Japanese Cocoa

A lot to say today so let the randomness begin.

So the other night we were housing and we get to this house and I introduce myself and I get the *You don:t speak my language* look I get often and then he says *Churchie? Churchie people?* And this man is Indian (from India) so next step *Oh you speak English* *Eh....English bad* Oh so you don:t speak english or Japanese....this is a first. We then spend the next five minutes (Yamatani choro and I) acting out our purpose. this includes me acting like god as he prays to me, acting like reading a book, a lot of pointing to the sky. Not sure where we thought we were going with all that because if he wanted to be taught I:m not sure what we would have done. Ha. Anyway it was kinda fun. And yes random.

I received your letters this week! Surprise! I greatly enjoyed them. Even the rebuking of father. Ha. Thank you.

So I was chatting with one of my district members at district meeting and apparently their ward mission leader dendoed(proselyted) in japan before and Elder Oaks came. When he got part way through his talk Elder Oaks stopped. He said you're not worthy, you're going home* What the what!!! Ha. Everyone is scared of him coming now! We aren:t even sure if its a true story. Freaky.

I really have felt some growth in our companionship in this last week. Although its bad when you look forward to companionship inventory I think. Although it is funny with a foreign companion. Both of us speaking in the others language until we run out of words and look it up on our dictionaries and show each other. Ha. He has some good improvement points for me too that are right. I swear its the Carter curse to not be able to talk on a mission. Anyway, continue doing the best I can.

So lately I have been calling people on the phone. Still actually something that Yamatani choro doesn:t have a problem with but I hate calling people on the phone in America in English let alone in Japanese telling them how they should live their life. It's like housing but more intrusive. Although I think we have gotten some good results from it.

Something that Yamatani choro does like and is pretty good at is cooking. He will cook food for like an hour and a half (we only have an hour to make and eat the food ). I have decided I just don:t have patience to cook like this. I pull rice out of the rice cooker. Throw on some mayo (don:t judge me) and eat. Simple. Fast easy.

Something about japanese people. They are super blunt about fatness. Its been a couple of times that people have seen Yamatani:s introduction picture where he is much more skinny from being in sports and they will say, *Oh wow, you surely have gotten fat recently.* What? Took me way off guard the first time I heard it. Not only to Yamatani choro but I have heard numerous uses. This scares me with all these carbs i:m eating. They are going to judge me.

So we biked almost to Kamimachi (maybe you will be able to find it) in the blazing cold wind to meet a LA(less active). Anyway we have a lesson and oh my goodness. I have never known a member could have so little information about the church. We go over lesson one and we get to the atonement and she asks *what is that?* Not a surprise, who really does have a lot of deep knowledge about the atonement. Anyway, trying to make her feel smart I ask if she has heard the word. Nope. Joseph smith she has heard about once or twice. Has no idea who prophets are. Then she told us that Christ:s church is the Catholic church. We then proceeded to point out that we weren:t members of the Catholic church. *Oh....thats true isn:t it* Hopeless! Her house was super cold so she made us some cocoa after. A quick note. Japanese cocoa is kinda not very good in my opinion. Anyway back to the story. So i smell it and it smells weird, taste it, tastes kinda disgusting so I stop drinking it. Yamatani choro also seems skeptical of it so he asks her what it is. *Cocoa* Ok, all set to go, I don:t care if it tastes bad I:m drinking it because its hot. Take a drink. Yamatani choro takes a sip then just shakes his head and says, *This is coffee isn:t it* She proceeds to laugh and laugh. *Yes* What!? Never thought a member would give me coffee then lie about it. Sigh.

Just a note. It is super cold and super windy here. Like unbearably so. We have become inventive in our apartment dendo(proselyting) because its so cold.

Also a note. Japanese people don:t have central heating so everywhere is cold.

So when I was in Aizu everyone told me (other missionaries) that I would hear all the crazy tsunami stories there because they were still affected by the earthquake. Nope. Here is so much worse. These people were the people literally running from it. Have cars swept away. Living in the church off food storage with no electricity. The impact that it has had on these people is crazy. The look on there face every time the smallest earthquake happens. Crazy I tell you.

Dad will be interested in this. Japanese people are freakishly skilled at peeling oranges! Like four perfect parts all connected and barely any of the white stuff still attached. Don:t know how they do it.

So we have taught old old Q last monday and then today. Has a baptism date for 2/5/12. Might actually make it. Kinda super cool. Also found 2 other investigators this week which was awesome. Sorry. I used all my time talking about unimportant stuff and kinda didn:t leave time for the investigator discussion. More on them next week.

President Bangerter's thing was awesome. Someday I want to grow up to be like that man.

I went to the ear doctor today. Thats an email in of itself. Anyway. Their test was a little different and harder than the before one. Didn:t really get them to fax the results (too annoying) but I got a copy which I will copy and send to the hombu(mission office) and then they will fax it so the doctor should get the results in the next few weeks. I will also send a copy in my letter to alyssa this week probably so make sure she gives that to you. Then.....well yeah. Maybe next week follow up with the doctor and if he hasn:t got the results when you receive if from alyssa send it to him.

Sigh.

Well thats all for today I think. Love you all. I:ll write a more coherent letter next week.....maybe. I make no promises.

Also a note I will probably just cycle the memory cards. When I receive one the old one will get thrown in the next letter to Lyssa.I figure since I:m already sending a letter to Washington every week I don:t lose anything if I just send it right away.

Yep. Talk to you later.

An Aizu Baptism!

Furukawa train station

Family!

I swear these weeks have been dragging on between emailings. There still hasn:t been a full week between emailing too! Sigh. Whatever. So let us begin our random assortment of details.

This week I hit my 6 month mark? Right? Crazy. I still can:t decide if its been fast or like forever. For 1 it still feels like I have everything to learn and to do but also feels like I:ve been doing this for my whole life.

So the APs came on Wednesday to watch Eikaiwa. (STRESS!!!!) Only one non-member showed up. We had 1 member, 1 non-member, 1 member who is deaf basically (But he gets used as a joint a lot, I think because since he can:t hear he just sits there) and then 4 missionaries. Not the best showing. Because of this whole holiday thing no one came. Anyway, after Yamatani choro asked Lay choro (ap) if there were any recent baptisms. I kinda was tuned out then I heard *Aizu* My heart skipped a beat then it occured to me that it was Itosan who was Fukata Choro:s investigator. Anyway then Lay choro says, *Oh wait......Koriyama* Huh? No one is in Koriyama....only Aizu elders go.... I scared him with how fast I flipped around *Sakkaisan!!!!!* *Oh yeah that was her name* Apparently Sakkaisan got baptized on the 30th. I missed it by a week and teaching her 1 commandment. Talk about a bitter sweet moment. Super glad she got baptized but man. I, personally even since Shinno choro threw me to the lions with her, taught her every lesson. Whatever, all is well. Sigh.

So we went to a store the other day and they had a whole wall of Totoro merchandise, oh dear was it amazing.

So the other day we got a letter from the Honbu (mission home) and what did is say, Elder Oaks is coming in Feburary! Yay. Shall be awesome to hear from him in deed.....thats about all I have to say about that.

So this last week we have been visiting a bunch of old people from the area book. Talk about learning the importance of keeping records. If I ever meet some of these old missionaries I will have a few words to say to them. The funny thing is how ridiculously old the records are here too. I had never seen records from the 90s until here. Kinda fun because we have like half the members old records so you can see where they had problems....sometimes I feel evil with all this info.

Ok so we were trying to visit this person and he didn:t have a room number in this apartment complex so we just decided to start ringing doors (the beauty of being a missionary, you are never lost, sometimes you just find you an *unexpected house*) So we ring the first door and a man answers and I say my name and he looks at my name tag, normally a sign of *I:m about to slam the door* but he just flips around and starts setting up chairs then invites us in....well I think we found the place. Ha. So we sit and listen to him talk (literally he gave us no time to talk) and in this speech he gives us he tells us this powerful testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon, of our callings, of all this church stuff and in my mind I:m thinking, *Well lets get you in the font* but then I look at his table, hm cigerettes. Then he answers my question. *I would be baptized but I:m Japanese and I can:t give up tea because I:m japanese and since I:m drinking tea anyway I still smoke* Ha. At this point his teaching record flashes in my mind. Oh yes, you are the person that told the missionaries to go talk to the first presidency and say Japanese people don:t have to follow the Word of Wisdom. Very interesting. And of course when we share this experience in our PEC like meeting on Sunday everyone laughs because they have met him. Fun stuff.

Something crazy and awesome. Since arriving in Furukawa we have been fed 13 times. Just saying. Thats not normal.........at all. I have heard of people being fed 10 times during their whole mission time.

So lately since Yamatani choro has not been so in on the whole finding I have been running it. Basically super frustrating. These maps are SO HARD to read. Then add on top of that they are covered in Chinese characters I can:t read but japanese people can. I have been proud of how much I have been able to find but the Japanese address system needs an update.

Which brings to my next one. My companion. I have seen him teach and he teaches good but even when teaching sometimes he just shuts off. This kills me because its normally when a person asks a question I don:t know the meaning of a single word of. He just sits there. I give him the whole not subtle nod to answer. To say anything and he just sits there tuned out. Same thing with a lot of companionship studies. He just sits there. On a good day he will say lets role play and I will be the investigator and while I try to teach he will clip his nails or something. He refuses to do a lot of things. Not out right, he just sits there. Planning is like pulling teeth. I have started treating him like a bean at times and he won:t even react like a bean. So planning is alone most of the time. I ask for advice get none. Although sometimes when we are in the middle of an activity he will then tell me that I:m doing it wrong and what we just did had no meaning. Sigh. I:m trying. I even begged him to critique me during companionship inventory. That actually went ok. The way to bug me the most as a missionary is that you don:t do something that you can do. He does this all day. Must love, must love, must love, must love.

So there are a lot of Christians in this town, just saying.

I found three americans the other day within like 30 minutes. They are so hard to talk to about the gospel. *Hat tip to Mandy*

Tell this Steven to watch out. I have Button as Mandy:s dating advisor in Logan and Lyssa as her dating advisor in Washington, all men have to go through them.

I knew Lindsay wanted to get a job at the MTC, didn:t know she did. Cool.

I:m glad mandy still has her attitude with this whole *That wasn:t helpful* response to her fathers blessing.

Wel that is all for today. I:m ok. don:t think this companion thing is bringing me all the way down. Hopefully we can get things smoothed out soon. Lots of flashbacks to my setting apart as you explained and The Best 2 Years. Both those seem to suggest all will be well, just takes work I guess.

Love,

Elder Carter

Shogatsu! (New Year)

Hello family!

Well its only been like 5 days but still kinda full of stuff we did. Not much missionary work at all but a lot of time with members and that is missionary work so sure. But of course I need to add my random comment. (So I write a list of things I want to say each week and at the beginning of the weeks I always feel like there will be nothing to write so I write really weird things and so you always get weird things)

They put mayo on everything here! Takes me off guard. Just thought I would let you know. Also I had to explain gravy last night....I:m not sure I even understand what gravy really is. Anyway thats my super random comment for the day, more random comments to follow.

So Friday was pretty chillaxed. Tried to visit some people that could become investigators but no one was home so that was disappointing. I met a Muslim, thats a first for me on my mission. 1. He told me he was a Muslim and 2 he did it in English so my response was of course *........cool.* Then he closed the door. Yep could have ran that better but whatever, we have to get the First Presidency:s permission to teach Muslims anyway so whatever. Then 3 hours of weekly planning. My goodness thats rough. Shinno choro and I would do 2 hours on a long day. Also Yamatani choro I still don:t understand. Sometimes he just stops doing everything and just sits. So I suggest we do something, he doesn:t respond, this cycles for a few suggestions all of which I just take as him accepting because he doesn:t disagree and then he says something like *Do you really want to do all that?* *What would you like to do?* *(Insert suggestion)* So therefore I scribble everything out and change it. I:ve decided he doesn:t really like finding....I think. He is really hard to peg. Hopefully the whole relationship building experience will come.

So the next day was Oosooji (Big clean (Spring cleaning basically)). Sincerely was like 8 hours of cleaning straight and you have no idea how disgusting missionaries are (ok so you might but still). There was stuff in there from when the sisters lived in the apartment which was more than a year ago. Also when the earthquake happened water spilled on everyone:s wall (still trying to figure out why....Walls cracked maybe and now are fixed?) anyway and our *gas heater*(we also discovered that it isn:t actually hooked up to anything) was right below all the wetness so guess where had a ton of mold? Yep. Apparently mold is a super big problem here. Anyway, that apartment is beautiful now!

Next day was the first day of the new years starting Shogatsu! Its like their christmas. At Church people realizing that we had no family to go to invited us to three meals (had to decline one) so I was super excited. We get to the first one and the lady just kinda looks at me concerned and says,*I made rice just in case you don:t like this* which I get a lot actually but its always really good. Then she brings it out. I about puked on sight. Its what you imagine Japanese food to be. Whole fishes, Shrimp that have like spikes on them. *Dessert* is a super sweet sweet bean thing, then the soup isn:t so bad but has mochi in it which I had in small quantities before but this is a huge block of it thats impossible to eat. So I do my best and get halfway through...about before my stomach says if I take one more bite it will send it all out. Then I look at our hosts plates.....they ate less then me. Thinking it maybe them just being nice I brush it off. I go in for a another try of my own food and then she tells me, *We don:t really like this food either, that:s why i:m not eating it.* What? they don:t even eat it themselves? Oh dear. So we go home, I let my stomach rest to the next appointment who is bound to be better food.

Come in the room and plates are set out for Yamatani choro and I only....ok? Then they bring out the food and of course its the same disgusting stuff. This time the hosts aren:t even going to try and eat it. Ha. Not a great experience with the culture I must say.

So that brings us to yesterday. Head out early to go to a Jinja (buddhist shrine). Kinda super scary but super fun. We were with a few members. Our only single adult (Kokochan) and one of the sisters are dressed up in the traditional kimonos. Kinda cool. Learn all their rituals, pray to their gods(ok so in my heart I wasn:t I just acted like it). Got my fortune told which was kinda a crappy fortune but I say thats because the Buddha gods don:t like that I:m a missionary. Kinda fun I must say. Get back for the first of two meals planned and I:m scared out of my life for the continued fish fest. Then it comes out and.......its gudon (not sure how to spell) rice with delicious meat on top. Oh how I never loved gudon so much in my life. Then come back to the apartment, chillax for like 6 hours (kinda felt disobedient but its what we were told to do....kinda) then next appointment and she tells us we are having oysters. Scary! They were deep fried though so they were super good. As my host said, *You fry anything and an american will eat it* .....true. Also had mashed potatoes, no idea where they came from but its been awhile my dear potatoes. So over all this holiday has actually been ok, kinda cool. Glad I tried the foods...not sure I want to again.... But good experience.

More random stuff+
So I was looking at pictures of Yamatani's mission that he has in this big binder. Looking at all the missionaries that have already gone home because Yamatani choro is the 2nd longest in the mission missionary right now. But then I see a familiar face. Takes me a second to realize who it is though.......Whetto shimai? Yep. My MTC teacher worked in the same area at the same time as Yamatani choro. Super funny.

Christmas party sounded fun.

We did feel the earthquake....yeah I could write tons of emails about earthquakes here. People get super freaked out now when there are earthquakes. It was in the middle of our lunch appointment and the sister just dropped right into a prayer when it last for more than like a second. Kinda freaky.

One last random comment. It makes me laugh that in that picture you sent of Lindsay and Mandy, Lindsay has a mission planner. She can:t let go! :-)

Well love you, gone too long already. Talk to you next week.

Christmas Far Away

Hello family.

So of course this isn:t our usual day for emailing but I figured I should send an email before the week was over. Anyway. Let us begin.

It twas awesome to be able to talk to all of you on Sunday! After the fact I realized I probably sounded like I was complaining a lot, sorry about that. Sometimes its nice and I can:t vent in Japanese very well so I kinda just exploded and rambled, basically what happens when I:m around English speakers now. No one that speaks English is ever going to like me again. Anyway. Still was awesome for me. And from everyone:s emails to me it sounds like everyone thinks I:m super sad. I promise I:m not. Yeah its disappointing to have a not awesome home Christmas and yes it just became a usual day but nevertheless this is what I:ve been called to. Definitely makes you learn that its not about the presents at all on Christmas. Still had quite an awesome Christmas with regards to presents and I;m super grateful for all the work that was put into them. But really not the same without the family too.

On to other stuff.

There was a lot of laughing in that call on Sunday. Not sure what people were laughing about.....

Something I have realized since getting here. I always thought missionary work was awkward with Shinno choro. Oh dear it has gotten much more awkward since then. Shinno choro really made it not awkward. The three companionship of three really made it that way too. Hopefully since thats over the awkwardness too will be gone.

My email address 08021496399@ldschurch.biz.ezweb.ne.jp yep kinda long. At least it will be easy to know when i get transfered.

Also, if you ever feel like adding pictures to my camera card when you send it back to me I can now import them to my picture frame so we can up keep it that way.

So as for the last week. Not a whole lot to say but pretty good for the small amount of work we have been able to do.

Yamatani choro is an interesting one. I still can:t peg him down. I don:t know if he is lazy or a hard worker. At times he does nothing. Then at times he is so gungho it is crazy. However he really is a good teacher. Hopefully I can learn a little from his skills with teaching. More on him in future letters.

We get fed a LOT here. Like 4 times already. Probably is special because we are new missionaries and a missonary was leaving but still. Also we are getting fed on Sunday but that one is kinda required and if someone hadn:t offered Rasmussen Kaicho(President) was going to make the branch president do it but nevertheless pretty awesome. Good way to meet members too. So we spent Monday eating......yep about only that. Tuesday was spent sending off Ogita choro and district meeting, yesterday we had a lesson with an awesome woman! She had come to the christmas party here so we went to teach her, taught a good lesson 1 and she committed to be baptized. No date set but at least she is willing to do it if things work out so good prospects there. I:m excited about her. We also able to find 2 other possible investigators so thats good. This weekend we don:t have any time to do missionary work because of the end of the year celebrations they have here which for us means going to a buddhist shrine and cleaning our apartment. also means next week our pday is Tuesday so be warned of that. Sorry short today, I had fix this computer I am typing on. Hopefully more next week about.....well actually its really going to be about these celebrations probably but whatever.

Random request if possible; so when you send a copy of my mission call, if possible could you send a copy of mandy:s ministerial certificate.....Mine is in chinese characters therefore I can:t read it and I have always wondered what it says. Not important but for my own information maybe cool.

Well that is all for now. Love you all.

Transfer to Furukawa

So just like that (ok so it was 3 months) my time with the wonderful city of Aizu comes to a close (for only a season I pray, I would love to come back). Shinno choro gets a new American to train and I:m off to the north in a place called Furukawa (I think). Its part of the Sendai stake so that should be interesting. See how things change when I:m in a ward, maybe exactly the same. I:m going to be with two elders as companions by the names of Ogita choro (the only sendai missionary senpai I had in the MTC and met only once) and Yamakami choro (I think) (Labelled *The best teacher in the Sendai mission*)(Goes home after two transfers). Ogita choro also I have been told went to Snow College and graduated with a double degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. I haven:t decided if this will help or hurt or relationship. Should be interesting. So tomorrow we leave to Sendai so Shinno choro can get trained with his new bean and Wednesday I go to Furukawa. Fun stuff. That:s about all I know. More next week..... I think, not even sure if we will be able to email.

Ok so random thoughts.

One of the Americans in our branch made us banana bread and toffee. Oh my goodness you couldn:t have made me trunky faster!!! Oh well, it was delicious.

12 days have been fun to do, we play *guess the rhyme* with yours and *guess the present* with lyssa:s. Should be fun to transport all these presents in the transfers. Sigh. Also did you send three packages 12 days, present, and another? Not sure. All I know is I have a package that keeps trying to come when we aren:t at the apartment so if I don:t get it tomorrow i guess they will have to find a way to send it to me in Furukawa.

Investigators have been kinda less this week. We decided to put on hold all our weak investigators this week so we spent a lot of time with finding. However we did meet with three investigators.

S'san. Because of her wanting to get baptized on Sunday and because she was in Aizu for the last two days we tried to teach every thing and commit to every commandment in the two days. Quite the adventure of 4 hours of lessons between 2 days. Also because I was one of the pushers for not immediately pushing her date back Shinno choro made me Senpai over her so I have been teaching her mostly with Kano choro and he just fills in where I screw up (which is kinda often). All of this didn:t quite get us to the end so she will probably still have her date pushed back but oh well. We tried, and she really is quite prepared just needs a little work on some areas.

H'san was awesome yesterday. Still just seeking truth. It was nice to have Shinno choro again. That man knows the scriptures like no ones business. Every question he says stuff like *I could answer this but lets do it from the scriptures, would you rather I use the Book of Mormon or Bible?* Still might not meet her date because we can:t meet much soon but definitely can get baptized soon.

Y'san, she:s a fun one. So between 2 promises that have been made all I can say is this. She has a concern with baptism, has connection with commandments, biggest problem is her overreaction to the problem, can get baptized pretty soon.

So I end my time with all these people and the bean will reap the wheat. Sigh. Pride stinks.

This week we have some awesome fun activities planned so that will be fun for the bean.

Eikaiwa(English class) started its new program that we created over the last little while this week......also should be fun for the new bean. ( I might be over it in Furukawa though)

Really I don:t know what to say this week, not a whole lot of this Aizu stuff has any relation to me anymore.

We often talk about the microlife thing you said. You are born not knowing anything, develop, have *children* of your own, children leave, you are put in hard situations, then you are *translated* (President outlawed the word *die*). People have even made family trees of their mission life. Sigh.

Holy cow Raychel is engaged, crazy!


What was wrong with Mandy:s old computer? Psh, no need for a new one. Whatever.

That:s all for now, hopefully will talk to you soon.

Koriyama is Zion!

T. & sugar cookies

Ok another random assortment of details because this computer is super slow.

I cooked my thanksgiving pumpkin bread in a rice cooker, kinda super proud of that.

So I met with the area doctor. He of course was up on his high horse the whole time and wouldn:t let me ask the real questions. Basically told me what I already knew and then counseled me to in a few years start watching my cholesterol closer and being healthy because that can be a reason for small blood clots which could, not necessarily going to happen, but could happen to my right ear basically messing me more up. He was concerned about me not having the results with me from my old test but I think that will get resolved by me faxing results to America. So really not anything new. Interesting talk but not a whole lot of information.

We have a person in our mission presidency that helped translate the Book of Mormon into Japanese and the Liahona each month. I think thats kinda cool although without knowing it I have cursed his translations at times.

Zone conference was this week. It was really fun. I got your letters that you sent in November. Saw a movie of all the missionaries, received a personalized Sendai mission temple recommend cover holder. Ha. Only missionaries would jump up and down for that but oh well. It is pretty awesome. Then a white elephant exchange which was super fun. I was pretty proud of what I gave and I am now the proud owner of a new statue of liberty figurine.

Saturday we went to the Relief Society activity and made sugar cookies! Oh it was amazing to be back in the cookie making business. Even if it was with a bunch of older women! And goodness were they delicious!

First snow of the year, fun.

So back awhile ago I talked about our blind investigator T. We invited her to come to the relief society activity and she came! So did Y! It was pretty sweet. I thought she might kinda feel like an outsider with her disability and it being a physical thing of making cookies, but the Aizu women are awesome and accepted her with open arms. Our only problem in the end was we couldn:t teach her a lesson because they were all having too much fun talking to her. Although before the activity the relief society president shared a message and what happened after? T. bore her testimony! Ha. That woman can feel the spirit so easy!!!! Sigh. It might be hard to teach her but if we can, she has a lot of potential! It was also good for Y. but eh, she:s old news (joke ;-) )

We had splits again this week. Again with Kano choro and then one day with Fukata choro. You don:t quite realize how much you appreciate your old companion until you get a new one. The Fukata choro day was one of the longest days of a mission in my life. He is a great missionary but he is kinda boring to work with. Oh well, learned some good things from him too.

So yesterday Shinno choro and I went to Koriyama to continue our zone wide attack on kinjins (golden investigators). We got there and even though they had the elders there last week, they were like people that have just walked through the desert and we were cups of water! Ha. If I ever feel unappreciated I will just have to go to Koriyama. So the first non-member we meet is this kinda strange man. After talking with him for a little bit it becomes quite obvious that he is mentally sick and really doesn:t know where he just walked into. Which brings me to another point. There are a ton of mentally sick people in Japan! I don:t know why but its so true. Hm. Google it, there has to be a reason. But as a mission we talk about them quite often because we aren:t to spend our time teaching them because they are under the same umbrella as children in being pure to the Lord.

Anyway the next person we meet is a 40 year old woman named S. Really she is the reason we came to Koriyama. She had been taught two years back and had a baptism date but because she keeps moving between Aizu and Koriyama it never has worked. Well it just so happens we work in both those areas! So we taught her and started asking questions and oh my is she quite ready. Again we asked if she wanted to be baptized and she said yes on the 25th. Why? Because I really feel its what I need to do ... (all the perfect reasons). Do you believe in God? ...I don:t understand him, how can I find out about him? (Drool begins coming down my face at this point) and the rest of the lesson goes along these lines. Not sure she will be able to make it to the 25th baptism date but if she is as willing as she acts she will easily be baptized. Yay!

So after this President Rassmussen is there so he wants to talk to us about Y. So before in specialized training interview with Shinno choro, he said that she needed more knowledge and we had kinda complained to him the day before about this so I:m expecting him to kinda straighten us out. We get in there and he starts whipping out all the scriptures of what the qualifications of baptism are. After that he looks at us and says, "I need to repent for what I said before. She doesn:t need the knowledge to be baptized, that can come later. She needs to obey commandments and have a desire. We have confirmed that she keeps the commandments. So, check her desire and if possible meet with her family and if those check out I will clear her to get baptized as early as the 24th." Say what?! Took me totally off guard. Doesn:t mean she will get baptized then because we still aren:t quite sure her desires but at least I now know I wasn:t incorrect in my thinking before. Maybe she just needed these last few weeks of more shelter by us in order to truly be prepared. We still aren:t sure but we are moving forward. Finally we get out of that interview and Sister Rasmussen walks up to us and says *Here is a nonmember I want you to meet*. Koriyama is Zion I tell you!!!!! Ha. So we taught her which was super hard because she is from China so she speaks Japanese with a Chinese accent but she could really be a great investigator too! After that watched the Christmas Devotional from the first presidency to top off a tiring but awesome day.

Anyway thats pretty much it. Recently I have begun to notice how much you guys did to make our Christmases extra special and this Knex story just reaffirms it. I will try to pass on a little bit of that love of the season onto the people of Japan. Anyway. All for now. Love You.

Ok here we go.

1 Note. Not that I looked at my blog or anything but possibly a little Japanese lesson is in order. So names are interesting here. For example they have the Shirai. But you can:t just call them that so you add something to the end. Normally -san which is like Mr. or Ms. But if they are a member it will be -kyodai (brother) -shimai (sister). So when you edit out names just have this in mind. I noticed you missing one.

Fun thing. From the *News of the Church* in this last Ensign Sister Rasmussen (Mission presidents wife) is quoted.

Next week the area doctor is coming to zone conference and Sister Rasmussen wants me to talk to him and then after that I will probably talk to the branch members and find a doctor and then finally get this ear test done. Figured you should now. Church pays for it so not really anything you need to worry about but I will tell you when it happens and you can follow up with the Americans.

Something I have noticed in this mission is people always have big plans but little follow through as missionaries. Kinda frustrating. Why do I share this, no idea.

Ok so all these areas are closed in what used to be the zone that Aizu belonged to, and they will be probably closed for a long time (this week they started pulling the furniture out so that they could break the leases on them I believe). President wants the Aizu Choros to visit these areas once on Sunday each month, so that means soon I will be going to Koriyama, Iwaki, and Fukushima ward. As part of the build up for this, yesterday the two senpais (Fukuta Choro and Shinno Choro) needed to get everything set up in Koriyama because thats the biggest hurdle and has the most investigators.

Anyway so what does that mean for Aizu?.....Kano choro and I had to run the area yesterday. I have decided I never want to be the senior companion! Running back and forth in church. Members running up to you asking you questions in really hard Japanese. Taking phone calls from who knows who. Running dendo(proselyting) meetings with the Branch president and auxiallary leaders! Tiring. On top of that we have the two companionship's investigators to babysit. Actually none of Shinno choro and I:s showed up so that was probably a good thing. So I was the senior companion. Fun stuff. Anyway. So we taught Kano choro:s *golden investigator* (basically just wanted to be baptized and follows everything whole heartedly from the beginning) which was easy. Then we get to Shinno choro and I:s. Since we white washed we kinda picked up the scraps of Aizu sometimes. So we visited one of them. Super annoying. We are at his door first thing he says is *Only 10 minutes right*
Well yeah if thats all you have. Ok go. Can we come in. Can:t we just do it here. Ok, so what do you think of the pamphlet we left for you, did you get a chance to read it? Eh. Basically answered *eh* to everything. *Beautiful family you have* *Eh* *What image of God do you have?* *Eh* *Can we come back at a more convenient time* *Eh.* Finally I just told him I would come back next week even though he said he was busy. Oh well. Americans can ignore what they say.

So next we bike to H and U. He had called me that morning and basically all I understand is he won:t come to church because of a cough. So I don:t even know if they want to be taught but whatever. So we go and get in there. They are their good happy selves but they I ask if they have any questions or concerns up until this point. Bad idea. U then goes on for like 30 minutes (not at one time but throughout the lesson) about Europe, Through the name of Christ destroying people, Our message isn:t so unique, blah blah blah. I was getting a little frustrated honestly. Finally I basically I picked up my Book of Mormon, hold it up to his face, and say something alone the lines of, *This is it, we may believe in the same Christ but we have the authority restored through Joseph Smith, they don:t. This book was translated by the power of God and is a true word of God. You just need to figure that out. Either this was translated by the power of God, God:s authority is on the earth today or we are liars. We are here to invite you to decide which, but you have to put it to the test.* And at this point I about pee my pants. Didn:t really do much but shut him up but that was good with me. And it was super fun. Ha. Always kinda wanted to do that. Then I finally had a chance to flip over to H and give the death punch. She committed to be baptized once she knew it was true. And then when I told her that she could be prepared by 1/27 she just right way accepted. It was like the most exhilarating experience of my life and I don:t know where it came from. Definitely wasn:t all me too. Spirit was strong with the Kano choro too. Our japanese stunk but oh well. The point got across. Yay! If she comes to church she can easily do it.

Ok now about Y. I don:t even know. Talked to President about her during our interviews and he wants the members to take over teaching her and thinks she needs more help with knowledge so finally we have a direction to go with her which we didn:t quite get from Ikeda Choro but all is well. I don:t really actually see her getting baptized while I:m here in Aizu but she could I guess. It will come.

Ok so I don:t know what packages I can open. You should ask Lyssa too. Not that it really matters because by the time I get the answer it will be almost the 13th and her package says 12 days of christmas.



Other than the written about stuff, this week was really chillaxed. We had Service Monday and Tuesday. Friday was specialized training, and Saturday was our sports activity where one of our members broke her finger. Ha. So not a whole lot of normal missionary work this last week.

Ok so I have cleared the time of 2pm here or 10pm (on the 24th) for you. As for a plan B I would say plan b would be to try to use not Google Voice although as said earlier that could be expensive. Also calling the mission home could be helpful maybe. If I get transferred I:m in trouble because my number will change and the open time could collide with my companion so that would stink. And I:m a little scared because when Shinno choro saw how much money I had in my account he laughed and said, *Normally that happens right before you get transferred* I hope its just because they reimbursed me for all the busses I need to take soon. Anyway. Sigh. Yeah. I can:t call you. That was specifically prohibited and I think that would reverse the charge too so it would charge our phone company here too. If you have questions or concerns I would say email president. Also you should be able to maybe call them to test your calling internationally. Although I also am concerned with google voice and it seems in japan land line and cell phones are super different on the system they run on because a lot of times Shinno choro will ask if it is ok to call a company from a cell phone. Not sure the reason but yeah. Hm. And the hombu number you have is a landline so....yeah. Maybe that wouldn:t help. Not sure they want to you to do that anyway. So yeah. Super helpful.

I think that is all for this week. Love you all. Thanks for all your support. Talk to you next week.