Crowd of people? Carrying your bike? Just lift it over all of their heads #MuricaPerk #ImHuge ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I don't always ask for directions on the train, but when I do, I end that conversation talking about God #Missionaried ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Biking for twenty minutes to buy chicken and beef for dirt cheap? Worth it!! #NoRoomInOurFreezerAnyMore ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... We just made Raspberry Jam from Scratch, put the hot stuff that wouldn't fit in the jar onto ice-cream and ate it all ... Love ... my ... life ... #FatKid ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I don't always lead us around Tokyo but when I do ... we're early #LikeABoss ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Alright iPad, you think you can fix my spelling? #ChalngeAcceptprw #noSuggestions ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... We just ate $100 worth of sushi; you then took us to an Italian Restaurant and made us keep eating till we all want to die ... Of course we'll go to round 3 with you! ... #GoingToPukeAllOverYou ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... #NoImNot28 ... it's alright, you're like the 12th person to make that mistake ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... All we bought was potatoes and meat #GriffithsChoroWentShopping ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Curry for Lunch, Curry for Dinner; #HappyPDay ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Typhoon, worst one in 10 years? Please, my bike has missionary steroids, #DidNotEvenFallOver ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Oh, you sell Melonpan? yeah, I’ll buy them all, right now #TheRecipeTooPlease ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... #YouMightBeAMissionaryIf you don't hear about the giant wall of water which will hit the city where you live until next Monday; because you only get eMail on P-Days ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... New favorite conversation starter "I don’t speak Japanese and if I don’t learn I can’t go back to America, please help me" #ForeignerPower ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Whatever I just ate, exploded with little eggs all over my mouth #WhatDidIJustEat ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Is it wrong that I want to ask the local tattoo artist if he can run the face painting booth at our Halloween party, I think he would be pretty good ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Being a foot taller than everyone else in the whole country #GaijinNoMondai (Foregner problem) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Hitting your 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

Saturday, May 30, 2015

8.5 Earthquake gives Tokyo little Buzz

A magnitude-8.5 earthquake struck off the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo on Saturday evening, jolting wide parts of the Kanto region and causing moderate tremors in many parts of the archipelago, the Meteorological Agency said.

No tsunami warning was issued by the agency, and no serious injuries or major damage were immediately reported in the Ogasawara chain by local authorities.

In Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, a woman in her 70s sustained a minor injury when dishes fell on top of her head at home. In Minato Ward, Tokyo, a building elevator stopped suddenly, trapping people inside.
Quake took a toll on liquor section at supermarket in Saitama
The quake, which measured upper-5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, occurred at 8:24 p.m. at a depth of 590 km (370 miles) below the seabed west of the Ogasawara chain, the agency said. Given the depth of the epicenter, slow lateral vibrations continued for about a minute.

The Otemachi district in central Tokyo registered an intensity of 4 on the Japanese scale, and many areas in neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture were rocked more violently, according to data released by the agency. The town of Ninomiya, facing Sagami Bay, registered upper-5.

On Chichijima Island in the Ogasawara chain, communities experienced powerful jolts. NHK quoted Yoshiyuki Sasamoto, who runs a local inn, as saying things started to fall from shelves as the tremors continued.

Following the quake, the government quickly set up an emergency task force at the prime minister’s office to assess the situation.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said no damage had been reported at its Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power stations.

But a power outage briefly affected a combined 600 households in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, and the city of Fujimino, Saitama Prefecture, Tepco reported.

Central Japan Railway Co. and East Japan Railway Co. suspended operations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line.

In Tokyo, the Yamanote Line and other rail routes were halted for safety checks. NHK footage showed many people stranded at major hub stations, including Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.
Crowds of commuters formed around some of the busier stations as trains stopped
“The number of quakes seems to be rising these days, and I’m worried,” said a 34-year-old office worker stuck at Tokyo Station.

A college student who gave up waiting in a long line at a bus stop outside Shibuya Station said he had no choice but to spend the night at a friend’s apartment.

The Tokaido shinkansen and some other lines later resumed operation after safety was confirmed.

Haneda airport in Tokyo temporarily closed its runways for safety checks but resumed services within an hour.

US reports earthquake as a 7.8

Monday, May 25, 2015

DD 16.45 ... お父さんホラ!聖餐会を通訳しましたよー!!! ...

How was your week?
Pretty good ...

How is the Thai lady from Kamisu doing? Are you teaching her?
Yep, she's read First Nephi 31 and said that she wants to get the spirit ... we think she means baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, but we can only teach her over the phone for now, so it's really hard,

Can you teach her if you have to ride the train for 90 minutes to get there?
Yeah, we call her and her dad ...

How did the blitz in Oyumino go? Did it yield any new investigators?
Good, a couple of people!

How far away is Oyumino?
Like an hour and twenty minutes south of Chine Eki, at Kamatori station ... if dad wants to find it: (鎌取駅).

How is your "five baptisms in a month challenge" going?
Good, last month we had four!

Did you do anything fun this pDay? sightseeing?
Super sized ramen!!!
So much garlic and ramen today,
it was so garlicky, that I couldn't even finish it. It burned so much!!
Which would you choose to do over again, your last two weeks? or your first two weeks??
First two weeks, I would change so much.

What was the big gathering at the church that we saw on FaceBook?? so glad you have it back!!
We had a SA BBQ with the stake ... so much meat!!!

Did you learn any new Japanese words this week?
送別パーティとか人種別主義者とかナンデヤネンとか色々学んでいますよ。心配しないでね!

Were any new and delicious foods eaten or prepared this week?
We're going to cook squid for the first time, and I had a baby one earlier in the week.
Baby Squid
If there was a possibility of working (at a job where they actually pay you) this summer, would you like to do so??
Of course!! I don't even care what I would be doing! Sign me up as soon as I get home please!!


Father ... I translated sacrament meeting into english a couple weeks ago, and I would say that I understand like duty percent of what they said ... but translating is crazy hard, so I might be off. It depends on what we're talking about. In lessons I've been told that my Japanese is almost perfect ... but when we get talking about math or school or other things then I get shaky, but still understandable.

Mother! In Japan daily, no, they don't do anything like Memorial Day for their past people or soldiers. They just  remember all their ancestors and what not, it's kinda cool; they all have like little shrines in their houses ... I hate to phrase it this way since it sounds religious, but it's kind of like a glorified scrapbook, pictures and what not, and then stuff to make it look fancy.

Sam ... we shall eat all that we can eat when I get home ... we went to all you can eat pancakes last week, but it took like ten minutes for them to grill us two, and they were way small, so we had to leave, and we had only eaten like nine each ... very sad ... but surprisingly Delicious! Sounds like your life is fine and what not! The cabin-house thing sounds good, I'm dying to know what you and Abi are doing in that picture though, I honestly have no idea ...

Storm ... my companion told me he thinks you're crazy for giving that guy your phone number ... but, if you do get married, he would probably explode something at your wedding ... which would be way sweet! Imagine an exploding cake!!  I can't think of anything better!!!

So this week,
Tuesday. Went in splits with Morishita Choro!! It was way sweet, we taught Tk-San and threw down on the great apostasy ... pretty much we read Jesus the Christ with him, and then he was like ... well your church just rocks doesn't it? And we was all like yes, it kinda does! Then we taught Ok-San and got three Dr. Peppers from Sister T ... Which I carried home on my bike! And then drank all of them! It was soo good!

Wednesday! We had eikaiwa and what not.

Thursday. We met with F-San and with K-San! F-San is good. He's wants to get baptized, but is struggling a bit with the word of wisdom. K-San is good, he is just ready to get in the font ...

Friday, we went and played ping pong and had a way sweet lesson at FHE.

Saturday. Eikaiwa and the BBQ, ate so much meat.
Sunday, only K-San came to church ... tt was the first time in a long time that we didn't have a lot of people coming. Also it was Yuuyas Choro's farewell, and it was way boss, like all of the youth who are less active came to hear him speak. Even the stake presidents daughter came all the way from Tokyo to hear him, it was so good! He's such a boss, and he's going to Sapporo ... so he'll be one of the Frozen Chosen; it should be so good, he's so amazing!!

Anyway, this week was good. The thing that I feel as though I have learned the most, isn't really this week, but over the course of my whole mission ... everyone is all trying to be more like Christ. Sometimes, I look back and realize how unChristlike I was, and I just feel bad.  The church really is a like a giant hospital and we're all sick and just trying to get better. As a missionary, I feel like I'm just another patient who is trying to help a lot of other people who are no worse than I am.

Well, that's about all the time I have this week, so I have to jet, but love you all, and if you have any other questions let me know! I'll send pictures later!

Love you all! Elder Griffiths!
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Monday, May 18, 2015

DD 16.35 ... ヤッホータイ人を見つけたんだいよ!!!

We still want a selfie of you and your companion. Can we have one?
Lin Choro, Griffiths Choro, in Kamisu
What kind of food did you eat last week which was indigenous to Taiwan?
... none yet ... we will get on it.

Still waiting on a picture of you sitting Criss Cross Crapple Sauce ... by now you should be a pro ... are we going to get one?
I'll try ... 

How are your investigators doing? old and new?
Great!!

Did you buy anything yet to bring back from Japan? a sword? a suit? a Japanese tea set? a kimono?
Not yet, I have a ramen bowl! And spoon! Also a bunch of Chinese charms from different people!

How hot is it there? any rain?
So hot, and typhoons like once a week.

Is your baptism still a go?
Yes!

Did you talk in church today? We couldn't remember when you were speaking!
I did, and will again in two weeks,

Did you get to listen to Elder and Sister Bednar's face2face broadcast??
Nope.

How are your feet doing? Any problems?
They're tired and sore ... but that's about it.

Is your bike doing well? Holding together?
Better than me actually. I'm tired, but she still runs like a stallion.

Do you ever encounter pets in the houses of the people you teach? Dogs or cats or birds?
S-San has two dogs ... and F-San has a bird.

If so, are you allergic?
To the dogs, yes ... it is pretty bad ... the bird, totally fine.

So this week.
Monday. We talked to you all, played basketball, and taught a bunch of people about the gospel.
The Zone at Zone p-Day
Tuesday. We went to Kamisu!!! It took us an hour and a half by train to get to Kashimajingu Station where we hit it hard. There used to be a branch out in Kamisu, but there wasn't enough priesthood holders, so they shut it down ... so we went out wanting to find people to come to church the following Sunday.  Once a month they have a sacrament meeting out there. So we prayed and we went!  We found a Thai lady that used to have a Book of Mormon and wanted to come to church! She's in her fifties ... she wants to introduce me to her cousin in Washington, and she wants to give grandma a gift through me ... she's way nice ...
A way cool shine thing we found about samurai!!
Wednesday. We called our friend I-San, and it turns out that he really wants to come to church and everything, but he has a problem with his legs, and because they hurt so bad and he needs surgery, he can't come.  We're going to try to keep working with him, but he has trouble focusing because the pain is so bad ... but we'll keep calling him! And he's way funny ...

Thursday. We met with K-San and trained him so he'll help us teach all of our investigators about word of wisdom issues. Then that night we met with K-San and the other Choro's investigator M-San ... pretty much, K-San testified for us and taught for us ... he's pretty solid ...
Brother F-San, Morishita Choro, Harrison Choro, Lin Choro, Brother Tk-San, Griffiths Choro
Friday. We went to zone meeting and then did a blitz in Oyumino ... also, we got Facebook back!!! Wahoo!! Then I got wrecked by Lin Choro in pinging ... turns out the stereotypical Asian is truly good at everything ...

Saturday. I got wrenched by Lin Choro in tennis as well ... we also taught a different K-San, and his dad isn't doing so well, which is really sad, he can't even stand up or anything. It's way sad.

Sunday, I went to Kamisu, and Lin Choro held down the fort here in Narita and gave a talk. Y-San, the Thai Jin we found on Tuesday, brought her dad to church as well!! It was great!! The members there welcomed them so well! Pretty much all of church was geared towards them ... pretty much a lesson with like ten members present ... pretty sweet!
Me after a long day at church ...
And then today we're fasting for the stake to see five baptisms in a month, so it's gonna be a sweet day!!!

Father! I just want to let you know that all of you wrote about the same thing this week, SAM's marathon ... and Abi's car ... good to hear that you can still draw parallels from the real world and relate them to me, always comforting!!

Mom!  ...  it's good to know that Clyde is still going strong ... ironic isn't it ... everyone said that he would be the first to die, but here he is, championing it up. If Abi needs him, she can take him ... and I know, I can't believe I'm saying this either, but my bike should be good enough for me for a while when I get back.

Finisher! That's so cool that you did it!! When I get home, give me a year ... probably less, and then lets do it again! I mean you have already done one ... in less than five hours? You said miles, but I assume you meant hours. And so now you can just tell me what to do and how to run it ... I mean I guess you already did it ... Step one: Start running ... and there is no step two ...

Stormed on Abi! Sorry to hear about Jetson! That's no good! When does school end!?! Are you gonna come hang out with me all the time? I feel like I might be kind of bored ... for a while! Come over all the time ... maybe I'll take my bike up to your apartment ... by the way, I really miss my mountain bike ... it's still hanging up in the garage, right? I'm so excited to have my shocks back again!

As for being spiritually uplifted, this week I've been thinking a lot about being Christlike. We all have goals and we all want to be spiritually powerful, but in the end, we all really just want to be more Christlike. I was reading some of Jesus the Christ this morning before study started and I found the following quote, "Have you some besetting weakness, some sinful indulgence that you have vainly tried to overcome? Like the malignant demon that Christ rebuked in the boy, your sin may be of a kind that goeth out only through prayer and fasting."

The scripture that it refers to is where Christ casts out the demon that the apostles tried to, but weren't able to. And then it goes on to talk about faith ... the comparison between effective faith and a grain of mustard seed is one of quality rather than of quantity; it connotes living, virile faith, like unto the seed, however small, from which a great plant may spring, in contrast with a lifeless, artificial imitation, however prominent or demonstrative.

What really stuck out to me in both of these paragraphs was the fact that we all have the same weakness in the end; we, the whole human race, are not perfectly Christlike. Some are closer than others, but we all essentially have the same disease, which can only be conquered by not only having faith, but working our faith. Working faith that's the size of a mustard seed, if it's living, virile faith, can have the power to move mountains, to cast out the strongest of demons from our lives, and help each and everyone of us, become more like Christ. So how do we do that? Through fasting and prayer is what Christ said to His disciples on that day at the base of the mount. He had fasted and prayed, and they had not. With both fasting and with prayer, the more we put into it, the more we can receive. The more we work our prayers, and fasting, the more our strength will grow, and in the end, the more Christlike we can become.
Harrison Choro, Morishita Choro, Griffiths Choro, Lin Choro
Choro's before church waiting for everyone to come ... we were too early ...
So all in all, that's what I did this week..
Love you all! Elder Griffiths!!
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Sunday, May 10, 2015

DD 16.24 ... Mother's Day ...

Funny story ... ok, not that funny ... we used the same time schedule from Christmas for Mother's day
(10:30 am on Monday Japan Time, 6:30 pm on Sunday Utah Time)
... it turns out we forgot to adjust for Daylight Savings Time ... call starts at 6:30, NOT ...
... Around 6:45, Trenton was in BIG TROUBLE ...
... around 6:50, Elder Griffiths still had 40 minutes before he would even try to call ... Dad's Bad.



We got this idea for a family picture from the Paxman's ... Thanks.
New news from Japan ... aparently the missionaries in Tokyo have been asked NOT to flash the "peace sign" while being photographed ... I think Sam is just expressing appreciation for two parentals in her life today, not just for Mom on this Mother's day.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

#TimeForMom: Make a Mother's Day Happy


Starting Friday join us to see how much time we can give back to moms within 48 hours. Share your moments using #TimeForMom and they will count the hours you are giving to make a mother’s day happy.

Monday, May 4, 2015

DD 16.15 ... オイース!!...

So really fast, the rules changed, and we are allowed to read emails whenever ... thus, I would like an apple crisp recipe as soon as you get this email, please, ... we have apples that are about to go bad ...

Did you do anything for your birthday?
Went to dinner and then to lunch today!! The dinner was with a member at their home, Sabbath day was all good.
Happy Birthday Griffiths Choro
Where is your new companion from? City and country?
Pingtung City ... Taiwan

Does he speak Cantonese or Mandarin?
Mandarin, Taiwanese, English and Japanese, no one uses Cantonese except in Hong Kong.

Will you send us a picture of you and your new comp?
Clockwise from Left:
Harrison Choro, Lin Choro, Morishita Choro, Griffiths Choro
How big is your district?
Seven.

How is your makeshift bike holding up?
Great!, it's crazy fast!

Have you thought of buying a few extra links for your bike chain?
I don't need the last three gears ... I never go below five.

For next week's mothers day, is the call still on?? See dad's email for info!
Sounds good!!!!

How are you doing health wise? feeling OK?
I'm tired this week, but good!!

Did you do anything fun for pDay?
Went to Indian Curry!!

What was your greatest adventure this week?
... teaching S-San today.

Try any new foods?
We're going to eat Taiwanese food this week.
Griffiths Choro, Morishita Choro, Harrison Choro, Lin Choro
How are your investigators doing? 
K-San, he's doing good, he's still looking good for the seventh, I just want to make sure that he's in it to win it, not just to try it out, I want to find out if he really believes or not. I don't want to just baptize him only to have him fall away. He's doing good though, it's progress!!!

S-San, we met with him just now with the Stake President ... and now he's starting to pray about baptism as well ... it was way sweet!!! He'll need a little time, he has some things he needs to figure out, but he's doing good for the time being!

F-San, he's kind of interesting, we're working with the Bishop and his mom to find out what we can/should do ...  but he does really want to get baptized, so we call it a win for now.
Look what we found on Saturday Night
Street Music ... it's so cool (@ 41 Seconds)

Father!! Thanks for the birthday wish and the advice about last areas! Thanks for all the letters too!!! One or two youth speakers ... I'll let you decide. I can go long and prove a good point, or short and powerful ... I once taught all five lessons and set a baptismal date in under a hour ... so it's whatever...

Mother!! I love it that the number two reason you love me is that I don't eat your cereal ... good to know ... I scored lots of good points there, sweet!!! Thanks for the letter and the video! It means a lot that u guys did a video and sent it ... I know how much you love to make videos of yourself.

TeJay!! Thanks for letter and advice! Your kids are adorable! And I'm so excited to play with them when I get home!! Porter is so big and Spencer is so cute!!! Thanks for the pictures! too!
Jandee! Thanks for the pictures! And I'm way excited to go swimming with the boys when I get back ... if I can remember how to do it. I'm really out of shape. Thanks for the birthday wish!

Sam!! Good luck on your marathon, thanks for the knowledge that turning twenty is super lame, glad I'm out of that phase! Good to know! I'm so excited to run your half marathon with you!!

Storm! I almost died when I saw your scarf!! It's so classy! Thanks for the videos and what not, it was way sweet!! Also it was good to know that school is going well ... even if it's long!

So this week I have no time. Like five minutes left ... just wanted to say that I love you and and that it was a great year! It doesn't really feel like I turned twenty-one, but then again, it doesn't really feel like I turned twenty yet either ... I honestly just feel older than everyone else here ... by like eight transfers ... it's crazy!!!

This week we've been thinking a lot about ward mission plans and what it takes to have a good one, and I decided  that it needs a lot of personal testimony. If you don't know that it's true, than you can't share it with those around you.

Anyways, need to go, I'll try to send some pictures too!!
Love, Elder Griffiths
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