Got my feet eaten by fish today!‏

Dear Family,

Well this week was pretty good! Since I'm sure you're all wondering if I am transferring or not the answer is: yes. I'll be going to Tokorozawa B. My new companion will be Elder Brummett who is the same transfer as Elder Dunn, one underneath me. I'm transfer 7 now! That's intense because next transfer marks halfway. So that about sums up my thoughts in the last couple days. This week we tried literally every single day, most times multiple times a day to get into contact with our investigators, but alas, no one would answer their phone or doors this week, so it really wasn't very full with lessons or anything. And finding time was a little lower too because we helped the other elders with doing some service for their investigator Ito San. But we were able to meet with Hagiwara San one more time this last week!

So we met Hagiwara San on Friday before we went to do some service. We were able to get brother Yoshida, a half Japanese and half Brazilian member who works nights, to be there so we had a member present for that lesson. One thing I like about the church culture in Japan is that everyone is so willing to come to lessons. So he came and we talked with him about what we wanted to do and he let us pray and he asked us some questions and we really got to know him a little bit better. Then we talked about God and how not everyone has known the truth from the beginning, even people who have been members their whole life have to really know for the self at some point. And we bore some really solid testimony and how you have to do things and be willing to accept it. We used an analogy of a ramen shop and how God and Jesus are making the delicious ramen, and us as the missionaries have little samples and we talk to people outside and invite them in while the spirit is like their friend saying hey let's try it! And he really liked the analogy but he was frustrated because he knew we were right so he was feeling like "dang it! I know I have to do stuff, I'll keep reading..." And it was really funny.

One of the other lessons we had this week was we stopped by a less active member's house (Yagi Shimai) and she made her first steps to coming back by coming to eikaiwa! That was a really big move so we are excited for her to progress. We also stopped by another less active (the Maruyama family) this week and it turned out really well. We stopped by and they weren't home so we knocked on their neighbors door, and then while walking past their house brother Maruyama rode his motorcycle into his driveway so we started talking with him and set up a time for family home evening with the missionaries. So that was really cool, it was a huge miracle because usually they say no to that stuff. And then while talking to them their son turned the corner on his way home and as a joke turned around and disappeared around the corner again. Then he came back and brought us some drinks because it was hot and he was wearing his old stand ye in holy places shirt from like 3 years ago. So we are really excited, that's tonight so we are all planned up and ready to go!

Other than that we went to Ito Sans and helped him clean his crazy cluttered house and I finished spray painting my helmet. He gave me a cool Japanese scroll too! So that was really cool. Then on Saturday we had a huge music night in Hachioji church for the whole stake. There were a ton of performances and such and we filled the whole chapel with members and friends and investigators and it was really good, I was able to invite an eikaiwa student to church and after he came to that yesterday I invited him to the lessons and we have an introductory lesson on Wednesday to see if he really wants to. So it was a real good week!

Last of all what we did today was go to a place called Enoshima, a famous island over here and went to the aquarium with brother Misu. I'll send as many pictures as I can but I'm not sure I will be able to send them all. And I video'd the entire dolphin show so when I send that memory card home enjoy watching it. Then we went to a shop where you pay 5 dollars for fish to eat your feet!! That was way weird, they eat the dead skin on your feet and it tickles like nothing else! So I think you will enjoy that too! So yeah, that was my week! I'm bummed I have to leave Hachioji, but I guess it was going to happen eventually, so I'm excited to see what Tokorozawa will be like. President Wada said I need to help my new companion like to dendo and feel like he makes a difference, so I'll work as hard as I can and hopefully I can help him as the senior companion. It will be fun! Love you guys! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Gailey

P.S. I also saw the worlds most expensive and biggest pane of glass today! Cool aquarium!

Elder Gailey at the Aquarium 

 

Elder Dunn and Elder Gailey

 

A little bit closer and a little bit farther!‏

Dear Family,

Well this week was an interesting one! We were able to meet with a lot of our investigators, but almost all of those were on splits when I was in the zone leaders companionship, so I didn't teach any of them this week except Watanabe. But they were all still taught by Elder Rockwood and Elder Eaton. Which is ok I guess, but neither one of them know the investigators well and neither one of them are good at building relationships with investigators, kind of treating it all like business. Which I guess isn't a bad thing, but I feel like I should be friends with them and really know them as well as I can, because when I do that I can understand their concerns and worries and can teach to their specific needs a lot better. So from what it sounds like those investigators from that day (Takahashi, Hagiwara, and Tarik) are still willing to meet with us.  But it seems like the relationship with the missionaries has dropped significantly. Which is a really big bummer. But nothing I can do about it right now. Other than that we have done a lot of calling to keep in touch with our investigators and a lot of splits and a lot of finding this week. Which has been good.

Watanabe is a really funny guy. I think sometimes because we talk to everyone as missionaries we end up with a lot of interesting people that we know, such as Watanabe. He is always incredibly stressed out for our meetings so he comes in sweating worse than anyone I have ever seen by reason of stress. So that always makes the beginning of the lesson interesting, but by the end he is completely relaxed and laughs and enjoys life. He has been undergoing rehab for depression and stuff for 4 years ever since his job kind of drove him crazy. Here in Japan everyone works 6 days a week and about 12 hours a day not including train time, and so that's hard in general, but then you add some mean coworkers in and some extra workload and bam people snap like a dry twig under a tank track. So it seems that that is what happened to Watanabe San. So meeting with us is a big step for sure, and he is setting up a weekly meeting. So in the last lesson we talked about the restoration and about his questions, such as why we have Elder as our name and things like what goes on after we die. And at the end we asked him to pray and he said no, but we talked about it and about Heavenly Father a little more and testified and he really felt good about it he said. So he said a prayer at the end! It was really short, only about one sentence, but it was a way good prayer! I love getting to see those first prayers that people do. They are really special times.

Other lessons from the week were on splits with Elder Cook in the zone leader companionship. I taught a guy named Aruna who is a man from Shri Lanka but called up Elder Cook and asked us to visit, so we went and taught him the restoration and he prayed very simply and humbly and it was a really good time for him I think. The language barrier of teaching a man from Shri Lanka in Japan with two American missionaries speaking English is pretty interesting for sure! But it went well. And then I taught their baptismal date investigator Ono San. He is a way funny guy, who meets them every single day for a lesson to get ready for his baptism in 2 weeks. His voice is a cross between Stephen Hawking and the Garmin GPS voices. Especially when he speaks English. So that was a lot of fun! And then as soon as that split ended, I went on splits with Elder Dunn who has become a good friend so far this transfer, so we went on a couple adventures coming home from scouts ekaiwa which was as good as usual. There were only two kids in my group so it's really awkward teaching but it's alright I guess. It was fun!

Well I hope this week was good for everyone, it sounded pretty busy, but still good! This Saturday is transfer emails again! Seems like it came way quick this time, so everybody cross your fingers for me to stay in Hachioji! This morning while in the shower I entertained the thought of maybe becoming a trainer this next transfer, that would be sick! But we'll have to wait and see. I've been discussing motorcycles a lot with Elder Dunn recently, and I am way curious to know how much the Ducati from Tron is. Anyways, that was pretty random. If the Cunninghams are still there tell them that I want to visit them while they are here, because who else gets to visit one of their best friends parents on their mission right? Brandon and I have emailed each other most weeks since he got on his mission. Anyways, I'm glad everyone has been having a fun time, I'll send some pictures in here real soon and I love you all!

By the way, HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!! I love you tons and tons and 2! In my next package I'll hopefully be able to get you your stuff!

Love,

Elder Gailey

P.S. I have a favor for you guys this week, do you think you could ask the missionaries if they would have you be a member present at one of their lessons this week? Or maybe to have one of their investigators come to our house with them to eat dinner and have a lesson? I dunno why I felt like I needed to ask that but a couple days ago I felt like I needed to ask.

Scout Eikawa

 

 Elder Gailey's Ramen

 

 

 

Elder Gailey likes these shoes!!

 

 

Normal Train Ride - really crowded

 

 

 

Ahhh - American style food

 

This week from a crowded train corner wall!

Dear Family,

Well this week was pretty good as well! We got 3 new investigators this last week, and from phone contacting of all things! They were my first phone contact appointments and they turned into investigators, it was way cool! So the only investigator that wasn't new that we were able to meet with his last week was Hikaru San, the rest of our investigators made time for this week but not last week. Some were able to meet with Watanabe, Sudeep, and Tarik San this week. Funny thing about all of that is that only one of them is Japanese. Watanabe is the only Japanese person of the 3, Sudeep is Nepalese, and Tarik is from Pakistan, so go figure we'd have that much diversity in a mission in Japan!

Hikaru is doing as good as ever, he read the Book of Mormon's introduction like we asked him to, but he said the sentences are too hard. It's kind of funny, because of the differences in comic book Japanese and scripture Japanese, most people have a really difficult time reading the scriptures at first. I guess that's the same with English too, but it seems more prevalent here in Japan. Hopefully he will keep progressing like that, especially after his English program with us ends, because after that we can't teach him English anymore but if he wants to continue then he can keep learning about the gospel. So I'm hoping for that. Sudeep San was a phone contact, who said he had met some missionaries before and had been to the church once or twice, so we met him and gave him a tour since he hadn't ever done that before, during the tour we set up some decent expectations such as baptism and stuff like that, and he said he would really like to learn about it and come to church as soon as he can, so that's really cool! Watanabe is also a phone contact that had been met housing and the previous missionaries had visited a few times, but deemed that he didn't have interest so they dropped him. So we called him from the former investigators section and he said he would be interested in a church tour so we gave him one and he said he would like to learn to know if it's true, what we said so we have a meeting with him tomorrow. And Tarik was a guy we met while housing, he lives about 5 minutes from where we live. We rang his doorbell and said who we were and he came out to say hello. He spoke fluent English surprising enough. But that wasn't the last intense part. We asked him where he learned such good English and he said "Oh, I lived in Seattle for 10 years!" To which I told him I was from Seattle and asked if he knew Auburn, from which he said that he used to go to the supermall frequently, and that he had been inside the sports authority where I used to work. So that was a small world moment for sure. But because previously my companion has done a lot of religion study and has read the Koran, they were talking about that and the Book of Mormon and he said "if you can show me that the Book of Mormon is not true, I will become a Muslim." And Tarik seemed way excited about that, so we are bringing him a Book of Mormon on Thursday, because unfortunately I hadn't restocked my backpack at the time with a 4th English Book of Mormon to mark so I didn't have one to give him. But we got a follow up appointment out of it so it was good. It will be interesting to teach him this next week as he will probably tell us we are wrong a lot, but maybe one day when he has finished the Book of Mormon there will be a big change in him. We'll see!

One way cool miracle we saw this week though was on Tuesday, we met this man named Akaiwa San, which is red rock in English, so he introduced himself that way "I am red rock!" So red rock has a way sick Afro and a difficult case of depression, but we talked to him and gave him a Book of Mormon and became friends a little bit. Then on Sunday we left missionary correlation meeting to go to priesthood, and bam there is Akaiwa San standing in the doorway. So we have him sit down with some members. And he goes through the entire church service, and during it told me to stop asking if he has questions because he wants to put it together first in his head then ask questions after. The lessons that Sunday were incredibly well done for a first time church goer so it worked out very well, and then there was a big meal party afterwards at the church. So there he was just becoming a social butterfly telling us how kids in high school used to yell out their car windows "hey!! Crazy boy!!" Because he would introduce himself that way to be funny. Anyways, he talked to more members than most new missionaries do even! Afterwards I asked if he could come next week and he said he would come every week. So we are really excited to work with him. Although the crazy thing about him is that because he has depression he is on some intense antidepressants that have guidelines not to drive or ride trains or anything while he is on it, so he walked from his house to the church on Sunday. That's a 2 hour walk!! It was incredible, it was even raining!!

As far as funny things this week, we've been yelled at by some drunk people, had a few doors slammed, and Elder Dunn and I have been having fun doing random things in the apartment, so it's been good.  At zone conference this last week President Wada was talking to me and saying "your junior companion days, there getting pretty short now!" So I'm not sure what to expect with next transfer! We'll see. Anyways, it sounds like everything back home is going well, Morgan is still passing out, dads still taking pictures, mom's getting the schedules running, Emilee and Ryan are going to St. George, and Meagan still doesn't like water! Sounds like life is still rolling on at a nice pace.

Right now I'm on the train to the temple while writing, and man most of the family wouldn't be able to handle a commuter rush hour train, I have a wall on 2 sides and I'm pressed up in the corner, and I'm back to back with a guy, and there's a lady on my left arm and another guy getting pushed into the corner with me, it's a party over here! Emilee would have flipped out already, I've been in this position for 30 ish minutes already! Haha way fun! It's not usually this bad though. Anyways, love all you guys, have an amazing week, do fun stuff and make some new interesting stories. Always remember the power of prayer when you're struggling or don't know what to do, I know it helps. God loves us, and he shows us a million times a day, we just have to look.

Love,

Elder Gailey

Elder Poffenberger and Elder Gailey at Zone Conference

Elder Turley and Elder Gailey at Zone Conference

Elder Gailey bowling with some potential investigators (PIs)

Elder Gailey  had the high score!

 Apartment fun!

 

 

Emi Sakamoto wearing Elder Gailey's watch during Sacrament Meeting and after

 

 

  

More Food!
 

 

Companions at the Tokyo temple

 

 

Shibuya again!

 

Videos of apartment fun!

 

 

Hello again! This is Elder Gary Cooper!‏

Dear family,

Well this week we taught Takahashi, Dipen, Hagiwara, and Hikaru. I don't know if I have written about Takahashi before, me and Elder Turley found him around a train station called Kitano and we said hello and told him who we were and what we do as missionaries and he thought it was way cool and that because he knew a couple Mormons in school he wouldn't mind meeting us. So he has met with us a couple times at food places but this time he came to the church again for a lesson and he said he would download the Book of Mormon and try and read it on his phone when he has time. So that was some good progress from just wanting to know about the history of the church. Hikaru is actually getting quite a bit better at English. We taught him all about a, an, and the, but he still doesn't understand them well because there is no equivalent in Japanese. But he really liked it when we taught him about the atonement this week. He really thought it was cool that because of the atonement, Christ understand his struggles personally and that through him he can have his burdens made lighter and not feel guilt for past mistakes. It was really cool the reference he gave the atonement in the lesson. We're teaching him again tonight so that is going to be pretty fun! We were able to get a recent convert to come to his lesson so I'm excited for it. Hagiwara met us for a little bit on Saturday after the sister's investigator's baptism and before stake priesthood conference. He is still making progress, he likes to speed up and slow down really randomly in his progression, but he is always moving forward. Initially he told us we couldn't start the lesson with a prayer, so we talked more about it and the relationship between us and God and went into a lot of other random places, but he let us pray at the end, and he made a really cool comment after the prayer. He said that God really must be pairing all of the missionaries up in companionships because otherwise the companionship wouldn't work so well and compliment each other so well, so that was cool that he saw that! Dipen met us before the baptism with brother Sugimoto a member that went on his mission to San Francisco I think, and we just kind of re-set expectations that as we teach him things he will have to make changes, and we talked about why God asks us to do hard things and how we can make it through those hard things. He still doesn't have a baptismal date, but after seeing the baptism of Yamauchi San who the sisters were teaching, I think his fears are a little eased. So that was way good and now he has a friend in brother Sugimoto!

Other fun things this week, I had splits with Elder Rockwood that were a lot of fun, we went with Brother Misu to visit a less active he is good friends with and she was way nice! Her name is Sister Yagi and she is such a happy lady I don't know why she doesn't come to church! She was way nice to us and to Misu as well. Right now she really doesn't have a big excuse not to be coming other than she is nervous because she doesn't know anyone anymore at the ward so we'll keep meeting her every now and then! Eikaiwa this week was pretty intense. We teach the advanced class so most everyone is fluent ish so we taught about opposites. Words like on the contrary, to each his own, you're either with us or against us, and things like that. And my, oh my, was it difficult, they couldn't wrap their heads around it to save their life. It was way difficult for them, we felt way bad but we tried as hard as we could in Japanese and English and it just wasn't coming. Way funny time though hearing their examples to see if they understood. Finally got our weekly planning done in 3 hours this week. That was a blessing!

Oh another thing this week was Brother Sugimoto asked us to be in a episode of his new show he is doing on YouTube. So he filmed us eating ramen and stuff like that and made a way funny way cool video for that episode! I'll let you know what it's called when it goes on YouTube!

My companion and I are leveling out pretty nicely and we've been finding a lot of cool people in our main housing area right now, we've only housed there 3 times and there are two people with Book of Mormons there now! I think you're right dad, it really has been interesting my sequence of companions and what I have learned from them. Everything has been going real well, and that Costco run was way fun! I only had to pay $30 to the $237 total. I got way lucky that Elder Coggins and Elder Dunn hadn't payed me for the previous week of groceries! That's how you make a successful Costco trip! I was talking with Elder Dunn about our plans for medical school, he mentioned having kind of a random major before med school can help your chances of getting in assuming you do well on the MCAT, so I was thinking about it, and if it works I would really love doing something with auto mechanics. Like building, improving, and designing cars. So that's simmering on the stove of my brain! And yeah we eat at member’s houses probably 3 times a month in this Ward, which is pretty darn good but it does lend itself to gaining some weight! But have no fear! As the Elder Gailey you all know, I still can't gain any weight no matter how much I try. So that is a thing. Well other than that I'm doing my best to get better at Japanese, and to memorize the first vision in Japanese, and laugh a good portion of every day. It's going pretty well this week! I love you all and I'm very grateful for all of the help and prayers and emails, they certainly make everything better. Everyone have a great week in the sun and remember to count your many blessings! Love you!

Love,

Elder Gailey

P.S. Every Japanese person who hears my name says oh, Gary Cooper? Nice to meet you!

 

Elder Eaton, Misu, Elder Gailey

Misu

Companions

Elder Gailey and other missionaries

Elder Gailey with noodles in back

 

 

Hello from the hottest place on earth!‏

Dear Family,

Well this week has been a long one! The lessons were good but there are still the same issues with finding. It's hard to have people develop interest if your companion always thinks his way is better and will literally step in front of you, so I'm still working on that. But the lessons were pretty good. We weren't able to meet Dipen this week unfortunately, but I was able to be in contact with him, and he is still reading and thinking about baptism. Hopefully we can meet him 2 or 3 times this week to really see. But other than that we had quite a few interesting lessons and a crazy miracle this week.

First for the miracle. We were heading home from a weird lesson with Inoue San, which I will talk about first. So we went to his house with a member, a guy named Brother Aratani. Aratani is a pretty weird guy, but the lesson was even weirder. So we get in there and Inoue isn't home, so we call him and he comes back to his apartment and lets us in and we sit down and start doing some introductions and start teaching. And he started to get a little drunk from his tea and liquor that he had, and then came his real thoughts. He told us he really has no drive to read the Book of Mormon by himself, he wants to read but it's hard to make time and actually sit down and read it, but that because I (Elder Gailey) ask him to he knows that he should. He said that when he first saw me and Elder Turley at the door he noticed something different about us and he said there was some kind of light or something coming from us. And he said that if he didn't see that he never would have talked to us, but he saw it and he really believes that I'm a messenger from God so he said he will do whatever I ask him to if he can. When he was saying that he said he doesn't like my companion or the member, but that he likes me. So then I proceeded to teach the restoration and we left. We apologized like crazy to the member, but it was ok. And then on the way home my companion got hit in the eye by a bug so we rode to the church where he could take care of it and it turns out we really needed to be there. After taking care of his eye, a guy walked in (Hikaru San) and said he had heard about English class here. So we told him that we do it on Wednesday, but he was busy so he couldn't come then so we taught him about the family English program which is a personal lesson with 30 minutes of English and 30 minutes of gospel discussion. And he accepted, and tonight is his 3rd lesson, and he said last lesson that he wants to pray more, so he's already making way good progress! It's way cool! So that is those two cool things.

We also taught Hagiwara! He's way cool to watch. He has gotten happier and more religious or cleaned up every time I have met him. We met him and he is almost done with first Nephi, and now he has also shared with us that he believes that because there are good people in the world doing good things for people, even a janitor like him, out of their own free will, that it means that God is up in heaven really directing the world so that people are happy and everything works well as it does. He doesn't admit that there is a god yet, but he is closer than ever and he is really starting to like meeting and now he says when we meet next I want to talk about this or that. So I'm way excited for him!  It seems kinda weird but just like how when we first met him and said we were friends I really feel like we are friends with him. So I'm really glad. When I was sitting in the lesson I really felt like I knew him before, which was really cool for me! We also visited a less active that we have been working on being friends with and he let is in the front door this time but that's as far as we got, but it's progress! And we also met a lady who Brother Misu, one of the coolest members in Hachioji, recommended we visit who is a less active. So we did and it was really good we are going to visit again with him and see how it goes! Good week though! Just tough finding.

Sounds like everyone is doing good at home, I'm way glad for that! Thanks for all the pictures! New backgrounds! Woo! I hope you all have a great week and trust in the lord and everything will be alright! Sorry life has been busy but sometimes it's good! I love you guys! Keep it frosty for me!

Love,

Elder Gailey

P.S. It's way hot here and we had a ton of earthquakes this week so it was way fun!

 

Reese's Pancake

 

Brother Misu, Tarou, and Elder Gailey

 Elder Gailey with missionaries and members - Mt. Takao

 

Elder Gailey and a Cosco trip