Happy New Year Japan Style! January 6th

Happy New Year!

So new years was very cool here, it's a lot bigger holiday here. Everyone takes like a week off of school and work and everything for it.

We went to a shinto shrine which is something everyone goes to on new years, and it was right by the ocean which was very cool to see. I have pictures from it which I will have to try and send next week. You go up to the shrine and toss in a 5 yen coin and then pull a rope that rings a bell. Then you clap your hands twice and bow twice and then you pray. But before you can do that you have to get water from this dragons mouth and wash your hands with it which was very interesting.

Also for a 100 yen you can buy this small white paper which will tell you about how good your luck will be for the new year. If your luck is bad then you don't take it with you because then you will have bad luck so you tie it to a tree, I got one and I guess it was just ok, but I decided to keep it because it was really cool.

I just finished my current read through the Book of Mormon. What I think is interesting is that in 3rd Nephi after Jesus visits whats left of the nephites when he leaves he tells them he has other sheep of his flock to tend to, and I think he is talking about the people in Asia. The Japanese people in the shinto religion here have this tradition they do once a year, and whats really interesting is its a lot like the pass over that the jews do. I've now been reading through the Doctrine and Covenants. I've never actually read through the whole thing before so its been really cool reading through it, I feel really sad that the Book of Lehi was lost, but whats really cool is that a lot of scriptures in it really stick out to me, and even in the Book of Mormon because so much of it is about missionary work and sharing the gospel which is the most important thing we could be doing while we are on this earth.

I would suggest everyone reading through the book of Moroni, especially the last chapter which I think captures everything that is most important about the Book of Mormon in those few verses. Anyways I hope everything is going well, I just got done visiting one of our investigators, his wife has now started sitting in on the lessons. He has been telling us that his friend is really sick, and today while we were teaching him he got a phone call that is friend passed away, so we did the best we could to share an uplifting message about the plan of salvation. Anyways Ill talk to you all later!


あいしています。
カネパリチョロ