Life is pointless without service

Well, I've moved to a new area and all of that stuff. 

I moved from Aomori ken (blue forest prefecture) to Akita ken (Autumn field prefecture) and now I'm in Odate shi. (Large... center/ building?) 

Ya apparently there was a giant castle out here, but it burned down... So now there's nothing. Laugh. 

That's a joke. People told me I was going to the most rural part in our mission, and so I was expecting the worst- but ya, if you compare this place to Morgan... this place is New York City. It's got a mall and street lights and everything. 

I always tell people the town that I'm from doesn't even have a street light (don't tell me they got one) and they just about drop the things they're holding, or they jaw. 

Yep. 

Well, we went to sendai, and I met a bunch of my old companions so that was way good and stuff. During lunch I ran over to a book store and bought some more Japanese books- that's seriously all I do with my extra time, just flip though grammar books and stuff. 

I've some how been able to convince everyone here that I'm 'fluent' in Japanese. (In our district of 6 only my comp and I are gaijin, everyone else is Japanese) 

So, yep. 

I was walking down the road and I said hello to an older woman, which isn't that impressive, then I said 'samui desu ne' 'It's cold, isn't it?' and she almost fell over screaming about how fluent I am. 

I think everyone here that's ever seen a gaijin, has never actually seen one that can speak Japanese... maybe? 

We took the train into a neighboring city to do a kid's English class, and they freaking out at my Japanese. 'perapera ja-nn' 

A member asked Elder Fukuchi if I could speak Japanese at the shokujikai (meal party) after church, and he said 

"hai hai, kare wa oishii" 'Ya, he's delicious' for some reason...? 

I think he meant to say 'umai' instead of 'oishii' the former meaning both 'really good' and 'delicious' and the latter meaning only delicious in the food sense....? It was funny. 

But I still can't read or write. 

Anyways- 

I went to buy some boots, because the snow here is rediculous here. There's so little space, everyone opens up like the sewer drains (kana?) and stuff and dumps the snow in. The snow piles up on the sides of the street too, so even though it melted a bit the other day, it's still about up to my chest. 

But the normal snow is only about up to our knees. So ya. I went to buy some boots, and I tired on their biggest XL size and it's still too small, so I took it up to the guy and the counter and asked him if he had any bigger sizes, and he just started cracking up laughing. 

Yep, so I went with that. My feet hurt, but hey, it was only 2000yen. And with the exchange rate being in favor of the dollar, means it's probably only like 16 bucks. Yay. Cheaper is better. 

We were at McD for lunch, and these five high school guys came in. 

I've gotten sick of teaching old people so I'm going crazy and focusing on young people. (Sure I'll still talk to and teach the older people, but I yuusen the younger over the older. I... put the younger over the older(?). 

So I was debating in my mind whether or not to talk with all of them. 

I felt like I should, and part of me wanted to, but then the other part of me just wanted to enjoy my lunch/ language study time (because we've been so busy), at that moment I felt like I lacked courage, power, the right kind of words- but then I just said a little prayer that though the atonement that I could do it, and bam! No fears, I talked with all of them, it was way cool, I gave them all cards about Christ. 

The atonement works. Ya'll can dendo. (I picked up ya'll from my last, last companion.) 

What else..? 

I've been wearing a santa hat and using it to talk to people about Christmas. It pretty great. 

Ummm... 

I love missionary work. It's actually really fun.  

Japan is cool because: (I'll do one thing a week) 

We've got sented toilet paper. It smells like cupcakes.

We visited this member in the hospital to give him the sacrament yesterday. 

His name is Brother Sasaki, and he's amazing. 

He's 70 or so, and he's been put in the ward where all of the dying people go. 

It looked like he was going to die, but he's made a slow recovery and has to be transferred to a different city to go to a retirement home because the one here is full. 

We came and his eyes welled up with tears. (oh by the way he's fluent in English) 

and he said 'no, man. I told you guys to stop coming. Why did you come?' 

I took his hand and said 'we came because we love you Sasaki Kyodai, and because God loves you.' 

We gave him the sacrament and talked for a bit. He's such a cool guy. He was the former branch president here. 

He said he hates the food there, and he just wishes he could walk to he could take us out to lunch or dinner. He said when he recovers and gets back to Odate he will. 

I told him I'd come back to Japan sometime, and I'd take him to lunch. 

I felt such an immense amount of love for that little man, with a clear mind and a deteriorating body. 

And even in such a dark place where people were screaming, and gurgling their own blood- this man was a light as bright as the sun. He lit up the room. I want to be a man like him... ah amazing.

I took a picture with him. I forgot my adapter so I'll sent it next week. 

We went to help this member at her butchery- we cleaned all of the machines. We were crazy boots, suits, and stuff so we wouldn't get all the chunks of meat and fat all over us... it was sweet. 

Um...  Merry Christmas everyone. 

I love you all! 

Life is pointless without service for other people. 

Elder Wheelwright