Sayonara MTC!

So here is the dealio kazoku, I leave on Tuesday August 27th from the MTC. I report to the Travel Office at 3:30 AM then I take FrontRunner to the Salt Lake Airport. My flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle leaves at 8:25 AM I will call home while at the Salt Lake airport. I am not sure what time but I would guess sometime between 5 AM and 8 AM, probably earlier. From Seattle we fly to Osaka, Japan and that is where the real fun begins. Our flight from Seattle leaves at 11:25 AM on the 27th, and I arrive in Osaka at 2:25 PM on the 29th. So Crazy!

The Tokyo South missionaries in our district leave on Monday which means ONE WHOLE DAY WITHOUT HAVING TO SMELL ELDER MAK!!! I kid somewhat, but really Monday will just be a weird day in class without half our district there.

We got our Japanese nametags this week and they are so cool! As difficult as all those characters are to read and write, they sure are cool looking on my badge. 

SCHOOL STARTED?!?!? I swear it just ended! I hope everyone is having a great time! Eliza, hope all is well with that crazy thing we call high school. William is in Junior High?! Since when?! He's like 4 feet tall? I hope he's loving it though! I wish I could be there for all of you and hear all your great stories and experiences, but alas... CAROLINE I LOVED YOUR LETTER!!! (Eliza and Rebecca you too) Mom don't be sad that I'm gone. I'm where I should be. Besides I'll be crying enough once I get to Japan and can't even communicate with anyone but that's okay. 

So I don't know if I ever told you this but here is what a typical day is like at the MTC for me. I wake up at 6:00 AM and shower, get dressed, do my hair, smell nice, etc. I have breakfast at 6:45 AM for which I usually have some muffins, or some cereal if worse comes to worse. Then from 7:15 to 8:10 I have personal study time in which we read The Book of Mormon for about 20-30 minutes and then spend the rest of the time studying whatever we had planned the night before to prepare for our lessons that day. (Japanese grammar, vocab, PMG, practice reading the Japanese BoM, etc.) Then from 8:10 to 11:10 we have class, in which we learn Japanese, and teach our lessons to our investigators. At 11:10 is lunch, and that is usually some sort of sandwich, burger thingy, with chocolate milk of course. Then from 11:55 to 1:30 is PMG study time, followed by gym time until 2:30, and then until 3:00 you have time to freshen up as it were. From 3:00 to 4:10 is TALL. it stands for Technology Assisted Language Learning. It's a program made at BYU to help us learn the language and get more practice listening to native speakers. After that is Dinner until 4:55 and then we have class again until 8:00 PM. After class is Language Study until 9:00 and then from 9:00 to 9:30 we plan our next day and then go back to our residence to write in our journals, brush our teeth, say our prayers and go to bed by 10:30. So in case anyone was curious, that's what I've been doing here for the last 9 weeks!

I am so excited but I can't decide if I am more likely to shout for joy or burst into tears that I am actually going so far away. This will be the hardest thing I have ever done. I'm sure lucky I have the Lord with me because otherwise this would be impossible. I love and miss you all! In case you were wondering which I know you are, it takes 7 days for mail to get to Japan so I've heard, so that's not even that bad! I am just so excited but I am scared out of my mind! Everyone pray for me. I'm praying for all of you! Mimi and Papa thank you for your package it was very well received! I Love You!

Love,

Jonathan, Elder Pace

Make Yourself a Dang Quesadilla!

Exciting news from me this week... I GOT MY TRAVEL PLANS! I report to the MTC travel office at 4:30 AM on Tuesday the 27th, then we go to the airport from where we fly to Seattle at 8:35, and then we make the long flight to Osaka, from which I'm assuming we take a train to the mission home in Kobe! Now travel plans may not seem that exciting, but when you've been here for 8 weeks, travel plans are exciting mostly because it means that we're actually finally leaving the MTC haha. 

This week was a lot like the other weeks probably because I've had the exact same schedule here since week two here. However there were a few highlights from this week.

I ran into Elder Stephen Pinnock this week who promptly gave me a hug, flipped the name tag on my suit upside down and then shook my hand and said, "You're upside down..." (What's Up Doc reference for anyone who hasn't seen that movie)

Sunday I was able to bless the sacrament in Japanese which was a cool experience! It is interesting to see the difference in meaning and emphasis on things in the scriptures through the translation and such. Sorensen Choro and I were both shaking at the sacrament table we were so nervous haha.

THIS JUST IN - Elder Mak still smells awful!

Because of Sorensen Choro's ADHD, our branch presidency has prescribed him a tutor which he (we) have to meet with once every other day or so. She is this cheerful old lady and all she really does with him is teach him how to read the scriptures/PMG more effectively, and retain the things he has read. I sometimes will listen in and pick up an interesting study technique or different idea or perspective on the scriptures, but most the time I just read the Book of Mormon or study Japanese during these "lessons" They seem to be helping him though because he now seems more confident in his knowledge of both the gospel and Japanese.

This week we also discovered the "secret" to the MTC cafeteria, quesadillas! You get them at the wrap bar and heat them in the microwave at the back. HAHA WE FIGURED OUT HOW TO GET DECENT FOOD!!! after 8 weeks of the same old food it's just good to eat something different, but I'm sure I'll miss american style food when I'm eating rice every single day/meal and octopus, squid and other kinds of fish constantly. All my senseis said they either maintained their weight or lost weight while in Japan so it looks like I may be a lurp forever...

Elder Richard G. Scott spoke at the Tuesday devotional this week and it was amazing! He spoke on prayer and how incredible it is that we can communicate with our Heavenly Father at any time, in any place. I really don't know what I would do without prayer. Sometimes it is my only source of strength. When I have nothing to rely on and no one to turn to, I always have my Heavenly Father to turn to.

I am not having an easy time on the mission right now. It's not because the work or the language is just too hard (well the language is) but I just am having such a hard time with the emotional distress it brings me. I am having a hard time being away from the people I love and care about. (BTW if you are receiving this email you are one of those people) I know I am where I am supposed to be, but then why is it hard in such a way? I know that the Lord's promises he will keep, but eternal promises don't really make me happy right now. Couldn't I just have an immediate promise from the Lord? I don't want to worry about things at home or in Chicago (Andrew when do you go?), but I do. And the only thing that quiets those concerns is receiving updates and affirmation that all is well. I just want everything to be perfect if you can imagine that, and when the possibility of that is shaken or tested I begin to be extremely anxious about everything. I know, imagine me, anxious about something... at least that hasn't changed.

So people at home aren't anxious about me and how I'm doing, here is how I am.  I am struggling with living up to the expectations I set for myself, however, I am happy and I am well. Peter (Aldeste?) Lambson sent me an email this week saying that if you aren't happy, you're doing something wrong. (with regards to missionary work) I have seen this to be true in my own mission and in my life as well. The talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin entitled "Come What May, and Love It" helped me a lot this week. It talks about the ways to deal with trials and sorrows in our own lives and I would encourage everyone to read it. (maybe go over it in FHE or something) I find it odd that our church does not emphasize more fully the studying of modern revalation by our latter-day prophets. I have found amazing amounts of comfort, motivation, and knowledge from numerous conference talks while here at the MTC. I love this gospel and I need to share it. We were able to skype with members in Japan this Wednesday and it was incredible! We taught Ikeda San, and her daughter, and we shared with them our experiences with prayer and how it had strengthened our faith. I told them about the time when we were camping and Jake Segura got lost in the Uintahs and how we all prayed for him, and everything that we asked for in our prayers was answered. And they actually understood my Japanese!!! The Japanese people are just so happy and full of light and joy. I'm sure many of you would love it if I were to return home the same way haha!

I hope you all are wonderful and are excited for school! That's so weird that school is starting again already it feels like I just barely graduated! I love and miss each and every one of you! I pray for you always and if there is anything you want to send me before I go to Japan, it's now or never! Letters are always wonderful even though I can't always reply to everyone immediately! Caroline I'm still waiting to hear from you!! I love you!

Love,

Jonathan, Elder Pace

"Yellow Fever"

Hello Family and Everyone,

 

So this week was more of the same here at the MTC. It gets difficult to motivate yourself when you feel like the amount of progress you're making is so minimal, but alas... I only have two weeks before I leave to Japan! So basically if anyone wanted to write me, do it while postage is cheap hahaha! Really though I am so excited though even though I don't know near enough Japanese to manage, thank heaven for senior companions!

 

So it was nice to know from Rebecca's dearelder that my family is still the same bunch of goons as when I left. Caroline you still haven't written me a letter! William I do not have your iPod! And I hear you lost mine as well... You've got a week to find it before I'm going to need it unless you want to pay to ship it to Japan. Eliza I want to write you a letter soon about high school and I hope I have time. I am so excited for you! You are beginning one of the most exciting chapters of your life! It seems like just yesterday I had to miss sophomore orientation when Andrew got home from his mission and I was getting to know those mysterious Evergreen kids. I miss those times I really do! Rebecca I don't know your Japanese teaching friend. my two senseis are Ben Taylor and McKay Anderson who are both amazing. I fully support any of my sisters who wishes to marry Ben or Jason Taylor! Also Rebecca Sarah P. left a couple weeks ago I think. She got reassigned to Tempe AZ I believe. Andrew, don't settle for less in Chicago and be sure to let me know your address when you get there. Mom, I got your package and the donuts were delicious. Dad, I never got around to writing you about your career move but I was going to say I support you in making the switch which is what you did anyway so thank you for listening to my sage advice on the subject.

 

My biggest challenge with the MTC isn't Japanese, it isn't teaching "investigators" of volunteers at the TRC, but really it is motivation. I know I'll struggle with this my whole misison, but really it's hard when I know that our "investigators" are really just our senseis, or things like that. I just hope that things change when I get to Japan and things become "real". I just want to get to the point where I feel like I'm really on my misison and that I'm not just at the MTC Japanese learning summer camp thingy. I find that the only true motivation comes from within, and I'm trying hard to be able to be motivated to do the work the Lord has for me to do.

 

Rebecca, you know how you claim you have synesthesia? or whatever that color association thing is? well I really think I might have it. I have begun to associate people, objects, feelings and most things with colors. Mabye it's a real thing, or maybe I'm just having fun with all the colorful pens I have. My district mocks me when I have about 15 or so pens in my backpack/shoulderbag thingy to which I tell them that they're just jealous becuase they are.

 

So about my iPod, I'm allowed my iPod touch on my mission, but I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed any excess apps on it. However, I have heard that President Zinke is not strict on music and that basically as long as it's clean and I find it uplifting I'm allowed to listen to it. I'll try and compile a list of specific music I would like along with the MoTab and other great churchy music. I trust you are capable of doing that for me!

 

 Okay so the most interesting experience of this week was when I went to get my immunizations. So I had to get my second Hep A shot, so I go to the immunizations office and they take me back and they give me my shot. This is hard with me becuase there isn't much arm for them to put the needle in. So right after I get my band aid on and I'm feeling pretty good about things, they realize they gave me THE WRONG VACCINATION I don't know how this happened, but they somehow switched things up and gave me the Yellow Fever vaccine.  (yellow fever is the term used to describe the strange attraction white missionaries serving in asia get toward the asian women.)

 After they told me what had happened I just about died laughing! Family I am now IMMUNE to asian women! So mom and dad if you had any worries that me going to Japan would lead to some asian grandchildren you can throw them away right now.

 

Speaking of which I am pretty sure our insurance should cover the shot so I have a reimburement form that I will send home before I leave. Also, is there a way for me to check the balance on my debit card? I mean I can just use the ATM but is there an easier way? I don't know. also I get these weird spots on the pockets of my white shirts from where like my planner rubs against the pocket and they DO NOT DISAPPEAR! I can't get them out of the dumb shirt even with the bleach and everything else I don't even know what the stain is!?!

 

Also when the last batch of Japanese speaking missionaries left I picked up a set of snazzy chopsticks which I now attempt to eat with in the cafeteria. Upon which I receive several a strange glance from some English speaking elders who think that 2 weeks in the MTC is just soooo looonggg... whiners. I also got a Japanese illustrated book of mormon stories which is pretty cool. I'll probably send that to you pretty soon as well.

 

I should get my travel plans within the next week so that is exciting! I'll let you know what they are. Judging by the last two groups to leave to Japan, odds are I will be leaving in like the middle of the night so if everyone wants to stay up and have me call I am more than happy to do that! I love and miss you all! I pray for you always!

 

Love,

 

Jonathan, Elder Pace

Chindonya

Konnichiwa Mina San! (hello everyone)I figured I would spell it out in romanji so you could pronounce my Japanese words. So week 5... I am over half way done at the MTC! only 4 more weeks until I go to Japan!!! Which I cannot wait for but am terrified about becuase I don't know enough Japanese!Okay so anyhow every P-Day we have a thing called TRC. I'm not sure what it stands for but you just teach a member or volunteer (or plural) in your mission language for like an hour or so. It is always interesting because it feels so much more real than the other mock investigator lessons you teach. I like it actually feeling real, and also that since it is a member, you don't have to try and convert them, but rather just discuss the gospel in Japanese which is great because so much of the pressure is taken off it seems. 

Anyhow Sunday the Jackson sisters performed some trio number at the devotional and I can say that Andrew I am so glad things did not work out with you and whats-her-bucket. You can do so much better than that. Speaking of which who is this female I have heard mention of recently? eh Andrew?

The other day in class we had an interesting moment. Since Taylor Sensei is out of town this week, we have had all kinds of substitute senseis, many of which are Nihonjin (native japanese) so we all went around introducing ourselves in Japanese, our names, what mission we're going to , our family, where we are from, and what we like to do. After Sorensen Choro gave his introduction in his broken Japanese, our nihonjin sensei said "Sorensen" in an effort to clarify his name, to which Sorensen Choro responded with "He can say his Rs, it's a miracle" quite racistly. Everyone had some very awkward giggles and it was very silent after that... 

Mom you'll be so proud of me (I hope) so my gray pants (which are my only washable pair of pants) were borderline too short, so I decided that if I took the cuffs of of my pants, it would make them the proper length by adding an inch or so to the length. I was successful in my endeavor and was able to unpick the cuffs and stitch my pants back together so they now are wonderful and the proper length. As I was ironing the cuffs out so you couldn't see where they were before I altered them, I got all sorts of strange looks from people who thought I was ironing my suit pants, to which I told them not to fear, and that my pants were in fact safe to iron. 

So I sometimes get a feeling of depression, loneliness, or self-doubt, often in fact. It's the universal beginning of satan's temptation, trying to convince us that we are not capable of doing the right thing successfully, or that we aren't good enough. In times like that I have to do something fun. I have to force myself to put "Sunshine in my Heart" and carry on. It is not easy, but one thing that I learned from all of my experiences in Ensemble and the school musicals is that you can't be sad while you sing and dance. Fortunately for everyone at the MTC I have not resorted to that option... yet hahaha. But what I have been doing is looking up funny or interesting words in Japanese to make things a little lighter. My favorite word I have found so far in Japanese is CHINDONYA. it literally means, musical sandwich man. I have no idea what that is, but I sure hope I run into one in Japan! none of our senseis even know what it is! 

This week I was able to host the new misisonaries including Michael Driggs, Stephen and Josh Pinnock, it was so great to see them and I think it was beneficial to the families to be leaving their missionary in my capable hands... hahaha but really it was an awesome experience and just so great to see all these people at the beginning of such an incredible journey, and realize that I have already been gone for a month! which somedays seems like it's been 5 years and others 6 days so it all depends. As I got Dad's letter about hiking the Pfiefferhorn (sp?) it made me think of what I was doing on my mission and how it relates to hiking. So when we go hiking, we choose a destination, pack our bags, get a group together and set our on the trail. We know the trail will be long, and that no matter how soon we may want the hike to be over, we have to follow the trail to get there, and the trail is a set length, nothing we can do will make the trail shorter than it is. Also while hiking, the more in shape we are, the easier it is to complete the hike, and the less difficulty we will have (less "cramps" hahaha Dad) So anyway the same is true with missionary work. I have a destination, Kobe Japan. I've packed my bags, and I've got my companion and set out "on the trail". This trail happens to be two years long, and no matter how much I may want it to be shorter, it doesn't change in length. I know that I will be able to complete this hike the easiest if I obey all the rules and "stay on the trail". Now this trail is difficult, exhausting at times even, but nevertheless stopping on the side of the trail to mope or complain about its difficulty, does not allow me to make any progress on the hike. Now the better in "spiritual shape" we are, the easier and happier we will be along the trail! If I had never gone on a hike before and decided to climb Mt. Olympus, I would have an extremely difficult time, but to a veteran hiker, it becomes an enjoyable, and not a dreaded activity. Similarly, if I had never read The Book of Mormon before and decided to serve my mission, I would have a miserable time, luckily, I was in proper spiritual shape to take on this difficulty of a hike. Now with a hike, everyone focuses on the destination, everyone does the hike so that they can see the view at the top of the mountain, however, if we only enjoy the journey once it is complete, we are not enjoying the journey. Hiking is a miserable activity if you don't enjoy your time on the trail, so enjoy it! Look around and appreciate where I am, what I'm doing and look how far I've come. I'm sorry that turned into like a total sacrament talk right there but I just found it very profound and applicable.

I hope everything is great at home! Eliza and William thank you for your letters! And Rebecca thank you too! Caroline I'm still waiting to hear from you! I'm shocked that you can't read the Japanese characters from my last email... Kids Camp sounded like....fun.... and Youth Conference sounded like a smashing success! Mom and Eliza thank you for not dying. (of course Mom would make Eliza canoe with Matt Kaelbaer... hubba hubba) Abby did you get my letter I sent you?! I love and miss you all!

Love,
Jonathan, Elder Pace

KUIARATAMENASAI (command form of to repent - very impolite in 日本語)‏

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.

Apparently they changed the missionary dress code, but they have somehow not managed to tell anyone in the MTC about it?!?! Because all the new elders that came in this week all have khaki pants! No fair, I want some khaki pants! hahaha but other changes include the banning of backpacks. We are allowed like a satchel (sp?) or a shoulder bag, but they claim backpacks make us look unproffesional like tourists or students. But at the same time breifcases are too intimidating, but man purses aren't weird at all.....

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

Sukuinushi (Shhh!)‏

Week 3

Okay so this week began with Elder Mak (Mr. Snoops) attempting to iron his shirt which he did not know how to do. I looked out into the hall and saw him holding his shirt in the air with one hand, while trying to iron this limp shirt hanging in the air. I tried my hardest not to laugh, ...and failed. It was pathetic! I died laughing as soon as I got to the room and was practically rolling on the floor I thought it was so funny. I have since taught him how to correctly iron his clothing.

This week I also received a batch of Peanut Butter Chocolate kiss cookies in the mail, but from an anonymous sender... I wonder who my secret lover is...

William I hope you had a great time at Camp Steiner! It's the best scout camp there is even with the freezing lake! write me about it if you get the chance! I'm also glad you all survived the first wave of the Texas Oldroyds although it sounded like you guys really had a great time with them! Of Course Jennifer and David couldn't figure out mafia...

Okay so this week I got a notice telling me to come to the travel office and apparently there had been some issues with my visa application, so I filled out the forms they gave me and signed off on it all and they were resubmitted. Everyone pray I get my visa in the next six weeks! It shouldn't be an issue, but if worse came to worse I wouldn't mind being reassigned to the Illinois Chicago West Mission..... hehehehe

Another funny thing that has happened. So my classroom is on the third floor and we are the only Japanese class on that floor. The rest of the classes are Spanish. (our nemesis simple latin based language). So I don't know how it started, but some of the spanish Elders and Sisters somehow got the idea that the Japanese word sukuinushi (pronounced skoo-ii-new-shii) was used to shush someone. However, sukuinushi actually means Savior. So we have had some good times mocking these spanish speaking missionaries that will put a finger to their lips and to one another say "Savior" when things get noisy.

So being on a floor with all spanish speakers, we constantly hear their stupid whiny complaints about how hard spanish is and how they are here for six whole weeks!!! boo hoo hoo!!! I asked them if I could call the Wambulance once and they didn't like that very much. But they continue to complain and then we show them some hiragana and katakana and they get quiet even quicker than if we say "sukuinushi"

So my companion as I think I mentioned before has ADHD. So it is extremely hard for him to focus on anything for longer than 10 minutes. So... we are a one-man team pretty much. I don't know what to do because I end up planning, studying for, and teaching the lesson every time, but we can't switch off or anything becuase he can't do it. and with the language I can't just help explain it to him the whole time because then we both get super behind and that is no good for either of us.

So Ben Taylor, or Rather Taylor Sensei, Bensei as I call him. has now become one of our mock investigators named Watabe Shingo. In Japanese they do the last name first and they rarely use the first name. In teaching Watabe San (Mr. Watabe) we taught him about prayer, how through prayer he can come to know if god lives, he can receive answers to his questions and receive guidance in his life. For the first time I actually was able to teach free of the books and only had to look up a few words. I also was able to share with him the story of how when andrew's lung collapsed how before he got surgery I prayed so that he would be safe during the operation and would recover. I told him how heavenly father answered my prayer and helped me to feel comfort and that if he would ask heavenly father in prayer in sincerity, that heavenly father would answer his prayers just the same way. I tell this story because it was the first real personal experience I had shared and it reminded me so much that The Lord wants ME in Japan, and not just any missionary, that there is something I have to offer to the Japanese people that will bring them the same joy through the gospel that I feel. Oh and BTW this was all in Japanese so booya!

The Devotional tuesday focused on serving The Lord and not just serving time. how Prisoners serve time, and missionaries serve The Lord. I have been striving all week to be more diligent and work as hard as I can to serve The Lord and not just serve time. I have also been focusing on having things to look forward to each day to keep my optimism high which is hard for me being the super pessimistic, critical, cynical person I am. Such things include beach volleyball tuesdays, purple tie thursdays, and other silly things. The real secret to making the time go by faster is to do what you are supposed to do, when you are supposed to do it, crazy I know, but obedience really does work, imagine that! Some people just can't wrap their head around that idea.

I would love the following things:

a copy of the family newsletter

my purple tie from hairspray (for purple tie thursday)

my swiss army knife.

any japanese pokemon cards (they actually are good reading practice because they have more everyday words and not just religious vocab)

Well only 6 weeks to go here in Provo! we get new Japanese missionaries this week which is exciting! I love and miss you all!

Love,

Jonathan, Elder Pace

Welcome to Camp Green Lake

Well here at the MTC things are kind of odd. So first off, being with a companion all the time is fun and all, ...but it's not. I'm such a solitary person and I don't like to be with people really, but I guess I'll have to get used to that. I would like to send home pictures that I have taken, but the computers here are so restricted that it is near impossible to upload anything from my camera. So if you would like to send me pictures, which I would highly reccomend you do, they must be actual photographs sent through the post office.

So day one I arrived here, picked up my language materials, and went to class with Sensei Taylor! (Ben). He only speaks in Japanese which is so frustrating but I guess it will help us learn better? So Japanese is extremely difficult. I have successfully learned to pray, and I can also say certain sentences like, I believe God answers our prayers, (Kamisama ga inori o ukeru to shinjite imasu) Japanese is backwards of english where the verb comes at the end of the sentence so like instead of saying "I am Elder Pace", it is "Watashi wa Pace Choro desu". I guess it'll come more naturally after a while but we'll see. Here is something I HATE about the MTC. So in school, they will teach you all of the material before you have a test, so that by the time you are tested, you can get 100% of the questions right. Here at the MTC however, they test you after you know maybe 10% of the material, so there is no possible way that you can pass! How intelligent of them to structure it that way... Anyhow I have been struggling trying to keep my cynicism from getting the best of me, but there are so many things that I feel like they could improve. Yesterday Elder Sorensen and I taught our first "Lesson" in Japanese (meaning I did all the work, wrote up the whole lesson and Elder Sorensen said Konnichiwa at the beginning and Sayonara at the end) Teaching these lessons teaches us nothing because we can't understand a word ou investigator says to us, and can barely even say anything at all in Japanese. It'd make much more sense if we were just taught to speak Japanese and learn to understand before they just feed us to the wolves. I have just decided to have fun with these lessons because otherwise I will stress out and be bugged whenever things don't go exactly as I had expected.

My companion is Elder Sorensen, he is from Lehi, UT and went to Pleasant Grove High School. He played soccer and has strawberry-blonde hair. He also looks kind of a lot like a horny-toad... He also sleeps with this stuffed Elephant his girlfriend gave him that is kind of gross. We named the Elephant "Big Rhonda" He isn't quite as dilligent as I am but I guess that is just something I will have to get used to as well. There are six elders in my room and we're all going to southern Japan. Myself, Elder Sorensen, Elder Kemp, Elder Mak, (Pronounced Mack), Elder Thurman and Elder Young. Elder Kemp is 19, went to Brighton High and knows the Lambsons, is going to Kobe, and loves skinny ties. He also is our district leader. Elder Mak is the comic relief of my misison, he's going to Tokyo South, is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and is a cross between Le Fou and Elder Calhoun from the best to years. He is the only one in our room who isn't writing a girlfriend and I think it bothers him when the others talk about theirs, his MTC ID card picture resembles very closely the most hated man in the world, Adolf Hitler, he has managed to break the shower handle, spill orange juice all over his shoes and socks, doesn't brush his teeth that I know of, his belly shakes when he laughs, and he kind of smells. Elder Thurman is from Heber City and is going to Tokyo South he also knows the Seguras. I know the least about him but yeah. Elder Young is going to tokyo south, lived most of his life in Russia and is ripped. He seriously could break me like a chopstick if he wished.

Waking up at 6:30 hasn't been much of a problem, but when my district stays up and talks fo hours after every night despite my requests that they let me sleep, it gets harder to wake up. My companions do not like my alarm clock, but it does the job and we all are fine after the first minute or so after our ears stop ringing. I really do love my district and we get along really well which is great.

The food..... it's sub par, but the chocolate milk is excellent! Although Sundays food is severely lacking I hear so feel free to send me food for when I will be hungry AKA every night at like 9 because for some reason dinner is at 4:00... who's the genius who decided that?

My P-day for the next 9 weeks is Saturday which is when I will write my emails and most of my letters. If people wish to write to me, DearElder.com is the Shiz. It provides free same day delivery while I'm in the MTC so it is great for the next 9 weeks! It's the same format as an email which is really convinient for the sender because then they don't have to worry about stamps or envelopes or anything! basically use DearElder.com! Also the little kids that I know spend like 10 hours on the computer each day have no excuse not to write me a quick letter! I promise I will write back either via email or letter!

So here are the people I see at the MTC or think I see here.

Elder Cort Jackson I see a lot seeing as he is also going to Japan and lives the floor below me. Elder Robbie Neff I see quite a bit. I also see Elder Darrell Day, Elder Brandon Bitner, and Sister Sarah Howard? I actually enjoy seeing people I know a lot more than I would've thought, I ran into Elder Nick Liddell last night which was great! I always seem to see people like that at times when I am frustrated or lonely or missing Mindy or my family and it helps to lift my spirits.

Everyone here seems so happy, and I don't know why. I don't feel the spirit here any more than anywhere else, and I am constantly reminded how stupid I am and how terrible of a Japanese speaker I am. I don't get it! Although everything seems hilarious here, it's like I am so starved for humor that anything that is the least bit funny at all we will laugh at so much more than we should.

Elder Sorensen is instant messaging his girlfriend right now which I'm pretty sure isn't allowed but oh well. They're gross with all their smiley faces btw. (never use smiley faces, ever! just a word for the wise) I'm shocked to see how many Elders are just lazy, they sleep during study time, they don't go to the temple, they don't wake up or go to bed on time... the list goes on. I just feel like people can't expect to be blessed if they aren't obedient duh!

Well, this is my life at the moment. Try not to miss me too much! I love you!

Jonathan,

Elder Pace

Pace Choro