Taketomi again! (Week 40)

We are going to Taketomi island again today! I'm so excited. Its Iino 長老's first time. We are going to have steak and stuff.

So. This week has been exciting I guess. Lots happened. Or rather lots didn't happen.

First the typhoon. It hit from the second we woke up on Friday and was still hanging around well into the night. We could not do anything all day. It was the strongest storm I have ever seen in my life. Iino 長老 and I got bored and we wanted to just run to the convenience store to buy some candy or something. And so we went out into the storm. I have never experienced that kind of wind and rain. The wind was so strong that it almost blew me over just standing there. And it was accelerating the rain to such high speeds that it would hurt when the rain hit you. It was the craziest thing ever. The previous typhoons have been windy and rainy. And they always change in intensity through the day. But this was way strong and was just constant all day. The wind was so loud outside our apartment. It was just crazy. And it blew over a lot of really big trees. It was crazy. I also saw a fire truck when we left the apartment. One of the fire trucks that is supposed to be able to go through any weather. It was exciting.

But we had an appointment with the wonderful T_____ family for Friday. And we couldn't visit them. That made me very sad. They are doing so well. The mom knows this gospel will strengthen her family. And we really need to start teaching them properly again. They can go so far. It will just take a lot of effort on their part to make time. And then when they do have time Satan makes a typhoon that actually is dangerous just to walk in. Not just a pansy typhoon everyone says is dangerous and then gets mad at you if they see you walking outside. Anyways. Hopefully this week will be better.

So on Wednesday we had planned to go visit a less active member named I_____ Shiami. Sister I_____. And our plans are to teach her all the lessons again but to let me do it as practice because then I can't ruin anyone's salvation with a mistake or anything. But I didn't get to teach her this week. When we visited her we talked just about the Atonement. I really can't understand what she says. But I understood husband, police, the huge bruise she showed us on her arm, and the way Iino 長老 reacted. And then after Iino 長老 did a little explaining to make sure I understood. She was abused by her husband. And now he is with the police. I was really upset. I_____ Shiami is such a nice sweet lady. She doesn't deserve that.

In happier news at Eikaiwa on Saturday I made a sentence with the grammar we were teaching. I said something like you need to go buy me 7 doughnuts from Mister Donuts. Mister Donuts is a way good doughnut place here. I love it. Way better than America. Anyways. These particular Eikaiwa students always take us out to eat and stuff. And at the end of the lesson they were like ok lets go to Mister Donuts and you can have as many as you want. So we went. And all the doughnuts were half price. Not that that mattered to the M_____'s. They don't care about money. Anyways. We were going through the line picking our doughnuts and M_____ san kept telling me to get more. Get more get more get more. So I ended up with six. And I ate them. And they were delicious. And after my sixth doughnut he said to me you didn't eat seven. You need more. Lets go get more. So he made me get one more. Wow. Seven doughnuts from the most delicious doughnut place I've ever been to. Those people are so nice. I love the M_____'s.

So I haven't really studied Kanji since coming on my mission. I have focused on listening and speaking. Not so much the reading. But I decided to start Kanji. So I was looking through my Kanji book and its set up so you learn a kanji a day and there are sections for every month. I should be on month 9 by now. But as I was looking through it I knew all of the Kanji up to month 5. It blew my mind. When did I learn those Kanji? I don't know where that came from. But I'm not complaining. If God wants to give me the gift of tongues then so be it. I will allow that. It was just cool and kind of a nice indicator that I actually am learning Japanese. Also we have a meeting with the ward mission leader every sunday. But we have only had that meeting the first week Iino 長老 got here and then yesterday. The ward mission leader hasn't been here. And yesterday he told me that my Japanese is improving quickly having a Japanese companion. He said just a few weeks ago I could hardly say anything but yesterday I was speaking more quickly and more detailed. I guess I'm improving. But it is so hard to see. I can't describe to you how hard this language is. It is just so different and sometimes overwhelming. So it has been nice to see progress.

We went to a festival last night where people got up to sing old Okinawa and Ishigaki music. It was so cool. I love that music. When I get to go to festivals and stuff I just feel like I'm at home. I love the culture here. It is so good. I never want to leave the Okinawa area.

So Iino　長老 is really good at cooking. He does all of the cooking. He makes some of the best food I've ever had. And I am learning a bit from him so I will probably be able to make something tasty for you at home if I have the ingredients. Its not too hard. He likes to use tofu. At first that was really strange to me but now I like it. I love his food. Except one thing he made that had raw egg in it. That was just weird and disgusting.

We help with a Japanese woman's Eikaiwa every week. And just before the class she gives us dinner. Sometimes it is the best thing I have ever had. And sometimes it is the worst thing I have ever had. I have had some of the strangest food that I can't even describe to you from her. These past few weeks have been crazy gross like that. Even Iino 長老 says its bad. It is so gross. But I eat it anyways because she is such nice lady. Hopefully this week will be better. I want Erika to eat her food. That would be fun to see.

I have had sushi a few times here. Sushi is pretty ok. It is quite different than anything I have had in America. It is just like more real. Fish on rice. With soy sauce or something. My favorite sushi was the octopus sushi. No just kidding. The shrimp sushi was my favorite. Some sushi isn't too good. It depends on the fish. I have had sashimi a few times. That is just raw fish all by itself with some kind of sauce and usually wasabi. Sashimi is difficult. I can have like two pieces and enjoy it but then I have to eat something else or the texture kills me. I'm still getting used to it. I would be ok to never eat sashimi again. But I probably will. So I might as well enjoy it. Iino 長老 told me there is an area in our mission that you can buy horse sashimi. I really want to try that. He also said in some places in Japan you can get dolphin. And whale. I want to try these. Especially horse and dolphin.

Well we need to get going to Taketomi pretty quick here. I think I will leave you now. I hope this next week goes better for us. Pray that we will be able to really meet the T_____s again.

Love Josh