Bolivia, Brazil & BBQ

This week was a really hectic week. It was the start of a great week for us in the Mission. These next 4 weeks may be some of the busiest weeks I'll have an opportunity to see in the Mission. We all had the opportunity to go to multi-zone meetings and hear from our mission president. Which is always a treat. You will not believe it but we met in this building. 

 

 

Yes that is a church building. It's six stories tall I think and it isn't even the biggest in the mission. I'm not sure exactly why they aren't like this in America. Don't worry they don't all look like this here. but they will soon. =) 

 

I had a cool opportunity to experience a miracle yesterday. We went to Tamamura-machi again (by bike) to visit an investigator who we hadn't contacted in a while. She wasn't home but a family from Bolivia was moving out and my comp, being half Mexican he asked if we could help. They accepted and they were one of the coolest families i've ever met on my mission. We spoke a mix of Japanese, English, Spanish and even a little Portuguese. (every time we go to Tamamura-machi it's a similar experience with the language. I've now taken up Spanish along with Japanese. Call me crazy.) We talked for a bit and they gave us their information so we could refer them to other missionaries, We were completely in the right place at the right time. So after that awesome experience and having a wonderful Sunday. (We watch general conference next week in Japanese so it was regular church for us.) We had a Zone P-day today in Oizumi ( which like i said before is basically Brazil so similar language experience) we got to BBQ and play sports like American Football and Ultimate Frisby and stuff with all the missionaries in the zone. About 25 I think. It was a blast. Doesn't the food look great!!

 

 

It was a good fun way to kick off another week for us. We have to work hard we only have 2 or so weeks left in the Transfer i think. Crazy right? I just hit my 2 month mark in Japan! Well now winding down from the day and e-mailing.  Next is a picture of a Sakura ( cherry blossom) they just started blooming here in Japan so within the next two weeks you'll all get a chance to see how pink it gets. 

 

 

Well That's all I have time for this week. Take care of yourselves everyone.  I love you all and thank you all for the support,

Windy Tagasaki

Is everybody Genki? I'm Genki because I get to e-mail you all again this week! This week I had a few fun experiences but the biggest one that comes to mind at the moment is last wednesday I felt my first Earthquake. It was about a 2.5 so not very big but it was weird experience. They've been pretty frequent these past few weeks all across the mission but we're not too worried. President Albrecht made a new Earthquake preparedness plan and we're all certain the Lord will protect us. My Trainer Elder Albrethsen was here when the Earthquake hit las year. He'd only been in the field 2 weeks! After the Earthquake he went to Kobe and then came back. Crazy yeah? The pictures This week are of the Area. It's absolutely gorgeous here.

Not to mention really windy!! It's crazy how windy it is. I've nearly been blow over on my bike more times than i can count. It's a lot of fun. if you get at the right angle your suit coat acts like a sail and you can get going really fast! IT's truly epic. Takasaki downtown is really great too. This area is a pretty good mix of city and country. We even get really good mountains in our area.

That's me and my trainer. Yeah i got another haircut and yeah i don't love it =) ha ha that's not important though. The work is what's important.

This past week was a hard week because we didn't really manage to find the amount of people we were really hoping to find but we kept planting seed all week long. Well yesterday we went out and we found almost immediately 2 people who want to meet again. Just goes to show that the Lord blesses those who are diligent and that he has prepared people in every are to hear the Gospel. It's a lot of fun going out to find those people. This transfer we're focusing on creativity and we've got some really great ideas for ways to meet people. We're really excited. I'll update everyone after we try a few ideas. Well I have to go. Study time is calling but i'll be sure to write some more adventures next week. Take care everyone.

This Week

Today is the Beginning of my second Transfer. Crazy!! It's going by so fast i can't believe it!! I don't have a whole lot to report on for this past week so here are some pictures of food. =) The first is Calpis, which is the most delicious drink ever. I live on this stuff. I dunno what i'll do when i go home and they don't have it ha ha. 

 

The second is (蟹 kani) crab. my family will remember the "whole little crabs"

that Jeremy eats on Top Gear. They are actually very delicious but a bit of a chore to eat since they are so crunchy and rather sharp. The next item is Yakisobapan!! a yakisoba sandwhich and oh is it soooo good. This was my lunch today as a matter of fact =)

 

 

That's really all there is to report. This past sunday i had the chance to speak in sacrament about why i came on a mission it was a really good opportunity to share with the ward and build a good relationship with them. My Japanese isn't great but the Holy Ghost helped me say what

I needed to say. Bearing "pure" testimony is a really important thing. When we bear "pure" testimony we feel the Spirit and when we feel the Spirit then we are being sanctified. When we are sactified then we have the Light of Christ with us. It's that light that others see.

 

I love you all and I know that you all can have the Light of Christ in your own lives. Thank you so much for the support that you've given me and for getting me out here on my mission. This is the best Experience I've ever had.

Another Great Week In Tagasaki

皆さんこんにちわ！

This week was a crazy busy week from the start but we did a lot of fun things this week!

For starters we went to Oizumi. This is a picture of my district!! they are the best ha ha. 

 

Then the next day we went to 肉の日 which was amazing! A member family took us and the Sisters and we ate yakiniku. That is me with a plate of meat. you BBQ it a little grill that's built into the table. It was so good!! I love Japanese food so much. 

 

That's me with some Samurai. Way cool right? 

 

 

On Friday we drove around trying to a members house in the rain over buy Takasaki Eki and we found this!! This wall is all advertisements for food. Now what you can't see is that the building next to it is all restaraunts one per floor! and it was about 10 stories tall. There is so much good food here. Ha Ha i've stopped losing weight. It's bad.

 

 

Then finally this Saturday was Hinamatsuri. It's a day for girls basically but look at these dolls. They set this up at a members house. Isn't it so pretty? 

 

may fifth is the otokonomatsuri. That'll be fun i think. I hope i'm still here in Takasaki then. =)

 

This week was a good week for us because we got to meet with our investigators a lot and really work with them towards getting baptized All of the people we teach are so cool!! We're really lucky this week because we get to go to the Temple. We're going to spend the rest of our P-day

time in Tokyo so we can go to the Temple and then go to a couple other places not sure yet but we're going to plan tonight. In a few weeks we're going to go to Niko though and see temples. That'll be way cool!! That's the update for this week.

 

I love you all. Thank you so much for your support and your prayers. I feel them and they really do help.

Food!

Hello everyone!!! This week was a great week for the Mission. On Tuesday we got to hear from Elder Oaks!! It was a really motivational talk and we all feel charged to keep finding people ( making friends is what we now like to call it).  We also got a chance to see people we came to the field with ( doki ) so that was a lot of fun. We really got to apply what we learned since this week we had lots of time to just go streeting. No one new yet but we planted seeds =). I went on splits to Kumagaya again on Wednesday and then Friday we all went to Zone Conference. That was a lot of fun. We have really cool zone leaders and of course our mission president and his wife are the greatest! I got my Meshi ( name card/ business card. They are a big deal here in Japan), and my new name tag. 

 

 

Then yesterday we had a party at the Miyakawa family's home. Look at the amount of food!! Elder Albrethsen was enjoying the massage chair for a bit. There were several families there so it was a lot of fun. We got to share with the families about missionary work and kindle a little "Dendo Fire" They are all so great. 

 

 

This week we'll be doing some other great things like (肉の日 niku no hi) (NIKU means meat and HI means day) every month on the 29th which in japanese 2 is NI and 9 is KYUU it's niku no hi!! so it'll be a special leap year for me as i go to an all you can eat meat buffet with the Mita Family =) haha i'll be sure to send pics next week.

 

The mission is a fun experience and we do lots of partying in Takasaki, but don't think that we aren't working hard. When we aren't partying we are out teaching and finding. =)

Our message is special and we really get to share it with the world. I love you all and i'm so thankful for your support.

Valentine's Day

Valentines Day!! more pictures and a short e-mail this week sorry everyone!

Tonight Elder Albrethsen and I are going to Machida to spend the night

Elder Oaks is coming tomorrow morning and we have to be there early!! =)

 

 

First off Valentines Day Mawari.

We visited less actives, Investigators and members in rediculous costumes and took them valentines

and sang love one another. Best day ever. we went with the Suzuki family. If you didn't notice i'm mickey =)

after a long day of traveling around we went to tsukiya which is the most delicious gyudon restaraunt ever!

 

Then the second picture is a delicious bowl of Sukiyaki that i ate while on splits. 

 

That night i taught a beginner english class in a hospital =), strange experience, but we were (well i was Elder Kyotani is japanese so he was a student) subbing

for the normal teacher. The hospital paid him but couldn't pay us since we were missionaries so one of the members took us out to dinner with the money. Sukiyaki is soooo goood!!!

 

 

The last is a book cover for my huge quad that was made one of the members in our ward. The same one who made us the food that i took a picture of last week! (sister kudo). She's amazing!! Isn't it so cool looking??

 

That's the big adventures this week. I love you all.

Aishiteimasu

-G

Loving Japan

Here are a few pictures, I can't add as many as I would like to, so these are some of the coolest ones and I'll add a few everyweek as often as I can!! Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to bike all the way back to Tamamuramachi to Iikura again. Good thing that we weren't fasting this time. We did the whole trip in about 3 hours instead of the killer 5 it took last week.

This is my companion Elder Albrethsen. It's a bad picture but the wind was crazy and right as I took the picture we almost blew away.

This is me just chilling in the parking lot as we got ready to return to Takasaki.

These are our bikes. Mine is the Blue one on the right. (crazy fact. The handbrakes on bilkes are backwards here!! if you buy a bike in japan do not pull the right brake first or you're going to flip over the handlebars. I didn't think it would be that hard to break the habbit of squeezing the right brake but it's super hard!!)

 Following our trip to iikura we had a Shokujikai with Kudo shimai and the sister missionaries. She made us some magical tempura. Just look at it doesn't look amazing?? It was amazing!! The Ward members totally love us here.

The Baskets are full of food for the missionaries. one basket for us. one for the sisters. Despite all of the magical food, including the curry i'm eating right now. I'm losing weight! 3 pounds this week =) yosh!

The crazy picture of all the spears is a sweet thing we have in the Genkan (entry way) of our apartment. We have crazy stuff like that all over the place! it's super great!.

 

That was pretty much the big adventures of this week. but I do have something great to share. This week we have 2 new investigators. one who's progressing and taking the lessons and is super amazing. And the other who called and wants to meet with us Thursday so we can talk more about our beliefs with him. Elder Albrethsen, I and the Lord are making amazing things happen in this area. I'm sure I'll have great things to say in the next few weeks. Well I love you all. Thanks again for the support.

 

Have a great week!!

Aishiteimasu!