corn can't because the pigs know who did it!

Well to get the "Hello!"s out of the way.
Hello, Hello!
alright!
So, Olsen Choro and I (not the first one but the second) have recently
engaged ourselves in an intense battle of wits... nit-wits.
I'll be cooking myself some breakfast, and he'll stare at the eggs,
screw up his face and grumble: "Well, you can't know that because
science just ain't happy."
And then the battle begins.
I reply: "You can too, because the people remember the revolts... the
time wasabi spilled on his arm, and despite the protests they just...
you know, flicked it off!"
"The pigs don't know it so... corn can't because the pigs know who did it!"
It's pretty intense. We're still trying to come up with rules- weather
someone laughs first, or if there's a specific topic we have to argue
about, but try to make it so the other person can't guess it... Well
my friends! Insanity: the product of hard work.
So with the new year, new things kinda happy. Once again, I apologize
for being cynical about Christmas in Japan, it actually was probably
one of the best Christmas's I've had.
We went out to an all-you-can-eat Japanese Grill for lunch. There just
have patters and jars of raw meat with spices on them lining the
walls. You get a pile of meat, and go back to your table that has a
grill built into the center of it and fire it up. Cook it how you like
it throw it in some sauce, and never stop eating. We went housing, but
did it Christmas style.
We tried to carol. (Boden Choro with his guitar and me with my amazing
voice) We got some interesting responses. A couple of my favorite:


We walked up to a promising  house with a big Christmas     wreath on it. I rang.
The door opened a crack and  the face of a middle-aged man poked out.
me: "hey, we're teaching         everyone about Christ, and     Christmas is
Christ's birthday- so we're        going around and singing to   everyone about
Christmas." (I learned quickly          the explanation is needed because the
first couple of people would     open the door, we'd start        singing, and
they're get scared and close      the door quickly and lock it.- They
probably had never been caroled to before.)
The Man: "No thank you. I'm not interested."
Then he reached his arm around, grabbed the wreath, pulled it inside,
and shut the door.
We bust up laughing.
And now we will have the lesson for the children:
Now kids, remember: when life gets hard- when you trip in front of
your crush, when you get a math problem horribly wrong in front of the
class, when a man rejects Christ and pulls his wreath off the door,
that is not the time to turn all pink in the face- to shrivel up and
shed tears of embarrassment, or to quietly walk away- my dear young
ones, that is the time to laugh. Instantly every problem you had is
gone. You have just turned something that would crush your ego or ruin
your reputation into something that makes the day brighter, and makes
everyone laugh. I believe it is a form of humility. A prideful person
is easily crushed when they are forced into a situation that causes
them to admit that they're not perfect. Rather, one who has already
learned this lesson well, will accept in a moment their mistake, and
laugh it off- realizing full-well that they can do a little better next
time, or having a complete indifference towards others' thoughts of
them.
So... That being said: we laughed a lot this week.
There are those that condemn having fun. Though there is a time and
place to have fun, (the dissgresion of this is deemed maturity) there
is a time and place for it- and it's far more often than not. (The
conditional clause: so long as you are still accomplishing your
responsibilities.)
Next:
We rang a doorbell at an apartment building. No one came, so we moved
to the next.
Just after we rang the next door, the previous door started to open. My
companion got excited, as a lady stepped outside and looked around the
corner to see who had rung her doorbell. He jogged quickly back
towards her, once he crossed her line of sight, a look of terror
flashed across her face, and she scrambled inside of her apartment and
slammed the door right as Boden Choro got to it.
I couldn't help but laugh, and Boden Choro's surprised expression, and
he joined in, laughing for a good minute.
Next:
I see a girl walking down the other side of the residential street.
We often invite people to our free English class, and then once they
feel comfortable, then attack them with the Gospel. It's actually how
we get most of our investigators.
I yell to her:
"Hey! Excuse me, I have a quick question!" She stops, as I walk up to her.
Her: "What?"
Me: "Do you like English?"
Instantly- "I hate it."
Japanese people usually don't say anything directly. So I suppose her
statement should have more force if I translate it over: "I really
freaking hate it."
And, to add to her confusion of being stopped by a gaijin, I started laughing.
I put away my English flyer, and pulled out an "I am Mormon" card, and
said tried my best to talk: "Well, we also teach about Christ as
well."
Next:
We're talking with this lady who was actually studying a different
Christian religion, who used this as an excuse not to hear our message.
Me: "well, I think there's benefit in learning about other religions
for though that we can understand our own better."
Her: "You know, I would... But... My head is just too full right now."
Best excuse I've heard yet. I left her a restoration pamphlet with an
"I am Mormon" card with our number on it.
So needless to say: this week we've been doing a lot of finding.
The Christmas party went well- I told you about that at skype. We also
had a potential investigator show up to church.


(Which was good except
she, despite the fact that she was fifty, showed up in a skirt that
didn't even cover her thighs.   Sister Kimura, with her sweet Obaachan
like face of concern, throws a blanket over her legs and tucks it
around. "There you go. You   must be cold."
We tried to teach her a lesson after Church, and even said the opening
prayer to the lesson right after, but she said some excuse that I
didn't understand, and the        Kimura Fufu (who'd picked her up, and with
whom we were doing the         lesson) stood up with her and took her home.
We were given a great gift by one of the members for Christmas, squid!
Yay! We got packages of sweet and sour squid on a stick! A whole
squid. So Olsen Choro at the apartment: "Well, I might as well smell
it before I throw it away."
He takes a whiff, and gags. I sniff and jump back my nostrils burning.
"I'll give you 14 american dollars if you eat this."
"iijanai" (It means literally "Not good," but I raised the pitch at
the end (just like we do in English!) to show that it was a question-
"Why would that not be good?" that kinda feel. Why not?)
So... I got fourteen american dollars from a Canadian who would
probably have never used them. And I ate a little less during lunch
that day.
I started with the tenticals, cause I figured that'd be the worst.. It
tasted exactly like I thought it would. The hat was the best part.
Squid on a stick





because of how tough the skin on it, it had the
texture of jerky. The rest had that of a tire.
But honestly, wasn't too bad. I pretended it was worse to make Olsen
Choro feel like it was worth it to watch me eat.
I'm almost done with the Lectures on Faith. It's... not what I was
expecting. But it's still kinda good. There's just some false
doctrine in it. Like how it says the Godhead has only two personages;
that the Holy Ghost is only the mind (will) of God and Christ. But I
gave them a break because it was written ten years before the section
130 revelation was received.
But things are going well. Laughing my way though any trial that comes
my way- picking what I need to learn from it, and laughing the rest
off.
I don't know if we have any, but efy songs for guitar? or guitar hymns?
like that you could scan or email?
I'm on a quest for boots because the snow has started coming down like
crazy. (I've been shoving hand warmers in my shoes. GO MISSIONARY
POWER!!!) I haven't found any. And the members are doubtful that I
will with my size. It kinda difficult to find time to get boots too,
despite their importance. We were forbidden by our Branch President to
ride our bikes in the snow, so.. to get to a good store takes a good
45 minute walk. But today we decided to go to a second hand store, so
I'll check out the boots there. If not, I'll sent you an email.
Man, I love the Lord.
I love everything that He's given me, and I've grown closer to Him
every day. Pray for us to find someone- and for our investigators.
Murakoshi san: a sixty something Buddhist woman who is sweet and willing
to do everything to learn, but still a little hesitant about leaving
her traditions. Feels the Spirit strongly. Pray for us to understand
her Japanese as well.
Tsugiyama san- A forty something not-married woman who comes to
English class every week. She's super busy all of the time with work,
but has been applying what we've taught her. She prays for her uncle
everyday to be healed from his sickness.
Takeya san- A late thirty's huge Japanese man. (He's almost as tall as
me) He not fat at all though. He was a cop in Tokyo and saw something
that caused him to quit his job and lock himself away from the world
and go into a depression. One of the previous Elders housed into him
and after he rejected them, to him to "have fun in Hell". From that
sparked a question about the Gospel, and from meeting with us he's
coming out of his depression. He came to the Christmas party and told
us after the prayer for the food that he just wants to pray again
because he so happy. He came to Church yesterday, and he's beaming with
the Light of Christ. He said he came just to see our faces. :) aww...
Kinda...
Pray for them all!! I don't like requesting, but there's power in prayer.
I love you all! Keep choosing the right!
Theran: I wrote you a letter. I think you're amazing. Hopefully I can send it.
Sean: Your a stud muffin. Email me.
Jake: I'm ironically not going to say anything to make you feel guilty.
Other friends: I'm sorry that I didn't specifically name you.
Mom: You're amazing and sweet. I appreciate everything you've ever done
for me. I can even begin to list or express my thanks for everything.
Dad: Thank you for the example you've been to me in Humility and Hard
work. Your worthiness and Priesthood power will impact far more than
you ever imagined.
Skyler: I miss you, and our talks. Good luck with the job hunting. :)
Fang: You're so amazing, and perfect for my brother. You the best
Tai-sister I've ever had. :) I miss your cooking.
Austin: You... Oh you. Thank you for being the excellent example that
you are. :) Keep gaman-ing though life.
Brandon: You beautiful little boy... that's bigger than me. When you
get back off your mission I want to arm wrestle. Study the Gospel now.
From the PMG. The Order of the lessons is far more important than you
think. I've spent almost 6 months pondering about it.
Jeremy: Oh you ginger. I told the other missionaries some of your
jokes They all want to meet you.
Brandon's advice plus- be careful around girls. 
Rachel: you're just the sweetest and the cutest. Thanks for being
amazing to everyone else. I miss our philosophical discussions about
worlds on the other side of mirrors, and other such things. :) Draw a
picture of me.
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!