正月!‏

Happy New Year! or rather 明けましたおめでとうございます!

 

New Years was a big deal and so everything here was quite difficult as one might imagine. We did manage to get referrals from the meal appointments this week so that`s good.

 

I don`t remember a whole lot of what happened this week honestly. But I will share what I can.

 

So our investigator Kawakami, who is somewhat mentally ill, has it set in his mind that we can only meet with him on tuesday at 4. Good right? here`s the problem. He forgets. He also has a bad habit of turning his phone off. So that said we call him to confirm the appointment on Monday. Phone Off. We call again Tuesday. Phone Off. We go visit him, he says he forgot the appointment, and that we`ll meet next week. We make an appointment for next tuesday, we make sure he writes it down so he`ll remember. Next week, we call to confirm on Monday, same story... I am so bugged with him.

 

New Years was not super eventful. It`s largely celebrated in the families and so people are very busy, but not out and about busy. Missionary work this week was very uneventful other than appointments falling through and investigators dropping themselves.

 

We had lunch on New Years Day with the Tokuno Family and they served us a traditional Japanese new years meal. Shrimp (with the head and all of course) lots of Fish Eggs, Sushi, Anko, which is like a sweet bean paste with a great flavor but a pretty nasty texture, mochi, or rice that has been condensed so much that when you chew it is doesn`t get any smaller and is hard to swallow, and these little fish that you just eat whole and they have a very strange aftertaste. I don`t know the Japanese word for them.

 

I sent y`all a letter today including some items that you have been requesting (Eliza) hope it gets there soon! I have also enjoyed getting Christmas letters for 3 weeks because people in the USA have no idea how long mail takes to get here so a big thank you to everyone who wrote me! I`m trying to be better at writing back more. I also received the Olympus Missionary newsletter thing which was really fun to read and just good to hear from everyone out there! It`s a Small World After All!

 

I finally got my bike fixed! I now have working brakes, a light, and my knees don`t go above the handlebars anymore! Also Abby I got your package and I LOVED IT!

 

Oh! I also learned how to make Takoyaki this week! it`s like octupus corndog balls and is quite good, but is always served SUPER HOT, so someone always burns their tongue on it. I also did some calligraphy this week for new years and I was sad I didn`t know more Kanji, and that I don`t remember anything from Mrs. Wang`s Chinese Class HAHA.

 

I love and miss you all! Happy 2014!

 

Love,

Jonathan, Elder Pace