Just having a nice ol chat about something in English. I couldn't believe it... years passed and I thought maybe that was just the old ways and maybe it was just because they are military and want to keep it cheep and easy to maintain.. But I went back and I thought ahh they finally put doors on the stalls... but then they were this little half doors that you could SEE under and over! Those people were very kind but I couldn't believe it..."

 

My jaw was on the ground... haha! It's just culture differences but I thought it was funny of him to share it.. Macnab choro then shared his awkward Japan bathroom story and it was the exact same experience I had in the Tokyo airport! I was laughing so hard because he said all the exact things I did down to the lady coming in and cleaning and everyone panicking..

 

Love each other for me!

Law Choro

 

I feel guilty when I share anything to do with restrooms so forgive me...

Febuary 15, 2015 Letter

1400 hours The North

This week has been half melt days half storm days with really hard wind which up to this point we haven't had really at all. The snow is about the same. In other news we did squats two days ago and Elder Macnab is hobbling around like an old dog... my hamstrings are a bit tender though.

 

Culture point:

I can't remember if I shared this last year or not but I will this year anyway. There very much is valentines day in Japan but a little different. On Valentine's day only girls give chocolates or candy. There are varying opinions on this next bit but best I can tell: If you buy a boy chocolates it means I think you are cool. Tiny chocolate is I think you are my co-worker and a good person. Giant bought chocolate is I think you are kind of cute maybe. If you make chocolates its like pretty much bust out the ring and the wheat (I think they would think its better to waste wheat). Then on March 14th they have white day! On white day you take all the things you got on valentines day and you give back the same type of thing. It's a pretty hard rule that you give back to anyone that gave to you. I got nothing... sad day for Law Choro. ;-)

 

Fun food fact:

I am really struggling to remember what I have told you. One thing interesting is in really Japanese style kitchens you never see them using a spatula and frying pan but instead a pan and really long think chop sticks that are for cooking. They are a bit harder to use for some things but are way easier to use for others where you want to be precise. I use them as one tool because I am not that jozu yet...

 

Spiritual thought:

Today my thoughts come from the words of Ammon in the Book of Mormon "I ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for i know that he grannteth not men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life.." we get according to what we desire. I think we all desire things in our minds and we desire also in our heart; and sometimes they are not united. At least mine are not always united. If my heart is driven by my flesh to desire to sleep I probably will end up sleeping even if my head desires to go study. If my flesh desires that beer and my heart gives in, then even if my head says its not a good idea I will give in. If my heart wants to go shovel the widows next store`s snow because I love her then it will probably happen. God grants unto me pretty much every desire of my heart... good or bad. Sometimes I don't really like the desires of my heart... haha but what I wanted to share with everyone today is I know we can experiences a "great change of heart" if we so desire. I have found praying specifically, reading the scriptures regularly, and serving others is the most effective way to change my heart.

 

Funny story:

So it was valentines day this last week and so I figure I will give something along those lines.

We teach English class every week. Macnab Choro and myself are very good at English, been studying for years. I have been studying Japanese now for over a year and a half and so I can hold a normal conversation but Macnab Choro is pretty new and is still learning. It's especially difficult to pick up on something if you have no context.

 

So after English was over we were kinda mingling with the students seeing if anyone had any last questions or things and he started talking to someone. I then got called over by the person next to him and she said she had a culture question. She asked me when do you say "I love you" in America outside of family relationships. No one in Japan says I love you anytime and she knew we used it more in English so she wanted to check. I said it depends on the person and age and era and so she explained the reason she was asking: she has been skyping a friend in America. She is about 30, has a son that is 8, is single, and is very nice. This man was about her age, also single and she explained that lately when he says bye on the skype calls he has been saying "i love you" and sending her texts with hearts and saying I love you. I said I was not him so I don't know for sure but I would guess that he probably was saying it in a little bit romantic way. That he may be thinking they could start some type of a dating relationship.She said ok and then said she wanted to know how to politely put him off of that line of thinking, a kind way to refuse the offers, a way to say to him that she did think he was cool but that she just wanted the relationship to be one of friendship. She wanted a simple sentence she could remember in English.

 

So now back up. I am in this really fast kind of long talk in Japanese and as we talk about not misunderstanding him we get more and more serious and Elder Macnab is watching this and all he can pick up is the word love a couple times and then he catches that she asked me some sort of question. Then I come up with her answer: "I really think your great too, but  I need you to understand that we cant be anymore than friends."Macnab choro is like oh my gosh... (remember we are male nuns for these two years) Satan is tempting Law Choro with this woman. But he seems to be overcoming it well! He just says a lil prayer to strengthen me and kind of comes and stands by me.

 

We keep talking and then she writes it down and I look over at him and he just gives me this hard core nod of you keep it up man I got your back.. and I am so confused...

It got really busy after that with everyone leaving and us thanking people but once everyone was gone and he asked what happened and I explained he got a good laugh and then I got a good laugh after. It was a good day! haha!

 

love each other for me!

Law Choro

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