filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness right now.

It was a lot of fun talking to you more often :) I'm excited to see you this friday and I'm fine with going to my party by myself. I'm so excited to see Jessica! I love my cousin so much!!! You should tell her that.

Jury duty sounds pretty tough. I guess I'll find out eventually!

I'm so excited to go to the temple!!! I love the temple!!! Lets do exactly what you said Saturday morning! I know I'll be a little tired but I'll be fine.

This last week was a lot of fun :) I got to bear testimony in my old ward and it was fun seeing lots of friends and people I love. We also had a lot of miracles last week. We had a person call us and let us know he wants to hear the gospel. He heard the sister missionaries talking about the purpose of life in his restaurant and he got interested. He is amazing and really wants to find forgiveness through Christ. When we teach him you can feel the Spirit and know that he is accepting what we're saying. You really can feel when people accept the gospel. The Spirit comes so strongly. That's why I love testifying at church :) (Alma 7:17).

Hakodate has had so many miracles and now I get to see more over the next couple days back in my old areas! I'm so excited!!! I've loved every minute of my mission. I am just filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness right now. I'm excited for all that's ahead of me as well. Thank you so much for your support and prayers and love!

I'll see you all soon!!!

Love you! Bye Bye!!!

Elder Mitchell Perry Sotto

Leaving Hakodate and Hokkaido will be like leaving my home.

Dear Mom and Dad,

 

Wow...lots of fun stuff ahead! I`ll answer your questions first off.

 

I would love to have an open house party like thing! I think Sunday after church might be the best idea. I would be fine with Saturday if that works best for you though (friends open house confirmed for Sat Mar8 @ 2-4, everyone welcome to drop in fr MOM). I would like it if there was two maybe. One specifically for family(fam. dinner Sun Mar 9@5pm fr MOM) and the other for anyone (friends, family, etc.see above fr MOM). I also have some other things I`d like to do that I will list now. I hope it doesn`t cause too much stress for you!

 

I got a letter that said I should be released right when I get home (maybe a couple hours after). That same day would be the best. Could you schedule that with the Stake President?

 

I would like to go in and get a renewed drivers license as soon as possible (within a week if possible).

 

I think it`s a good idea to speak on the 9th right after I get back.(He WILL speak Mar 9 @  Bergeson BLDG @9am, frMOM)

 

I would like you to invite anyone and everyone who can come to my homecoming talk! It will be great missionary work! Please put that I will be speaking on facebook!

 

I would also like to go to the Boise temple as soon as possible (within a week if possible)...maybe on Saturday morning or something.

 

All the other stuff I think will be fine if we plan it when we get back. If you have anything else please let me know!

 

And now I`ll tell you a little bit about my week :)

 

It was great as always! I`ll be going up to Sapporo for the Music Fireside this saturday, so yesterday was my last day in the Hakodate ward! They let me have a 10 minute talk and it felt like my farewell talk when I left on my mission. Leaving Hakodate and Hokkaido will be like leaving my home. I truly love this place and this people and this land. This has become sacred ground for me. The Stake Presidency also came down and spoke. The President and first counciler were both in one of my previous wards and they are wonderful friends and said great things to me. I love this Sapporo-West Stake and want to help it grow for the rest of my life! I know I need to go back home though. Very bittersweet, but the sweet greatly outweighs the bitter :)

I`ll be back in my last ward in Sapporo for my last Sunday and get to testify there. I`m very excited :)

 

It`s amazing that I came to this land not knowing anyone, and I`m going to leave having many life long friends and memories that I will never forget. What a blessing it has been to be a servant of the Lord in this land of Hokkaido, Japan :) I`m excited to continue a different phase of my journey in life as well! So I`ll see you back home soon!

 

That`s all I can think to say this week. Thank you so much for you love and help and prayers! I love you soooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!

 

Have a great week!

 

Elder Mitchell Perry Sotto

Amazing! God`s plans are perfect! I love being a missionary!!!

Hello Family! So the things you sent me just now made me realize...I`m going to be home soon. I`m not really scared or worried or homesick. Just starting to actually realize that it`s going to happen.

 

I guess I`ll tell you quickly about how amazing my week was! So Saturday is the highlight. My convert`s 9 year old daugter got baptized! Yay!!! I`ll send you a picture next week. I forgot my camera :P It was crazy. She is usually really high tension and kind of mean to other people, but after she got baptized and bore her testimony there wasn`t a dry eye in the house. Her mother was bawling. It was amazing! Then after the meeting she went around giving everyone big hugs and she was just so happy! I was very shocked when she ran up to me and gave me a big hug (which is against missionary rules) and then a big kiss on the cheek (which is even more against missionary rules :P) but there was nothing I could do about it. And I have several witnesses that know that there is nothing I could do about it. so as we say in Japanese...Shiyou ga nai (Nothing you can do about it) :P It was truly the most amazing baptism I`ve ever been a part of though. The whole ward was in tears and my eyes even got a little watery. What a miracle. She wouldn`t let anyone else baptize her, and then God sent me back to Hakodate because he knew that. Amazing! God`s plans are perfect! I love being a missionary!!! And I don`t ever want to stop =D

 

My companion and I also were looking for a less active member`s house during the week and it turns out that the address was the Japanese Defense Force`s base...so...we went right up to the gate and asked if they knew who the person was :P It was kind of scary walking up to it, but they were very kind and helpful to us. I love Japanese people :)

 

Lastly, we had the music concert in Sapporo, and it was the most amazing one I`ve been to yet! It was fantastic! I can`t wait till the CD comes out! =D

 

Alright, well that`s about all for this week! I`ll make sure to get everything for school and stuff to you by next week! Thank you and I love you so much!!!

See you soon!

 

Me! (Elder Sotto)

--wash your hands,, drink lots of water, and don`t do stupid things

Ahh!!! 2 years has already passed! That`s crazy! I`m lucky I get to be out for 25 months though :) Ya!

 

Thanks for the travel information! I can understand that it could be distracting, but I think I`ll be fine :) I`m happy living here in Japan and I`m sure I`ll be happy when I get home as well, but I`m not going to let myself get distracted from the work of the Lord! I`ve only got a little time left and I`ve got to work my hardest everyday! But of course in a diligent manner :) I don`t want to be sick for a year like dad was. Although I might sleep for the first 3 days I`m back :P I`m excited to see you all again though!

 

I`m sorry you got food poisening! I guess that is one way to loose weight though! I think I`ve lost about 10-15 pounds on my mission...that`s not good :P But I`m eating a lot! It`s just that everyday is excercise. But I`m in good shape! That`s a plus :)

 

I got the package! sort of. It arrived at the Hakodate Sisters apartment I guess so I`ll get it today from them hopefully :)

 

So this week we got to go up to Sapporo for the Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival)! It was amazing as always :) I`m so lucky to be in Hokkaido :) I hope to be able to come back sometime too!

The next day we had a Zone Conference and heard workshops from the Mental and Physical Health officers for the North Asia area. Mental Health is always very interesting to me while physical health is like a repeat of stuff we`ve learned since 3rd grade--wash your hands, eat good food, drink lots of water, excercise, and don`t do stupid things :P It was all good to hear again though :)

 

We also have a baptism coming up this next Saturday (it`s my previous convert`s daughter). I`m so excited! But it`s going to be crazy! She wants to be baptized on her birthday (Feb. 15th) but we have a Music Fireside in Sapporo that day...so the plan right now is that we will do the baptism Saturday the 15th in the morning at 8:30 and then the members will drive us to the train station after that to catch a train to Sapporo at 10:30. We will be on the train for about 3 and a half hours and then we`ll arrive in Sapporo and start practicing music immediately until the concert at 6:30. It`ll be crazy but it should work out ok :)

I feel so incredibly blessed to be back in Hakodate though. The Lord has given me so many blessings and helped me to be a part of this great work in so many different ways, times and places. I have never been happier in my life! I`m so excited for all the adventures that lie ahead of me as well :)

 

I`m excited to come home and see you all, but until then I`ll pray for you and work my hardest here in this part of the vinyard that the Lord has entrusted to me. This is his work and I know that it will go according to His will. We are so lucky to be a part of this work :) I`m excited for the work I can do at home as well :)

 

Alright, well, I`ll talk to you later! Love you! Bye!!!

 

Elder Mitchell Perry Sotto

 

The song of the righteous really is a prayer unto God that brings the Spirit (D&C 25:12).

I hear that the world is pretty crazy right now, but I`m glad I still don`t have to think about it for a little while. Every once and a while you hear about things happening to America from people you meet on the street and then you can tell them that you know nothing at the moment about what`s going on! They are always surprised when we tell them we don`t watch TV or use computers or radio :)

Well I`ll tell you a little about my week now!

 

 This week we had several good things.

My companion slipped on the ice the other day! That in and of itself wasn`t that great, but because he slipped we took some time to wipe the snow off of him and while we were doing that a car pulled up in front of us to park but it got stuck in the snow so we ran to help and push it! Then afterwards my companion said "It`s a good thing I slipped or else we never would`ve been able to help that lady!" I love my companion! He`s so positive all the time! He`s a good old Idaho-an.

 

We were also able to meet another nice lady one night while we were walking home! She was out picking ice off her driveway so we went up and said "Can we help you out?" Most japanese people when you ask them just say "no no no! I`m old and this is my excercise!" but she said "Really?...Yes I would love your help!" So we picked her driveway, made an appointment to come back with the sister missionaries and went back and it turns out she`s willing to listen to the message! We have another meeting with her today.

We were able to sing some hymns with her while we were there too. She loves hymns!

 

That`s another great thing I`ve noticed this week. Music really brings the Spirit :) Singing with that nice lady and then singing last night at a member`s house I really felt the Spirit. The song of the righteous really is a prayer unto God that brings the Spirit (D&C 25:12).

 

We also had a Tacoyaki (cooked octopus) party at another investigators house. It was delicious!

 

And we met a less active member that is def the other day. We couldn`t talk to him at all the first time we went so I pulled out my planner (schedule) and pointed to a day and time when we wanted to come back and he put his thumb up. We went back prepared to communicate with him the next time. We brought a carry around white board and marker and eraser and talked to him through that. It was really interesting having such a silent conversation and telling someone that God loves them by writing it on a white board and smiling at them with my hand over my heart. Good experience =) We`re going  back with a member that can do some sign language on tuesday.

 

That`s all that I can remember for this week. By the way, if you could send that information about when I leave the Narita airport and stuff I would be very grateful! Just when you have time! I need to let that friend in Tokyo know if he can meet me there before I go.

 

Thank you so much! I love you and I pray for you! Keep hanging in their with work and life!

Talk to you next week!

 

Love your Son,

Elder Mitchell Perry Sotto

Japanese people are some of the most wonderfully nice people I know!

Dear Father and Mother,

 

You got my flight plans! Wow...time sure does fly fast. I was able to stay in the Honbu (headquarters) with an elder returning home the next day this past thursday and it was fun talking to him. He didn`t seem phased at all. He was a very hard working elder and was a great example (he is the one who`s sister married into the Braden family). I`m excited for the day to come home, but I`m also excited for all the time I have left. I have truly come to love Hokkaido and I feel like I can say like Ammon "I might want to live here till the day I day" ;) It`s been a great experience and I`m excited for all the adventures I have to look forward to in the next month!

 

I`m sorry to hear things have been hard on you mom. I hope and pray that it will turn out for your good and that you`ll get better soon!

And I pray that you`ll be able to do your work with joy and hope too dad :) I know that you`re providing great experiences to many youth who need what you have to offer. I wish I had taken more advantage of the scouting program when I was young! Not many people in Japan do it so I see the difference in the youth, but I`m so excited for the growth of the church here in Japan especially dealing with the youth. I want to see Japan 30 years from now!

 

Well now for my week!

 

This week was good! Elder Bongioanni and I went up to Sapporo on the Transfer day because we also had singing practice for our Music Concert in February. We got to see lots of good missionary friends and now we`re back in good old Hakodate! 

And today we are just going to take it easy and do personal study and letter writing at the apartment. I`ve been reading the PMG (Preach My Gospel) in Japanese lately so I`ll probably do that. Then we`ll go out to do missionary work tonight! We`ll do some more exciting things in the coming weeks before I come home.

The Lights festival sounds fun! I`ll see if the district wants to go and do it as a group!

 

So I`m going to tell you that Japanese people are some of the most wonderfully nice people I know! We went to a less active member`s house last night to share a message with her and her not-yet-a-member husband and when we got there she had made a meal for us to eat! That happens so much here in Japan! You tell people you don`t need any food and they still make you lots and lots of food! :P A lot of times it can actually be a pain to get into the lesson from that, but you can`t help but be grateful for how loving and kind they are towards people they hardly know. Last night we did fine getting to the lesson and we told them about Joseph Smith and how the Book of Mormon came to be and it was wonderful :) They all promised to read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and we`re going to see how that went when we call back tomorrow.

 

We were also able to meet an Old Investigator from when I was here a year and a half ago and unfortunately her feelings towards joining the church hadn`t changed, but it was nice to have another chance to bear testimony that God loves her and has many blessings prepared for her if she chooses to accept them.

It`s interesting how after time has passed people can change so much. One of my friends in my last area was not ready for the gospel 2 years ago when she met other missionaries but when we found her recently she was completely ready to accept it. I don`t know what changes happened, but everyone has their time and season to accept the gospel I guess. I feel like eventually this Old Investigator we met recently will accept the gospel someday :)

 

That`s all for my week, but I have a favor to ask. Do you know what day and time I get into the Narita Airport? There is a person I met here that lives in Tokyo and wants to see me off at the airport if he can. I don`t know if it`s possible but I told him I would let him know the time.

If you could send me that information that would be great! When I get to Narita and when the next plane is.

 

Alright, well I`ll talk to you later!

Love you!

 

Elder Sotto

 

God knows when His children are ready

So we got up really early to write our emails today because we have some activities to do later today but I might be able to see your email a little later...if not then next week! We`re going to see the dancing Squid in Hakodate (we catch it and they cut it up for us and we eat it!). I did it when I was first here and everyone wants to do it again! I`m excited! Then we`re having an Okonomiyaki party at the church with some Young Single Adults in the ward (Okonomiyaki is like a pancake with whatever you want in it. Usually vegetables and meat and such).

But I`ll tell you about my week!

My companion and I are doing "Nihongo Dake" days where we only speak Japanese and he is getting so much better! He has such a good attitude as well!

His talents are great too! We stopped a group of like 10 high school kids and he beat boxed for them and invited them to English Classand then 2 of the came that night! It was awesome!

Next story. We had a week appointment to meet with an investigator last week, but we called and called and couldn`t get ahold of him so we thought that he wasn`t coming (he said he probably couldn`t). So we decided to not go that day. After completely having forgot about the appointment we were proselyting from door to door and my comp really wanted to buy a dinner from a close by convenient store and eat at the church...I thought that was silly and said we should eat at the apartment because it was close by, but ultimately I said ok and we went to the church to eat our dinners. When we got there two members were shoveling the parking lot and said that someone was waiting inside for us to teach them! We were very confused so we went into the church and it was the friend we had an appointment with! And we just happened to show up at the exact time the appointment was after having completely forgotten about it...My comp really really wanted to eat at the church, and now I know why. It was the Spirit! So random, but the Spirit prompted him to go there. I`m glad I listened in the end. That is a testimony that God works through many means to guide us to where we need to be, even if those means are our stomachs =P

Last story. So yesterday I think I found one of the reasons why I came back to my old area of Hakodate. The Sister that I baptized here has a daughter that turned 8 right after I left to a new area and she wasn`t able to be baptized. That has continued for the past year and a half that I`ve been gone so she still isn`t baptized, but yesterday her and her mom were able to come back to church after a month and a half of not going and the daughter came up and whispered into my ear "Sotto come here...so I want you to baptize me on my birthday. Okay?" I was soooo Happy!!! =D Her birthday is the 15th of February :) That experience and being back here in my old area is a huge testimony to me that my mission president is directed by the Lord in his decisions. I know that God has a way prepared so that all of His children can receive the blessings of this Gospel. That testimony has been strengthened so much on my mission! There is a time and a season to all things, and God knows when His children are ready :)

I`m so excited for the time that they`ll get to go through the temple together and be sealed as a family!

Yup! And that`s two big things from this week :)

I`ll talk to you next week!

Love you! Bye Bye!!!

I got your mail and just read it! The squid was fun! We went out to find a snack called Tayaki and we met a Japanese lady living in China who is searching for truth and so we talked to her and had a great conversation in the fish market. We gave her a Book of Mormon and the pamphlets for all of our lessons and she said she would read it eagerly. She was a Kinjin (Golden person) and she is definitely going to get baptized some day soon I think, but unfortunately she has to go back home so we can`t meet again. But it was amazing! She was talking about how God had to have known that Adam and Eve would eat the fruit and that we need good and bad in the world to grow and that Adam and Eve falling was necessary. Then we shared 2 Nephi with her and she was so excited!

What a great morning! We are always being guided!

Thanks for the article and news! Very interesting!

Oh no! I`ll pray for you mom! I love you so much!

Mata Next week!

Bye Bye!!!

Your son,

Elder Sotto

miracles like not having snow fall on your companions head because he felt he should step out of the way

Thank you so much for those 100 things about Japan! I have definitely been here too long! ;P haha. But it`ll be sad leaving here. I`m so happy I was able to come here :)

I don`t remember America being that cold, but then again I was inside most of the time. It`s so cold here in Hakodate with the wind from the Ocean!

I used the Heated soles for a while and I loved them! They work great! But unfortunately they are a little thick for my boots. If I put them in and try to stick my feet in, there is a spot where my foot gets pinched and hurts so I can`t really wear them in these boots. They work great though! I actually got a pair of electric socks from the Olsons from camp and I haven`t tried the electric feature yet, but the socks in generally are very very warm! So if you see them thank them for me! And the gloves are working great as always :) I just have to plan wisely to use them for the coldest 2 hours of the day because the battery only last that long :P It`s really helping me to be warm this winter though. I can`t believe how cold it gets! But hey, that`s what makes us here in Hokkaido the Frozen Chosen =D And proud of it.

I hope your talk went well dad! I`m so excited to see the new ward and all the kids and everything!

I don`t have a lot of time this week to write so I`ll be quick! We have been working hard to go from a situation with no investigators to teaching more people here and it`s getting better slowly but surely! We had a person we found through phone calling come to church and two people showed up at our New Years Opening Party today! It was great! They`re not quite wanting to hear a ton about the gospel yet but we taught the 18 year old young man that came to the party today how to pray and get help in his studies preparing for college :)

My convert from the last time I was here came to the activity today as well and it was so fun to see her as a part of the ward and helping everyone out and such. It`s amazing to see how much the ward has accepted her in the year I`ve been gone and how much growth she`s experienced :) I`m glad I got to come back here to Hakodate.

There are miracles all around! It`s fun to see the new investigators and miracles like not having snow fall on your companions head from a roof because he felt he should step out of the way at the perfect time. Lot`s of little Miracles.

Oh, and my companion is teaching me how to Beat Box...it`s harder than I thought but I`m trying hard! :P

Anyways, I love you and I`ll talk to you agian next week! See you later!

Love,

Elder Sotto101 signs you've been in Japan too long.....
1. When you're outside Japan you still call non-Japanese gaijin.
2. You've continued to work through a shindo 3 earthquake without slowing down or bothering to mention it.
3. You're giving the peace sign in most of your Facebook photos.
5. You don't find engrish funny anymore.
8. You've started to reserve seats with your wallet / purse. You don't have the slightest worry that it might be stolen.
10. You bow when you're on the phone.
14. You no longer remember the English names for most types of fish.
17. You've started buying those strange English t-shirts.
19. You're starting to believe that romaji is English.
20. You ask people to "teach" you their phone number.
23. You get annoyed when young Japanese people use informal Japanese.
24. You've become extremely nostalgic about sakura.
27. You remember important dates by the heisei year.
28. You start to think that oyaji gyagu are funny (the corny jokes told by middle aged Japanese men).
29. You can ride a bicycle with a tiny clear plastic umbrella and not get wet.
30. You can wear a yukata properly.
32. You start feeling that many Japanese futon are too soft.
33. You say heeeeey a lot.
34. You enjoy cooking your own food at restaurants.
35. You don't pull over when police flash their lights.
36. At the first sign of a cold you wear a mask.
37. You often ask police for directions.
38. You can sing enka at Karaoke.
39. When you use a taxi in your home country — you wait for the door to open automatically.
40. You have accidentally apologized in Japanese in your home country.
41. You don't feel Shibuya is all that crowded.
42. You turn your headlights off when you come to a stoplight.
43. You eat curry rice (kare raisu) at least once a week.
45. You can hum the don quixote song.
49. (woman) You go naked at onsen without thinking about it but would never go topless at a beach.
51. You run for the train in a panic because there won't be another one for 1 minute.
56. You get the urge to yell sumimasen at restaurants in your home country.
57. You started to think that noodles are an ok filling for a sandwich.
58. You're starting to doubt your English pronunciation of Rs and Ls.
59. You bought a little plastic chair for your shower.
61. You drink corn soup from a can.
62. You own more than 8 umbrellas
64. You have used a stranger for support when sleeping on a train.
65. You're starting to add -san to the names of other gaijin.
67. You chose your bank by its cartoon character.
68. Your friends back home ask you what "genki" means.
70. You've become very picky about rice.
72. You bow when you shake hands.
73. You think there's food in the basement of all department stores.
75. You're not angry when politicians with loudspeakers wake you up at 8 on Saturday morning.
78. You always back-in when you park — no matter what the situation.
81. You complain about the dangerous lack of vending machines outside Japan.
82. You have slept standing on a train.
85. You buy kitchen appliances based on the songs they can sing.
85. You have purchased eggs from a vending machine.
87. You no longer get lost in Shinjuku station.
89. You can't use a toilet that doesn't have lots of buttons.
91. You believe that there's an onsen to cure all aliments.
92. You're starting to get Japanese comedy shows.
93. You think that corn & mayonnaise is a perfectly reasonable topping for pizza.
94. You know the theme songs for most of the products at your local konbini (convenience store).
95. You have said the phrase moshiwake gozaimasen.
98. When someone is talking you say "unn" a lot to show that you're listening.
101. You think stoplights are red, yellow and blue.

our band name :P Black Toast and Taller

With all of those birthday posts I just remembered that I have forgotten a lot of the names of my friends =P I guess I`ll remember them when I meet them again though! That`s how it has been here in Hakodate. I went to Church this sunday and there were only about 5 or 6 members who`s names I didn`t remember. And they all remembered me and told me how great my Japanese has gotten!

 

I`m so excited to be back! I don`t know what I left undone, but I`ve had a couple people tell me why they think I`m back. A less active member came to church yesterday because her brother (a church member) passed away a few weeks ago and she came back to thank everyone for all of the support they gave to him. She brought her husband (who isn`t a member) and he mentioned his desire to come to church a few more times and gave me his number and said we could come visit! One member said they think the reason I came back was to meet him and teach him the gospel.

 

I was also able to visit my convert from a year and 2 months ago and she freaked out when I showed up on her doorstep. She was so happy! She wouldn`t stop shaking my hand and jumping up and down! It was a really good meeting :) Her daughter (who is now 8 and taller than mom) still hasn`t been baptized because she doesn`t like men and won`t get baptized by a man...we`ll see how that goes. But my convert Sister Tomomi hasn`t been going to church for about a month and she told me that maybe I came back to help her re-prioritize her life so she can come back to church. That made me extremely happy =D

She also mentioned to me that if you choose not to go to church even one time, every time after that gets easier. She chose not to come and that 1 time turned into 4 weeks of not coming. We talked about that and I shared with her Mosiah 2:41. She wants to go back to church but she just mentioned how easy it gets to choose the wrong after you`ve done it once before.

 

That could be one thing that you mention to the ward dad. But I have a good question you can ask everyone. It`s been very important in helping me to stay active and happy and focused on my mission. The question is "Why am I here?" As I`ve asked myself that throughout my mission I`m brought back to why I make the decision to keep working everyday even when it`s freezing outside and few people are listening to me. The reason is because I know that Christ lives and that His promises are sure. I know that because I`m trying my best to live the gospel and I`m receiving the blessings of it. That and I`ve prayed to God to know if the Book of Mormon is true and I received an answer that it is. Because I know that the Book of Mormon is true I know that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ, which means that Christ really did perform the Atonement and Ressurrect, which means that we too will be ressurrected and thorugh following his teachings be saved in the Kingdom of God. There is no reason not to follow Christ if you know these things are true, even when times get tough. Times were tough for Christ and he kept on going. He didn`t give up. He didn`t give up on us so we can keep on working hard (D&C 122:7-9). But that question has helped me to refocus myself and my priorities and given me lots of strength. If people don`t know how to answer it, they can read the scriptures and pray and go to church to find their answers. I testify that with those 3 pillars we will have a strong base that will get us though the hard times, but only if we put God first, for "no man can serve two masters."

There`s my words of advice to the ward. And also tell them I`m excited to see them all again and I love them all :)

 

As for camp stuff...dou shiyou...I`m split. I would love to work in the kitchen because it`s good work and so fun and great and I love Lisa and the staff! But I would also like to work on the high adventure staff if that position is still open. I feel like in the high adventure staff I would learn how to work with people a lot better and it would be a lot more of a learning experience that would be good for my life and prepare me to be a better father and such...Any advice on the matter from your perspective dad? right now I`m leaning toward the high adventure staff but if that`s not open I would love to be in the Kitchen.

How about I rephrase this...where do you need me the most dad? Where would I be of the most use? That`s where I want to go.

 

Ya change is interesting mom. I think a mission helps me to get used to it, but this transfer came so unexpectedly that it kind of hit me in the stomach. I didn`t know if I wanted to sing or cry, but I`m happy here in Hakodate :) It`s like a new start. A clean slate. We don`t really have any investigators right now so we`re really starting from zero. My companion is really fun :) He can beat box like a pro and is really trying hard to learn the language. And he is lactose intollerant, but when he told me that I didn`t quite hear it right. I heard "I am black toast and taller." haha. So now we tell everyone that is our band name :P Black Toast and Taller! haha. It`s going to be a fun way to end the mission I think :) He works really hard too and so we`re talking to everyone all day! Miracles are sure to follow around every corner :)

 

I`m sorry to hear about all of the troubles back home, but if we look at it from a different light it is just another opportunity to be humble, just like you said. If we were never tested with something bad, we would never have the opportunity to develop the godly attributes of patience, love, humility, faith, etc. It is truly a wonderful and challenging thing, but if we`re faithful to the end we will receive eternal life through the grace of Christ :) How Happy A Thought!!! =D

 

Alright, well thank you for your mail and everything thoughout this whole two years! I`ll keep working hard and then I`ll see you in two months :) Love you so much! See you soon!

 

Elder Mitchell Perry Sotto

 

P.S. Tell my sisters I love them and I`m praying for them! And you too! Bye Bye!!!

It`s fun to have some good Idaho humor around again =D

Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu!!! (Happy New Year!)

 

Sorry to be emailing you late this late in the week! This week has been crazy!

So because it`s the end of the year, this week they gave us P-day on wednesday (today!).

Monday we did district meetings instead of tuesday, and tuesday (yesterday) we were supposed to read the Book of Mormon all day!

The reason I said "supposed to" is because on Monday I got some very amazing news...I got done teaching my district meeting and went downstairs and Kaicho said "Elder Sotto could I talk to you?" So we went into his office and he said "Sit down here. How are you doing?" "I:m good." "Oh good...you`re transfering to Hakodate." :P I asked him when and he told me I needed to be packed by tomorrow morning.

So...right now I`m mailing you from my new area...Hakodate! And I`m training a different newer missionary than my last green bean! His name is Elder Bongioanni. He`s from Idaho Falls! So we talk a lot about potatoes and stuff :P just kidding. It`s fun to have some good Idaho humor around again =D

 I was here when I was a young missionary (3rd-5th transfer). Now I`m a 15th transfer missionary! So I`m very excited for the work I have to do here in my old area :) It`s really weird being back though. And the snow melts so fast here! Sapporo had so much snow! I`m sad I didn`t get to say good bye to my old ward and stuff, but that`s ok. I`ll send them my calling card (all missionaries get calling cards when they get to the mission).

 

Anyways, so that`s my week up until now. Today is P-day and tomorrow is Deep Clean Day where we clean the apartment all day! And then our schedule goes back to normal :) Missionary work is hard to do during the New Years time so we a couple days where we stay inside and clean and read the Book of Mormon...so...ya. That`s my week so far!

 

Last week was fun too! We had a Christmas Party with all the Missionaries in the Sapporo area and we went caroling at Oodori Park! It was so fun!!! The park was lit up with lights too :)

Then we had a Christmas Party at our Eikaiwa and the Messiah Concert on Saturday. The Choir was aparently the best it`s ever been! At least that`s what I heard :) You can see it on Facebook if you want.

 

As for your questions, the members have made plans to feed us lunches and dinners for the next couple days. They are so nice to the missionaries! Especially around New Years. We had a lot I was excited for in Moiwa, but there are a lot here in Hakodate too. We`re going to a member`s house tonight and we went last night and it`s so fun to see there faces when they see me again :)

Actually last night at the dinner, one of the members stepped on the handle for a fire extinguisher...turns out that the powder is pink! :P that was fun.

 

My birthday was great :) Thank you for the turtle necklaces! I gave one to my companion when I emergency transfered yesterday. I also got other presents from other members and lots of happy birthday songs :) Shiawase desu (I`m happy).

 

I`m glad you like the flowers! They`re sold all over Hokkaido!

 

I only got one of the articles you sent by the way.

 

How was your New Years?

 

I think that`s all I have to tell about this week. It was really fun to talk to you last week! I`m excited to do it again soon!

I love you all! Bye Bye!!

 

Elder Mitchell Perry Sotto

picture of Christs manger..."The First King Size Bed"

Thank you so much for reminding me about my blessing dad! I haven't thought about that in a long time! It's easy to let your focus change over time. Thank you so much!

The snow here is extremely late, but today and yesterday it's been snowing a lot non-stop! When it snows it snows a lot. I slipped yesterday and fell pretty hard, but that's winter dendo (missionary work) for you! :P I'm completely fine.

I hope you all have a great Christmas! Take pictures and let me know how everything goes when you call! I'm really excited for the call :) It's been too long. And then I'll get to talk to you face to face soon enough! Until then I'll just keep on working hard :) And after...I'll just keep on working hard :P 

I'm so grateful to be able to work! There are so many older people in Japan and it's hard for them to work a lot. But that gives us a chance to help them shovel snow :) 

Japanese people are so funny though! They won't let you help them do anything! In order to help them shovel snow and stuff you just have to say "hey! What's that in your hand? (pointing at the shovel) Can I see it?" If you say that they're like "oh ya. sure!" And then you take the shovel and just start shoveling :P If you ask to help they say "no no no no no!" But they're very grateful when you take their shovels and just start shoveling :P 

The world is truly getting to be like that ね! It's all about money! But it's always really refreshing to meet genuinely good people who want to do good things and help others. There are still lots out there!

So this week was awesome!

Our church's reformation stuff got finished and we got to go to it this sunday! It was beautiful! It looks like a completely different building! It looks like a temple! And the inside has heated floors for my poor cold feet :P

I got to sing twice for a baptismal service and in sacrament meeting and it was great :) We sang I like to look for Rainbows (Baptism/Children's song) and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

We had the Messiah Concert Practice for the last time last night and it was great! I'm excited to sing on Saturday! You can probably find a lot of stuff about it on Facebook if you want.

We have been making a greater effort to contact more people and we've been meeting lots of great people! We met two who mentioned a lot of interest in Baptism and we meet another one today!

We're also going to a 5 story Daiso today! Daiso is like a dollar store.

...honestly I can't remember anything else. 

But during my personal study this week I was a little frustrated and so I tried to find the source of my frustration. I realized that my expectations and God's expectations and thoughts were different. I realized that often when we're frustrated with something in the gospel it's because of a misunderstanding. What we think we should be doing is different from what God thinks probably...I can't really explain myself but it was a good personal study :P

Alright, well that's all that I can think of for this week.

I would just end with a small fun joke. I saw a picture of Christs manger today and it had some very great words written above it...It said, "The First King Size Bed" :P

And with that thought, I wish you a Merry Christmas!!! :P Just kidding. A slightly better thought is the calm of that night that Christ was born and they thoughts of all those watching and even Christ himself. I hope that everyone has a great Christmas :)

I love you!

Talk to you Wednesday/Tuesday!

Elder Mitchell Perry Sotto

#4-How the Spirit fills the room when children sing (even when they're not on pitch :P).

I didn't really understand a lot of the talks about your missionary life before the mission because I couldn't imagine the real life of a missionary until now. It's so different from what I thought! I have been humbled and lifted up to a much more God like way of thinking. There are too many changes to even believe! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be out here. All of the stories you told me before the mission have really stuck in my head though. I think about your's and dad's stories all the time now. Thank you for being such a wonderful example to me and going out on a mission when you were younger. I'm glad to say that my parents were both missionaries for the Lord :) It's fun.

 

It's really weird thinking that it will eventually come to an end though, the lifestyle I'm living right now. I guess I'll just keep taking the days one by one and doing my best every day! Sore shika nai! (That's all I can do!).

 

You got the letter from Sister Oda! yay! She is such an amazing help to the missionaries. She's great. After she sent the letter she asked me to correct the mistakes in it for her so I got to see it too :) The ward I'm in right now is fantastic. I've been here for longer than most missionaries are in any area and I'm so blessed to be here!

 

We've been meeting in a far away church building while ours is under renovation, but we got news yesterday that we will be able to go back to it this next sunday! Yay!!! And I've been asked to sing with some other missionaries at a baptismal service and during sacrament meeting! I'm really excited :) And it's Christmas Music! I love Christmas Music!!! I would pick Christmas hymns all year round if I had the choice :P

I guess the new building has heated floors as well! I'm so excited =D No more cold feet!

 

I'm glad the Christmas Party went well! We had ours 2 days ago and it was fantastic! I've never seen such a great party before in Japan. So many people came! And there was a high school band that played for us and they were sooooo good. It truly was amazing. The church is getting so much stronger in Japan thanks to all the great leaders and members and especially the returning missionaries with fire. I'm excited to see the growth of Japan 30 years down the road when all of my companion's kids start going on missions. It'll be like double the number of Japanese people! =D The Church in Japan has a bright future ahead of it.

 

The Day after the Christmas Party we had the Primary Christmas Program and I never ceased to be amazed at a few things:

1-How adorable little Japanese kids are.

2-How loud 4-8 year olds can sing.

3-How amazingly patient and loving the teachers are.

and 4-How the Spirit fills the room when children sing (even when they're not on pitch :P).

 

We're still going to practice every sunday for the Handel's Messiah Concert coming up on the 28th of December.

 

Oh! We had a cool story this week!

So we had a blizzard on friday and we had planned to go visit an investigator we hadn't seen in a long time later in the night to invite him to the Christmas party...but there was a blizzard! So we started hiking up this huge hill that he lives on (it takes like 30 minutes to hike up to and we had never been there before) and the storm was pretty bad. So we prayed to see if we should go up, and we felt like we should. So we hike up the 30 minutes and start searching for his address at the very tip top of the hill...and the block he lives on doesn't exist...We were pretty komatta (in trouble). But we felt like we should go up there so we prayed again and asked that we would be able to find the house somehow. After we got done praying there was a high school girl just standing in the road behind us looking at us so we went up and asked her if she happend to know where our friend's house was...and she did! Then she walked us about 5 minutes back down the hill and showed us to his house. Also Earlier that day I felt like I should buy 2 pieces of delicious bread at the bread shop. I ate one earlier in the day and I was able to give one to her after she helped us. It was such a blessing! We told her she was an answer to our prayer as well and she just smiled and walked back up the hill to go home. After that we didn't get to meet the investigator but we met his mom and another person from Tailand doing a home stay in Japan and had great talks with them =) It was fun.

So, God really answers prayers and knows our needs from the beginning. If we will just ask in faith I know that God will lead us where we need to be :)

 

The last really interesting thing is just that on transfer day last week all of the missionaries gathered together and did a big music practice (106 missionaries were there!). That was fun :)

And we went to the Chocolate Factory in Miyanosawa/Kotoni last P-day and it was like Willy Wonka's chocolate Factory! Way fun :)

 

Alright...that's about all for this week! I'll talk to you next week! For real! Yay!!!

Love you!

Bye Bye!!!

 

Elder Very Tall  Sotto =D

 

P.S. No matter how long you're in Japan, you still hit your head occassionally. I'm getting better at dogding the door phrames that pop out of nowhere though :P

I love the guidance of the Spirit!!!

Wow! Idaho sounds cold! It's been about -4 to 7 degrees lately.  The Snow is really slow (late...you say slow in japanese :P) too. It still hasn't stuck!

Thanks for the Christmas presents and everything! The gloves are doing me great good dad :) It did say in the warning that people with bad circulation shouldn't use them so that caught my attention but I'll keep using them!

I know! The time is going by so fast! Our transfers are this thursday and then I only have two more left! So weird!

I heard about Andrew and James and their predicament as well.

So my week has been good :) I can't think of a ton of experiences, but we met a lot of good investigators!

One good experience. We have an investigator that wants to believe but thinks he can't believe in God. So unplanned we read Alma 32: 26-28 and when he read it he's like..."ya...I need to plant a seed to know if this is true or not...I need to test this out. I promise that I'll read the Book of Mormon eagerly from now on."...It was awesome! We didn't plan it or anything, but God told us what we should share with him and it stuck in his heart! I love the guidance of the Spirit!!!

And that's about it I think. Sorry it's so short! But I'll call you in a couple weeks!

I love you so much!

bye Bye!!!

Elder Sotto =D

I still have a lot of fire, but I'll admit that I'm pretty tired

We don't see many of those lantern things here in Hokkaido...or maybe we do but I don't look around much. I'll look more this new years!

 

I'll give my goals a good look :) I got the Thanksgiving/Christmas Present! Thank you sooooooooooooooooo much!!! It's so useful! My hands are finally warm! 

I guess I'm something called Hiesho (someone with bad circulation) so I have shimoyake (a premature form of frostbite) on my toes. They are red and swollen up a little and they were last year too. Even when I am in boots or have foot warmers my feet are cold. But I'm doing my best to keep them really warm! And It's not really too bad. So don't worry about me!

 

I also ate my turkey dinner with potatoes and gravy and olives today for lunch and it was amazing!!! Thank you so much! I'll send a picture.

 

I'm going to try to send home a box as well...next week maybe? But be expecting one!

 

New Missionaries are amazing...I still have a lot of fire, but I'll admit that I'm pretty tired :P haha. My New Missionary Companion is amazing. He's too exciting for me sometimes and I just stop talking because I don't know what to say :P But if they could get that experience and fire together, it would be something great!

Church and camp and everything sounds crazy! I'm excited to see it all! I'm especially excited to see my own family though :) That's the most exciting thing =D

 

So this week was really good! We met a chinese guy on saturday and he came to church on sunday and he had a great time! He wants to keep coming and we're so excited to start teaching him!

 

We also got preached to by two different investigators from two different religions for quite a while. We then got to talk to them about the Restoration! It was amazing to me that they had all of these arguements for why what we were saying was false, but when we testified all they could do was be puzzled. When we bear testimony there is no way we can fail. Even if they don't accept what we say. The power of testimony :)

 

That's about all that I can remember that sticks out.

 

Ya! So I'll talk to you next week!

I love you!

Bye Bye!!!

 

Elder Mitchell Perry Sotto

God is our loving Heavenly Father in my own language!

200 new members! That's so cool! I'm so excited to meet everyone! I know the Halls and the Lindseys and of course the Bassets. How fun! Tell everyone hello for me and let them know that I'm truly loving my mission!

Wish Collette good luck for me!

I did get the Halloween package and I'm looking forward to the Thanksgiving one! Thank you so much for keeping in touch with me and taking the time to send me things. I'll try my best to get a Christmas package sent home! I'm really bad at sending things, but I'll do my best!

Thanks for the Japanese article dad! I am very happy to inform you that I knew exactly how to use the things it was talking about! I feel so fond of this language now. I want to master it!

So for my week, it was crazy! So many miracles!

We don't have any really strong investigators right now, but we've found a lot of cool people this week who have a lot of potential to become new investigators. Our schedule is packed next week!

So for the Miracles:

We had an appointment with an investigator and he spoked us (didn't show up) and we don't have his number or address so there wasn't much hope of meeting him again. But we decided to show some faith and pray to meet him again and planned to go back to the place where we found him on the street in a week. So we went back on that day to look for him and he was there! Just standing there! It was awesome! God really does answer prayers!

Another one, we met a guy a couple weeks ago who was a little busy and couldn't meet, but we traded numbers with him and gave him a pamphlet about Joseph Smith and he called us up 2 days ago and said that he was really impressed with Joseph Smith's story and he wants to try out being a Mormon Christian :P We're meeting him again this wednesday :)

We also met an American up the side of the mountain in the middle of nature and he was so much fun to talk to! He has some problems with religion but he said he would listen to our message when he has time :) It felt so good to bear testimony that God is our loving Heavenly Father in my own language!

Now for the Awkward Moments:

We went to an Eikaiwa (English Conversation Class) student's house and when she answered on the interphone she said "Elder Sotto! Are you Genki (doing well)? I'm naked!..." She was very excited to tell us in English she had just gotten out of the bath.

I thought that might give you a laugh dad :P Japanese people really want to practice their English.

Ok, well that's about all for this week I think. I think if you were to send anything for Christmas I would love to eat Peanut Butter Captain Crunch. I miss it so much!!! That's all that I can think of :) If you want anything from here let me know!

Alright! That's all for this week! Love you so much! Talk to you later!

Bye Bye!!!

I can't blame them, it is catchy music!

Christmas! Christmas!!! I'm so excited!!!!

I go into stores here in Japan and hear Christmas music about Christ and his Divinity and I have to laugh a little because hardly anyone believes or understands in Christ. But I can't blame them, it is catchy music!

Things just keep changing don't they! It never stops. But that's a good thing :) I'm excited to see everything back at home!

Thanks for the insights dad. It's so true. I've found that most of my problems come from my lack of patience or my pride...or both.

I saw a picture of Kellie and her family standing in front of the tree and I remembered the good times we had too :) I want to go back!

Actually, Natalie was huge in the picture I saw! I was so surprised! I can't believe it! 

Christmas...Christmas...Dou Shiyou (what do I do...)? I don't know what I want! But I'll think about it for next week and tell you if I have anything then!

On the other hand, what do all the kids and everyone (including you Mom and Dad!) want for Christmas? Anything from Japan? I'm terrible at spending money so I don't really buy anything! But if anyone want's anything Japanesey let me know!

Thanks for telling me all about your week! Now for mine!

So this week!

We ate Indian Curry again! It's probably one of my favorite foods. I love Nan! (the giant Indian bread).

Also...Well I'm a little embarrassed, but I went to the Pokemon Center in Sapporo with my companion :P But it was fun!

We have practice every Sunday for the Messiah Concert we're doing the 28th of December. So I've been singing in a chanto shita (...real?) Choir! Its fun :) 

And dealing with Dendo, we found some really cool people this week. We were helping a member that recently returned to church move and we got a call from someone we met on the street saying he wanted to hear a little bit of our message that day...so we said OK! And he brought his friend! He is pretty passionate about his Buddhist beliefs as well, but he heard us out a little.

We were also able to be guided to a less active member that had a really bad day and be there at just the right time to talk to her and let her know that she is loved by her Heavenly Father. It amazes me how we are guided to the people we should talk to at just the right time. We felt like we should give her a visit that day and it just happened to be the perfect timing! Coincidence? I think not ;)

Well, that's about all. I'll talk to you next week! 

Love you!

Elder Sotto

I'm learning lots of new words that the(american) kids say now a days ;)

I've seen the hand of the Lord in my life so much lately. Our investigator actually got baptized and confirmed Saturday and Sunday! It's amazing to me how our actions don't change too much but people who are prepared and hear God's call make the whole teaching atmosphere different. We teach the same things but when people accept the Spirit really comes.

No Hawaii!!! Ok :) I'm not surprised actually. I feel like Idaho is a place that needs you dad. It's hard to explain, but I think of the leaders of our mission and other leaders and 70's and our mission president and I picture my dad as very similar. I feel like you are a leader where you are standing right now. I don't know what plans God has for the future but I see you being a leader in the area that you are. I don't know how that makes you feel, but it's just a thought I had. P.S. I tell lots of friends about you going from the military to the boy scouts and why and your cool stories and everyone thinks my dad is awesome and they want to meet him :P haha. 

And I love Idaho! So I'm happy either way :)

Thank you for your advice dad! I actually thought about that when I became a DL. But I thought about all the experiences you've had (going from District President to other positions and now bishop) and I thought it must be similar. I've seen it happen with members of the 70 here becoming mission presidents or something else. I also know a man that was in 7 mission presidencies and is now a Deacon's quorum leader. I have so many good examples in my life and I'm so excited to be a District Leader. It's a completely different feel especially since I'm working with a very inexperienced Elder, but I have so much respect for those who have the same experiences. 

I never realized how powerful experience is. Those who have experience are amazing people in my mind. I would say that you are one of the greatest examples I have dad :) Mom and my sisters choosing to put aside their other dreams and become mothers is amazing to me as well. The people in my family are truly leaders and amazing in my eyes. I can't really express my feelings on this, but I want my family to know that I love and respect you more than anyone I know. I love you =D

Some of the best advice I heard from another respected missionary friend of mine is "Always picture yourself at your 10th transfer (the middle of your mission). You're not rushed for time and you're not new."

We heard a talk from two members of the 70 recently in a Stake Conference and it was so cool watching them switch off teaching and working together. It made me think of my workshops as a Zone Leader. I'm excited to help the church in the future as well!

So fun things this week:

We worked at the church helping the construction workers take apart big cargo boxes in the snow and mud for 2 hours! Way fun :)

We had a baptism! And we're going to continue to find more people who want to :)

And my companion is awesome! He says the funniest things ever! I don't understand his english most of the time but I'm learning lots of new words that the kids say now a days ;)

And that's about all for this week! Talk to you soon!

P.S. It's snowing...happy face :)

The bread of life has no crust.

That Boy Scout event looks really awesome! Thanks for sending the pictures!

So I was thinking about Hawaii and I could definitely see myself going to school there too. It would allow me to keep my japanese up and stay in touch with friends from japan.

I went to a stake meeting yesterday and the day before and I got really sad at the thought that I would have to leave this stake that I love so much! I am really glad that I am able to play a part in the strengthening of it.

So if you decide to go I'm all for it!

 

So this is really random but I really want to go visit my sisters after I get back! :P I miss them!

 

So this week we had transfer calls and...I am staying in Moiwa! I've been there really long! But I went back to being a district leader and my new companion is a Green Bean! He is from Texas and he never stops talking :P He's really funny and ready to go out and do work. He's a great companion. I'm excited to be his trainer!

I was a little worried being with an American companion again because no matter what you do sometimes you just don't understand what people are saying, but the Lord has really blessed us to find people who might listen to our message.

I'm just constantly amazed at the miracles the Lord has been blessing us with. It just never ends! As we keep ourselves worthy and try to do good things God moves His work forward.

My bean (new missionary) is really funny. He says the most random things in the world. This week in our apartment we've heard these things:

 

The bread of life has no crust.

I had my first fart in Japan! This is history!

I'm in Japan! (60 times a day)

Look at that dog! It's soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (He loves dogs)

etc.

 

He's a great companion :) I'm excited for the coming weeks!

 

If you have any questions about anything just let me know! I gotta go now so I'll talk to you later!

Love you!

Bye Bye!!!

 

Elder Sotto

JAL: Apparently From Alaska to Utah to Hawaii is called Route "Joseph" and the way back is call "Smith"

Dear Family,I  Went up the ropeway for Mt. Moiwa Today and met a guy from Hawaii! I asked him in Japanese to take our picture and he was like "Hey, I don speak japanese man." haha. It was really weird hearing a hawaiin accent :P haha. His nephew is a bishop in Hawaii. He's not a member though.

  I've actually been thinking it would be fun to go to BYU Hawaii! I don't know if I actually want to but I can see myself going!  I would still have to do one semester is Provo I think though. I just need to choose a path and study and work hard. Don't worry about me. Nantoka naru desho (Things will work out!)

Thanks for your story mom! I really have felt the power of prayer lately too.

But the think I've felt the most lately is the power of the Priesthood. God truly speaks and works through us to bless his children and it's amazing to me that we are counted worthy to hold his priesthood.

I don't have a ton of time because I have a Baptismal interview to do soon! It's the friend of someone who recently got baptized and he wants to get baptized too :) It's great!

I'll tell you the coolest thing I heard this week.

So we found an less active memeber that works at the airport and apparently the airports uses a lot of church words for routs. Apparently From Alaska to Utah to Hawaii is called Route "Joseph" and the way back is call "Smith" :P Also, There is one called Monson and Mormon as well. The lights on the flight line are called the 12 apostles and there are a ton of other. Landing is called Laman  and take off is called Lemuel! It was so cool hearing all of this! This less active member was really active in sharing the gospel as well haha. What a cool guy.

Ok, well I gotta go! I'll talk to you again next week! I may be transfered by then! 

Love you! Bye Bye!!!!

Elder Sotto!

"Wow, God sent a whole typhoon so that we could meet that one person!"

'm glad I get to write you every week too! It's nice the technology we have here.

Oh no! Are you ok mom? Take care of yourself!

So this week was great!

I was on splits with a brand new missionary and we had a typhoon and it was raining like crazy! But we went out searching for a referral that was a little bit up Moiwa Mountain. When we got there no one was home and so we just stood there on the porch for a second looking at the rain and a guy came buy and asked us what we were doing. We told him and he said the person in the house we were at had moved. But he invited us in to warm up and told us that the real reason he invited us in was because he thought it would be a good chance to hear about God...Wow! He gave us yogurt and we talked about Joseph Smith and the Restoration and made a return appointment. Afterwards my temporary companion said "Wow, God sent a whole typhoon so that we could meet that one person!" =D apparently he had been visited by missionaries and turned them down before but because we looked cold he let us in :) great day.

We've also been meeting frequently with our grandmother investigator that is getting baptized in 2 weeks and she's progressing nicely with a new gained hope for the future.

The time is flying by so fast here! It's weird to think that me and my doki (people who came to japan at the same time) are the leaders of the mission now. It's really fun though. We had an inter-zone conference last week and taught a workshop on basic finding for everyone. There are so many young missionaries!  But it was really fun :) I'm learning so much!

We have a lot of handwarmers in Hokkaido. They call the Kairo. We have a ton! And we used them all last winter :) I might go buy a small pair of liner gloves soon though. It's gotten pretty cold.

Someone reminded me that scholarships may start soon and I'm not sure when, but I'm allowed to do that kind of stuff on P-day if there is anything. If you could give that a look for me I would be grateful! 

You're already preparing for camp next year? Wow. That's pretty fast! Is there a spot for me? :P 

Alright, well I'll talk to you again next week! 

Love you! Bye Bye!

Elder Sotto (Tall and less and less skinny everyday :P I'm doing lots of push ups!)