This week was bad. No one can focus, we have 3 new pamphlets for only
Japanese Missionaries and we are struggling with using them. Everyone
is sometimes getting on each other's nerves and we are all really
trunky.  We had a whole lesson on being able to focus.

Dante leaves the MTC on Tuesday for Japan!!

The Goodwins saw Dante helping a new green bean when they were taking Ashlyn to the MTC!

They found each other!!  Dante and Ashlyn

Robert Waldrup--another friend from home!

So this week not much happened. Except we got nihonjin and iPads!!! We got the group of fast track missionaries that will go to Japan with us. We should all get travel plans tomorrow. 

We learned a lot of things in the MTC, but I am still so grateful every day that I took Japanese from Dr. Pearce. We still haven't quite caught up to what  we learned. The thing that is continually improving is the way that I talk. It is super weird to know so many different ways to say because.

We learned the true meaning of D&C 130 20-21. When we were obedient to our schedule and blocked out our study time we all gained the same blessing, we can now all talk really fast. 

I can't believe how fast the MTC has gone!!! There is so much to look back on it seems like a lifetime, demo it seems like yesterday that we got here. Yesterday we all took the challenge to speak only nihongo, it was
really hard to talk to other people, but we learned so much. Our Kohai are improving and since they've been here a week they have to pray at night for zone prayer.  It is so cool being able to  watch the green beans grow! 

English is getting harder and harder, the grammar doesn't make much sense.  Spelling is definitely the hardest thing on the planet, we have so many rules and we follow almost none of them. Why? One of our sensei, Kawamura Shimai, has a big trouble with spelling and at the beginning of the MTC, she would ask us for help. Now none of us can spell words, so we type them into our iPads and then it does its auto correct thing.

The only food you can survive on here is junk food and that sucks, I like junk food, but I'm going to get fat . . . well more fat.  Hahaha. 

My volleyball skills have greatly improved, I am definitely not on the McCrAnthony's level, but my sets are pretty amazing . . . not to brag or anything. But the nihonjin like playing with me and they are amazing, one of the Shimai played in school and she is so good. It feels really nice to be complimented by someone who is as good as her. "McCrAnthony"  is Elders McCreery and Anthony--they did a volleyball play last week where McCreery gave him a set and Anthony jumped off of his (McCreery's) back and spiked the ball, earning a point.

Anyway, we all have had a great time at the MTC. Many blessings have been poured out upon us and lots of sentences were misunderstood. 

Also, for a while, our investigators both thought that were are resurrected as cats...not sure why they both said cats, but ok. We are not resurrected as cats, or dogs, or mice, or lizards, or monkeys, still not dogs, or beetles... This is how one of our lessons went for about ten minutes. It was great! I love the gospels and its teachings. I've learned so much while I've been here. 

Here's to another great week. 愛していますよ。

and thus I end mine epistle, amen.
リチャドソン長老


Dante didn't send any pictures this week, but these are all courtesy of Elder Graydon and his mom.  Thank you!!

Sickness and Sleep!

This week was full of sickness and sleep, both medicinally induced sleep and naturally. Elder Graydon (my companion) has had a toothache for a little while and one of the members of the branch presidency is a dentist so we went and saw him. (It was super weird to see him not wearing a suit!!!!) He recommended us to an oral surgeon to get his wisdom teeth out. We went yesterday and it was hilarious, also I got to watch the whole surgery!!! 

We lost 2 districts to Japan this week and we are missing them quite a bit. We had two Japanese Elders and although we only knew them for two weeks, it feels like we were friends forever. I miss those guys terribly. On a brighter note, Elder Graydon's sickness was an effect of his wisdom tooth being infected so he is no longer sick. YAY! He is just tired and sore from yesterday. 

Mimaki Choro, from Fukuoka and he is in Sendai now

BYOKI KYODAI!!!!!

Elder Graydon with ice packs

Banner from whole Clawson clan!

He's like a big baby!

I love Seiten!!!!

 This week was interesting and super spiritual and stuff. Although many of us have been sick, spirits have never been higher. We have been coming together as a group of missionaries and all of us have been very humbled, loved, and loving. We got the opportunity to give a few blessings for the sick and also for comfort. It is really cool to be able to do that and receive that from others. 

The Seiten, or Scriptures, are amazing. There is really no other way to put it. I learn so much and there are so many things that we can learn. I love reading in Omni and often wonder if that is how my journal sounds....But I know that there are things that we can learn from even the book of Omni, or it wouldn't be in the scriptures. I won't tell all the cool things I've learned so that you can experience it; but here's one: If we are not worthy at the right time in our lives, Heavenly Father's work will still go on and we just won't get to be a part of it. We need to always be doing those things that keep us in good standing with the Lord so we can do the things that he wants us to do. 

The past couple days were really enlightening and really boring. Graydon Choro and I had to stay in the past few days because we have been really sick. We are recovering now and are excited to be able to go back to class. Staying in your room is really boring. However, since he mostly slept when I was awake and I slept while he was awake, so was the random cycle of the "Sickies', we got the opportunity to study in peace and quiet with no interruptions. It was great. 

Also congratulations to Albert Villareal for his wonderful decision to be baptized!!! I am really surprised and could not be more excited!!!! This is a very cool experience that you have and will be able to continue to have.  I really miss all my trombone buddies and news like this is super welcome in my ears!!!!

To Ben Connely: I am excited that you will be able to serve in the second best mission in the world. you will get some great experiences and, although they will not be as good as they would have been if you were going to Nagoya, Tokyo South will be better off with you and it will give you the best two years of your life. 

Also I saw Alex Loza from Jr. High here. He is going to Philadelphia. That was super cool.

We cleaned our room!  Elders Anthony and Graydon.

Me and Elder Graydon--Superheros! 

Me and part of a fractal.

Even the cafeteria say don't eat the food.

I found time to do this during Conference!

We all watched Elder Scott's funeral. It was really nice and we all had a district review, and the spirit was so strong. The joy that everyone showed even though it was a funeral was amazing. The Plan of Salvation is real. I loved hearing stories about him and everything. 

We got 4 nihonjin (Japanese) in our branch and they are so funny. The two chorotachi (Elders) sat with us at lunch and we had a blast. It was mainly making fun of the food, but considering that's all we can say it was great. One of our investigators (she's not real keep in mind) accepted baptism. We teach our teachers as our progressing investigators for practice and it is such a great experience. 

This week I saw Kenny Haggler and Austin Warner from home.

Watashi wa Kamisama ga watashitachi o ai suru to shitte imasu. Iesu Kirisuto ga sukuinushi da to shitte imasu. Igen no tamamono ga aru to shitte imasu. Kamisama ga watashitachi o genki da hoshii da to shitte imasu. Watashitachi ga Morumon sho o yonde inoreba, Kamisama ga watashitachi o shukufuku suru to shitte imasu. Watashitachi ga inoreba, Kamiama ga kiite kotaeru to shitte imasu. Watashitachi ga imashime mamoreba, Kamisama ga watashitachi ni mitama o okudasaru to shitte imasu. Iesu Kirisuto no mina ni yotte o-akashi shimasu. aamen. 

When we need to talk to other elders.

More artwork from Salisbury Shimai.

Elder Graydon's tie that Dante loves.

Another Elder Richardson!