Japanese dish soap tastes like sprite! 日本の中性洗剤はスプライトの味！

Date: August 31, 2015

Area: Nonami, Aichi

Companion: Elder Mahoney

日付: 2015年8月31日

赴任地: 名古屋市野並

同僚: マホニー長老

August 25, 2015 

So the area close to our apartment has been dendoed (tracted) pretty hard so we decided that we need to hit the further reaches of the galaxy. So we biked an hour east to the border of our area and met a less active there. Then, due to Elder Mahoney feeling sick, we took a break for a while. Also there's a typhoon in the area so it's really windy today. Then we visited a few other people but they weren't home. Then we came home and MADE TWENTY SERVINGS OF CURRYYYYY!!! But those are Japanese servings so really it's probably eight servings. 

8月25日

この私達のアパート付近は前にいた宣教師達がかなりカバーしたので、野並伝道地区の一番東の果てまで自転車で1時間くらいこいで行きました。そこでお休み教会員の方を訪問し、マホニー長老の調子がちょっと良くなかったので、しばし休憩。今台風がこちらの方に来ていて、それで今日は風がかなりキツイんですよ。それからもう後数件訪問したんですがみんな不在で、しょうがないので家に帰って20人分のカレーを作りました。これは日本人用の分量なので、多分実際は8人分くらいなんじゃないかなぁ。

August 26, 2015 

So we've eaten a total of four consecutive meals of straight up curry. Yep. Every single meal since we made the stuff has just been curry. ITS GLORIOUS.

 I GOTS A VIOLIIIIINN!!! So we went to teach English class tonight at the church and Inagi kyodai (Bro. Inagi) came to join us as usual. He's a music teacher and plays a bunch of instruments and he brought me a violin!! He said I will get to play in church soon. We got to jam for a minute together (he played the little electric piano/synth the church had in the class room). Music is awesome. Curry is awesome. We made cookies and took them to a less active. I almost got hit by a car last night. It rained really hard today while we were studying. Running red lights is bad. ALSO INAGI KYODAI GAVE US HOME GROWN RICE!! My companion is playing a tiny red toy piano on his futon. Vegemite chocolate is actually pretty good. Bologna from Gyomu's (Gyomu Super - local grocery store) tastes like plastic. It probably is. It was really cheap. I'm feeling super random. It was a good day!! 

Elder Mahoney likes train crossings. (I like trains :) 

8月26日

昨日から4食続けてカレーを食べています。そうです、昨日あれから毎食カレーなんです。最高ですよ〜。

バイオリンが借りれました！！！今晩何時ものように稲城兄弟が英会話に参加して下さったですが、その時にわざわざ持って来て下さったんです。彼は音楽の先生をしていらっしゃって、色んな楽器が弾けるんですよ。ちょっとだけ稲城兄弟が電子ピアノを弾いてくれて、ジャムセッションをしました。近いうち教会でも弾く機会があるだろうと言っていました。音楽っていいですね！カレーも最高！クッキーを作って、おやすみ教会員に持って行きました。昨日、車に危うくひかれそうになったんですよ。それから稲城兄弟から彼が自分で作ったお米を頂きました‼︎ 私の同僚は布団の上で赤いオモチャのピアノを弾いています。チョコレート味のベジマイトは結構いけます。業務スーパーのサンドイッチのハムはプラスチックの味がします。きっと本当はプラスチックなんだと思います。凄い安かったからね。今日は全く一貫性がない事を思いついたまま書いてます。今日はいい1日でした。マホニー長老は踏み切りが大好きです。(私も電車が好きです)

August 27, 2015 

KAITENZUSHIIIII!!! (Kaiten-zushi is a sushi restaurant where the plates with the sushi are placed on a rotating conveyor belt or moat that winds through the restaurant and moves past every table and counter seat. Fast food sushi is what it is basically.) An elder brother from the branch took us out for kaitenzushi today! It was really good. Then he drove us all over the area looking for less actives who were home. Non of them were though so we didn't get to teach anyone. WE ALMOST DIED THOUGH. He was kind of a scary, absent minded driver so we almost got hit by a semi, drove up on the sidewalk a little bit, he PARKED in the turning lane at a red light and got out of the car to get something from the back and a bunch of other crazy things. Also we got honked at a lot and weaved in between lanes quite a bit. It was great! I love that guy! 

Then we had kids English class at Sister Kondo's! We had a good turn out and it was fun. Brother Sasai prepared a kingyo sukui (kingyo is goldfish and sukui is scooping) sort of game with little water balloons instead of live fish in a bunch of mini inflatable swimming pools out in the driveway. The kids loved it! Then the kids went home and we ate dinner, shared a message and played with sister Kondo's cat. She gave us a ton of cold, fresh Nashi (Asian pears) that she had bought fresh from a grower yesterday! IT WAS INCREDIBLE. She gave us a few to take home :) 

8月27日

回転寿司〜〜！今日は年配の教会員の方が回転寿司に連れて行って下さいました。美味しかったですよ！食事の後、お休み教会員を巡っていろいろなところへ行ったんですが、どこも留守で、残念ながら結局誰にもレッスンする事が出来ませんでした。彼の運転は結構クレイジーで、最高でしたよ！かなりスリリングな経験で楽しかったです。彼は最高ですよー！

その後近藤姉妹のお宅でやっている子供英会話へ行き、結構沢山の子が来てくれて、楽しかったです。佐々木兄弟がヨーヨーすくいをやってくれて、子供達はみんな大喜びでした。子供達が帰った後食事を頂いて、メッセージを伝えて近藤姉妹の猫と遊びました。市場で昨日買ったばかりの梨を一杯よばれました！めっちゃくちゃ美味しかったです！お土産にともう少し持たせてくれました。

August 28, 2015

I placed a Book of Mormon today! We went to District meeting in Meito (I LOVE OUR DISTRICT LEADERS). We talked about the Atonement and how it applies to missionary work and we watched a motivational video on OYMing (Open Your Mouth) which pretty much just means talking to everyone. It was super good! I was feeling good and motivated so on the way home I talked to this kid on the train. And he accepted a Book of Mormon! I was so excited! I'm not sure how much he understood but hopefully he at least reads it. Then we stayed in the apartment and did language study, dinner and weekly planning. We finally got to go out after dark. We went to where we were the drunk guy said he'd meet us but he wasn't there haha. Then we wandered around the eki (train station) and handed out English class flyers. It rained pretty hard earlier today. Probably enough to count as my first actual rainstorm. Also we went out for Chinese food! It wasn't that good though and cost me half of my grocery money (haha I didn't budget very well this month). 

8月28日

今日、なんとモルモン書を渡す事が出来ました！名東でディストリクトミーティングがあって、(ここのディストリクトリーダー達が大好きです)今日のテーマはイエスキリスト様の贖いについてでしたが、それがどう伝道活動と関連しているかという話やOYM (open your mouth -出来るだけ沢山の人達に話しかける) についてのビデオを見たりしました。とてもやる気を奮い立たせてくれる素晴らしいレッスンでした！という事で、やる気満々になった帰り道、電車の中である人に話し掛けてなんとモルモン書を受け取ってもらえました！すっごく嬉しかったです！どれだけ彼が私の言ったことを理解してくれたかは分かりませんが、ちょっとでも読んでくれるといいなぁ。アパートに帰って言語学習をし、夕食を食べ、今週の計画を立てた後、夜の街にまた伝道に出かけました。この間あった酔っ払いの人と待ち合わせたところに行きましたが、案の定来ず。ハハハ そして駅の辺で英会話のチラシ配りをしました。今日は結構雨が降ったんですよ。私が日本に来て初めての大雨でした。中華料理を食べにいったんですが、残念ながら大して美味しくもなく、今週分の支給金の半分くらい使ってしまいました。(今月はあまりお金の管理が上手くできませんした  ハハハ)

August 29, 2015

BAPTISM COMMITMENT!! 

We just got back from teaching Robert (Angel couldn't be there). Bernie, Robert's member friend, was there as well (he helped a TON). We had been planning and discussing and trying for the last few days to figure out exactly how we were going to try to commit Robert to baptism. We had a lesson all planned out and ready to go and when we got there, before we could even start the lesson, he told us he had randomly opened up to Mosiah 18 and decided to be baptized! No doubt Bernie and the Lord had a lot more to do with it than we did but I'm so excited for him! It was no coincidence that he opened to Mosiah 18 of all the chapters in the Book of Mormon! We still taught the lesson and felt the Spirit with him. He plans to be baptized in five weeks. I still can't believe that he just yakusokusha'd (I think this must be a missionary jargon for a person who has committed for a baptism) himself before we could even challenge him to baptism! Definitely prayers answered tonight. 

２０１５年８月２９日
バプテスマの約束ゲットーーー！
今、ロバートさんのレッスンから戻ってきました。（エンジェルさんはこれませんでした）ロバートさんの友達のバーニーさんが来てくれました。（バーニーさんは、とってもよく助けてくださいました）ここ数日、どのようにロバートにバプテスマをチャレンジすれば良いかと話し合っていたところでした。レッスンの準備も万端で、さあ始めましょうかというところで、ロバートさんが、この間聖典を読んでいるときに、たまたまモザヤ18章を開いて読み、バプテスマを受けようと決心したのだと言ってきてのです！私達が何かをしたからというのはあまり関係なく、バーニーさんと神様の影響が主で、こうなったんだとは思いますが、本当に良かったなぁと思いました。モザヤ書に行き着いたのは、偶然ではなかったと思いますよ。レッスンをし、とても御霊を感じました。バプテスマは５週後に予定しています。私達がバプテスマのチャレンジをする前に、バプテスマを受ける決心を自分から決心が出来たなんて、すごいと思います。お祈りがまた１つ、叶いました。

Then we biked home in a big rainstorm and it was SO FUN! I love biking in the rain! 

Before that we went to a young men's activity (or rather Young Man activity because we just have a single deacon in our branch). We made cookies and then played ping pong. Turns out my comp is quite good! He even holds the paddle Japanese style. 

Also today I discovered that Japanese dish soap tastes like sprite! But then the aftertaste totally tastes like soap... And then your tongue goes kinda numb. 

Well anyway we're about to celebrate our yakusokusha with fresh, cold Nashi!

August 30, 2015 

Yay for Shokujikai! (Dinner party the members in Japan do once in awhile right after church.) Today was my first one and it was fun! I made more friends in the branch! I love our branch so so much! I got asked to speak in church in a few weeks. Then we visited less actives. Then we got rained on again, but not as bad as yesterday. Yay! 

P.S. I have tried to translate some of those words. Hope they make sense to you. - Keiko

Slammin em! With actual Australian Tim tams and weird Japanese chocolate milk

Making cookies 

Katsu sandwich!

Cheap goodness

Also this bag is my very best friend!! It's easily one of the nicest ones I've seen among the missionaries. It fits EVERYTHING! Including two small hymn books, 50 Tagalog pamphlets, iPad + dasai (ugly) case, planner and my camera (he is reporting because we ended up ordering online and shipped it to the mission home. I never got to see it. -Keiko)

Young "Man" mutual activity

These are from his mission president

Aug 11, 2015 arriving missionaries