I know that Grandpa Vern's passing has been coming for a while, but it is still a sad thing. I'm sending you a big strong hug via e-mail, Mom. I found out how to send pictures from this computer, but I forgot my camera. I'll try to send some my next e-mail. I'll send pictures of me and Sis Rogers and my bike and stuff. Could you send me some recipes that can be done with only a microwave or a stove (via e-mail of course)? I've been trying to think of things to make and always think of things that need an oven, but we don't have one. Also, could you e-mail my MTC teachers the link to my blog? I don't have their information on me, but I'll send it next time with the pictures.
Mon
We had a phone conference for the mission. Everyone called in to this number and then Baird Kaicho could talk to all of us at once. He talked about the parable of the 10 virgins because March 1 we have a seventy coming to visit us and he wanted us to be prepared. We bought our lunch from a grocery store bakery. It was delicious. I took a nap and during that nap the Zone Leaders called. Ah well. We had FHE with Brother Tachi and his family. We played charades and it was hilarious. His mother is probably 95 and likes to babble. As he was acting something out, she shouted "Yakuza!" which means "mobster." We all laughed that one of the Stake Presidency would be called a mobster.
Tue
An appointment fell through so we went knocking on doors. We saw a lady working in her garden so we decided to help her. I unfortunately missed a garden stake that was sticking up out of the ground and biffed it in the middle of her cabbages. We all laughed. We handed out a Book of Mormon to a hair salon worker and lots of pamphlets to various people. I learned how to cook pot stickers properly. I'll have to show you when I get back. We taught Rosey, a woman from Georgia who is teaching English to kids here in Japan. She is Catholic and I think mostly interested in hanging out with the missionaries and or just hearing us out, but we gave her a Book of Mormon and I hope that the Spirit speaks to her through it.
Wed
Rogers Shimai plays the violin and so she gave a lesson to a member of the ward. We visited a less active couple. The husband is blind so Rogers Shimai played her violin for him. I made vegetable soup. Yum.
Thu
We rode an hour on our bikes to an appointment. In the midst of thinking "I can't do this, I can't go faster" a voice that was distinctly not my own said "do you think you could go a little bit faster" very kindly. I said "If you give me the strength, Lord, I can do it." I didn't win any races, but I made it through. Guess what happened? The person we were traveling to meet accepted the invitation to hear the lessons. We have a new investigator! We had an appointment by phone, but we weren't any place convenient, so we had a lesson about the Second Coming in the middle of a field. I tore the floral skirt because of the bike ride. Sorry Mom. I'm not sure if it's fixable. Oh well.
Fri
We saw a person dancing by themselves in the middle of a park. I got a creepy feeling about that person, so we stayed on the opposite side of the street. I think that I have mastered the art of going up hills. You build up speed so you can get halfway up, then you power through to the crest where you coast all the way down the other side. We had lunch at McDonalds. They had something called an Idaho burger with shaker fries. Do they have that in the US too or is a Japanese invention of what they think is American? It had a hashbrown, onions, and barbecue sauce on the burger and the shaker fries were normal fries with barbecue seasoning It was tasty. We had extra time from our lunch hour left over at the end of the day, and we had no appointments, so we took that time to sit under the stars and eat donuts.
Sat
Alot happened! Rogers Shimai told me that before I came but after the call that she was getting a new companion, she was wondering why she was getting paired up with me. She asked Baird Kaicho and he said that out of all of the sisters and us incoming bean-chan (as the greenies are called in Japan) that we fit the best together. Revelation! Rogers Shimai also said that she was thinking about being a trainer and all of a sudden she felt that you (my family) were praying for me and for her. Thanks family! We got an invitation from a less active to go to a Japanese instrument concert. Thinking that it would be like 5 people in a cafe and we could talk to this investigator, we went. It was a dulcimer orchestra of 20 people or so in an orchestra hall. I loved it. It turned out that the less active member wasn't there, so we only saw about two songs and then we left. I hope that I can do something like that again on some other P-day. We rode up a mountain to visit a part member family. Maybe it wasn't a real mountain, but it definitely felt like it. As we got to the top, we saw a hunched obaachan (which means grandmother, but you use it for any old lady you see) working in her garden. We stopped and helped her weed and put out straw and hoe rows for potatoes. She gave us her address and 4 heads of broccoli. We're definitely going back! We visited that family and got lots of food. SO MUCH FOOD. Then we had to ride back down the mountain in the dark. It was an adventure. My bike basket came in to the bike shop so we got that installed. Oh, and I got hit by a car.
Sun
We fasted so that our investigators would come to church and 3 of them came! Two of them left right after sacrament meeting, but we taught the one the Plan of Salvation and he accepted the invitation to be baptized! WHOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO! We had a dinner appointment with a family and I ate till I was uncomfortably full. I had sashimi (basically a slab of raw fish), sushi, beef dipped in raw egg, tofu, itokonnyaku (a clear noodle made from potatoes) and lots of other stuff. We then talked about how to recieve revelation.
Yes, I did get hit by a car. I'm perfectly fine though. I was crossing a crosswalk and he was braking, but he didn't brake in time. He was going slow and I was going slow, so all that happened was I tipped over. I have some awesome looking bruises and a scraped knee, but that's it. His car has a paint scratch, but it's also fine. I was mostly laughing the whole time. Rogers Shimai was a little panicked. The man was like "Are you all right? Are you really allright? Ok." Oh what fun. The Lord definitely protects his missionaries.
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