Slackers anonymous

So I have slacked last week...Here is last Mondays' Letter from Randy...We were able to speak with him when he was in the Salt Lake City Airport and then in the San Francisco Airport...

Dear Family, Friends, Mother, Father, and every other random person who reads this!!

　私は日本に住んでいます！！！

I`M IN JAPAN!!!!!

It`s entirely different here in Japan, than it is in the U.S. The streets are incredibly narrow, a one way street in Utah is a two way street here. It`s kind of scary sometimes riding a bike here, I actually brushed against someone on a moped who was going at least 30 mph, niether of us got knocked off but it was pretty scary for me. I`m constantly about 4 inches away from cars on one side and 3 inches away from buildings on the other side. But I`m loving it here in Japan. Even if the culture is so different. They have their faults, but they are the nicest people I`ve ever met. When you ask for directions they will even walk you to where you need to go.

The MTC flew by like a dream and even now time is flying and everything feels so surreal. Life is so different here than it is at home. It is a huge culture shock. Especially　since the language is so hard. I stand by and listen to my companion talk with not a clue of what is going. I sat in church on sunday and had no idea what was going on. I have a lot I need to learn before I can really start teaching these people. But I am so excited to be here.

I have no idea where to even start. I actually began proselyting with my new companion on thursday, and we spend most of that time traveling to our new area. While we were on the train we talked with someone from Osaka and even got his number and information to contact him. We had an appointment that night also to go and teach an investigator, but the investigator didn`t show up, so instead we went street contacting and met a man named tsubasa, and we get to try and teach him tonight. Well currently we have 2 progressing investigators, maybe 3. Masaya, Yamashita, and Kenji(who we met while we were heading back to the apartment after getting my bike). Masaya is awesome, he already has a testimony and wants to be baptized (of course I had little to do with the process for it all happened before I got here) but he is under 20 which is the age of consent in Japan and his Parent`s want him to wait until he`s 20 to get baptized. We`re trying to find out a way to help him get baptized sooner and hopefully we can convince his parents to let him. Yamashita is a 61 year old man that teaches elementary school, he`s very busy teaching but is interested in what we are teaching. He has a testimony of the restoration but he doesn`t want to be rushed into being baptism. Kenji we have only taught once and plan to teach him again on wednesday. He seems interested and likes to talk a lot and asks questions, but he seems to have his own opinion on everything. By the way I only know this because my companion told me. I mainly sit silently and listen during the lessons, trying to find an opportunity to open my mouth and say something. But everyone talks soooooooo fast. I thought spanish speakers spoke fast, they have NOTHING on Japanese speakers.

Anyway I bought my bike it was ￥40,000 or about $400. Used the Credit card, so you should already know about it. I almost used the wrong card, it was kind of funny. Also I can only email family, not anyone else sadly. Wish I could, but I guess everyone else will have to wait a week to get mail from me, and a week for mail to get to me. Well I don`t have much else to say. Love you all, stay safe, read the scriptures often, and pray lots.


立石長老
Tateishi Choro












P.S. 私は伏見に住んでいます。まだ、私の最初の同僚はマクラズ長老です。
























P.S.S. teehee. I`m in Fushimi and my first companion is Elder Mclaws from Spokane Washington. Thought I forgot didn`t you!
愛しています！