October 19th, 2015

Greetings from the land of the rising sun.

I love Japan. It's such an interesting place, and couldn't be any more different from America in culture. Japanese people are so funny I have to just stand back sometimes and laugh at the way they act and interact. It is the most awkward culture in the world and that's how they like it.

This week has been another good one. I was released from leadership as district leader, and they combined our area with the neighboring Matsudo area to form one huge district. I'm not sure what the purpose is but I'm sure there is a reason for why they are combining us. So now all I need to focus on is not breaking Elder Horne. It's been kind of nice having time to write legibly in my journal and maybe study a little more right before shutting the lights off this past week. I didn't realize how much time was taken up and I was only a district leader. I can't imagine being a zone leader or assistant. No thank you. I do actually miss being the one to talk to the missionaries about their days and what kind of things they are seeing and doing. I feel that that was a really great blessing for me. I could see how each individual missionary was working and how their contribution was adding to the success of our area. I also was learning sooooo much about what NOT to do which was hard, but also really helpful at the same time. It was a good experience.

Tuesday morning was a doozy. I'll get to that. Last week I wrote about how Horne Choro sometimes likes to do things his own way with pretty funny consequences and forgot to talk about it specifically. Anyway, when we went to help with the disaster cleanup again, there was a house that had all the flooring torn up. Half of the floor was only long struts and supports where the water had damaged the foundation. Horne Choro thought it would be fun to walk around and balance on the struts. I warned him that they were rotten and weak and he would fall and potentially hurt himself, because he is a male, and that maybe we could go do something else. He said okay and then continued on with what he was doing. I turn around and the next thing I hear is a loud SNAP. I knew exactly what had happened. I turned around to see him scrambling out of the mud covered foundation next to a broken support. I just shook my head and laughed. I could tell he was in a little pain, because he is a male, but I just let him think through it on his own. From there we walked out and I told him to watch his head. He just laughed at me and then proceeded to walk strait into the low Japanese doorframe and bang his head pretty hard. I laughed at him again and told him to watch his head one more time. Once again, while walking through a doorframe he banged his head on it. Hahahaha!! I just throw up my hands sometimes and shake my head. The elder is so hilariously clumsy I can't handle it. So that was then. This past Tuesday morning we woke up around five, exercised, and headed off to early morning seminary. We have started doing that to help build relationships with the youth. Anyway, I came around a corner and saw an older man coming down the hill the opposite way and said hello. He looked at me funny because I am a gaijin, and then rode past. The next few moments brought a tremendous CRASH. Once again, I knew exactly what happened. I turned around to see the old man and elder Horne on the ground. They hit each other HARD. Horne Choro's helmet was knocked off and the old man had a nice cut on his face. He was sooooo mad. We tried to make sure he was okay, but he just told us to get out of there. Horne Choro's lip was pretty cut up so we just went back to the apartment and got cleaned up. I felt so bad for him. Anyway we chill here for a minute and eat breakfast when we get called by this old man saying he was going to the hospital and he wanted to report what happened to the police. From there we called our zone leaders, commissarian, mission president, and a bunch of other people for a few hours. Horne Choro thought he was gonna be put in prison. I tried to comfort him, but he felt pretty badly about everything happening. Eventually we had to go to the police station and report everything to them. Luckily the commissarian talked to them and explained what happened in understandable Japanese. It actually turned out to be the old man's fault so we were good, but we then had to go to the site of the accident to inspect it. Japanese pay incredible attention to detail, and the police were so excited to have something to do. There is no crime here. They tested it like a murder scene. They had us walk through what happened, say which direction they fell, drew chalk marks on the ground like there was a murder or something, took pictures, and then roped it off. Seriously? Anyway after that we were free to go. For the rest of the week Horne Choro has had a huge fat lip and a really sore jaw. It's been tough for him to talk and people often stop and stare at his huge lips hahaha. Poor guy. I'm glad he is okay though. I have found out he is simply very accident prone. Broke his arm five times. I have noticed it even more this week. He trips going up escalators and always knocks stuff over. Hahaha. I have permission to say all of this. All that aside, he is doing great and I am learning much from his attitude and his example. He is training me.

On Wednesday we had a first lesson with a man who is Catholic that comes to eikaiwa. He had horrible expectations and wouldn't let us talk the whole time. We struggled a little through that lesson and he didn't really understand what we expected of him. He still comes though so we will try to get another one set up soon.

Thursday we had a first set expectations kind of lesson with a man named Yuuta. He is incredible. He likes walking and has walked more than six hundred miles in one trip before. He went from some Podunk town to Kyoto I guess. Anyway he is the man I had met before who claimed he wasn't interested, then after stumbling upon him in the street again gave us his number and agreed to learn. He is golden. We met and gave him a church tour. He asked US if he could come to church, and asked US if he could have a Book of Mormon. He understood perfectly that we expect him to do things to help him learn and that if he comes to know what we know we would like him to be baptized. He said he had very strong interest in church and religion and wants to meet two to three times a week. We explained some brief things and answered a few questions, taught about prayer, committed him to read and pray every day, and he agreed. He then agreed to pray to end the lesson. Apparently he had never done it before but he said a wonderful prayer, to Heavanly Father, in the name of Christ. I was blown away. It certainly wasn't anything we did. We stumbled, tripped, and fell through the whole thing, but he saw past all that I guess. We will meet him again on Wednesday. He is very prepared.

Unfortunately the other Filipino kid we committed to be baptized has not contacted us since that meeting. That's a little disheartening, but we have given him a really good opportunity to choose. All we are asked to do is invite in faith and that's what we did. Of course we will continue to try to contact him, but I know he still has his agency...even if he chooses to use it stupidly:). Maybe a little harsh, but it's how I feel some times.

We had a zone meeting this week which was awesome. An elder from Canada named Faganello Choro gave an awesome training on finding. He said something I won't forget. He said," I don't want someone to walk up to me in the next life and say 'why didn't you try harder? I was so close and you gave up when talking to me.'" That all hit us pretty hard, there was a very strong spirit in the room and not many dry eyes. That is something I will always carry with me as I work to find and teach these people. Our nihonjin zone leader, Maki Choro, then stood up and thanked us all for coming to serve his people. He was so grateful that we all were willing to put off things to come over here and work to help these people come to Christ, it was touching. It really was such a good meeting.

I think that is about it for really specific stuff this week. The sisters set a specific date with their investigator for baptism so that was awesome. We will work to get our new investigators ready for that day as well. There are small minute things that are changing here. Please continue to pray for these people. We need the faith of everyone to help the greatest cause in the history of time and life. I love you all, and I miss you all terribly. Especially during these next few months, you know why. That being said here is no other way I would rather spend my time. 

Nats and Lisa and Kristin thanks for your letters. I love you all so much. Macsen thank for sending the pic. Tell Collin how much I love and miss him.

Love,

Viehweg Choro

English Class

Tokyo Sunrise

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