Celestial Apartment Award (Thanks Mom!)

So this week has been a little bit eventful I guess.  So on Thursday night, we went to stay up in Takaoka so that we would be able to get to the Doctor`s Conference on time that the zone was having the next morning.  So we took the hour and a half train ride to Takaoka, ate out, and then we had 30 minutes before the 9 o`clock curfew.  So, I went with my friend Hastriter Choro who was in the MTC with me, and we talked to people in the street.  We met these three high school students close by the train station that although they weren`t too interested in the gospel, they walked with us and talked a little bit.  It was really cool because both me and Hastriter Choro had been in Japan as long as each other and although his Japanese was a little bit more polished, we switched back and forth talking and saying stuff.  It was pretty cool.  Then we went back to the apartment that had another Elder, Esplin Choro, from the MTC and one of the elders took it on himself to benchpress everyone in the apartment after planning.  The lightest was 52 kilograms and then I was the heaviest.  He was pretty strong so he was able to benchpress me as I kept my balance.

Me in Takaoka with my name on a building

The Doctor`s Conference the next day was great too.  We talked a lot about how to deal with stress and we got some healthy recipes to use which is really nice since most Japanese cooking is first, make rice, second, cook meat, third, put it together and EAT IT!  We also received our `Celestial Apartment Award` for having the cleanest apartment in the whole zone!  We have a cleaning check from the Senior Missionaries tomorrow so most of today will be spent cleaning so that we can repeat as the cleanest.

Me and my/our apartment`s cleaning award!

This Sunday night we had a lesson with our star investigator Casey.  We brought along my friend Koki who is a priest that has his eye set on serving a mission.  We taught about the 10 Commandments with some Law of Chastity and Sabbath Day Observance sprinkled in.  We pulled out a picture of President Monson and I introduced prophets and he just sits there and I think basically calls him old and says `ojichan` which means Grandpa.  He is a bit crazy with his Aspbergers so it was kind of funny.  Koki played it off really well though when he was teaching him about the third commandment and basically said to not make fun of the prophet.  I would have added that if you don`t, she-bears might attack you but it was probably a good thing I can`t say that in Japanese.  His less-active Mom also said she would make Casey practice his ski-ing with his ski team after church on Sundays so while it would be better it give it all up, they said they are coming to church so there are definitely baby steps being taken.

Thanks for all of the e-mails this week as hearing back from home is a good self-esteem boost.  Speaking of by not-so-skinny at Doctor`s Conference they told us not to try to lose weight because of the stress it has on your body.  So, here is to me not caring about that for the next year and whatever.  I will have to see if Elder Gaclian can benchpress me at the end of the mission!  

Anyways, hope everyone has a good week and can feel Christ`s love in your life throughout the week!

I'll Sho you a Gatsu

Shogatsu in Japanese means the first day of the month.　I am pretty sure that Shogatsu is celebrated on New Year`s Eve as well but I was in the apartment and celebrated the coming of the New Year at around 10:20, which included drinking that sparkling cider stuff and breaking glow sticks my Mom sent to me back in the MTC for the Fourth of July I forgot to use.  But, the last few days have been full of holliday cheer since Shogatsu is the Christmas of Japan where everyone comes home to be with their families.  I was told people finally get off work then but it doesn`t really matter to us missionaries much because they were all with their families anyway and some people, well, you guessed it, still worked.

So, while most missionaries have their downtime around Christmas when it is hard to meet with people, we had it this past week.  It is hard in a branch of twenty as well to get member appointments so, we basically have been going around and shoveling people`s snow since no one out on the streets is from Takayama, everyone inside is chilling with their families, and members are busy as well.  So, we just shoveled snow and got to talk to a couple random Grandma`s this past week.

We did have our delayed Christmas Zone Conference on New Year`s Eve so we took the train the day before and stayed the night in the Kanazawa apartment.  It was me and Elder Vaughn, my senior companion and district leader, my two zone leaders, and the assistants to the president in the apartment.  So I was not only the only elder in single digits of transfers, but also the only one that didn`t have authority over me.  But, it was still really fun and I got to hear a lot of stories from the older missionaries.

At the Conference, we were fed, given a Christmas present of a new mission tie and socks, and President Yamashita talked about Backing Up and Resetting for the New Year.  He told us that no matter how dedicated or worthy we are or aren`t, that we can all back up and reevaluate our lives and see what we can do more.  We can always do more.

So here is hoping that all of you out there stay true to your New Year`s Resolutions.  I am now doing five push-ups after every snack I eat because, well, I have gained two kilograms on the mission so far... IN THE SKINNY COUNTRY OF JAPAN!!!  Not good.  So, until the snow melts and we can run outside without slipping and dying, five push-ups after every snack will do.

Thank you so much for all of the mail and e-mails this past holiday season! 

I love you all and may your 2015 New Year be rocking!