8/28/12 I am here and safe and happy!!!

Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't have much time to talk at the airport! I'm really glad that I was able to. We had to hurry a lot from there on out. It was so great though! The airplane was one of the coolest things ever!!! The one from Utah to LA was the best for sure. It was a lot smaller of a plane and the flight was shorter too. One of the coolest experiences of my life for sure! When we took off I was so excited! I felt like a little kid hahah. My mouth was wide open for at least the first half hour because I just couldn't believe how amazing it was! Seeing the whole valley and then seeing ABOVE THE CLOUDS was thee most amazing thing! The flight from LA to Tokyo was on a super huge plan and wasn't quite as fun because it was so long and crowded, but still not bad! I did my best not to sleep on the plane so that it would be easier to deal with the jet lag and so far I think it worked. I got a lot of studying done too. Airports are pretty interesting as well. Arriving in Japan was the coolest thing! The airport wasn't as overwhelming as I anticipated it to be (lots of English friendly signs etc.), but still so neat! Oh man, I wish you could feel/taste the air here! It is so neat! I love it a lot. Pretty humid and soo clean! We hurried around there for a bit and made it on our flight to Sapporo just as it started to get dark. The plane to Sapporo was not very full of people at all so I got to spread out a bunch. I dozed off a bit on that one, but it wasn't too bad. Once we arrived at the airport in Sapporo we got our bags and the Evans were there to greet us. It was so great! They are WAY cool!

Sister Evans is so peppy and lots of fun. Evans Kaicho (president) is really cool and chill as well. Sister Evans asked lots about my experience and interests with music and talked about how they do lots of music things here for stake activities etc. that missionaries participate in/talent shows and how she is really excited. We went and ate miso ramen at one of the shops in the airport and it was fantastic! Kind of funny too because they were playing old country music in the restaurant. After that we drove to the mission home which is about an hour away and I didn't sleep on the way there either. Hokkaido is pretty much the most beautful place in the world hands down. Even though it was pretty dark on the drive I was able to see lots of the city and areas around. There are lots of 7-11s! hahah! Everything is so neat though! The buildings, cars, people, all soo cool! I am so excited to be able to explore and meet and find! We arrived at the home and I got to sleep on a futon! They are great! It isn't what I first imagined. Basically a thin-ish mattress type thing that you fold when you aren't using and just lay on the floor when you do use it. Way smart! Saves lots of space too. I think I would compare it to a super thick down comforter hahaha.

This morning we woke up and I looked out the window to see the city. It's so amazing. I still can't believe that I am actually in Japan! We got ready and everything and went to the Evans' side of the home for breakfast and a bit of hanging out. Evans Shimai made some WAY yummy french toast stuff that had walnuts and also this yummy fruit dish that had these cool jelly things that Japanese people eat a lot. Way cool! Talked a bit more about music and things like that afterwards too. After that we went back to the other side and had some training from the missionaries at the home about finding and stuff like that. It was great! We also got training about money and the crazy garbage schedule/method here in Japan. I got my Japanese badge and meishi(business cards with my name and info etc) that are way awesome! I will take pics to send. After that I found out about my first area and trainer!!!!!! My trainer is named Elder Hansen and he is super awesome. He is from Ogden and lived in Japan for five years when he was young. He is way funny and super good at Japanese. The area I'm serving in is.......... ENIWA!!!! It means "blessed garden" and is the city that the airport was in! It's going to be soo amazing! Elder Hansen also served there before so he knows the area well which is good. After that we watched a really awesome video about the Sapporo Temple (which so far looks like it will be done after I come home :( That's ok though! I can always come back, eh? :)) and talked more about important things in serving and about training. That's everything so far though! Please reply soon! I don't know when my P-day is yet, but I'll let ya know for sure.

Thanks so much for being so amazing and helpful and encouraging and for your prayers. I know I need them and they help me often! I can often feel the spirit strongly and the presence of Grandpa Price and Grandpa Hutchinson helping me and encouraging me. I know this is the Lord's inspired work and I am ready to do everything possible for it. I know that the Savior lives and knows each and everyone of us personally because of the miracle that is the Atonement. I know that His doctrine is the only way that we can inherit eternal life and happiness in the Celestial Kingdom of God. God hears and prayers and loves us more than we can know. Through the book of Mormon I continually receive answers to my prayers and revelation that is important for me to know. On the airplane I read Mosiah chapter 26 a few times because I just opened the Book of Mormon to the first place I saw and it is an amazing chapter. I don't have my scriptures with me, so I don't have the exact verse, but it is about Alma being asked to judge the people that have transgressed and so he asks the Lord for help and the answer that he gets is just so powerful. Please give it a read if you have time. Maybe as a family if you can. I hope that you are having time to have FHE often. I feel bad that I didn't do more to help make it happen. I'm so grateful for the miracle that is this gospel. As the Lord's servant I testify that this gospel is true and the most important thing that we can strive to understand and learn in this life.

I love you!!! Cheers from Japan!!!
Aishiteimasu! Keep working hard and good luck with everything!
-Hacchinson Chourou

8/21/12 (One more week)

Wearing white ties to celebrate their halfway mark at the MTC!

Cool packaging from candy sent over from one of B's Nihonjin friends

Braden & Elder Unsworth from back home


Hey! Thanks for the email with the pictures from Michael's farewell!!! You said Travis is coming this week? Is Michael coming in on this very Wednesday too??!? If so there is a chance I could be their missionary escorts when they arrive! Last Wed and this Wed my district was picked to be hosts and it's way neat! I really REALLY hope I can see them! Michael, Ferrin, and Josh still haven't written me back :( I hope they got my letters though! I only had Michael's address so I sent them all to him with instructions to distribute them. Let them know that I could really use their addresses haha. Thanks for the picture of Lily and Mara too. Her sweater is nice and Lily looks so good I can just feel her giving me kisses.

Thanks as well for the letter with the pictures. The baby pictures are great although the long hair pictures are not really what I had in mind... I was thinking some from right before I cut it and went to college, but you can send those in an email later. No prob. I haven't gotten this coat yet, but I hope it will be ok. I will also probably have to get another suit in Japan. When the branch pres talked to me about sending the one home I got called to a member of the mission presidency's office and I didn't know why. I was scared because usually calls like that mean someone has died in your family or for some reason you are getting delayed etc. but it was just because they were worried that I wouldn't have enough suits for Sapporo. I don't know about finding earmuffs in Japan, but there might actually be a pair in the bookstore here... I will have to check and let you know at the airport.

Speaking of which I should be at the airport from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m and I don't know exactly when I'll be able to call. After I leave at 10 (ish) I'm headed to LA and I think I'll be there 12-2, but I'm not 100%. I forgot to bring my travel plan to email today, but if I messed up really bad I can write an emergency mini email. I do however really need phone numbers because I only barely remember the house number... I'm really excited to fly though! I am probably going to be trying my best not to fall asleep, but hopefully I'll stay comfy!

So sounds like you had a really cool Sunday and everything with the ward is going awesome! I can't wait to see what wards are like in Japan. Before anyone gives a talk or anything they always say, "Minna san, konnichiwa!" and everyone repeats konnichiwa kinda like talofa and stuff like that. Pretty cool. I'm excited! More nervous than I was before to be honest though. I still have soo much Japanese and teaching skills to learn. It is crazy to see how much I've grown here, but crazy to see how much work I still have to do. I'm really excited for letters from the teachers quorum! I honestly have only gotten a letter from cash and the two letters from you this last week so it has been slowish with mail, but that's ok. Please give the Nordgrens a big hug and thank you for the cookies too! I am really proud of Adam too. Congrats to Jenna & Tia Parke as well!

I am really jealous that you get to be around for the Brigham City temple dedication! I wanted to be able to see that sooo bad with driving past it almost every week. Please go to the open house if you have time. It's such a great experience as I remember from Oquirrh and California. I can't wait for the Sapporo temple too and I really really hope that I get to see it in progress too! Meeting people in Japan is going to be the coolest. From what I hear from the nihonjin they are a very shy people especially to foreigners, but hopefully I will be able to have the spirit with me enough that God can show his love for them through me.

Everyone at home especially you, family, come into my mind often as well. Thank you for your prayers and I know I couldn't make it without them. The examples of everyone back home bring me so much strength and joy. Please do all that you can to help the mission effort in the new mission there. I tell people about it all the time because it is so cool and I'm very proud of it. Try hard to share missionary opportunities and follow the spirit especially as it relates to sharing the gospel with others. It's something that I really wish I had been better at even if people would've chosen to ignore it at the time. Everyone needs the gospel. Everyone has specific needs that only the savior and His love can fill because He has felt every little thing that they have felt too. We can't just spout the gospel out at people though, we need to get to know them and their needs first and the Holy Ghost does the rest. When people finally realize that the Savior is what they need it is the greatest experience possible and even I am still becoming more fully converted by this work. I hope everyone at home who does not serve full time missions can too.

I love you so much and Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ do as well. Please let them into your lives by doing everything possible to bring the spirit into our home and life. I can't describe how much better it will make everything even if life is still hard. I think Moroni understood this. Thanks for sharing the scripture and thought about him.

Aishiteimasu
Hacchinson Chourou

8/14/12 Closer, closer!!

Hey everyone! Love ya tons and tons! Thanks for Connor's awesome letter! That is way exciting! We have actually practiced street contacting a few times here and it is really fun! Tricky in Japanese, but I'm getting the hang of it!

Thanks for the picture of Dave, Kait, Mya, and Livy playing in the water! Looks lots of fun! I am excited to swim when I get home hahaha. Cool inspirational running picture too!

Glad you are having a good week so far! Do you still get to babysit the nieces and the dogs pretty often? How is the house? Done anything new?
I will definitely be there very proud of him in spirit (when Adam is ordained an elder). I am glad you could go to relief society and have a good lesson! The gospel really is spreading. There are so many missionaries here and it's way crowded especially at meals, but it is so cool. Someone said 2700 missionaries or something like that, but someone else said it was 5k one time. Wow! So cool that so many young people and couples are doing the right thing. I feel proud you put up a pin for me! Yes I leave on the 27th as far as I know, but I will definitely inform you right away because I get my travel plans this Friday!!! I also get to be a host on Wednesday and I'm mondo excited for that.

Yeah the Nihonjin are sweet! There are not very many this time though. 12 in all. 4 elders only. They are great though! 2 of the Elders are going to Sapporo. There are really nice! I usually hang out and talk with them at meals and on Sundays. The elder that sent me the package was Elder Furukawa. He is the bomb! He writes me emails every week too. I don't know exactly how to best describe him, but I got a few pics with him that you have. The squid jerky is awesome. There is also an eel jerky one too that is way yummy!

What wonderful ward members and friends we have! Thank Jeana Speirs lots for me! I think I am good on money as of right now, but having some on the card will be good at anytime. Please let everyone know I'm doing great and am excited! Also tell them about the blog if you like. Sam Bush is going to Fukuoka!

I am very happy to be a greenie because I think that it will be the most motivation to grow and work harder+develop really good habits. In Japan they call greenies "bean-chans" like green beans haha. Also your first trainer is known as your Mom so he'll have a pretty high name to live up to!

I got Lauren's letter with the pin and it is great! I'll try to write her today. Thanks for sending the pictures and yes I've been enjoying my hymnbooks for a long time now :)
Anyways I'm over time on my email so I'm going to put in this list of things I probably need before I go.

Earmuffs
Umbrella (forgot to bring I think)
Soap
Vitamins

I can't really think of anything else, but here is what I'll prob send back.
Black tie from Dave's first day because I want Adam to wear it his first day too!
Maybe Hair Dryer
Some Shorts
Old Scriptures and papers

anyways love everyone tons and tons!!!!
Hacchinson Chourou

8/7/12 :)

Hi!!! How is everything??? I am doing well. The Nihonjin came last night, but I won't be able to meet them until probably tonight. So crazy! I have been thinking about everybody lots too. Thanks for the awesome pictures! It might be good if you resized them and made them smaller. That way you could send me more and they don't take up the whole screen when I view them. The pictures of Olivia her head was as big as the whole screen! I am glad that you have had lots of time to play with them. I am excited to see the drawing from Mya! That is neat about Ashton too. Baptisms are so great and it is so cool to learn more and more/teach about its importance. Cool for Raleigh too! Thanks for letting me know whenever people ask about me. Lucky Lauren and Andrew!!! I am not digging Utah summer much right now. I have been pretty dry... :( I'm sorry that you got sick though! I have probably enough vitamins to get me through the rest of the MTC, but I'm not sure. I have a lot of things I am planning to send back. Other than vitamins I definitely need soap again. I'm down to one bar. It won't be as bad in Japan because I have to shower at least two times a day here because of gym being in the middle of the day.

The olympics sound cool, but I guess I'm not super interested in them. Japan has been doing awesome in soccer from what the teachers have been saying though! I'm excited for whatever other pics you want to send too. Please include some of me when I was little and that one I asked about with the long hair. I will probably send another card soon. Good luck scrapbooking and have fun! Having stuff from Adam's Court of Honor will be great too.

What do you want to know about the MTC? On p-day I wake up way early because the laundry room is crazy busy and I want to be able to email while the laundry is in because it's the only place you can email in regular clothes. Then I eat b-fast and go to the temple. After that I study for an hour in class then the rest of the day is just studying Japanese and writing letters. My district is fine. The new missionaries are alright. I hang out with Sam a lot. At least every time we have Gym. We've been running again too and it feels great. There are only 12 nihonjin which is like a third of what there were before, but it is at least something. Two of them are going to Sapporo!!!

Crazy Adam.. haha I think about that car sometimes. How is it holding up? Thanks for letting me know about dean's list too. I am still really wanting to go to BYU when I get back so I'm glad grades are supporting there. Good like to Adam! That's nice he could get into 2nd level English! It's the hardest class of all to get into at USU.
Thanks for telling me Pres. Nordgren's thought and sharing that awesome scripture. I really really love switching my name into scriptures sometimes! (Mom's note: It was Helaman 10:4-5)

Oh, also I got a package last P-day from one the past Nihonjin that I became really good friends with. Guess how much he spent to send it? Almost forty dollars in yen! It was full of tons of Japanese candy (pocky, reverse pocky, squid jerky, salmon jerky, little spicy crackers, hi chew, everything!) and the wrappers are really cool and funny. I can't wait to send pictures. He also sent a cool picture and note in Japanese telling me how great the work is going and that he gets to baptize someone! I hope I can become as good of a friend with the new Nihonjin!

Well... Off to more laundry!
Love you all!
minnasan aishiteimasu! :) :) :)
Hacchinson chourou