3 Japan 2012 Otsu

Week 100

Mission Log

 

The rice has been planted.  There are rice fields all over the place.  They are right in the city many times.  Basically everyone works on a rice field.  It`s not like a regular field.  It has a couple centimeters (things similar to inches) of water on top the field.  They also don`t plant just seeds very often.  They plant them as small little plants that are already half a foot tall.  I`m excited to watch them all grow.  By the time you get here, in July, they will all be very tall and almost ready to harvest.  They don`t get tall like corn or anything.  They get up to about your waist height.  They look pretty similar to grass right now.  It`s just a couple strands of grass put together in a clump.  Then, one of those clumps every couple of inches all lined up in a straight row.  Most people have told me that when they were younger, they planted the rice fields by hand, one at a time.  Many many older women are permanently bent over so their hips are bent at a ninety degree angle and their upper body is parallel to the ground.  They can`t stand up straight.  It comes from bending over to plant rice their whole life and from drinking too much tea (it weakens your bones).  Nowadays, everyone just rides a machine through the field that plants it all for them.  It seems pretty convenient.  Along the road that we walk from the apartment to the train station there are a few rice fields in a row.  The first two just look like normal rice fields with the little plants in straight lines and a couple inches of water.  The third one, however, has a sign that says "Tamagawa Elementary School's Practice Learning Field".  The rice is not in straight lines at all.  They are in weird clumps.  A lot of them have fallen over.  There are tons of big mounds of dirt and footprints everywhere.  It`s way funny and way cute.  I`m excited to watch them grow.  After they get taller, it`s cool to watch them wave as the wind blows through them. 

 

-Elder Isaac Swift

Otsu Japan 27 May 2012

Week 99

Mission Log

 

I apologize for taking so long to respond to attempts to contact me.  I feel that too much contact with the outside world would blow my cover and jeopardize the entire mission.  Due to my isolation, I was not even aware that today is Labor Day, until I received an update of confidential information from someone who will for safety purposes remain unnamed. 

 

I`ve gathered a few others that I believe can be trusted and the six of us together are called a district.  I travel around and work with each one of them to accomplish various objectives.  This week, I spent a day or to in a place called Joyo, working with someone who, for the time being we`ll refer to as Elder Hale.  Afterward, we gathered together in a meeting building up on a hill in Otsu, and discussed sensitive mission related information.  It was probably one of the best district meetings that I`ve taught on my whole mission. 

 

In church one week, the organ player wasn`t there on time.  So, the person conducting the music just sang the first line so everyone would know the pitch and we sang acapella.  In the US people are embarrassed to sing in front of others, but no one is in Japan.  Everyone is just fine with singing anywhere, in front of anyone.  It doesn`t even matter if they`re a good singer or not. 

 

They`re attempting to drive us out of hiding by means of starvation.  Somehow, our money has "run out" and we weren`t able to go shopping for food last week or this week either.  Without money for groceries, they believe we will have to come into the open to get food.  What they are unaware of is the fact that we have a large supply of spaghetti noodle in the apartment and we can survive for weeks on eating simply noodles with sesame seed dressing poured on it.  We cannot let them win.  Endure to the end. 

 

If you are still debating on whether or not to by those train passes, I think we could probably get around fine without them.  We could ride all of the cheaper train lines and stuff.  Do you know where the hotel in Kyoto is?  If you give me an address or something, then I`ll know where it is. 

 

Congratulations on completing Mt. Si.    Sometimes I dream in Japanese, but usually in English.  Sometimes I think in Japanese even when I`m not speaking Japanese though.  When I`m planning out what I`m going to say for something, it always comes up in Japanese in my mind.  Like when I was planning out district meeting, I kept on thinking about what I was going to say in Japanese even though the meeting was in English.  I`m excited to go back and look at Seattle again.  

 

I must flee before it`s too late.  Farewell.

 

-Elder Isaac Swift

20 May 2012 Otsu Japan

Week 98

Mission Log

This morning something that the Japanese people refer as Nisshoku happened.  At exactly 7:29 in the morning the moon moved directly in between Otsu and the yellow sun, blocking much of the sun`s light (a solar eclipse).  I seized this extremely rare opportunity.  Enduring the pain and likely causing much damage to my eyes, I stared directly at the Nisshoku and was able to break the spells and amnesia that was placed on me.  I quickly located a facility where I could make contact with the outside world and send this update to you.  I haven`t fully confirmed the security of this location yet.  So, I will still be using the code name Elder Swift and I will have to keep contact brief. 

I`ve encountered one set back in the mission.  My daily planner seems to have gone missing.  It contains all of the highly confidential information about my mission and the plans that I create and carryout throughout each day.  I`m at a loss as to what to do now.  I may need to acquire a new planner and start all over again.  I"m worried that allowing this confidential book to fall into the hands of the enemy could be quite detrimental to the mission, but do not fear:  I`ve written it all in a code language that I refer to as nihongo (Japanese). 

I`ve become much more proficient in communicating through this code.  It`s become quite natural.  When I hear a message come to me in the code language, my brain is able to simply comprehend it normally now.  It is now longer necessary to focus, concentrate hard on what`s being said, or translate it back to English in my head. 

Mom and Dad:  I`m glad that you are excited to come out here and get me.  It was very nice to be able to talk to you last week.  If you are able to find out the name of the train station that is closest to Mt. Fuji, then I don`t think it will be that much of a problem trying to get to it.  Mt. Si is a pretty difficult hike.  Good luck.  That theater is called Takarazuka Kageki.  Takarazuka is the name of the city.  Kageki means opera house or theater.  It might just be called Takarazuka Opera or Takarazuka Theater.  I think it would be all in Japanese, but they would have English pamphlets and stuff explaining it.  The story is Romeo and Juliet, so it probably wouldn`t be that difficult to follow.  I worry that it might be too expensive or that tickets would sell out to far in advance.  Also, there are no actors, only actresses.  I`m excited to see you again soon.  I can take you all around anywhere in this mission just fine probably. 

I cannot remain in one location for too long, or else they`ll catch on to me.  I must get moving now.  I cannot say exactly when I will be able to contact you again, but do not lose hope.  I`ve got this mission completely under control.  I`ll work something out.  Until then.

-Elder Isaac Swift

13 May 2012 Otsu

No email this week, just a great phone call!  Isaac is doing great.

Otsu Japan 7 May 2012 (8th in Japan)

Week 96

Mission Log

I`m having a great time here in Otsu, Japan.  It`s a very beautiful place.  Lake Biwa is just a massive body of water.  It feels like we`re close to the ocean, but really it`s just a lake.  On Saturday we went to a Barbeque that was way off in the mountains.  It was at a camping place that was about an hour and a half drive away.  We went on a hike and saw some beautiful waterfalls in the mountains.  It was very nice. 

Elder Taggart is doing a great job.  He wasn`t in the MTC for very long, but he studied Japanese in high school quite a bit, and he is very good.  He`s working hard and pushing himself to do new things he may not be used to.  I'm glad that I am able to be his companion. 

I`m excited for the Mother`s Day phone call.  You are supposed to call on your Mother`s Day.  It will be the day after for me.  I should get the phone call on Monday morning around 9:30 am my time, if that is possible with your schedule.  That should be Sunday afternoon for you, I think.  The phone call is to be no longer than 59 minutes according to the mission president.    I`m excited to talk with you.   

Thank you for the letter that you sent.  I hadn`t gotten mail in a while and it was very uplifting.  I didn`t get to see the really big moon.  It was cloudy here.  

Last preparation day, I met Elder Gardner and his family.  We ate some ramen together and then went to go see Kinkakuji (the golden pavilion) and Ryoanji.  It was my first time seeing Ryoanji.  It was a beautiful rock garden.  It`s a field of raked pebbles with fifteen large stones artistically placed in it.  I heard that because of how they were placed, you can`t see all fifteen of the stones at the same time, and according to legend, if you find how to see all fifteen of them at the same time, you will reach enlightenment.  I thought it would be difficult at first, but I soon discovered how to view all the stone simultaneously and I have now unlocked the secret of enlightenment.  It`s pretty nice. 

Yesterday, we had a zone conference.  We have them once every three months.  Everyone sang happy birthday to me and I was presented with a package of Tim Tams.  I was pretty happy.  During the training parts, I translated for the Japanese people.  It`s a lot more difficult for me to really absorb all of the things being taught or receive personal revelation when I`m translating.  It`s also really difficult to take notes.  The training basically goes in my ears in English, comes out my mouth in Japanese, and then it`s gone.  After the training, the missionaries that will be going home soon, stand in front and are able give a final testimony and goodbye message to everyone.  Since this was my last zone conference, I got to bear my testimony and give a final message to everyone.  A lot of missionaries get emotional and cry while saying things like, "I don`t want to go home yet!"  Instead of doing that, I just tried to teach everyone what I thought was something important for them all to learn, and was one of the biggest things that I learned on my mission.  I think it went really well. 

  I love you.  Talk to you next week.  Bye. 

-Elder Isaac Swift

29 Apr (30 Apr in Japan) Otsu Japan

Week 95

Mission Log

We had a fun exciting week.  On Thursday, I went to the mission home to pick up my new companion.  His name is Elder Taggart.  He only spent nine weeks in the MTC.  He is from Edgewood.  He went to Puyallup High School.  He`s a very fun Elder and he`s working very hard.  I think we`ll have a great twelve weeks together.  It`s fun talking about things we both know like the fair, and telling everyone in Japan that we`re both from Seattle and we`ve actually seen Ichiro play.  Everyone`s really amazed about that. 

We've been teaching an investigator named Okumura Kazuya for a little while and just yesterday, he got baptized.  We first met him when his friend brought him to conference on the eighth.  He accepted everything that we taught right away, except for some of the commandments which he had heard about from a member and was already following before we taught them.  He quit smoking and drinking immediately, the day he heard about the Word of Wisdom.  He`s 25 years old and works at a place close to the church building. 

Today, we are planning on going to Kyoto seeing some stuff with Elder Gardner and his family.  It should be pretty fun.  I don`t know any information about Mother`s Day yet.  Preparation Day might be on a day other than Monday next week.    Today is a holiday. 

I have to get going now.  I`ll write again next week.  Bye!

-Elder Isaac Swift

22 April 2012(23 in Japan) Otsu

Week 94

Mission Log

 

It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times.  I traveled the farthest I`ve gone from the apartment.  I spent the most time in the apartment.  I talked to the oldest guy.  I talked to the youngest guy.  I have so much time left.  I have no time left. 

 

This week went very well.  On Tuesday, we rode our bike way up North to a place called Katata.  It was the farthest I have ever been from the apartment.  It`s about three times as far North as I`ve ever been before.  It took hours to get up there.  We were riding along Lake Biwa the whole way.  It was a pretty ride.  My bike was having some slight problems the whole way there, too.  By slight problems, I mean that the wheel wouldn`t turn sometimes when I wanted it to, and sometimes it would turn on it`s own when I didn`t want it to.  It caused for an interesting bike ride way out to Katata.  When we finally got to the house, I started to get a bad headache.  I said a little prayer though, and rang the doorbell.  I ended up being ok throughout the whole appointment.  I had a headache the whole time, but it was at a manageable level.  The moment I stood up to leave, my head started to hurt way bad.  I got on my bike and rode around the corner without saying anything to the member.  After getting around the corner, I had to stop.  I couldn`t ride my bike any farther.  We slowly walked to a nearby drugstore where I got some aspirin.  It was pretty lucky that there was a drugstore right by us.  Even after taking it, my head was hurting much worse than it ever has before.  I`m not really sure what the difference between a migraine and a headache is, but I probably had that.  I wasn`t able to work any more that day and had to get back to the apartment, but the apartment was a several hour bike ride away and I didn`t even feel like I could ride a normal short distance on my bike in this condition.  We left our bikes there and took the train home.  I was in bed for the rest of the day. 

 

The next day, we rode the train back to Katata, and made the long journey back home by bike.  I don`t really know why, but I got quite sick starting on Tuesday and rested for at least a portion of each day all the way through Saturday.  I'm pretty alright now, though.  On Saturday we got my bike fixed and then rode much farther South than I`ve ever been before.  It was a nice trip.  On Sunday, we ate dinner at the house of a member whose wife isn`t a member.  The member remembered a story that I told during my talk the week before and said that he loved it so much and wanted me to tell it to his wife.  I was happy to tell it, and even so happy that someone liked my talk and even remembered it a week later. 

 

This morning we got a phone call from President Zinke.  He gave us some interesting news.  Elder Meyers is going to be transferring to a place called Hanayashiki to be companions with Elder Baily who was in the MTC with me.  I will be staying in Otsu until the end of my mission, and I will be training a new missionary once again.  I`ll go pick him up from the mission home on Thursday.  It should be a fun experience.  I`m very excited to train again.  Maybe he just keeps letting me try it again until I get it right one time.  I`ll try my best.  I`ve got to get going now.  I love you.  Bye. 

 

-Elder Isaac Swift