February 16, 2010

Dear Family,

Things are going well. I have to give my first full lesson this Thursday in nihongo dake (Japanese only). It will be intense. Jacob it's like those skits you have to do in Spanish class for your finals....but for 35 minutes. Oh, and someone's soul is on the line. Also for 15 minutes before I have to PRETEND like I'm eating and we have to talk about what we are eating. I'm learning another written language. I started yesterday. I'm almost done. I'm amazed at how fast I’m doing it. Its 46 characters and then I have to know how they are modified with quotations and a degree mark. So on day 30 of the MTC I discovered for myself that Japanese has a comma. Someone probably could have mentioned that before since it resets the subject. There are soooo many gaps in our knowledge that we just aren't informed of.

So just to show that I'm still a brilliant inventor I would like to share an idea that I came up with this week. It's a shirt that doesn't change colors when it gets wet. What application does this have you may ask? Well those guys at the gym that have severe pit sweat. No one would know. Brilliant.

So my Sensei can say the first vision in 18 seconds. It's ridiculous. We asked him to do it that fast. He wasn't reading either. It was from memory. I will try to print off some pictures this week and send them around. Our sempai left yesterday morning (the transfer before us) and it really sad. We are the only ones left. It's a lot of responsibility now. Especially since we have to be the sempai when the new elders and sisters come. I did a Where's Waldo thing with me. I'm in tons of pictures in the back. I like making a game out of it.

I saw the Christensens (Kert our former Bishop) this week. They have probably told you by now. He was here for a conference. They dropped by to see his father. It blew my mind to see them in line at lunch. I didn't even know what to do. It felt so weird. I'm doing well. Time seems to be going fast and the language is coming all right.

One quick story. We thought this elder looked like Elder boss and he didn't believe us and it was at dinner so I couldn't take out m camera. My companion and I were going into a bathroom and I saw this elder walking out and so I told my companion that I would wait outside. This elder was also waiting for his companion. SO I took out my camera and turned it on and then turned the flash off. He looked at me so I turned it to viewing pictures. Then this REALLY inappropriately dressed girl walked by with her boyfriend. She was there for the devotional I guess. They were visitors. So then I saw them talking and I was like here is my chance. So the elder looked away and I turned it back to taking pictures but I didn't realize that it turned my flash back on....along with my redeye flash. So it double flashed and I stood there looking really stupid...I got the picture though.

One other funny story to end it is that Elder Stachowski dropped a book on my head during the middle of the night. It wasn't even physically possible how it bounced off the dresser and then landed on my head. I am going to go.

Have a great week. I'm so happy about how things are going at home. Things that I have specifically prayed for have happened. EVERYTHING I’ve prayed for has happened.

Love you all. Have a great week.