19 Oct 2009
Mom- If you could send me a simple piano christmas duet or two, one I could play with my companion...
Last Tuesday we got the transfer announcement and then Tuesday shipped Johnson Shimai's bike (we disassembled and put it in a big cardboard box) along with her two suitcases. That evening we had dinner with the ward mission leader and his wife before EIkaiwa. We went out to eat at a place nearby. We sat on the ground on the tetami mats. Although I like ramen I usually don't crave it, but this time I think it was the best ramen I had eaten in Japan. It was creamy and had an unusual flavor. For Eikaiwa we talked about gestures and had people perform various gestures. Emily came and was the life of the party. So did Joe, our investigator. Yamashiro and I haven't met with him for a lesson yet. He really liked the last sister that served here and mentioned her repeatedly. He expressed how he would call us for a lesson. He came to sacrament meeting on sunday, expressed his mising the previous sister missionary and again mentioned he would call us when ready. He called last night and my companion talked to him. I don't know the outcome of the phone call though.
Thursday we took Johnson Shimai to the mission office and Yamashiro Shimai and I came back alone. We went to Toke train station, in Togane area, to teach Emiko's son. However, she cancelled while we were there housing before the lesson. So we came back to our area and tried to find a less active's house but couldn't do it. About my companion, Yamashiro Shimai, there are three kids in her family. She is the middle and the elder one served a mission. Her parents are both church members. She likes shopping and playing the piano. She hasn't gone to college but wants to learn English so she go to BYU Hawaii.
Friday was district meeting in Togane. Bee Choro is in my district again. He was with me as a bean in Maebashi. The church in Togane is two years old, about. On the train ride back from district meeting, I sat next to a young lady who didn't look all Japanese so I waited a second to talk to her. She started speaking Japanese to the woman next to her, and then English. I heard her mention America so I said "Excuse me, but are you from America?" and she said, "No, Norway. I was saying America so the lady would have something to relate to." and turned back around to talk to the other woman. My guess is she was doing a home stay. Ths girl I talked to was aroud my age. Also on Friday we had to make a quick stop at the store to buy some spices. I couldn't find ground cloves so I called Sister Albrecht about it. I was making a pumpkin pie from scratch for the upcoming ward social and I realized I didn't have any of the necessary spices. Oh, and and interesting thing I learned at district meeting. Your bones and muscles are like grammar and vocab. You can't "talk" unless you have both of them.
Saturday was the ward social. They had tables set up around the cultural hall. They make the cultural hall by pulling the blinds in front of the sacrament meeting room stand and putting up all the folded chairs. There are no benches. There was a table that had "USA" hanging from up above from the ceiling. Here I placed my pies. I made two from a mix and one from scratch and the crusts all from scratch. Needless to say it took some time and planning in advance.
Brother Shinno brought a co-worker. She's Philippino and had studies 4 years to become a priest, worked in a church for one year, and then needed to go back for more school. I was able to talk to her across the table, in English. She asked how one became a bishop in our church. I told her about church organization and how we have a prophet. She was interested and, at the end, expressed a desire to learn about eternal marriage. I guess Brother Shinno had talked to her about it. She wanted to see some references in the bible about it. We gave her a Book of Mormon in English, which she prefered over Tagolog, and the TestamentsDVD since there were multiple copies at the church.
Oh yeah, on Saturday it rained ALL day.
Sunday Yamashiro fixed up some corn, apple slices, and tuna with mayonaise. Yummy! I told her about the apple and tuna, but she decided on the corn and it tasted great! She and I spoke at church on Sunday. My talk was a one minute self intro and a 3 minute talk which consisted of some explanations and the reading of two scriptures. During Relief society there was a very, very, very small earthquake but enough you could tell there was one. One sister was about to start leading the music and she said "Oh, and earthquake." I thought it was funny cause it's like breathing or something, or like "Hey, there's a bird." Anywho. Later that day we went to see Emily cause it was her birthday but we realized we didn't remember what street her house was down and we didn't have her address so we called her and she met us on her bike. She had her preschool aged daughter on the back. Her husband was working until 11 that night so she was glad we came to wish her a happy birthday. I used some felt fabric in our apartmen to make a pouch by using staples and then turning it inside out. I thought that was pretty nifty. I gave her two of the picture cards I got from the man on thetrain while I was in Shibuya.
Monday we had a lesson with Emiko and her two kids. The kids were up and about during the lesson, but they were listening. We taught about obedience and prayer. We did the thing where you hold a string and try to tie a knot but can't do it unless you start with your arms in the prayer position. Also we had Interviews that day and guess what I learned! We are going to have not only an all mission and all shimai conference, but we are going to have an all mission christmas conference next transfer. I am so excited to hear music and all that good stuff! Monday it was still continuously raining. Then it got really windy. My companion wondered if it was a typhoon. Have no fear, it didn't get bad. We were just glad we didn't ride our bikes to the area we were housing because it would have been dangerous going back. Now, in Chosei, it gets dark around 5:30 and there are virtually NO streetlights!
Today we went to the temple with the elders in Togane and a couple from their ward who drove us. We drove over Rainbow Bridge to get there. It is like the San Fransisco Bridge but it curves, I guess is how I would explain, and it might be longer too. We could also see Mt. Fuji on the way there. It had snow on the top. Today is a very clear day after these 3 or so days of rain and slightly typhoon weather yesterday.
I realized that I don't know the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon. How embarassing. Is is that one is just bigger that the other?(Don't be embarrassed; we didn't know either, but now we do: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A1.html )
Well, I am exhausted. It has been 100 percent Japanese today. It kinda wipes me out sometimes. I could flat out go to sleep right now. From here we are going to ride the train one stop to our apartment, get on our bikes and visit a referral (or two?) that live nearby (nearby in the relative sense.... maybe 20 minutess by bike), house, come back to where we are here by Mobara train station, shop for some comida, and then bike home. I am really wanting a ten minute power nap before we head out on our bikes though. I think I might get some puppy eyes and then ask my companion. I am surely quite tired right now and and power nap would really do it!
I must confess I haven't written in my journal at all this week and that is a first for me. There is always just so much to be done and I think also, that sometimes I am just kinda blown over and want to read the Ensign a bit before I hit the pillow. I must thoroughly repent and write again this week!
That you for caring so much about me. I hope you are all doing well at home!
Sister McMahan
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