Rice and Ramen: DECEMBER 13, 2015

So this week is transfers! It's exciting because I know but y'all don't, yet. Let's just say I'm sad and happy at the same time....

Monday was great! We got up, we ran, we cleaned our horrendous apartment, we went down town with our zone! We ate melon pan, we talked with people, tried on hats! I sent photos last week. Then we had even an awesome day for dendo for a PDay. We passed out about a hundred eikaiwa fliers. We met these two guys, black guy from Africa and Korean guy. It was kinda hard to communicate because they were speaking French to each other and then Japanese to us and asking if we could teach them English. It was an interesting conversation.

Tuesday we had Brother Hirota come in for a member lesson and we asked him a question at the beginning of the lesson and he talked for a whole hour on the Atonement and Jesus Christ. Another time recently an investigator of the Elders called him and when he did a lesson with them Brother Hirota again was a spiritual machine-gun. I don't think I said anything in that lesson. Oops, well it was still a good lesson but I really didn't say anything. Our poor investigator got blasted with doctrine!

Kokan or companion exchange was on Thursday and we used Christmas dendo to find two new investigators for the Fushimi area. Then we went caroling and saw some sick Christmas lights. Shashin ga Aru.

Saturday we did hot cocoa dendo, where we set up a stand and gave outfree hot cocoa to people by the train station (which we found out later is apparently illegal) but we did teach lessons and we had the help of Mana Chan and her brother Sora kun, a 6 and 3 year old hailing from the Ishida family. We had them take hot cocoa to people and who
can say no to an adorable Asian child handing you a tiny cup of hot cocoa? NOBODY CAN! We got the attention of these four macho college guys and you could see their hearts melting by Mana Chans cute face. She's the sweetest and the other senkyoshi and I are like,” Okay love her but don't touch she's ours!” They the Ishidas are so nice to us
and helped us with having a table and hot water for the hot chocolate. Sister Ishida and I will stand next to each other and she puts her head on my shoulder and I put my head on hers and she always tells my companion that she's my new dōryo. It's fun! But one thing that poor Sora kun did was while he was looking at Edwards Shimai he ran smack dab in to a metal pole. I saw it and I had to contain my laughter. It was like a cartoon. (These kids are the same kids I sent a video of before).

Let me tell you about Shogo, the Elder’s investigator, who is like hundred plus pages into the Book of Mormon already. He's a pretty cool guy, quiet and actually really funny. We were playing cards with him last week or so and he did this hand thing where he slapped the table and then raised his hands as to say, “yeah, I just won, what of it?” We love him. Saturday he was talking to us and he randomly turns to Sam, the mission leader (who is a return missionary going to school here in Japan) and asked in English, "Are you a terrorist?" It was so random and we're like if Sam was he would say no anyway. And then he turns to Sister Edwards and asked the same question. We laughed about it and then I asked him if he was a terrorist, and he's like yes, then turns and walks away with a straight face. He's a funny one, and he brought his girlfriend to ping pong night or rather after ping pong night
because he got stopped by the police because they were riding two to a bike (Japan and its concern for our safety). Anyway, she's super nice. We all went and got Indo curry and it was so much fun laughing eating cheese nan, oh so good.

So Sunday was a great day. We had an investigator, Inoue San, come unexpectedly with her friend Karahashi Shimai, who is less active (sort of). They are these two old women who talk to dogs and both of them were asleep during church. But they are both so cheeky. They had us over for dinner, which was sooo delicious, by the way, and we had a great lesson with her. We talked about the temple and baptism. The lesson was going great! Until Inoue sans dog came up to her and sat in her lap and stuck his tongue out at her until she leaned down and did a bad cheesy grin and let the dog lick the inside of her mouth!!!! This was right when Edwards Shimai was asking if she think she might want to be baptized. It was soooo NASTY! She's old and she can do whatever she wants, like burp and direct traffic. That's what the old peeps do here.

We also sang in sacrament meeting Angels We Have Heard on High. It was good but also a struggle to actually get on the program, but it was way good. Later in Relief Society there was a woman from Taipei that didn't know Japanese but she listened to Sister Edwards and I talk about the gospel. She said in her pretty decent English, “Life is hard. But we have armor! We go to church and go to the temple...YOU JUST DO IT (she actually shouted this in the middle of relief society to us and it was funny to see the shock on the quiet Japanese women faces. She was telling us that by living the gospel and doing all that you can is the way you become strong enough to fight the adversary. A constant thing I actually have been saying to my comp recently is Satan is literally trying to kill me, or Satan just hates us ‘cause we're too cool, or something along those lines. But he is always fight ting against us. He is smart, he is cunning and convincing. He’ll do anything, but I can beat him, fight him, because he has no power over me when I cling to the side of righteousness!

Also Nonnie I need some mission stories from you! I'm realizing now I don't think I have heard any of them!!!

Speaking of being preparedness, have y'all been getting a be prepared vibe from the church recently or is that just us here in Japan?

Okay love y'all Oh yes the results! I am not transferring yay! But my comp is becoming an STL! Yay and noo! I don't want her to leave! But she will be awesome and she will be in the same zone so well get to companion exchange together again! Now I have to know where everything is herein the city.....ahhhh! Little nervous cause I also have to speak Japanese! My new comp is a fourth or fifth transfer so she's pretty new too.

Well until next time! Also,I'll be sending lots of pictures.