Yakiniku!‏

Okay, the one word that everyone understands and uses frequently even in japan even though they have their own word for it. there are lots of japanese words that get overrun by the english word which is cool and all, but they dont say it right! in english when we take a foreign word we pronounce it the same, but they take self, and make is se-ru-fu. and stuff like that, and its just weird and causes further language confusion.

anyway here is what happened this week. so we discovered the mcdonalds in yonago and since they had a buy one get one free deal, elder baker and i both got 4 big macs and possibly regretted it later... but mcdonalds is like classy over here compared to the USA. it is like the cool american place to eat. and yes we proved every american stereotype when we went there by ordering 4 sandwiches each... I just find it so funny when they try to be americans or do things the american way.

so here is what is going on with our investigators, well some of them, Ikeda is a man we met on the street and he contacted us after we gave him a flyer which was cool. Miyake we found just on the street and he told us at our first lesson with him that he thinks his purpose in life is to find the truth, he is super cool and I have a really good feeling about him. Tanaka is super weird and I think he is autistic, he is like a 24 year old smart alack (sp?) and he twists words of the scriptures and loves to be difficult. He doesnt get it basically but he still wants to meet. Nobu is 35 and he is really heavy, which is much more rare in Japan than in the USA. some of the chairs in Japan, Americans would not fit in it`s kind of sad. Nobu is pretty open to the message and is just super nice.

I went on an exchange to Matsue this week and that was good, that night we taught a less active family and their son asked me when I decided to come on a mission, I had not really thought of that before. I came to the conclusion that I didn`t, Rather, I decided to keep the commandments when I was baptized, and that I came on a mission because The Lord has asked that I go on a mission. I didnt go because I thought it would be cool, or that I wanted to learn a new language or travel to Japan, but because The Lord has asked me to go, and every other worthy young man in the church. I said this to try and touch the family`s son who was a few months older than me. it was a cool experience.

Also on my exchange, the Matsue elders have films of every general conference since 2004 and they watch them during lunch, dinner, any free time they have really, and I love it! I am so excited for conference! (and secretly wishing they extend the length of sister`s missions to 2 years...) I really can`t wait to hear the words of the prophets! but don`t spoil it for me because I think I get conference a week later than you all do in the states.

After district meeting on Friday we went to the Yakiniku, it is a rodizio grill kind of thing with all kinds of meat and sushi and stuff and in the middle of the table is a big grill and you just cook all of your own food and it`s all you can eat so we all just went crazy and ate way to much. I also had Takoyaki, which is Octopus in like a hush-puppy kind of breading and isnt bad, along with all sorts of meat, sushi and ice cream.

There is an elder in our district who we call `the sage` because he has been in the area FOREVER, and he is interesting, he memorized the testaments in Japanese and is always quoting it. he also wears biking gloves whenever he bikes, and has a disgusting glove tan line which is kind of yucky. 

anyway all is good here I guess, I am still struggling with Japanese, and what else, but I am good.

I Love and Miss you all!

Love,

Jonathan, Elder Pace

Eliza's Passport and Continuation from Last Letter

so I went through my bag after a very rainy day this week to find that someone had never removed their passport after coming home from a certain central american vacation... so I have Eliza`s passport here in Japan, I`m not sure what really I should do about it... I don`t think you`re leaving the country anytime soon but I have it if you are ever looking for it. I can send it home or whatever would be best, I`m not really sure what to do, but yeah. so let me know what you think I should do in regards to that.

IN ADDITION TO MY OTHER LETTER

I just can`t help but wonder if this is all really real. am I really on my mission? I feel like I should be at the high school football games with Eliza, or at BYU or in the MUSS or something, I just feel like I`m doing all the right things to be a missionary, but I still feel out of place I guess. I suppose that`ll just come but I don`t know. I do enjoy it here in Japan like I always enjoyed life, just it`s a different kind of hard than I could`ve ever prepared for. I really long to just make everything perfect. I know it`s bad I organize all the time, I am becoming more meticulous than ever, and I just want everything to be perfect and everyone to be happy in the gospel and they just don`t get how great it could be! I love reading my patriarchal blessing. I encourage everyone to read theirs this week and focus on the inspiration it gives you. I ALWAYS want more study time in the scriptures or PMG or whatever I`m studying just because I cannot get enough of feasting on the words of christ. They WILL tell you all things that ye should do. I have strived so hard to be perfect because the goal of life is to become like god so I need to be as clean and unspotted as possible from sin these worldly things that make me lose focus on the real purpose of life. Family, and the Gospel. Those are the things that are important to me and I love it! I know I wasn`t perfect before leaving and I`m not perfect now, but I`m trying every day to be the best that Jonathan Mark Pace can be. I ask sincerely for forgiveness for all the times where I have wronged any of you in the past. I wish to discard these incidents and move forward becoming a saint and putting off the natural man. Please, pray to heavenly father and forgive me for all that I have done wrong if there be anything. The power of forgiveness is freedom. True cleansing freedom, forgive all who have trespassed and the bother will cease. I know this to be true in my own life. I am growing so much here in Japan and I`m not just learning a language. I am just crying my eyes out at the computer here because I am so filled with love for all of you and I love you all so much! I don`t know what I would do without all of your prayers, love and constant care and support. I can feel it everyday. I LOVE YOU ALL! and I miss you even more!

Konnichiwa Kobe!

Okay, so this last week or so has been pretty insane. So first off it was wonderful to call all of you at the airport! I would`ve been more exciting and full of life if I hadn`t been scared out of my mind to go to Japan! But really it was great to hear from all of you! You all seem to be doing absolutely great! So here is what happened since I left off with ya`ll.

So from Salt Lake we flew to Seattle, had a bit of a layover during which I had my last American Hamburger, I called rebecca and talked to her and then flew the 11-12 hours to Osaka. On the flight I mostly slept, and tried to study what Japanese I could. I would`ve tried to convert someone, or speak Japanese, but just my luck I sit next to a man from Minnesota... lame.... he didn`t even want to hear about the gospel the bum. 

Anyway so then we arrived in Osaka, went through customs where everyone looked at us weird because we were 33 americans wearing suits and nametags, none of which spoke Japanese... Anyhow then we met Pres. and Sisiter Zinke, (Zing-key) and then we rode the hour long bus to the mission home in Kobe. There we did a little training about mission specifics until friday afternoon when we were assigned our trainers and off we went. oh friday morning we went on a short hike up aways and looked out over all of Osaka bay which was pretty cool. Kobe is very hilly and Japan is a volcanic island which means the middle of the islands is very mountainous. The clouds roll over the mountains like San Francisco fog and it looks all mystical as if it was something out of a movie it`s really cool to look at. 

Anyway my first area is 米子 (yonago) and my companion is Elder Baker. He is on his fifteenth transfer and is about 6`7`` and has red hair. He is very good and kind and helpful to a useless new companion like me. He reminds me of Ichabod Crane from the Disney legend of sleepy hollow video and it`s pretty funny. He really is great to be so patient with me. I am in a ４人 which is two companionships in the same apartment, like in the best two years. The other two elders are Elder George, and Elder Kemp who was in my MTC district. we both have half of the area of Yonago and it`s fun to be able to report and share stories with each other.

Friday night we taught our first lesson to 藤本きょだい and I invited him to be baptized on 9-27 and he accepted! In Japanese too! The next day we taught 梶山きょだい and he is now a progressing investigator. I am trying to give myself as much of a part in the lessons as possible even though it`s not much just so I can speak as much as possible. Saturday night we had dinner at a members home who I don`t even know their name. And in Japan they love to drink tea, but as members to keep the word of wisdom they only have herbal tea. anyhow there is a kind of wheat tea type thing they call Mugicha, and it is served either hot or at about room temperature. well anyway they had it at the dinner and it tastes like someone doused their cigarettes in your water. It is pretty nasty. But the family is very nice and the rest of the food was good. 

Sunday I went to my first sacrament meeting. The whole ward had to come meet me and I had to tell them that I have only been in Japan for 4 days and I can`t speak or understand very well, but they didn`t care! The members LOVE the missionaries, and their children are very entertaining during sacrament meeting. during the meeting, I introduced myself and bore my testimony in Japanese to the ward and they thought I was good at Japanese?!?!? biggest lie I had ever heard! 

after sacrament meeting we taught 本田　きょだい the word of wisdom and the law of chastity and he commited to keep both and he will be baptized on the 15th! 

I honestly don`t know what to say about the mission, sometimes it`s great and sometimes I just wish I was home. I feel like as my Japanese gets better I`ll like it more, but I don`t know. For now I have Elder Baker to help me but I just don`t like feeling useless! I really am a smart person I promise! I just can`t talk to anyone longer than 3 seconds. I know I`ll get better but I just don`t like it. Why couldn`t I have been called to Macon, Georgia? I`d be a great missionary there from day 1 as opposed to day 250 here. I don`t know it`s just frustrating. I mean I love Japan and I love the people and all, it`s just hard. anyway I love you all and hope you have a fabulous week!

Love, 

Jonathan, Elder Pace