It is so good to read your emails and hear about your week and all the events that have taken place. thanks for keeping me updated. i love reading them and hearing your advice and such. My week suprisingly went by really fast! I am so grateful for that. ANds i enjoied it too. I loved this past week.
I am super happy for Kamas and his rank. i brag about him all the time here to other missionaries who are in the air force and such. I look up to Kamas so much. He is my bestfriend. I miss him alot. I am glad to hear about Bug and his choice to stay in football. i now coach is a retard but that is not why he should quit. i am glad that he will stick it out. just make sure that he has a positive attitude about it. It is cool to hear about where all my friends are going on there missions and such. I really want to know where Jake Packer is goign. i hope he comes here to tokyo. that would be so freaking awesome. Can you look his parents up on face book and ask them. His dads name is Lance Packer. That would be awesome! Thanks!!!
So last tuesday there was a huge typhoon and it was just pouring rain! and what did we do, we went streeting and housing. WE had no success until the last door we knocked on. it was a lady who had read the bible and she was intrested. she said she had to talk to her husband about it. but it made the day knowing that we had gotten a new investigator and maybe a family.
Wednesday was very intresting. I was really gettting on myself for constantly sending you and dad emails of how hard my mission is and that i am not enjoing it. so i got to thinking on how i could change that mind set. i pulled out one of your emails taht you sent me from my 1st transfer and noticed that you were talking about Elder Oaks talk on desires. so i read it. i came out with the desciion that i need to change my desires. so i prayfully thought about desires i can write down and work to achieve in order for me to enjoi my mission. here they are:
1) Want to do missionary work
2) Enjoi Missionary work
3)Gain Christs Love for the Japanese People
4) Japanese People Salvation
5) Learn Japanese Language
6) Patience
7) Have vision of what i can become and accomplish
8)Become the missionary God and mom want me to become and be
9) Serve with all my heart
these are the desires that i am going to make priorities to gain. i think that if i can aquire these desires, i will enjoi my mission so much more. as you can probably tell, all the desires kinda correalte to one another. if i love the japanese poeple, i will desrie their salvation and i will want to do the misisonary work to save them. that is just one exampel. so i thought that these were prettty dang good desires. i am prayer hard taht i might be reseptive to the spirtit so i can go adn do the things that i need to do to gain these. please pray that i will get the direction i need to gain these desires.
On thursday i went on spilts wiht a japanese elder named elder fukushima. he is super quite. We were in an area called Togane. Look it up on google or something. i really enjoied this day becasuse i was finally able to see some forest and some mountain. it was just an amazing day. even though there was a typhooon. like usual.
Friday i had a 3 zone conference. This is an epic day. and a super spiritual one too. I was thinking to myself about my desires and how i can accomplish them. so i was in deep thought about them. President was talking about the Spirit of Revelation. The desire i was thinking about at the time he said that was number 8. i have felt like i have not been the missionary you or God expect me to be and i dont know why. anywasys, when he saidd the Spirit of Revelation, i started thinking about it. A talk me and you had came to mind. it is about football. You told me that if i wasnt getting yelled at by the coach or getting advice from him, then i wasnt getting any better. the reason is becasuse if you arent getting yelled at, you arent on the field. if you arent on the field you arent getting reps. if you arent getting reps, you arent getting any better. I then thought about that saying but for the Lord. If the Lord isnt getting on my case or showing me my problems that i need to fix, how then can i become the missionary he wants me to be and become? It then hit me hard taht all the trials i have been going through have been revealed unto me by the Spirit of Revelation. SO then i got to thinking. well if all my trials are from the Lord and his Spirit, then i hvae had his spirit the entire time. and taht made me feel so flipping good. It made me think i have had the Spirit on my mission the whole time and that i have been successful becasue i have had his spirit. NOt only that, but if i have his spirit, i am the missionary you and God expect me to be. One who works through and listens to the spirit. I am so grateful that the Lord was able to reveal this unto me. i really am. i have been waitiung all week to tell you about this exprience. i wish i could tell you in person. it was amazing. On saturday i was reading in the Book of Mormon and 1 Corinthians. in the BOM 2 Nephi 3:5 and in 1 Corithians 4:5. The main point i got out of it was the lord brings the hidden things of darkness to light or The Spirit of Revelation. it was amazing. it really was. i am so happy i was able to learn that.
On saturday we gave a church tour to a Napal person., he said he wanted to be baptized and that he had 6 other friends that would probably want the same thing. it was awesome. I am seeing so many miracles and i am enjoing them. they really do make me happy thinking about them and how much the lord is blessing us. this week was super hard cuz all of our appointment fell through and we ahd to street and house in a typoon. no fun. but we are seeing so many miarlcles.
Sorry i am getting this email off on wednesday but monday all the libraries and stuff are closed and on tuesday we had a All mission Conference. WE got LAPTOPS!!! So we decided to wait til today to email when we had our own Laptop in our Apartment. Ya thats right. i am emailing you from a laptop in my apartment. the tokyo mission is the only mission in the world with laptops. kinda cool. they will help so much. they have skype so we can get ahold of people who live far away or cant meet with us because they work to much. I also get to skype home on Mothers Day and Christmas. YYYYYEEESSS!!!! isnt that awesome. you get to see and hear me. I get to skype you 2 a year. That is goign to be so freaking cool! my mission is so different thatn my brothers!
That is all that has happened here in Japan with me. as you can tell i am doing super good. i am happy and i am loving life. i really like my companion too. there is just a couple of things that could make life better. New music, a UKULELE, actual pictures of the family. . . you know stuff like that. I would really enjoi a ukulele. i was able to play one on thursday and descided i really wnat one. That is goign on my Christmas list. haha.
well i hope you enjoi this email over all the other ones that i have sent you. iam doing super good and cant wait to read your email next week. i love you so much mom. i look up to you so miuch. you are the best mom anyone could ask for. keep safe. i cant wait till next monday to read your email. Until then, God be with you always!!!!
Love your Son, your only Kurtiepie,
Elder Kurt Arie Van De Graaff
Called to serve in the Tokyo-Japan Mission
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
19 july 2011
I am so thrilled to hear that you had an amazing birthday! its no wonder why i have felt down this entire weekend! Man, from the sounds of it, you guys had a rocking time. i am so jealous. i want to go to mt. graham so freaking bad. i really miss that place alot. but i am gald that you had a amazing time up there and that the mountain actually opened up. that is great news to hear. im glad you enjoied the notes and stuff ffom my current bishop. he did that and i had no clue until he asked me to fill in your address but i couldnt remember it. so i just emialed it to dad and he forwarded it to you. i am stoked that you enjoied it.
so this week started off really good for me! really good! on wednesday all we did was go from appointments to appointments. super bussy! the first one we met with a kinda gator. he really inst progressing but we are trying. he has a smoking problem. we were bold and asked him for his smokes. he said no of course and told us he couldnt and didnt want to quit. he then started saying that we had never had to go thoruogh anything hard like quiting smoking. i go up and told him how i had lost wieght and that it was super hard. he couldnt believe that i could withhold myself from all teh junk food in america. he was amazed. at the end i told him that he could do it and that he really did want to quit. he siad i was right. we then asked him again for his cigarrettes and he gave them to us. and his lighter too. he commited to quit. but a day and a half later he started again and we havent been able to get ahold of him. so it was fun while it lasted.
Wednesday too we had a less active/ non member lesson. they are peruvian and the dad is a less active and the wife is nonmember. the father actually served a mission in north peru. we had a lesson with the mom. he went really good. we testified boldly about the atonement of christ. we got her thinking a lot. she is also a heavy smoker. we are seeing just bits and pieces of progress with her. nothing really special but we are trying. we meet with her everyweek.
on friday we met with a guy who has the strongest testimony ever. he wants to be baptized so bad but his wife wont let him have permission. so we talked with him about why the wife wont let him be baptized. he said because of the tithing and giving money to the church. we decided that we would fast with him on july 24 that his wifes heart will be softened. we also set a baptismal date. August 1. we are fasting that the wife will let him get baptized on that date. we are going to ask her permission on the 30 july. so please if you can fast with us that he will be able to get permission to be baptized on the 14 august. that would be graeat.
saturday was not the best day and i dont know why. we did a service project for a guy in the ward. his wife has breast cancer. he really appreciated it and so did i. it was the first time other than going to sendai that i got to do service. saturday was the longest day of my mission. it just took forever. i think cuz i was home sick. i knw it was your birthday and i was just thinking about that the entire time and how much fun i had been missing out on. it carried out to sunday as well.
yesterday i was super homesick. i just wanted ot go home so bad. i think some of the reason was was becasue we were in our apartment all day doing weekly planning. i hate being in the apartment all day. but i have gotten homesick so much the last couple of days. my japanese has tanked too. that doesnt make me feel good in the leeast. i didnt understand anything in church. so as of right now i am doing ok. i love emailing hoem and heraing about how everyone is doing. please continue to pray for me and that i waill get the desire to do missionary work. it is super hard for me. yesterday i just wanted to go back kto the mtc and finish my mission there being a missionary that works on computers and stuff like that. i dont know why i am not enjoing this work. i have had so many miracles. i dont know why. i am really praying hard that i will start finding joy. please continue to pray for me. i love you all so much. i kinda sucks to hear about curtis. i pray for him. i hope he comes around.
its good to hear about kamas. and kendi and the the rest of the family. thanks for the info on them. i dont have alot of time so i have to go now. but i sure love you more than anything. i really do wish that i could see you right now. taht would make things so much easier. My pdays have been officially moved to Monday! so i will NO LONGER have PDAY on TUESDAY!!! ON MONDAY!!! Please remember that. i cant wait to hear from you next week. i love you alot. i miss you alot too. the mission is by far the hardest thing i have done mentally. i didnt think it was goign to be this hard. i love you. keep safe and get dad in shape. God be with you always!!! i love you deeply.
Love your son, your kurtiepie.
Kurt Van De Graaff
so this week started off really good for me! really good! on wednesday all we did was go from appointments to appointments. super bussy! the first one we met with a kinda gator. he really inst progressing but we are trying. he has a smoking problem. we were bold and asked him for his smokes. he said no of course and told us he couldnt and didnt want to quit. he then started saying that we had never had to go thoruogh anything hard like quiting smoking. i go up and told him how i had lost wieght and that it was super hard. he couldnt believe that i could withhold myself from all teh junk food in america. he was amazed. at the end i told him that he could do it and that he really did want to quit. he siad i was right. we then asked him again for his cigarrettes and he gave them to us. and his lighter too. he commited to quit. but a day and a half later he started again and we havent been able to get ahold of him. so it was fun while it lasted.
Wednesday too we had a less active/ non member lesson. they are peruvian and the dad is a less active and the wife is nonmember. the father actually served a mission in north peru. we had a lesson with the mom. he went really good. we testified boldly about the atonement of christ. we got her thinking a lot. she is also a heavy smoker. we are seeing just bits and pieces of progress with her. nothing really special but we are trying. we meet with her everyweek.
on friday we met with a guy who has the strongest testimony ever. he wants to be baptized so bad but his wife wont let him have permission. so we talked with him about why the wife wont let him be baptized. he said because of the tithing and giving money to the church. we decided that we would fast with him on july 24 that his wifes heart will be softened. we also set a baptismal date. August 1. we are fasting that the wife will let him get baptized on that date. we are going to ask her permission on the 30 july. so please if you can fast with us that he will be able to get permission to be baptized on the 14 august. that would be graeat.
saturday was not the best day and i dont know why. we did a service project for a guy in the ward. his wife has breast cancer. he really appreciated it and so did i. it was the first time other than going to sendai that i got to do service. saturday was the longest day of my mission. it just took forever. i think cuz i was home sick. i knw it was your birthday and i was just thinking about that the entire time and how much fun i had been missing out on. it carried out to sunday as well.
yesterday i was super homesick. i just wanted ot go home so bad. i think some of the reason was was becasue we were in our apartment all day doing weekly planning. i hate being in the apartment all day. but i have gotten homesick so much the last couple of days. my japanese has tanked too. that doesnt make me feel good in the leeast. i didnt understand anything in church. so as of right now i am doing ok. i love emailing hoem and heraing about how everyone is doing. please continue to pray for me and that i waill get the desire to do missionary work. it is super hard for me. yesterday i just wanted to go back kto the mtc and finish my mission there being a missionary that works on computers and stuff like that. i dont know why i am not enjoing this work. i have had so many miracles. i dont know why. i am really praying hard that i will start finding joy. please continue to pray for me. i love you all so much. i kinda sucks to hear about curtis. i pray for him. i hope he comes around.
its good to hear about kamas. and kendi and the the rest of the family. thanks for the info on them. i dont have alot of time so i have to go now. but i sure love you more than anything. i really do wish that i could see you right now. taht would make things so much easier. My pdays have been officially moved to Monday! so i will NO LONGER have PDAY on TUESDAY!!! ON MONDAY!!! Please remember that. i cant wait to hear from you next week. i love you alot. i miss you alot too. the mission is by far the hardest thing i have done mentally. i didnt think it was goign to be this hard. i love you. keep safe and get dad in shape. God be with you always!!! i love you deeply.
Love your son, your kurtiepie.
Kurt Van De Graaff
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
12 july 2011
got your letter last night. it took 10 days for the letter to get to me. that is just ridiculous. thanks for the money, card, letteer, and beehive. i havent seen american money in over a month. it looked wierd and different but i really liked it. i am goign to try to get onto the military base here and spend it there and get some cheap good food. or at least that is what i am planning on doing. Yes i want you to upload my photos onto facebook.
thanks for the card. you didnt delete any of the pics tho. no biggy. i deleted them. but for future prefence. i want the card clean of pics when i get it back. i will be sending you another card today with your birthday card. it wont get to you on your birthday cuz i had to wait for my other card but i think you will like it. Happy Birthday.
So, this week nothing really special happend. I went out and housed and streeted alot. i also went to the dentist 2. my perminate retainer broke last monday so i had to get it fixed asap. President Albrecht set up the appointment and paid for it too. what an awesome guy. the dentist was a days trip away from where i lived tho so. it took up 2 days. Other than that nothing really amazing happened. I did feel and earthquake on sunday though. it was a 7.1. it was the first time i have felt an earthquake here in Japan. That was pretty fun. it didnt shake the building. it just raddled the windows. i didnt think it was a big one. it didnt feel like a big one but it was. OH, last night i had Costco Pizza!!! I love their pizza. not only that but pizza here sucks. but costco makes their pizza the same way the american costco does. it was so freaking good. i loved it. i had to watch how much i ate though. i was at a members house and they have 7 kids. so i had to control myself. but i wanted to eat it all. It was Supreme Pizza my favorite kind of pizza. SO GOOD!!
the language seems to be coming along a lot better than it did in my first area. i dont know why either. since my comp is a ZL i dont have time to study the language at all. but i ask tons of questions about what he says and what meanings are and things like that. I think i ask more questions than in my 1 area. Also i think the lord is blesssing me cuz he knows the intent of my heart. that always help. so i have good intentions all the time. haha. I dont like having a ZL comp. it is so difficult. some days i dont get study, food, or excersice all in the same day. it sucks so bad. i was telling dad about it but it should be a fun challenge and help me become a better missionary. Read my Patriartical Blessing and you will know what i am talking about. i am sure i have alot to learn from him. that's what i think. good leadership training.
I love you so much. i am sorry that my card to you wont get there probably until the end of Next week. but i am sending one to you. I love you and hope that you enjoi it. i think you will. I hope that you had a fun time up in seattle with your sisiters. What all did you guys do? dad was saying you hav ebeen away from home more than you have been at home this summer. i say you deserve it because all of the service you have given to other people. YOu are the best mom. i sure love you alot. I wish paul would of bought tickets for you guys to come to tokyo instead of seattle. that would of been so much more fun. and you might of been able to see me haha. but i hope you had a good time and that all was wellI love you so much mom. I am grateful for everything that you do for me. you are such a great example to me. i really look up to everything you do. i cant wait to see you and the rest of the family again. only less than 600 days. i was thinking today. Hey its july. My family goies to MT. Graham in July. and then i was like Dang it. I love Mt. Graham so much. i miss it alot. it is by far my favorite place in the world. it is so beautiful. i cant wait to go back and enjoi it. its something i am looking forward to alot.
Anyways. i hope you like this email and enjoi your week. i am looking forward to a great and happy week. thats what i wnat it to be. i cant wait til next week when i get to read an email from you. but until then, God Be With You always!!!!
Love YOur Son,
Elder Kurt Van De Graaff
thanks for the card. you didnt delete any of the pics tho. no biggy. i deleted them. but for future prefence. i want the card clean of pics when i get it back. i will be sending you another card today with your birthday card. it wont get to you on your birthday cuz i had to wait for my other card but i think you will like it. Happy Birthday.
So, this week nothing really special happend. I went out and housed and streeted alot. i also went to the dentist 2. my perminate retainer broke last monday so i had to get it fixed asap. President Albrecht set up the appointment and paid for it too. what an awesome guy. the dentist was a days trip away from where i lived tho so. it took up 2 days. Other than that nothing really amazing happened. I did feel and earthquake on sunday though. it was a 7.1. it was the first time i have felt an earthquake here in Japan. That was pretty fun. it didnt shake the building. it just raddled the windows. i didnt think it was a big one. it didnt feel like a big one but it was. OH, last night i had Costco Pizza!!! I love their pizza. not only that but pizza here sucks. but costco makes their pizza the same way the american costco does. it was so freaking good. i loved it. i had to watch how much i ate though. i was at a members house and they have 7 kids. so i had to control myself. but i wanted to eat it all. It was Supreme Pizza my favorite kind of pizza. SO GOOD!!
the language seems to be coming along a lot better than it did in my first area. i dont know why either. since my comp is a ZL i dont have time to study the language at all. but i ask tons of questions about what he says and what meanings are and things like that. I think i ask more questions than in my 1 area. Also i think the lord is blesssing me cuz he knows the intent of my heart. that always help. so i have good intentions all the time. haha. I dont like having a ZL comp. it is so difficult. some days i dont get study, food, or excersice all in the same day. it sucks so bad. i was telling dad about it but it should be a fun challenge and help me become a better missionary. Read my Patriartical Blessing and you will know what i am talking about. i am sure i have alot to learn from him. that's what i think. good leadership training.
I love you so much. i am sorry that my card to you wont get there probably until the end of Next week. but i am sending one to you. I love you and hope that you enjoi it. i think you will. I hope that you had a fun time up in seattle with your sisiters. What all did you guys do? dad was saying you hav ebeen away from home more than you have been at home this summer. i say you deserve it because all of the service you have given to other people. YOu are the best mom. i sure love you alot. I wish paul would of bought tickets for you guys to come to tokyo instead of seattle. that would of been so much more fun. and you might of been able to see me haha. but i hope you had a good time and that all was wellI love you so much mom. I am grateful for everything that you do for me. you are such a great example to me. i really look up to everything you do. i cant wait to see you and the rest of the family again. only less than 600 days. i was thinking today. Hey its july. My family goies to MT. Graham in July. and then i was like Dang it. I love Mt. Graham so much. i miss it alot. it is by far my favorite place in the world. it is so beautiful. i cant wait to go back and enjoi it. its something i am looking forward to alot.
Anyways. i hope you like this email and enjoi your week. i am looking forward to a great and happy week. thats what i wnat it to be. i cant wait til next week when i get to read an email from you. but until then, God Be With You always!!!!
Love YOur Son,
Elder Kurt Van De Graaff
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July
Man i am sure glad that i have the chance to read your and everyones email. i love reading emails. im sure glad to hear that you and the everyone else is doing good. It sounds like you are going to have a super fun vacation for this week. Looks like all the effort for all the moves you have done is starting to pay off. It sounds like you are going to have so much fun. You should ask boo what some good places in seattle are. i bet he is jealous.
My week has been a really hectic and stressful but good week. On tuesday, we were riding our bikes and my pedal fell off. Aparently it was put together bad and one of teh screws just grinded down to nothing. so that wasnt fun. but i quess it was a good thing. Right when i was fixing my bike and fiquiring out what i was going to do, there was a car accident. I was able to help teh poeple out until the cops came. so i quess it was a blesssing that my bike broke so i could be there. it was the first car accident that i ever have witnessed. Everyone was ok just in alot of shock. I thne had to walk about a mile to get home. ON Wednesday i had to walk 3.5 hours to the biek shop where i bought my bike. it was miserable. it was REALLY HOTTT!!! But i got a good tan out of it haha. so that took up most of my day. it was 1.5 hour bike ride back. At english class, my students told me that AZ had been on the news because of the fires. i hope everything is going ok. but it has made news here in Japan. I continue to pray for the rains. I told my class that i might be transfered and some of them got teary eyed. they loved me. i loved them. it was a really fun class. On thursday i had to returnt to get my bike. so another 3 hours down the drain. we taught sugiyama about faith and setting goals. he didnt seem like he had anything to say but thats how he always is. Also on thursday afternoon therer was thunder. it was so cool. i love it so much. it really made my day to hear thunder. Later thursday night i went on splits with the Zone Leader. Friday is where everything went down the drain. Goin on splits with the ZL was the WORST IDEA EVER!!!!! all we did was street from 10 am to 4 pm. i dont mind streeting but not his way. he had a really annoying voice. but then people would tell him no and he would continue to bug them about it. they said no, but he continued, but they said no. this happend until the people were running away from him after saying no 8 or 9 times. I really was bothered about it and i didnt want to be seen with him. Like, we have the name of Jesus Christ on our shirts. they notice that and Jesus Christ has a bad name in Japan already and if we are bugging them to the point where they are running away, that just says more about the name. we should be helping people see that Jesus is a good person. Strenghtening their Faith. NOt weakening it. But it really got to my nerves and he asked me about it. i told him i hated missionary work and that it was not fun. he then called president and i told president the same thing. honestly, i dont liek missionary work. its not natural for me to talk about the gospel with other people. i dont like it. i never did it in high school either. or at least the way missionaries are taught to do it. anyways, president then had me call the mission phycoligist. so i talk with him now and he tells me i have a fear of talking with people but i dont. so it really was jsut a bad day and ya tahts all. the good part was, this weekened was transfers. I have been transfered. I am now in a area called Narita. It is AWESOME!!! it reminds me alot of gilbert. it is a suburb of a city called Chiba. it has open fields and normal houses. and the coolest thing about it is i get to see the sun set. i never saw teh sunset in shibuya because of all the buildings. but here in Narita i get to and it is so cool. i love it. there are feilds, farms, crops, forests, and its just really pretty. It looks like i am actually in an exotic place but at the same time at home. i hope i get to stay here for a while. My new companon is Elder Maccabe. He is on his 11 transfer and he is the Zone Leader. so haha funny. but i am out of that old ZL area so i am ok. Elder Maccabe is really cool. he was on the BYUs marching bad for drums, he loves disney, and he loves staying busy. we live in a two man apartment. it is nice and it fits us well. im super excited to be here.
My langauge, in my opionin, is not the best. i have a hard time knowing what to study. the only thing that seems to be effective is reading out of the book of mormon. but that only goes so far. i need to learn grammar and words. everytime i try to study that kind of stuff i have a really hard time focusing. so please pray.
i love you so much. i hope you made the best of your 4 of July. i had a corndog and did some fireworks. i love you and will continue to pray for your safety and everything. i cant wait till next week to read your email. until then, God be with you always!!!!
Love your son,
Kurtiepie
My week has been a really hectic and stressful but good week. On tuesday, we were riding our bikes and my pedal fell off. Aparently it was put together bad and one of teh screws just grinded down to nothing. so that wasnt fun. but i quess it was a good thing. Right when i was fixing my bike and fiquiring out what i was going to do, there was a car accident. I was able to help teh poeple out until the cops came. so i quess it was a blesssing that my bike broke so i could be there. it was the first car accident that i ever have witnessed. Everyone was ok just in alot of shock. I thne had to walk about a mile to get home. ON Wednesday i had to walk 3.5 hours to the biek shop where i bought my bike. it was miserable. it was REALLY HOTTT!!! But i got a good tan out of it haha. so that took up most of my day. it was 1.5 hour bike ride back. At english class, my students told me that AZ had been on the news because of the fires. i hope everything is going ok. but it has made news here in Japan. I continue to pray for the rains. I told my class that i might be transfered and some of them got teary eyed. they loved me. i loved them. it was a really fun class. On thursday i had to returnt to get my bike. so another 3 hours down the drain. we taught sugiyama about faith and setting goals. he didnt seem like he had anything to say but thats how he always is. Also on thursday afternoon therer was thunder. it was so cool. i love it so much. it really made my day to hear thunder. Later thursday night i went on splits with the Zone Leader. Friday is where everything went down the drain. Goin on splits with the ZL was the WORST IDEA EVER!!!!! all we did was street from 10 am to 4 pm. i dont mind streeting but not his way. he had a really annoying voice. but then people would tell him no and he would continue to bug them about it. they said no, but he continued, but they said no. this happend until the people were running away from him after saying no 8 or 9 times. I really was bothered about it and i didnt want to be seen with him. Like, we have the name of Jesus Christ on our shirts. they notice that and Jesus Christ has a bad name in Japan already and if we are bugging them to the point where they are running away, that just says more about the name. we should be helping people see that Jesus is a good person. Strenghtening their Faith. NOt weakening it. But it really got to my nerves and he asked me about it. i told him i hated missionary work and that it was not fun. he then called president and i told president the same thing. honestly, i dont liek missionary work. its not natural for me to talk about the gospel with other people. i dont like it. i never did it in high school either. or at least the way missionaries are taught to do it. anyways, president then had me call the mission phycoligist. so i talk with him now and he tells me i have a fear of talking with people but i dont. so it really was jsut a bad day and ya tahts all. the good part was, this weekened was transfers. I have been transfered. I am now in a area called Narita. It is AWESOME!!! it reminds me alot of gilbert. it is a suburb of a city called Chiba. it has open fields and normal houses. and the coolest thing about it is i get to see the sun set. i never saw teh sunset in shibuya because of all the buildings. but here in Narita i get to and it is so cool. i love it. there are feilds, farms, crops, forests, and its just really pretty. It looks like i am actually in an exotic place but at the same time at home. i hope i get to stay here for a while. My new companon is Elder Maccabe. He is on his 11 transfer and he is the Zone Leader. so haha funny. but i am out of that old ZL area so i am ok. Elder Maccabe is really cool. he was on the BYUs marching bad for drums, he loves disney, and he loves staying busy. we live in a two man apartment. it is nice and it fits us well. im super excited to be here.
My langauge, in my opionin, is not the best. i have a hard time knowing what to study. the only thing that seems to be effective is reading out of the book of mormon. but that only goes so far. i need to learn grammar and words. everytime i try to study that kind of stuff i have a really hard time focusing. so please pray.
i love you so much. i hope you made the best of your 4 of July. i had a corndog and did some fireworks. i love you and will continue to pray for your safety and everything. i cant wait till next week to read your email. until then, God be with you always!!!!
Love your son,
Kurtiepie
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