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
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