It snowed!

Hello!  Well we have absolutely no investigators right now. There was nobody in our area book when we came here. Which means we get to start from scratch! We go places and we just walk all day long trying to talk to, teach, and invite anybody that will hear us. We went to a place called Senta Minami train station. We grew down a district kubarikai (which is when you hand out Eikaiwa chirashi (which is English class flyers)) and then this guy started talking to us! Sweet! Well kind of sweet. He kept telling us just random things that hand absolutely no point. Thinks like Steve Jobs was Buddhist, or God tries to force religion on people and Buddha doesn't, or the only reason people in Japan still like Americans after the war is because of Buddhism and that Christian church over there (he points just across the park) isn't really a church it's just used for weddings, or like how Americans don't like Trump, and how the puritans were the first ones to America etc. he spoke at us for an hour and about 20 minutes and barely let us say anything. It was so frustrating. If people would just listen to us they would see that we would probably agree that Japanese people like Americans because they are Buddhist! Buddhism is a very peaceful religion and we would whole heartedly agree with that statement! We aren't running round telling everybody that their religion is wrong, we are simply saying that even though every religion has a lot of good in them, they lack that authority of God, which God either gives or takes away due to worthiness. Even within our church there are people who aren't worthy to have the authority and power of God.  It's no different for the rest of the world as it is within the church. Then we talked to another guy while walking to the really gorgeous creek grove area. He kept going on about how he believes there is a purpose in life but he hasn't found it yet. He told us he thinks all churches have good in them, but they don't have it all. He wondered about why there were so many churches. The same thing. If people would just understand that we believe that other churches have good too, I think it would be easier. We aren't going around telling people to abandon culture and throw away all that is good in your life, we are simply trying to show them, or rather guide them to learn about the things we know are valuable and precious, and then they, by their own will and judgment, can decide if they will accept it or not. I love missionary work because I get to be a witness of Christ. But it's kind of a frustrating feeling when the people you talk to have all the right questions, but their hearts are too hardened to hear the answers.  So ya the earthquake. I didn't feel it because I slept right through it but Elders De Andrade and Elder Hall both felt it. They said it got pretty rough for about 10 seconds in total. No damage or anything to anything at all, at least not in Yokohama. But there was a small tsunami up where the last one hit in Sendai. There was a risk of evacuation but I think everybody stayed there. Also I heard something about the nuclear reactor from the last big earthquake started melting down and they just froze it to save it. For some reason with this last earthquake it stopped trying to keep it frozen and started melting again. I think they got it under control though. There's talk of a big earthquake that's overdue to happen in Tokyo. So I'll just have to wait and see! 

  

That's cool you got to see Shaun! Where do you just randomly see him? Or did he call you and tell you he was in town? That would be sweet if he got positioned in Yokosuka or Zama base over here! 

  

I saw on the train the other day "横浜市で十二月の前に雪が降れば54年ぶりです。”  Which means "If it snows in Yokohama before December, it will be the first time it has done so in 54 years!" And then it did snow that next day! The flakes were huge all day long and it was very cold. But it didn't stick. The trains ran a little late but that was about it.  

  

Ya Kohoku is a bit more run down than Kichijoji. But that's because Kichijoji is the #1 most wanted to be lived in Tokyo. Well I left my bike at the honbu in kichijoji because I knew that Elder Mori and Elder Bateman would be coming up here on Tuesday to help us move anyways so I just left it there. It should be here tomorrow! Ya we get to move tomorrow! We have already packed some of our things. Not that we have really anything haha. We had to sacrifice our dinner table to store other things in. The other two missionaries in our apartment are Elder Hall and Elder De Andrade. Hall is from Utah and De Andrade is born in Brazil but raised in Utah. They are both incredibly fun to work with and just funny people in general.  Yes I am over the Kanagawa and the Kohoku District. I am guessing I'll still be Elder Jones' companion next transfer too but I honestly have no clue. I don't need any earplugs. I should be good till I come home probably. I have basically everything in America when it comes to food except: Begals, sour cream. I can't remember actually. I don't remember what is in America.  

  

So! Anyways I had a good week! We had thanksgiving dinner from America on Sunday night. Thank you mom so much for that! It was so good! I cooked it, very poorly and wrongly let me tell you, but somehow it ended up working out great and it felt like a real thanksgiving! We ate it on the ground though because we used our table for another thing. (See 1 paragraph up) 

  

I love working with Elder Jones. He is so funny and is such a good example to me. We have been working hard to visit members and house using the new Christmas videos around our neighborhood. The people are pretty cold and hard here. More than I have seen in other areas. Please pray that their hearts can be softened and we can find those who will accept the gospel! 

  

I love you! 

 ドレーパー長老