Halfway Through Transfers

So if anyone doesn`t know what Globalization is, let me try to explain it to you in this way: a Brazilian and an American knock on a door in Japan and talk to a Peruvian In Spanish for an hour.  Yup, welcome to the 21st century everybody!  And also there is a bunch of Western culture here too.  Japan is now going through the same Frozen craze that has swept the whole North American continent and we hear songs from it in Japanese and English as we are shopping on P-days or biking past shops.  Also, Smith Choro and Martini Choro (the other companionship that happens to live in our apartment) heard of the untimely death of one of the funniest people in Robin Williams from a random person they met while finding people out on the street.  But Western culture is alive and well even a whole ocean away.

Besides listening to my companion speak mangled Spanish (as he only knows a little bit of the language and mostly infuses Portuguese words when speaking in the fourth most talented language) a couple of times this week (during which I got super excited when I heard a word I know like propheta, iglesias, or puedes) I was able to go bowling today with Elder Siedschlag and a less active member who both beat i/us handily by getting a strike the first four times he bowled and got 203 in the end.  I was in third with 109 (as I only got on strike on the very last frame) and Siedschalg got 117 so at least I was close.

My adventurous act for this week was pressing the pink button on the toilet.  I suggest no one of my gender try the same and just stick with the blue-green button.

This week I also had my first District Training Meeting on Friday and I got to leave my area to go to the Fuji area.  I don`t yet have a picture of Fuji-San for everybody but if it would stop being cloudy I could give it to you.  We talked about Paul`s awesome missionary example and then went out and ate at a crepes place which was pretty good.

 Also this week, I had the opportunity to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting, dun, dun, DUN!!!  Last Sunday I was asked to share my testimony for this week but an hour before I found out it was to be at least a five minute talk, if not ten minutes.  So, I busted out a couple of scriptures and tried to get the pronunciation down before I spoke.  It was about five minutes and I talked about how souls are great in the sight of God and that God has commanded us to feed his sheep.  And then I challenged them to pray for missionary opportunities and that if they do they will be able to have them.  At least that is what I thought I said according to the notecard I had my talk written on.  It was really cool to be able to actually talk to everybody and I felt great.  After I talked and sat down on the stand, I had this huge feeling of peace come me.  Yeah I was finished with my talk and relieved but it was a bit different.  It was the feeling that I had gotten many times before at the MTC or even before in firesides or sacrament meeting.  As I looked over the audience of about fifty people I felt like I almost belonged.  It still surprises me that I can cross the Pacific Ocean, walk into a church building where everyone speaks a langauge that I barely know, and still be taught a lesson about Joseph Fielding Smith during Priesthood or that I can go and partake of the Sacrament.  The church building is super small here and the ward is smaller than what I am used to but it has that same sense of belonging that I felt at Rainbow Crest, or at the 129th Ward, or at my Grandma Bevans`s ward in Cardston, Alberta, Canada, over here in Numazu Japan.  I am really grateful that the church is growing and that I can play a small part in it and be able to feel the Spirit and have friends and a support group every I go throughout the world.

Hope everyone has a great week and that the last few weeks of summer will be enjoyed!

Elder Hall

And by the way, thanks everyone for all of the birthday wishes in letters and e-mails.  I really all enjoyed them!  And here are pictures of the ocean and me eating sushi!