Japan 3rd week--11

Picture time

 It had to be done

 This is why I was late for email, we were taking pictures

 Room mates

#YOLO

I think I have been here for 2 weeks? Is it 3? Is it 2 years? I feel like I have been here for forever, but I also feel like I just got here. The days go by so quickly, but they also take forever at the same time. So let me start off by being cheesy and creating a theme for this weeks email. Yes a theme. The theme of what I learned this week is "fearless" like Sasha fierce. So I am finding out I am not as outgoing as I like to tell myself. I love people and I love talking to them, but apparently I am not very good at hiding my fear. Even if I try to block out my fears and pretend I don't have them, they show in my face. My companion told me that I look scared when I go to contact somebody on the street. I had to change that. So he told me to get rid of the fears I have. It is just that easy. I can't think about what others are thinking, or whether or not I am going to understand what they are going to say. I just have to talk and love the people that I am talking to. It has been a crazy experience. So here are some stories to help with that. I met Grandpa Snow this week. But Asian version. We were streeting the Odori park (which by the way is super beautiful, and I am going to send some great pictures of them, but look it up on google. That is where they do the crazy snow sculptures too) and there was this crazy guy talking to himself on a bench. Immediately I ran up to him to contact him. I didn't think about what he was saying, because literally he was crazy, but I just went up to him full of love and it was a lot easier. "Perfect love casteth out all fear." that is my theme for this week. Anyway he turned and looked at me and he had white stuff around his mouth. He had rabies!!! He was actually crazy!!! He started talking about some birds he has to feed and turn on water so they can take a bath. I would ask him questions and he would talk about birds flying. We eventually got away from him and then we met Grandpa Snow. First Grandpa Snow is the greatest. He has probably prepared me more than anyone for contacting people and for sharing a powerful and individual testimony. This guy I contacted was ready for us. I said who were are and where I am from and the first thing he said was, "why me?" "There are tons of other people here, but why did you talk to me." At first I thought, well you were the next person I saw, but the answer he was looking for was we were guided to him. That is what I told him and he said, "good answer, lets go talk." He made us sit on bench and he had to sit in between both of us (me and my companion) he began by just asking us why were are on missions and then why we know Japanese. He wouldn't let us talk about anything else until we finished what he first asked us. Seriously it was so hard to try and understand what he was saying. He would ask me these questions and say, "do you understand?" And if I said no he would look away and talk to my companion and ignore me for a little bit. My companion looked at me in the middle of what they were saying (my companion even said that he was using really hard words, words that my companion didn't even know) so I bore my testimony about God and Jesus Christ and asked him a question. That was it. He just kept talking. Oh and then the crazy guy with rabies walked past us like 30 minutes later and said he saw the birds. I laughed so hard and the guy we were contacting laughed too. It was way funny. So this guy we talked to didn't want to hear our message, but he just wanted to make sure that we know that what we are teaching is true. He wanted to make sure that we have a firm belief and we do not back down from them. That is what Grandpa Snow has taught me. He taught me how we never half-do something. We give everything we ever do our absolute best. It doesn't need to be the best compared to others, but just our individual best. So this week I am working on being confident and eliminating my fears. I am going to give it my absolute best. It really is amazing how God puts people in our paths who we need to meet. WHAT?! I just realized I haven't even read the email my mom sent. Wow. Well I love you all!! Japan is the best! Asia for life! 

-Mecham Choro

 Costco food!! YUMMY

 Teranishi San. She is a investigator. The other elders are Elder Watabe ( the one from Utah octopus fingers) and Matsuhashi choro from Japan. Matsuhashi choro has the glasses

 This is what it looks like when we are trying to find a house. We just walk around. Cement everywhere

 Asians dancing in park

 Random Picture

 taking more pictures

 Yes there are asians cleaning those windows by repelling of the side of the building. 

 Sliding

 so this is in Odori koen (park) I posted a picture of it on my instagram before I left. It is a picture looking down at the park. The next few pictures are actually in the park. Try to see if you can find out where i am by looking up the pictures of the odori park online. 

 This s a really cool tree at a random house

park

Japan second week-- 10

Hello family and friends! I am officially in Japan. I no longer have jet-lag and I am now actually in Japan. It is still slowly sinking in, but it is becoming more real. So I am now going to answer all of the fantastic questions you asked. BUT first I am doing a shoutout. Yes that is correct a shoutout. A shoutout on a blog I have never seen and I have no idea who reads. Shoutout to Caroline Trainor. She was the first person to send me a actual physical letter in Japan. It was the greatest. Caroline you are the best. Thank you so much. #followme #instafame #instagramjokes #superlame Anyways... So the first question was "how is the train station?" So I think that implies what does Japan look like? I have struggled at taking pictures, but I am going to do a lot better from now on. It is actually one of my goals. So the subway entrance is pretty close to my appartment. We get on a subway that takes us to another subway that takes us to the train station. The subways are not as crouded as I though they would be, but they are when work ends, so like around 7 or 8. (yeah work and school ends really late) So the train station is mostly a giant mall. There are elevators everywhere and people always walking. To get to other stores you have to walk through other stores. There are so many tunnels and ways to walk and lots of doors. That is one think I love about Japan. Their doors. They are so tall for such short people. There are doors for everything and people always expect you to shut them. There aren't a lot of automatic doors, and if there are, there is a manual door (door you have to open) before the electric one. It is fun. So my companion is Brown. His name is Elder Brown. You will see the picture I will send of him. He is way cool, but I think he thinks I am an idiot. It is funny. I am trying to be myself, but it is kind of difficult when I get no responses. It is funny. I am learning how to change my mood in order to help others. It is super hard, because it is really putting others needs before your own. Super hard, but something very good to learn. So the other missionaries in my appartment are Elder Watabe (from orem) and Elder Matsuhashi from Japan. We all get a long super great and it is a lot of fun in the appartment. Every night before we go to sleep we say something nice about our companion. It is always funny to hear what everybody has to say about their companion from what happened during the day. Waking up is even funnier. We all try to work out but that doesn't really happen. We basically lay in our beds (futons) and lift our legs up in our beds to pretend that we are doing an abb work out. It is just so hard to wake up. So Watabe Choro has been here for about 7 months, Matsuhashi choro has been here for 2 months and Brown choro has been here for almost a year. They are all born in the Church so they are all very smart. All of their families are members too, so they do know a lot about the church. I play the keyboard sometimes in the room, but most of the time we are all just talking or finishing writing in our journals or something. Our appartment was way small when I first got to Japan because the hallways are super small, but now they look huge to me. One other funny thing about Japan is that the light for the toilet is outside of the bathroom. The toilets always have their own room and the light is outside of the room so somebody can turn it off while you are in there. So my sleep is actually really good. It is weird. I thought it would be super hard, but I sleep like a new born child because I am always working so hard, that I just pass out. Especially when I say my morning prayers. Those are weird. They mix with my dreams and all the sudden I wake up 7 minutes later with druel on my face. Good times. I didnt need to buy sheets. I have not used the electrical adapator yet. I don't have a bike yet. I dont have an electirc razor. But I dont need one. So we mostly eat cury. Like everyday. Rice all the time. I rove dee rice. I have eaten at one members house so far. It was a non-attending members house and it was on my birthday! So I guess it is time to talk about my birthday. So my birthday was super weird. I woke up and got ready. Nobody really knew it was my birthday. good times. Then we went streeting and talked to some people. THEN life got great. I was upset earlier cause I really like birthday's and my companion wasn't really talking to me, and then I contacted this one guy. He had really long hair and looked like a huge stoner. We started talking and turns out he is in a band and is studying art right now. He is working on graphic novells (comic books) but they are like the walking dead comic books. So we had a lot in common and talked for a good amount of time. Then we shared about our message and our testimonies and then he said he wanted to hear more! It was great. We set up an appointment and I think we are going to see him later this week and if not next week. It was awesome. I was instantly so much happier. Then we went to the train and traveled for like an hour to get to a members house. They live in teinei and we had some great food! I dont know what it was called but it was super good. It is still a little weird taking my shoes off all of the time, but it is getting better. Wow I have been on email way too long. So we ate and shared a message, then the made me a cake!!! They found out it was my birthday and we had a cake! Oh it gets better. They gave me a present!!!!! They gave me a tie. It was the best birthday ever. I was so happy. That was my week. Super good. It actually was super hard though. The language is killing me and I have had many thoughts about coming home. BUT I am never going to do that. Trust me I KNOW I can do this. I tried something today where I wrote in my journal all of the things that are upsetting me then looked for answers in the scriptures. I was amazed by what I learned. It actually gave me an idea for the yw thing you are working on. For them to Feel and know that they are daughters of god they have to believe it and have faith. So my idea was to play the "you gotta have faith" but you tell everyone that they have to get up and dance their worries away. They have to go crazy and freak out. They will probably hold it in because they are embarrased, but that means that they don't have faith. They need to have the courage to have the faith and knowledge that they are a daughter of god. When they take that leap of faith and decide to completely trust god, they will then gain their testimony. That is what I am having to do. Completely trust god and always have a prayer in my heart. That was my wisdom for the day. Wow their is a huge line behind me I have to go. I love you all!! Japan is great! Thanks for your prayers! I really do feel them and they are helping so much.

-Mecham choro

this is one of me with a birthday cake on tuesday with osterloh shimai it was her birthday on monday mine on wednesday. the other one is with the member that gave me a birthday present.

The last week at the Empty-Sea

That is right ladies and gents the last week!!!! I leave for Japan in less than 24 hours!!! ERWEHOIGHDS:LIGHSDO:GIHE:FOIH!!!!!!!! I am freaking out. I am shaking in my seat while writing this email. So because of how much I have to do this email probably won't be very long. I have not even had time to eat breakfast yet. WOOO! I love missions! Hahah so let me just recap my experience at the mtc. So it was crazy hard and crazy fun. I started off knowing no Japanese and pretending like I understand. I still pretend like I understand, I just got better at guessing what people are talking about. I had amazing sensei's who taught me so much about how to better teach people and better understand the language of the spirit. That was great! To get a little cheesy real quick, because I know that is all that everybody wants, I taught 3 investigators while I was in the empty-sea. They were real people that my teachers taught but they were just pretending to be them. Yesterday was my last lessons with my teachers, but also the last time with the investigators. There was this one investigator that was really becoming real for me. Her name is Nishimura Shimai. She is the 95 year old grandma. Teaching her was amazing. I taught her so much about prayer and about Jesus Christ. She loved it all so much. After we finished teaching her and had her "baptism" our sensei showed us pictures of who we actually taught. She told us her story about the baptism of Nishimura Shimai. Nishimura shimai could not be baptized originally because her doctor said that if she went in water she would die because of how old she was. It took the faith of her grandson to be baptized to help her decide to be baptized. She said right before her baptism that the reason she is able to do it now is because she knows that Jesus Christ will help her. She had 4 people help her as she went under the water. 2 elders holding her and 2 nurses holding her head. It was crazy to hear the story. After we heard about how amazing the spirit was for her baptism and we were all so happy our sensei showed us the picture of her. As the picture was being passed around people started to cry. I didn't understand why until it got to me. She is the smallest and happiest woman I have ever seen. She had such an amazing smile on her face right after her baptism. The second I saw the picture of her I felt like she was standing right next to me saying thank you for teaching me, even though I only taught my teacher who was pretending to be her. It was an amazing experience and then our whole class cried together because our teachers were leaving us and we cried and it was beautiful. That is basically it that has happened this week. There have been other things like getting ready and teaching and listening and learning, but this is what really stood out to me. It has been an amazing MTC experience, but I am so ready to get out in the Real world again and go to a different planet called Japan!!!! It is going to be the best! I love you all so much! Please email me! and letters if you want! I love you all, I love you all, I love you all! 
-Mecham Choro


Please have everyone email me! Anyone who wants to can email me! Anyone and everyone and I can email them back. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell Julie and Claire thank you for me. Tell them THANK YOU SO MUCH for the food and letters they sent me. They are the greatest and I love them so much. We have the best family in the whole world and I always feel the prayers from them. You are all so incredible. I might just start crying in the laundry room about how amazing this family is. WEEEE!! haha I love you and I am excited to call you soon! 

week 7

What is making those shadows???????

Previously on the Empty-Sea week 7,

Yes that is write ladies and gents, I am exactly 8 days away from being in a different country. Basically a different world. So this last week was the worst week I have had in the MTC! WOOO!!! Washoi! (party) Seriously was so hard. Guys satan is the worst. He likes to attack your thoughts and emotions constantly. BUT too bad cause we are bigger and better than he is and we are going to win. I started realizing all I am going to be leaving and how crazy far away I am going to be, and that I can't even communicate with the people I love so much, and that I am going to be tired for 2 more years, and that I am not going to know what to do, where to go, or who my companion is going to be. Missions are hard. But they are so worth it. I am noticing so many blessing I have been receiving since even deciding to serve a mission. Basically this last week was the worst because my brain decided to give up on me. It decided that I needed a break from Japanese and that I would no longer understand it. I could not understand anything anyone was saying for some reason that I don't know. This allowed me to become very sad and have a week full of 'off days'. This really taught me how to create better situations for myself and how to have fun when life gets super hard. I can't listen to music when I am sad. I can't go sit alone and just stare. I can't go watch a happy movie. I can't go eat the food I want to eat. I can't text my friends. I can't call my family and ask for help. BUT I CAN always pray. Prayer is probably the greatest thing a missionary can have. I am learning how to say better and more meaningful prayers. I can pray to my heavenly father anytime, anywhere. I can read the scriptures and receive revelation. I can talk to my companion and ask for help. I can receive a blessing of comfort from any elder. I can sing songs in my head and visualize what I need. I can think to myself and pray and thank my Heavenly Father for everything I have. I can go serve the Lord and help bring others to Him. Okay yeah my life is gooood. I just needed to remind myself of who I am representing and what I am doing. That is how I changed my attitude and made it so this will be the best week ever. So this last Sunday we (my district) sang Nearer My God to Thee in Japanese for sacrament meeting. Yes the same version I wrote for my farewell that my beautiful sisters sang. It was amazing. I was so gald we were able to sing it. Also the kohai got here last wednesday. They are the newest missionaries going to Japan. So there are only for sisters and one elder going to Sapporo. Super crazy, but still we are so excited. My companion and I had to do an orientation for all of the new missionaries including the Nihonjin (japanese missionaries) I have never talked so much Japanese in my life. It was hard. We had to show them how to do a companionship inventory, what their new schedule is like, and the rules of the the MTC. That was fun. It is so crazy how I am able to talk to people in a language that I have only been studying for 7 weeks. The gift of tongues in real. So yeah there really is not much to report from this last week because my brain was always somewhere else this last week. I don't have my travel plans yet. The travel office is being mean and they still have not printed them, BUT I am going to get on later today because we are forcing them to print them because we have to let family and friedns know what is going on. I love you all so much. Be excellent to each other.

-Mecham Choro.

this picture started off with just the nihonjin sisters and it ended with this. I am on the right side and the choro to my right in picture. actually it is my left if you put yourself where I was but looking the picture on the right that is the elder going to sapporo. the only one.

The nihonjin are in love with the idea of my name being Mikan choro (the japanese orange)

Hello!!! I just got my travel plans for real!! So here is how it is going to happen. First on Wednesday May 8th we leave the MTC at 7:30 am. We get in a car and drive up to the airport at 8 so we can be there by 9. We arrive at the airport around 9 to be on our first plane at 11:15. We leave from SLC to Seattle WA airport at 11:15 and land in Seattle 12:23 seattle time. (I dont know the time change or if there is one) We have a layover there from 12:23-2:20 so that is when they want us to call home. It is either a short phone call in the morning around 10 ish maybe, that is a maybe because of lines and all that good stuff, or a longer phone call about 30-45 minutes around 12:30 ish. Let me know what will be easier for you. Wow. Of course I forgot to make a list so I can email you what I need. Well too bad. Looks like I will just send you a letter. I was planning on doing that anyway. So we leave from Seattle at 2:20 Pm and land in Tokyo Japan on May 9th at 4:45 pm. Yes a whole 26 hours of time change. Then from Tokyo we fly to Sendai at 6:55 pm after another 2 hour layover. Then we land in Sendai and wait for 35 minutes to board another plane to leave at 8:40 pm to land finally in Sapporo at 9:55 pm. Holy Tako I am so excited. If you have any questions comments or concerns just dear elder me. If it is really important I will send a letter and if not I get another email next week too. Yes we have p-day the day before we live. Our lives are gooood. All of the missionaries going to Sapporo are on the same flight. There are 7 of us total going there. It is pretty awesome. I have never been to Seattle before I am so excited!!!!!!!!! Oh and Japan will be pretty cool too. So my doryo is just typing his email now. He is not as fast as I am at typing so he takes a lot longer to do email than I do. So I have to sit here and wait to get him going. But instead I would like to take this opportunity to write a longer email!!! Except I don't know what to talk about... So how is everyone doing? Jenalyn's hair looks even more red!! It looks very nice. Juliann I loved your letter you sent about your soccer game you are probably the greatest soccer player the world has ever seen. Shhhh don't tell your friends. Just kidding tell everyone. Justin your baseball story you shared with me made me laugh SOO hard. I remember when I did baseball and whenever I was outfield I would just sit there and play in the grass and Danielle all the time, or in Japanese I would "bu" Yes bu is fart. Mom would come to our games and yell, "GO angels! You Suck!!" So funny. We really were the worst, but it was still a lot of fun. Jenalyn I just want to take this opportunity to sing a song to you. A song that you will have to make up because you can't hear what I am singing. But I am singing it very beautifully (so really it is so nasty) Jenalyn you are almost done with school!! You can do it cause it is very important. Seriously you can do it. Trust me. You have an amazing family and amazing friends who support and love you. We want the best for you and you will get the best. All three of the little children only have one month left. Work as hard as you can, cause summer will be so much better. Oh! I wrote this all over everything this last week, "the path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell" Oh and the song just ended. I finished singing cause some sisters just walked into the computer lab I am in. Kimazui! (awkward) yes I was actually singing. So some things I forgot. Brother Lewis sends me the greatest letters ever. Tell him that please. And he wants to make sure that my scripture is the right one. And yes it is. Tell him it is Doctrine and Covenants 18:10. Thank you! I feel like there was something else!!! OH!!! yes I remember. Tell sister PUGINA that she is the nicest person the world has ever met. Attack her with gratitude for me. I am trying to send her a letter, but I am so lazy and busy. She sent me a package the other day with reses in it and a letter with 20$ in it. She is so nice. Also the Scouts!!!! WHA?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!! Seriously I was laughing so hard when I got the toilet paper messages. I rolled it out all over our classroom and everone ate it. We also destroyed the chips and salsa within 3 minutes. It was beautiful. POP ROCKS!! Holy wowowowowow I was so happy. That is a treasure and a blessing. Thank you so much. I loved the letters from everyone. It is so fun to read. I loved the Haderlies (?) (I can't spell) message and Secret Egget (yes she did sign Secret Egget) that was awesome. Also to see all the scouts talking about their missions is inspiring. The work is really moving forward! and the Bishop writing on it hahah I was honored. Seriously that was the best package ever. BUT!! What the what?! The latest package came and blew my mind. Larry the cable guy chips!? Hahahahah I am scared. I ate a few of them but they were kinda gross so a kohai ate them. They loved it. Best honey butter and bread so far. Thank you very much! And the veggie chips!!!! YES!!!! I am in Ten (heaven in Japanese) So yeah that is my gratitude for right now. Wow I am so hyper. I just got out of the temple and it was great. I am so amped and excited for Japan. It is going to be so hard!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Oh yeah super awesome! hahah I made a japanese person say that the other day. So funny. I love you all.

SO much

ALOT

Tons

And even more

And some more

 

 

moist (Shimepoi)

 

Yes I looked it up.

School of Hogwarts

 

week 6

happy missionaries 

Okay Family (and whoever else is going to read this) but especially YOU mother, here is some big news. Seriously you are going to have a heart attack. Sit down or be ready to scream. I now leave the 8th of May. Yes you did read that correct. I leave in exactly 2 weeks and a day. You know what that means right? I GET A MOTHERS DAY CALL!! I will be arriving in Japan the 9th of May and will be at the mission home until that Sunday, then I will be leaving to my first area after phone calls home. Yes we are all freaking out so hard. Our 12 weeks in the MTC became 9 which now became 8. We are the only district that is leaving the 8th (a week earlier than normal) and we don't know why. Apparently it has always been planned this way, but we just did not know about it. We had lots of hints, but found out for real this Sunday. We found out because our Nihonjin (Japanese missionaries) are here. They always arrive 2 weeks before the next group leaves, because the group leaving will fly to Japan with the Nihonjin. Because my Companion and I are zone leaders, we have to pick up the Nihonjin when they arrive, so that is how we found out that they will be arriving. That is when we found out we are leaving early. I leave wednesday the 8th! AHHHHH!! You have no idea how excited I am. We are all so nervous, but so happy. We don't know the language nearly well enough to be leaving early, but we are still so ready to go out there and learn. That is the biggest thing that happened this week, but still not all of it. Yes it was just a very emotional week.

Previously on the Empty-Sea week...6? (I don't know anymore)

So right after I finished my email from last week something amazing happened. I went to my room to take my beautiful weekly nap, then woke up and went to choir. We saw that they were putting teleprompters up so we thought that somebody important would be speaking to us. Sure enough it was. Elder Richard G. Scott came and spoke to us. I wanted him to come so bad. Why? Because at conference I noticed that he was really short and I really wanted to see him in real life. Not only is he short, but he is the greatest person ever. He look just like a hobbit, it blows my mind. He brought such an amazing spirit to the MTC and we all could feel it. He talked about prayer and how important it is. The really special part was having a apostle of the Lord evoke a blessing upon each and every one of the missionaries. That was very very cool. And that was just Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were super busy because they were Nihongo dake days. Which means we only spoke Japanese on those days. That was so hard for me and I got so angry. I wanted to speak so bad, but I couldn't. I ended up going the full time and after I felt weird speaking English. It was a really cool experience. So next was Friday. Friday was great just as always. We had a great lesson in class where I learned about how important it is for me to work my best. There are times when I just want to slack off a little bit and give 95% rather than 100%. I learned that if I don't give my 100% then neither will the Lord, and I ALWAYS need His help. Saturday was emotional. We found out that our Sensei is being transfered. Because there are so many new missionaries coming in there are so many new teachers that need to be hired. Our Sensei is amazing and they need him to be put with a new teacher to help that teacher, rather than 2 new teachers working together. So for our last 2 weeks in the MTC we are getting a new Sensei. This was super hard for all of us to hear because we become especially close to our teachers. They help us out sooo much and we love them a lot. Not only do we lose our teachers, but we lose the investigator they are pretending to be. This was a great learning experience for all of us. We learned how we will be transfered and life will happen that will take us away from the ones we love, but it is God's plan and it will all work out. Our Sensei shared a story about while she was on her mission the earthquake happened so they transfered all the missionaries in Tokyo to other missions. She was sent to Okinawa and felt like she abandoned all of her friends and those she loved. She said it was very hard for her, but she really learned how the Lord knows what is best. While in Okinawa our Sensei had 3 baptisms in 6 weeks. She was then sent right back to Tokyo. The Lord really does know. Sunday was our last sunday with the Nihonjin and the Senpai before they leave to Japan. That was also extremely emotional. We not only were losing our teacher, but our best friends, the people we love so much. The Nihonjin in Sacrament meeting sang the medley of "As sisters in Zion" and "The Army of Heleman". Wow. I don't know what happened during that song. This was right after we found out we are leaving early too so I was already very emotional. From the very second they started singing I got chills. I had this huge lump in my throat like I was going to cry, but I just wasn't crying. Suddenly they all started singing together and my body started shaking. This sounds so cheesy and weird, but I felt the spirit like I have never felt it before. It was like something inside of me was jumping around everywhere because it was so excited and so happy. I was shaking and my whole body was leaking. I was crying so hard, and my nose was exploding, and I was shaking. It looked like I was having a seizure. I could not stop crying the whole rest of Sacrament. MY CALL IS INSPIRED. I am called so Japan for a reason. I already love the Japanese people so much and I know that this is EXACTLY where the Lord needs me. That was such a strong testimony builder and I am so grateful for that. Monday everyone left and we all were very emotional. It was a last lesson with our Teacher who is leaving so we were all a mess. Then the new Nihonjin got here at 5:30 yesterday and we had to welcome them to America. We talked to them only in Japanese and very broken English that they knew. It was so fun. They are all so funny and so full of love. Well I am way out of time, but this has been an amazing week and is going to even get better. We get knew Kohai tomorrow and we have to welcome them to the MTC as well. Yes it is crazy here. I love all of you so much and I am so grateful for this church and the opportunity to serve the Lord.  The Church is True and Be excellent to each other.

Oh. And I get my travel plans on Thursday.

Love-

Mecham Choro.

So the last picture is what happened last night. Dignam Choro wanted to say goodbye to us and somehow he had a spare key to our room but never told us. We never knew and last night he snuck in our room when we were asleep and decorated it for us without us knowing. It was so funny. 

Week 5

Previously on week 5 of the Empty-Sea,

Minasan Konichiwa! Hello Everyone! Let me start off by saying this was one of the best, but hardest weeks.  It was our awkward phase from moving from the half-way mark to having only 4 weeks left.  Yes that is right. Less than a month left in the MTC. I am freaking out.  So I will start off by reviewing this last weeks events.

First on Tuesday exactly a week a ago from today, we had the best devotional I have been to so far.  The speaker was one of the released General Authorities. I didn't bring my notebook so I can't remember his name, but the talk was amazing.  It was on receiving personal revelation.  Something that is extremely important for missionaries, but very hard to discern and understand.  He talked about false revelation and realizing whether or not our revelation was from ourselves or from God.  It was amazing.  He told us a story that really hit home.  He said that revelation is receiving direction without explanation.  He told a story about a Sister companionship in Japan. They were out biking 5 miles away from their homes and the border of the boundries.  They had a feeling they should go down this one street and knock and a random door.  They went to the door and a little 10 year old girl came to the door.  They asked if their parents were home, and they were.  The mother was deaf and dumb.  The Sister Missionaries taught the mother the lessons through her 10 year old daughter.  This was not what they had expected when they received the revelation to go there.  They had no idea where the ward sign language master was and did not know what to do. Turns out the sign language person lived only 3 houses down. Direction without explanation. He said how he would love to tell us that they proceeded to teach them and the mother got baptized, but that didn't happen.  Instead the 10 year old little girl who translated for her mother was baptized.  Revlation=direction without explanation.  When he told us that story we all got chills. It was so good. He talked about being humble to recieve revelation. It was great. Wednesday was a normal day and on Thursday we taught our progressing investigator. Our progressing investigator wanted to receive baptism! It was great. Oh yeah in Japanese you don't say to be baptized. They say receive baptism. Super funny.  On Friday I got a little sick, but got over it. Saturday was great. We had TRC and taught two return missionaries.  It was really fun.  They were very helpful with us trying to speak the language and they really felt the spirit and I really felt if from them.  It was great.  Sunday we had a devotional about how the work is being hastened. (my spelling is getting super good now that I don't use English anymore) The speaker was the director of the Media department. He showed us all the bilboards the church has bought in New York City, and what is happening in the U.K. The book of Mormom Musical just made it to UK and that play is not nice. BUT it served as a great opportunity to spread the gospel. The church bought so many signs and busses and posters to invite people to go tomormon.org. They even bought advertisments for the programs in the book of mormon play. Saying you have heard about the book and seen the play, now go read it for yourself. Super funny. Well you know how I was district leader, but they forgot to release me? Well Dignam Choro and Cascardi Choro made jokes by saying Four more years! Turns out they were right. They did release me, but they called my companion and I to be Zone leaders. This means that we are in charge of more people now! I don't have to get mail anymore, but I have to really use Japanese. I have to help the Nihonjin, (Japanese Missionaries) with anything they need, and I have to help all the new missionaries. It is really fun. I don't exactly know what I do yet, because I was just called to be a Zone Leader on Sunday, but I will find out more. Today we had to teach the Nihonjin about P-day. We had to show them how to do laundry and how to get to the temple. It was so much fun, but so hard. In the temple we found out about Boston. That was a big shock for us. I am so glad Julie, Jen and Sarah are okay. It always is so sad to hear about these terrorist attacks happening. I don't understand. That is what I love about the gospel. It is for everyone and no matter what we will live again and if we live righteously we will live with our families forever. I am currently sick, but I am getting over it! Fever and sore throat, are not allowed on any Delta flight and while being in the MTC. I am loving being here, but I am so excited to leave in 28 days. WOOOOO TAKO! (octopus.)

-Mecham Choro

Week 4

Previously on Empty-Sea Week 4 (Start week 5 tomorrow)

HOLY TAKO!!! Tako is octopus in Japanese. One of my favorite words. I can't believe I have been here for a month. That is insane! I feel like I have been here forever, but at the same time I feel like I just barely got here. The language is coming along pretty great. I am starting to understand the bunpo (grammar) and the tango (vocabulary) I am working on. I am doing pretty well at understanding what others are saying. It is starting to turn into Spanish class. In High School I could understand what my teachers were saying to me in Spanish, but I would just sit and stare because I wouldn't know how to respond. It is always an adventure. So here has what has happened this last week.

On Wednesday my companion and I taught our best lesson ever. We taught Nishimura Shimai. She is the 95 year old investigator that we have. We started off by asking her if she had any questions about our last lessons.  She said that she is still confused about the atonement of Jesus Christ, and wants to understand how it will help her.  We began to tell her what we know about it.  We taught her from our hearts, rather than what was on the paper.  We used zero notes, and my companion even gave an analogy.  Roopinia Choro (my Companion) said that God is the bank and we are the debtors. We owe God money, but we don't have it.  Christ is our mediator and saves us from our debts.  It was a simple analogy describing how Christ saved us from our debts so that we can return to live with the banker (God), but it was what our investigator understood and needed to hear.  She loved it and even though our teachers are not supposed to break character and tell us how our lessons go, (if you are confused it is because our progessing investigators are actually our teachers pretending to be somebody they actually know and taught) but our sensei Sister Sandberg, told us that it was the best lesson she has ever heard from any missionaries who have been in the MTC for 3-4 weeks.  That was such a great confidence booster and helped me to know how important it is to teach with the spirit.  It was so great to have the spirit with us and I was amazed by how much we taught through the spirit.  Trusting in the Lord was really hard, because we went in with no notes and just left if up to the spirit to teach the lesson.  It worked out so much better that way and we all could feel it.  Thursday was another thursday of studying and learning.  We do a lot of Mogi's (role plays) in English to help us understand how to be better teachers.  We did that on Thursday and Friday and it was amazing to see how words come to your mouth without you even thinking about it.  When I got over being nervous about what to say next, or how to really connect with the investigator, the sprit really kicks in and brings the words to my mouth so that the spirit can teach the investigator.  This is how I am going to learn the language.  Not by thinking about myself and how it would be great if I could teach, but if I focus on my investigators and work my hardest so that the spirit can teach the investigators.  That is the biggest lesson I learned this last week. 

Saturday and Sunday was General Conference.  It was so amazing in the MTC.  Missionaries get very excited about everything and this was a big excitement.  I knew about the Rio temple, but hearing that Cedar City is getting a temple was very cool.  There were a lot of Utahns that gasped when they heard that.  Saturday was great because I was able to understand how I can feel peace.  I learned a lot about how to create and find peace when life becomes stressful in the empty-sea.  I recieved a lot of Keiji. (revelation) Keiji is the greatest.  There are so many talks that were my favorite.  I don't think it is possible to pick one.  One that I really did like on Saturday though was President Deiter F. Uchtdorf's talk at Preisthood session.  It was exactly what I needed to hear.  He taught about not mistaking others personalities for sins.  We are all individuals and all different.  It is important to remember that being different is essential to God's plan.  I learned to not compare myself to other missionaries and try to become a missionary that I am not.  I was told a few times this last week that I am immature, but I was totally fine with it.  I know that I am and that is fine with me.  I know that there is a time and a place for everything and I need to make sure that I act accordingly.  That is what I learned this last week.  I was called immature because I needed somebody to Mogi (roleplay) with so I drew a face on my water bottle and named her Mizu. (Mizu means water in Japanese) Some people thought I was being immature, but hey I was learning and it helped me have the best lesson ever! Sunday was super funny because we were all wanting to hear Elder Holland speak. The second we heard the words, "We will now be pleased to hear from Elder Holland" everyone was so happy.  I think I heard people clapping, either way most of the missionaries were cheering.  It was such a great talk to.  I loved how he talked about believing in yourself.  It is extremely important to remember this.  Faith is a very hard thing to develop and continue to use.  It is essential for building a testimony, but requires a lot of trust and effort.  I know that if we have the desire to believe, we will develop the faith we need to strengthen our testimonies so that we can say, "I know!" That was very great.

Later that night Vocalpoint came and sang to us for our sunday devotional.  That was pretty cool. It was the closest thing I will get to going to a concert for the next 23 months! They sang a few of their favorite hymns and then had us sing with them on a few of their songs.  Every single member of Vocal Point is a return missionary.  They shared a lot of their expereinces while they were on their missions and how music has blessed their lives.  I know how much music has blessed my life, and it is amazing to see how much it impacts me while I am on my mission.  I want to listed to music SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad. It hurts. Litterally hurts.  I sing so much it annoys me. But it is the only way I can "listen" to music.  I am developing a even stronger love for Hymns through not being able to listen music.  It is amazing how much music influences our lives, and can invite the spirit in such strong ways.  That is what I learned this Sunday.

Monday is service day. I hate/love service.  It is way fun and I love serving, but it means that I get 45 less minutes of sleep because I have to wake up to go do service.  It was fun though. I had the great opportunity to sweep the bathroom floors and clean some classrooms.  It was very great.  Monday was also my first "off" day while in the MTC. It was the first day where I let all the stress get to me and really distract me from what I should be doing.  I did not listen very well during the lessons and my mind was off in other places.  I learned how easy it is to have the spirit leave when I am not focusing on what I should be doing.  That night I learned how important it is to focus on my mission and like my stake president said, "to not look back" It was a great last week in the MTC. A lot of learning and a lot of growing.  Everything I will constantly be doing while on my mission.  Missions are great. I love it.  I love this Church. I love you all. I love toast.

-Mecham Choro.