First Week in Matsumoto

June 10, 2012

Hey! Man has this week been crazy but way fun. I'll start off by telling a little about Elder Jessop. He was actually the one who recorded and made those videos you got when I got to Japan. He worked in the mission home for six transfers. He also was Elder Hollister's companion at the MTC. We were already good friends before this happened. I told him at Zone Conference a few weeks ago that I would come to Matsumoto this transfer and kill him and it happened! Haha I think I will have a six-pack at the end of the transfer I have laughed so much.

Transfers were hectic. We always have to meet in Nagoya when you transfer. That's how it works. So we met after a four and a half hour train then I hung out with a bunch of people I hadn't seen in a while. Then I made the three and a half hour train ride up to Matsumoto! Cool stuff! Ashcroft is Zone Leader in Kanazawa Zone and Ellsworth is the AP. Our group is doing pretty good. Elder Dinkel is a District Leader in my zone.  

So Matsumoto is beautiful. Nuf sed. People are amazing and hilarious. My favorites are Nancy, Li, and Hiromi. Nancy is a way funny less-active, Li is an investigator who when asked how praying was said, 'it was great, I had a great feeling, but I woke up and had diarrhea, is that a punishment?' Hahahah then there is Hiromi who is like a little ball of craziness. I love this ward. It is so fun! Everyone knows everyone and is so nice. I love it already.

We have a fun district, biggest one in the mission,10 people. We have the Matsuhashis, they are an old couple in our area, then four sisters (Rogers, Hunt, Yamada, Saito) and then the four elders (me, Jessop, Matson, Olsen), it's way fun. Matson also had Elder Hollister and Kishi as his first two companions. Pretty cool eh?

Trains are weird here, we have to open the doors ourselves and we have to ride them a lot. They go backwards sometimes too. We had to go back to Nagoya on Friday for Zone Leader Council. It was pretty good. It was way stiff in the morning, but it loosened up. It was all in Japanese. It was fun to see Ashcroft and Ellsworth and see how they are and their Japanese.

We made gyoza yesterday. Way good. Really cool story to end this email. There have been this way way nice couple come to Eikaiwa (English class) for a few weeks. They thought they weren't members but found out the mom was baptized 40 years ago and hasn't been much since. She wants to come back and read the Book of Mormon. Her daughter actually became an investigator. But she came to church on Sunday and had a way spiritual time. She went off and talked to a random member and came back and said that he had baptized her 40 years earlier. It was crazy. She was in tears the whole sacrament meeting. It was a way awesome experience.

That's week one of our adventures in Matsumoto! LOVE YOU ALL

Elder Parry