Cockroach Slayer: Unleashed

Hi Everyone!

Six weeks have passed by since coming to Japan!  It really has flown by in some aspects, in other aspects, it feels as though it has been an eternity.  So, next week I will officially be in my 2nd transfer!  It is crazy to think about that, but I think that is how everyone thinks.

So, first, I guess I will answer some of your questions about missionary/Japanese life:

-The weather here is some of the weirdest weather I have ever seen in my entire life.  The day is bright and sunny for the first half of the day, then, without notice, it starts raining harder than you have ever seen in your entire life.  The days are so hot!  With full humidity, 105 F weather, riding bikes, and staying in the sun all day long, you tend to be pretty sweaty and salty by the end of the day.  When it rains - it rains!  It comes down hard and fast.  The sky can be lit up at all times while raining because of the constant lightning.  It is just so different from Utah weather.

-For Hello Kitty stuff, Madisen - I don`t know who created Hello Kitty but I would love to know.  You see Hello Kitty stuff everywhere.  It isn`t that it is blasted in your face, but if you have a watchful eye you see Hello Kitty everywhere!  I would love to know the history and copyright policy of Hello Kitty.  Everyone uses Hello Kitty and I don`t know if it is protected by copyright.   Just know that she is everywhere if you know where to look.

-Do I sleep on a futon? Ummm....yeah....  I sleep on a futon.  It is actually a lot more comfortable than  you think it would be.  When I get back stateside, I don`t think that I will be able to sleep on my bed for a while. I might just have to switch over to futons permanently.  They are so convenient.  You can just fold them up and put them out of the way, plus making the bed (futon) is so easy now!  I got sheets at the mission home. We carry them around with us for all of our mission.

-The cockroach situation is getting progressively worse.  We are cleaning the apartment better each week, but, because of the heat and weather, it is prime cockroach season.  We see one about every 2-3 days now.  Pretty bad... One of the ancient legends of the mission is that some missionaries came across a DVD called "Cockroach Slayer".  Me and Nelson choro are thinking that we need to make a "Cockroach Slayer 2 : Unleashed" movie.  We are not sure what the exact script would be, but we have decided that a flamethrower would have to be involved.

-For things that have made me laugh this week is probably breaking our mailbox by accident.  Usually our mailbox lock is rusty and broken - it won`t twist or turn anymore, so we have to pop open our mailbox.  But, when I went to open the mailbox I pulled on the handle and the entire door popped off!  Whoops!  I scared my poor Japanese district leader who I was on exchange with, though.

-Some of the stuff that surprises me about Japan is how often I actually talk in English with Japanese people.  I can`t speak English, usually, to anyone over 30.  I can speak English a little when they are Teenagers or Twenties.  If they are 10 or younger, they know a decent amount of English for their age.  No where near fluent, but surprising for how old they are.  It just shows how much the education system is trying to value having people learn English in schools now.

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Well, it was great hearing about your week!  It sounds as though you had a great birthday, Mom, that is so amazing. Golfing and the Aquarium sounded like it was really fun.  It is always great to do stuff with Madisen and Vic.

Elizabeth sounds as though she is a little sad to see summer over.  Don`t worry Elizabeth, I was always sad, too.  You just have to get back into it and you will be glad that school is starting again, I know it sucks right now.  Please just give Mom and Dad a little slack on what they think about what you are wearing to school.  If they say that you look great, then believe them, you really do.  I am glad that you got to switch to honors orchestra, you sound a lot happier about it in your email.  I hope that your wrist gets better soon though.  It sounds like it is hurting still, take it a little easy, okay?

 Madisen and Vic you two sound great!  I laughed at Madisen's tin man comment and it is always great to hear from you Vic!

Dad, I hope that this bankruptcy thing gets resolved soon.  It makes me laugh that every time I read in the Book of Mormon about how people wouldn`t accept the gospel, it always mentions lawyers at some point. So, there you go.... {bahahaha....sorry, Mike and Greg but.....bahahaha}

I saw Andrews letter this week from Pat.  It is just like Andrew to be all clever and try to send a picture of where he is going and the picture being to pixelated!  I'm sure Pat is about to kill him.  We will see how it goes.  Too funny!  But, he sounds like he is doing okay.  Wherever he is going, I hope that he gets his Visa soon.

      I hope that you didn`t share anything too personal in your talk, Mom, about my experiences in the mission, but I know that you wouldn`t do that.  I`m glad that you like my `captain of the boat` letter.  I don`t know if it is pure poetry, I do mention taking a leak in the middle of it, but I am glad that it helped you. I love that I can really be so open to you in my emails and not worry about being judged.  That is one of the things that I love about our family.  I don`t have to worry about holding anything back, since I know that you want to hear what I think and that you will edit it if it gets too personal.   I know that at some points I have written some pretty heartbreaking things in my emails, but I am really glad I can always be open to you.  My family and Father in Heaven are the only ones right now that I feel like I can really open up ALL my heart and soul to.

Well, this week has been okay.  Last Preparation Day, we tried to head to a famous temple by Otsu but it turned out that it was closing in 15 minutes and we didn`t want to spend 500 Yen ($5) each for 15 minutes worth of touring.  Oh well....  I also had the opportunity to go on a exchange with the District Leader.  It is so hard to speak only in Japanese!  I'm a quiet enough person to begin with, but with the language barrier it was pretty hard to talk to him.  He gave me some training, all of which was basically about me not being good enough at being humble, having enough faith, repenting, using the gift of the Holy Ghost, seeking revelation etc.  He is my District Leader and I respect him but I didn`t hear a single thing that I was doing right the entire time I was with him.  Oh well... it was great seeing the look on his face when I broke the mailbox open, though.

We also met with quite a few other people this week - including Brother N.  He is a new investigator that the F. Family (Calvary Family) referred us to.  He is elect if there ever was one.  It will be great to teach him.

The biggest news of this week, though, is that it is transfer week and we have all received our assignments.  Elder Nelson is transferring to a new area and I am staying here in Otsu.  I will have a Japanese companion next transfer named Yamamoto-choro.  Elder Nelson doesn`t know to much about him, he says that he might be half Japanese half American.  It doesn`t matter, I am going to learn Japanese next transfer if I kills me!  I hope he is a cool guy and I can get along with him though.  If not, it will be a realllyyyyy long transfer.

I love you all so very much!  I love getting your letters each week!  If you can though, if you don`t mind sending one really long letter a month by post that would be great!  I love your emails, but I can`t actually print them off here and read them later.  I love you all so very much!  Don`t Forget to be Awesome!

With All the Love,

Klein-choro

Answers to your questions...

Hello Everyone!

Hope that you all are doing alright!  It was so great getting your letters this week.  It was great hearing about 7 peaks and how summer is winding down.  Elizabeth, I hope that you are feeling a little better about your classes now.  It really wasn`t fair for them to exclude you even though you are a perfect student... typical Wasatch.  Madisen and Vic look like they had a great time miniture golfing...I miss a lot of things about leading a normal life, especially eating giant ice cream bowls at Leatherby's.  It sounds like Mom is getting a little exhausted over school prep and Dad is starting to go a little crazy because I'm not there....(talking to cars etc..)  Haha just kidding, love you, Dad!

Mom, I hope that you didn`t feel to bad about missing the email last week.  You didn`t know that I was going to be emailing a little earlier than normal.  I didn`t get to read it last week, but I was really happy to see that I had one extra email to be reading this week!!

Andy seems like he is just about to head out huh... That is really weird to think about.  I think that he will probably be reassigned for a little bit until the visa arrives.  Its funny that he talks in his sleep while at the MTC.  So funny!  I talk in my sleep in the mission all the time!  Oh well...when your companion tells you that you have been sleep talking in Japanese, it makes you feel a little bit better about it for some reason.

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Well, I guess that I will answer some of your questions before I launch into my past week:

Being an American can be really fun and really frustrating in Japan.  Fun in that you have something called Gaijin power, it enables you to basically get away with doing anything because you are Gaijin (Foreigner).  You can break cultural norms and it doesn`t feel weird for Japanese people.  But, the downside is that no one wants to talk to you if they aren`t comfortable with English.  They get this look of sheer terror when you are talking to them.  They think "I can`t speak English, I can`t talk to you, I can`t, I can`t" meanwhile, you are talking to them in Japanese!  When we went housing around the local college, we introduced ourselves in the Kekko Box (intercom basically).  We tell him who we were and then he hung up on us.  While we were walking past, we hear his wife asking what we wanted and he said that he didn`t know because he didn`t want to talk to us because he can`t speak English.

As for the young adults and older people treating us, I like talking to young people a lot more than talking to older people.  Younger people are very easy to talk to, while older people seem to not like to talk to us as much.  I love them all, it's just while talking about the gospel, it is much easier to talk to the younger people.  I think that it is the hierarchy effect in place.  The older people feel as though they can treat us bad if they want to, while the younger people treat us good all the time because we are on the same level.

We never see other missionaries except on companion exchanges and district meetings.

There aren`t a lot of flowers here in Otsu.  You see beautiful gardens though.  Some of the prettiest gardens that I have ever seen in my life.  The mountains are so pretty here.  It isn`t like the Rockies,  but beautiful green mountains that spike into the sky.

Besides rice and toast, we eat a lot of chahan.  It is a Chinese recipe that both me and Elder Nelson love. Other than that, what ever we can scrounge together.  Sorry about that mom, I know you want more information. {I looked up Chahan - it is stir fry with eggs, meat and vegetables.}

Yes, I am taking my vitamins and everything... (sigh)

My clothes are doing alright, they are definitely being worked hard now.  The first week was terrible with my pant legs getting caught in the chain of the bike, though.  Don`t worry, they are fine.  Shoes are great too.

I haven`t been able to eat too much Japanese food yet, {I asked him if he has been eating sushi} because it is too expensive.  The only thing that I don`t like so far is Mugichan, the tea that tastes like cigarettes and dirt.  I hate it so much... sooooo much.  I don`t see how people can like it.

I have bought a little translator.  I have also just bought a new backpack, since we can`t use backpacks that have two shoulder straps, only one.  They don`t want us to look like we are college students.  I get that but....you know.  I also bought a fan here, I like it a lot, very handy...I see why everyone uses them.

Kids, yes.  A lot, no.  There are not a lot of kids here in Japan.  When you do see them, they are so funny.  I swear, I get a laugh out of every little kid that I see here in Japan.

I have ridden many trains since coming here to Japan.  For fast transportation, trains are the way to go.  Riding a bike was way sketchy for the first week, but I think that I can say that I am pretty good at it now.  The first week, though....I`m lucky I didn`t die.

You see cats and dogs here in Japan.  A lot of small dogs, though.  They don`t have a lot of space  for big dogs here in Japan with their tiny apartments. No real pokemon, (they have a animal named a pika that is like a squirrel) I have seen a lot of posters for a new Pokemon movie that is going to be coming out soon, though.  To be honest, I want to see it so bad... after my mission - I`ll watch it in Japanese.

A hair salon will probably cut my hair.  I don`t trust my companion with my hair.  Hair salons are crazy expensive here in Japan, though.  Like 4000 Yen {about $40) for a haircut!  I think that is only for women though, I think that men maybe a little different.

I think that is all I have time to answer this week.  Ask me more and I will try to tell you about it next week!

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So, this past week has been a okay week.

First, off we got to go to Kyoto last Preparation Day!  Kyoto is so beautiful, you can`t even believe it!  It just makes my jaw drop because of how cool it is.  Being focused on both the past and the present.  Having top of the line modern technology next to shrines that are over 1000 years old.  It really is amazing!

We went to Kyoto Eki (Station) and waited for our investigator.  He finally showed up and then we took a quick look around the Eki.  Stations here in Japan are a lot different than in the States.  The Eki is a paradise.  They have shops, movie theaters, hotels, restaurants all inside of it.  Beautiful architecture, for sure.  We got to see a grand view of Kyoto from something called the Sky Walk.  Very beautiful.

At the train station

After that, we decided to ride the train over to the Heavenly Dragon Temple.  It was one, if not the first, Zen temple in Japan!  I have pictures of it - don`t worry.  The garden in the back was breathtaking.

At the Heavenly Dragon Temple

 After looking around for a little bit, we decided to go to some of the more famous shrines in Kyoto.  I forgot the name of the site, but we got to walk through millions of Shinto gates and see beautiful shrines everywhere.  I think that was one of the most amazing places that I have ever been in my entire life.  It reminded me of the Sistine Chapel and how that took my breath away.  I can`t believe that I got to experience it.

At the Kyoto Shrines

 After that, we went a little souvenir shopping for Nelson choro.  He doesn`t know if he will be able to visit Kyoto again and he wanted to buy some stuff.  So, we headed to a shopping mall which was really cool.

Kyoto was so amazing and beautiful.  You would be walking along the most modern buildings you have ever seen then, and then right in between two buildings would be a pathway leading to a beautiful, small, old shrine.  Perfect mix of old and new.

I also got to go to Bishop H.`s place for dinner yesterday.  He is literally the coolest church member that I have ever met here in Japan.  So cool and so nice.  His family is so nice, as well, and so encouraging to me.  I have to say that I was nervous going into the dinner appointment after the experience at Calvary, but it was really great!  They fed us so much.  I tried not to eat too much, but they kept on giving me more and more food!  We shared a spiritual message on temples and then we left.  I am so glad that dinner appointments can be a really fun thing.

Now, today is Mom`s birthday.  Well, over here it is, at least.  Happy Birthday Mom!  I really wish that I could be with you right now, or at least send you a present, but I guess that this will have to do.  I love you so much.  I have learned so much from you that you don`t even know.  Let me list a couple of things that you have taught me in my life.

1.  Pure love  -  You don`t care who it is or where they have come from, you exhibit pure love to everyone.  The way that you talk to others, how you act, what you do, and how you think is always about the needs of others.  You are so full of love.  That is why I loved to be home, because whenever I stepped inside of that house, I felt the love of a mother and family who loves each other so unconditionally.

2. Thrifty  -  The F word in our family is "full price".  It is true that we are a thrifty family.  That has been such a blessing our lives.  Why buy something when you can make it better and have a story along with it?  Why buy something that you don`t need now when you can save for later?  Why buy a huge boat when you can see the wonders of Rome.?  I have seen how much of a blessing it is to be thrifity.  To always be willing to focus on what is needed and not what is the so called `best`.

3.  Happiness and Humor  -  You and me Mom - we are a lot alike.  We have the same type of humor.  I think that is very apparent.  We just think about Dwight from the Office and we start laughing.  I think that is wonderful.  You are so very happy all the time.  I have said it time and time again that I think that when it comes right down to it,  you are the only one in the entire universe I can`t help smiling at.  When I was a kid that is true, and right now it still holds true.  Whenever I see you happy and smiling, I want to be happy and smiling along with you.

I miss you so much, Mom along with everyone else, but today I am really thinking about you.  I love you so much you don`t even know.  I can`t wait for that day when you can smile at me and I can`t help but smile back.

As for the language, I am really frustrated.  I hate and love learning this language.  Whenever I learn something new, it seems I take one step forward and then two steps back.  Its hard to start the journey with the first step when you get dragged back to the start whenever you think you making progress.  I know I have to keep going, but it is just a little frustrating.

Well, I think that is about it for this week.  I love you all so very much.  I can`t wait for your emails and pictures next week.  I love you all and, as always, Don`t Forget to be Awesome.

With all the Love,

Klein choro (Elder Klein)

Gaijin, running for the train, and my first baptism

Hey everyone! Hope that everyone is doing well.

Well, it has been one weird week in the mission.  I will tell you all about that a little later, though.

It was fun to hear about your trip into Zions and your fun experience at the derby, Madisen and Vic. It really sounds like summer is coming to end over there. To be honest, I feel like summer is just about to begin over here. It has been getting really hot lately, over 100 F most days. With the humidity, it is really a killer. I swear that I have never sweat so much in my entire life.

Dad, it is awesome that you finished your book. Kyoto really is a beautiful place. If you want to read a true classic Japanese literature book then read 'The Tale of Genji'.  That is about as classic Japanese literature as you can get.  It sounds as though a lot of cool stuff is also coming out this year.  I think that it is way cool with the Playstation, Xbox, movies and everything.  Can`t wait to do all that when I get back.

So, this week has been really crazy.  Me and Nelson choro went to our first Zone taikai (Zone conference).  Right after, it was planned that we would go on a exchange (I would go to Joyo and Sakamoto-choro, our district leader, would come to Otsu).  So, I packed all my stuff for an over night stay and we left.  The conference was in Kyoto. I got to go to Kyoto for my first time!  It really is a beautiful city.  The part we were in was really modern and we didn`t get to go into the really old parts of the city, but it was still way cool.  I have never seen so many Gaijin in my entire life though (Gaijin is foreigners).  I found myself thinking, "What on earth are you doing in Japan- go back to America, Gaijin... oh...wait....I`m Gaijin....dang"  The zone conference was pretty cool.  We were told of a few more policies (from now on we have to study at the church Tuesday-Saturday) and we were told how to seek reveleation for our investigators.

After the zone taikai, we went on exchanges.  I went with Elder Sworensen and Elder Nelson went with Sakamoto choro.  It took quite a while to get to where we were headed.  The experience was definitely unique, though.  I feel really thankful for my companionship and how good it actually is.  When I was on the exchange, it just seemed like that companionship is always off track and we were scrambling around.  The real fun didn`t happen until we were trying to make it back to Otsu to end the exchange.  Everything that could of went wrong did.  The train broke down, we had to buy like 10 different tickets, they wouldn`t except bills, we had to run to ekis (train stations), trains got delayed, we got separated for a bit, everything that could have went wrong did.  We were trying to hurry because it was the baptismal date of one of my investigators-  Brother O.  We finally made it though.  Just barely.  It was a miracle to be honest.

Brother O.`s baptism was really cool.  It was amazing to witness the spirit being there!  A really spiritual experience for sure.  1 down 20 to go (if you have a question about this, ask Quinn).

It has also been an adventure to be here at the church this morning too.  Because we have to study at the church from now on, we had to get up at 5 to make sure that we get everything done today.  We are actually heading into Kyoto for some sight seeing today, which will be fun!  We are also taking one of our investigators.  But after everything that we did, we get to the church`s computer (which we don`t use, we usually go to an internet cafe, but because of the schedule we had to write here) and we found out that there is no mouse for the church`s computer and without it we can`t write any emails.  So, after trying to call the Bishop, looking around all the stores nearby, and searching desperately - we found the mouse.  Hurrah!

It's going to be a fun day in Kyoto.  I`m really excited, you all should be able to see some pretty cool pictures next week.

This week, we also were able to see a festival, well, not really see the festival, but see people going to a festival.  We had to work.  It was cool to see everyone in Kimonos, though.  They also had the fireworks like dad was saying last week.  I took a few pictures of that, but because my camera is dead, I can`t send them until next week.

This week, I get to celebrate 3 months being on a mission!  Yeah!  I`ve survived 1/8 of my mission!

Well, it is about time to go.  I love you all so very much.  I can`t wait to hear from you all again!  I love you and Don`t Forget to Be Awesome!

With the Greatest Love,

Klein choro

P.S. sorry that I couldn`t answer your questions this week.  Next week I will...this computer is a little weird and I am short on time.

Turtle's Blood

Hi Everyone!

Another week has passed by!  Crazy!  It reminds me of my experience at the MTC.  The first week is the longest week in your entire life, the second week goes by eventually, and, then, as soon as you know it - it is the third week.

I loved your letter and thank you soooooo much for sending me pictures!! I loved them.  Your hike looked beautiful and it looks like all of you, including Sophie, had a blast!

 So, Hunter is going into the MTC soon... Tell him that it is okay if he experiences freak-out moments. You always have doubts about whether you are up to the task and whether you have what it takes to be a good missionary.  Some doubt comes with the job.  Just try and not to think too much about it.  I know that is hard to do.  I know that Hunter is a thinker, like I am.  You always have those `Crap, what in the heck am I doing` moments.  I have them every single day here.  Sometimes, I just take a second and laugh at the pure lunacy that is happening around me.  I`m in Japan - trying to learn a language I don`t know.   Talking about Jesus Christ to people that don`t want to talk about religion at all, let alone Jesus Christ.  Living with one other person and getting used to all their quirks.  Riding my bike in some of the most beautiful places that I`ve ever visited.  Seeing the miracles that come with people knowing who God really is.  Seeing them live a better life than you thought was possible - you see both sides of the spectrum.  You have those `What in the world am I doing` moments.  I had them right before the MTC, in the MTC, and now here.  Laugh at it, that's the only way that I have learned to deal with it.

As for the Fair Days, it sounds like it is typical Heber.  "I wonder what the next entry in the parade is?  I can answer that without the gift of prophecy - it is another tractor!" But nevertheless, it must be fun to get together with everyone.  Also, tell the Karate people 'Hi' for me.  I hope that they haven`t forgotten about me...probably have, but send my love nonetheless!

I can`t believe that school registration is already here for Elizabeth!  Crazy!  Then, again, my summer has consisted of being in the MTC and arriving in Japan, which is pretty cool (the arriving in Japan bit).  I hope that Elizabeth gets really good teachers!

The past week has been pretty weird.  We have just been trying to get Brother O. ready for baptism.  We have visited him at least 6 times this week.  I love Brother O. so much!  He is a really cool guy and he asks the funniest questions ever.  So, we were talking about the Word of Wisdom.  We were explaining that he couldn`t drink any strong drinks like Sake, wine, etc.  He said that alcohol isn`t a problem because he is allergic to it, but then he starts asking questions to Nelson-choro.  Keep in mind that I have literally no idea what the heck is being said when he is asking his question to Nelson-choro.  Suddenly they stop, Nelson-choro turns to me and said, in complete silence, `in the word of wisdom, is it okay to drink turtles blood?` `What!?`, I responded.  'He said that he doesn`t drink any strong drinks, but he has heard that in China, they drink snake`s blood, and in Japan, they drink turtle`s blood.  He is wondering if he would be okay if he drinks turtles blood'  `I don`t know...The Law of Moses has been fulfilled, so I guess you can drink blood...Just ask him to pray about it,` I said. Me and Nelson choro just had the image of a Japanese person biting the head off of a turtle when he said that though.  Needless to say, we died laughing after the lesson.

Brother O. just had his baptisimal interview yesterday and he passed! Yeah!  Just one more interview to go, he has to be interviewed by Zinke-kaicho by phone before it is all said and done.

As for the rest of the week, it has been pretty tough.  The language is as hard as ever, but I think you have heard that many times now (every letter), so if you want a refresher see my previous emails. But Saki`s statement helped me a little bit, though. {Saki is the cutest Japanese girl that is married to my friend, Kris', son, Taylor.  She has been in the US for a year.  When Taylor asked how Kolton was doing, I told him that he was struggling through the language.  Saki, then, spoke up and said "I have been here a year and still can't speak English! Learning another language is so hard"}
   
     It has been pretty hard with appointments too.  It seems like every single appointment that we have falls through.  It is so annoying.  So, after our appointments fall through, we just street and house.  I don`t like both for different reasons.  In streeting people, the weather is so dang hot all the time.  I feel like I`m going to have a heat stroke.  Housing, I just get kekoed a lot (a Japanese phrase which is `I`m fine, don`t bother me` then they shut the door in your face)  It just gets to you after hearing it 1000 times a day.  But, yeah, it's tough.  But, 2 Cor. 12:10

Well, today, so far, we have just played soccer with one of our investigators, Brother J.P.  He is a Peruvian 16 year old high school student.  His mom is a recent convert and doesn`t speak any Japanese really.  Oh yeah!  Last Friday, we went to Brother J.P.`s mothers birthday party.  They showed up way late and I couldn`t talk to anyone but the young people - because they knew Japanese.  They headed to Costco for pizza and cake, though.  I was really excited to eat some Costco cake, but, alas, they didn`t buy it.  Dang, I miss that cake.  I will attach a picture of me, Nelson choro, and Brother J.P.

 He still looks sweaty.  Could it be that Japan is hot & humid?

Please let me know what types of things you want me to talk about in my letters.  Please tell me what pictures you want me to take and send.  Please continue writing awesome emails and sending me pictures, they are literally the best thing ever!

Alright, it is time for me to head.  We need to buy food and do some shopping.  I love you all so very m
much.  You don`t know how much I love you all!  I`ll talk to all of you again next week!  God be with you.   Love you!

With Much Love,

Klein choro (Elder Klein)