2-9-10
Well, you will never guess what I am doing now- recording a CD! Elder Call, our Zone Leader, in life before the mission, was a sound guy. I mighta told you, but a family member of his is a pilot so his parents and the recording stuff came on over! There are 3 people here at the church from Sony to check and help out. I guess Elder Call is friends with one of them. My job is to be the producer, apparently. I watch the music for each take and decide what parts should go together, what takes are the best, etc etc, and give a tip or two at the end of the take if needed. It is pretty fun! There are about 14 people total in the music making part. Some missionaries, some not. There is a Fabulous violinst, member but not a missionary. Well, I am just way excited. I came earlier this week and recorded a song with Elder Hancock called "O Bring me Back my Prophet Dear." He sounds like Brian Stokes Mitchell, no joke. So good! Really controlled yet calm and he gets all the notes right center on the pitch. Very pleasant. So, in general, I am way happy right now.
Sorry I couldn't email yesterday. We went to the temple in the morning and then came back for a lesson with sakata rina. She had wanted a blessing for her little son cause he had a cold so we brought two priesthood holders with us *including the bishops son who is 19 and has put in mision papers* BUT she wasn't there so that wasn't good. Then we had a lesson with a less active woman and her daughter. My back hurt so so so bad yesterday and my companion was still a bit sick so we decided to go home after that. I gave her a half hour massage and she went to bed an hour early. I guess now I can go back and tell a little about each day. I hardly wrote in my journal this week.
On Wednesday the third we went to the koshigaya church and watched "the errand of the lord" president monson bio dvd with hagiwara miki, a recent convert who is 20 and has done homestay in australia. then we hung out at the church for lunch and were going to do some language study . anyways, then we walked over to violet's house. she is from ghana. i love her accent. she doesn't speak much japanese but perfect english. my companion read some of her mail cause it's japanese and then made some phone calls to companies about bills she had received. then after that we walked back to the church and met with karen, a phillippino woman. she was baptized 4 years ago but her husband and two kids aren't members. she gave us some cheesecake. then we rode back to our home ward church, if you will, at yanasegawa eki, and taught eikaiwa. it snowed as we walked home from eikaiwa.
on thursday we met with yamaguchi san, the referral from fukuoka. sister waanabe miho shimai jointed. she is married to the son of the watanabe couple and has a son who is about 10 months. he was standing up and then fell and hit between his eyes on a table as he came down. it was red and obviously hurt but he fought back tears. you could tell he was thinking about crying. his mom says that he does that in public sometimes, holds back the tears. so so funny. it was a good lesson but with two kids going around it is heard to have continuancy in the lesson. plus i was teaching the lesson with miho shimai cause my companion did a split so she could go and visit less actives. i just don't have much command when it comes to taking charge, except for maybe music. i felt like i was intruding or something, trying to get attention for the lesson. well, then we rode back three train stations for district meeting. it was sooo funny--- the elders couldn't remember a word in english and no one else could so we were all thinking about it and then i remembered.... initiative! we were all really trying to think of the word. i guess that happens to missionaries learning another language.
at 5:30 we had a lesson with koto chan at urawa church and the bishops wife was a joint. we taught the word of wisdom. went well. koto chan always comes to church and had already learned about it in young women. at 7 00 we walked over to the ikezakis. he is the ward mission leader. mibuki chan and her family came too. it was a fabulous dinner. my companion and i shared a message about faith in christ. we played uno at the end, everyone. the ikezakis consist of 6 people, so, well, at any rate there were like 10 people in the uno game. i lost. really. i came in total last. i was getting bored of the game by the end because it took so long. plus there were so many conversations going on all at once i had no idea how to jump in. i guess missionaries learning a language experience that. i mean, you understand but then by the time to form a nice, good, solid statement, the conversation is on another topic. you have to learn to just jump in and say anything. i am still learning that. it is taking me way out of my comfort zone.
friday was the sick day. my companion got up and said she was going back to bed. that *going back to bed* lasted ALL day. her fever even went up to 103 farenhiet. well, providing my thermometer was correct. she even slept all through the next night. her body needed some major recovery time. we had a lesson with sakata rina that day but she called and canceled. we were also gonna go over to help eith mizuki chans baptism, but called and said we couldn't and that was totally ok. so, we didn't leave the apartment that whole day. i read and cleaned the apartment, and updated records and even took a 20 minute nap myself. that night i called the two high school girls that did homestay at the mumfords. sister mumford had mailed me their pictures and address and phone number. i called and they were both home. they gave me their cell phone numbers and said i could meet them after school any time. they live at oomiya station. it is slightly far, but very doable. we don't have time this week, but next transfer i think we should go! would you might telling sister mumford i got in contact with them. i saw elder mumford at the temple yesterday and was able to tell him.
saturday my companion slept in. then we went at 9 to take a train to urawa church to record that song with elder hancock. we also stopped at the doctors so my companion could get some medicine. in japan they have clinics every where and you can go anywhere, as far as i know. it is pretty convenient. in the after noon we helped blow up balloons for mizuki chans after-baptism party and then had a lesson with an inactive member at okegawa church.
sunday was church. it was mizuki chans baptism at 8 30 am. i guess it would normally be after church but it was fast sunday so they had it before. good times.
monday for district meeting wnt to a tabehodai, or all you can eat, at an indian food place, mainly curry. then we all went back to the train station and walked to the church for district meeting at yanasegawa station. we were all supposed to do a mini presentation on a chapter from preach my gospel. i did chapter two, studying effectively. the lunch and meeting took up a lot of time, but it was good times. then my companion and i split again. she went to visit less actives and i went for another lesson with yamaguchi-san. we watched the together forever dvd. again, i felt like i just didn't have much continuancy or control of what was going on. that evening we went over to the watanabes, the parents. like i said, watanabe mniho shimai was my companion. well, we went to her parents in laws. miho came to with her husband and baby *the one who bonked his head*. it was a fabulous meal. they had avocado rolls and then a big quid stuffed with rice and squid. my companion took a picture. it was sooooo good. for desert was some cake and the dad made a shake of avocado and grapefruit. sounds kinda weird, but way refreshing. again, it was just kinda hard to put myself out there and start talking. but, way good meal.
did i ever write about the trains last ride like one or two weeks ago?
thanks for all you do. i must admit i am going a bit crazy, just knowing i will go home. and, on top of that our schedule it just so different here in this area, especially this week. i mean, yesterday we went to the temple and had a lesson even though it was p-day. and to day we are recording and emailing. and, its like serious recording too, not just like a tape recorder.
well, sorry i didn't email yesterday! i love you sooooo much!
sister mcmahan
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