How are we all doing?! Happy birthday to Cambree coming up here soon. I hope she misses me and talks alot about me on Halloween. I remember looking at the Blog last year and saw how cool Jeffrey looked in his cowboy attire and then upon further searching, I found that he had a 5 o’clock shadow on. I knew at that moment, that he was bound to be the coolest kid ever.

My nihongo is coming along well. I get frustrated sometimes because of the inability to speak. But then I just need to remember that I have only been in Japan for less than 5months. Take a breath and then catch words and try to memorize them.  Language is hard. But it’s also a whole lot of fun when I am able to knock something off and understand and speak back. I have been teaching mogi lessons and am almost done with my passoff list. One more lesson then I will have completed my program. I feel confident enough to stop someone and have a good conversation about life and the gospel if there is interest.

We still have no investigators. Which is a bummer, E. Lamb is frustrated that we haven’t taught any lessons since our 1st week together. It bums me out sure, but the fact that we are doing our best is good enough for me right now. I’m in Japan trying to talk to people. That’s what my job description is. The rest is all a bonus. So I’m ok with the lack of progress on other peoples behalf right now.
We do some housing contacting but so far we haven’t had anything pay off. We did have a few people come to Eikaiwa which was alot of fun. Eikaiwa here in Senzokuike is a blast. I really enjoy it.

My english speaking and writing skills are failing. It’s funny, It’s a good thing. I enjoy it that it’s losing skill. That means that my nihongo is gaining skill level…hopefully!

This past week was good. We did some service at a nursing home again, changing sheets. We put on scrubs, hats, and face masks. All just for changing sheets. Pretty legit.

It rained way hard yesterday. We had a hurrican come in. The weather is cold!!!! So cold. Our apt. is cold too. Time to break out the heaters. I am looking forward to the chilly weather though. It’ll be nice.

E. Lamb and I taught seminary last wednesday. It was a good experience. 7 kids came and we spoke about faith in Christ and how faith needs to be exercised, not just a one time development.

This week, we went to Saitama to help out with Japan Boy Scouts. We gave candy out to kids who dressed up and talked about America and England. We played duck duck goose and I almost ripped my pants. It was a lot of fun.

We had dinner with Bro. Clark. He moved into the english ward a few weeks ago. His Japanese is solid! The other elders had a chinese investigator, Lee, come. It was great, we were all able to talk about gospel and life and enjoy a good dinner.

That’s pretty much the news and updates for the week. All good news. Slow moving week, but it’s all good. Another week gone and another week of opportunity ahead.

Thanks for all the love and support. Thanks to you all my family. Keep working hard, progressing well, and improving yourself.
Love,
-Toddly

This past week has been full of adventures… Meaning. That we had a hurricane and another earthquake that shook us up.  That was about all the adventure.

Lots and lots of rain and heavy winds hit hard yesterday. I haven’t seen a rainstorm like that since Iniki when I was surfing those 50′ swells.
It got pretty intense and the Zone Leaders called us and told us to stay inside. Too bad, I wish I would’ve had rubber galloshes? so I could go stomping out in the rain.

Earthquakes are so common here. It’s so strange to me, the ward members were talking about it like standard protocol. Oh yeah, another one hit and my house shook. Huh? I get scared and want to pull an elder Johnson and hide underneath my desk each time.

We had stake conference on sunday and Pres. Albrecht came and he and his wife spoke. It was lovely, he spoke entirely in Japanese. What a hero. I need to study up a whole lot more. It was good to see them and a great meeting. After the Saturday night meeting, Bro. Sugiyama took us and his kids out for sushi, we all know how much I love me some sushi, so I found an alternative. I ate Nato sushi. haha. Which, surprisingly…… wasn’t near as bad as I thought. I could eat Nato sushi on a regular basis I feel. I am also getting used to Mugicha and Miso soup. What’s going on? I think I’m turning Japanese. I really think so.

Some of the food, I just won’t give into however. Seafood….. Ika. Nah.

Yesterday we had dinner with a family named Yamamoto. Sister Yamamoto made Hard-Boiled Egg, Asparagus, & Pineapple pizza. I never thought of that combination in my life. But it worked out. Haha. Bro. Yamamoto loves Mac computers and so does Johnson choro, so it was like they were speaking a completely different language during our hour long car ride last night, all about computers and what not. Too bad they don’t like talking about screamo music, else I could’ve chimed in a little bit.

Today I went to Shinjuku eki and picked up my new Doryo! Elder Lloyd from Sacramento California. This transfer is going to be such an adventure. He has only been out for 2 transfers longer than me. So we are bound to have some good times growing and learning the language and the work. I am happy to stay in Narita. I look forward to the new opportunity in front of me.

That has been my week thus far, not too shabby.  Thanks for the calander from work (Thanks Yei!) and the updates.  I look forward to dropping the 12 pounds I’ve gained during this transfer. haha. Transfer goal!

Thanks for keeping me posted with everything, there are times that I feel so out of the loop with life and with what is going on. But on further reflection. I don’t really care about all that other stuff right now. There isn’t a need for it right now. I am stoked that the new building is almost finished and that Daniel is moved in. These are exciting times to be had for sure!

Until next week!
-Toddly

Family, what is going on peeps? Thanks for all the emails.

This past week has been full of adventure. I will start from the beginning.

Like I wrote a few weeks ago about wrecking my bike… Well, I ate it hard. WAY hard last week wed. I hit a curb then this metal thingy sticking up and it hoisted me up in the air and down on my left shoulder. I broke spokes in my rear tire and punctured the tire and scuffed up the pretty paint…. as if that is an issue on a missionaries bike. Anyway, the point is. I biffed and ate the asphalt. My body healed in 4 days and I spent the money that dad sent me on repairs for my bike. haha. Thanks for that okane!

Thurs we went to chiba to fix our zone leaders bike. Elder Black. While E. Johnson and E. Black we’re working on it, Watakabe choro and myself went and dendo’d. It was stellar. Watakabe choro enlightens me every time I see him. We’ve gone on splits 4 times now. Haha. So funny, he is such a funny man. Good times.

We played tennis with ward members on saturday and I was blessed with the gift of a fast serve and aced several times. The members thought I was really good and I told them that it was because I read my scriptures that morning. They didn’t understand. Then I remembered that I was talking with Japanese people and their level of sarcasm and humor is quite different than mine. So I just dropped it.

Murayama shimai passed her Baptismal interview and will be baptised on Sept. 6th! Way stoked on it, yesterday, The Sekiguchi’s (the fufu that has been joining in on every lesson with us), Murayama Shimai, and we went to somewhere in Chiba and Matsudo. We rode a boat across a river, went to some film museum and ate some very authentic food. It was a really strange day and I didn’t understand the boat ride or the museum, but whatever. It was fun to spend a day with them. Murayama shimai makes me so happy. Her mannerisms and her sarcasm is so welcoming. So blessed!

Today our Yachiyo brethren came over and we had a yakiniku party. It was delicious and I ate far too much and was still hungry afterwards.
Oh yeah, tuesday we went to Tokyo and walked around Ginza and the imperial palace and Akihabara. So expensive! Things are so expensive. Holy cow. I don’t get it, but it was so much fun to walk around the city and say hi to random strangers riding cool looking bicycles. I saw many Bike Couriers.
This upcoming tuesday is transfers. I should be staying in Narita and receiving a new comp. I will find out on sat. what the situation is.
All in all, I am doing well and looking forward to the new transfer with new opportunities.

That’s the update! Keep it gangster! Love you all.

-Toddly

PS. Daniel & Family! Welcome to St. George! So stoked to have you back down in the homeland.

We’re at the community center today, since we have Zone Conference tomorrow up in Matsudo and interviews on Wed. In Chiba. Bouncing around all kinds.

Here’s the updates for the week
This week has been much better than the week prior.

I wrecked my bicycle 3 times last week and have had to make various alterations and pay more money that I would’ve liked to fix it. But now it is working and all right. My front wheel is still bent a bit, but I can still get around from A to B. So I have no complaints about it.

Senshu, shinden ni ikimashita. Sono toki ni, bennet choro ni mimashita. Honti ni, shiawase ni narimashita. Kare wa ii mohan desu. chotto dake hanashimashita, tabun dendo no aida, doryo ni narimasu. (Translation: Last week I went to the Temple. I was very happy to see Elder Bennett there (good friend from teh MTC). We had a short time to talk. I hope we can be companions sometime.)

I had the opportunity to Play guitar and sing ‘Nearer My God To Thee’ at the ward dinner after church yesterday, it was refreshing to strum the ‘ol 6 string and sing. I am glad that I played loud and sang soft, I guess my voice doesn’t sound as good out loud as it does in my head. Oh well, I’m American so that made up for my faults in the live performance area.

Last night we had an Earthquake here. Shook the whole apt. complex and our desks were rattling back and forth. It lasted for a solid Min. It was pretty cool. I am glad that I didn’t get swallowed up in the earth or anything biblical like that. Today it is a monsoon rainy day. It’s been raining heavy since 3 am and is still continuing. At least it isn’t hot like it’s been recently. So hot! Looking forward to Oct and the cool weather that it will bring.

We had a lesson with Sister Murayama this morning, she just brightens up my day. So happy, and her mannerisms are so funny to me. Definitely not the standard 60 yr old Japanese woman. She is on schedule to receive baptism on the 23rd of this month.

Zone Conf. tomorrow, interviews on Wed. We have the temple and stake conf. this month as well, plus Murayama shimai’s baptism and a member’s daughter is to be baptized. It’s going to be a nice busy month, and that’s just the way I like it. I would so much rather be busy with all this. Yep,. That’s the update from this side of the world!

That is the weekly update from me! I am very pleased with how everything is turning out and I am feeling much better.

Love,

Elder Purcell