A Rainy May, May 18, 2009
Hey everyone, I’m writing here again on a nice, rainy day. It is only going to get worse until about mid-July. Japan has what they call ‘tsuyu’ or basically a rainy season. Where it rains. ALL THE TIME. I actually really like it - it is so much fun to throw on a kappa (rain suit) and bike through puddles and streams and such. It is one of the times when I really enjoy the biking on the mission - most of the hot days I just want a car…
Anyway, this week was a full week of growth and learning on my part and investigators. I learned a lot of patience this week (seems to be a theme throughout my mission - patience and humility). In a very heart-wrenching turn of events, Elder Katanuma somehow stepped on my glasses that were laid nicely on my desk as he stood on it to hang a Winnie the Pooh flag on his wall. I’m not kidding, no matter how hard it is to believe, it really happened. I was a little upset at first - seeing as how I’m a little bit vain when it comes to my trendiness - but it faded pretty quick and we got right to work the next day. I was able to fix them, mostly, which was really nice. I just dropped some money on super glue and a used that combined with a black paint brush pen, and now you can’t even tell they were ever broken. The frame snapped in a nice concealable spot, so I’m still ok for awhile.
Then the zone leaders came down to work with us for a night, but one lost his wallet on the train - meaning he and my companion rode a three hour round trip train to pick it up from a nearby city, while the other zone leader and I taught a lesson to Kitahara-san. She is just about ready to set her baptismal date. What is interesting about her is she is fine with the Restoration, but she has more trouble accepting Christ than the Restoration. Kind of backwards logic to me, but it is sometimes a very backwards world compared to the religious way of thinking in America.
Oh, and this week our Branch President called in sick to Church, so I was Presiding at the meeting and had to give a talk. There was only one other person speaking that day, and they ended with over 40 minutes left! I was literally scared half to death - luckily it is a small branch which helped ease my pain a little. Anyway, I prayed hard, and actually ended up going three minutes over, and don’t remember a whole lot of what I said, but the members kept thanking me and saying it was a message they felt they needed to hear. I just talked about member-missionary work, but I guess the Spirit gave me a little boost. I’m pretty grateful for that experience.
I can’t think of a ton of other things, since last week was the phone call we got a lot of stuff talked about and out of the way. I’m really happy, though Ina is starting to feel like an Endure to the End area, as we sometimes say here. I’ll likely be here for four, and likely be district leader in the next transfer. President kind of warned me over the phone to expect change - the good kind. So I guess we will just have to wait and see. This transfer, my MTC zone starts the first wave of people going home. It is weird to see people I was in the MTC with go home, but I get to brag to them about how I still get another year, and they are dying back into the real world. My MTC companion, Elder De Souza, goes home in eight weeks. Quite weird.
Good to hear everything is fine there. Derek will have a blast in Europe, I’m a little jealous… I think I told everyone before I got my call that Japan, Europe, SF, or Seattle were my hopes - I think Europe would be a lot of fun to travel someday so he is lucky he gets the chance now. Have fun Derek! And Kathryn, Western Water Works took you back again eh? Three hours a day isn’t bad, just enough to get some money but just little enough to still have a good summer. Good call I think.
Thanks for the Obama news, and his appointment for Huntsman to China. It is nice to hear some political news occasionally (I may be a missionary but I’m still a nerd). It is also nice to see Obama step across the aisle even just a little and appoint a Repub to a position like that. Of course, he is pretty qualified being fluent after his mission. More motivation to study Japanese even harder.
I got a letter from LeeAnne and her mom as well, sounds like they are all doing well. I think LeeAnne experienced a little bit of the green shock almost everyone gets, where the mission is a little bit different than you expected it to be, but it sounds like she is working well. And succeeding. I’m proud! (Good job L!)
Well, I don’t really have a ton more to say for this week. I am running poor again - we have built up $180 in reimbursements out of our $260/month. That means $80 was left for food and haircuts and shampoo and that good stuff. It is already running low, I have until the 28th. The good news is, next month the money will be up over $400 from reimbursing all those trains, so next month should be more ok. I might be pulling out some money to go to that Leadership Training Meeting in Matsumoto. Ugh. I have a hatred for pulling out personal money, but not much I can do.
I hope everything stays well the next week, and I can’t wait to hear from you again next week.
Love you all, hope you have as good of a week as I will!
Greg Burnham
gregburnham@myldsmail.net
1-304 Itakadai
Meito-ku Nagoya-shi Aichi-ken
465-0028 Japan
