02 April 2012

Thanks so much for the pictures and the email. I have not looked at them yet but i am way excited. Thank you so much. THe new pup looks way cute and i can understand why you wanted her. Too bad she waont be a new pup when i come home. Jared WHipple has been sending me emails too. I am so grateful that he has gotten in contact with me. This week he asked when i was coming hom because he has really missed me. He said the day i come home he is coming to AZ to see me. Haha. I am grateful that he finally got in contact with me. I dont know how Michael Rider is doing. He doesnt answer my phone calls or emials. But i send them every 6 weeks. I hope he is doing good.

So you sound like you had a very full week. In the new families in the ward are there any cute girls??? haha. you can hve them start writeing me. haha. I bet bug is on that right. I read what you said aobout dad in the Newsletter. Since i had fast sunday yetserday i fasted for him. It really scared me. That has been one of my biggest fears while on my mission, someone getting sick or having life threatening problems. I know dad can do it. It really isnt hard to exercise for 1 hour or 30 minutes a day. I wish i was at home to help him out but i am where i am supposed to be and ji am going to trust in the lord on this one. it sucks that you all got sick. haha. I am as healthy as ever. I have to be healthy, i mean i run for 25 minutes everyday. i dont think i can get sick. I am way excited for conference too. I love having conference as a missionary. It is like a party being with the other missionaries. I am way excited. I need to start praying and asking for something special and something i can take from this conference. I really wnat to be able to take something out of it.

My week was pretty much the same as last week. We had lots of finding time and really didnt find anyone to teach. It really sucks. That is two weeks in a row where i have not found 1 investigator from my own finding. It is so hard. I was telling dad that it is really hard. I love my mission dont get me wrong. I love being here in Japan. There are days where the thought of going home back to Az are really scaring and it almost makes me cry. I have put so much time and effort in learning this language for this people that i dont wnat to go back. The life here has become my life nad it is super scary to think about leaving. I can speak a little bit of japanese and that makes me super happy. I know that i can only learn more. That makes me super happy too. I dont want ot go back and then forget waht i have spent so much time on to learn. It is super hard to say. But, thn i have days where i just want to call it quits because it is so hard. I go out almost everyday and try to talk with people. I have a great message to share with people but no one ever wants to listen. Once i say the word "church" they are gone. It is super hard. They have such a bad thought about Jesus Christ. They dont wnat to learn either. Elder Chen always says he wants to love his mission more. I dont blame him, how can you love a mission when people dont wnat to talk with you that you hold so dear? He didnt have the same problem i had when i was a younger missionary. My problem was homesickness and not being able to speak japanese. He is already fluent in the language so he doesnt worry about that. I really just want to find somebody on the street with him to show athat htere are people here in this country that have interest in Jesus Christ. I know it is possible. I have done it before. But i know that it is up to the Lord. We just have to be patient and Faithful through this trial and then the blessings will come. I just hope that it is sooner than later. I am gettign way tired and somedays i dont want to do it. It is hard having the smallest area in teh mission. Really hard. But it has its ups too.

Your email really made me laugh. Are you voluntaring me to sing in the ward choir? haha. my singing days are over. Its all about hte human body once i get home and maybe japanese. I started reading hte book of mormon in Japanse for my personal stdy. It is going to be way hard. I read for 30 ,min and only read 15 verses. The japanese book of mormon is so hard. But i really want to understnad it. So i am going to endure and do it. Yesterday was pretty interesting too. We had Testimony meeting right, well there is an american family in our ward and their dad is the translator for anyone who comes to the service. ( we are in a highly populated area of tourists) Well the youngest is a red head and he thinks it is funny to call himself Elder Van De Graaff and take my glasses and my tag. Well yesterday he got up to bear his testimony and asked me to translate for him. I was way scared. Lets just sya that the Japanese ward members didnt get a perfect translation. I think i learned like 6 new words in 30 seconds. The boy made it difficult on purpose or maybe it was just another american boy testimony. Anyways, it was way hard but super funny. I thought i did a pretty good job. THen i bore my testimony. Afteer i sat down everyone around me startd giving me pats on the back and i was red. Then i looked up and the american girl was up at the pulpet just loooking at me with a look like "arent you goin to come up here and translate for me?" look. Once again, i dont think the Japanese members got a perfect translation and it was even harder than the first. I think they did it on purpose. I think they look up to me as an older brother and like me. It was pretty fun and difficult.

Oh one of my friends is in the Kawamitsu's ward in Machida. I saw him on Friday because we had a 5 Zone Conference and i was talking to him aobut the Kawamitsu's. Well he has been there for 3 transfers and is going to be transfered. That means somebody is going to be going in. I hope it is me. haha. I gave him my business card for them. Hopefully he is there when they get back. If they get that card, it has all my info on it. It would be suepr good.

Well not much else to report. I could really uise the prayers on the Language. It is super hard and i dont want to start stressing aobut it. It is super hard too because my comp is alread fluent and brand new and i have been here for 10 months and still struggle alot. I really hope that one day i can jsut say stuff like i do in englsih. We shall see. I dont think there is anything else to write. I saw a man walking a cat for the first time in my life. that was pretty weird. The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom. It is going to be way pretty like next week. I will make sure to take lots of pictures. I love you mom. I hope and prya for your safety. Mothers day is only 1 month away. I am so excited. Cant wait. Hope you have a great week. Ill talk to you next week. Stay classy. . .

Love ya. . .