We found him!!!!

We spotted Kolton during the world wide broadcast "Hastening the Work of Salvation".  He is in the second row over from the split between the sisters and the elders, about 1/3 of the way up.  Be sure to look for him in his "Clark Kent" glasses.  That's the part that threw us off.  That plus the fact that his hair is really short.  He is next to an elder

(which is companion, Baldwin-choro) who is next to a girl in a white shirt.  Start watching about 2 minutes and 15 seconds into the broadcast and THERE HE IS!  Can you tell how excited we are?  Thanks for all of your support and love of our wonderful missionary.  We love you all.
Jillyn

It's like a sentance enhancer...

Hi Everyone!

Another week has passed by and wow! it sure has passed by really quick.  Well this week has just been a lot like last week.  I'm doing my best to try and get the language down and I am just barely reaping the rewards while in our investigator lessons.  Last lesson, for instance, me and Baldwin-choro taught about the Word of Wisdom, and for the first time in all of our lessons I did most of the talking.  It was quite awesome.

Well before I start anything else I will answer your questions mom.

1- I am pretty good with everything else, expect for socks.  Maybe send me a new case of shampoo.  and YES send me more short sleeved shirts, I thought that I could just roll them up if I got hot, but apparently rolled up sleeves isn't missionary like...

2- The candy situation is just fine.  Just keeping doing what you are doing.

3- I think that I will torment you and not send any pictures back home until I am in the mission field.

4-I eat MTC caffeteria food.  Miles and miles of medicore food as far as the eye can see.  My hair has been cut once by a really nice lady who put me into an appointment even though I didn't have one scheduled.  When the hair lady asked me about numbers I didn't have any clue what she was talking about.  Yes, my roommates know that I am a 3rd degree black belt, there is a Elder named Bedwell-choro who is crazy about Jujitsu in my district.

5- Please don't send me those shoe non-slip things anymore.  They kind of work, but whenever I walk it sounds like my shoes are farting...please no. 

 It seems like you heard about the broadcast tomorrow.  Please watch it, I don't know what they are going to say, but it will be a day to remember.  You will probably see me on the broadcast, I am in the choir (with the rest of the MTC) and they will be scanning around the choir while we are singing our songs.  If you pause the video that they will be putting on LDS.org then you can probably go frame by frame and try to catch me.

This week we have been learning about giving and recieving phrases.  The Japanese people have like 20 different ways of saying to give or to recieve, based on who you are giving or recieving.  If I am giving something to a child, I would not use the same word as I would if I was giving to a Elderly person, just a sign of respect and status.  Well, these verbs can also be tacked on at the end of a sentence to give the subject of your sentence more respect.  Like if I was saying Jesus Christ loves everyone then I could tack on a high respect giving verb at the end to make it ultra polite.  But, how I like to remember it is that it is a sentence enhancer, without the swearing.  You just sprinkle it on anything you say and WAMMO! you got yourself a spicy sentence sandwich.  Sometimes my mouth tingles after the spicyness of my conversations...

{this is a reference to Spongebob Squarepants, for those who don't know}

Yesterday, Brindley-sensei left the MTC... I am pretty sad about it.  I know that I only knew him for a month but he was so amazing in so many ways.  He had to leave the MTC to find a job to support his pregnant wife or whatever...  But I will really miss him.  He gave us all of his last minute crazy stories yesterday including his EPIC STORY.  I cannot disclose it, for it is a secret, but surfice to say that it included a chapel, a very fresh of the MTC Brindely-sensei, the 9, one mans desire to journey to Utah, a Katana being drawn, a baptism, and maybe a little bit of sake in the man involved.  That is all I can say.

I was great to hear from everyone.  Pat wrote me the other day and that was awesome.  I loved how, while at the MTC, John drew vicious monsters  when he was tired of the group think.  It cheered me up quite a bit, so tell her thank you for that.

Well, last Sunday was Father's Day so I think that I should write a little about that.

Dad, you are my hero.  Don't take that as trying to make up not writing to you on last Saturday, but rather as a fact.  You are a hero.  Whenever someone asks about you at the MTC I always say a couple of things.  1- He is the kindest, most gentle, thoughtful person that I have ever met.  I have never met anyother man that has been so kind and so caring and so gentle to other people in my entire life. That he has taught me how to extend outward to other people through pure love and care 2- He is the smartest man that I have ever met in my entire life.  I tell them that you have read everything from Aristotle to Of the Origin of Species.  I tell them that my Dad could talk about anything to anyone, whether it be about Quantum Physics, the Impressionist Era of Art, the theory of Evolution, Buddhism, or the Civil War.  I tell them that you have read about 1,000,000 books and every time I talk to you you have read another.  You have taught me that it is important to become learned, that no matter what you do in this life whether it is being an Engineer or whether as being a Garbage man, you can be smart.  That learning, true learning, allows you to be empathetic to other people, to see their point of view, to see where other people have come from and where they may want to go.  3- That the way you judge someone is not where they were born or where they are currently, but where they want to be.  That there a times when someone is down of the ground, down on the lowest point in their life.  But what defines that person is what they do once they are at that point, whether they try to get up and dust themselves of or whether they lay there defeated is what truly defines a person.  4- He is my hero.  Of everyone that I have ever known, my Dad is my greatest hero.  All these things that I have said are true.  All of them.  I wish I could see you right now so that you can know how much I know these things are true.  Little characters on a electronic screen can never convey the true, heartfelt, meaning of my words.  I LOVE YOU!

This week has been tough, but, as my hero has taught me, it is not what situations you find yourself in that defines you, but what you choose to do.  I can either give up and never know what would be on the other side of hill, or I can keep moving and see how big the world really is and what good I can do in it. It is hard to get through tough times but As the great J.R.R. Tolkien wrote:

"I wish this had never have happened."-Frodo

"So do all that live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide.  All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." -Gandalf

 I want to share a few words in Japanese:

私はイエスキリストが見なさを愛すると明かしします。神様の医師を守ったら毎日、私たちは神様とイエスキリストの愛を感じることができると明かしします。私はモルモン所が真実駄々と知っています。

私はみなさんをとてもあいしっています。

(P.S. some of the kanji maybe wrong, the computer automatically fills it in)

That is all I can share for this week.  I love you all so very much.  I read all your letters and wish I was there with you, but I have to do this. This is what the Lord has asked of me.  I love the Japanese people so much and I haven't even got to Japan yet!  I Love you All.

With Love,

 Klein-choro (Elder Klein)

Halfway done with the Spirit Prison.. (Haha)

Hi Family,

I hope that everything is going well.  It sounds like Mom, Dad, and Elizabeth all enjoyed Girls Camp, even though it was a huge hassle to deal with.  That is pretty funny about Uncle Scot, he always gets himself in the most uncomfortable situations.  I can just imagine 10 girls with an RV on fire in the background with Uncle Scot making the Doc Brown face from Back to the Future.

I am so very glad that you guys are back, I missed your letters to much.  I can't wait to get that Dear Elder letter again.

Well, how is summer going?  I hope it is going well.  I'm sure that it has been good so far.  For Madisen and Vic, how is your cruise going (you started it, right?), I hope that you meet many Alabamians in your travels (Roll Tide, Roll).

This week, we got quite a shock.  Our Sensei is leaving us, and don't worry, it is not because of us (or at least he's trying really hard to get away from us).  Yeah, Brindley-sensei is leaving teaching the MTC so that he be some international consultant at a some big business in Salt Lake, he has to provide for his upcoming first born son or whatever.  I have loved Brindley-sensei being our teacher, he was able to teach Japanese in a fun yet great way for our investigators.  Brindley-sensei was able to dive into a deep spiritual thought while giving us one of his classic Brindley-sensei funny stories.  The classic Brindley-sensei story that we have enjoyed this week has been:  Brindley-sensei was teaching a Japanese woman who spoke really good English.  The problem is that while Brindley-sensei is really good at English, his companion, a Brazilian, wasn't.  So, the investigator was saying the greatest things ever, like, "We can't expect God to do everything for us, we have to put in the effort ourselves."  His companion, not knowing very good English, mistook her sentences for blasphemy.  He stood up, grabbed the table that was in between themselves and the investigator, raised it above his head, and yelled, "WHERE'S THE JUSTICE?!!?!"  The investigator freaked out and Brindley sensei said, "Doryo(companion) WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"  They were able to get her baptized... after the Brazilian got transfered.  Great stories.

We also had another surprise this week, we got a new sister.  Sister Smotherman had health issues while she was in the MTC a few months ago and had to head back home to get her health back up again.  So, now she is back and she is the companion to Sister Pemberton.  Sister Pemberton couldn't be happier, she has a new companion who likes the same stuff as she does.  I really hope that Sister Smotherman is doing alright, it seems like she is fitting in just fine.  I hope that she sees how much this District needs everyone, no matter if they were here 4 weeks ago or 4 days ago.

 I want to tell you a little bit about the MTC showers.  They are terrible.  I wouldn't want to send a prisoner of war into one of those things.  It isn't like I have just realized this, I have known for 4 weeks now, but, I just havn't told you about them.  Again, terrible.  So I walk into the shower one day, like normal, after a great workout at the weights room, and then I see the shower.  The shower is covered in blood stains.  From the divider, to the curtain, to the tile wall, to the shower head, it was all covered in blood.  All the other showers are taken and there is a line of 10 people behind me so I had to suck it up and do it.  I hated everything about it.  Another thing about the showers is that everyone sings in the shower, most of the time together.  While shampooing my hair, I have heard wonderful randitions of "We are Men"(from Mulan), Don't Stop Believing, Johnny B. Goode, among others.  It is actually pretty fun to sing along with them actually.  Weird, but fun.

 I have a few things that I want to ask of you.  Can you please send me the following things:

-Hair Gel (I ran out)

-More Candy (I don't want a flood, but I don't want a drought either)

-A copy of the Dear Sarah letter from Ken Burns: The Civil War

-copy of the Lyrics to the following songs:

               -Viva la Vida                                         Coldplay

               -Believe                                                Yellowcard

               -You Found Me                                    The Fray

              

 That would be absouletely amazing if you could just send me just one of those things.

 This week has been really hard,  it feels like I have hit a solid brick wall at 100mph this week.  I thought I was doing everything ok then it just slammed right into me on Monday.  I don't think that I know any Japanese at all!  I literally, for the life of me, can't carry on an investigator lesson.  It happened with one of our lessons with Shimada-san this week.  Elder Baldwin did 90% of the talking while I looked like I just sat back and listened.  I said a few things but nothing that I should pat myself on the back for.  I don't know the language at all.  It is so hard for me to study and focus though.  The way that they have you study in the MTC is not the way I have studied throughout my life.  Here it literally is study with everyone, I don't study that way.  I don't learn with sensei saying, "Alright now everyone repeat this after me,"  and then everyone mumbles through it.  I learn through studying hard by myself, by my own time, but I can't do that here.  I have to change how I go about learning something itself, not to mention learning one of the hardest languages in the world.

I love you all.  I love you all so much.  There is not a minute that goes by that I don't think of you.  Please continue to write me.  Please continue to being amazing.  Please continue to pray for me (I need it).  Please contine being awesome.  I love you all SO MUCH!

 With Love,

 Klein-choro (Elder Klein)

The thing which must never be spoken of again...?

Hi Family!

Well its been another week at the MTC!  I don't know if anything terribly exciting has happened but I guess I will tell you what I can.

This week has really seem to have flown by fast.  I know that I say this in every letter, but the days are long, the weeks are short, every week seems like one realllllllyyyyyyyy long day (until P-Day).

The AC in the MTC is great except in, you guessed it, our classroom and our dorm (not everyone's, just ours).  So, we had to do some quick thinking and bring one of our two classroom fans (yes, we have two huge fans in our classroom) to our residence.  Senpuki-kun (Senpuki means fan in Japanese, and kun is a title for a young boy, we couldn't name it -chan because we are not allowed to bring girls into our dorm) has been the best thing that has ever happened in our dorm residence.  We just sit outside the long dorm hallway with 14 other people just chatting away while Senpuki-kun blowns nice, cool air on us.

Speaking of dorm room experiences, we had my companion's, Elder Baldwin's, birthday yesterday.  He got some exercise equipment, a crap ton of food, and a birthday card (one of those ones that talk to you when you open it) that screams at you, we laugh every time.  He also got candles (hint for later) and some little cakes (another hint).  I cannot tell you what we did, but it is the thing which must never be spoken of again, don't worry we looked it up in the handbook and it said nothing about it.  I don't think that we will want to do it again, it was so nerve racking.

By the way, if my grammar is out of wack it is because I do not know language anymore.  English is a SVO language (I ate the apple) but Japanese is a SOV language (I the apple ate).  It is simple when you are talking about apples, but when it comes time to tell about the first vision and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days, it can become a little more complicated.  I am trying to make progress though, the thing that gets me stuck is changing verbs into different bases.  Quinn, you'll know what I'm talking about.

To answer some of your questions that you had for me:

1) Parker I think is either going to          Domestic:  Washington                           Abroad:      Canada

2) Air conditioning: I think I already talked about that

3) Treats:  This one has a story.  Every Wednesday, Thursday, and (I think) Friday, the MTC brings out food carts so that we don't have to go into the cafeteria where literally every new person doesn't know where they can get food (I don't know how they manage that) or where to put their tray (a little more understandable).  It is harmless, individually, but down right annoying and dangerous by herds.  So back to the lunch carts.  We learned from the dai-senpai a couple of weeks ago (the ones that just left for the field, every three weeks a new batch of Japanese missionaries go into the field) told us that the MTC lunch carts let you take their leftover food.  So, being teenage boys, we took advantage of this situation.  I will not tell you how it went but let me say that I have about 20 packs of Sunchips in our room.  It would be nice to get something though, just collaborate, I don't want 10 packages filled to the brim with food.

 4)  Backpack:  It is working really well, I don't know how I survived without it.  I don't know if there really is anything that you have to send me.  In a couple of weeks, you might have to send me more socks/garments.  It seems as though every time I wash my clothes, I have to sacrifice one of my pairs to the false and idolous Laundry Matt  gods.  That has to be the case, how else can I lose a pair of socks between the time I pull it out the dryer and into my bag, doubling checking, I might add, for any left overs in the dryer and/or floor?

So, anyways, it has been going alright.  I feel a little bit better this week, the branch presidency released all of the district leader and assigned the new ones (they do this every 3 weeks).  Now all I have to do is make sure Elder Steers, our new district leader, is a much better one than I ever was, so that his name is first on the list for Zone Leader Candidate Sheet.  Elder Steers is so funny, very sarcastic, but very loving.  Every night before the last announcement comes on, right after the BEEP that marks every hallway announcement here, he yells HAPPYO DESU (which means ANNOUNCEMENT!).  He tells us stories from his Pre-Earth life (we call the time before we were in the MTC the Pre-Earth life because it seems as though a veil is being put in front of our eyes and we are starting to forget things about our life before this time) from the time when was a bartender to when he and his cousin were in Hawaii.  In Hawaii, they were asking a local about where they can catch a bus, he starts to explain it to them then the local says, "Wait, I don't care, I got my bike."  We don't know why it is funny, but in the MTC I laugh at things I thought I would never laugh at before (I think I am going insane).

 I am trying my very best to stay afloat.  I sometimes think about giving up then turn my mind to preparing for our investigator lessons.  One of which took a turn for the worse.  One of the people that we have as investigators is Ippe-san.  We committed him to being baptized, going to church, reading the Book of Mormon, but.... When we asked him about his feelings about Christ he said that he had none, WHAT!  So we had to change course immediately from what we thought would be a good thing to talk to him about to talking about having faith and love in Jesus Christ.  I feel so sad, I know he is not a real investigator, but it still makes me sad :(

Speaking of crazy investigator stories.  We were having a lesson with Shimada-san, our other investigator, and we were explaining to him the importance of the Book of Mormon.  We said that when you read the Book of Mormon you will be happier, see the purpose in life, the gospel will be opened up to you.  So I want to end on a high note.  I have trouble keeping my conjigations (I don't even know how to spell anymore) straight.  So I looked him straight in the eye and said:

Morumon Sho o yoma naide kudasai (Please don't read the Book of Mormon)

As soon as it had left my mouth, I said, "No wait,", then for two minutes we were laughing our guts out.  I will never forget naide kudasai again.

I am swimming along though.  Some days are better than others.  Sometimes I feel as though I am the worst missionary to ever have come into the MTC.  It is hard, it really is.  It has been so hard to give up on my family for two years, I hear stories about Mom's trailer, Madisen screaming her head off about a baby bird while Elizabeth wants to feed it to the cats, Dad talking to Ms. Julie, I just want to be there so much.  But, I keep going.  I get over myself.  Everyone feels these feelings, some are very open about expressing them while others don't.  Everyone does.  What they do with the time that they are given separates the good from the great.  Dreaming about the future is a kind of nostalgia, but I guess that is the same with worrying.  I can't do much, but I can do the best with the time that has been given to me.

私はみなさんをあいしっています。

I love you all so very much, more than you can know.  I read your letters each day, loving every moment.  Keep on writing, please.  I love you keep on doing what you are doing.    LOVE YOU!

With Love,

Klein-choro (Elder Klein)

Controlling the Space/Time Continuum

Hi Family,

Wow!  The week has just flown by.  The MTC does weird things to your head.  If I think that my last p-day was only a week ago, I think that the time I have been in here has flown by; on the other hand though, if I think about the last time I was doing anything other than this (by this I mean the MTC missionary stuff) it feels as though it was a lifetime ago (that maybe works metaphorically).  I was talking to all those in my district and they feel the same way.  Again, the MTC does weird things to your head.

To answer some of your question:s I want pictures sent through the mail, that way I can look at them everyday instead of only once for 10 seconds before I realize that I only have 45 minutes to write a letter.  No, none of my roommates ever took Japanese before, myself and Sister Maughan in my district are the only ones who ever have.  Sometimes it comes in handy when I can explain something to someone, or recognize a word, that someone else doesn't know.  But, for the most part it only gave me a headstart of one week, after that, it was fair game.

The MTC is doing better this week than last week.  Not much better, I wouldn't say even that noticably better, but I am trying my hardest to keep going.   I mean it is only at the MTC where they think you can start teaching in a complicated language about a complicated concept (say the Plan of Salvation) with an investigator (during TRC time it could be a real investigator) with only 2 1/2 weeks worth of language practice.  So, yeah, it has continued to be completely insane and I am really stressed out about learning the language.  I have thought to myself many times that if I was going English speaking there would be no reason that I couldn't explain the lessons perfectly, but, alas, I am going to Japan.  Don't get me wrong, I am completely thrilled about going there, but the MTC has a way of sucking out all of your joy about the place you will be going to.

So I saw a couple of Heberites here in the MTC.  It was fun to say hello to them and ask where they are going etc.  I even ran into Arlynn.  It was great to talk to her and see how things were going, but weird to call her Sister Robinson (just weird...)

You asked me to say a couple of funny things about the MTC, so here's something you might like.  All the books that they have given to us (which is a lot) all have names that the Nihon-jin (literally, Japanese people, but Japanese missionaries here) have given them.  So, we have books like:

-The Miagi-san (from the Karate Kid)

-The Ninja (a small little book of phrases and vocab)

-The Sumo (The large grammar book that no one ever reads)

-The Charmander (the MTC experience handbook, Pokemon reference)

-The Bulbasaur (a small green language card that pretty much has the entire Japanese grammar on there, another Pokemon reference)

-The Pikachu (a huge Japanese grammar book, another Pokemon reference)

you get the idea....

Well, later this week, I finally get to become senpai (those who have survived through the MTC for at least 3 weeks) and the Kohai (newbies) get to come in.

 So, I just got done with laundry, we woke up at 5:30 to make sure that we got there when it wasn't crowded, it was still crowded; but we have the rest of the day to relax until TRC (TRC is where we will teach a native Japanese person, they could be a real investigator, we are told).

We got some new zone leaders today.  They seem a lot more relaxed than the previous ones, so that is good.  As part of getting to know us they assigned us a task.  If we were on a quest what weapon would you choose and what power or skill would you have?  We all took a full hour to decide on our answers.  Some such answers in our district were:

Weapons                                                    Superpower

A paperclip                                                 The mind of McGyver                         (Elder Graff)

A warhammer                                            The ability to jump crazy far              (Elder Steers)

Claws in my hand                                       Regeneration                                    (Elder Baldwin, basically Wolverine)

An infinite super mario star                Ability to conjure food                         (Sister Anderson)

The scriptures                                             The priesthood                     (Elder Bedwell, there's always is one, right?)

Red rider BB gun with a compass

in the stock and a thing which tells time       Control the space time continuum          (Mine)              

 I want you guys to know that I really appreciate all the of the letters, prayers, and love that you all send.  Though I may not respond to everything that you guys have written me, be assured that everything that you write I read.  Mom, don't get to worried about Girl's Camp, soon enough you will be there and have a great time.  Dad, I don't know where you are going to put a giant TV into that little trailer but I know that you are very creative when it comes to setting up TV's.  Elizabeth, try not to make Mom and Dad insane this summer and I am thinking about you all the time and I know how hard it was not to get into student government, but have a great summer none the less!  Madisen and Vic, it sounds like memorial day was a blast and I wish I was there with everyone!  I read all the letters just an hour is not enough time to write everything that I want to say.

  There still is not a day that goes by without myself thinking: I can't do this, I have to get out of here.  I try to ignore that voice, sometimes it is easier to do that than other times, but I keep going none-the-less.  The language is brutal.  I don't know what I was learning in High School, but it wasn't the same Japanese that I am learning here.  I try to learn something new everyday and that is all that I can do. 

Madisen, know that your scripture that you have marked has helped me so much.  Luke 1:37, I maybe miss quoting it but it says "For with God, nothing shall be made impossible." And as Walt Disney said "It is kinda fun to do the impossible."

I try to keep going.  I try to keep paddling that boat, even though my oar is broken; even though I am suddenly made captain of my crew; even though our ship smells like dirty laundry 6 days of the week; even though sometimes my shipmates can be loud and annoying; even though I can't go to the bathroom without letting everyone know about it; even though it seems as though we will never make it to our destination; even though the waters ahead will be rough and filled with dark nights and thick fog; even though I doubt myself frequently and want to swim back to the shore while it is still insight -  I keep paddling.

   I think that the great men and women are defined not by what was happening to them, but what they choose to do.  Those great men and women all had the chance to give up on a task that seems hopeless and impossible, but they kept going none-the-less, they kept fighting for what they choose to do, act on the goodness that is still in this world today.  That is something that is worth fighting for.

Know that I love you all with my entire heart and soul.  That you are always in my thoughts and prayers (in Japanese, I might add).

I love you all and know that you will never understand how deep my love is for you all!  Take care!

 With Love,

 Klein-choro (Elder Klein)