Japan Week 14

Dear Family,

My Japanese is steadily improving.  I think it has a lot to do with having a Japanese companion, and speaking Japanese all the time! :)

It's not nearly as bad as I thought, because instead of having no clue what anyone is saying, I can pick out the words I don't know now.  Sometimes I even pick up the grammars I don't know.  I carry a little notebook always so I can write them down and look up tomorrow in Language Study.

(Martin Discovers tasty TAKO- Japanese for octopus!)

Japanese uses Katakana versions of english words all the time, but it usually ends up making things harder.  It's like those word games where you squish multiple words together and have to sound it out multiple times before you can figure out what the real words are.  For example, try "Aabanesuteeto", which comes from "urban estate".

Another odddity that I see a lot, is hair salons.  It seems the official title of a hair salon is a "hair and make", followed by the name of the salon.  So, walking around, you see "Hair and Make: Ash", "Hair and Make: Get's", "Hair and Make: Really", and my personal favorite, "Hair and Make: Of ".

Thanks for the BYU talk, by the way.  That really was the perfect answer I was looking for at the time. About language AND the gospel, it really helped. (Click here to read this great talk. -Or- Click here to listen to this great talk.)

Also, it is Elder Fukuda's birthday on the 25th of Feb.  He will be turning 20!

This week was interesting, getting to know Kawasaki.  I got to meet a fraction of the members durring the week and at church, but there are so many!  Its kind of a culture shock jumping from a branch of 25 people to a ward of over 90.  Its certainly easier to give a self-introduction in front of the branch, than the ward.  

 

This transfer is the hardest I have ever worked so far.  Elder Fukuda is a very hard worker, and each night we basically wobble back to the appartment and collapse with exhaustion.  There is no flat land in Kawasaki.  You are either going up a hill, or down it, and somehow it always works out that there are more ups than downs.

We are currently meeting with Tamaki-san, our new (almost progressing) investigator.  He moved here a year ago, because his daughter got in a car accident and lost a leg.  He is extremely nice, and wants to learn.  He LOVES to pray and wants to pray each time we come, and always is very grateful for us coming.  He speaks very good english, because he lived in America for 10 years.

Also, our newest investigator is Fujii-san.  I dont know much about him, but he is very interested in business, and church, and we taught him about the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon.

Which brings our investigators up to 2.  If possible, please keep these people in your thoughts when you pray.  I really want to see them accept the gospel.

Thanks for everything!  Sorry about the short letter (again).  I think Ill write a real (paper) letter this transfer, when I know Ill have enough time.  Thanks for all the support everybody!

Good luck!

Love you,

-Elder Martin Mumford

-Tokyo, JAPAN! (I still can't believe it)