Sekiguchi‏

Okay so transfers happened, and so far neither my companion nor I have killed each other. I am learning A LOT of Japanese, or rather I`m getting better at what I already know. He grew up about 20 minutes from Disney Tokyo (which isn`t actually in Tokyo!) and we`ve talked about that. We`re both the organized type and we get along pretty well so far. Conference was great! send me a english and a japanese Ensign when you get the chance! I loved the Halloween package mom! I`m trying to figure out how we`ll make sugar cookies in our lack of oven (toaster oven) so we`ll see how that goes. Next package you send it would be cool if you could compile a bunch of letters for me! That would be awesome! 

So Conference was Amazing!!! it never ceases to amaze me when these elderly men who some of which have trouble to walk, or get up while skiing, deliver these messages directly from God himself. Elder Oaks, Holland and Uchtdorf`s talks really struck me and pierced my soul it seemed. I have been reading a conference talk every day for a while and it has really blessed me. Oh I wish I could watch it again and again.

The night of conference we had the elders from Matsue and Kurayoshi staying at our apartment so we had eight elders in one apartment. It was fun until we had to clean up today. I missed our family so much during conference. Priesthood meeting especially! William I wish I could`ve been there with you! I hope conference was as powerful to all of you as it was to me.

I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat or however the quote goes, but If looked at that way I now have nothing left to give. I got in a bit of a bike accident and it tore a large chunk of skin off my right hand and it isn`t the most pleasant thing but it could have been much worse so I`m very grateful. The members were very kind and bandaged me up when I arrived to the saturday session and they acted as if I was dying when really I just had a hand with substantially missing skin and a fairly gruesome amount of road rash and blood. sadly I didn`t take a picture sorry. It did look pretty nasty.

I`ve developed a problem with feeling lonely lately not because I am literally alone, but just because I feel like sometimes as long as nothing terrible happens, that people aren`t overly concerned with my well being and just me in general. From this I have learned to turn outward and be concerned about others. In turn, you will get the desired care and attention you wanted in the first place. basically the golden rule, but it`s true. It is true in all things. If you are lonely, reach out. If you are shy, approach people, etc. We don`t solve our problems by hiding or running from them. You just have to go through it as Mom would likely say. Well I have so much to say and so little time, I always wish I could share more with you! It`s pretty crazy how much happens when you are busy ALL THE TIME! but it`s good, I`m progressing a lot. I`m still me, just a wiser me. And I also really like stickers now and I have to be careful so I don`t waste my money on all the cool things that Japan has to offer! I`m starting into some origami so we`ll see how that goes... 

Mom, Congrats on the `Mom of the Year` award. Dad, I`m still waiting for that letter. Andrew, I almost bought a Japan National Team jersey, but they didn`t have my size, I`ll find it eventually. Abby, Eat some good pasta and convert a catholic. Rebecca, I wish I could respond to all the emails and letters you send me more, I`m working on it. (She`s the best at writing me btw.) Eliza, don`t get destroyed by the Musical(s) William, you wouldn`t be so fast if I didn`t beat on you. Caroline, I see some cool frogs everyday by my apartment. We named one Yoshi the other day.

I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL! 

Love,

Jonathan, Elder Pace

P.S. To all of you who said you would write me all the time and haven`t... do so.

First Transfer Down

Okay, so I have been in Japan for an entire transfer. Does it feel like it, not at all. But I am staying in Yonago for at the remainder of my training, but Elder Baker is being transferred. My new companion will be Elder Sekiguchi, who is native Japanese. I am terrified. I will find out more about him and let you know.

Dad, you requested that I give you my investigators names, here they are:

Miyake - he is 24 and golden, he researches everything, we gave him the restoration pamphlet and he read it 10 times the night before we taught it. he says his greatest desire in life is to find the truth. he works on sundays and we`ve been fasting that he can get sundays off from work. his baptismal date is 11/3

Kajiyama - He is 26 and pretty trendy (wears crocs... somehow some people in Japan think those are cool...) He came to church for the first time yesterday and seemed to like it. his baptismal date is 11/17

Tanaka (Sister) - she came to church last week and stayed all 3 hours, she is pretty involved with buddhism and doesn`t know how to handle the religious differences.

Tanaka (Brother) - he thinks he is really smart and always tries to get us to join Amway when we meet and we always refuse obviously.

Yasui - he is 55 he comes to english class every week and LOVES American stuff especially music. he knows weird movie quotes and said he loves British english music. I talked to him about One Direction of all things and we have an appointment with him next week, who knew that One Direction could be used to spread the work of god? 

Yamaguchi - he is like 79 years old and can`t walk, he sits seza all day and is too scared to come to church.

Sakamoto - I don`t really remember or understand him very well...

There are more but I don`t have time to talk about everyone.

I always love the reaction I get when I tell people I`m 18. In Japan people often wait until they are finished with college to go on a mission because differing is difficult, so to them an 18 year old missionary is crazy! also, Elder Baker turns 22 and is basically 4 years older than me. that`s weird. I have lots of issues with him but we won`t discuss them.

This week Elders George and Baker went to Kobe for Mission Training thingy and Elder Kemp and I were companions for a day. two 1st transfer missionaries roaming the streets of Yonago... but we found 6 potential investigators! well I found 5 and he found 1, but hey, we did something useful! One man named Kenya Hamamoto, I biked alongside him for about 15 minutes and I felt decently competent in what I was saying! We still haven`t met with him, but I feel like it was The Lord patting me on the back and saying `you can do this` it really seemed like a simple miracle to me.

So last week was bad and I was feeling down, so I decided that I needed to be happier, I bought some cool pens, some Halloween stickers, and then some chocolate to lift my spirits and it has helped throughout the week for sure. I also now have my own stamps so writing real letters will be easier because I won`t have to go to the post office every time anymore.

In Japan they have MILLIONS of pens, the favorite seems to be the multi-color pens where there are like 3 or 4 colors in one pen and the little slide-y thing on the side to switch colors. But yes, they love their pens over here, and there are lots of them.

Andrew and Rebecca, thank you for all the loving advice you gave me last week when I was feeling a bit more down than usual. Mom I got your letter, Rebecca you too. Letters take longer to get here than I thought, because of forwarding and all that, but I DO GET THEM EVENTUALLY! I am really excited for conference this week!!! But I will definitely miss the Priesthood Meeting outing with the Paces, that was one of my favorite times each year. It is always great to hear from family so please don`t hesitate to write me.

I have great challenges ahead of me and I`m really scared, excited and every emotion in between at least once every day. I don`t think I have ever cried so often as I do on a mission. I am being blessed though everyday, I can feel the prayers and support of everyone. I love and miss you all!

Love,

Jonathan, Elder Pace

I WANT MORE TIME!

SO basically my companion is bothering me right now because as a missionary the precious p-day time you have is like gold and so what does he do? he schedules an appointment at 12 with a guy who I told him wasnt interested in the gospel, and then he had to register in Kobe instead o Yonago and that took 3 HOURS THIS MORNING! and we were supposed to do it on friday! Lame, Lame, Lame, Lame, LAME! also he tells me I can`t listen to my music because he can`t feel the spirit and I want to say to him, GO RUB A MONKEYS TUMMY WITH YOUR HEAD! okay so that is the mood I am in right now. Pretty frustrating. Oh, and to add to it all, He is going to Kobe at 4:25 so my p-day is cut like 2 hours short! Basically my favorite thing to do all week is to talk to everyone that I care about, and he just tells me that he would rather watch the district at the apartment. He is Lame and Anti-Fun. I try to joke and make the most of this super depressing time out here and all he does is chastise me for things that arent rules that bug him, well you know what, he is more disobedient than I am! and he is always burping and passing fancies and it is disgusting!

anyway a lot actually happened this week but i don`t know if I`ll have time to share it thanks to my lack of time management skills companion. Anyhow. So aside from being in a state of endless depression and frustration, I actually had a pretty decent week. we 3 investigators with a baptismal date, and we taught 6 lessons yesterday. None of you are allowed to spoil general conference for me because I get to see it a week later than you do, but I still get to see it in English thank goodness! 

so I think the real source of my problems is that I desire too much. (for that moment at least) I don`t want to improve a tiny bit each day, I want to become fluent TODAY! even though I know I can`t do it, I still want to and it turn hold myself responsible for it. I am not satisfied unless I think something couldn`t have been better, I get frustrated if it`s not good enough for my own standards, which means I am going to be frustrated for quite a while it seems. I just feel like patience is so difficult for me. sometimes I think oh if I could speak Japanese then I will be effective and I`ll have fun then, but then I realize that even if I spoke fluent Japanese I would find something else to become bothered with. I am just that way, I have too much ambition for my own good. I`m driven, and not just to the point where I feel like I work hard, I`m going to work hard whatever I am doing, But I just am not easily satisfied with myself. I am too much of a perfectionist. 

The highlight of this week is the Trainer, Trainee, Training Meeting. It was just cool to see the rest of my MTC group and to talk about our different experiences so far and such. President Zinke is great, I`m sad I only get him until May, but then I get to see two different takes on the work which is cool. Keep an eye out for my next Mission President. Also, pray that the Kansai region (basically my mission area) of Japan will get a Temple. I pray for that every single day. 

We had a Pizza Party on Saturday for our English Class `Students` and Investigators and Members and everyone, and it is so funny because Japanese people don`t like it that much. They don`t like the cheese, and they don`t have pepperoni and if it were up to them they would put raw fish on it, or corn, they love corn on pizza I am not really sure why, it tastes pretty good actually, but it is just weird. But the party was a success and it led to more investigators coming to church sunday which was good!

Thursday there was a problem because once again my companion scheduled two appointments at the same time, so we got two members and I had to teach 安い  Yasui, by myself. I handled it fine and the Lord really helped me. I haven`t felt that much power from the Lord before it was a cool experience. Earlier that day however my companion during weekly planning decided to chastise me for rules that don`t exist... anyway There is a man in our english class named 高川 (takagawa) who we call Ken at English Class, and he seems to really like me.

so I was really stressed on Thursday during English Class because I was really worried about the Lesson with Yasui after English Class, anyway. On Sunday, Ken came to church to check on how I was doing and to invite us to dinner at his house, and the best part is he is a non-member! so basically all of you who got mad at me and told me that stress doesn`t help, I was able to find an Investigator through it and help him come to christ, it was really the first time I felt like I specifically was needed in this mission at this time! cool huh!!! Takagawa/Ken is my favorite person I`ve met, He looks like Ghandi and is hilarious in his cute little old man way. one week he gave us all rubber band guns made with chopsticks at english class for his show and tell! I love that man. Anyhow my time is up. I`ll talk to y`all next week.

Love,

Elder Pace

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

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

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