Michael's Good Experience: Late P-day Email from Hachioji

Dear Family,

Sorry to be on a little late on sending an email to you all, but we have had a pretty fun day so far! Today we went out to a place that we thought was a tie factory, but it turns out it was a tie research facility... What the heck is a tie research facility? Anyways after that adventure, we went to a recycle shop and had a way good find. Elder Turley, Elder Coggins, and I all found suits that look really good and are exactly our size, and they were only $20! Japan is a pretty sweet place! So if you see some credit card charges, that's what it is. I found some other cool stuff there too like ties and you all probably will laugh but, I also found some sweet teal pants! So I figured why not they were only like 15 dollars. So that was way cool! Anyways this week was really good.

This week was full of good stuff, we met a lot of people and have a ton of follow up to do this week, I think we have 3 lessons with people we met last week to do this week. So I'll let you know how those go next week! I met one of our investigators this last week as well and his name is Motoki. He is an interesting man for sure. I have never met someone who was not American that loved America as much as him. He let us in and gave us some American lemonade things and we talked for quite a while and we're able to pray with him at the end so it went way well. He just needs to let us talk for long enough to get the restoration taught to him! We'll see how far we can get this week! We also had a crazy experience one day. So we were walking to the church after talking to a kid who goes to a nearby high school and we stopped this guy who we weren't sure was a guy or girl at the time but it was a guy so it's all good. And he said that he wanted to see our church so we brought him over and showed him the inside and he said he had never read the bible and had never been in a church but that he really wanted to know what we believed. And so me and Elder Turley were sitting there thinking "he's kinjin!! (Golden, as in golden investigator)" and we started teaching him and as we started a member that we were planning to mogi (role play, as practice for lessons) with anyways came in and helped us teach. But about 3 minutes into the lesson, we find out that this man has been lying to us a bit. It turns out he studied religions and has read and really studied the bible as well as other religious texts in great detail. He never made references from the bible or anything like that but it was intense. We probably won't be teaching him much more though because he is currently trying to "make his own plan of salvation" that just so happens to be the same one that Satan wanted... So yeah but it was a way crazy experience and we're going to try and teach him one more time.

Then when I was on splits with the traveling AP's because Elder Turley is the DL me and Elder Rockwood were walking to the second floor of an apartment building to visit a p.i. And a guy delivering a tv about the size of mine was doing the same so after he delivered that we talked to him and gave him a Book of Mormon, got his phone number and headed on our way, and hopefully he will answer this week because then we can teach him! We have found tons of p.i's while we've been out this week. It was great. Hopefully in the next couple weeks they will largely turn into investigators and start coming to church and everything, that would be good. I also had that Boy Scout English thing which was way good, the next one is in 2 weeks from last Saturday. The kids were a little shy but next time it will be better, it was definitely interesting seeing how scouting goes in Japan! There were a lot of hand signals and bows and attentions and it was way cool. I'll get some pictures from it next time. By the way thanks for the pictures mom! That was way cool! And I don't know if they are or not but maybe next time they will want the pictures too so if you find any more pictures of me doing my scouts things feel free to send them. They would be good for introduction and stuff anyways. Thanks! So this week has been good, it's been warm and also rainy, but there have been great things happening here recently. I don't know if you remember brother Mongen back in the good ol' Takao days, he was the less active that was from Mongolia and loved cars and that we were really working on hard for a long time. I just found out last night that he came back to church for the first time in about 10 years, with his family, yesterday. When I heard that I was so happy! And it seems like he'll be back to stay. God really does bless his children alright.

Sounds like everyone made it safe and sound all the way down to Utah, which is a great thing, even if it did take 3 mountain dews! I haven't had any of those in quite a while actually! Those elk on the way look way cool! I miss sights like that picture right there, there is nowhere in Japan that I've been (even counting out in the most country part of our mission) that looks anything like that. That's way cool that you and dad have been married 30 years! You're getting old! ;) It was nice seeing pictures of all you guys! That's way crazy news about the 8th ward! As far as stuff from Deseret book, I'm not quite sure maybe some Mormon Tabernacle choir? I dunno! Thanks though! It's been a great week and I hope you all had a good week too! I love you!

Love,

Elder Gailey

Dinner at Tsukata's house