DD 5.65 ... I'm heading to Togane ...

iPad was broken, wouldn't send eMails, keeping these answers short, just in case it doesn't work again ... #ChallengesOfTechnology

Have you ever dreamed in Japanese? How about in Korean?

In Japanese, and it turns out I talk in my sleep too.

Did you get the package, with candy and your running watch, we sent to you?

Yep, last week.

Did you get the bike tool from dad and amazon.co.jp?

Yep, least week.

Did you get more snow?

Nope.

How was the Temple? Did you go get a picture from the pond across the park?

It was good. No pictures this week

Can you still take pictures with your iPad?

Kinda … well, No.

Did you find anybody to teach this week?

Not quite

How is your cooking going? Do you get to cook?

Good. I like to cook.

Do you still hear from Rachel and Lizzy (Dad found Lizzy's blog and has been following it ...)?

Occasionally

How often do you get flat tires in the Streets of Chiba?

Never.

Have you ever got to go to Shubya Station and did you ever find the statue of Hachiko the faithful dog?

I went genre, but I never saw it.

How was the temple?

It was good.

Tell us about last week. Just not enough time to e-mail us?

No, my iPad freaked out and I'm struggling to send any emails right now.

I'm being transferred, my assignment is to serve in Togane as the District Leader there. (See the interactive map at the bottom of the Blog for the location of Togane, Japan ...)

End of Message number 1 …

Sorry about last week. My iPad did the freak out and I was unable to send any emails ... sorry about that, but I hope that you are all doing well. I was incredibly witty last week, so sorry that you all missed out on it, but things were pretty good this week. I'm glad to hear about TeJay and Crystal!  That is so exciting to hear that they're are having another child!! I think that by the time I get back Porter will just be old enough that I can "tend" him for you guys! So long as he is not lactose intolerant, we should be good. I'm glad to hear that Waylon won his wrestling tournament ... Good to know that he has been practicing on Axton for a while now. It's hard to believe that he is already five years old! He seems so big, but it feels like just yesterday that Jaden and JanDee came over with the books to tell us that they were having Waylon! Good to hear that everyone is doing well.

Sam your new glasses are hipster beyond belief ... I'm crying a little bit right now ... Sketch about Russia and Ukraine, one of my friends was there, don't know if she is anymore, but I would doubt it since if they pulled everyone out. Good to know that you beat Abi in the number of texts sent in a month and that you moved all the bricks with dad ... If it makes you feel better I started this leg work out where I don't take my bike out of gear three and eight ever, and then do squats and lunges every morning ... My legs have never been more sore, but it's kinda funny, my bike got stuck in those gears last week (something that I wrote about) and now I can't get back to any other gear.

Abi ... you’re so old ... you’re done with your undergrad! That's insane! I still have a couple years left ... But it's cool that you’re done; what are you going to do with your life, now that you are done with school. SORRY TO (I just figured out how to turn on caps lock) hear that being lead teacher is crazy hard, but is anything in life easy? Good luck and keep on trekking ... and doing some other awesome stuff!

Parentals ... Oh how I love you all so much! Sorry that I was not able to eMail you last week, I honestly was really great last week and wrote many sweet things ... including a greatly awesome birthday card for mom ... but it appears that my words were so great and marvelous that they cannot be written and were promptly deleted from my iPad ... Bummer, but it's all good. I'm glad that you are both doing well. It hurts my heart that dad is up to his old projects again and I'm not there to help him out ... I really do miss doing all that stuff ... especially the ‘watching him work’ assignment; ah, those summer mornings ... I do hope that all is well in Riverton!!! Love you all so much and hope that things are going well for all there!

This week was interesting ... we got a referral from the Choros serving in Mito ... he is way awesome and started following up with us ... downside, we are meeting with him on Friday ... the day after I leave ... bummer, but other than that things are really good here! We didn't really find anyone else to teach this week. But we are enjoying the finding time. It’s cool to see how little people know about Christ or of his gospel ... Well actually it's not cool at all, it's quite sad, but it's quite motivating too.

Well not much has happened this week; on Thursday I’m transferring to Togane and will start working with Stevens Choro. I'm still district leader ... I will be living with the zone leaders again, and have a district of eight, so four sisters again too. Should be a crazy transfer!

Sister Y, Brother Y, and their daughters;
at Sister Y's Baptism in Dec

Love you all so much and feel terrible for not getting an email out last week. Hope that all is well and that you all get this email.

So last week I was able to interview Brother Y ... and on Sunday I got to baptize him! It was way sweet! I also got to baptize his wife a couple weeks ago, and now they are right on track to be a happy little eternal family ... It's  really cool to see the joy that can come from a simple covenant with God ... I love it! … and it only took me one try to get it right!

Wahoo God’s work rocks!!!
5781 5112

DD 5.45 寝たくてたまらない

Where did you get the shovels to sled on?

They were sitting outside of our apartment complex one day ... They are still good shovels.

Jump roping? Where? How? When?

My companion likes to jump rope, and brought some, so some mornings we go out and jump rope in the little park behind our house.

Did you replace your bike light yet?

Yep ... Now I have a mini spotlight on my bike ... You can almost see the beam shining up in the night sky ... it's nice

What were you looking for at the recycle shop?

A jacket, some shoes, a new snowboard, maybe a soccer ball. They have everything for way cheap.

Did you get the bike tool from Amazon yet?

Not yet ... Y'all know that I could have bought one here right? I just thought that if you were sending me a package the one I already had would be nice ... But whatever. (Note from Dad: no fun in just buying it in Japan, then I wouldn’t have had any fun finding and shipping the product from www.amazon.co.jp … harder than it sounds ;-)

Report on your district? How is your companion progressing?

The district is way good. Everyone has really solid baptismal dates ... well, everyone except us ... We have no investigators right now, but we're working on it. Elder Nielson is doing alright.

Did you fix your pants? or are you taking a picture of them so we can replace them at missionary mall??? We are hoping you send a picture of them!

I may have forgot to take a picture of them ... I'll do something

Did you hurt your head when you fell?

Yeah, it was bleeding all over the place. Elder Nielson had to carry me to the nearest store where he bandaged my gaping head wound with some magazines ... I lost a lot of blood, but I'm alright. No, my head is fine.

When I saw my bloody gory wound

Are you typing your e-mails to us on your iPad or on the church computer?

We are not allowed to use the computers anymore ... So pictures might be a little/lot more difficult ... we are also not allowed to take pictures on our iPads … maybe ... it's all very confusing.

Does it take you longer to send e-mails on your iPad keyboard?

No, I'm actually a little faster … years of texting prepared me for this day quite well.

How are your district leader training meetings going??

I dislike them more than anything in the whole world ... But they are pretty good. People say that they are good, so who knows.

Did you know Mom makes us think of one more question if we end on the thirteenth question??

Yet still you don't end on a multiple of five ... SHAME!!!!!!

Is your Japanese bag still holding up? Did you buy a Japanese umbrella? Rain pants??

Good. I have to yet to buy one ... I may just borrow one fromm the church every time it rains ... my rain pants are awesome!!!!

That pain in your neck, is it gone? still hurting?

It's gone!!,!,

Still doing those neck exercises Sam sent you?

Sometimes ... Trying to prevent my neck from getting fat though ...

So this week we just tried to find people all week. We literally had no lessons ... a first for me. It was really hard. We were taken out to dinner by a man named Brother N, he's Okinawan ... he spent like 10000¥ on Sushi for us, then made us go to an Italian restaurant where we ate pizza and some other cinnamon sugar bread stuff with cream on top ... and then we had to tell him that we had a curfew and had to leave before he took us to Baskin Robbins for round three ... I have never eaten so much food in my life ... Major bummer though, the next week was Fast Sunday and we were all so starving all day ... It made no sense.

Pretty much that was my whole week ... yeah, not that exciting I know ... I guess; this week I started writing all my emails in Japanese ... That's something new. Also for language study I downloaded all the I'm a Mormon videos in Japanese on my iPad and all sorts of fun talks and stuff. Now I have the apostles to listen too ... I figure they probably have some pretty good Japanese right? Well,  the only downside is that it's all church words ... I can have a deep discussion about the second coming of Christ, His atonement, and what the principle of repentance means in terms of eternal salvation ... but I have NO idea how to say "yes, I would like my doughnuts to go" ... it hurts my heart every time ... I know what they are asking me, but I have no idea how to respond ... and I wanna cry. Every Time ...

Dad: It's good to hear that work is going we'll and that you are keeping busy. I agree with you though, doing work that no one else wants to do is always good. Then you’re indispensable because you enjoy the work that no one else wants to do ... Just be careful. If it's really complex, don't be the inky one that is doing it and then mess up, you'll be the only person that they will blame.... But I am sure that you won't! You were always showing your work to make sure that you are doing things right ... Unlike me... I still just do everything in my head ... But whatever's. I got your letter in the mail today too, it's a really sweet Poem, I have never thought about peer pressure like that, it can be good or bad, it depends on who our peers are. Thank-you so much.

Mom: I'm glad to hear the Clydesdale passed his inspection.... even more pleased that auto correct has Clydesdale in it... It even capitalizes it for me! Whoo! I hope that all is going well with grandma and such. All the snow here is gone pretty much ... so don't worry about me, I'm plenty warm ... It's a bummer, I kiss the snow, it was way fun actually!! Hope that all is well on the home front.

Sam: best card ever ... should have gotten earlier .. oh wait, I never did valentines; say, go me! Good to hear that you and Abi are still chillin wid Brittany and Katie, can't believe that she is going to college this year, that's insane! I feel like she should still just barely be in high school, scary thought, by the time that I get back she will have more school done that I will at that point ... Samar day, but I’ll speak Japanese ... worth it ... Plus all the gospel experience too!! Interesting about law school ... Good luck.

Abi: I just spelled your name wrong three times ... I love spell check ... I'm glad to hear that you are proud to be driving Clydesdale. Remember when you drove him in high school and were so mad to give him up, and then you were so mad to have to take him back? Maybe that is why he was mad at you for a while, I hear that all is well now and that things are going better with him. It's good to hear that you are doubting your major a little bit. It's good to know that everyone can doubt the surest thing, and still come back to the knowledge that it was the right thing to do. Sorry to hear that Herbert (Abi's plant) died ... That's no good. Good luck in your D and D game next week, I would like some details about how it goes and what actually goes Xeon ...

So sorry for my spelling. Now instead of just random letters and stuff, my iPad is just changing the word to other words, and I can only imagine what it must be like to try and read one of my emails ... I truly am really sorry, I'm not even trying to do it, it just happens ... I really have a talent for this whole making stuff hard to read crap. Sorry

So this week, not much happened, and so it's hard to draw a spiritual parallel from nothing, but I guess that it just goes to enduring to the end. Sometimes life is really hard, sometimes life in the church is really hard, but sometimes you just have to keep going and try to make the best of it. It's not always great, it's not always lessons and baptisms and referrals, but sometimes it's walking through the snow for two hours to try to visit some people that may have had interest, only to have the door slammed in your face with a couple words, that mean you never go back, muttered under their breath. It's all hard sometimes, but if we just gave in to the pressure to quit, if we just gave up and stopped trying, then what would be the point of all that we had done? What would be the point of the promises we made before? What would be the point of all that we had learned? So I guess the point of it all, is to never give up, we have all had some spiritual experiences in our lives, some moment when we knew that what we were working for was the right thing to do. All we need to do is remember those experiences. I know that they are what will give us the strength to, in the words of a much wiser man then me, "sell our harmonica in order to find one last meal;" to give all that we have, just to keep going, just to keep holding on, just to keep our vision as high as our potential. So in short, yes, sometimes it's hard, sometimes it seems impossible, but was anything ever worth it, easy?

Thank you all so much for your support and love, I love you all so much.

Elder Griffiths.

PS. I've been out for like 8 months, and I only have 5,500 hits?!?! What is this garbage? But seriously, thank you all for reading about my silly life.

Part of a letter sent to Trenton in which he is responding to:

This month’s poem, however, illustrates the problem involved with blind obedience or blind acceptance of somebody else's direction. No matter where you are, or what you do Trent, you need to know for yourself why you do the things you do. I mounted a sign on my bike when I was in the mission field that said, "Ask Me Why I'm a Mormon". I hope your response is not, "Because I was born that way".

In response to your poem question, it's not just because I was born that way, that may have been the reason when I was younger, but it is not the reason now. Thank you for your love and encouragement and all that you have influenced me to do in my life and in making me the person that I am today.

寝たくてたまらない ... I'm dying for sleep
5459 4926

DD 5.35 ... It all comes down to love ...

How much snow did you get? Are you wearing boots, hat, and gloves??
We got some snow, not that much though ... I still convinced my companion to let me ride my bike though :-D ... totally worth it!!!!! I busted out my boots to play in it with Asato Choro this morning ... We may have gone sledding on shovels and it was totally sick!!!! He has never seen this much snow before and everyone else here hates it so we just went crazy!!

Are you riding your bike in the snow? Or walking and riding the train?
Mostly we walk, but we ride a little too now that it's packed down a little bit.

I'm well aware of how crazy I look ...

We are sending your package tomorrow. Anything else you need or want?? last call!
My running watch would be nice to have ...

Did you get your iPad Mini's yet?
Check the bottom of this eMail ...

Are you getting any holes in your pants?
I actually got one in my grey pants, I fell on my bike, before the snow. See additional details below.

How popular is Chinese New Year in Japan?
Not very popular ... unless you’re Chinese ... Then they go all out.

Do you ever ride on the Yamanote line?
No ideas what that is. (Note from the parentals: it is only the most used and the most congested subway line in the world … It circles the Tokyo metropolitan area)

Do you need a tool kit for your bike? Do you have one?
The little hex wrench set that I have might be nice in the package too ... Thanks!!

Do you repair your bike yourself? Or does someone else help you with it?
Mostly myself ... Or the guy at the shop is way sweet and does it all for free here in Chiba.

How do you keep your suit pants out of the bike chain?? Rubber band?
I bought a little strap thing made for that purpose ... In a city of over a million bike riders they wolfed that problem a while ago.

Any problems with your feet? Warts?
They are tired from walking and jump roping and running around ... But that's all.

Should we try sending fudge again? Or should we try something else?? Ideas?
The fudge was delicious!!! More would be great!!! And this week was pretty interesting. BTW.

We decided to ride our bikes to the ocean one day for exercises, and it was amazing!!!! I'd forgotten how much I love the ocean. And we were there super early in the morning so we got to see the first rays of sun hitting the water coming from behind us ... It was the coolest thing ever ... Oh yeah, and I skipped a rock like seven times ... I know, way sweet right? So that was way good. The next day we got our new tools and it was way sick ... we are now showing all of our investigators ... even people we find when we are housing videos of the apostles and the bible videos that introduce our church ... it's pretty cool.

The only down side is that we have to be at the church to use the internet, so we have to come here a lot more now ... it's pretty nice though.

So we got some way sick hats from some of our investigators
and mine is Green !!!!!!!

So we went to visit some members one night. And there was NO snow ... but for some reason gravity decided to take me down a couple notches that day ... so I'm standing on my pedals and going down this hill, when all the sudden I'm just on the ground ... Bleeding from my knee a little bit ... but the worst part was that my pants ripped and my bike light got broken ... ... along with my heart ... the light was so sick … and red ... and now it's shattered ... and I'm crying … I’m totally fine though ... but then, coming home we got totally lost ... and so we stopped this girl (the only person we could see for miles) and we were like where is Inage Eki? And she was all like "Inage? Bruddah that's like way the heck over there!" And pointed exactly opposite of where we were going ... so she showed us to shun Kemigawa and then we were able to make it home ... AT 9:07 … I was so heartbroken ... we didn’t get home before 9:00 … barely not obedient. Hurts. My. Soul.  But we tried really, really hard ... We got back and I couldn't move my legs we had ridden so fast. Hopefully she comes to eikaiwa and we were meant to get lost to invite her to come unto Christ ... If not, then I just fell off my bike, got us horribly lost, and arrived late for no reason ...

So not much else has happened this week ... we always teach that in heaven we were all brothers and sisters right? But recently I haven't been thinking about it like that. But today actually I realized that everyone, not just our fellow ward members were with us too right? And who knows what happened in heaven when we were with those people? What promises did we make to them before we all came here, who did we promise to come and find? Who did we promise to never forget? Recently we have been thinking a lot about power as a mission, and how missionaries get power. Power to teach. Power to find. Power to bring others to Christ. I personally have decided that it all comes down to motivation. Why are we all out here, why are we talking to these people that we don't know? Why are we with the roommates we have? Why is the crazy guy down the street always, always asking me to help him out? Why do all the crazy happen stances always force me to branch out and bring new people into my life? Why does everything happen?

Because God knew what we would need to do in this life to help bring His children, our brothers and sisters back to him. If one of your children never made it back from school or some other learning opportunity, we would all be so devastated, devastated beyond belief right? I've decided that that is how God thinks. If we are able to feel a small portion of his love for all of his children, then we would be so much more motivated to work on their behalf...

Kind of lame right? It all comes down to love ... I feel like Dumbledore, but I guess he's kinda right? So my goal is to be more loving ... I hope you all try to do the same.

Love you all so much and pray for you all daily. We're going to hit a recycle shop right now, but I'll back for a little bit later on!!!
Love Elder Gridfithfkdkrkwlfmlxkdkgja
5383 4841

DD 5.25 ... so what does 'normal' mean ...

So, how would you feel if we scraped off all those stickers on your dresser drawers??

I would be devastated ... trying to destroy my childhood now are we? But if it must be done ... I guess I need to grow up sometime ... I should warn you though, I’ve tried, and it’s really hard.

Are there rogue dogs in Japan that chase you?

The only dogs here are Japan sized dogs ... they make Chihuahuas look large ...

Has it snowed again? (Sam read on twitter something about fall being over in Japan, does their winter just start in February?

No, I’m not even wearing a sweater right now cus it’s so warm.

Your ties: do you have enough? Way too many? Wishing you left some home?

I have just the right amount.

How is your camera holding up? Do you charge it often?

meh, I need to take more Pictures.

How was the Elder Whiting conference? Where was it held?

It was here in Chiba with just three zones, he is touring the mission. It was good, we talked about how as a mission we need to get more power ... we also raised our vision ... yeah, what we are doing is not enough ... it hurt, but it means that we can grow; right?

How did your "all in Japanese" interview for baptism go?

He has not had it yet, his daughters got way sick and has not been able to meet with the sisters in a while.

Did the Japanese people have pets? Cats? Birds? Dogs? Fish?

They have birds and fish and other small rodents that resemble dogs and cats, but are really too small.

Do they celebrate Valentine's Day in Japan?

On the fourteenth the boys get candy from all the girls and then later all the boys give candy back, I think that happens in March? I don’t know, but there is a lot of cheap candy happening now cuz of it.

How close are you to the ocean? Are the docks close? Can you buy fresh fish?

Yes, the fish is very fresh ... sometime killed on site ... it’s good though. We are really close to the water front, Asato Choro and I want to run to the waterfront for exercise one day. It would be hard, but we could maybe do it.

Have you ever seen a swimming pool in Japan? Is swimming big as a form of exercise?

It’s pretty big actually ... I have seen a couple ... but they are not really cool. I haven’t been inside to see one, just the buildings ... it’s too tempting.

Are any of your baptisms still on?

Maybe ... we have one date for us and he is good if we could just meet with him.

Parents: I hope that all went well with the Christmas lights ... I’m excited to try out dads new tool ... thank-you for all that you have done, for all of us, these last 35 years. You are both truly amazing!

TeJay: it is always good to hear about your adorable little family ... I am glad to hear that Porter recognizes my picture and such, and also that you are having so much fun at your job, good luck hiring people to do everything for you, should be loads of fun!!

Sam ... I’m dying to see the video of you climbing out the back of Tiff ... I also look forward to this guide book of dating ... I get the feeling I’m going to need a lot of help. Not only was I terrified of girls before I came to Japan, and then it’s like every mission in the world you are not allowed to talk to girls ... so I think that my fear has just gotten worse.  Man the pictures made me die ... I really do miss Oreos.

When Double-Stuff just ain't enough ...

Abi: sorry that Tiff is gone, that’s no good. But I think that she is in better place now ... plus you get to enjoy Clydesdale!!!! WAHOO!!!!! FUN FUN FUN!!! FUN FUN FUN!!!!! Wahoo! I’m glad that sitting criss cross crapple sauce is hard for you too ... it would be really rough for me if I was the only one ... and again ... looking forward to the video of Sam ... good luck with school I hope that your paper goes well!!!

So today we went to Costco and then to H&M, for Nielson Choro and Tuttle Choro ... I almost was peer pressured into buying a cardigan, but then I remembered that I was an American and would never live it down if i did ... good Job ME!!

I also meet these people from the Taoist Church this week. they invited me to the holy blessing, kind of like baptism for their church, but instead of getting baptized you get married ... that’s right!!! God through his chosen "prophet" picks who you will marry, just like Adam and Eve were right? Long story short, I’m very glad that I’m a Mormon and that we have a true and living prophet with the authority to act in God's name ... I love the priesthood!

So this week we went to a curry restaurant; I ate the level ten ... the hottest it can go ... it wasn’t too bad actually ... I was a little let down.

Photo Courtesy of Japan Tokyo Mission Blog

Other than that we had the Elder Whiting conference and learned a lot there. He made and interesting point, when he got home from his mission people always said that when you get back to normal we’ll go do something. So what he thought about was, what is the normal? He had just got back from Japan and being in a completely different culture and learning a not so easy language and was doing all this stuff to better serve the Lord and he had changed to much, and now all these people were wanting him to go back to being normal? So what does 'normal' mean? Being the person that he was before his mission, he said that there was no way he was planning on going back to what he was after he had grown so much … he said a lot of other stuff that I won’t bore you with; but it was very interesting … how often do we have these great spiritual lessons, whether it be a mission, a general conference, or even just a really great talk in sacrament meeting, and then afterwards we go back to being normal; we take what we troubled to learn and then what do we do with it? Do we just forget about it? Or do we just not have the courage to follow through with what we had planned to do afterwards? It was a very interesting train of thought ... I’ll let you know what goes down with it in a couple months ... I think, what, 16 maybe ... time really does fly. Well I gotta run, Love you all so much! It was really good to hear from you all!!

5281 4790

DD 5.15 ... my first snow ...

We haven’t heard much lately; do you still try to sit criss cross crapple sauce style; have you mastered it yet? We want a picture ...

I will try to take a picture ... but I’ve actually gotten better ... it’s still terrible, but not as bad.

Do you often find yourself eating on the floor?

Only at one of our investigator’s homes ... and he’s like 70; so when we sit down, he goes like old school Japanese on us and just laughs when we try to get up ... it hurts my pride more than anything.

What ever happened to Brother Whipple, how is his leg, is he back on his feet and has he got his sea legs back underneath him??

He’s good. Still got both legs and his boat!

So we read on McAllister Shimai's blog that she was transferred last week. Who is the new shimai in the district?

There are two new Shimaies. Reusser Shimai (the sister training leader) and Takita Shimai ... she is from Orem, Utah, but fluent in Japanese.

Is it still warm there? Coat weather? Boot weather? Glove weather? Jacket weather?

I’m wearing a sweater and quite warm right now.

How is the new zone leader that you live with?

Tuttle Choro is way chill. He is from California, he is a surfer and a skateboarder ... nuff said right? He’s awesome.

Will you get one iPad mini per companionship?

I think that we will all get one ... maybe, I’ll let you know next week

What is happening within your district, any new commitments for baptism, how is the Zone Leadership doing, are they leading by example, is the Relief Society putting the priesthood to shame, by that I mean have the Shimai’s teach more lessons than the Choro’s?

There are a couple baptismal dates. the ZL’s have a solid one for the ninth, but if his parents are HANTAI, (fun word for dad,) then that won’t happen, he still hasn’t told them about the church yet so we really don’t know what is going down. The Shimaies also have a date for the ninth that I get to interview next week. Should be fun ... the entire interview will be in Japanese  ... yeah ... potential problems. We have a date for the 23rd of February, but we haven’t been able to contact him recently ... but we also have some other people that are doing well. The Shimaies also have a couple people from China who are really humble and getting ready to make dates! Wahoo!!!

When TeJay was in Hong Kong, all his training was done in English instead of Cantonese; your mission's grasp of the language seems to be better, do you use Japanese during District Meetings, Zone Meetings, etc.?

For trainings and stuff the foreigners use English except for like role plays and stuff ... well sometimes. We do them in English first and then in Japanese so the new missionaries can learn the idea first and then the language. But whenever a Japanese missionary does a training they do it in Japanese ... and someone translates for everyone else ... sometimes the person who is translating is me and then it’s rough ... but we pull through.

So I’ve heard about the Olympics from Sam, but what are everyone else’s thoughts on them? Do you think that they will be really exciting this year? Or just kind of boring? I mean they are in Russia? So ... they're gonna be cold, really cold, but they are the Winter Olympics, so maybe that’ll be good? Thoughts?

Mom & Dad! Happy Anniversary!!!!!!!!!! I forgot to tell you last week ... Okay, I remembered this week on Wednesday ... someone in the ward had an anniversary or something and I thought of you guys!!! 35 years! That so impressive right!!!! You have four really great kids and one just amazing child (Me) and I’m sure that you love us all equally ... but congratulations on accomplishing so much in your life!!!

Sam: I’m jealous of your box car racing skills. I hope that I will be able to give it a try when I get back (challenge extended: Keep the box till then) and then we will see who the champion really is!!!! Sorry that you have too many inhalers that are all so cool, I’m a little jealous, I haven’t used one in like 7 months ... and this morning I went sprinting with Asato Choro ... and yeah, he’s short and Japanese, but his legs are so fast, I almost died ... it was terrible, but really great! We did like 2.5ish miles (I think in like 13 minutes).

Abi! Will you rent me a puppy? I cannot think of a practical reason for such a business but it does make sense that it is in a college town ... especially Logan, go us! I get it, business gets really big around finals week or when grades are coming out! I’m not sure how I feel about it ... it’s like borrowing cuteness ... anyways, bummer that USU lost their Basketball game to 7th ranked San Diego State, but awesome that we were so close!!! You gotta love it!!! I’m glad that you went running and that you were able to fix the DVD case with superglue, remember when I fixed my red shoes with superglue from Lees ... that was sweet!

Things here are going well. One of our investigators, Brother M, the 70 year old, is struggling, we taught him about the gospel of Christ, and he got it … all except baptism ... and then when we tried to explain it to him … well, its still a work in progress.

The NW district here is sweet, they are all way great and working way hard, Tuttle Choro is the new zone leader, and it’s his first time so it’s pretty good I think. It’s weird being district leader when I’m one of the younger people in my district, there are two sisters from my doki and then Nielson Shimai and Legge Shimai, and then the zone leaders, and a transfer eight Reusser Shimai.  It’s all good though, tomorrow we have the Elder Whiting conference; he’s a Seventy. Should be a fine learning experience; I’m excited!

Hmmm, this week we started focusing on this guy, Brother O again, his first lesson was my first day in Chiba, so I’ve known him a while, but we finally got him to commit to be baptized if he gets an answer from God ... yeah, he may or may not be expecting a Joseph Smith style vision, but hopefully we can work with that. We also set a baptismal date with a guy named Brother Y this week ... and now we can’t get a hold of him ... bummer, but we’re gambaruing.

Something that I’ve learned a lot of recently is that in the Gospel, and in missionary work, I don’t think that I’ll ever feel good enough. I know that God will help me and I’ll be able to do whatever he asks me to do, but I still will never feel completely up to the challenge that He has given me, I know it’s just because I want it done perfectly by myself, and that that is never going to happen ... it’s been very humbling recently ... and a little frustrating ...

On the other hand, I’m doing missionary work, thanks to God and His power. I am well aware of the gift of tongues in my life and I am so grateful for it; everyday! I know that there is no way I should be able to talk to anyone in this country, it's especially apparent when the Holy Ghost doesn’t want me to understand someone and just leaves me on my own ... then it’s really rough ... but it’s nice to have God on my side!

I love you all and hope that y’all had a great week! If you get sad, remember Abi can rent you a puppy to play with for a bit.

I know that I got a little more snow than you guys did ...
... so just feel sorry for me riding my bike through the blizzard that is my life

PS. Dad, I feel good about your talk, should be a hit ... its new, its kinda like lecture #53 about accountability or lecture #88 on the symbolism of the temple that we all head so much growing up. I think that it will be really great!!! Good Luck! It was interesting to see the insights that you drew out, and yeah, it really made me think a lot about missionary work and how we are like little Eternal Families here on earth ... little mini versions of God's big family ... is it okay if I use some of it in lessons and such? I hope so, I'm more letting you know that I'm going to rather than asking permission ...
you know lecture #23!!

Note: Dad sent the following text in his last letter to Trenton:

I really like the symbolism of a Father and Mother coming together, anywhere around the world, rich or poor, and they can create a family where mom and dad have God Like Power within their own family … yes there are some who go crazy which results in some children having a really warped perspective on the world, but for most of the world, we create these families and we are all trying to shower our children with love, support, encouragement to live a life that is better than their own … doesn’t that sound a lot like our Heavenly Parents and what they would do for us … the symbolism is rich as we realize what we would do for our children, is exactly what our Heavenly Parents would do for us. For you specifically, your two years away is not altogether different symbolically than when we left our Heavenly Father for a short period of time with the hopes of returning once again to them … now compare that to you leaving us, we communicate through eMail, with one or two visions via Skype, which wasn’t possible even 10 years ago with TeJay, we pray that you return with honor, we long for a glorious reunion where we can once again embrace each other, we even expect to see an older brother or sisters waiting with open arms to welcome your return … sound familiar to another plan that you teach to your investigators?

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DD 4.65 ... today was Transfer Calls ... I'll be staying in Chiba ... that makes 5 transfers in Chiba ...

How are your teeth? General health?

Well my teeth are good, the Transformers tooth brush helped a lot. As far as my general health goes: I think that I just ate some bad mabudofou and it all just came through... it was sketch.

Who gave you the huge chocolate(?) Santa?

It was Asato Choro's, I just took a picture with it.

Are you getting transferred? If so, where?

Nope, still here in Chiba, for the fifth time! Dunbar Choro is leaving and that's it. I don't know about the Shimai in my district yet, at least one is leaving though.

Do you have holes in your socks? Holes in your shoes?

nope and nope.

Do you ride your bike to the train station and park it there? Or do you ride your bike to places? Which one more?

Usually we just ride places. Sometimes though we leave our bikes at the church and then train station it.

If you are transferred, do you get to bear your testimony in church before you leave?

I actually got to last Sunday ... it was rough. Details on that in a minute.

Any crazy things to eat this week? Loved the pounded rice story.

So one day we were almost out of spaghetti sauce, but we had like three cans of cream of mushroom soup ... so we mixed the four cans together and ate them over noodles ... it wasn't super great.

Do you wear the same pair of shoes every day or do you switch off every other day?

I try to switch every day.

Can you print stuff out, like a talk we send or our emails?

We can at convenience stores if we need to.

Is your journal filled up? need another one?

I am almost half way through ... I only really get to write in it on P-Day now.

Have you heard much about the Olympics? Do you think you will be able to watch any of them? (they start Feb 7th)

I have not heard anything, I don't think that we will be able to watch any of them.

Was the pile of bedding on your floor in the picture your futons and blankets? Where were the sheets? Are the blankets homemade? It was a big pile!

Yep that's our beds, we use sheets and everything! Don't worry mom.

How is your belt holding up? Need a new one? getting worn out?

Its perfect!

Do you tell any of your companions about your nut allergy? where your e pen is?

Yes, I told all of them ... why wouldn't I have?

Have you had the flu or a cold?

Nope, I'm still indestructible ... and yeah, just knocked on wood.

So this week was pretty good. Nielson Choro and I were unexpectedly asked to bear our testimony in church so of course we freaked out about that ... a lot. The Japanese is fine, I'm just really uncomfortable talking in front of people, and Elder Nielson is fine with talking in front of people, just not the Japanese. It was interesting ... but we pulled through.

Today was transfer calls ... I'll be staying in Chiba as District Leader. I know that I'm still here because I'm not done helping someone yet and I think it might be Brother O. I met him my first day here in Chiba ... I need to baptize him this transfer or bust! WHOO!!! We got him to pray every day last time which is awesome!!! I also really like being District Leader, and I don't feel like I have learned all I need to from it quite yet so I'm quite content to stay for another transfer.

So Willdens Shimai's Grandma died this week, they kinda saw it coming, but it was still a little sudden, so she asked me to give her a blessing of comfort on Sunday. It was good, I love being a tool in the hands of God, but there is something about being talked through by God to really make you feel like you need to do better. It is always humbling.

Mom: it sounded like Dad wrote the first half of you letter, lol. It was good though. Thanks for the info. I did get Grandmas letter, please tell her thank you for me!

I can't believe that I forgot to mention it earlier ... the fudge was in a rough state when it arrived, the butter had oozed out and was all over the inside of the bag ... but other than that it was quite delicious. (And frankly the healthiest thing that I've eaten since I've been here I think)

Sam: Wud up? About the life decisions and stuff: imma tell you what I tell my investigators ... pray ... and when that doesn't work, fast. Also, ask us for help and advice on what you should do. The parentals may be old and not the funnest kids on the block sometimes, but they do love you more than anyone else on earth right now, and I'd bet that they are more then willing to help you make a pro and con list.

ABI::: STORMMAGEDDON THE DARK LORD OF ALL!!!! remember when you found out that Stomrageddon was a baby? That was funny ... also remember when Sam stuck fifteen Cheetos in her mouth at Aunt Lynne's birthday party ... that was fantastic. Sorry that this week has been stressful. If it makes you feel any better this week I'm starting a diet of chocolate and speaking Japanese. Whoever speaks the most Japanese out of me and my comp gets two doughnuts on P-Day instead of one ... I really need to win ... but at the same time, I have rice cheeks way bad ... and I need to not win. Tough call.

So this week was pretty good not much really happened ... imma send y'all some pictures of the district in a bit ... I think that the pictures speak better than words ... and I'll attach some clips of my life ...

This is my District
Back: Asato Choro, Nielson Choro, Dunbar Choro, and me
Front: Legge Shimai, Willden Shimai, McAllister Shimai, Dunn Shimai

Thank you for all of the praying that you do for us here in Japan ... especially me! Thank you all again!

Brother O & me. I know my eyes are really serial killery here

This is a family which Dumbar Choro and I found today ...

PS. The Kitchen Aid story was hilarious!!! I can just see mom covered in flour, and then days later holding the phone up to the mixer ... I almost fell out of my chair laughing.

(Here is the story Sam sent to Trenton about the Kitchen Aid:

So we told you we got a new mixer right? it's huge and red and super pretty.

Day 1: Mom and Dad realize that it doesn't fit underneath the counters on the bar except over by the sink so we have to change our cooking cupboard.

Day 2: mom tries to cook with it while holding Porter. He lunges forward and yanks the lever, flour and cocoa go EVERYWHERE. The entire counter is covered in flour. Mom comes up to me and says: I think I'll just blow dry this up into a nice little neat pile ... I'm not sure why she thought a blow dryer would put it into a pile instead of blowing it around the whole room ...

Day 3: There is clanging whenever mom turns on the mixer and it's making her CRAZY. I come home and she is on the phone with the mixer people. 

Mom: There is a clanging on my mixer. I think it's defective.
Silence.
Mom: yeah, it's a clanging like ... well, just listen. Then she turns on the mixer and holds the phone up to it for like 30 seconds. Then picks back up the phone.
Mom: Did you hear that?
10 minutes later she hangs up: It's defective. I knew it. We can trade it for a new one.)
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DD 4.56 ...blah blah going to mars blah blah rice blah love blah blah bye ...

Are you in charge of the cell phone in your companionship?

Yes, and nothing is more stressful than answering a number that I don’t know ... did I mention that Japanese is NOT my native language?

Do you ever wear your P-Day clothes? Are they wearing out? Did you take a hoodie or jacket to wear with them in the cold?

I have my lifeguard hoodie, so I’m quite warm, but I don’t really wear anything else that much, I sleep in all the shirts, but the pants are rarely used.

How often do you have District Meetings?

Every week

What would a report on your District to the Zone Leaders sound like?

We all tried to find today ... oh hey, someone found someone ... they were a Jehovah’s Witness and tried to convert us all ... we actually found some today. The sisters are way pumped ... we are all so tired!!! Stuff like that.

How often are you preparing training presentations? What was your topic for the presentation in Zone Conference?

I have to train every week in District Meeting, and I just trained in Zone Meeting.

How did your presentation in zone conference go?

It went well; it was me and the other DL together, so that was really good. We trained on finding solid new people and doing solid lessons.

When is your Zone Conference, how often do you have them?

Once a month

Did you enjoy a new tasting experience this week? How about Nielson Choro, did you introduce him to a new tasting sensation?

I ATE THE CHOCOLATE FROM MY PACKAGE THAT CAME ON TUESDAY!!!!! OH YE OF LITTLE FAITH!!!!! I also had some mochi ... which is just pounded rice ... I also made some yesterday.

Time for a train story ... what have you seen ... have you ever boarded a wrong train ... come on share an adventure.

I have not gotten lost yet actually!! Today we were close, but we just couldn’t find the line that we were supposed to ride, we wandered around for like 5 minutes ... but then we found it!!!! Found it like a bear!!!

We really need a picture of you and your companion ... please ... we'll send fudge again ... we'll send it the day after we get a picture ... pretty please ... just send photos, Dad!!!

I’ll work on it

How was your T-Day ... did you see any of your old companions?

Yes, all of them. They are all doing really good. It was really nice to go to the temple!!

Did you take your temple bag with you? Clothes? I can't remember … :(

I took some white pants and a shirt, but everything else we get to use there.

So my package totally came the day after y’all gave up hope ... whud up wid dat? Hmmmmm ... bam; I had faith and my candy came!!!! It was beautiful!!!! Thank you all so much!!!! ... it may be all gone by now, but it was very delicious!!!

This week not much happened, this guy we met with asked me how many years I had been in Japan ... when I said for 5 months he didn’t believe me and insisted that I must have studied Japanese before I came out, or that I was lying to him ... it was very awkward ... but it was pretty cool too.

Zone meeting was good, have I mentioned that I don’t like talking in front of people, and that it scares me to death to trying to teach people? Other than that it was pretty good though, we did a lot of stuff and I feel like it went well.

This week we found the K San family. They are so great, they keep following up with us about coming to church and wanting to meet with us, it’s so great!! We are hoping that they are going to be baptized in February, we did a church tour, and when they walked into the chapel, they just said (well they said it in Japanese) "Whoooaaa, this is deep." and then the wife cried because of the spirits awesome power; and they were pretty psyched to be baptized ... good week.

We also got a referral form the sisters here in Chiba, he is a little crazy, he’s an author, and says that he has made some really cool medical discoveries ... but they are not certified by the government ... it doesn't stop him from selling his miracle potion for like ¥60,000 per bottle. He also said something about a Dutch Company sending people to Mars to live ... and that because we were men of God he is willing to do anything for us, so if I want to go, he is willing to sponsor me ... yes, I did think about it. 

This week was really good, on Monday, so yesterday we went with the ward and some investigators to make mochi ... pretty much, we cooked rice, soaked rice, and filled a granite pot full of rice and SMASHED IT WITH A HAMMER!!!!!!! And then we ate it ... it was quite satisfying ... other than that it was a pretty slow week.

Sorry to hear there are so many health issues in the ward … not good. I will keep them in my prayers, pretty cool having the ward unite their faith though.

The temple was really great, its always so comforting to be in the Lord’s house ... there is literally nothing better, and no place where it is easier to feel God’s love for everyone there … I always leave feeling like I’m not quite good enough, but still knowing that its okay as long as I’m trying to get better … its quite confusing actually.

So the first week in February we are getting iPad minis … should be pretty sweet!!!! I’ll let you know what goes down there!

Not much else to say, love you all and thank you all for all that you do!!!!

Elder Griueptifokdd

Sorry for my spelling, Sam

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Challenge Extended family ... challenge extended

Me & Nielson Choro!!!!
We had a party on P-Day for President Budge's birthday on the 29th
... okay, we had some soda and some chocolate!

DD 4.45 ... on the first we read the Book of Mormon all day ...

So, tell us about running into the truck with your bike. Were you hurt? How did you run into it? How is your bike? What kind of truck?

I was fine, and it was a moving truck... not like in motion, but a large truck full of packages and such.

Question from TeJay ... Did you learn about the Tim Tam Slam over the Christmas holidays? What do you think?

It was amazing... but I learned about it my first transfer....we taught my trainee about it though.

Take time and tell us about your most memorable event within your District this past week?

The Shimai in my district found like 4 people in one day after weeks of nothing but doors slammed in their faces ... pretty awesome!

How many brand new missionaries in your district are in their first transfer?

There are two new missionaries: Legge Shimai and Nielson Choro

How is your companion doing with his language development, what has been his biggest wahoo moment since he arrived in Japan?

He’s doing pretty good, talking to the ward members is pretty big for him.

You have received 5000 Yen in Christmas money from members of the ward ... we have deposited it into your account ... what do you need, can you use an extra 5000 Yen, what do you plan to buy with the extra cash?

I don’t know yet. That’s so nice of them!! Thank them for that ... I think that I’m going to buy a rain coat with it ... maybe. I can’t decide for sure because I miss being wet from swimming and the rain is nice.

Did you get letters from the Priests, and did any of them include any questions? Do you need to provide a response here so we can pass it on to them?

Brother S asked me what I wish I would have done before I left. I think that a weekly split with the missionaries would have been really helpful. If the Bishop could set it up and have 2 priests go out every week I think that would be great—I am sure the Elders would really appreciate it too.

How are your language skills, are you able to testify in Sacrament Meeting about a tender mercy in your life?

I have borne my testimony in sacrament meeting once ... I’ve been in the same ward and there are always a lot of people that want to go up so there is not much time. I can teach, just not super well, but I can talk to people ... well kinda. =) It turns out Japanese is hard. Who knew?

For the last time, did you get the last Christmas package? if not, we will give up. :)

Not yet, but I have FAITH BEYOND MEASURE THAT MY CANDY WILL COME!!!!!! The Mission got a lot of packages, so it may have been sent to the wrong missionary. Hopefully they will send it back and I’ll get it soon!! (Family note: We do not have this same faith. He might still get it, but we are wildly doubtful)

Are you sleeping any better?

meh

How is never being alone? ;) Love it as much as you thought you would?

It’s pretty nice actually ... I do look forward to the time when I will drive up to Logan by myself though; when I return.

This week was pretty good. The home ward sent me a Christmas card ... well Brother F did. It was awesome! Tell him Thanks!

We also found a Chinese family this week. We knocked and said that we were the Mormons; the woman just said "Hai, Dozo" and opened the door or us to come in. Turns out it was really awkward … we were not really able to talk about the gospel at all, but we referred her to the sisters and she is coming to eikaiwa so we’re calling it a win. (Note: her husband was there, don’t worry I’m keeping all the rules of the land.)

In District meeting I gave some training ... it was OK, but I really hate having to prepare stuff. Now I also have to do something in Zone meeting; so yeah, a lot of public speaking!!!

On the 31st (New Year's Eve) we just cleaned all day and then on the first we read the Book of Mormon all day, it was really great!! I loved it!

The ward here in Chiba is really great; we went to dinner like every day during shogatsu. We ate so much food, and the ward gave us so much stuff!!! It was really great!!!!!

Mom and Dad: the mixer broke? What are you going to do? I think getting a red one would be a good choice, but I don’t know ... I’ll have to try it out when I get home and see how it is!

Sam: That Elder Holland quote is awesome!!!! And you met an Olympian ... that’s pretty cool. Also, I heard that you like to run ... Temple Run that is ... what happened to the old "Trenton stop that dumb game" Sam that I love so much? hmmmmm?

Abi: I’m glad that Clyde is going well for you ... I miss him so much sometimes ... but then I remember that you are driving him and his biggest problem is not going 76 mph for the next two years ... :p he’s fine. He really is a stallion ... just be careful in the snow.

Love you all and thank you so much for all that you have done for me. This week I didn't really do very much so not much to write about, sorry! One more thought though:

Alma 26:22 is all about knowing stuff, and then Mormon 9:18-22 is really good if you ever doubt God ... well it’s not good, it just calls you out on your faith like none other. Anyway, I’m off to do the work of the living and loving God and do miracles in his name! Wish me luck!!!!

Love ya, Bye!!
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