私の家族 (my family) and others that may read this.
As you can see I have now
discovered how to use the Japanese keyboard, hooray! Anyway this week has been
the shortest yet. Then I realize that I haven't even been out a month yet and
it feels like I have been here for seven years! alas... I had this great list
of things to write to you about but I left it in my room when we went to email
so anything I don't get to now I will get to next week.
So the Provo temple is
closed until August 12th or something like that which is cool because it gives
us WAY more time on P-Day to do whatever we want a.k.a. sleep, write, study,
etc. But also bad becuase I have much more time to think about things like what
I may be missing, what is going on without me, blah blah blah... I miss
home and everything, but at the same time I don't want to be anywhere else.
When I get bugged about being homesick or missing someone, it's not like I want
to go home, just I want that person to come visit me or something like that.
So 日本語 is actually really hard.
Anyone who thinks otherwise can answer to me! They conjugate their
adjectives!?! what kind of whacky language does that?! for example, fun =
tanoshii, not fun = tanoshikunai, was fun = tanoshikatta, and was not fun =
tanoshikunakatta. And to make it so much better it's written like this: たのしい たのしくない たのしかった たのしくなかった not simple at all! Also everything in 日本語 is super polite! Instead
of just asking someone "will you pray?" you have to literally say,
"may I humbly receive of you praying?" I have SOO much 日本語 to learn and only 4-ish
weeks till I'm there! Everyone pray for me!
Here are some things to
not do while at the MTC (Or ever on your mission)
1- the stupid hunger
games whistle (that movie wasn't even good!)
2- put your namebadge on
your tie (either magnetically or sideways witht the pocket badge)
3- attempt to be a
hipster in any way shape or form (rolling up pantlegs, shortsleeve shirts,
wearing vests or suspenders, etc.) We are supposed to look united in a great
cause, not drawing attention to ourselves. Style is fine, but we have rules
about how to dress for a reason.
Every devotional, before
they even start they have like 50 ´´prelude hymns`` which at first was really
annoying, and I think the main reason they do it is just to keep people quiet
before the devotional starts, but I have found that usually there is some
profound message in these hymns that I have heard a million times before that
really stands out to me and is just what I needed to hear. I have started doing
this thing since getting here where I do not take notes based on what the
speaker may say, but what the spirit manifests unto me. I have been keeping a
special book just for those messages from the spirit to me. I have dubbed them
´´the small plates of jonathan pace`` and the book is only for spiritual experiences,
impulses, etc. I encourage everyone to do something similar. Then every night
before bed I read the most recent page I have written to reflect upon the
experiences I have had over the last day-week.
Also this week we did an
exercise on being inspired by the spirit in which we were paired up with
another misisonary in our district and were to only share what the spirit
prompted us to. It was initially very quiet, but then I felt that I should flip
to D&C 4 and share a scripture with Elder Young, which in the process, I
turned right to D&C 6:36 which reads ´´Look unto me in every thought; doubt
not, fear not`` I didn´t think much of it and simply shared with him that Jesus
Christ´s atonement is infinite and while it covers all our sins, it also covers
our worries, guilt, frustrations, pains, and sorrows. That if we will cast our
burdens upon the Lord whether they be a pebble in our shoe, or a crushing
weight upon our back, Jesus Christ knows what we have been through and through
relying on his atonement, our burdens no matter the size, may be lifted from
us. The scripture and message clearly touched him, and after the exercise was
over he asked me how I knew to share that scripture with him. To which I simply
responded, I didn´t know that scripture existed, but the spirit knew, and
directed me not for my sake, but for Elder Young´s.
One thing that is good to
note is that I no longer pray in English. It just feels weird to me now if I do
not say it in 日本語. The Japanese people do a weird sort of kneel where they just
kneel low sitting on their feet and they do it for hours. I have been trying to
practice so I am able to do it when I get there. It hurts after 2 minutes and
your feet go numb after about 5. I would encourage anyone who wants to try it to
do so, it is...interesting and as soon as you get up you just feel all the
blood rush into your feet and I think it is actually good for your circulation,
if you have cold feet give it a try, but anyone with bad knees should not try
this ever pretty much.
MTC food is a necessary
evil. You must eat to survive, but I just feel so unhealthy and sick every
meal. Mom, thank you so much for being the amazing cook you are! Seriously I
hope every missionary has his bowells filled with mercy so that they do not
have to be filled with the MTC Cafeteria food!
I hope youth conference
went well Mom and Eliza! Eliza I hope Mom embarrassed you on the bus! Caroline
I still have not heard from you..... William I trust you had an awesome time at
Camp Steiner, it really is the best scout camp by far! Andrew, try not to get
married while I am gone, Eliza, you too! Rebecca thank you for being the best
at writing me! (favorite sister award) Dad thank you for your letter it helped
quite a bit and I have not struggled with that near as much since that day.
Eliza I am still waiting for those letters you said you would send me... Mimi
and Papa I doubt William is doing the same quality job that I did, your clock
on the DVD player may just have to be off for a few years. Abby, convert
someone for me. I love and miss you all!!! I hope you all have a
wonderful week and write me soon!
Love,
Jonathan, Elder Pace
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