Hungry Anyone?

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Check out this Spagetti, parsley, sausage, and chicken sandwich? (These are sold in the "conbini" or convenience stores in Japan) Enjoy your sandwich with some "Beef Kabob" flavored pringles, shown below!

(How about this tasty morsel: Inago (fried grasshopper) on rice and wrapped in toasted seaweed. Mmmmmm.)

Now, here's Martin's email dated October 27, 2009

Dear Everyone,

Its only been a little while since the last email. We took an hour out of P-day on Tuesday, and so now we can do it durring a slow time of the week. I think we will continue doing it this way for now.

Anyways, not too terribly much has happened since Saturday, but we have met some interesting people:

1. We have been running into people from every possible Japan-based religion this week.

a. ??? - (Mahikari), a nice old man who told us a little bit about Mahikari. He didnt have much time, but he said that the religion is coming out with a movie called 'The rebirth of Buddha', and he would mail us a flyer. So, if you get a random Japanese flyer in the mail, that's the story.

b. ??? - (Happy Science) nice man, very strange religion.

c. ??? - (Reiha no hikari) VERY nice guy, we exchanged pamphlets. I think this is where our Kawasaki investigator got his 'Space God' ideas from. He also talked to us about how he didnt really like other japanese religions because they are about money. Many times a popular self-help author will take his book catalogue and form a religion from them.

d. ??? - (SGI) Nice person, no interest whatsoever in our message. For some reason all Japanese-based religions have one core doctrine. 'pray for world peace'. Everyone does it.

So its been a fun experience so far.

Interjection from Missionary Mom:

Up to this point in Martin's mission, I have always included the names of his investigators on the prayer roll at the temple. It will be interesting next time I go to the temple, to write ???, ???, ???, and ??? on the list. (But I guess the Lord knows their name, even if Martin does not.)

Also, Ive recently dug up that 'fourth missionary' talk you sent me a while ago, about attitude, and it has helped me a lot recently. At the moment we still have very little to work with, with no people on the horizon, but Ive realized that I cannot get discouraged. There are so many people in our area, one of them HAS to have a hint of interest. There is someone somewhere in Kunitachi that has interest and is willing to hear a simple message someday. We will do everything we can to find them, teach them, and perhaps sometime in the future baptize them. I know its possible, we are doing our very best, and Im working harder than I have EVER done in my whole mission. I know if we continue we will be able to get an investigator.

This church is true,

Love,

Elder MArtin MUmford

TOKYOJAPAN.