Japan week #17

Hello everyone!!

  Glad to hear everyone is doing so well!! Thanksgiving sounded awesome!! Where's my picture of Svetlana!!?? I wanna see my new cousin! I haven't gotten the sock package yet, but I FINALLY got the young women's package. That was the one where they had to incinerate the beef jerky, tell the young women I thought it was very nice. :) And Elder Lee and I have been IMMENSELY enjoying the popcorn. ;) Oh, Rachel said she'd like to keep writing me, so tell her to send me another letter so I have her address, or just get it to me or something. I'm down for writing anyone and everyone! 

  This week has been the most successful one of my mission. I feel like the past almost 3 weeks have been a trial of our faith, and we've been reaping the blessings this week. We found 3 new investigators, taught like 15 lessons, have so many appointments for next week that we won't have to do much finding, it's a way exciting time. :) We've been working hard, and now we're being blessed. We're way excited to be able to help so many people. 

  This week started off way fun. We went around on pday biking around Muroran and just having fun in the area. Muroran is so dang gorgeous, and I'm going to miss it a LOT when I get transferred out. I feel like I'm going to leave this transfer. We only have one more week till transfer calls, can you believe that? It's gone by so fast. Elder Lee and I have had WAY too much fun. :) It's been probably my most fun transfer. I LOVE Elder Harper, but Lee and I just fit like two peas in a pod. Wednesday we went on splits with the Zone Leaders, and that was a blast. I went out with Elder Hee, who trained Elder Brandolino, so that was WAY fun. I got to hang out with one of my best friends trainer, and that was really cool. :) We had a blast, and we did a lot of good work. Elder Lee and Elder Knighton went to the university here and met a TON of cool college kids with lots of interest, so we're way stoked to work with them. :) And that night, we got a fun phone call from Elder Mecham in Tomakomai telling us that.... We're in the next music night with Sister Evans! Woooohooo! So that'll be way fun. :) She's using us before she goes! That'll be fun! I'm singing bass for a couple hymns. 

    Thursday we had a regular day, nothing too crazy, but we had dinner with a member, the Yamada family. Yamada Kyodai was the bishop a few years ago, and he's way cool. I LOVE HIM. So we were teaching his family that night and he asked us where the promised land was, obviously america right, but he has young kids. But we misunderstood the question, and said Israel. :P He was like, O.O Ummm! That has been my BIGGEST language mistake as of yet. Don't mind us! Teaching false doctrine to the ex bishop! :P Way funny!

   Saturday was the best day of the week. We just had a great day, and saw a ton of miracles. We had a great morning schedule, and then went to go house a bit in a neighborhood nearby. We met a young mom who has a TON of interest in the message, and we set up an appointment with her, and we're way excited for that. After that we went to a bakery to get some victory bread for a fun week, and then we spent a few minutes feeding some ducks. :P That was way fun. We then had a lesson with our ward mission leader, and during our lesson with him we got a phone call from a former investigator saying he wanted to meet with us, and he has a ton of interest! :D We're working on getting our ward mission leader on a mission, and seeing us get a new investigator right there was a great experience for him. Sure built up his dendo fire! After that we had a lesson with our investigator Takaishi San. We met him in a donut shop and had a GREAT lesson with him. He's really come a a long way, and he's SOO close to saying yes to baptism. He wouldn't make a date again last night, but he wants to, just doesn't feel like he can, so we're working with him. During our lesson though, the donut shop was playing ONLY 80's music! I was trying so hard to stay focused! And then, right as we're finishing up the lesson, guess what song comes on. Dad, this is for you. LOVE PLUS ONE! I hear the sax come in and my face goes O.O OH MAN. Made me laugh so hard after we said good bye!

    After that lesson we were heading back to the apartment to have some dinner, and then we got a phone call from the first counselor in the bishopric, asking us if we've eaten. We say no, he says come to the church. So we go as fast as we can to the church, and they had just finished cleaning it, the priesthood of the ward. And they made some Nabe, which is a Japanese stew, and were having a MAN PARTY in the kitchen. It was EPIC! We were just hanging out with all the priesthood, eating tons of food, doing man stuff. Was WAY FUN. And we love that the sister missionaries didn't get invited, because it was a MAN party! :) I LOVE the ward here. 

  We did have one bad experience this week though. We were housing a neighborhood, and this old man comes to the door and he rejects us HARDCORE. He slams the door, and knocks my tag of my coat. So I go to start picking it up and he comes back out screaming at us, asking us what we're doing in his genkan still. And he's using the RUDEST Japanese. Talking to us like you would to a dog. He was tugging on my jacket and trying to push me and what not, so Elder Lee starts talking to me, and I'm telling him to NOT touch me, it was rough. Sometimes old people are the worst, and sometimes they're the best. 

    That was my week! Lots of fun, and lots of good is to come!

        Love, Mike!