FIRST I APOLOGIZE FOR HOW OBNOXIOUS THE ALL-CAPS EMAIL IS ABOUT TO BE. IT TRULY IS UNINTENTIONAL BUT THIS KEYBOARD IS 1. REALLY, REALLY WEIRD BECAUSE IT IS JAPANESE AND 2. KINDA JUNKY AND DIFFICULT TO TYPE ON. ALSO, THE CAPS LOCK BUTTON IS STUCK.　BUT IN ALL HONESTY, EVEN IF IT WASN:T STUCK IT:D STILL BE IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I:M FINALLY IN JAPAN!!!!!!!!!!! 

WE WOKE UP AT 1:30 AM ON MONDAY AND DROVE UP TO SALT　LAKE ON A BUS. MY TRAVEL GROUP- 6 OF 32- WAS CHOSEN TO MAKE AN EXTRA FLIGHT TO LOS ANGELES AND THEN TO SAN FRANCISCO　AND THEN OSAKA. (RATHER THAN STRAIGHT TO SLC TO SAN FRANCISCO). I GOT TO TALK TO A COUPLE OF REALLY AWESOME PEOPLE ON THE FLIGHTS, PASSED OUT SOME MORMON.ORG CARDS, AND HAD A WAY AWESOME GOSPEL CONVERSATION/TESTIMONY/ALMOST LESSON WITH A GUY ON MY FIRST FLIGHT. (AN ELDER IN MY GROUP SAID IT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS CHEAPER THIS WAY, BUT I THINK THIS WAS REALLY THE REASON WHY WE HAD THAT EXTRA FLIGHT.)　でも、IT WAS SAD BECAUSE I WAS ONLY ABLE TO TALK TO MY FAMILY FOR A COUPLE MINUTES ON THE PHONE. WE LANDED IN JAPAN ON TUESDAY NIGHT (FOR OUR BODIES IT WAS SOMEWHERE AROUND 2 AM?) AND WERE WELCOMED BY OUR MISSION PRESIDENT AND HIS WIFE WHO ARE SOME OF THE MOST WONDERFUL PEOPLE I:VE EVER MET. IT:S SO HUMID HERE!!! BUT IT FEELS LIKE HOME (:　THEY TOOK US BACK TO THE HOMEBU (MISSION HOME)  AND I PASSED OUT PRETTY QUICKLY ON THE BUS. I THINK THEY BORROWED THAT BUS FROM THE MUPPET MOVIE. 

WE STAYED AT THE MISSION HOME FOR A LOT OF TRAINING, GOT A REALLY GREAT COLD THAT CAUSED ME TO SOUND LIKE A PACK-SMOKER, HIKED A REALLY STEEP MOUNTAIN, ATE SUBTLE AMERICAN-JAPANESE FOOD, AND WERE FINALLY ASSIGNED OUR NEW AREAS AND TRAINERS I THINK THURSDAY? MAYBE FRIDAY? I AM SERVING IN THE KYOTO ZONE!!! IN THE FUSHIMI AREA AND BRANCH. OUR CITY IS THE OLD CAPITOL OF JAPAN AND INCLUDES TONS OF HISTORY. ALSO, MY COMPANION IS ALLRED 姉妹 AND SHE IS AN ANGEL SENT FROM HEAVEN. SHE WAS JUST CALLED AS THE SISTER TRAINING LEADER、AND I AM THE THIRD SISTER SHE:S TRAINED. SHE:S ONLY BEEN IN JAPAN FOR 5 MONTHS AND IS ONE OF THE HARDEST WORKING AND MOST OBEDIENT PEOPLE I HAVE EVER MET. SHE IS WAY CUTE AND DIRECTIONALLY BLESSED (WHICH IS WONDERFUL BECAUSE I:D DEFINITELY BE LOST IN A HEARTBEAT)　I:M SO EXCITED TO WORK WITH HER. WE ARE WHITE-WASHING THE AREA SO WE:RE JUST TRYING TO FIND REFERRALS FROM MEMBERS AND WE:VE GONE STREETING A COUPLE OF TIMES. HAHA JAPAN IS SO FUN I LOVE IT. OF THE THREE ALPHABETS JAPAN HAS, WE LEARNED 2 OF THEM IN THE MTC. THE ONE WE DIDN:T LEARN IS ON 99.9}% OF THE SIGNS; ALTHOUGH SOME OF THEM HAVE ENGLISH WORDS BUT THEY:RE NOT ALWAYS SUPER ACCURATE. IT:S PRETTY FUNNY (:　WE TRAVEL EVERYWHERE BY BIKE WHICH HASN:T BEEN A PROBLEM AT ALL EXCEPT THAT KYOTO HAS A MOUNTAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR BOUNDARIES AND IT:S NOT MY FAVORITE THING TO TRAVEL THAT WAY。WE HAVE A WOMAN THAT WANTED TO MEET WITH THE MISSIONARIES ABOUT A MONTH AGO THAT LIVES ON THE TOP OF A HIGHER MOUNTAIN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BIKING MOUNTAIN WHICH IS ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY ON BIKE AND MY LEGS ARE BROKEN BUT IT:S OKAY BECAUSE HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES HER AND WANTS HER TO RETURN TO LIVE WITH HIM　SO WE:VE GOTTA GO TEACH HER. UNFORTUNATELY SHE WASN:T HOME WHEN WE VISITED SO WE:LL BE MAKING ANOTHER TRIP PROBABLY SOMETIME THIS WEEK UNLESS SHE CALLS AND CHOOSES TO MEET WITH US SOMEWHERE ELSE. ALSO, THE OVERLOOK FROM HER HOME WAS THE BEST LANDSCAPE IVE EVER SEEN IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE BUT I FORGOT MY CAMERA SO NEXT TIME I:LL TAKE A PICTURE. JAPAN IS SO BEAUTIFUL.

YESTERDAY WE WENT TO CHURCH AND MET A LOT MORE OF THE MEMBERS. WE JUST MOVED APARTMENTS SO WE MET A FEW WHEN THEY HELPED US MOVE OUR DESKS AND TABLE AND FRIDGE. AMONG THE 50 MEMBERS, WE HAVE ONE WHITE GUY AND A PERUVIAN. I THINK THEY BOTH SERVED MISSIONS IN JAPAN AND CAME BACK TO GET MARRIED. (THIS FOLLOWING PART WOULD BE IN ALL CAPS) THE WHITE GUY WAS BORN IN MICHIGAN!!!!!!!! IN MOUNT PLEASANT! I GUESS THAT:LL HAPPEN WHEN YOU FLY TO THE OTHER END OF THE WORLD. ALSO, ALLRED SHIMAI AND HAD TO STAND IN FRONT OF THE CONGREGATION AND　INTRODUCE OURSELVES WHICH WASN:T AS BAD AS I EXPECTED. AFTER THE SACRAMENT, THEY HAD A PRIMARY PROGRAM AND I ALMOST UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE LITTLE KIDS SAID! THERE ARE ONLY 7 KIDS BUT AN 11 YEAR-OLD PLAYED THE ORGAN AND A 9 YEAR-OLD CONDUCTED THE MUSIC. AND THEY CAN SPEAK THIS RIDICULOUS LANGUAGE. WELL DONE, CHILDREN. ONE LITTLE BOY HAS THE CUTEST RICE CHEEKS I:VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. I WANT TO KEEP HIM。A LOT OF THE MEMBERS THINK I:VE BEEN HERE FOREVER AND START MUMBLING TO ME IN JAPANESE. IT WAS A LITTLE OVERWHELMING TO ME AT FIRST HOW LITTLE I REALLY KNEW, BUT I KNOW A FEW THINGS!！BUT OUR MISSION PRESIDENT HAS A BOSS LANGUAGE PROGRAM AND WE:VE GOT THE LORD ON OUR SIDE SO I:M FEELING COMFORTED. WE WENT OVER TO A LESS-ACTIVE MEMBER:S HOUSE FOR A DINNER APPOINTMENT WITH BASICALLY HALF THE WARD LAST NIGHT AND ATE TONS OF FOOD. IT WAS SPRINKLED WITH DRIED FISH FLAKES AND TASTED A LITTLE FUNKY BUT I ATE IT. JAPANESE FOOD HAS BEEN SUPER DELICIOUS THOUGH! I WENT TO MY FIRST RAMENHOUSE THE OTHER DAY AND THE MAN NEXT TO ME DID THIS REALLY COOL THING WHERE HE CHOPSTICKED SOME BURNING HOT NOODLES INTO HIS MOUTH, AND AS HE SHOVELED MORE IN HE INHALED GUSTS OF COOLER AIR TO MEDIATE THE TEMPERATURE. I WAS IMPRESSED. AND SO WAS MY BELLY. IT WAS WAY GOOD. 

I HOPE YOU:RE ALL DOING WELL!!! I:M PRAYING FOR ALL OF YOU AND I HOPE YOU:RE ALL　元気 (HAPPY/HEALTHY). I:LL SEND SOME PICTURES (: I WISH YOU COULD ALL BE HERE. ONLY A FEW PEOPLE HAVE STROKED MY HAIR WHICH WASN:T TOO WEIRD. WHAT WAS WEIRD WAS WHEN A LADY IN RELIEF SOCIETY SAID MY EYELASHES WERE LONG AND THEN TOUCHED THEM. THERE:S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING. 

MATA NE! AISHITE IMASU YO! NIHON WA HONTO NI KIREI TO YASASHII DESU NE. THERE ISN:T A PLACE THAT I:D RATHER BE.

だにえるず　姉妹