Typhoon Roke

September 25, 2011

Shelom!

Yes, the typhoon was ridiculous! Haha we had to stay inside all day Wednesday.  I never left the apartment, it was miserable.  But last Monday night when it started, we were about 12 miles away from the apartment and it started before we headed back, so ya we got soaked haha.  And on Tuesday we went to visit a less active and went through a puddle about 18 inches high and the less active was like 'What are you doing here!? Are you idiots?  Go home!' Haha it was funny. We had to do some volunteer work the next day because the river next to our place overflowed (it had to raise 20 feet to overflow) and that's not even the end of the river. Haha, it was pretty crazy but fun.  So that's the typhoon

Moshi moshi! How is everyone?! Things are great here in the Land of the Rising Sun! Last week I had my first baptism! They are the Ito family and they have been investigators for seven years.  They are the ones we committed in my first lesson.  It was awesome and they were just so happy.  The mom was tearing up when she received the Holy Ghost.  Let me tell ya, church will never be the same until I go home.  People are all over the place, it's all in Japanese (big surprise), we had a drunk guy come (he became an investigator) with his barking dogs.  It's so crazy, and hot haha.

So remember how we had to teach a lesson during p-day last week? He committed to baptism! So it was worth having a shorter p-day.  He was so happy and excited to do it. The baptism is on October 30.  We taught him the Word of Wisdom and he said tobacco would be hard, but he really wants to do it.  He is just so happy and willing.  I taught the Word of Wisdom and it was awesome.  My Japanese made an improvement this week.

That makes me so happy Jake'ss friends did that, haha (Jake's friends made Becky go out on the dance floor at homecoming, where she was chaperoning, and they made a circle around here while chanting her name).  I'm so happy to hear everything from home is going so great! We had a way fun district meeting in Nakatsugawa.  We had to wait for some elders, so we went to the undo kai (school field day) and it was fun to watch! We met some investigators who were so funny and joking around.  They were so nice, they paid for us to go get yakisoba.  One of them arm wrestled Elder Hollister haha it was way funny.  He was doing all those pointing and tapping tricks I do to people! It made me way happy haha

Me and Elder Hollister went and got indo curry this week, bad news.  Luckily it was right before the typhoon, so we were forced to stay inside because it wrecked our systems haha. We were struggling all day.

I really saw the hand of God work this week.  Ito Megumi finally called us and we met her at the Tacoyaki Ojisans place.  It was a rundown shack and he was cooking dangoe and tacoyaki (octopus) all day haha.  He also was slapping flies and getting way into it, he would grin when he got one.  On Friday, we were housing (tracting) and we had 15 minutes til we had to head home.  I said let's go to this house and it was this older lady who wasn't interested.  I was prompted to bear a testimony on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  She got interested because she told us to come back!  Then I said lets go to this last house, and a college kid answered and we just quickly told him our life purpose and the Plan of Salvation and he was interested too!  We`re seeing them Friday, so I hope it works.

Thanks for all the prayers, love and support I love you guys!

Elder Parry

First Baptism

September 18, 2011

We had the Ito Kazoku baptism yesterday!!! It was awesome! I was able to do Kan`s baptism.  It was a great experience.  They have been investigators for seven years and they said they were both extremely happy yesterday after and during the meeting.  It was so awesome.  It is truly a blessing to see someone enter through the gate on the path to eternal life and better things to come.

We taught an investigator whose husband is inactive.  And the whole time he was saying that she could never understand the scriptures and the church just drags you in to make you do work. he said you can't run away from the church. I thought it was ridiculous.  I was actually very frustrated.  But I guess that's how it is.

So we had an adventurous day on Wednesday.  We had a zone training, so we went to the honbu (mission home) on our bikes.  Halfway, Elder Hollister's chain broke in half and we had no idea where an eki (train station) was, so we walked and asked people for about an hour and a half and finally made it. It was extremely hot that day.  We got to the training like 2 hours late haha it was crazy.  I did teach a lesson to a nihongin (native Japanese) there, so I had to do it in Japanese or nothing, it went great! I taught so simply, because I had too haha, but it went amazing.  He asked me what transfer I was on and I said first and he gave me a huge hug.  It was an awesome experience and blessing.

We had a member, Fukunaga Kyodai, need a blessing.  So we gave him one and he healed like right up! He was so happy he took us out to a big dinner. We had udon and tempura.  Love that stuff.  He was so awesome and he's way awesome.  He works with cars and loves football.  I would think he was Hawaiian before Japanese.

I did get the package thank you very much! Next one, could I get some teri sauce? Sweet, thanks haha, it was great though.  Sam`s room looks so awesome! That's so much better than mine was haha.  Could you send a picture of Matt and Celeste for me for my album? Thanks.  And could someone PLEASE tell me how my Pirates team did? It's been 4 months and I've asked 5 times and nothing.

Thanks for everything again! This is amazing and love it!

Japanese Fat Farm

Sounds like a lot of fun in the dirty UT haha.  I'm pretty much lovin' it here. This last week was a huge increase from the week before.  Before I tell about this week, I want to say some cool stuff I've done.  President Baird challenged us to read the Book of Mormon and mark in red pencil every time it refers to Christ.  Oh my goodness has it been awesome! I am getting so much more out of reading it and I can completely follow the storyline! When he gave us this commitment, he asked us to read from the Book of Mormon everyday for the rest of our lives. So I promised.  right after, and he said, `Elder Parry, there will be a day from now in the future.  You will get up around 3 in the morning and go on a boating activity with the young adults in the ward.  You will probably be Bishop. After a long day of boating, eating, and fun around the camp fire, you will be gettin' in bed and trying to tell everyone to go to sleep.  It will be around midnight and you'll be on a hard ground and miserably tired.  Then you`ll realize you haven't read the Book of Mormon.  That day, will you reach in your bag and read from the Book of Mormon?`  Ya I better freakin' read that day.  Haha that's crazy! He is called of GOD!  I love my mission president. We`re going to the mission home today so I get to see him.

Thanks for the newsletters! They made me so happy.  So last p-day we went to the botanical gardens and had lunch which was way fun.  We also played catch with a member in the ward.  I was throwing like half speed and him and Elder Hollister were still like in awe haha.  We had a former investigator take us to get shaved ice.  It was amazing! Probably better than Matsumotos.  So good. 

I went on my first exchange Friday. I went with Elder Jackson to Seto.  It was really fun, nothing special happened.  He did have chicken katsu and peanut butter milk shakes haha.  Some interesting things I've noticed, people in Japan have awful teeth.  Dad, I had mobudofu, it was pretty good, but not my favorite.  I am officially making holes in my belt now.  Haha I'm down to 195 as of today.  Could you guys send me a list of `Minute to Win It` games? I think those would be fun to do for FHE throughout the mission.  OK who the heck is Admiral Perry?! Everyone asks me if we`re related.  It drives me nuts cuz i have no idea who he is. We watched someone do a live paper slide show.  It was way fun and he was so into it. People here know more about the US than I do, it's crazy haha.

Church will never be the same til I come home.  People are running around all over, I have a Bishop who I can't stand but have to, it's all in Japanese. And yesterday we had dogs running around with a drunk guy yellin.  Funny thing about it though, is he`s a new investigator haha. Speaking of them we got three this week! A less active`s wife, the drunk guy, and some Chinese guy.  It's so awesome! The work is moving along great and I'm so excited to see where this all goes from here.  We have a baptism planned for this Sunday, my first one! I also talked to the Allreds.  The Mom doesn't wanna speak to missionaries, but I talked to the one who's my age for a while. He was surprised as much as I was.

So Japanese is extremely difficult.  Just have a prayer in your hearts for me.  It's coming but very slowly. This wouldn't be a mission if it were easy. Hope you enjoy the letter!

Parry Choro

Bittersweet

September  4, 2011

ohhh hellooo

How's it goin? I'm drippin' pourin' in rain (Typhoon Talas rolled through Southern and Central Japan yesterday).  I tried to start some Eminem lyrics, then thought twice about it haha.  But the typhoon isn't too bad up here.  It's extremely windy and rainy haha. Dad, I've talked to the Allred family twice! The mom is WAY hantai (opposed) against missionaries.  And the dad lives in Riverton.  They have a son my age, and we visit him and their older brother.  That's so crazy.  We haven't gone sightseeing yet.  There's not much in Kasugai to see.  We might go to a castle next week.  Sounds like everything is goin' great at home! That sounds like a lot of fun.  In a package, all I can think of is like a baseball and batteries.  They're expensive here.

So this week was very up and down and bittersweet.  We started with dinner at the Tozaki`s.  We had okonomiaki [Japanese pancake made of egg, flour, seaweed, soy, cabbage, ginger and octopus], which is way good, but he gave me 24 pieces of it.  I felt sooo sick after, I had to be polite...grrr. It was way fun and good though.  He finally agreed to read the scriptures with his wife because we all shared our favorite scriptures.  He loved it.

We did some volunteer work. We did some landscaping for a bunch of old ladies.  It's really different doing that for old ladies and with a companion, rather than for a Polynesian and working (wink wink) with them haha.

So there is this way awesome guy in our ward, Aoyama Kyodai.  He's like 70, has no teeth, and speaks great English.  He is a hoot.  He loves to mess around.  When he came with us one day, he was hopping fences! Haha it was crazy.  I showed a picture of our family to him, he looked at Caroline and said, "she's just my type, she is the sunshine of my soul, tell her hi for me." hahaha it was so funny.

So I did it, the KING challenge.  First tho, on the way, I swerved out of the way of a truck and when I tried coming back up onto the curb, my tire didn't make it over the lip, so I started falling over.  Before I even knew it, I was standing on two feet, it was crazy! Haha I just reacted and didn't even notice.  But the king challenge, it's a bowl of rice and thin slices of beef.  It's about the size of a strainer.  But every missionary in this mission has to do it.  It was so hard haha.

We had a fun district meeting.  It was Elder Jackson's birthday, and dad told me to take us out to lunch.  So we went to a shabu shabu tabihodi [all-you-can-eat boiled meats and vegetables in different sauces].  Sooo good! Everyone kept thanking you dad, it was awesome thanks a lot.

So Sunday was way bittersweet.  We met Kanda and he said he loves the scriptures and knows it's true, but he doesn't have time anymore.  And he had a baptismal date. So we got dropped.  The Shinodas came to church, but jetted out right after and blew their appointment off.  We got a new investigator, who gave us the wrong number.  We met with a less active, but his wife who's a nonmember didn't show up.  That's pretty bittersweet if you ask me.  Haha.

Well I'm super glad to hear how everything is.  That's the update from the wonderful area of Kasugai!

Elder Parry