Yo yo yo it's LUNCHTIME!

As always it was fantastic to hear from home!!! I really miss all of you so much and I am really really homesick sometimes. I miss home, it`s just like the whole atmosphere of  home and everything. I feel like I know I`m doing the right thing here, but I struggle with missing our family. probably because you`re all so amazing and I love you so much! 

So this week was great statistically I had my first baptism! Honda Kyoudai was baptized and confirmed and I was able to participate in the confirmation. It was awesome to see how he changed and his outlook and how much confidence and how proud he was of himself. It reminded me of when I was baptized and how that week in primary I was so set on being perfect and being the best little 8 year old boy I could, and I looked at Honda Kyoudai and that he had that same transformation. 

I look up to my trainer for his Japanese ability and such, but he makes me worried that I`ll become weird while I`m out here. I hope I remain normal and personable.

So a few interesting things about Japan. They never toss things to each other. They like super humbly hand things to one another and it`s interesting. Also, when buying something, you don`t hand money to one another, you set it down and they pick it up. it`s a bit odd. There are a lot of interesting things, but I can never remember them all when I am trying to email. 

Eliza the gala sounded like it was really fun and a cool experience for everyone, good luck in a christmas carol! William, Congrats on cross-country that`s awesome! Soccer sounds rough, nice to see Toby is still the same old ..... Andrew, good luck in Chicago! I know you`ll be the best! I`m praying for you! Mom and Dad, you never say much about yourselves but I hope you`re doing great! Mimi and Papa, today is Respect Elders Day in Japan, a national holiday, so I want you to know that from 5,000 miles away I am respecting you!

Andrew and Dad, I want to thank you for the great examples you have been to me. Sometimes when things get really hard, I just think to myself, `What would Andrew do? or What would Dad have done?` and I work even harder after that. The Lord just wants me to give him my all, and there`s nothing more that I can give him. I`m so blessed to have such great examples in my life, I love you so much!

One thing that I have come to appreciate out here is that there`s always tomorrow. Even if I have the worst day I have ever had, that in less than 24 hours, It`ll be a new day, and I can try again! Each day is an opportunity to learn and grow. The problem I have is patience! Waiting for that new day is really hard sometimes. I really want to learn this language, and accomplish a lot, but I have to wait because it can`t come all at once. Line upon line, precept upon precept. 

I miss you and Love 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

Konnichiwa Shimaitachi!‏

Dear World, (family)

I will answer most individual emails in individual letters which you will probably get sometime next week. Also I would assume it was William who emailed me from my own old email, but they didn't leave a name..... maybe it's from aninnymouse?! But anyway thank you to everyone who wrote to me this week it really does mean a lot! Also I only have an hour to Email so if you would send me your emails either as letters or through dearelder.com I would have more time to send you my weekly update.

Anyhow, yes I got the midnight snack package you sent, and it is very useful! Also thank you Rebecca for your package! so anyway I have just recorded my thoughts throughout the week of things I need to write home about but they may be very scattered so bear with me.

First I am glad not to be one of the new guys anymore! It was so fun to greet all the new elders by saying "Konnichiwa Shimaitachi" which means good afternoon sisters! Though stupid, it's great to see their ignorant faces as they think we're being all nice to them when we're mocking them. Even though we don't get more Japanese missionaries until the 17th it's good not to be the newest missionary at the center. A bunch of Nihonjin Choro to Shimai (Native Japanese Elders and Sisters) arrived this week and they are so small! They have such a brightness about them and it's great to know that there really are good faithful saints all throughout the world. However, I do not understand how anyone could ever develop Asian/Yellow Fever hahaha no thank you!

So one fun thing that makes learning the language a little easier is that all of our Japanese language and grammar books all have fun Japanese names. For example, our green pocket sized grammar card is known as the Bulbasaur, and our yellow grammar book is known as the Pikachu. Other book nicknames include the ninja, sumo, miyagi (from karate kid), magikarp (that book is useless) and charmander. In case anyone did not already know, yes I am going to the land of Pokemon.

One frustration is there is no real like checkpoints on the process of learning a language, and the only real goal is to become fluent. Also it is frustrating that no matter how incompetent we are at the language after nine weeks, they are going to send us off to Japan regardless! I cannot learn this language in that time! everyone please pray for me!

Okay so... my companion Elder Sorenson has ADHD. I am not kidding! He literally has been diagnosed and everything, and does he bring his medication on his mission? Of course not! Seriously he cannot last longer than 15 minutes on any task and it is SOOOO frustrating! I plan all our lessons, do all the talking in our lessons, and have to continually be on his case to focus on whatever it is we're learning or studying. Also, his favorite hymn is "We are all Enlisted" which is fine, but he sings it 24/7 and he only knows the first two lines of the first verse ALL DAY LONG! One funny thing is that the Japanese word for companion is doryo (with extended o sounds) and my companion is effectively Dory from Pixar's Finding Nemo. Also this week he asked me if the priesthood was on the earth during the great apostasy...

So receiving mail is like candy! please everyone write me because I like to get mail! And because I want to hear about all that you're doing! Also pictures are gold! I want pictures of family and friends! Also I don't know if you sent it already but that picture collage Mindy made me I would very much appreciate!

Elder Paul Zoltan Mak in my district (yes his middle name is Zoltan) you know the one that doesn't shower, brush his teeth, make his bed or really practice any hygeine decided to shower this week! (hooray!) but then while we were all showering he closed the door to our room which conveniently had all the keys to the room in it. So yes we were all 6 of us locked out of our room, half naked. Thankfully our zone leaders went to the front desk and got us a key to our room and the problem was resolved within ten minutes. Elder Mak is the Mr. Snoops of our room who ironically looks like the I'm a PC guy from those those old Apple commercials. Ironic because his name is Mak. Elder Mak is also the reason for us getting an unsatisfactory rating on our room check this week.

On the fourth of July we had a "Stadium of Fireside" in which they brought all the missionaries inside to watch 17 Miracles to prevent us from hearing that terrible worldly celebration... Sometimes I think that people who have these ideas are just stupid. but anyway, I just wrote letters the whole movie and after we got to go outside to watch the fireworks show, or as much as we could see from within the walls of this monster center thingy. Which defeated the whole purpose of trying to keep us inside in the first place!

The food here is terrible. I eat because I have to survive, but am seriously considering annorexia for the next seven and a half weeks. When I think of the MTC food a movie quote comes to mind. "Do you not know that I have had Diahrrea since EASTERS!?" anyhow I don't think I will gain any weight here at the MTC. Although I have been lifting weights and working out consistently so I could gain some muscle mass. Let's all cross our fingers for that! Basically I am doing well and I have taught 5 lessons all in Japanese (or as much Japanese as possible) and have actually been able to feel the spirit in the last few which is awesome! Also Cantonese is the gay Mandarin.

Here is what I need to know slash need from home.
The list of Thank You cards I need to write that was on my ipod. and the addresses of those individuals.
Febreeze. (for Elder Mak)
A Deck of Cards
Fingernail Clippers, Rebecca I don't know what you thought was in that stupid pedicure kit you sent me but it did not actually contain anything to clip my toenails/fingernails with.
Abby's address in Italia.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Love and miss you,

Jonathan (Elder Pace)