Hello everyone! I just finished my first transfer, so I have a lot to cover. Sorry I think this will be a long one.
Monday: went shopping at this huge mall. Can't remember the name because it was in kanji and I still can't read kanji. I bought this sick new watch as a sort of congratulating myself on being awesome like always. Later that night we met at the church with and investigator and made dinner together. We then watched a conference talk with him and he really seemed to like it.
Tuesday: I got a freaking package!!! I was stoked! Shout out to my parents and siblings. The new transfer started Thursday and our apartment is the one a lot of people stay in as they head down to the transfer spot. We had two others elders stay over and it was nice having more than two people over. No room for silence
Wednesday: we had 4 people stay over and it was one of the most fun nights here. One missionary was going home (what we call dying) so he gave me advice and really motivated me to give it my all. We also taught a lesson to our #1 investigator かたやまさん. We taught the plan of salvation and he responded really well. At one point I got pretty mad because he speaks hard Japanese and we struggle a lot teaching him. He read our testimonies in a Book of Mormon I gave him and he made fun of my writing and little mistakes I made. I straight told him I can write it in English next time. I was pissed cuz I'm busting my tail in Japanese and he's making fun of the mistakes I make, plus he doesn't talk to me because I still can't speak very well. Just the lack of respect kind of built up, and I just let it out. Thinking about it now though, I need to do better at letting things go and realize I'm going to get that a lot. I can't expect too much out of my language wise at this point.
Thursday: went to the transfer spot and met a bunch of missionaries transferring all over Hokkaido. I also saw some of what we call kohai (the people we met in the MTC 6 weeks behind us) it's a good feeling not being the worst or the youngest anymore tbh.
Friday: we met a less active ただの兄弟 and we got him to leave his apartment and talk with us and the sisters at the church. First time he's left the apartment In a couple months I think. He has depression, but we got him out and he ended up going to church on Sunday too. I think it's the sister's power. They just have this charm elders don't have. We call it 姉妹の力 (The Power of Sisters) [sorry for the Japanese look it up]. We also met another "investigator" who was kind of, not really progressing. I never met him, my companion found him and taught him on splits. He basically self dropped
Saturday: we went to a super busy street and did eikaiwa dendo (English class missionary work). We split up so that I took one side of the sidewalk and my companion took the other. That way, we could literally talk to everyone. I gave out close to 100 flyers, so I'm really praying people show up. It's funny to look at people clearly see you and act like they're not looking. You know they try really hard not to look at you. I loved getting up in people's business and make bikers stop their bikes so they didn't hit me. I even ran next to a couple bikers and yelled in my broken Japanese to come to our class. Was a ton of fun
Sunday: we have a new "bean" (new missionary) in my area! She's super cool and from California, so she's already killing it in my eyes. Again, nice not being the rookie anymore (I know I still am. Let me dream a little okay?) we had another meal and practice lesson at a member's house. I finally learned some new gnarly kanji. I learned how to write shinktoni (新琴似) my area, and Hokkaido (海道) my island. It's harder than it looks I promise. I study it and then forget it 5 minutes later.
Sorry for another long email. I really hope they're touching your lives a little. This gospel is slowly shaping me into a new, better person. I can't express how grateful I am to be serving the people of Japan. I have truly found a personal testimony for the Book of Mormon and this gospel. Thank you to everyone who actually reads these and has helped me get to where I am now.
Hope everyone kills it this week
敬具 (sincerely yours)
ー 謝意人長老 (Elder Scheidt)
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