March 25, 2013 - Week 2

Pictures of Nago

 

 

So, I always start these letters and don't answer your questions. So, first of all, I bought a bike. It's really nice but hard to take care of because of the humiditiy. I'm working on it though. I love the foood........was that even a question. Haha, honestly, it's better than anything ESPECIALLY the MTC.

 

So, big news this week. We went to zone meeting this week. There was two big announcements. The first was this: There are now 112 missionaries in the Fukuoka mission. By November, there will be over 240 missionaries. Yeah, so the whole meeting was about how we ALL need to prepare to be trainers. That totally freaked me out. What the HECK! They said it will be about 3 transfers and all of us will probably be trainers. I have got to get this language down!

 

The other announcement was that we are now free to email friends. The area seventy made a huge announcement. So, no. I'm not breaking rules. You could probably find out on the internet or something. I would really appreciate some email addresses of my friends. That would be super nice.

 

Elder Gandy and I were in the top 10 in contacting numbers in the mission for this week. It was nuts! However, finding is super hard. The residents of Nago are either leaving or have lived here for years. We only have three investigators right now and now of them have baptismal dates anymore. Also, fun fact, my bishop made the receipes for all the Teriyaki Stix. He cooked lunch for us after church once. He's the bomb.

 

Nago has lots of "interesting people." We run into them daily. The biggest one is actaully a celebrity on Okinawa. He rides around Okinawa on a motorcycle and sits under bridges waving pom poms. He has a helemet with hundreds of flowers on it. You could probably google him because everyone knows him.

 

Yes, it was easy to find a picture of him on Google...

 

 

We went and talked to him. He was super nice. He told us that he doesn't believe in religion and he wants to start a religion of natural science. He says he plans to live to one hundred million years old so that he can prove that there is no God. Other than that, he was super nice and he says he loves talking to missionaries because then he gets to speak English.

 

That was tons of fun though. I'm really sad about Elder Wirthlin. I really miss him.....but there is a good chance that I could be his trainer. That would be a miracle. Also, it's super rainy here. Luckly, I have a SICK rain suit. Thank you so much for sending that. It's been a life saver. The rain is HEAVY. It is also super sudden. in two seconds, you can be baptized in rain and not know it.

 

Anyway, that's all for this week.

 

Me and Brother Brinley, my MTC teacher

 

Love,

Elder Low

March 18, 2013 - First Week in Japan

Hello!

It's nuts over here! I'm don't really know how to begin. I really have had so much traveling the last week that there isn't a TON to report on. Let me begin.

So, I left on Monday morning to the airport and called mom and dad. It was so crazy to hear your voices. I really loved it. Then we got on the plane and left for Seattle. Everyone in my group is so cool! I love my Doki. :)

We landed in Seattle and we were there for a few hours. I had the chance to speak to a few Japanese people with Elder Otani (one of the Native Japanese Elders). It was so fun. I still have lots to learn, but I felt like I was understanding a lot of the Japanese being spoken. We also had our first meal that wasn't MTC food! It was tasted SOOoooo good. I was in heaven.

Then, we had our ten hour plane ride all the way over to Japan. It was kinda hard to not turn on a movie. The guy next to me was only watching movies with vampires.....hahaha, he was watching Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer and Breaking Dawn Part Two. I thought it was funny....cuz he was like....50 or something. It was kinda awkard sitting by him. He also really didn't want to let me out of the row to go to the bathroom, but eventually he let me go. Otherwise, it was a pretty good flight.

When we landed in Tokyo, I was so so so happy. Everyone else was exhausted, but I was too excited. I remember landing in that airport 6 years ago. I was having trouble sitting still. THEN we found out that our flight was delayed because there was a Typhoon and we couldn't fly to Fukuoka quite yet. Haha, yeah, so we spent another two hours in Tokyo.

We finally left for Fukuoka and I slept the entire flight. We landed at about 11:30. It was really late. The APs and the President and his wife were waiting there for us. They took us back to the Honbu. Man, that was the coolest thing EVER. We were sleeping underneath the Fukuoka Temple. It was also a really nice house. The president is one of the nicest people. His wife is way cool too. She had me and some other Elders do some chores around the house the next day......It was actually way fun. I miss homey chores.

So, now I'm in Nago and my companions name is Elder Gandy. He's really nice. and yes......it's pretty hot. But it's pretty. My big worry though: People in Nago have a heavy heavy dialect.....Yeah. The Native missionaries have trouble understanding them. That scene in "The Best Two Years" where Elder Calhoon says "That's not the language they taught me in the MTC"....yeah. That's me right now. IT IS SOOO HARD! They also talk super fast and have a heavy accent. It kinda sounds like spanish. I feel really dumb.

Anyway, I don't have tons of time. I love you all and I will send more pictures soon.

Love,

Elder Randy Kazuhiro Low

March 5, 2013 - Last week in MTC

Here's what happened over here. We got a new group of Natives last monday. They are so awesome. We only speak Japanese to them and they are hilarious.

 

With the natives

 

The Japanese is coming along. I really hope that by the time we leave the MTC we'll be able to speak. Jon says he has been taught by Watanabe shimai a couple times. She's really cool. She's a really good speaker. Her Japanese is really good. For my TRC, I got to teach Brother Brinley. It was so so awesome. He's been one of my best friends here. He's a great teacher and he's taught me so much. Also, yesterday was the last time my teacher Tingey Shimai was teaching. It was really sad. She is one of two teachers that served in the Fukuoka mission. She was also a really good Progressing investigator. It was so fun to teach her. Except, I think i'd rather teach real people. Haha. I'm so excited to go.

 

The District with Sister Tingey

We leave on Monday, and we fly to Seattle.

President Mills came and talked to all the Japanese missionaries about how they need to change their expectations of the mission. We all think that we're going to get no baptisms and that the Japanese people won't listen. He told us all that we were wrong and that we need to fix our expectations. It was really powerful and now I'm super super excited to leave.

Make sure Clint knows that I wish him a happy birthday. Twelve is a big number. I'm sure he'll still be passing the sacrament when I come home because there won't be a lot of deacons.

I hope mom's school is going well!

So, yeah. Elder Wirthlin hurt his leg. Really bad. He has four more weeks here. He's so disappointed. I'm so disappointed. He keeps telling himself that he leaves on Monday, but the doctor says he has to wait for another four weeks.

Anyway, I'm sorry this letter is short. I'm short on time. I love you all. I'm doing great. I can't wait to get out of here.

Love,

Elder Randy Kazuhiro Low