Heavenly Father help all of these people

So... New Years week is probably one of the oddest for missionaries in Asia. 

We taught some lessons on Tuesday- 

So odd things are happening- I got a call from the President one day this week- 

Since there is only one Mel. Priesthood holder in this branch two of the missionaries in the district have to be his first and second councilors. The mission president usually assigns them- but for some reason, the district president assigned the two Japanese elders to be the first and second councilors- and we sustained them in church... 

But so ya, in the call he, the president,  told me that whoever had done that was out of the direction of his authority, and that we also don't sustain missionaries in this situation- so he told me that I was the second councilor. 

So ya. That was kind of funny. 

On Wednesday- yep, we stayed in the apartment all day- which sounds way weird, but I'll explain why- 

Japanese people don't get Christmas off work or anything. Instead they get it off on new years. Everyone instead of partying with their friends, get's together as a family, and on the thirty first they do the O-soji (lit. big cleaning) they clean up their houses and get ready for the fresh start that comes with a new year. 

So, we were told by our mission President to do the same. We cleaned up our apartment like crazy (it took a long time)... 

Hasebe Kyodai needed help with 'getting rid of some snow'. Which turned out to be climbing on his slippery two story roof and pushing the two or three feet of snow off of it.... So we did that... I almost fell off, but it was fun! 

Then I studied Japanese. 

Then the next day we woke up, studied. When to the locial shrine to understand their customs... 

Which everyone in Japan goes to the shrine, passes though the tori gate that represents going into a new world- and we went to the 'house of (the local) god'- we waited in line, rang the bell to get the god's attention, threw a coin in, clapped twice, bowed- and then I was supposed to pray to the pagin deity, but I asked Heavenly Father to help all of these people, then clapped again to finish and walked away. 

I got my fortune, and though last year I got the best you could get, this year I got a normal one. If you get a bad one, you tie it on these fence and pray that the gods will take it away. 

Then we stood there for a bit, and went home. 

Then as were were told, read 3rd nephi, and bam. Made some goals for the new year. 

We went over to myuto-kun's house, and his grandma made us kiritanpo (some sweet crushed rice rolls in soup). Then we cleaned her butchery. It smelled like meat... WAHOO! 

Then Myuto-Kun said he'd come to church. So he did. 

It was awesome. We just hung out. (He's 13) 

He's a little cub that does what he wants. He hugs us, and we do ninja fights and stuff. He's hilarious. 

His parents hate the church so they won't let him get baptized. 

Meh. 

That's my week. I'm gunna cut my hair today. 

see ya'll next week. 

Elder Wheelwright