Monday, March 25, 2013

learn about God`s love and patience and long suffering.

Never-the-less...it is an interesting word. I`ve been a lot more aware of how weird language structure is and stuff since I`ve been learning a new language. It`s a really strange thing. I have heard Shikashi a lot. It is used in the scriptures a lot and means `however.` I`ve never heard shikashinagara but my jisho (dictionary) says that it means the same thing. But or however. You say a statement and then start the other statement with shikashi. tatoeba (for example). I wanted to go, but I couldn`t (ikitakatta. shikashi ikenakatta). Or "I found an ideal car, however, it was too expensive for me (subarashii kuruma o mitsuketa. shikashi nedan ga takasugita). I`m pretty positive you could substitute shikashi-nagara for shikashi.
There`s our japanese study for the day ;) I`m very excited to speak with you when I get back dad :) Do you still feel like you have a good grasp of the language?

It`s so weird that the earthquake was so long ago! I feel like the world is moving forward and I`m in my own little bubble with no consciousness of it haha. That is kind of what it`s like to be a missionary I guess. 
I`ve actually passed the Akan area where the article was saying there is going to be a geothermal power plant. I remember seeing it on the way from Kitami to Kushiro for District Activities when we`ve had them. Interesting!

It`s finally starting to warm up here too. The snow has slowly been melting away and I can see the ground again! We`re going to try to ride bikes today for the first time in a long time. We`re going to check out a second hand shop a little ways away and see if there is anything worth buying. With that said I have a question. I haven`t really bought any momento`s from Japan for me or my dear family, and I don`t really care much for momento`s for me (I`m terrible at buying things), but I`d love to get things for my beloved family. I was wondering if you and dad or my sisters or grandparents wanted anything from Japan. Otherwise I don`t really think I`ll end up buying anything.
So if you have any desire for a Japanese-ey something let me know and I`ll see what I can`t do to find one on P-day. We go to a lot of second hand shops anyway.
My companion keeps telling me that if I don`t buy anything then I will get back home and regret it so I`ve been trying to think of something I`d like, but I see no use in anything that I could buy :P I`m so bad at shopping haha.

You`ve been reading about Pandora`s box? I love Greek Mythology and stuff! I loved studying about that stuff while we were in Yokota. Isn`t it just interesting stuff?! I actually read an article from the Liahona for March and it was very similar to that. It was about a man on a church disciplinary staff who heard the story of a man and he had commited very serious sins, but he had been very wronged by others too. The man on the disciplinary staff needed to pray before he came to a descision what to do with the sinful man and when he prayed he saw (felt) a vision of a well filled with darkness symbolizing the wickedness of the world that was so deep he was just overwhelmed, but he heard a voice in his heart that said "fear not. peace. I have overcome the world." It was a very uplifting article that I could relate to really well. Sometimes I feel like the distractions and wickedness in the world is a pit that almost seems impossible to get out of, but with the Savior we can truly do it.

I`ve struggled a lot on my mission because I found that I`m a perfectionist. If there isn`t an immediate change then I`m not very happy. It has been pretty frustrating to work with people who want to change but don`t try at all because they have so many doubts and fears. It has been so interesting for me to learn about God`s love and patience and long suffering. I feel like I`ve changed a lot for the better, but I`ve just only scratched the surface. It`s been quite the growing experience. I really did love all the articles in the March addition of the Liahona though. I really think you should read them. It`s fantabulistic!!! :P It gave me a lot of HOPE :) What a great blessing.
We don`t always get things the way that we want in the very moment we want them, but if we keep pressing forward with hope then we will reach the end happily :)
Also reading the article made me think about how good of parents you are and made me want to say sorry for not learning all the lessons I`m sure you wanted me too :P haha. I`m trying harder now! =D

I was actually reading my journal from the MTC a little while ago and I`ll tell you what, I have changed a lot. I was very excited and itching to go no matter what. It takes a little more effort now to get those feelings, though they are still very strong. I want to learn all the hard lessons I`m learning and still keep the same fire and hope I had in the MTC, and I think I`m trying my best, so I`m happy :) I`m so excited for all my friends as they go into the greatest service up until this point in their lives.

It`s really funny hearing about all these friends going into the MTC and such. Before the mission I had in my mind I had a small idea of things that I might do after I get back from my mission. People I might want to date, things I`d want to do, but life truly is always changing. People I expected to see soon will be off on the Lord`s errand, and although my plans for after the mission will have to change drastically (:P) I`m so excited for the future! I know the Lord will guide me to where I want and need to be. That`s just one of the many blessings of HOPE that the gospel brings :)

Last of all I have a funny story.

We were teaching a lesson to a really good friend and investigator and we were just having a good talk and in Japanese our investigator said that I had a softer face and my companion had a more deep, defined face. Our team up (and great friend Ma-Kun) tried to explain to my companion in Japanese what our investigator said and it came out something like this..."She say...you have...Impact Face." We heard that and just burst out laughing. He was wondering what was wrong with his explanation and so I explained to him that his explanation sounded like a car smashed into my companions face hahaha. So now my companion`s nickname is Impact face and he decided that I was the opposite...Mountain Face :P I love life and I love being a missionary :)

Well, that`s all for now! Talk to you next week!
Bye Bye!

Elder Mountain Face ;)

Oh, P.S. My friends can email me now and I can email them. It was confirmed by president at the last zone conference. So I would love it if you could give me the email of all my family members (especially less active ones). I would like to keep in contact with them if I could :) Thank for everything! See you!

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