Elder Williams' first day in Japan....

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!  This is Elder Williams fist day in Nagoya....February 12,2014.  Snow seems to follow him!  He loves it!

Ichinomiya Japan

Elder Williams is in Ichinomiya, Japan.  He has 155 missionaries in his mission....Japan Nagoya.  He says the country is beautiful.  He lives in a city and rides the train or his bike everywhere.  For their zone meetings they ride the train for an hour to Fukutoku.  His companion is Elder Ahuna, from Hawaii.  He has 4 months remaining on his mission.  Steven says he is an awesome trainer.  He is learning so much from him.  He says that Elder Ahuna is a fire dancer.  The food in Japan is awesome!  Steven says that he now knows what manna the Children of Israel ate while in the wilderness!  It was nan.  He says it is the most delicious bread he has ever had.  All the food he has eaten so far has been amazing.  I think he may gain his 24 pounds he lost at the MTC back.....soon!  There are two sister missionaries in his area as well.  They are both from Utah.  He did not give any names, but they live in the apartment above the elders.  Their apartments are right across the street from the church.  He says it is about 30 feet from the front door!  He had a wonderful time his first Sunday.  He got to speak and he LOVED meeting all the people there.  He said they are so very nice.  He and his companion are very, very busy.  He said that they have many things scheduled each day.  If there is a spot where nothing is scheduled they go streeting....street contacting, I think.  He will be involved in his first baptism this coming Sunday, Feb. 23.  He was able to help teach the man a lesson on his first day in Nihon.  He said it is amazing to see the excitement in his face to become a member of the church.  They have 15 investigators that they are teaching right now. The sisters are teaching 24!  Steven also teaches English in a class they have at the church each week. He purchased his bike and is very happy with it.  He says the drivers there are so much nicer than the drivers in the states.  He says that they are very careful of bikers and pedestrians.  They don't even have to lock up their bikes, but they do because that is the mission rules.  He is loving every minute of his mission!  

Correction....

Williams Choro corrected me.....Kyoo is not snow......yuki is snow!  We are learning a lot from his letters and emails.  It is amazing at what he has learned at the MTC in such a short time.  What a testimony it is that this work is indeed the Lord's Work!!  

Only 48 hours until he leaves for Japan and gets to call home!.....but who's counting?!?  You are right!  MOM IS!!!

Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;

For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

 (D&C 4:3-5)

Time to go to work, Williams Choro!  We love you!  

Nihon get ready for Williams Choro!

Steven says that they are beginning to pack for their 24 hour trip to Nihon Nagoya.  They are all so very excited.  You can feel all the missionaries spirits in Steven's little camera videos and the excitement in their emails.  They received their name tags written in katakana.  He was thrilled to receive that.  It is a sign that departure is near.  He can't wait to meet the people there.  He leaves Monday February 10 and will arrive in Nagoya Japan on February 12.  He gets to call home during one of his lay overs.  We are excited about that.  He says that it still feels unreal, but he is loving every minute of it.  It is still snowing in Provo and he sure loves that.  Kyoo is the word for snow in Nihongo.  Steven had a hard time remembering the word "snow" in Eigo.  He is happy. He shared one thing with us this week....he said, "I smile and I cry here at the MTC.  I say cry because I feel the Spirit often and every time I feel it, it brings tears to my eyes.  It is wonderful!"  He didn't say "awesome". My little boy is growing up!!

Getting ready to go to Nihon!

6 weeks!!!

Where has the time gone?  Williams Choro is in his 6th week in the MTC.  He is ready to go to Nihon (Japan).  Very excited....but must be patient!  He is learning so much in the MTC.  He says that their schedule is so crammed with things that he just doesn't have time to write anyone.  He says he barely has time to write in his journal at night.  Mom says, "Good!"  That is the way it is supposed to be!  Our family has a couple of sayings that we use often....."Suck it up!",  "We're Williams!  That's why!", "You are going to have fun whether you like it or not!".  They all sound a little rough.....but we smile every time we say them because they have personal family memories.  So Steven got a little "Williams Family" talk from mom on Thursday.  He is tired, exhausted, and wondering why everything has to be so routine and scheduled.....So mom told him...."Suck it up, Williams Choro!  You're a Williams!  That's why!  You are going to have fun there at the MTC whether you like it or not!"  It changed his attitude....as far as I could tell from his emails!  It brought smiles.

Elder Williams is really enjoying the Japanese language.  I think he is trying to teach it to us, but we love hearing all he is learning and he says that Eigo (English) is getting so hard for him to write.  He enjoys all of his teachers and says that they are so helpful and kind.  He is in the choir singing bass and loves it.  We are musicians, but not great at singing!  I am so happy that he is singing and really enjoying it!  Singing lifts the spirit and brightens a gloomy day.  We often sing out loud in our home and it sounds like howling wolves, but it brings joy and happiness! I probably shouldn't share the howling wolves part!? :)

Next Monday there will be some sister missionaries from Japan come over to the MTC.  They will be there for 2 weeks, just like the English speaking sister missionaries, then they will travel back to Japan with the Elders to begin their missions.  Steven says that they are so excited to meet them.  He and his companion were able to Skype the other day with a member in Japan.  He said it was awesome.  He learned that saying "you" to a person is rude.  You need to call them by their name and add san.  Her name was Yoko, so he referred to her as Yoko san.  He says that he is going to need to work on remembering names!  

He injured his ham string "showing off" (his words!) to sister missionaries.  He did the splits and his ham string popped. Yes, Steven can do the splits!  He is very flexible for a big guy from martial arts.  He is a first degree black belt and during exercise time he goes through his forms so he won't forget them because when he gets home he will continue in his testing for second degree black belt.  He went to the doctor and all is well.  He was just sore for a few days.  

Williams Choro and Bills Choro....hey...isn't Bill short for William?....I just noticed that!  Anyway, they have teaching appointments scheduled this week.  4 will be in Japanese and 1 in English.  He is very excited.  He has had quite a few teaching appointments while in the MTC and has loved every one of them.  I received a note from one man who said that it was great fun getting to know him.  

12 missionaries leave for Japan on February 10.  8 of them will be in the Nagoya Japan Mission and the other 4 go to the Fukuoka Japan Mission.  They are all very excited!

I may have shared this before, but feel it is a testimony of the wonderful Spirit of missionary work!  Steven shares, "The MTC feels oddly like home!  I think that is Heavenly Father's way of letting me know that I am doing the right thing".  How true!  The Gospel is HOME!  When you are doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right place, you will feel like you are HOME!  I pray that Williams Choro will share that with the wonderful people of Japan.  Steven loves his family and is so excited to share The Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people so they can know that families can be together forever!  Not a day has gone by in Steven's life that he has not told each of us that he loves us. He says that he says it each night before he goes to sleep so we can know.  We do the same.  Families are forever and we are eternally grateful for that knowledge and our family strives each day to live for that great blessing!  

Keep up the Great Work, Williams Choro!   This is Steven's MTC haricut.  They do not do flat tops, so he said the man cutting his hair said he would get as close to a flat top as he could without breaking the rules!  Steven was happy!