"It's Christmas!" (11 Days!)

I received the package from you, family, on Thursday! Music to my ears, and decadent treats for my partaking! (Well, I GUESS I will share a little with Elder Bronner ;). Elder Bronner was very thrilled by seeing "Companion" on some of the presents, and said that he loves you forever!

This last week threw us a few downs, but a whole lot of really good ups! Zone Conference was amazing, and once again, answered the questions that I have been pondering, and what I need to be doing to help things in Kurashiki progress.

One of our Philipino investigators appears to be REALLY close. She has been to church four times now, and has shared some amazing experiences with us; things that look like they are bringing her very close!

I've been feeling more opposition as of late, but probably because we've been working out some more bumps in the companionship and are more unified, and also because our investigators are doing so well. Please pray for them, including:　Rosalie, Aiko, Shinichi, Tomoko, Makoto, Hidenori, Hideatsu, and Jacianna.

Oh I love the Christmas CD, and those Billington Family Chocolates are as divine as always! I'm saving most of the packages, especially the labeled ones, for Christmas, but we've been opening an unlabeled snack-like present every few days. Thank you so much!

We've only got around 26 days or so till the transfer ends, and we're in the midst of a mission Goal for 15 Baptisms for the Month of December. Please pray for us to be able to accomplish this. I know, it's not about the number, or baptizing someone to boast about it. This is a real serious cause, helping people come unto Christ, and changing their lives. I think Rosalie is the closest among those we are meeting with. Please keep her in your prayers.

I am SO Happy! We got to watch the First Presidency Christmas Fireside last night! I feel the Spirit of the Season! I LOVE Christmas! And don't worry, I'm still not trunky. I change the words on that CD to "I'll be home NEXT Christmas!"

I love and appreciate all of you oh so much! I feel good! I feel wonderful, and loved, and cared for! THANK YOU!

Till next week! (11 Days!!! :)
Love,
Paul

The Flu Strikes Again...

Yes, Elder Bronner got the flu. . . No, I haven't caught it (or at least if I did catch it, I've been drinking enough water to fill Deer Creek. . . maybe even twice over!). But it turns out that he probably did have the Swine Flu.  Sixteen church members from the Halloween party we were at a few weeks ago caught the swine flu. Elder Bronner contracted it at the same time, and even though the doctors didn't confirm whether it was the new type or not for Elder Bronner, we think it was. Maybe it's what I got back in Izumo with Elder Kajiuchi. . .

We were in the Apartment A LOT last week. Yes, I did get some good study done. And hey, Lacey and Mom would be proud of my desk, I got it all cleaned and organized (I promise I will be better about keeping my room clean when I get back!)

There isn't too much to report on this week due to sick time, BUT. . . If we hadn't been grounded for a few days, we could have had 50 hours of working time, and over 10 lessons. We had to cancel seven appointments. Yes, it can be nice to take a break once in a while, but being quarantined stinks. A member of the bishopric even stopped by (the Bishop and his family caught the flu too) to give us food (I LOVE this ward), and ask/tell us not to come to church. I guess numbers were pretty small this week, but one of our Brazilian investigators came with his Recent Convert mother!

Elder Bronner and I are very greatful for the food items and recipes you have sent so far. Thank you very much! I love and apreciate you SO much!

Well, in spite of the whole flu epidemic, I am doing quite well. I continue to learn a lot, especially through interacting with Elder Bronner. He's been helping me to realize that I can lighten up a bit, and not over-worry.

Love you!
Elder Peterson

Where Did The Week Go?

Kurashiki is WONDERFUL! Life in the city is great. However, on Wednesday, we went to Fukuyama city (in Hiroshima Prefecture) for District Meeting, then I stayed there for an exchange with Elder Packer from Layton, UT (he went to the same high school as Chris Escalante and knows his family, cool). Fukuyama was even bigger than Kurashiki, the city kept going. . .
Oh, I forgot to mention how fabulous the apartment is in Kurashiki. It's got two floors, a sofa . . . AND a massage chair! Wonderful! I've got so much space here compared to my last apartment!

Our investigators are doing pretty well. We met with our Brazilian investigators on Friday night. Bishop Yamada and his wife (Sis. Yamada happens to be Brazilian and fluent in English, Japanese, and Portuguese!) taught our recent convert while Elder Daimler and I ganbaru'd with Sis. Oliveira's friend and son (the son translated for us, BUT I got to recite the first vision in Portuguese, memorized it in Izumo!)

I get to meet our Chinese investigator tonight. He lives a few hours north, but he's coming into town to have dinner with us, and then attend a family's sports activity. This should be good. We're still trying to figure out if he's a member or not. I guess he remembers being baptized a while ago, and loves the church, reading the Book of Mormon, and keeps the commandments... but they can't find his record. We'll see.

Yesterday was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Stake conference. We took a two hour drive up north to Nimi for Stake Conference. It was at a performance hall. I got to be reunited with former companions (Elder Kajiuchi and Elder Atkin), and former ward members (the YSA from Izumo Branch). I got to see Umetani San and her daughter Haruna briefly, they had to leave quickly after, but wow, Umetani san was BEAMING! The Baptism will be on the 20th of September! I'm so excited for her. I finally have her address, so I can write to them! Kajiuchi choro let me know that Seki San (the protestant friend of our Brazillian member in Izumo) has started taking the lessons! I feel so blessed! He gave me a letter from my friend Lisa, where she talked a bit about the adversary trying to deceive us into thinking we're not working hard enough. The things that are happening in Izumo now made me feel that I really did do my part. It's all about the Lord's timeline, and I feel absolutely blessed!

I didn't understand everything that was said, but I loved being surrounded by so many of these wonderful people! I love Japan, I love the people! I want to get better at Japanese so that I can better communicate with them, and reach the hearts of more of these precious sons and daughters of God!　Life is great. Yes, there are still ups and downs, but we're overcoming the downs as they come.

Zone Conference is on Wednesday, and I'm excited! Every time I go with deep questions I need answered, and so far, they have been answered. This time, we'll see what happens!

Well, I love you all! I'm enjoying my stay here, and I'll try to get you some pictures soon. Ooh, I could use a little bottle of maple flavoring and that maple syrup recipe. I can get peanut butter here through the mission home, so you don't have to send any more of that. Thank you so much, you are so amazing! I really appreciate all your continued love and gifts and tastes of home. We made some bbq chicken sandwiches the other night. SO GOOD!

Praying for you, and loving you,
Elder Peterson

Transfer 4 Comes to a Close

Halleluja! I have a giant bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauce ALL to myself. . . But I'll probably share with my companion ;) Elder Kajiuchi had his first pack of pop-tarts. Oh they are so delicious! Hey, can you send me some good recipe ideas for the cream of mushroom and chicken soups that don't require chicken? We can buy chicken, but it's kind of a hastle to deal with. . .

Oh, random side thought: I went to Yonago on Monday night. Elder Bronner had this book "Where's Mom Now that I Need Her" It's like the ultimate cook book with laundry tips, maintenance help and more! Pretty funny.

Yonago! Excellent! We had a lesson with this man named Kondo San, who had been taught by Sister Mortensen (from my MTC district) when the area was run by Sisters. I met him back in Transfer 2 at Yonago's English class on the day of a Zone Meeting, and there was a noticable difference. Since that time, he started reading the Book of Mormon, and I got to see once again the power this book can have in someone's life. Like Umetani san! These two people are my first in-field example of the Book of Mormon's power. The light and joy it brings. . .

During the exchange, we went to visit Elder Nakatsuka of the Seventy. He came to Izumo a few weeks back. What a spiritual powerhouse. . . That visit boosted me, and strengthened my resolve to overcome my fears and talk to more people. And I have been! Yeah, I'm still passing a few people by, but we're trying!

We went to Unnan City, Kakeya town again. . . But this time, we took a route through the mountains. Yes, it was shorter, and took about half the time. . . But WOW it was in all reality uphill BOTH ways. I didn't think I would be able to make it up the mountain on the way back. Sure enough, upon starting up my strength was about to crash. But I felt a very literal flow of the atonement's power. It was similar to my hardest moments at Boot Camp. When my strength is exhausted, and I can't do any more, with faith, Christ helps me and gives me strength. This was a physical example, but that just goes to show that the Atonement is eternal and all-encompassing - Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Physical. . . all difficulties can be lessened and/or overcome. That was one of those lessons that I've needed to learn multiple times.

On the way back, we stopped to try and visit an investigator, but were greeted by a man from China! He was very friendly, and started talking to US. He asked why we were in Japan, which led to a very good conversation about Christianity and the church. He said a couple of times that he was thinking he might like to become Christian, and told us that we had given him a very good impression of Christians. Man. . . If I transfer this week. . . too bad!

We also met with our investigator from Bangaladesh. He's doing well, and the meeting was great. I called him to see if we could stop by to give him a Japanese Language book, and we ended up having a discussion about Jesus Christ. Wow, he was once again very kind, and at the end of our visit told us that he considered us close friends! He wants us to pray for him.

Things in Izumo are becoming quite wonderful. I've been trying not to think about transfers too much, but we'll see what happens.

Thank you SOOOOO much for that wonderful package, and mom, that letter was just what I needed. I haven't opened the Sauce yet, but eagerly await that long awaited barbeque taste!

Well, time is growing short. Know that I love you, and am thankful for your prayers. I love being here in the land of my dreams . . . I love these people, the food, the scenery, the weather (even though it's hot!)

Love you,
Elder Peterson

International Adventures

Well, adventures being in the form of lessons and/or meetings with our potential investigators from different countries. . . We met again with Armando from Brazil a couple of times this week (his wife Genesi had to leave back to Brazil a few weeks ago, I think I mentioned the farewell party). It's amazing, even though there is definitely a language barrier, we've built a really good relationship with him. Elder Kajiuchi is studying Portuguese every day, and thanks to Brother Junior and our friend Brother Oda from Matsue (a Japanese man who speaks Portuguese), we should be able to teach him again some time soon. Our meeting with him and Brother Oda a few weeks ago was really good. I think he's going through some pain (from being so far away from his wife among other things) that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can heal.

We had a lesson on Thursday with our Mongolian investigator (Gana-san). We taught her and her daughter about the Plan of Salvation... using a Doraemon teaching aid (Doraemon: a pretty popular cartoon character around these parts).

We've been waking up early a lot recently; my time spent in the Book of Mormon actually hadn't been very high, so I've started a program to wake up early, read the Book of Mormon for half an hour, then exercise and follow the schedule. I need that. I've been noticing different things than what I've learned in times past. Right now I'm in Alma 18, and learning a lot from Ammon's example. Ooh, and Friday on the train to Zone Meeting last week as I read the account of Alma and Amulek, I was able to visualize it vividly in a new way. It was almost like watching a movie in my mind, with the evil Nehor-esque judge persecuting and beating the two missionaries, "What say ye for yourselves!?" Picturing the children and wives of the faithful being martyred in the fire, while Alma and Amulek watched in pain. Zeezrom's heart becoming softened, he tries to plead for them, is cast out. I've read the Book of Mormon maybe 4 times, and I didn't notice this part at all. But now, things are sticking out.

I made what was supposed to be a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Marble cake this week (for Zone Meeting), but it would probably be better as a plain pb/choc. chip cake. But hey, I didn't follow a recipe and it actually turned out pretty yummy! Made brownies too. It's amazing, you can actually use the Hot Chocolate powder here as a substitution for regular cocoa. The Japanese people don't use nearly as much sugar as Americans do, so the Hot cocoa powder works great for baking! They turned out pretty good. I'll make them for you when I get back.

Oh boy. . . You have no idea how excited I am for the Barbeque Sauce. I have absolutely no idea who that "Sweet Baby Ray" character is, but I can't wait! Barbeque Pizza, here I come!

We're still meeting with Umetani-san frequently, and she comes to Church almost every weeks. She's been 9 times so far!!! She's still progressing, and wants to be baptized! We're still praying and fasting for her husband's permission. I think it might just be an issue of timing.

I'm starting to conquer my fear of talking with people! Lately, I've been stopping a fair number of people as we travel to and from our appointments by bicycle. I'm still a little nervous, but it's just a numbers game. The more people I stop, the more natural it will feel. The trick really is about focusing on them and what they need or are interested in!

Oh Sister Molnar sent me a CD from the Ward's Patriotic Program in July. Getting to hear Jay and Jordan speak was awesome. Oh, and the Sharon 3rd Ward Choir! Music to my ears!

Oh hey, mom, can you send me a recipe for that divine banana cake that you make every once in a while. It's the kind with the pretty decadent frosting. . . Our oven is pretty small here, so I might need the recipe halved or something, but I'm sure I can do the math!

Peculiar Profundities and More International Adventure!

This last week seemed to go pretty well. Umetani San continues to do well, but we're still waiting for permission from her husband. We're working with her to help her gain the strength and courage to ask again for his permission to be baptized.
We're meeting with a new person (I think I mentioned him a little bit ago), a man from Bangaladesh. He follows the Islamic faith, and we had quite a good conversation yesterday. Yes, our religious views are a bit different, but I was surprised by the similarities that we shared. I didn't know too much about Muslims and Islam before, and I'm looking forward to maybe learning a little more. The meeting was great, he's a bit lonely, after being gone from his (wait a minute this sounds like me. . .) family for seven months. He had no problems with listening to our message, and didn't feel like we were trying to force it on him. And that's right, we're not trying to force this message. We're seeking those who will listen, and giving them the chance to choose for themselves whether it's true or not. We might have a bit of difficulty meeting with him though, because Ramadan starts tomorrow (the 18th of August) and goes until the 20th of September, where he'll be fasting until the sun has gone down every day. He said he'd probably be too weak to meet with us (and that was before we had started talking about religion), but he is very congenial, and I think we've made a pretty good friendship with him!

On Friday, we biked A LONG way, to Kakeya Cho (town?) in Unnan Shi (City). It was roughly 30 kilometers one way. . . I guess Kakeya cho isn't too far away from Izumo, but because of the mountains, you have to go ALLLLLL the way around. We went to try and track down a former, open-ended referral from the Area Book. We found his house, but he wasn't home.

On the way back, a had a little drop down on the back wheel of my bike from the ledge we were riding on (messing up the breaks. . .). I had to carry my bike a few hundred meters to a house where we asked for help. Maybe it was meant to be, because the Mother that helped us seemed very kind, and said "Itsuka asobi ni kite kudasai" (roughly please come back to have fun or something like that). She and her father (a grandpa) talked with us a bit, and she asked why we were in Japan, so we got to talk a little about Missionary stuff, but we'll have to see about inviting them to hear our message later.

Thankfully, one of the members in our branch lives in the same Town, and said that there's a considerable short cut that we can take through the mountains, so we won't have to travel so far. We'll see!

So they have Cheetos here in Japan. They're completely different from American Cheetos, but I came to a profundity last night . . . They're called Cheetos because the Mascot is a Cheetah!! I had no idea. . . Shows you how dull I can be at times.

Zone Meeting and President's Interviews are on Friday this week! I'm so excited!

Things are going well!

Elder Peterson

Banana Bread, Bicycles, Blunders, and More

Dear Family,

I love you, and love hearing about all the fun stuff that's going on. The 80th Stake Birthday Party sounds fun. I remember when our Stake had it's "Diamond Jubilee" (75th anniversary).

Mom, I'll look forward to that care package you're sending. . . I could use some pop-tarts ;) I bought a little pack that looked like pop-tarts, but wow, it was COMPLETELY different. Nothing whatsoever like a pop tart. . .

Well, this week was pretty cool. We did have a bit more down time as my companion needed to recoup a bit more from the crazy cold that attacked last week, but I think he's doing okay now. During that time, of course I was excited to try my hand at some new baking! Steamed Bread (a first for me, kind of like cupcakes), Banana Bread (another first, it actually turned out okay!), and a wretched Caramel apple upside-down cake in the frying pan. I burnt the caramel twice, and then the finished product cooked a little too long and was burnt as well.

Hey, onto better, and more important topics. Umetani San! Still amazing, still wonderful! We have lessons with her roughly twice a week, and see her on other occasions too. She accepted our challenge to read a page a day from the Book of Mormon, but is reading more! And to make things better, she's earnestly asking questions to help her understand more! We were able to meet with her and her husband for a bit yesterday, so hopefully we're getting a bit better of a relationship built with him. No new baptismal date yet, but it could potentially happen this month. I don't want to try to rush it though, so I might not be here - depending on if I transfer in September or not.

The bad news is that I'm once again riding a wretched grandma bike (mama chari), while I wait for my new wheel to arrive. Yay. . .

Random by-the-way announcement: August 6th marks one year since I graduated Basic Training (ROTC/National Guard)! Yay!

Saturday morning, we biked up to the Hei Sei Sports Park to participate in the last half of Branch Camp. We got to help host some games with the group (there were quite a few young, non-member friends there). I introduced the game, "Do You Love Your Neighbor". Wow, the scenery was SO cool. It made biking through the crazy rain so worth it.

Well, this week's Zone Conference, so we leave for Okayama tomorrow. I'm excited to see Atkin Choro again.

Thank you for your prayers, I've needed them a lot this week. I'm doing okay; but as usual, this week was rather topsy turvey with highs and lows.

Next week then,
Love,
Elder Peterson

Raining Ramen Noodles, for Real!

Holy COW! We got completely soaked yesterday, EVEN with our rain suits on. . . The rainy season really is intense here, and I think the rain is daitai onaji (about the same) with Irish Rain. . . Wow.

Well, Umetani San will still be baptised, but turns out that her husband wants her to wait a couple of months to see if she's serious about joining the church. He doesn't seem opposed to it though.

My relationship with Elder Kajiuchi seems to be doing alot better. We had some good, honest conversation this week, and I feel that we are on very good terms right now. And wow, he makes SUPERB ramen noodles. No, I don't mean the store-bought dry kind. I mean, REAL ramen noodles! He didn't make the actual noodles, but he got a package from his family a little while ago. SO gourmet, really, you have not eaten Ramen noodles until you have tried fresh Ramen from Japan! We ate at a Ramenyasan (ramen restaurant) a few weeks ago, and wow, it was delectable too. Sugoi!

We were finally able to meet with our Mongolian investigator (fluent in Japanese) this week. It seemed to go pretty well. I've been trying to participate more in lessons lately. I'm understanding a little more now adays, but it's still a bit tough to understand what's being said, and respond. I'm working on it!

On Saturday, we biked out to Lake Shinjiko. We've been spending a lot of time around central Izumo lately, and I wanted to try to find some good locations for naturally conversing with people. Wow, the ride was a lot longer than I expected. But it was a good trip. And we stopped every once in a while along the way to talk to people. We knocked on a couple of doors, talked with a 20-ish year old man. . . As we approached Hirata Town (close to the lake), we asked for directions from a woman tending a road-side graveyard. Wow, she's been to Kajiuchi choro's hometown, and she has some kind of connection to Utah. She recognized us as missionaries, thanked us for coming to this part of Japan, and wished us good luck. She had met missionaries before, that greeted her friendly. Cool. The lake was beautiful! I don't know how often we'll be going out there, probably not too often. . . But hey! It was a good day!

I made Pizza this week. I messed up on the dough some how (too much water?). I tried the 60min. roll dough recipe mom sent me. Wow, it was SO good, almost like Dad's! Just. . . a little different. But hey, Japan seems to get the "Pizza" sauce right. Too bad the bottle wasn't bigger. . . But hey, I tried some Roasted Sesame Seed Dressing as the sauce for part of the second pizza, and wow, that worked out too!

Thursday was awesome! Brother Junior (the unexpected Brazillian member that moved here last week) had us over for lunch, some DELICIOUS brazillian strogonoff. . . Mmm. . . And he shared with us some of his amazing guitar ability! Wow. I feel connected to some of the people here.

Church: Elder Nakatsuka from the quorum of the seventy and Brother Watanabe from the stake presidency (he came to Branch conference a while ago too, the one that lived in Utah and went to UVSC) came. I was asked to speak before them. . . I was a bit nervous. . . My topic was the Love of a Family or something like that (In Japanese: Kazoku no Ai). I tried to translate A Family is Forever, and sang it at the end of my talk. It was a good experience. Wow, Elder Nakatsuka was awesome, and I actually understood parts of his talk!

Sunday night, we had dinner with the Sato family. Pres. Swaisey built their house, it was American-style, and once again like stepping back into America. They have this cute little 3 year old daughter, Yuria-chan. What a beautiful family.

Well, I better go, but I love you, and who knows, maybe I'll be writing from a different location next week (transfers are on Thursday) Take care, Elder Peterson

New Comp; into 3rd transfer

Wow, my second transfer is officially over! I am no longer a "bean chan" (well, technically I'd say I still am, but according to the mission norm, I guess I'm not.)

Last week we had two lessons on the day before transfers after we received our call from Isa Kaicho. First we met with Gana San and Branch President Yamane at the Church. Gana San is our Potential Investigator from Mongolia. The lesson went really well and she really wants to come to church. She wasn't able to make it yesterday, but we're going to offer the help of some church members to provide rides for her and her children. We've spoken with her husband over the phone a little bit, and I detect absolutely no opposition from him. It appears that they're both from a Christian background. I'm excited to see where this goes.

UMETANI SAN! She came to Church with Haruna Chan! I wasn't sure if she was going to come because she had been trying to gain the courage to talk with her husband about this religious stuff. But, sure enough, she asked him and he easily said it was okay for her to come to church! Now we'll have to see about whether or not he'll give her permission to be baptized, but then again, maybe Mr. Umetani will be willing to start meeting with us as well.

Wednesday, after our second lesson (with Yoshioka san) Yamane Kaicho drove us by the Umetani residence for Atkin Choro to say goodbye. Haruna-chan was so sad. It was heartbreaking; Atkin Choro was a really good big-brother figure for her. Umetani san herself even shed a few tears while they waved as we drove away. It's hard, but they're doing okay now.

Kajiuchi Choro is awesome! He's a very patient, open, enthusiastic companion. He really wants to learn English and has been working hard on it thus far over the year he's been on the mission. Wow, he even PRAYS in English every once in a while. This is so cool!

I still think it's amazing that I have my second Japanese companion already, but that's okay. I want to learn a lot from him, not only missionarily, but with Japanese and cooking too! Sugoi!

Our lesson with Umetani san on Friday morning went really well. We had prepared to teach her about the law of tithing (complete with the giving-of-cookies-and-requesting-10%-back example [thank you peanut butter chocolate chip truffles!]) but, as missionary work usually goes, you make your plan and then something else happens. She wanted to hear some scriptures that could help her find courage. So we talked and shared scriptures. Little by little, I'm understanding more and more... Not quite there yet, but I think it's close! I hope!

We did a bit of Area Book Dendo; we have a LOT of former investigator records, and many without any reason for why the person was dropped. So, we're going to be working with it a lot... Oh, and after Kajiuchi choro tried to call one to no avail, the person called back, and we have an appointment with him this Saturday at the church! AMAZING!

Question: when a recipe calls for one packet of yeast, approximately how many tablespoons is that? It works a bit different here in Japan -- no packets, just big amounts.

Ooh, while waiting for Kajiuchi choro, I warmed up the oven again and made an Apple pie!! Atkin Choro's recipe was a bit Japanese-itized, sweet but not too sweet. But wow, following the recipe from the old Okayama Mission cookbook, it's like American apple pie! And I made it without help! Ooh, then I did peanut butter truffles again. . . ;)

By the way, next time I send home a memory card, you'll be able to see my video tour of the apartment, complete with a showcase of my Apple pie. . . Tee hee. . .

I will email you next week! I'm getting over a bit of a cold, but I'm doing great!

Crazy Things, Amazing Places

I thought I'd start this week's email with a little Elder-Peterson moment (a name for goofy / clumsy / Elder-Peterson-esque things that I happen to do, accidentally, etc.)

So I requested the biscuits recipe, etc, saying that the oven would only go up to 250 degrees. . . Tee hee. That is true, honestly it is. . . But, 4 minutes after inserting the pan of Peanut Butter Cookies, I smelled the burn. . . I rushed to try and rescue them, but alas many of the company had been wounded in battle with the fearce flames of cuisine. "What on earth could have possibly happened!?" I asked myself as I stammared in unbelief at the dreadful scene.

"Oh yeah. . . It's Japan. . . Not only do they use the metrics system here, but they go by Celsius, not Fahrenheight. . ."

So, with a wave of my magic wand (aka the cellular phone's conversion tool), I figured it out. Brilliant. . . I know, no no, hold the applause, please ;)

Oh, and concerning the biscuits, they almost flopped, dreadfully. First of all, we couldn't find actual shortening, so we went with "Fat Spread". Second, we couldn't figure out the Japanese name for "Buttermilk" and couldn't find it, so we went with "Yogurt Milk". Third, the yeast only came in one big pouch, not individual packets, so I poured about half of it in, and it might have been way too much.

Well, as much of a hassle as the process was, I finally got the beasties into the oven, and they turned out surprisingly well. Almost the same as Angel Biscuits. . . almost.

Yeah, the Swedish Meatballs almost flopped too. . . But, enough of the cooking scene, and on to the Dendo News.

Umetani San did not come to church this week. We had two lessons with her this last week, and a Cooking Activity at the church on Saturday where Atkin Choro taught how to make apple pie. It seems like she's still struggling with telling her husband about us, church, and everything. But, we got a call from her this morning. Atkin choro was talking with her for a while. We prayed with her, and she said a prayer too. She felt really bad about not coming to church, and was having a hard time. But the spirit was there, even though it was a phone call. Things are going to work out, I know they are. She has a testimony, and is just going through another trial of faith.

I probably mentioned this before, but Pres. Isa keeps talking about creating whirlpools. I keep realizing more and more what this means. We've had a member with us at just about every lesson we've had with Umetani San this transfer. The difference is AMAZING! Wow. . .

Transfers are this week. We find out on Wednesday whether one of us, both of us, or neither of us are transfering, and then the transfer will happen on Thursday. I don't really want to leave. I want to see other areas of the mission, to be able to see more and more of Japan, but I suppose that it's a slightly selfish desire.

Miracles keep happening here, like our Potential Investigator from Mongolia who speaks perfect Japanese, and has a Christian background, wants to come to church, and has an appointment with us at the church building on Wednesday this week! I want to see the results of the seeds that have been planted. If I am blessed with the opportunity of staying in Izumo for another transfer, I think I'm going to see a baptism, and hopefully, help a few others onto the road to Baptism as well.

As far as my companion relationship goes, things are pretty well. I keep learning the importance of just loving him and working together in unity with him.

On Sunday, we got to drive with the Branch President and another Member (Sister Hori) to visit some less active members. We drove by the sea! So beautiful! Hopefully, some of the people we visited will be able to come to activities, and even better to church. The area is kind of spread out though, it takes a while to get to the building from some of the houses we visited, but we'll see. What a good time.

Oh, and we got to go with some of Atkin Choro's Former investigators to the Hinomisaki Lighthouse [to learn more about that click here, here, and/or here] on Thursday. Wow, that drive was AMAZING! Classic Japanese rolling mountainside, with the sea right next to you, with little clusters of houses and large shinto shrines nestled right down in the midst of brilliant greenery... It's amazing here!

MTC #7: Teaching with the Spirit

Well, there's no verdict yet about Elder D. We found out some time last week that Elder de Menezes will have to wait for a consultation with the surgeon on March 5th (11 days before our scheduled departure date). It looks like the surgery to reconnect the severed nerve is quite expensive - VERY expensive. The only way Elder de Menezes will get to have the surgery performed is if the surgeon will offer a discount - something that has happened in the past. Please pray extra hard for this whole situation. As I thought about it a few weeks ago, I got a good feeling about Elder de Menezes serving in Utah for a few months before Japan, but who knows. . . Only the Lord.

Wow, last night was amazing. We practiced teaching Lesson 2 in Japanese with another district. We were all really worried, because our district didn't have all of our outlines finished yet, and hadn't gone over all of the topics in Japanese yet. Oh, and we had just barely learned about the Atonement in Japanese. Yeah, it was a little frightening. Anyway, Elder D and I started teaching Elders Allen and Dadivas. At first, I had my outline notebook out, flipping through it to try and find ideas. I got the feeling to just close it and not worry about it. So I did. I started focusing more on what Elder de Menezes was saying, I started praying harder for him. It was taking us quite a bit of time to explain some of the doctrine, and then Bro. Durney popped his head through the door saying that we had three minutes left.

At that point, I moved into teaching about the atonement, or testifying about it, or both. . . I can't remember exactly what I said, I just remember how it felt. Yeah, Elder De Menezes and I have taught with the spirit before, but never quite like it was last night. I can't really describe what it felt like, just that it was so amazing. I wasn't saying anything profound, they were little, simple statements - but they came from my heart. Wow. . . I hope and pray that we will be able to have that spirit every time we teach.

Hey, can you remember Elder Rea (Ray) and Elder Childs in your prayers. Last night after we got done teaching, Elder Rea wasn't doing too well, he was really frustrated. I was talking a bit with Elder Childs after and he's having some hard times with patience and loving. Please think about them. I think sometimes we get caught up in not knowing what exactly to say, or how to say it in Japanese. But that's not what matters. As Elder Allen said last night, "The investigators won't remember what you said, they'll remember how they felt."

Thank you for the packages and goodies. I'm going to make a confession. . . At first, I tried to give up sweets. It lasted for a few weeks, but then people kept sending me cookies and goodies and sweets. There is NOTHING wrong with that, however, as I have decided to give up my anti-sweet crusade. I figure that when I get to Japan, goodies won't be as readily available, and the food will usually come in really small proportions. I'm sure I'll be able to stay healthy. Although I do have a request. . . Maybe sometime, like at my half-way mark in Japan, you could look up this service Bro. Jacobson told us about. I think it's called Flying Pig (search for it), it's a service that will send actual Costco Food to Missionaries in Japan (yes, they have Costco in Japan). It might be a little pricey, so if so, don't worry about it. But wow, it'd be nice to get something like a nice Costco Apple Pie, chicken bakes, or tortillas - items they don't normally have in Japan, but which do exist at Costco. Again, if it's too pricey, don't worry about it :)

Hey! I just remembered some tender mercies I'd like to share.

Last week, as we were walking up to the temple early morning, we passed some ROTC cadets from BYU. I didn't know any of them, but I called out "ROTC, Hooah!" They responded with "Missionaries, Hooah!" That was pretty cool. THen, on my way back from the temple, I ran into Chris Dunning from my math class, the one we ran into at the Distribution Center that day. Okay, and this morning, my alarm didn't wake me up! But, someone pounded on our door when I needed to wake up. It woke me up, they pounded again. "Oh, sorry, wrong floor". They had unintentionally gone to the wrong room, but it was awesome! We wouldn't have made it to the temple on time if they hadn't made that mistake.

I want you to know how much I love you, and how much I love this Gospel. My testimony of the atonement has grown quite a bit since I've been here. Sometimes, I think the adversary wants me to forget, and those are the times when I get a little down. But then I just get back on my feet and head on upward, remembering that this isn't about me. I know I've got to focus. There is a lot I still have to work on and learn here, so I will.