日本 ( Japan)

(Elder Mumford is ready to shed his rain gear)

Dear Everyone,

Its already been another week!  It feels like I was just here emailing last week.  We went and bought coconuts again this week, because they were so delicious.  We also made coconut rice (just put it in the rice cooker with coconut milk + sugar instead of water), and put that in the coconut shells.  It was so good, and I got pictures.

The Sakura season is going to end next week.  Its a shame that it only lasts 3 weeks or so, and then all the petals simply blow away.  I got LOTS of great pictures though.  There are so many sakura parks around, and everyone just picks a day or two to sit all day under the trees (normally drinking beer) with their families.

(This Sakura photo was sent to us by the Kato Family in Japan.)  

(Photo was taken at the Ninna-temple in Kyoto, Japan)

Yesterday we had a way interesting experience.  We decided to visit our old investigator, Urushizako-san, and he was as nice as ever.  He wants to come to conference on Sunday too... but theres a problem.  The conversation turned to his DVD player that he had just bought.  He was kind of old, and didnt know how to set it up, so we offered to hook it up (red wire in the red hole and such).  So we got it working, and he wants to test it out with a DVD.  So he goes back into the back room, searches around for a bit and brings out a DVD of ... questionable repute.  "Will this work?" he says...  "Aaah! no no no that wont work, put that away!", and he just laughs and puts it back.  Apparently he has a very large collection of rather disreputable materials back there.  Its just that living as a missionary, you sort of forget that that kind of stuff even exists in the world, and it was just so shocking I didnt even know what to think.  So... we are going to have to teach the law of chastity sooner than we anticipated.

But, he had a good time at church and seems to recognize that there is something about this religion that is different from the others.  He loves to read and I think he will enjoy the Book of Mormon.  We'll see!

He has also been named 'the C.C. Lemon Guy' because every time we come he pours us a huge class of C.C. Lemon.  Yesterday, we saw probably 15 or so empty 2-liter bottles of it that he had drunken himself in just a week.

(C.C. lemon, a popular soft drink in Japan.  The bottle claims to contain a the same amount of vitamin C as 70 lemons.)

Also, Ishitani-san is starting to avoid us.  He said he would call us first if he ever wanted to meet again :(

So, we're back to finding more people.  I guess its better to have a large group of people we are teaching who are constantly dropping out and new people coming in, than one or two 'eternal investigators' who arent willing to change, but like the missionaries a lot.

But on that note, we are still finding a lot of people recently.   Every day is a new day to find more people, and maybe one of them is ready to hear what we have to say.

General Conference is this coming up, so I cant wait! Conference is a lot more exiting to missionaries than everyone else I think, because its just such a special event that is completely different from normal.

(Melon Pan: yes, it's melon flavored bread- very popular in Japan!)

Im still eating lots of Melon Pan (its the best!) and drinking lots of sports drinks here.  Im starting to feel the onset of summer now, all the days are hot and it doesnt rain anymore.  I can feel the humidity now.

(Summer time in Japan is terribly hot and humid, and air conditioning is rare!)

I asked some of the older missionaries, on how they deal with the brutal summers, and I got some good advice.

1. DRINK A LOT, and take BREAKS durring the day.  This isnt a suggestion, its a commandment.  If you get too hot, you simply  must get inside, get cool, and drink something before going out again.

2. Always put something plastic between your shirt and your Flyers that you give out.  You dont want them to be sweaty when you hand them to people.

Also as for when it gets hot, someone said;  'April is warm, with some hot days; May is very warm, lots of hot days; and then you hit a day early in June thats just unescapably, unbearably HOT.  And after that begins what Sister Hill calls 'The worst 90 days of your mission'".  

Its good to keep hearing about all the events at home.  It sounds like a lot of fun!    I also am starting to put together a Mothers Day package, so hold out a little longer! :)  

This week was swamped with letters from family, thank you so much!  It always makes a missionary's day! :)  Its going by so fast I can hardly believe it.  The weeks rush by, the months just cruise past, I dont know what to think.  Everyone says that the longer you have been here, the faster it goes.  Thats definitely true so far!

I love Kawasaki and all the people in this area.  I wonder whether or not I will have to leave next transfer, and I hope I can stay.  But wherever I go Ill be happy in the end.

Im learning a lot (of Japanese and everything else).  Our purpose here is focused on others, but I think when its over Ill look back and see just how much this has benifited me.  Good luck everyone!  Have a great week wherever you are!

-Love,

Elder Martin Mumford

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