Tuesday, June 16, 2015

A man named Spice, a Surprise Birthday Party for the Sisters, and a Few Fantastic Lessons

> Hello everyone!
>
> I hope you are all beating the heat back home!
>
> 月曜日
> We went for a run! Then we went to the church so my companion could
> work on his essays and I could study. However my companion needed help
> with his essays, which turned into the next three hours working on
> translating the essay from southern English/Japanese to English. Trust
> me, it was not easy! We then came home, and I found that the post
> office tried to deliver a package as was unsuccessful. We then went
> and had soba for lunch and walked around looking at suits for a little
> before our lesson. We got back to the church in the knick of time. We
> met Nori-San who nudists on speaking only English to us. We gave her a
> church tour and she only spoke in English, so the new sister
> missionary who is Japanese couldn't understand. We tried to give her
> to the sisters so the sisters could teach, but she insisted on meeting
> with us, and church policy states that we need another man if we are
> to teach a woman. So we began frantically calling the ward looking for
> someone while the sisters went to a room and began talking. Then they
> continued talking, and started a lesson! The lesson ended up being an
> hour and a half. So the member that came to be with us didn't need to
> be there! We felt really bad, but the other elders were there to get
> haircuts by a member so he stayed and got a haircut. We left after the
> lesson and went to Costco! We grabbed our big backpacks and got
> moving! At Costco we bought a lot more food. We bought a cake for
> sister Suzuki who have birthdays soon, as well as other American
> candies and things. We will for sure have enough food to last us the
> transfer. We also got American pizza there. We then went to the
> church, dropped it off and went to Diaso to buy party supplies, we
> decided to throw a surprise party for the sisters! When we got on the
> train we met a guy from Michigan named Spice, he was one of the
> friendliest foreigners I have ever met. We then went to another store
> to look at suits, but in order to get to our emailing we had to run
> back to the church. We then emailed, then went home and planned!
>
> 火曜日
> We went to the church early for a lesson with our friend Adam, but he
> forgot. After our studies we cleaned, then Elder Eaton convinced us
> that he should cook again. Cooking is not throwing random spices into
> food. He put so much spice in the curry it was burning our eyes from
> the spice, so we opened the windows, pinched our noses and ate. My
> companion and I went to the church to do some contacting, my companion
> got hit with the spice mess and was "busy" for the next half an hour.
> When he was finished he came out and exclaimed, "Elder Eaton will not
> cook again!" With that we left for Hachioji minamino (south field). We
> met a man near the police box just standing there. So we walked up and
> asked him how he was doing. He was bird watching, so we talked about
> birds. He was really funny about describing the birds. I didn't know
> at first that a swallow was a bird so when he kept telling me to
> swallow I thought he was asking me to do the action. I am sure that
> was an interesting sight to see. We tried to give him a Book of Mormon
> but he was t interested. We then spoke to a few families and made our
> way to a members house. The member wasn't home, however his father
> was. So we talked to him. He kept telling us he didn't speak any
> English, however our whole conversation was in Japanese. It was really
> funny. I like old Japanese men, they come in so many different
> flavors. We then went to another members house who we thought were
> less active. We went there and met the wife who was waiting for her
> kids to come home from school. She was really nice we shared the
> family proclamation to the world with her. Then she started speaking
> about her mission. Which was really really confusing since I thought
> she was less active. After the visit I turned to my companion and
> asked if she was. He said no, her husband is in the elders quorum or
> something. We then went to the post office so I could pick up my
> package! It worked! We figured out how the postal system works thank
> goodness. Then to the church. My companion made a scripture case for
> one of our investigators. Then we taught a lesson to Tomo. It was a
> really weird lesson. Our Japanese was awful and we had no idea why. It
> was really confusing. So we ended the lesson. We then had another
> lesson with a different recent convert. Our Japanese was perfect. It
> was night and day! We talked about it later and couldn't figure out
> why it had happened. The spirit wanted something different for each of
> them. We then came home and planned.
>
> 水曜日
> We awoke and began our day. We studied then went to the church and did
> some contacting. We were able to get a hold of a few people then went
> to Daiso for the party for the sisters we bought the supplies we
> needed then went back to the church for a lesson with a member. The
> missionaries have been meeting with him for almost 10 years every
> week. We read the scriptures together in Japanese as best we could, he
> was really kind toward us. After we went to the third floor for Kodomo
> ekaiwa or kids English class! It was so much fun! We sang and danced
> and played games. One of the little girls was really intrigued by my
> eyelashes and hair being different colors. She was really funny. We
> then went out for dinner at Indo curry it was delicious as normal.
> Then we went to the church to start decorating for the party. We ran
> out of supplies so we jumped on the bikes to pick up more supplies.
> Then we worked busily stringing balloons and getting the cake out and
> putting the candles in. All the while everyone else taught the normal
> English class. We then realized neither of us had a lighter. So we had
> to run to the combini and back then into our class because we joint
> teach with the sisters. So we sent them downstairs or had one of the
> missionaries fake needing a drink. Then we passed out party hats, and
> poppers. After shuffling everyone in the room my companion lit the
> candles and I went with elder Gaily to get the sisters. We surprised
> them so good! They had no idea! Two of the sisters birthdays are
> within about a week of each other. The students loved the cake! Some
> of them said they had never seen a cake that large before! They ate
> the whole thing too. Sister Suzuki cried, it's her first transfer and
> we don't think anyone has ever thrown her a surprise party before.
> Sister Wilson was ecstatic and took pictures with everyone. So over
> all it was awesome! It was a great way to end our night, and a fun
> opportunity to serve others.
>
> 木曜日
> We got up and went for a great run! Then went to zone conference! It
> was a really really good conference. It was a much needed spiritual
> recharge. There were some great trainings given. After the meeting
> sister Wada went around talking to all the missionaries. She asked how
> my baking was going. Well this apartment doesn't have an oven I told
> her. She then responded, "well that is a problem isn't it. How are you
> supposed to bless others with your baking?" She then said they have
> one at the honbu and will send it over to our apartment! We then went
> out for dinner to Go Go Gorrilla! It was delicious, thankfully this
> time I didn't get as much. We then walked back to the church. On our
> way there we stopped a college student and talked with him for a
> while. Then he we asked if he would come to the church with us! He
> said yes! So we took him to the church and had a wonderful lesson with
> him. We hope to see him again soon. We then went housing, we didn't
> find anyone remarkable, but they were all kind toward us. It was an
> overall refreshing day.
>
> 金曜日
> After studies we made nachos and had weekly planning. It lasted quite
> a long time. During it we got a call from Elder Naganuma, my old
> companion, telling us that we would be getting a new fridge at 5! So
> we had to be home. During weekly planning we cleaned up our giant wipe
> board, and called a bunch of people. We had to call President Wada
> about one of our investigators, I enjoy talking to President. We then
> went to the church to find some addresses for our plan that night,
> then back home to get the fridge. We had to carry a fridge up 3
> flights of stairs, so as you can imagine it was exhaustive, and it
> split another pair of pants. We then moved things from the fridges
> into the one big fridge and had dinner. After dinner we went to go
> visit Misawa-San, we found out he is really sick and terminally ill.
> However when we tried to go inside with him he took us down stairs and
> went housing with us. I was really confused. We decided that he isn't
> all the way there sadly. We will still visit him, but not focus on him
> anymore. After that we went to go visit someone else. Just as we
> arrived at the apartment complex our phone rang, it was the other
> elders. They told us our investigator was at the church. What who? It
> was the investigator we have been trying to meet with all transfer! He
> was there! So we speed up to the church and had a get to know you sort
> of lesson. It was a really good time. When we got home we found the
> zone leaders in our apartment. They locked themselves out of their
> apartment so they spent the night.
>
> 土曜日
> After lunch we went to the church to have district meeting. It was
> fun, after we went to Ito-Sans house. He is an older man with a lot of
> stuff. He is really nice, but not all the way there. We helped him
> move some things in his house. Then went out to sushi with him, and
> the elders from takao. After that we streeted back to the apartment
> and met a really interesting man who quoted dragons, and scriptures.
> It was interesting to say the least. We then went back to the
> apartment and my companion layer down while I called old
> investigators. I was able to get a whole of a few and even invite them
> to English class! After that we went to the church so we could take
> our language tests. They were pretty exhaustive because they prompt
> you with Japanese prompts then you speak. It is not fun. Then we came
> home.
>
> 日曜日
> We awoke and got ready for church, and left for DCS. DCS was good the
> bishop ran it since it was Ward Conference. After DCS we went into the
> hallway where a member came up to us and told us that Ito-San had come
> to church! We invited him in passing! It was so cool! Then another
> member came up to us and told us that we were going to have a lesson
> with Watanabe-San that night and he was going to doseki! Talk about an
> awesome miracle! Then we had our regular meetings and a shokugi
> afterwards! There was so much delicious food there! After we went home
> changed and called the kofu elders to cancel our split. We then
> studied for Watanabes lesson so we would have an idea of what to teach
> him. Then we got on a bus and went to his house. He has one of the
> cleanest and nicest houses I have ever been in. We sat with our doseki
> and had a great lesson. It lasted 3 hours, but the spirit was so
> strong. And our member was pulling out scriptures left and right, it
> was amazing! After the lesson Ueno Kyodai, our member for the lesson,
> took us to the church. It was really nice of him. At the church I
> called the sisters to work out plans for some joint lessons the next
> day. And my companion put in our lessons. We then went to the
> apartment and switched microwaves with the sisters. So now we have a
> newer microwave that bakes!
>
> 月曜日
> We studied then went to the church to do some contacting. We tried
> calling the honbu about our 4 fridge situation. They didn't answer so
> now we still have 4 fridges in our apartment. We then went to Go Go
> Gorrilla, since it was a day with a 5 in it you get a coupon for a big
> size! It was delicious. On our way back we were walking through the
> eki and a man came up to us and asked us, "are you Mormons?" Uh yeah,
> how can we help? He said that he had been to church before but moved
> and wanted a map! So exciting! We then grabbed the bikes and went to
> kitano. We talked to a lot of different people. I really enjoyed
> housing in to one family that was really excited to meet with us
> again. We then went to the apartment and made brownies for the family
> home evening with a family in our ward. On our way there I really
> enjoyed riding by the cars on our bikes. There is a fun adrenaline
> that come riding that close to cars. Family home evening with the
> sisters and the family from our ward. We talked about our families, I
> enjoyed showcasing my family and the farm. After the lesson we had
> dinner, except we wearnt expecting it, and since they had already
> eaten it was just us and the sisters. It was a little strange. After
> we rode to the church, so my companion could take a language survey
> and so I could post a recipe to the portal.
>
> Another quick week down!
>
> Love you all!
>
> Elder Nathan Dunn

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