Sunday, March 26, 2017

2017 03 26 It's Cold and Rainy





Konichiwa!
New area, new adventures, and Rain

Monday (月 Getsu 曜日yobi):
Normal Pday, we did get a RA (Return Appointment) for Wednesday and that was way cool.


Salad from Rara(Indo curry place)

Mango Lashy

Tuesday (火 Moku 曜日yobi):
Well it's been an interesting week. Most of it has actually been pretty normal, except for the fact that it's been rainy like ALL WEEK! We have Eikaiwa (english conversation class) on Tuesday so we didn't でんどう (Dendo - tracking) a ton but we did play Ping-Pong because why not?


Fantastic Indo Curry with nan

A ton of jacket left behind by missionaries that we are trying to get rid of
the member really didn't want to be in the picture

Wednesday (水 Sui 曜日yobi):
We spent a good amount of the afternoon cleaning out the Area Book because there were a TON of records in there that are useless.


trip to Joyful

trip to Joyful

Thursday (木 Moku 曜日yobi):
We decided to stay in to do weekly planning and that was a BAD idea because we got bored and a bit antsy. We were inside ALL DAY and Eikaiwa was super small (probably because of the rain).

Friday (金 Kin 曜日yobi):
We had a lesson with a potential investigator BUUUUUUUT, she dropped us. So we went to a restaurant called Joyful to drown our sorrows, pretty good food.


Tonkatsu, WAY good

My Easter eggs

Saturday (土 do 曜日yobi):
We had a RA (Return Appointment) at the church at like 10, but they were a no show.  We got a call from Aoki Kaichou (Kaichou is president) asking when we wanted to go down to Kushikino, and we were like, “Ummm, yeah, now is good”. So, we でんどう (Dendo - tracking) all day down there and it was pretty cool and Aoki Kaichou even bought us lunch and dinner.


The beach in Kushikino

The beach in Kushikino

Sunday (日 nichi 曜日yobi):
Normal Sunday. I gave a bit of an introduction as my talk today and after church finished the branch started to do a family history class. We didn't stay because some members wanted us to help them visit some less active members. So, they gave us a ride to their house and then we went with them as they visited some Less Active members as part of Home/Visiting teaching. Then we helped with the Sister's English class and made some Easter eggs. Last Night, CRAZY storm. It hailed SO hard it woke me and Elder Voorhees up! And the thunder was just as bad, I think we are actually approach rainy season so, that is going to be a TON of fun.

Monday, March 20, 2017

2017 03 20 Sendai is NOT Nago






Konichiwa!
I've been now in my second area for about a week now and it has been freezing cold and rainy and its suit season again. It's been an interesting week though.


Tuesday (火 Moku 曜日yobi):
I woke up and went straight to the airport. Traffic was pretty bad getting there and we had some trouble finding out how to get my ticket. When it was all sorted out and I had gone through security, I had to RUN to my plane! but made it on time. It was a pretty short flight and I got my luggage okay. I was met by the senior missionaries for Kagoshima, the Packers, who are from AZ and actually live near Mountain View. We took the scenic route to Sendai (the name of the city is actually Satsumasendai), it actually was pretty cool. We got to Sendai and then the packers took us out for Indo curry. WAY GOOD. Then they took the Elder that needed to go home to the bus terminal and then me and Elder Voorhees (my new companion) did some でんどう(Dendo - tracking). Today was also Elder Voorhees' birthday and some members from Kagoshima that he served with took us out to dinner at a Hamazushi. They also do a Tuesday Eikaiwa  (english conversation class) too so, we did that too.



Benimo tart (made from potatoes)

fantastic members that feed us twice this week


Wednesday (水 Sui 曜日yobi):
でんどう (Dendo - tracking) all day long and it was cold. I sent some of my luggage by mail before leaving Okinawa and that showed up today, that was way nice.


Thursday (木 Moku 曜日yobi):
First we had district meeting in the afternoon after that we had Indo Curry (love that place) and then we had じゅんかい (Junkai - tour? Going around?) right afterwards which went about 4-7 because of Thursday Eikaiwa. Way fun day and still cold


Friday (金 Kin 曜日yobi):
We had lunch with a Less Active and the meal was seafood spaghetti, YUP! During lunch we got a call saying that my bike had showed up which was fantastic. Then we でんどう (Dendo - tracking) all night long.



The district

The district


Saturday (土 do 曜日yobi):
The highlight from today is that I did a Mogi (the word means “imitation” but is used by the missionaries to mean a “role play” or “practice”) lesson with some members and well, it was a good experience. And then the normal hours of でんどう(Dendo - tracking)


Sunday (日 nichi 曜日yobi):
For Stake Conference today we had to travel down to Kagoshima, but luckily some members gave us a ride. It was a pretty good Stake conference and I got to meet some new people and see Swapp 長老 (Choro - Elder, from the MTC district) again and that was pretty cool. After the Conference was over the same members that took us out to eat on Tuesday had a lunch with all the missionaries that they served with and of course their companions. It was way good. We went out to でんどう (Dendo - tracking) when we got back and normal day but we did see this guy shadow boxing on the street and we stopped to talk with him. He said he had some interest in meeting with us but since he was exercising at the moment that he couldn't meet right then. So we asked if we could meet him again some other time and he was said something like "sure, I live in the same apartment as you two". So we now might be teaching one of our neighbors!



spaghetti with prawn and shrimp

weird snack thing that was left by the other elder, taste like it is made of a potato

horse meat, actually not bad

Yennies (1¥) for days


Monday (月 Getsu 曜日yobi):
Rainy, cold and sad day. Any Monday that ISN’T a PDay is a sad day. For afternoon でんどう (Dendo - tracking) we decided to take a trip and kinda picked a direction and biked, in the rain and wind. It was pretty cool by the time we stopped to でんどう (Dendo - tracking) the wind got super bad.

Well Sendai in Kagoshima is going to be a fun place, cold and wet defiantly not home or Nago.

My companion accidentally rubbed some super spicy hot sauce in his eye. Here's a video of his experience.



Sunday, March 12, 2017

2017 03 12 びっくり (SURPRISED!)



Konichiwa!
SO, last week I ended my email with saying that this week was going to be uninteresting, NOPE. I couldn't be more surprised. There were a ton of cool experiences this week but if you want the biggest surprise just skip to the end... actually you'll have to read it to find out. Oh, and we’re still on walking everywhere.


Monday (月 Getsu 曜日yobi):
Normal Pday, we did get a RA (Return Appointment) for Wednesday and that was way cool.


Tuesday (火 Moku 曜日yobi):
We had a pretty good DM (District Meeting) in the morning. Then after that, a member took us out to eat at a WAY nice restaurant and it was WAY good. Evening でんどう (Dendo - tracking) we found Matsuda, who is what we call a 金人 (KinJin - literal translation = gold person ie golden investigator) or prepared person and we have a RA (Return Appointment) with her on Wednesday along with our previous RA.


the food at the restaurant
the member really didn't want to be in the picture


Wednesday (水 Sui 曜日yobi):
We had our RA tonight, (the guy from Monday), but did answer. So we met up with Matsuda and she was home so we taught her the 1 Lesson. She seemed pretty excited to meet with us.


Thursday (木 Moku 曜日yobi):
We also so had a RA today with a young Mother that we had met last week. She was way cool too but.....she is moving, very soon. So, we are going to visit her a couple more times and then refer her to the missionaries where she is moving to. Eikaiwa (english conversation class) was normal, no one was there for the first 10 minutes so we were a little worried.


Friday (金 Kin 曜日yobi):
Remember last we when Elder Lords’ bike broke and we have to walk everywhere? And we found the Book of Mormon battles card game and we were going to challenge each other while we  でんどう (Dendo - tracking)? Well, it turns out that Elder Lords knows his BOM heroes pretty good. So instead of challenging each other while we contacted people, we actually read ALL of the Book of Ether during でんどう (Dendo - tracking) and that was way fun. We also went to go visit Matsuda and finished up Lesson 1. Like I said, she is WAY 金人 (KinJin - golden investigator) because she was asking us questions, like about what she was feeling as we were talking to her!!! 金人!!!!!!!!! She also told us that she never answers the door if she wasn't expecting anyone so that's another miracle that she even did opened the door for us!


Giant bonsai or am I shrinking?
random giant Bonsai tree we found while tracking


Saturday (土 do 曜日yobi):
It was raining WAY hard this morning. It let up just in time for Basketball in the afternoon. We stopped at the church for something and I checked the missionary homepage and saw we had a referral. So, we called the number but there was no answer. AND, no one was there for basketball so we decided to just practice a bit. Then, out of nowhere, we got a call and it was our referral! She lives close by so she came on down to talk with us. We talked with her mostly BRT (Build a Relationship of Trust) but we did answer some questions about the Plan of Salvation. Way cool experience.


Sunday (日 nichi 曜日yobi):
So, a ton of しょくじ (Shokuji - meal, although it may also be missionary slang for a member referral) today. First one was held after church because a family was moving out and some cool people came. The first guy we met was a convert that Elder Lords baptized last year! The other person we met was a LA (Less Active) mom we had been trying to visit since I got to Nago. After that we got a message from Elder Bankester saying I had left behind some peanut butter from our last visit to Okinawa and he was bringing it up to me. We also so had a しょくじ (Shokuji - meal) in the evening with the Kasamura couple. We went ahead an set out to でんどう (Dendo - tracking) before they came and on the way back we got a call from our mission president, President Egan, and he wanted to talk with me..........


When he found out we had a しょくじ (Shokuji - meal) he said to call him later. The しょくじ (Shokuji - meal) was way good and we had another surprise with that. Kasamura Shimai (Shimai means “Sister”) had invited 2 of her students to join us. It was way fun and way good food.


しょくじ (Shokuji - meal) at the Kasamura's


So to recap - We’ve had actual return appointments, we met a golden investigator, we actually met the less active member that we were tracking down, we went to an appointment and they brought TWO extra friends to meet us. Everything is looking great here in Nago. So when we got back we called President Egan right away and you know what he told me? …….


Emergency Transfer!


I'm going up to Sendai on Tuesday. Yep, I am being transfered up to Sendai tomorrow and I have to pack all today pretty much. Right when things are getting way cool in Nago I've got to leave, darn it.


*NOTE FROM BLOG TRANSCRIBER AKA Elder Spencer’s Dad


WHAT!?!?!? So I served my mission in the Sendai Japan mission. I am THRILLED that Spencer was called to serve in the Japan Fukuoka mission, but now he’s being transferred to a new mission?!?! To MY old mission!! This is just AMAZING, and wild, and crazy, and wait… why is this happening? Why didn’t we hear this information from Spencer’s mission president? Or why didn’t we hear from his NEW mission president from the Sendai mission? Spencer sent me an email separate from the big group message. We were able to chat back and forth a bit in that email and I’ll include the information here.


Elder Spencer:
Hey, I'm transferring to Sendai tomorrow
Dad:
WHAT!?!?!?
That's a completely different mission!?!?!!
Elder Spencer:
Not a joke
Dad:
Well, I didn't think that it was a joke for sure, but Holy Cow?!?!? I'm so excited that you're going
to my old mission, but we'll have to get you a winter coat or something!
That's pretty incredible. So I guess that we'll be sending you care packages to Sendai
mission now. I just looked it up and the mission president is President Jeffrey R. Smith
Elder Spencer:
Actually that was a bit misleading. There is an area in the Kagoshima Prefecture called
Satsumasendai but everyone calls it “Sendai”. It’s still in the Fukuoka mission but I
am legitimately getting on a plane tomorrow and fly up to the Kagoshima area to serve
in Satsumasendai.
Dad:
Jerk
JUST KIDDING. I love you anyways. ;D
Elder Spencer:
I have to fly by myself and I can't read Japanese...
Dad:
It can be super scary, but make a note card with the basic sort of questions on it so that
you can have it for quick reference. my first area was a long bus ride all by myself.
Just don't ask people for the flight to Sendai!!  they will be just as confused as we were and
may steer you in the wrong direction. You've been training for this moment my son!
GO! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

So all that crazy stress, and he was just teasing us. LOVE that kid!