Our Man in Japan

I'm pretty sure Andrew wasn't transferred to this amusement park. Pretty sure.

Dear People who are reading this,

How are things going? This week I am being transferred to Hanayashiki and getting a new companion. Hanayashiki is bigger than Okamachi, but still a relatively small area. My new companion will be Elder Ashdown (Spelling?), he`s half Japanese and has only been in the field since July. He left the MTC the week before I arrived. I think it`s somewhat interesting that I`ve had a half-Japanese, Japanese, and now half-Japanese companion. There really aren`t a lot of Japanese missionaries in the Kobe Mission.

My new address will be:
Hyogo-ken Kawanishi-shi
Marunouchi-Cho 12-1-701
666-0003
Japan


That address will be my area probably until at least December 25. I have been receiving letters from time to time so you have the correct address for the mission home. I received a package. It was sent October 20 and arrived November 5. They also open the packages at customs.


You`ve been asking me for a list of things I want and there really aren`t many things I can think of yet. 1 set of plastic measuring cups, and cocoa powder. You could also buy stuff from the Japanese Costco.com and have them ship it to my address. Shipping is fairly inexpensive for that I think, maybe like $6. Or flyingpigs.com might be another way.Anyways, enough about that.


Some people have asked questions which I shall now answer quickly.The time difference is...maybe 17 hours later.


As far as height go, Japanese people aren`t really that short. There`s more short Japanese people than Americans but I`m probably only a little above average.


Have I tried the sushi? Yes I have. I like most of it I think.


Mugi-cha is made from barley. It`s interesting because I think in D&C 89 it mentions specifically that barley is fine for drinks.


Do I wish I had slip-off shoes? Well, I actually thought of that one ahead of time. So I`m glad I do have slip-off shoes


The weather right as I got here was hot and humid. Now it`s starting to becoming more cloudy and cold.


The scariest thing I had to eat? To be honest I`ve mentioned the octopus and stuff before. But as far as dislikes go, I don`t love curry. Which is unfortunate because it`s fairly common. And it`s rude not to eat all of it so I`ve struggled with curry.


My favorite part of my mission? That`s a tough question. I enjoy teaching people the gospel. Contacting people is really hard, but I really enjoy it when I get someone who is willing to talk. I know enough Japanese to express myself, I just struggle with understanding them.Last Sunday I gave a 4 minute talk in Sacrament Meeting. It went alright and people said it was easy to understand, which was good, but I think it was harder to understand than they said.


Have I learned anything that has changed my life? Well I`ve learned a whole lot of things. But the number one thing I`ve learned/improved on is patience and understanding other people. Everyone has faults, missionaries too. And when you`re living in an apartment with 3 other people for at a minimum 6 weeks than you really need to look past peoples` faults or you`ll be miserable. Fortunately I have not been tempted beyond my ability concerning those things yet.


Continue writing, and asking questions please.


Sincerely,
Elder West.