7-9-09First of all I got my hair cut today for about 23 us dollars. Way cheap. Usually its like 40 bucks here. It was from a lady out of her home. She really thinned it out and I am super happy!
Have you met President Albrecht? What's he like ? Yeah, we had interviews at Oyama yesterday. He is a way neat guy. I took some notes about his life. He was an interpreter at the world's fair in Japan in 1970, or something. His soon to be wife came over with her girlfriends at that time. They got engaged in a member's home in Fukashima. It was a grandpa and grandma in their 60s whom he had baptized. He has 6 kids, one girl as the baby and they all served missions. Pres Albrecht's family members did not go to college. He was the first. He was school shopping in Wisconsin, his wife's home town. She had gotten homesick so they moved there. A professor came up to him and offered him admission, a scholarship, and housing. Bro Albrecht didn't know what at Phd was because his family did not go to much school, but he received a Phd. He got lots of offers to work as a teacher at good places, like Stanford or Harvard, one of the two, and he ended up working there. Sorry, don't remember which one. He is in the business and teaching worlds. He is on a committee of special guys who can fire the presidents of stuff. I don't remember the name for that. Something or other commission. Yeah, so he did some of that
for a few commissions. Oh, and there were 300 people in his hometown in Utah. His wife is a convert. She joined the church at 18. She was dating a member at the time and came to church and stuff. She met Pres. Albrecht at BYU Provo. She is a really really way good baton twirler apparently. He said when he was at that school at Wisconsin she went to talk to her baton teacher and he couldn't think of anything more boring to do that listen to two ladies talk about baton twirling so he went around and looked at stuff. He made an outline of the things he expects and or wants out of the mission. He told us at our interviews, all together. Sorry I haven't made a copy, but it was pretty good stuff. How are your bug bites? Under control? Do you need any stuff from home for that? Lookin good. I did get a flesh wound yesterday though. I was cleaning my feet like I do at the end of everyday and my heel looked dirty so I was cleaning it. Turns out it was blood beneath the surface and it popped open like a blister and got all pussy. There was a lotta it but there was water so it wasn't so greusome. I dunno what happened. Something mighta got lodged in there. It was pussy again this morning. We didn't have hydrogen peroxide so I squeezed some ancient alcohol wipes and mixed it with water. Still kinda sketchy though. Anywho, that is my flesh wound story. My foot was hot last night but that's good cause it means it was trying to heal. I did some super sweet surgical moves with the clippers and tweezers. So yeah, interesting story. I hope it doesn't get infected. It is not huge but it looks kinda like its trying really really hard to get better. Any more visits with Akutsu-san? Yeah, two times. One time at a store in the chair/table section by the buying bread part. The bishop's wife was the joint. Akutsu-san had lots of questions. We met for 20 minutes. Then we sisters went to the bishop's house via sis Uchida's car. Their kids are inactive. Girl 19,boy 16, boy 20something and girl married. The 3 except the married girl were there. They said I should talk to the 19 yr old cause she spoke english. So I did. I could tell they were really happy. They fed us dinner. Rice and other vegetable stuff including eggplant. Eggplant is real good. It was the whole eggplant cooked and peeled. So good. We had another lesson with Akutsu san yesterday after eikaiwa.Another sister was the joint. She and Skutsu san really way clicked. So that's good. Akutsu san had tons of questions again. We are trying to help her not searched just for the answers and or knowledge but to really understand by the spirit.
(photo: left to right: Sister Akiko, Sister Yamamoto, Sister McMahan, investigator Ryo Rihin) Okay...I've got about 15 minutes.
We got a referral from church headquarters, from the Brazil mission. Brazil South or something. There wasn't a name or phone number, just address. She lives in Isesaki, the neigboring city where the bishop lives. We visited her the same day we had Akutsu's lesson and dinner at the bishop's, but we went by ourselves earlier that day. Isesaki is totally hot. Anyways we took the train to Isesaki station then another private-type train to go more into the city. Sakamoto Shimai thought there would be a bus there but there wasn't. So, we talked to the lady at the shop. She ran the shop out of her house and it was a 7-11 type deal. She gave us the phone number for the taxi and said we had to call. So we did. This train station that we were at didn't even have a building! It was just a platform. So we asked for a lady driver and she came in about 20 minutes. The driver said she had met missioanries a long time ago but didn't remember if they were christians. She had to think about the name but then she remembered and said... "Mormons"! So then Sakamoto said that was our nickname. She met the missionaries when she was 20 or something, younger, at any rate. We gave her a pamphlet thing with the church's map. The ride was totally expensive 2420 yen or about 25 dollars and it was only 10-15minutes of a ride. The lady told us about a bus we could take back. We found the apartment of the referral, but they weren't home. I did see a bat though. I think it was a baby, or maybe just a small variety. It was kinda cute, walking on all fours on the sidewalk that lined in front of the doors of the apartment of the referral. It went behind a newspaper that was leaning up against the wall. I had never seen a bat like that before, only when I have been in a cave which was twice I think. We weren't quite sure the way to the bus stop so we housed and introduced ourselves as missionaries. The lady was Philippino but spoke good Japanese and English. She had a friend who was Mormon in the Philippines. Anywho, she said, "you speak English...." to me and then gave me directions to the bus stop in English. Get this. The bus took us all the way back to Isesaki station (the main one, not the going into the town one) for 340en. .... or 3.50 us dollars. Whoa.
We visited a less active. Sorry I have 5 minutes. long story short. She took off her shoes but they were ever so slightly crooked. So I pushed then together with my foot to be nice and also to make more room for my shoes. Turns out, I learned from Sakamoto Shimai afterwards, that doing the moving with my foot is way way rude. I don't think the lady saw though and even if she did Sakamoto said that member's will tend to understand if I make a mistake but I should always be careful.
It rained this week. Well, it rains every week, but this particular day I did not bring my kappa so I had to buy one for about 8us dollars. It was just the top part. I could not buy the bottom cause it was clear and your skirt gets bunched up when you put it on. And, I didn't want to spend the money.
Well, it is humid still. I just sit and sweat actually. Whoa. Butright now it is raining outside, well drizzly almost. I bet it is just like St. Louis!
I gotts go. We are going to buy shoes for Sakamoto Shimai and then buy groceries. I wanna buy good booties for my feet to wear over my tights. I love you so much! Thank you for all you do and really, sorry for not pictures! I think I might have time next week! I loooooooove you!
Sister McMahan
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