Watashi wa Geridoru desu. (Week 51)

So it has been yet another week. Very very busy. I never seem to have any time to do nothing. Which is how it should be I guess. But it gets pretty tiring.

Well Y_____ chan is still progressing very well. She is getting excited for her baptism. I am too. Its just in ten days. I can't wait. She is so cool. I love Y_____ chan. When we talk our conversation is mostly about nose picking and poking people's bums. Just so you know. We have a good time. I'll have stories to tell you when I get home. We should be hearing like today ish what she wants to do for her baptism like who prays and stuff and who will bapitze her and stuff.

M_____ chan is still doing really good. She is just so awesome. We watched Finding Faith in Christ with her this week and she said it was an answer to her prayer. She is just so cool. She is so sensitive to the spirit and she really cares about what God wants her to do. She's so cool.

I have opened up four presents now. They have been good. I appreciate them. Things are getting pretty Christmasy in our apartment now. The flash drive did work. So don't worry about that. We listen to it all the time. We love our Christmas.

So for my entire mission it has been a difficult thing to get people to at least just take a Book of Mormon. One or two a week is what I  have thought was a successful week. Usually only one. But this week we found a new way to get Book of Mormons out if we can't do anything else. We wrap it in ribbon and tell everyone its a present. In one hour we gave away 6. This week we did around 20. We are almost out of Book of Mormons in the apartment. The church doesn't have anymore. Hopefully more will come soon. We need to take advantage of Christmas time. And we heard the mission home is running really low too. So I don't know when we will be able to get more. But realistically we only have like a weeks worth of Book of Mormons left. So we'll see. That has been really exciting this week. Elder Morris and I split up and went on either side of the street to see who could pass out the most Book of Mormons before we met up at the other side of the street because even people with no interest start taking the Book of Mormon if it has ribbon and you say its a present. Its been really fun. I can't remember who won. But I won for the most lessons taught on the road. Yeah. I'm just the best I guess.

This coming week we are going to dress up like santa and go singing with a member at some place. I don't understand what it means. It might be an old people place. That should be fun.

And one other highlight this week was when we went out with an old member in our ward to visit less active people we stopped to take pictures by a bamboo forest and we looked like models and stuff. And he just loved it. Kawamura Brother. And we got him to be in a picture or two. And I called him Ikemen Brother. Which means like Brother Really Handsome Guy. He was just loving it. It was so funny. He was a happy man. That's what I get to do as a missionary.

Well I'm out of time. Skype next week. My Christmas day. Your Christmas Eve. My 10:00 in the morning. I think your 6:00 at night. I can't remember how to use skype very well. So if you could email me some information that would help me locate your computer when I try to do it I would appreciate it. I can't remember what is needed and I can't find out before I have to leave. So thank you. I love you. Talk to you next week.

And I appreciated your email mom. Thank you. I love you.

Love Josh.

Sorry I'm late (Week 50)

Its pretty cold here right now. So I'm wearing my ninja jammies under my suit too almost every day. That's for dad.

So. Just a quick update on the knee to get it out of the way. Its not good. I'm still talking to President and trying stuff. Haven't gone to a doctor yet. I might have hurt it this morning and made it worse. I'm not sure if it will be only temporary pain or if this pain will be until its fixed. We'll see. Don't worry though. I'm fine. We are coming up with ways to dendo without standing.

I got the package. as far as I know everything is there but I haven't opened the presents so I don't know if anyting would be missing. I think all of the days are accounted for. We'll see.

We would like to do our Christmas calling on the morning of Tuesday on Christmas day. For you that should be the evening of Christmas Eve. I don't know yet on times. We have to get in contact with our member who is going to be allowing us to use his computer. That wonderful soul.

So It has been a pretty good week I guess. We get to keep teaching these wonderful people. They are so awesome. They keep progressing. And its awesome. They keep coming to church and they are reading the Book of Mormon and they have testimonies and they want to keep learning. And when the members went to meet M_____ chans parents it went really really well. Dad wasn't home so we are still worried about him. But it went well with mom. Momoko, the one who referred all these people, was basically in tears because it went so well when I talked to her after. The Shimizu elders have an investigator with a baptismal date who is also named M_____ and they just set another baptismal date with their investigator named M_____. All are high school girls. And Y_____ has her baptismal date for just after Christmas. And M2_____ might have one soon. So we'll see. We also found out that M2_____ wants to go to the temple and do baptisms for her ancestors and Y_____ wants to go too. We would really love if they could all get baptized soon and then all go to the temple together. And us missionaries would probably go too. I think that would be the best thing ever. I would love that. And I think it can really happen. Just pray that all will go well with parents. Y_____ is nervous about her parents I think and M2_____ was told she can't get baptized. so pray for these people. I love them so much.

So I got to see the First Presidency Christmas thing. It was in Japanese though. So I really didn't understand anything. It was difficult Japanese. But the music was great. I felt very Christmasy. but I had a lot of time to just think during the Christmas thing. I really miss my family. And I kept thinking about that. I really wish I could be with you for Christmas. Especially mom. I keep having these flashes of intense homesickness out of nowhere. It is difficult for me. This is the most homesickness I have ever felt. I just miss my mom.

Well I'm out of time. Tell Erika Happy Birthday. Tanjobi omedeto! Junana sai ni nata! sorry I can't send you an email specifically.

Love Josh.

I love this place! (Week 49)

So before I forget. Mom. I sent you a letter last week. And it has stuff in it. But one thing is missing. I forgot to put it in. So you will get that someday. And maybe you won't even get your letter. I sent Julie a letter at the same time and I might have mixed up the envelopes but I didn't want to open it to find out. So. Yoroshiku ne.

I love being here. I am having so many cool experiences. Yesterday we had both of our investigators come to church and two new people came to church. It was really cool. A girl named I_____ chan and a friend of our lovely member Kancho kun named T_____ I think. By the way don't edit out Kancho kun's name. Its already a code name. And I know he reads these and I wanted to tell him I love him. I love you Kancho kun. You know who you are.

Also yesterday we got to teach Y_____ chan. And that was really cool. We asked her to share her testimony with us. We have been focusing on getting everyone to realize that they have their own testimony and we are getting them to share them. And she shared a scripture with us and everything that she really liked from the Book of Mormon. It was so cool. And then I shared a scripture with her that I found yesterday morning and then asked her about baptism. I asked her to get baptized and she said yes. Then I told her that God is happy right now and that God loves her. And when I said that I almost started bawling. I could feel the spirit so strongly. And I know she could too. It was so good. And then she chose December 27 to be baptized. So that was the highlight of my week. And another highlight of my mission. Pray for her. I really want this to work out for her.

Yesterday was fast sunday so we all fasted. And we got together with the Shimizu elders and with Kancho kun and Momoko shimai to have a big fast for our investigators and friends. And one thing I wanted to fast for was a testimony that fasting and prayer really make a difference. And I now have that testimony. We fasted that Kancho kun's friend would have interest in the church and then she came. And then Y_____ said she wanted to be baptized. And it has just been really good. This week we got together with M_____ chan and Y_____ chan and the Shimizu elders and Momoko shimai and Kancho kun to decorate a tiny Christmas tree. And we made our ornaments and wrote a small testimony on them. And then asked everyone to share their testimonies. And it was so good. The spirit was very strong. And I think it was really good for our investigators. We also made an ornament that said what testimony we want to get. And mine was about fasting. So I fasted and got my testimony. I hope everyone else gets their testimonies too.

For Christmas we are planning on going out with the Eikaiwa students and some members to sing Christmas carols at a really busy road. On Christmas night. I am really excited. I hope it goes well. I'm excited. I think that would make me ok about not being with my family on Christmas.

Also I we can skype our families for Christmas and that it can be as long as we want. So probably like an hour would be appropriate. And I heard a rumor of member here who will let us use his computer for skype. So I am pretty sure I can skype you now. But I need to make sure.

And just so you know we have plans in motion to get in to M_____ chan's parents that I think will work out really well. So I am hoping all is going to go well there. Just to keep you all in the loop.

Yes I know Fontanet 長老. I have met him a few times and I met him and his parents the other day. They were very nice people.

I am really happy about all the things that are happening here. I love this place and never want to leave and I am really glad I get the opportunity to spend Christmas in such a wonderful place with so many wonderful people. I am so happy. I love you all. I love you Kancho kun. I'll see you later.

Love Elder Liddle