6-8-13 Week 4 MTC

6-8-13

Konnichiwa, kazoku!!!

Summer is most definitely treating you well! Okay so one thing about the MTC is the concept of time is consistently boggling my mind. For reals. I feel like I've been here forever in some ways, but in other ways it feels like I just got here yesterday. Crazy stuff. So yeah - we're officially senpai now. Weird. But awesome. The kohai are really nice, but kind of funny. We always roll out of bed at 6:30 (the elders in our district get up before we do, at 6. Funny how that works) and hurry and get ready then go to breakfast at6:45, then class. The kohai are basically up an hour or so before 6:30, doing perfect hair and makeup. They will learn soon. Haha, I hope anyway. They really are great though. It's just crazy that our friends (our dai senpai) are already in Japan. Crazy stuff!!! I can't believe it's already June. I saw Connor a couple days ago, it was hilarious because I was just walking down a hallway and heard someone yell "HEY ALYSSA," which I didn't even respond to till my companion pointed out that someone was waving at me. I also have ran into Marni a few times and she screamed and ran over to me to give me a big hug. It was great seeing both of them.

Please tell Uncle Wade thank you for the cookies - they were SUPER deliciouis. And my district enjoyed them as well :) Dallin has braces now? What the what? How is he even old enough for that? Just kidding Dal - I know you're going to be like a foot taller than me when I get back. That's insane but just know that I feel your pain :)

Okee dokee. Sorry if I am super repetitive in these letters - I kind of feel like I tell you the same thing every week because I do the same thing every day. My schedule is essentially this: Eat, study, class, eat, study, class, eat, study, plan for the next day. Yep. That's about all. But I love it, and I feel like there's not enough time in the day to study all that I want to study! On Sunday, for our "movie hour" after the devotional (which was super great, as always) we watched Legacy in JAPANESE. It was the greatest. "Josefu, Josefu, tasukete kudasai!! (Joseph, Joseph, help please) -- just for the record, when you type it it is not quite as hilarious. But it really was great. Also it was basically most of the missionaries going to Japan (fun fact, there is now 3 branches of Japanese missionaries, almost 200. It's awesome). Best part was when the sappy scene happened and the main guy kissed the girl and all the elders yelled "NO WAY, we're senkyoshi (missionaries) now -- eew gross, etc." It was kinda funny.

We're teaching Watabesan and Kuaharasan right now and our lessons this week have been awesome. We're growing so much every time. One sad thing for the week though is Heaton Shimai has been sick so we've gone to the clinic and such but she's doing alot better. Which is great.

I love singing the hymns in Japanese. It's beautiful. Sundays are so great. Also another scary thing about being senpai is the likeliness of speaking in church gets higher every week because we have to prepare a talk each week in Nihongo and they just call a few missionaries up each week to share. Kind of scary, but it is awesome.

Okay terrifying experience of the week -- last Saturday night was our first TRC. Everyone we talked to said it would be super chill and really fun. We would be teaching a twenty minute lesson to a member as themselves, helping them come closer to Christ. Thing is, it was our P-day and our class was at 5 so we figured we'd prepare something at the beginning of class then go to TRC like an hour later and things would be fine. We got to class at 5 and they told us there was a mix up with the schedule so we were needed at the TRC as asap as possible (Devin -- that was for you. and your roommates. You're welcome). So we ran on over there and they put each companionship in a different room with the people we were teaching. The room we went into had the sweetest little Japanese lady- she was awesome. Before we began, our sensei told us he'd just be observing us so he came in as well. I didn't think much of it till we started teaching her, and a couple of minutes into the lesson we discovered she was not a member. So, essentially we had no notes, and I could hardly understand a word that came out of her mouth (partially because at this moment in time the Japanese I know is all of the church vocabulary kind). But she was SO NICE. I loved her and that experience was great, even though it was kinda terrifying. Luckily there were only a few moments where we didn't know what was going on, and our sensei stepped in to help out. It was scary, but awesome. I am so excited to serve the wonderful people of Japan but at the same time I am very glad that I have 6 more weeks to learn everything I can while here. I LOVE JAPANESE. I know this is exactly where I am supposed to be - Heavenly Father knows each of us so well. I already love my companion, district and senseis so much but every day I learn more and more from each of them and grow to love everyone so much. This is the most incredible experience of my life, and I'm only 3 1/2 weeks in. Essentially, I guess it'll suffice for me to say that I know this gospel is true! Heavenly Father loves us and will guide us in this journey here on earth as we do everything we can to return to him.
Ai shitteimasu, kazoku!!!!!

-Flake Shimai