This week was pretty good, and I finally got a picture of Fuji. So yes now you can all believe me that I am really here. In Fuji, under the mountain, I see fire...but anyway...
Like the good book says, "If you spit in the air, it lands in your face." It is the same thing as looking at the weather and trusting it. Never trust it. This week the weather app said that it was supposed to rain hard on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and Saturday, and the other days would be sunny. So we planned our clothes accordingly and where we would go. Then the weather was the exact opposite. It rained Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. The rest of the days were clear. I was happy on the days that it didn't rain, but it was those other days this week...oh those other days.
We had some great times this week, and I really have decided that I like my companion. Elder Hansen is truly awesome! His testimony is so strong and he loves what he is doing here. His Japanese is, of course, amazing; and he deals with my terrible Japanese really well. He is a great friend to me, I feel comfortable around him enough that I feel like I could talk to him if I had a problem. We talk a lot (well, I talk a lot). He listens to my stories almost without complaint and I am working on not getting distracted from the task at hand, not telling stories with everything. We talk to a lot of people on the street and have some interesting experiences.
One of which, I will share. We were waiting on the train from the Yunoki eki and there was a little old grandma sitting on one of the benches. Now we are not allowed in our mission to talk to women and the sisters cannot talk to the men, or at least we can't start the conversation and keep it going. But we said hello to the grandma because we say hello to everyone still. And then she asked us a little bit later where we are from. And so naturally that struck up a conversation about the fact that we are missionaries. She told us she was a Christian, and that she likes reading the Bible. And somewhere in the conversation, she reached in her bag and gave us some oranges, (because that seems to always be what happens with little old grandma in Japan), and so we were talking about the Bible and we introduced the Book of Mormon and we get her to take it, because no one ever believes us that it is really free, and it was a good time. Then the train comes and we want to go to Fujinomia at this time because we were going to meet a guy named Yuuma there at the eki and we didn't want to bike there. So the little old grandma lady get on the train with us and as the train pulls up I see that there is a guy that is giving me the come here signal. (It is almost the same as in America but your hand is facing down and you are pulling toward you like that). And so I assume that he is a member or something or wants to come to eikaiwa or something like that.
So we got on the train and I was going to talk to him and then he turns as we get on and talks to the corner, "Gaijin-sama futari imasu." And that's just saying that there are two foreigners on the
train. So the lady that we were talking to just laughed and we were like, "yep that's us." Haha it was pretty good. Then he asked me where I was from and he was then like, "America? Is that by Russia?" And then he turned to a kid who was standing by us and said, "look, he is a gaijin. Do you know where America is? Is it by Russia?" And the kid was really uncomfortable but he was trying to tell him that they are really far apart and that they are different. And then he started talking to me and was like, "where are you going?" And so I told him that we were going to Fujinomia and I pointed on the sign that was in kanji to Fujinomia and then he started to get a little worried and asked if I needed help with the sign. I told him it was ok and so he started reading the entire sign to me and stopped on Fujinomia and told me that was where is was going. Then he would usher people on and off the train at the stops and everyone was very kind and some people even thanked him for that. That was nice to see. Then he got off on the stop before us and he said he would see us again sometime and so I waved goodbye and thanked him for his help and it was fun. During that time, Elder Hansen was still talking to the grandma lady and then another grandma looked at me and beckoned me over and told me that she likes English. So naturally, I invited her to eikaiwa and we had a conversation. It was really fun to be able to talk to people on the train rather than just sit there and do nothing.
Well this week went by quickly, quietly, and (insert another "q" word here). But all in all, it was good. We worked hard regardless of the weather and in spite of the weather. The people we met were sometimes nice and sometimes they were those special children of God that you just love. We got a nice run in with the Jehovah's Witnesseson Wednesday and the guy we talked to was pretty nice. We had a nice conversation about our beliefs and his beliefs and about the struggles of being missionaries. He too is a missionary and it was a good time. We traded cards and promised to watch each other's video sometime and their video was interesting. It was about what they believe happens
after they die. Me and Elder Hansen talked about it afterward and have decided to remain members of our church. Our plan sounds more fun after we die anyway.
Anyway, speaking of videos...you should all watch the new hallelujah video that the church just made and the big hallelujah chorus. They're good ones. Yep.
I hope you all had some opportunities to learn from your mistakes and successes and to see the good in life. This week we have the opportunity to focus on the Savior's teachings and get ready for
Easter. Which is probably the best holiday. We get the opportunity next Sunday to celebrate an event that changed the entire eternal perspective of mankind. Because of the resurrection of Christ, we all
can be resurrected too. Because of this great sacrifice and atonement, we can all gain eternal life as long as we follow the teachings of the Master.
Have a great week and remember that for you, He is Risen. He came, He died, He rose, and He will come again.
Elder Richardson
Mt. Fuji!!
Elder Hansen
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