Monday, June 11, 2012

My New Area

Hey peeps! Hows it going? In a new world of Yokote (pretty easy to pronounce Yo (as in Yoh ho yoh ho a piarate life for me) Ko (as in corn (horrible example)) te (as in temperature). I feel like there should be a lot to say but there really isn't. Finished off things in Furukawa. Was able to meet with Takahashi san 1 last time and she had been keeping the Word of Wisdom so that is awesome! She said she has just been too busy to even worry about it. Strange way for a blessing to come but the Lord works in mysterious ways so as long as she doesn't relapse and Tithing didn't kill her then she should be set for this comming Saturday. Kinda bummed I won't see it but maybe that will just be how this whole mission experience goes. All the missionaries always talk about members and investigators seeing them off at the train station and people crying and telling you not to go. I got the opposite. "Wow, you have been for a long time, its about time you got out" "Ha ha. If you are in Yokote in the winter that will stink" "Oh ok." Etc. What is this crap? Nobody loves me? Oh well. So what to say about Yokote. It was just opened again last December by a missionary named Choro Dick that just went home and trained Miyaki choro. I don't know if I love this man or not though. He took care of business. This place has like 15 actual investigators going on right now but he also seemed a little reckless with how he would go about working. Miyaki choro doesn't know a lot of the rules it seems. Oh well. Gotta just run with it. There really are a ton of miracles going on here though. For some reason (no one has been able to tell me why (probably Dick choro had somethign to do with it)) This mother and 3 children decided to come back to church after a long time separated and what does the youngest 14 boy say he wants to do now? Be a missionary but he doesn't know how so he wants us to teach him......what? Ha. I thought Dick choro was joking when he told me this. They are a super strong family. If no one would have told me I would have never guessed they were inactive before. Also they have a mother daughter investigators. Thats a little crazy too. Never even seen a family investigate together here in Japan but they have a baptism date for next month. Its hard to explain this place. There is not one but tons of investigators. Miyaki choro is just concerned because apparently recently they finished knocking every door in Yokote......I think its an exageration but still probably close. The branch president is crazy with missionary work but also with weird little things. Like he got mad because when I broke the bread for sacrament I smushed it too much apparently....... He would die if he saw our wards bread. He also got mad because the investigators took the sacrament which I'm quite sure is ok just has no meaning. Yeah there are no words for the people here. Met a LA(less active) yesterday that doesn't use electricity, won't walk under power lines, and is planning to bike to Tokyo a third time to pick up some books about baking bread. We taught him the plan of salvation and we asked him what his purpose in life is and he just responded with "I really just want to make bread" "....but why were you born here do you think?" "So I:m going to make the bread.....}" Its ridiculous. I love it though. District leader is a lot more work than I thought. Still haven't taught a district meeting but I have spent more time on the phone than I have in the whole mission. I hate using the phone. Also only one of member of my district speaks English at all so that is an adventure. Sigh. I guess I will just get used to it in time. I just love calling the sisters at night because president doesn't want us talking to them a lot (for obvious reasons) but we have to call them every night to make sure they are safe. "Moshi moshi Carter choro desu" (this is elder carter) "-------shimai desu. Minna imasu." (Sister -------. Everyone is in the apartment (but super shortened)) "OK maa ne" (ok later.) Its like 5 seconds total. Birthday shall be fun....I think. A lot of food but yes mother. Don"t send any more physical things. Packing was ridiculously hard and I"m not sure why.....well ok so partly is that all my space bags have burst at this point already but still. Well thats an update on my life now. Mandy:s getting married. That still weird. Although I do love telling people that she is marrying her old zone leader, you get a lot of good reactions from missionaries with that one ;-) I:m sure it will be awesome and wonderful. Good luck. Just don't go insane before then. Talk to you later.