Japan 7 months 1 week-40

anus. 

I never got an MTC picture so I did one in Japan.

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea sdpogihasdoglaas

I will forever ruin the sisters pictures! 

Please zoom up to the faces on this lovely picture. I was violated. 

I took my asian fotossss. 

We went to a lighthouse for our district activity. 

These things are everywhere and I love them. 

my favorite family. 

We set up a christmas tree with the Ikeda family! 

The view from the mountain we climbed at night. 

we are so arsty. 

JUST FOR YOU ALENA!!!!!! IT HAS GERMAN ON IT! 

I love Japanese Graffiti. 

Happy boy

Special

I got a little racist. 

We went to a burger place right by the mountain that plays christmas music all year long and has giant santas everywhere. It was amazing. 

The chrismas burger place. 'lucky pierrot' 

We all got the futocho burgers. They are so huge. They only make 25 a day and there were 6 of us that ordered them. When they bring them to us they have a bell that the ring and tell everyone that we are eating something extremely unhealthy. Then they pray for us. 

It hurt. 

 Sweet! I finished pictures! I hope you enjoyed them. Thank you very much.

I can't believe how fast time is going. We are almost to 2014?! What?!?! I guess I am trunky because I am so excited for the new year. Mostly because New Years in Japan is out of control (So I have heard) 'I am just so freakin' excited!' #kristinwiig They have this one festival thing here where they have these giant hammers and they smash rice until it turns into Mochi and we eat it for days. I am especially excited for that. Okay well here is the extremely anti-climactic news. I DIDN'T TRANSFER!!! YAY! Nothing changed at all. I am still in Tomakomai with the same companion. It was soooo funny. Our whole district tried to guess where everyone was going, but we were all so off. 

So for the next six weeks I will be in Tomakomai with Elder Galeria having a party until the 6 weeks ends and I kill my companion (kill him because he is going home). Well here is what has happened since the last email:

This week was full of dramatic events that overlapped each other and made it just feel like one long day. First, Sunday last week I was asked to sing a Solo in Sacrament meeting because they all thought I was going to transfer. I was also asked to wear a specific tie that a member bought me. She spent 200$ on my companion and I. Each of us got 2, 50$ ties... It was ridiculous. Well I chose to sing 'Abide with me Tis' Eve'n Tide'. My companion said that they only sing that songs at funerals so it would be so great to sing it right before I leave Tomakomai (WHICH I DID NOT!! YES!!!) So I was super nervous because it was my first solo ever and I suck at singing. I also did it in Japanese so I had to really focus on the words because most of the time I can just mumble vowel sounds if I can't read the words fast enough. Well I thought I did okay while I was singing. I refused to look at people because I was scared and couldn't look away from the words. I looked up right at the very end and messed up the words and almost laughed. I went and sat down and looked at everyone. Everyone in the room was crying. I was so confused. It took awhile for the next speaker to come up because he was crying. Woops.. Hahaha well it just got even more dramatic after that. Tons of members we way sad because they thought I was going to get transferred and texted us throughout the week asking us if we knew yet. Well yesterday at church when all of the members saw that neither of us changed they were so happy. It was so funny to see the members faces when they saw me. 

The biggest and most exciting thing that happened this week was with one of our new investigators, Fukuya san. We have been struggling so hard to get a baptismal date. My district had no baptismal dates for 3 transfers in a row. Elder Galeria and I worked so hard with a lot of our investigators this last transfer to make a baptismal date, but it didn't work. Well two days ago we met with Fukuya san and talked to her about baptism. We told her how much it would benefit her life and how many blessing she would receive. We asked her to be baptized and she said no. WHAT?! We felt the spirit so strong and thought she was going to say yes. All of the sudden she starts asking us a ton of random questions about our families and about America. We kept trying to refocus back onto baptism, but she was so distracted. 'So baptism is this great promise' 'How many siblings do you have?' '3 siblings, but baptism is great.' 'Do you like instant ramen?' 'I like baptism.' That was basically our conversation. Finally we got in control of the conversation and asked her one more time if she would be baptized when she knows that this is the true church. Somehow it all changed and she said yes. I was so shocked. It was amazing. That was our huge miracle for this week. Well I am WAY out of email time but I love you all so much. 

Be excellent to each other!

-Elder Jake Snow Mecham Choro.