It reached 30 and 31 degrees. I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit, but it feels hot! And the humidity is SO strong. The sweat is just dripping off. Or is it rain? Because it's also the rainy season in Japan. America doesn't have a rainy season, but just imagine rain, everyday, for like a month. My rain suit needs to be re-water proofed. Luckily I found some stuff in the apartment.
Oh, and I did get the package last week. Thank you! The PayDays are all gone, and the granola bars are also gone. This month we didn't really keep track of money that well. We get more money on the 1st, but until then we have to scrimp and save. For food today we are going to just buy veggies. We have food in the apartment, but we don't know if it will make a meal. But I think we can do it if we have veggies. I have enough money this month, but my poor bean-chan has no money. For the 1st transfer in the field the mission office took about a hundred dollars out for her helmet, futon sheets, etc.
Yeah, and this month we got a hair cut, and went to the temple. Money is super yabai.
Okay, Japanese lesson 42. Bean-chan. New missionaries are lovingly called green beans. They're a little green around the edges... yep.
-chan is a suffix to show affection, usually used for friends and children. For example, Liu Shimai's 1.5 year old boy is called See You - kun. The kun is like chan but for boys. Anyway, that's why my new missionary is called a green bean, or bean-chan. Next, yabai.
See the end of the previous paragraph. This is not a word you would say in front of the bishop, but it's not a bad word. It means that something is on the verge of being scary/dangerous/something bad. As you can see, there is no word for it in English. For example, I got a mosquito bite on my left hand. Japanese mosquitoes are super mosquitoes. Or maybe I'm just way more delicious than all the Japanese people around me. I am like insect repellent for my companion. Well, today I forgot my anti-itch stuff. Yabai!
My companion made me pizza this week. That was nice, except it was JAPANESE pizza. That means it had corn on it, used ketchup instead of pizza sauce, and had tuna on it. GROSS. Okay, actually it was okay, but it was not my idea of pizza. I thought I took a picture of it, but I don't know where the picture went. Can I have a 5 dollar pizza when I come home? A nice pepperoni, or one with real veggies (not corn) on it?
Her other recipes are tasty. Look up yaki-soba. Or somen. Then we have something we call Saijo Special, because it is made with spices someone left in the apartment. We fry some veggies, then add soy sauce, and mirin (which is sweetened vinegar), and chicken bone soup powder. If we feel daring, we add some Chinese Fire Sauce, which is SUPER spicy. Jay, you might like it. We then eat Saijo Special with rice. Yummy!
Well, now that everyone got baptized, we don't have any investigators. We meet people on the street, and pass out information or a Book of Mormon, but they don't quite become investigators. I guess it's only a matter of time.
Well, I'll try to go do something fun this week. We arranged for a service project on Thursday to go rip the mold paper off the wall. It's impossible to clean it. Japanese people's walls are all papered. They don't paint. My companion was confused and asked, 'why do you paint the wall?' Anyway, we're going to strip the two front rooms.
We saw a real change in the mom this past week when we came back a week after the service. She wants to teach her children to pray. Then she wants them to get baptized when they are 8. We told her that first they need to come to church. One step at a time.
This service project this week is for the missionaries and the Young Single Adults in the area. We don't want the old ladies with their own families to see the house. The mom will be too embarrassed, but it's low stress when young people come over.
Well, until next week.
Okay, just one picture this week. My battery died so I didn't take many pictures. This is Liu Shimai, and her year and a half year old son, Seeyou. Yes, it looks like see you, but it's "seih yuu". Ha ha.
Anyway, he is the hardest child to get into nursery. We had to ask one of the members to watch him in the nursery room so Liu Shimai could get the gift of the Holy Ghost. You could still faintly hear the screams through the prayer. Then on the train ride back home, he cried every time the doors opened. There are about 7 stops between the church and Liu Shimai's train station. He may be a year and a half, but he knows that when the train stops he can get off. He really doesn't like the train. Recently they shaved his head. His head is HUGE! Everyone wanted to rub his head, but I don't think he liked that. It was just great to see Liu Shimai, who would go through all the pain just to come to church. Yeah, she's doing great.
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