More pics!

Monday, August 5, 2019

• Yes, that's a sheet. Yes, it fell from our balcony as it was drying. And yes, it probably got ran over before we could get to it.

• After buying my bike.

• A happy meeting right before I left the MTC!

• MTC district

• 日本!
• The view out the window of the train, on our way back from Costco.

• No idea what this actually is. All I know is that it tastes good on rice and when I said it looked like fish food Ogata姉妹 just about died laughing.

• More view!

• What we did every Sunday at the MTC. (I think she forgot to attach a picture! ... Mom)
• MTC zone right before I left!

Finally Here!

Monday, August 5, 2019

I'm finally in 日本! Specifically, Odawara, 日本. I'll be here for at least 3 months for my bean-chan days (what they call missionaries in-training here), but after that who knows where I'll be. My companion's name is Ogata姉妹, from Fukuoka, 日本!

Notice: if you know of someone who would like to receive these emails, or would like to stop receiving these emails, please let me know!

Spiritual Stuff:

During one of our lessons, I was in charge of sharing a scripture I'd memorized at the MTC, Moroni 10:4-5. A classic. The lesson was a video call over line because the husband/dad doesn't really like the missionaries, but despite the fact that it wasn't in person, when I shared that scripture the spirit filled the room. The investigators (a mom and son), both started nodding along. We hadn't known where the lesson was going to go after the mom said she had looked up Joseph Smith and started asking about polygamy, but it ended up being an excellent lesson. This Friday we're going to their house with a member couple because if we go with them, the dad sees us more as friends and is ok with it. We can't wait!

Daily Life/Fun Stories:

So, it's funny, at the MTC, Olson姉妹 and I kept joking about someone getting sent to Kofu, someone getting a 日本人 (Japanese) companion... Well, Olson姉妹 got sent to Kofu and I got a 日本人 for a first companion and trainer! She's amazing, and thank goodness she speaks a little English.

Right after we got off the plane, I could feel myself getting sick (Tuesday). Yeah. I woke up the next morning and it was worse, but not terrible (Wednesday). By the time I realized that I wasn't going to sleep much on Wednesday night, I knew it was going to be rough. Thursday we had service picking up trash around the 駅 (eki= station), and while I got to talk to some people about why in the world I was in Japan, I started feeling dizzy towards the end. During district council, I was basically dead. We went home for lunch, and Ogata姉妹 told me to lie down. She ended up calling our mission presiden't wife, Sister Esplin, and got permission to stay in the rest of the day and rest, unpack, etc. I slept for 4 hours and woke up still feeling sick but no longer dizzy. The combination of a cold, jet lag, and weather that is in the 80s or 90s but feels in the 100s because of humidity, UV, etc led to some not fun times. I was still not at 100% up until yesterday, but now I've adjusted and the cold is gone and everything's great.

We're less than a mile from the ocean! I was stupid and didn't bring anything to take pictures when we walked there for exercise, but I'll try to get some soon.

Last Thursday night, an elderly member couple took us out for udon (see picture below). Wilcox長老, who was in my MTC district and is now in the same branch, used chopsticks for the first time. With udon. Yeah. The wife was basically his mom the whole night, dishing things out for him. He did try to use them and got better, but it was funny enough that his companion literally took a video.

Today for P-Day, our district went to Costco. Yes, that's right, My first P-Day in 日本 (Nihon= Japan) and I went to Costco. To be fair, I'd never been, but apparently missionaries here all have this weird obsession with it. It was surprisingly fun, but it took about 2 hours to get there by train and some walking. (See pics)

The members in Odawara bring food to the church for the missionaries, and we split it up between us all. It ended up being very random, but there's a lot of good stuff too.

We finally bought my bike on Saturday. The reason it took so long is because we had to find the time. It takes an hour to walk to the bike shop. But we did it. In very hot, humid, weather, but we did it. (See other email for picture of after we returned)

The members invited us to a fireworks festival on Saturday, so we went! (See pic). There were, of course, lots of people wearing yukatas, it was like something out of an anime in that regard. There were also lots of yummy food stands that we couldn't do anything with because in 日本, fast Sunday starts after dinner on Saturday. On the bright side, that fireworks show was the best I've ever seen, by far. Absolutely amazing.

New Foods:

-inarizushi, a ward member's own recipe.

-udon

-tenpura

-homemade Japanese curry, with vegetables she grew herself

-pocari sweat

-mitsuya cider

About the Pictures:

• Me at the mission home with President Esplin (my mission president) and his wife.
• Our 同期! (douki= coworker but used in more contexts, in this situation talking about people you entered the field with)

• Right after I found out Ogata姉妹 was going to be my companion!
• The shinkansen (bullet train) and some mountains.
• The coolest part of the fireworks.
• Yes, that's their real size. And yes, that's Costco.
• American pizza, Japanese ice cream. Mango and Hokkaido.
• I LOVE UDON AND TENPURA
• Love the views
• You can see the ocean in this one!
• (see other email for more)

愛してます!

-スナ一姉妹

Last P-Day at the MTC!

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

It honestly doesn't feel real that this time next week we'll actually be in Japan. See below for what my new mailing address will be! It's the same for letters and packages. Also, my next P-Day won't be for a week and a half because it will change to a Monday once I get there, so don't worry when you don't get an email next week.

1-7-7 Kichijoji Higashi-cho

Musashino-shi, Tokyo

180-0002

Japan

Spiritual Stuff:

One thing that was mentioned in last night's devotional was a quote by President Ballard (I think) that went something like this: "Teach not to be understood, but teach so that you cannot be misunderstood." I had actually heard that quote before over and over from my Writing 150 professor, but I had only thought about it in the context of research paper writing, and never in the context of teaching. I think I am definitely guilty of speaking/writing/teaching to be understood instead of to not be misunderstood, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel. As missionaries, we want so badly to share the joy we've found and blessings we've received with other people that in our excitement we share more information than is able to be absorbbed, remembered, and sometimes even understood. However, I think the past 8 1/2 weeks have really helped me see the other perspective, to see what those I will be interacting with and teaching will think and how they'll feel. I can't wait to start actually hearing about ehir perspective in person!

Daily Life/Fun Stories:

We got our travel plans last friday, and next Monday we report to the travel office bright and early at 3:45am. From there, we travel to Salt  LA and then straight to Tokyo!

Last week during lunch one of the 後輩 (kouhai= underclassmen but used in more contexts) discovered that his chicken tenders were literally raw. As in, full-on pink. Later that day he started to not feel good and was up almost all night. Once everything was out of his system he was fine, but it was apparently rough going for a while.

I love Yamashita姉妹. We were doing English practice with her because she doesn't speak much at all, and when we asked what "seisan" meant, she knew it meant sacrament. When we asked what "seisankai" (sacrament meeting) meant, her immediate response was "SACRAMENT PARTY!!" We just about died laughing.

During class last week, we had a "story time" where the 日本人 (nihonjin= japanese people) told us stories in 日本語 (nihongo= japanese) and we tried to understand as much as possible. Yamashita姉妹 told a story about a dream she once had where she woke up on a bed of salad and a family of pigs was surrounding her with forks and knives in hand, about to eat her. She realized that it was a dream and tried closing her eyes and opening them again, but it didn't work. She tried again, and she woke up with her head on the lap of a zombie, who happened to be a sister from her ward. Olson姉妹 and I were literally dying with laughter because she'd already told the story and we were now getting more out of it, but the other 長老たち were so lost. It was hilarious.

We've started teaching a new 求道者 (kyuudousha= investigator) and it's the funniest thing because he's been taught and is still being taught by two other 長老たち (chouroutachi= elders). When he was only being taught by them, we didn't know that we would start teaching him as well so he didn't pay much attention to us and spoke perfect English to someone. The first day we were supposed to teach him, He came up the the front desk and asked what room he was in with a very thick, obviously fake Japanese accent. We struggled so hard not to burst out laughing because he isn't supposed to speak English to us but he had to at the front desk, made even funnier by the fact that because we already knew he spoke perfect English, it was obviously fake.

Two of our three teachers left on vacation a couple days ago and we don't get to see them again before we leave. It's really sad because we've seen them for about 8 1/2 weeks straight, but they sent us off with lots of encouragement and crazy stories, such as the time on of my teachers got a referral and the address was an insane asylum. As in, the person they were supposed to teach was a resident. Which nobody had known beforehand, somehow.

This past Sunday Olson姉妹 and I went with Yamashita姉妹 to the 日本語 (nihongo= japanese) Sunday film, which happened to be Finding Faith through Jesus Christ (or something like that). It was made in 2002, so not only was it pretty cheesy, dramatic, and low quality, it was also in 日本語 which sounded hilariously similar to anime. There were some moments that were pretty good, and it was awesome when we understood things, but unfortunately we spent almost the whole thing trying not to laugh because they sounded llike anime characters. We felt pretty bad, but it was a lot of fun.

Over the past week, our district has gotten even closer, which we really didn't think was possible, but they really feel like siblings to us now. What makes it sad is that everyone in our district is going to Tokyo South except for Kartchner長老 (And Yamashita姉妹), who is going to Sapporo. It's going to be a rough goodbye, especially for his companions.

About the Pictures:

• It was so hard to say goodbye to Pettit兄弟 and Fernelius姉妹 (who became Kenley姉妹 a few weeks ago but it's too hard to switch).
• My district plus the 日本人 (nihonjin= japanese people). We took at least 10 pictures and in not a single one is everybody looking good.
• Finally got this picture that was taken about 3 weeks ago, before some 先輩 (senpai= upperclassmen but used in more contexts) left and new 後輩 (kouhai= underclassmen but used in more contexts) came in. There are far too many things happening in this picture and I love it.
• The Tokyo South mission! Yes, we get all of Tokyo, the temple, and half of Mt. Fuji, along with other cities, suburbs, and rice paddies.

• Eating our sack lunches today.
• Last week's skyping member TRC! We talked to a grandma which was so fun.

More and More Japanese

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

This is our second to last P-Day at the MTC! Also, we get our travel plans tomorrow! It doesn't feel real at all, it's so weird.

Spiritual Stuff:

In choir on Sunday we sang the song "Consider the Lilies," which was absolutely beautiful, so I stole it for this week's "spiritual stuff" lol. I highly recommend actually going and listening to it, though.

Consider the lilies of the field,
How they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky,
How they fly, how they fly.

He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky.
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.

Consider the sheep of His fold,
How they follow where He leads.
Though the path may wind across the mountains,
He knows the meadows where they feed.

He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky,
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.

Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on this earth.
The pains of all of them He carried
From the day of His birth.

He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.

He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.

Daily Life/Fun Stories:

Our new 同僚 (douryou= companion), Yamashita姉妹 is amazing and also doesn't speak English! Well, she knows a couple words, but that's it. It's been super helpful because now we have to speak in Japanese instead of automatically going to English all the time. She'll be going to the Sapporo mission, but we're glad to have her while we can! Also, this group of 日本人 (nihonjin= japanese people) is the one we fly to 日本 (nihon= japan).

Last Wednesday, Olson姉妹 and I did our first skype TRC, which means we skyped a member of the church who is Japanese and lives in Japan. Our person ended up being a 21 year old who is friends with a sister currently serving in Gilbert, who Olson姉妹 is friends with, and she also goes to the same ward that my Japanese professor's parents live in! She said that he had actually just left Japan after visiting. So many connections within the Japanese church world, it's crazy and so much fun. Also, because she lives where she lives, she's in the Tokyo South mission! She goes on her own mission in October, but she hopes we get transferred to her area before then so we can meet her in person! We can't wait.

We're getting into the summer rush here at the MTC and on Sunday was told that there are currently 2100 missionaries here. That's more than a 700 person increase from the 1300 when we got here because we've had a lot of people leave over the past 7-ish weeks. Thankfully, the 640 missionary intake is 2 days after we leave so we don't have to deal with the craziness that will bring in.

The 長老たち (chouroutachi= elders) have started to try and translate English sayings directly into Japanese, which has led to many teachers shaking their heads at us and many days full of hunched-over-unable-to-breathe laughter. For example, you know that part in Star Wars where Darth Sidious says, "Do it!" in that really creepy voice of his? Well, they started imitating that for some reason and then out of nowhere Walkenhorst長老, in the best Darth Sidious voice I've ever heard, says "します!" None of us could breathe for about 2 full minutes we were laughing so hard. It literally just means to do/do/will do, but for some reason it was the funniest thing ever. Probably because the voice was spot on.

All of the teachers have some crazy stories. For example, one taught a lady who had 9 dogs. In Tokyo. And another almost got chased by a wild boar. And there's more to each of those stories, but this email is already way too long lol, so let me know if you want to know some details.

Something our district has started doing on Saturdays after zone games is a little something called "the hot seat." It basically means that for 15 minutes one person is on "the hot seat" and we can ask them any question we want. It's both great for getting to know people as people and also knowing some pretty hilarious stuff about them. For example, one 長老's worst date ever involved him spending 30 minutes in the bathroom while at a restaurant, her then getting impatient, and then after they leave him throwing up in the middle of the street. Yeah.

Every Sunday after the evening devotional we all go see "Sunday Films," and this week we decided to see the movie "Testaments." Except, we decided to watch it in 日本語 (nihongo= japanese). Best decision ever. It was a blast, and even though we didn't understand everything they were saying, it was enough that the bad people's voices 100% sounded like anime villains.

About the Pictures:

• Our new 同僚! (douryou= companion)
• Some of our district with the new 日本人長老たち (nihonjin chouroutachi= Japanese elders). If anyone remembers Elder Kawamura who served in Rochester, his younger brother is in the middle on the left.
• A little taste of home I found in the MTC store! Though I have to admit, my first thought was, "where's the root beer?!"
• Ice cream party!
• We love studying outside when the sun isn't slowly roasting us.

New Companion!

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

こんにちは!

After this week, we only have 2 full weeks left! To be more specific, we have 19 days left and we're not counting down the hours and looking forward at all...

Spiritual Stuff:

During our Tuesday Devotional last night, Sister Kathleen Andersen and Elder Wilford W. Andersen of the Seventy spoke. I particularly liked that Sister Andersen spoke about the fact that Satan puts negative thoughts into our heads. Whether they're about other people or ourselves, all he wants to do is drag us down. It's important, both as a person and a missionary, to recognize where those negative thoughts come from and to focus on the more positive things in life. In particular, as missionaries learning a new language and training to go to a foreign country, it's very easy for us to be hard on ouselves about the language and the teaching. However, our district has decided to find something we did right when all we can think about is how we messed up. I encourage everybody reading this email to do the same in their lives in whatever aspect they find difficult, whether that be interacting with other people, work, school, whatever. It'll make each day a much better day.

Daily Life/Fun Stories:

Last Thursday, aka the Fourth of July, we got to stay up late to watch BYU's Stadium of Fire show from one of the buildings. We were all dead the next morning but it was fun. On Sunday, Olson姉妹 and I got assigned as Sister Training Leaders (STL's)for our zone, and almost immediately took up a bunch of responsibilities, including helping a 姉妹 (shimai= sister) who has to get collarbone surgery and another who had to see a cardiologist. That whole issue required being driven to Spanish Fork with her because her companion had already left. Thankfully nothing was wrong and she left yesterday morning, but we all thought the driver was going to make it so none of us ever got to go to 日本 (Nihon= Japan). Halfway through the drive she told us she had ADHD and we were like, "we should have known." On Monday, Olson姉妹 and I taught our first lesson with a native speaker 求道者 (kyuudousha= investigator), and it was so much fun. It went way better than expected, and we understood almost everything she said! Also, she understood almost everything we said! It was a huge confidence booster. Last week, my family got a dog while I was gone! I personally have always wanted one but the answer was always "no" because of allergies, wood floors, etc... Well, apparently he's hypoallergenic and they stopped caring about the floors and his name is Pepper and he's the size of our bunnies (see pic). And I can't meet him for a year and a half *cries*. This morning we helped clean the Provo Temple for 3 hours, which meant that Olson姉妹 and I detailed lockers. As in, the average pace is 2 lockers in 4 hours. We used Q-tips and toothpicks. Perfect for an OCD person! Later today Olson姉妹 and I are getting another companion. We'll be in a trio with a 日本人姉妹 (nihonjin shimai= japanese sister) just like we were with Ikeda姉妹 at the beginning, except this time we'll go with her when she leaves for Japan! We haven't seen her yet, but her luggage has been moved in and we can't wait to meet Yamashita姉妹!

About the Pictures:

• Olson姉妹 and I with our STL binder.
• Face masks!
• The most recent batch of 日本人宣教師 (nihonjin senkyoushi= japanese missionaries) that left on Monday, enjoying chocolate chip cookies on the Fourth of July.
• What happens if we study in the classroom.
• So this happened. Olson姉妹 and I were just in the corner dying of laughter. Needless to say, he doesn't normally part his hair down the middle. Also, he totally went in to teach our teacher like that.
• Fourth of July selfie!

• Can't believe my family got another bunny without me lol. He fits right in.

愛してます!

-スナ一姉妹

(Sister Snarr)

Looking Forward

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Update: for some things like email to letter converters, ordering food, and maybe mailing some things, they require the unit number, which is 146. I'll still get anything that's sent, but they always correct it. Also, my departure date is JUL29, not JUL30, for any mail.

Spiritual Stuff:

One of the things I love about the MTC is that we all greet each other in the language we will be speaking on our missions, whether that be English, Spanish, Malay, Japanese, etc. You'll have a full conversation with someone and neither of you will be speaking the same language, let alone understanding the other person. It's a lot of fun, and also brings a sense of unity to the MTC. While we might all be here for different amounts of time, be heading to different places around the world, be learning different languages, we're all here for the same reason. We all love Christ and His church, and we want to share the joy we've found in it with the people of the world.

Daily Life/Fun Stories:

Saturday was June 29th, and because we got here May 29th and will be leaving July 29th, that means we hit our halfway mark! It's actually super surreal, because it feels like we've been here forever and also that we just got here and will just stay here forever, not actually going to Japan. However, the last couple of days we've been really thinking about what it'll be like when we get there. For example, we get there at the beginning of August, which is the dead of summer... So that's going to be fun on bikes. Also, while we get there after the rainy season, we're just in time for typhoon season, about which our teachers have a lot of stories. For example, biking through typhoons, leaky windows, watching people get thrown off their bike by the wind, being pushed up a hill on their bikes by the wind... But they all say it's super fun (biking in a typhoon), so I'm looking forward to it. On Monday our 先輩 (senpai= upperclassman but used in more contexts), who were our leaders since we got here and who we've gotten really close to, are leaving for Japan. It's especially sad because none of them are going to Tokyo South. They split up the 6 missions in Japan as to when they come into the MTC, so the ones we get closest to are always not actually going to the same area. For example, Tokyo South, Nagoya, and Sapporo missionaries come in and then three weeks later Tokyo North, Fukuoka, and Kobe come in. We're going to try and keep in touch though. The 後輩 (kouhai= underclassman but used in more contexts) have opened up a lot more, and it's cool because there are a bunch from the Philippines and New Zealand. The people from the Philippines are learning Japanese through English, which is not their first language, and it's pretty awesome. Also, one of the new sisters from the Philippines is at least 4 inches shorter than me, which is very unusual but also awesome. Olson姉妹 and I have made friends with a bunch elders going to/from Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji because their classrooms are on the same floor. It's really funny because somehow they knew how to say, "Die!" in 日本語, and that was it. They started saying it to us and we were super confused as to why at first, but they just think it's funny. They asked how to say "I have to go," so we taught them, and then they started saying "Die, I have to go" every time we see them. So if you know me, you know that I don't really tan. And yet, somehow, I'm already starting to get a watch tan, which is just fantastic. I've always wanted a super pale piece of skin that shows when I take off my watch (not). Ok, story time: Olson姉妹 got her mom to send her a ton of face masks (see pic), and we decided to ask the 長老たち (chouroutachi= elders) if hypothetically we had some of those korean face masks right that second if they would do them. Hypothetically. Collins長老 was super down to do it, while Walkenhorst長老 was hesitant. We passed them out, and didn't really expect them to do them, but they did! (See pic below). We died laughing over the fact that they actually did them and their super serious expressions.

About the Pictures:

• A double rainbow over the mountain!
• We love our 日本 flag.

• Elder Kartchner, who ate literally 7 plates of taquitos (and then that cookie).
• Our district's 長老たち.
• We almost always study outside (until it gets into the 90's and we go inside because the UV forecast is 'Extreme')
• Olson姉妹 and I with our 長老たち先輩 after zone games, all wearing our mission shirts (that literally nobody looks good in).
• The face masks. If you look closely, the ones where there's only one is where the 長老たち took one and did it.

Close Encounters

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

こんにちは! 元気ですか? This past week was kind of insane as the MTC experienced a 500+ missionary influx, as well as 164 mission presidents in training. And along with the mission presidents came some people very high up in the church... (see below for details).

Spiritual Stuff:

During the devotional on Sunday (see below to find out who spoke), the speaker started talking about 2 Nephi 31 and I almost laughed. I may have mentioned this in an earlier email, but I've been going back to that chapter again and again over the past few weeks. Almost every verse is highlighted/underlined in multiple colors. I can't even begin to talk about the whole chapter because there's just so much, but I only just realized on Sunday that I've been going to the chapter that talks about the Doctrine of Christ, which is specifically listed in our missionary purpose. Go read it for yourself, but I'll just say that I think the reason I've been so drawn to it is because I subconsciously recognized its importance to my purpose at this point in my life. It was a pretty cool experience, realizing that.

Daily Life/Fun Stories:

Our district has just recently realized how lucky the Japanese groups are with our weekly service. Every district has some form of service, which could be anything from hosting new missionaries to cleaning toilets. All we have to do is take down Sunday devotional and set up Tuesday devotional, which is actually really fun once you know what you're doing. Also, there are perks like what happened to my friend/先輩. We were taking down the stage (it's in the gym so they have to bring one in), and she discovered that the speaker had left his cup behind... We convinced her to take it because she's from Australia and when else would she have to chance to steal Elder Holland's cup lol. We were all dying. Oh yeah, and not only was Elder Holland here for the past couple days, but so were the Quorum of the 12 and the First Presidency, even if at the devotional President Eyring and President Nelson weren't there. Which means there were several sightings, close encounters, and actual encounters. We saw Elder Uchtdorf twice, President Nelson once, and Elder Christofferson came and talked to some of our 後輩 (underclassmen, sort of), so we went over and joined them. He ended up taking a picture with two of the 姉妹たち from the Philippines, they were so excited. Also, that same friend/先輩 who took Elder Holland's cup (and her companion) got to see President Nelson and be only a couple feet away from him, which was amazing for her. The 日本人長老たち (Japanese elders) got to shake hands with several of them, and Elder Stevenson spoke to them in Japanese. Plus more sightings and encounters. And speaking of sightings and encounteres, I've run into a bunch more people I know here, some whose classrooms are near mine, some who live on the same floor, and some who I just see now and then. It's been pretty fun. The other night at dinner, we were sitting with the 日本人長老たち and one of them suddenly started saying, "暑い, 暑い!" (hot, hot!) while holding his mouth and drinking water. Turns out one of the 日本人姉妹たち (Japanese sisters) who went to BYU-HI had told him that hot sauce was good on salad. We all felt really bad for him but at the same time we were all dying laughing. He made some of the other 日本人長老たち try it and then they were all in pain lol. Also, the food the last few days has been unprecedentedly good. Apparently they were catering the mission presidents and so just decided to cater for everyone else instead. For example, we got Aloha Plate, Subway, Taco Bell, and Chick-fil-a, along with other meals that were just so much better than what we've been having. Almost forgot about this, but because everyone knew that apostles were coming, basically everyone at the MTC tried to join the choir. They ended up having to turn people away because we literally filled the bleachers. It ended up being a choir of 1000 people who sang at the Sunday devotional. Apparently, though, it's not the biggest they've every had. Class has been getting better and better as those who started off with zero experience have worked their way up to sort of understanding what's going on. We just laugh way too much, especially when people make mistakes or pronounce something wrong. Oh, and those who mess up laugh too, we're not laughing AT them lol, we're laughing WITH them. Random funny story: the same night that one 日本人長老 ate the salad with hot sauce, another 日本人長老 asked Olson if her hair was real. Meaning, he wanted to know if her curls were real. All of the 日本人長老たち were super surprised when they found out that both of us have natural curls.

About the Pictures:

• Olson姉妹 and I with the new 日本人姉妹たち (Japanese sisters), one of whom (Sato姉妹) is really good friends with Ikeda姉妹, our Japanese companion who left last week.
• My district plus the new 日本人 district and 2 of our leaders.
• Spontaneous picture when we noticed the Japan flag was up. It's pretty bad, but whatever.
• Yet another picture of the Provo Temple! Today was the last day we can go in because they're closing it for cleaning, but we'll probably do more temple walks.
• The day they catered Chick-fil-a, which happens to be Olson姉妹's absolute favorite.

じゃあまたね! 愛してます!

Sister Snarr