Museum
Today we went to this museum about the first trade that Japan had with Spain, it was pretty interesting and they had an actually pirate ship which was really cool to go on, I took a bunch of photos. |
| This is something I found really interesting |
 This was also at the museum, we had an investigator there named Okuyama (to the left of me) and the other Elders had an investigator come to. |
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| The Ships name, It says: Sanfuanbauteisuta which means sanjuan butista I believe. |
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| This is the ship that we got to go on |
Transfers
My companion always wants to spend a lot of time at the apartment but we usually spend sometime looking around or something. Today everyone has to pack though. Yesterday we got the big call from President Rasmussen about transfers, we were all around with the phone on speaker, my companion answered it and he told him he would be transferring back to Ibaraki (which is his home) and that he didn't know who his next companion is (because he is going home) President Rasmussen likes to make jokes. Then the phone went to Elder Olsen who is transferring to Sendai, then to Elder Berkley who is transferring all the way to Misawa, then he said Elder Canepari you are staying in Ishinomaki and your new companion will be senior companion his name is Elder Anderson. Our zone leader Elder Whittle is coming to be District leader and a trainer for one of the Japanese beans that are coming in for his last 2 transfers. Then Rasmussen said; thats a lot of pressure being the only one familiar with the area. But I'm excited, I'm sad that everyone else is leaving (including one of the Sisters). This probably means that I will leave next transfer for sure though, so I will be prepared for that.So, today everyone else is packing, probably while I clean out our messy apartment before all of these new missionaries get here, I'll have my new companion tomorrow, and the next 2 will arrive on Thursday.
Speaking Japanese
My Japanese is definitely getting better, Im able to understand what people say a lot better and I know my Japanese is easier to understand now. Yesterday one of the families in our branch had all of the missionaries here for dinner, then after word we had a little testimony meeting and everyone gave good testimonies, of course it was all in Japanese. Elder Olsen, who is from Canada that was here before we got here talked about how he didn't understand any Japanese when he got here and he was a trainer so his companion of course didn't understand any Japanese either, but when I got here a transfer later he seemed pretty fluent to me, so I aspire to speak as good as him at some point.Teaching Great, Eating Nato, Gross!
We got to have breakfast with Takamoto San this morning, which was good. I talked a little bit about how great it is that we have temples on the earth today and a living prophet who lives and guides us and gave him an old issue of the Liahona about temples, hopeful something sticks out to him. Breakfast in Japan is interesting, we went to this all you can eat place, and basically just had salad, rice, some fish, and a few roles. I'm not a big fan of Japanese breakfasts because its basically lunch in the morning. Also he was eating nato and so was my companion who really likes nato, so I decided to give it a try. You can look it up but nato is rotten bean with some mustard and soy sauce, he got a picture of me eating it, I think he is going to email it to me, its pretty gross stuff but I guess it is really healthy apparently so lots of people eat it, it gets all sticky and stringy while you eat it, its probably the grossest thing I have ever had in my life.Well, the missionaries there should be pretty grateful to be going to a members house for dinner, it happens almost never when you are in a branch with only like 20 people.
-Elder Canepari
Conference and Easter
We had to wait a week to watch conference, they had to translate it into Japanese first. But conference was sure good this weekend, we were in a different room while everyone else watched in Japanese, except for priesthood, but we had headsets, unfortunately the Japanese translation isn't that good, no one but the Americans understood the jokes they made, but it was really good.We didn't really do anything special for Easter, but we do have an Easter party at the church on Saturday, so that should be good. The new district is great. Even though I am still in the same place its nice for things to have a change.
New Companion
My new companion is born and raised in Utah, I think that is where the majority of the missionaries come from. His Japanese isn't to bad, I think his accent is worse than mine but he understands what people say a lot better, he is only 2 transfers ahead of me. I guess my Japanese is getting better but I still don't understand a lot of what people say. I think I will probably go next transfer, its been cool here though.Today we had kind of a mini district P-day and went and played frisbee at the beach in the rain, it was fun though. When the other Elders left they gave us their American investigator since one of the new elders is Japanese. We are teaching him tonight and then we have one other lesson.
We didn't really do anything special for Easter, but we do have an Easter party at the church on Saturday, so that should be good. The new district is great. Even though I am still in the same place its nice for things to have a change.
Cutting Seaweed
Also last week we had a service project and helped people at the docs with cutting seaweed, President Rasmussen was there and several other people. But everything is going well, this new district is great, my new companion will take some getting used to, he is the senior companion, but I know the area and everything so I'm the one leading everything for the most part right now.Love,
Elder Canepari
