The Feel Good

Kolton with his Pokemon calendar

Hi Family,

So, last Preparation Day, I did not get to go and pet the magical deer in Nara.  We had to stick around the apartment all day because the zone leaders had to swing by and get Elder Rasmusen`s signature on a baptismal record and Elder Steers and Elder Broeder took forever to email.  So, by the time we finished doing everything and had some free time it was about 3:30.  We couldn`t go to Nara because it takes 1 and a half hours just to ride the train there.  So, we got to do my favorite thing on Preparation Day- sit around the apartment doing nothing.  Guess what I get to do again today?  You guessed it!  I get to sit in the church family history computer room while my companion types out all of his essays for a BYU application until the end of Preparation Day.  Can you imagine the kind of enthusiasm I am feeling right now...Haha!

 Tuesday was a pretty normal day.  We just ran through the motions and there is really nothing special to talk about.

 Wednesday, we had another companion exchange, this time Elder Steers came over to Hirakata 2 (My area).  Everything was pretty good, we planned a lesson for 3 hours, though, because the paperwork in this mission is absolutely ridiculous and because we have never planned together before.  So, after 3 hours of planning and two bowls of popcorn while doing so, we finally finished our lesson plan to teach M. Shimai about the rest of the Restoration.  The problem is that we didn`t have time to practice giving her lesson until it started.  So, throwing caution to the wind, we waited for M. Shimai to arrive at the church which took her a little bit; she was 45 minutes late to the lesson (she is normally only 10 minutes late).  After we sit down, with us and all of our members present, we say a prayer and, then, ask her how her Book of Mormon reading is going.  She had no idea what she needed to read so she just opened up to the last book, Moroni, and started reading.  She said that she had a question about what fasting is.  I look at Elder Steers and we again threw caution to the wind and taught her about fasting instead of our 3 hour planned lesson because we had another lesson downstairs with our teenage women investigators in 15 minutes.  After we finished the lesson, we booked it downstairs to teach another lesson, which went really well.

After that, we got to go visit a less active member down at the Hirakata shi eki.  She is from the Philippians and, while I can`t write about everything that is happening in her life, she is going through absolute hell right now.  It took all the strength that I had not to break down crying for her while she was telling me about her life.  I told her in my sincerest of hearts that I could feel what she is going through and told her if there was anything that I could do to help her, than she needs to tell me.

After, we did that then Elder Steers wanted to help me feel a little better because I have been sick all week.  He said that one of the things that he loves to do when he gets sick is to make a special drink to get him through the day.  He said that the drink consists of Red Bull and Orange Juice.  I was game for it, but I felt that there was something a little bit more that we could add to it.  Then, it came to my mind - Match!  Match is my favorite drink of all time (Yes my absolute favorite drink), plus it is a vitamin drink, so it has enough vitamins to kill a horse, and I felt like that would make all the difference.  So, after buying all of our ingredients at a conveni, we headed up to our apartment to make the drink.  However, after making the mixture of Red Bull, Orange Juice, and Match, I refused to drink it until we came up with a proper name.  After talking for a little bit, I found the name for the drink, `The Feel Good`.  After a couple of drinks of Feel Good, I was feeling a little better.

The next day, Thursday, we went on another companion exchange, this time with the Zone leaders.  To be honest, we didn`t get much done in the exchange, but it was fun when we went to visit less active members with the one and only - Aoki kyodai!  It was fun because we got lost 10 times because Aoki kyodai has no idea how to follow his GPS, even though I could tell what it was trying to tell us - even though I can`t speak super honorific Japanese like the GPS can.  So, I had to give Aoki Kyodai directions all throughout the night when he wasn`t following the GPS`s instructions.

Friday, we got to go to my first Sushi Bar ever in Japan.  It was Really Good... I want to go back there sometime, especially since it wasn`t very expensive and it is 5 minutes from our apartment.  I can taste a HUGE difference between Japanese Sushi and American Sushi, though.

Saturday was normal and so was Sunday.

So, 3 days ago now I officially hit my 6 month mark.  I have been on my mission for 6 months!  I wish I could say, like the other missionaries, that it has gone by really fast. But, to be honest, it has been the slowest time in my entire life.  I just thought that it is interesting that it has been 6 months.

So, to talk about Elizabeth having the PenPal with my investigator, her name is Yuna.  The best way for you two to communicate is probably by emailing her directly.  If it is okay, I am going to give her your email address, Elizabeth, and tell her that she can email you.  As for what to talk about - talk about what you like.  Tell her about what you don`t like.  Tell her about what it is like to live in America.  Tell her what you think living in Japan might be like.  Tell her about Volleyball.  Tell her about anything that 14 year old girls normally talk about.  The only request that I have is that she is still learning English, so try and make it not to very hard for her by using slang (though I don`t think that you have a problem with that).  Try typing some Japanese for her to read too, you can use Google Translator and the internet to help you do that!

Madisen, I hope that work calms down for you a little bit,  you are way おつかれ(Otsukare, hard working).  To answer your question, they do kind of celebrate Christmas here.  They put up a lot of Christmas decorations on stores and such, but it is more like a shopping holiday than anything else.  The major holiday in Japan is New Years Day, if you want to know.

If you are wondering what you can send me for Christmas, the only thing that I would ask is that you send me a nice CD with good songs on it.  I will leave it up to your judgement but they need to `draw my attention towards the Savior and cannot be used for mere entertainment (as the missionary white handbook and our residential black mission binder states)`.  I thought about a few songs that I might want you to send me in the CD:

1. Amazing Grace
2. Good Remixes of the songs; Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, I am a child of God, God Be with You Till We Meet Again (Try YouTube for good remixes or covers of these songs)
3. The Song from Ken Burns; the Civil War (I am really embarrassed that I forgot the name of it)
4. Battle Hymn of the Republic
5. Silent Night or some other really cool Christmas Song like that
7. You Raise Me Up
8. Some tracks from Les Miserables that you think would be good (Sorry, no Master of the House :(
9.  You Found Me (If you think that it could be appropriate)

Again, if you think of anything you have listened to that you think I would like and would meet the criteria, then please send it.  I don`t care if you use 1 or 10 CDs to send me all the songs, just please send them.

Also,can you send me some more pictures please.  Can you also send me a `quote book` with quotes that you think that I might really like, from example like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter or the like.  Thank You!

Thanks so much for telling me that Arlynn is alright.  I have spent my entire week worrying over whether or not she is ok.

By the way, we got our new transfer information today.  All of us in Hirakata are staying except for Elder Steers.  Get this, Elder Steers, a fourth transfer missionary, is going to be training a 2nd transfer Japanese companion while being...zone leader!  Crazy huh.  I am just glad that it is him instead of me...

Speaking of Christmas presents, I think I know what I might want to get for everyone, the only thing is that I am not sure whether or not it will be there in time for Christmas.  Another thing is that I will need you to replace the money that I do use for the presents in my bank account after I buy them.  I will let you know when I do buy them so that you can do that!

Love all of you so much and we will talk again next week!

With Much Love,

Elder Klein

Fall in Hirakata

A 'Jesus Love You' church
"Jesus Loves You,  Elder Klein!"