DD 1.45 ... trusted with the Lords hardest, most satisfying work ... clearly I need to study more languages ...

Alright ... let’s talk about some guide lines for sending me emails ... no more of this "let’s mention a ailment that someone has, or a trip to the emergency room, and then not mention what happens afterwards" crap ... is everyone all right? Is mom’s eye doing better? How is TeJay’s throat? Is Herbert (Abi’s Plant) still alive? I need to know people & I need to know now!!!!

My apartment from my desk,
with the laundry drying on the balcony.

We have a washing machine and we hang our clothes to dry outside, on our balcony … so it takes about a week for them to actually dry. You asked if the humidly has affected my complexion, I haven’t really broken out bad yet, but we shall see ... we shall see.

A flash drive would be nice, if we want to print anything we have to take it to a copy place, we don’t have a printer. I’ll be fine though, maybe at Christmas you guys could send me one ... or maybe I’ll just buy one here, I bet I could find a terabyte one here in the technological center of the world for pretty cheap. I received Sam’s letter on Tuesday the 27th of August (Sam sent the letter on the 17th of August).

Gyoza

We ate Gyoza at a restaurant this week; it was very good, the Berg version was very close. Let them know I appreciate them introducing it to me before I arrived. Today I got a haircut and ate a pregnant fish ... it was actually better than the cookie I ate; granted the cookie was smothered in Wasabi ... I was blind folded during a game at our Zone P-day. Our team lost ... but I got to eat a fish, skin, brains, eyes, and eggs ... the good news is that it had been cooked, but yeah ... it was pretty good actually. There is a 7-11 on every street corner here, we shop there often to buy food. This is me with my fly new haircut and my cookies which I bought there today, surprisingly good; along with two bottles of "Match." They have the funniest advertisement ever, I'll try to get a picture of it to send to you; it is actually way GOOD!!!!! and pretty cheap; its like vitamin soda! I love the stuff!

Me with my fly new haircut and cookies which I bought today, surprisingly good.

To follow-up on last week’s lawn mowing story, no, our apartment didn't include any scythes, we went and bought some mini hand held scythes at a dollar store; we also bought some shady gloves ... it looked like we was a goin’ a murderin’ ... This week rocked ... I used a Japanese Book of Mormon, a Chinese BoM - twice, a Spanish BoM, and an English BoM ... clearly I need to study more languages ... it’s really cool to see how the gospel is the same everywhere that you go … however, the bible is a different story, the Japanese version is way different than ours, obviously not the King James Version, just another of many different interpretations and translations. Eikaiwa is really fun actually, that is the English class. I really like it! Our ward assigned a coordinator, and his wife gave me and Watanabe Choro some elephants! They are adorable, they are made of stone, not real ones mom; I know, broken hearted. My companion attends the English class ... I teach with the sisters in my district ... well one of them, I am over the intermediate class most weeks; Christensen Shimai helps me out with that mostly, her companion is also a Nihonjin.

Typhoon season is beginning now, there is one that was supposed to hit tonight, maybe tomorrow ... so yeah! I’m way psyched for it actually, I love the rain and the wind, and I really want to dendo in it actually!!! WHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for the details on the toothpaste, it really helped!! Thank you for all calling grandma; I’m sure you did; look at you, dutifully following a missionary’s advice; I feel as though I have such power over y’all!

I heard about the money from grandma, would you guys pay the tithing for me there in the States? We pay fast offerings each month through an ATM, though not through the bishopric, thus it is hard to pay tithing ... mainly because my vocabulary limits my ability to explain my situation to my companion ... I think it would be easier for you guys to just pay it anyway ... you see, the instructions are in Japanese... and since I can only read like three kanji out of the 10 ga-jillion that I would need ... I would love for you guys to just pay it for me ... thank you so much!!!

The guy that was baptized my first week here just got a new roommate. He started to pray one night and when he finished, the guy was all like, "sore wa nani o shita ka?" (what was that?) So Chou, being the new convert with all sorts of dendo fire going hard 24/7 said "sore wa inori datta" and that led into a whole discussion about prayer. As a result, we went to a member’s home on Sunday evening; met with him and had a nice little lesson all about the restoration ... yep, referrals rock!!!! We actually got like three new referrals this week!

My interview with President Budge went great, and Sister Budge even made me some cookies without pecans in, and they were so good!!!! I really do love them so much, they are the nicest family! It is easy to tell that they love missionary work! There are a whole lot of new missionaries coming into the mission with the next transfer – it is likely missionaries that came out with me could be training … there are that many new missionaries coming. Now that is scary, if I’m asked, I know that the Lord will help me, right now my favorite scripture is Alma 56:46 ... well one sentence of it. It’s all about the 2000 stripling warriors, they are getting ready to go kill all the Lamanites; so really only one line applies. Unless you think of me going about slaying the sinners of the world with the sword of truth and the shield of righteousness ... which is a really cool image so please envision that actually! It says "[Brother] behold our God is with us, and He will not suffer that we should fall.” That has been keeping me going this last week, I am being trusted with the Lords hardest, most satisfying work, surely I should trust him to "not let me fall" when I take that leap of faith! I love this gospel and know that it is true! This is the Lord's work and if his hand was not in the midst of it all the 19 year old's would have screwed it up a long time ago.

Love you all so much; say ey to Grandma for me and tell her that she rocks!

Elder Griffiths

Last thing, my shoulders have been hurting and I think that it is because I wear a shoulder bag; I switch shoulders a lot during the day, but I fear that I may come home with neck problems, kind of like TeJay’s. Are there any exercises that I can do to strengthen my shoulders/neck/joints? Any info would really help.

Storm I have two Asian roommates ... just think, at least yours speak English, right?

Tweets from Japan:

Calpis

• Being a foot taller than everyone else in the whole country #GaijinNoMondai (Foregner problem)
• Hitting you head on every door way cuz it’s made for people a foot shorter than you #GaijinNoMondai
• Having a hole in the ground for a toilet? #FirstWorldCountry more like #FirstWorldProblem
• Typhoon season #ComeAtMeMotherNature #Murica
• Cow Piss? Oh you mean Calpis #YesIllTakeAllOfThem There was no Calpis at the store today ... we all cried. We buy like four liters a week and drink them all. Tell Jeff thanks for the intro.

So its come to this ...

... I really miss Skippy

The big one is from america and the

small one costs the same amount.

So, I was showing the pictures of me on my camera to the Nihonjin and they see the one where I have a gallon of milk and a bowl of cookies; they were all like "What’s that?" … and I was all like "That my dear friends is called a gallon, and it is God’s most dear gift to man; it is about four liters, and IT IS GLORIOUS!!!!" They are amazed, saying that if they ever go to America I need to show them where they can buy a gallon of something ... I tell them gallons of milk are sold in every store imaginable ... even full of chocolate milk ... they almost die … and say, “no wonder America is so fat” ... then they look at me ... and say "uh, maybe not" ...

I am doing well and hope that all is well on the home front  I am sad that I was not able to climb Mount Timp with y'all, but when I get back let's go on the Saturday and Monday of Labor Day for two years to make up for the time that I missed ya? Sound like a plan Stan?!?!?!?

Stan wa keikaku o nandesuka? (What's the plan Stan?)

I love it here! Every day brings new challenges, but everyday I am reminded that I am in Crap Flippin Japan! It is awesome!

The bathroom in my apartment, its so small!!!

My knees are against the wall when I have to sit.

The city of Chiba; the view is NOT from my apartment.