New Investigator

March 25, 2012

This was a great email from home. Thank you so much. I was so glad to hear about all the fun going on at home! I can't believe The Hunger Games came out already. I swear it was coming out next year, but I guess 2012 isn't next year anymore. I'll be sure to wish Sister Baird a happy birthday. She has been a great help to me since being out here. I'm really glad Boog got the letter. I was sitting around and felt like I needed to send him a note, so I did. As dad keeps telling me, even when you don't know why, follow the promptings and great things will happen.

So this week was the most awful/great week. It wasn't that awful or that great. Let me explain. We have been teaching members about getting ready for conference because most people don't. People have been coming up to us thanking us a bunch. On Wednesday, we visited like five people, and only one went smoothly. One investigator who has an impossible accent, went off for like 45 minutes on stupid questions, then we asked him to read the introduction and he did it right there out loud. We then visited a member and she went off on why there are no missionaries in China, how long by plane does it take to get to Salt Lake City, and she had a friend she referred us too who is a devil worshipper. Then we visited Narita, who is on the downhill pretty fast, and Mochizuki Kyodai taught all three lessons in an hour and it was just so long and hard to pay attention. We visited that referral and he went off in his even more impossible accent about why there would be a God if his wife has cancer and son has depression for 2 HOURS! Then he kept telling us we sucked at Japanese and needed to study. I told him we needed to go. He then followed us out. I told the member at church and she thanked me and said she was gonna set up an appointment to meet and teach him in his house. I refuse to go, I won't go. Waste of time.

So that was tough, but we got a new investigator! A referral from a friend in Spain. He is Ronal Kakiguchi. Way nice. He was way excited when he figured out who we were. He seems pretty sick or very unhealthy, but he is a prepared person. Prepared Son of God!

We had a fun dinner last night. It was with Suzuki Shimai, she is from the Mueller Park 4th Ward but has been living in Japan for almost eight years. The Kawasakis were also there. They are the nicest people ever. They are just the friends to everyone. Everyone who needs help or friends, that's them. They make dinner for different people every Sunday night. It's the best, I love them! God works his hands through his children, and I have been a witness of it many a times. We had a great time just talking and having fun. By the way, she graduated from Bountiful in 1996, any of the uncles graduate close to her? I though Ryan, I'm not sure.

This was a real growing week, had a lot of fun and I loved it. I love being out here and seeing God's miracles on a daily basis!

Your Missionary

Elder Parry

Cherry Blossoms

March 18, 2012
Sounds like a crazy week at home. Things were pretty crazy here too! I absolutely love Elder Schade. He is transfer 4, half Japanese, but didn't speak it before. He is from Heber, Utah and loves soccer. It is so much fun. He stayed in the BYU halls right across the street from me. We have had a pretty good week together. There was a lot of drama last week during transfers. Elders Ashcroft and Dinkel became trainers. Kariya closed down. Momose went home early. We had an emergency transfer because a ward mission leader had a recent convert die at his house and he blamed it on the missionaries. Things are just crazy, you'd think we were the Dallas Cowboys.

I had an awesome birthday.  I took Iwata to the train station early and switched with Bardzinski because we both didn't transfer. We didn't have p-day, so we took advantage. Thanks for the awesome birthday package! We went and looked at SAKURA (cherry blossoms) boo ya again. Then we went to the dollar store and timed ourselves for 15 minutes and found as much funny English as possible. Then we went to the suit store and Elder Bardzinski  asked the lady if they had any 'birthday suits' hahaha.  She was serious and took my size and led me to some suits. She said lighter birthday suits are the best. We asked the price. It was around $500. Birthday suits in Japan are around $500 I guess, hahaha.

We had a ton of rain this weekend. I got plastered. We rode our bikes about 36 kilometers and my rain gear didn't even fight it off completely so I got soaked. But on the way, they had a dog frisbee contest, so we watched that for a while haha.

We taught Mirei and the lesson went pretty well. I invited her to baptism at the end and she accepted. except when I gave her a date, she said she couldn't do it because her family is Buddhist and her boyfriend won't let her (he is 66, she is 36, that's already messed up) she said she'll come to church in secret and get baptized if she can get an answer.

I talked with Elder Ashcroft, Eiji and his family became investigators! He said it's getting harder and harder to teach Shinoda san. He is getting more stubborn and fights every question. I called him trying to tell him to not worry too much and just let the missionaries talk. They're losing faith in him.  He said they will keep teaching him though.

We finished the week with a game night with a family from the ward. It was very fun. They are a nice cute little family. It's good to be here with an American, it's good to have support from the ward, it's good to be the king haha.

Elder Parry

Awesome Miracles

So you guys are gonna hate me, maybe not as much as Iwata hates me right now, but transfer calls are in an hour and I'm e-mailing now.  We are busy after calls so we have to e-mail now.  Some people are taking us out for lunch for my birthday, which reminds me HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD hope you have a great day.  I just realized that it's not your birthday there, well I guess I am the first so ha I win! Haha that sounds way awesome from Spring Training. That's way awesome how Sam and Isaac got to be bat boys for the Angels and be so close with everyone, especially The Machine (Albert Pujols).  I got the package and I have to wait until tomorrow to open it.  The Numazu Elders are coming over tonight and we are all gonna celebrate because one of them for sure will transfer.  But for that next package, I'm on the last of the serum, so I probably need that.  I don't know what's in the birthday package, so I have nothing I need haha.

This week was amazing.  We had some awesome miracles.  We did sports night and I was doing so bad at basketball.  I had to get a new brace because my knee had been swelling up haha.  It's ok now though.  It was way fun playing volleyball, my team won 25-4, we did pretty good.  We did an exchange after that and that was really fun and awesome.  Elders Iwata and Bardzinski found an investigator while I was gone! He is a way tough investigator, he just asked the most irrelevant questions for two hours. 

Yes I got the birthday package and the package from dad.  I didn't wait--thanks for the shirt! It's way awesome.  I also got a package from Thomas which made me way happy.  His pictures look so fun.   And he sent real candy from America.  And I got a way sweet tie from him.  He's the man.

I had been praying for new eikeiwa (English class) students this week.  Right before it began I got a random call from two guys who didn't know how to get to the church, so I helped them. They are two 26 year olds, play in a band, way chill and nice guys.  I asked them how they found us.  He said he found an eikeiwa pass a long card in the bathroom at the train station and it said to invite a friend, so he did and they came! How awesome is that!? We talked about the introduction to the Book of Mormon and they had never heard of Christ, the Book of Mormon, or the Bible.  They were all like this must be great stuff they are the words of prophets and God right?  Two new investigators!  Booya.  It was way awesome and I know it wasn't a coincidence. 

Good last DTM (district meeting) of the transfer.  Masuda Shimai is dying (going home) today, so we did a funeral and had some fun. We talked about eikeiwa so it was all in English and we sang the national anthem for the opening song.  We did a pot luck after and had some amazing food.  We then had a lesson with Mirei. She speaks fluent English so I do all the lessons.  After we taught her Lesson 2 (Plan of Salvation), I asked her to pray.  She said 'Heavenly Father, please help me to know if this is true, sorry I only prayed once this week, I will try to pray more.  Thank you for all my many things that make me happy,....'  It was a way awesome prayer and just filled me with the spirit. 

Now the not so great.  Elder Iwata got lost going to an appointment and on the way home.  It was pouring rain and I wasn't going too fast.  I lost him for almost 30 minutes one of the times.  On the way home, he went a different way home and I didn't know because I was leading. I was furious at him and didn't talk to him the rest of the night.  We had a bit of a disagreement and I told him that he speaks too honorifically with me and it's really hard for a foreigner to understand his Japanese.  I was furious.  I had to go sit in the bathroom for like 20 minutes to settle down. 

Well, I love you all, I'll stay on until the calls come and give you an update when it happens.  Happy Birthday again!

The Boob The Boob The Boob

Elder Parry

Note from Becky:  Evan's companion was transferred today and he received a new companion, an American named Elder Shade. 

Rainy Days

Hello!

Unfortunately, it is raining pretty dang hard here, so we weren't able to see the waterfalls.  ut the member still took us to a way far less active's house and took us exploring after.  He also took us to a steak house.  He is so nice.  We said when you guys pick me up he would take us all exploring.  I got some way sweet pictures.  We went to Iwa Moto Yama last week! It was way cool.  It was about a 800-meter hike up a mountain that had a bunch of temples and shrines.  Then at the top, they had different platforms that could look out over the ocean, city, and over to Fuji, but Fuji wasn't visible that day.  It has been really cold and rainy for almost the past two weeks.  It is kinda of miserable, but whatever, it has to go on.

I talked with Shinoda-san on the phone for a while.  He is kinda struggling and he keeps throwing fits with the Elders and being way stubborn.  This is going to be a long process.  Elder Ashcroft told me they have taught him the three kingdoms five times and he still doesn't understand. Please remember him in your prayers.

We went to an all-you-can-eat pizza place, so good haha, but still not american.  We had a lesson at the investigator's house with six cats, including the Godzilla one.  I like to call it Jabba, like from Star Wars haha.  I had fur all over me after a good hour lesson.  Speaking of lessons, they were so hard this week.  Elder I took control and spoke for 90% of the time, the spirit was never present, and we always left the investigator feeling more confused than before.  Not very fun.

We had an interesting exchange on Thursday.  The four of us went to this yakisoba place in a temple, then we split up.  The elder I was with realized he left his bag on the train.  We had to go all the way to Hamamatsu to go get it.  It's like a two and a half hour train ride.  We then had to come back and go straight to eikeiwa (English class).  We got a new student! I was scared though, because we have three older ladies who are just so mean to everyone.  But only one came and elder Bardzinski just completely shut her down the whole time.  She tried to tell him where Sydney was in Australia, he is from Australia, and he just told her "I'm Australian, so sit down".  It was funny, and awesome. Haha, I hope she doesn't come back.

I got letters from Thomas and Kevin this week! I was so happy.  I hadn't gotten mail for a long while before that.  That's about it from this week.  Not too much happened, just the normal.  I almost killed Iwata, that's about normal too.  I'm hoping for a change on my birthday next week.  Well, that's all folks!

Love you,

Elder Parry

P.S. Elder Bardzinksi saw the picture of the family and told me to tell Caroline that he thought she looked very pretty in the picture.