Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy this season when everyone tries to be a little better. The feelings sometimes wear off by January 15th or so, but I pray the intents and the memories will stay for much longer!
For those who might be wondering, missionaries don't celebrate Christmas as a holiday. We get to call our families and speak with them for an hour, and the mission will usually get together and throw a small party on a non-Christmas day. Besides the phone call Christmas is just like every other day for a missionary. Which is okay because Christmas is just like every other day in Japan, save a few more light displays and KFC being flooded with customers buying their KFC Christmas Dinner, which is a bizarre misunderstanding. Japan made it a tradition because they thought Americans did it, and KFC isn't owning up because they couldn't be happier. Anyway.
This week has been curiously fascinating. My electronic dictionary has been a source of immense fascination and curiosity. It contains many textbooks used in junior high and high school, and the Japanese sister staying in our apartment is just as fascinated as I am. Whenever I am trying to cipher menus she is invaluable, and I am having fun with this puzzle game where you have to match haiku together. If you need a hint the dictionary will sing the haiku at you, which is EASILY the most hilarious part.
Thanks to the Christmas season, we are able to do some pretty creative dendou (missionary work). It's a great excuse to visit all the less-actives and former investigators. My companion recorded a CD of Japanese hymns and some Christmas songs, so we deliver some candy, a CD, and a Book of Mormon as their Christmas gift and visit them. There is also a lot of other musical talent in the area, so an impromptu brass band meets a few times a week and plays by Shibuya station. We are able to talk to people who come listen, and we've met some awesome people doing that!
We're going caroling on Christmas Eve, and our mission home is throwing a Christmas party for us. I am very excited!
I have to go soon, but I have a quick story before I take off. We are teaching a family (I think I mentioned them, they are the family that walked into church and said they wanted to become a stronger family so they wanted to learn about us) right now, and we were able to teach them with some AMAZING members. They had a hard time following some of the stuff we were saying. After a while, the wife finally told us,
'All this Christianity stuff is new to us. We like what you are saying, but we are going to have to study some more.I think if we read the Book of Mormon and pray we'll be able to understand better.'
Best. Conclusion. Ever.
They are going to read as much as they can and pray two times a day and meet with us again next Sunday.
Smiles all around! I really need to go, but have Happy Holidays!
