DD 13.35 ... Oh look, a Bear!!!

Is Yoshino Choro part of your companionship now? Or did they assign someone else to be with him? What is the long term plan?
I don't know what the long term plan is for Abiko, right now it's Yoshino Choro, Dicastri Choro and I, and we're crazy busy.

How are your investigators coming along?
Great, doubled them all in like a week. Brother J is doing good, he's the Canadian who likes to go running and talk about the Bible; he's the closest to baptism; his dad is hantai, so it hard for him to move in a different direction.

Did you get your first package of the new year?
Not yet.

How was New Years? Eve? day? Did you get to stay up late? or normal bedtime?
New Year's Eve, we cleaned all day. All New Year's Day we read the Book of Mormon. I tried to wake up at midnight and watch the new year, but couldn't get myself up.

Since this is Japan's biggest holiday, what did they do? Party? Anything cool? Lights? Festivals?
Everything ... there's a reason we don't dendo. It's too crazy.

Are you back in the Abiko Building?
As of the eighteenth ...

How is the weather ... any snow yet? It's been almost 3 months since Japan has had a volcano, a Typhoon,  an earthquake ... you tell us, anything happening in Tokyo?
Nothing recently.

Oh, here's a question, its an oldie but a goodie, have you fixed your flat tire yet ... oh, let me guess, its too cold to fix it now ... do you want us to send you a new tube?
Of course!!!! ... ... Not

Tell us about Dicastro Choro's progress ... he's new to Japan, but how is his progress, picking things up fast, how are his language skills?
He's doing really good! Especially now that Yoshino Choro is with us. He's learning actual Nihongo, instead of my slightly American Japanese.

What have you done lately for pDay?
Help Turley Choro pack, shop at recycle shops, fun stuff as usual.

What type of service have you rendered to the citizens of Abiko this week?
Pick up garbage and Eikaiwa.

Had any melon-pan lately? Any new favorite flavors? Any new favorite foods?
Of course, I found cream filled melon pan.

Any subway adventures to report on ... life in Tokyo without a subway story isn't really a trip to Tokyo unless you were going the wrong way at some point in time.
... I'm a train master, and we never get lost ... and we don't go into Tokyo that often.

Any cycling adventures, I take it the roads aren't snow packed and iced over ... any close calls lately? Any other incidents like Kuroiwa Choro's intersection incident?
Nope, nice and safe,

Any New Years goals, other than "missionary like a bear for the next five months" ??
I want to baptize six more people by the time I go home ... and I want to read the Book of Mormon everyday!!  At least a chapter!

I found the guy in this picture (the one that's not a missionary), referred him,
and now he's getting baptized real soon! Yeah for gaijin!!!

Father! I really liked your spiel on being humble and trying to accept our weaknesses ... today another missionary told me one of his goals for when he goes home, he wants to lock himself in his house for a month and a half ... he is going to try to get really good at everything he's bad at now ... I simply chuckled to myself ... thanks for the advice, a nice reminder ... it was indeed!

Mother! Best goal ever!! Always having a temple recommend is the best, I probably need to talk to Budge Kaichou about renewing mine soon. I feel really good about the four temple sessions in a month thing ... more than that though, I love the idea of pie ... I really like that idea!!!

Smashed!! Go and hang out with the missionaries more!!! I'm a hundred percent sure that they could use a young single adult who has lots of time and wants to help out! And there are major perks! One of which being that sisters Rock at showing love, and when they make banana bread for their investigators, their favorite person, me, even might also get some ... believe I would know.  Also, God blesses the heck out of those who help out! It's way sweet!!

Six pack abs ... if you want some ... maybe go running! If you don't and you want to feel less stress ... make some no bake cookies, and eat them out of the pan ... I hear there are some new shows on NetFlix now ... I can't think of a better way to spend a day and/or night!!? I'm glad you went ice skating, because it is sooo fun ... it sounds pretty crazy!!!

So this week was interesting. Turley Choro went home ... right before we had to clean the whole apartment. And cleaning was fun!! Turns out that being a maid in college was the best idea ever!!!! Cleaning rocks when you rock at cleaning! Our apartment is way nice now! And then the next day we read the Book of Mormon all day, it was way sweet,!! I finished it a little bit ago, and was taking a break and reading the Bible for a bit, but after reading it all day, I realized the power that was missing from my life. I need to read the Book of Mormon every day or there is something missing. Something that I didn't realize I didn't have when I wasn't reading it. Everything just seems to go better when you read the best book ever, every day!! It really did rock!!

Then we had the all mission party, where we watched meet the Mormons. It was good. We want to show all it to all of our investigators, but they don't have a Nihongo version yet! Ridiculous! Nothing ever gets translated fast enough! #ForeignLanguageProblem.

Almost on the back row on the Left

Then we came back from teaching Brother J ... happens ever Saturday morning now ... First we run ... I have the best lung capacity ever btw.

Ooooo, and on the morning of the first we went with J and S and the Shimai to go watch the sunrise over the lake ... I didn't take any pictures... We ran there with J, but Mayama Shimai has one ... On her camera ... Not her ipad, so I don't know if I'll ever get it... I still need to get some pictures of the baptisms from her as well ... Hmmmm, maybe I'll just ask her for that as well ... Hmmm, deep in thought.

Teganuma Lake Sunrise

Today was zone pday, and I crushed everyone at quidditch ... I'm not going to say I'm a master ... but I'm a master?!? Whoooo!!!

So yeah, not much time. But I just want to end with this:
We all make goals and everything for the new year. But when we make any goal New Years or not, we need to pray and makes sure that it's a goal that God wants us to make. God wants us to grow more than we want to grow, He knows what we need to do in order to succeed and fulfill our potential in life. Sometimes it doesn't matter whether we get married within a certain amount of time, or if we are the best at something, or even if we're second or third. But as long as we're working for what God wants us to be working for, it will all work out!!!

I know that this letter is short, and that you all deserve more. I'll try to send some pictures and some stuff as well!! We're trying to get hold of a member to try and coordinate a dinner with J ... but no one picks up the phone!!!

Well, I've got  to jet, but I love you all!!
Griffiths Choro!!
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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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