June 22nd
:"Konichiwa Kazoku!!

  I hope y'all are doing great (ha there may or may not be a Southern sister in our district) (and she may or may not be rubbing off on me). Since I don't have a bunch of emails to respond to I should be able to write a nice letter this time :) (which is good!). Ok so...... I'll start off  by telling you a bit more about our district. There are 3 companionships of girls and 3 companionships of boys (so 12 people all together).
      This week was great!! I can't believe it's P-day again already!!. It's been pretty hot here actually. Like all the outside, shaded spots for study time are coveted. I do get to go outside pretty often. That's nice! And thr MTC is set up similar to a college campus- lots of seperate buildings. So to get from your residence to the cafeteria and the classroom you have to walk outside, and they landscape it all pretty. Plus a bunch of your study times you're allowed to go outside. And they have an outdoor field/ sand volleyball court that you can use for your gym time. So I get my daily dosage of vitamin D pretty well. :)
       Man I am ADD. Back to my district....... So. There is Sister Ivory (my comp) she's super sweet. And hardworking. And spiritual. (she cries alot) ha it's cute. She did track in high school/ played volleyball so she's pretty athletic.  And is easy to get along with. Then there is Sister Christensen. She is from California (orange county- so she goes to disneyland all the time and has a beach house. I'm green with envy) ha. But she's a sweeheart. Seriously. Such a dedicated missionary and always really cheerful and upbeat and smiling even when the language is hard. Sister Moss (her comp) is also a sweetie pie. She has a bigger family and is the second oldest. In fact her older sister just got to the MTC this week and is going to Australia. She strives to be super obedient and you can tell she's a determined missionary. Sister Day. She is from Atlanta, Georgia. She's hilarious. She's got long blond hair (which always has a lot of volume :). And says what she thinks. I love it. She keeps things interesting- and the way she says things is just hilarious. And Sister Snow! She's from utah. (ha who isn't) JK. But she is the oldest of all girls in her family and is just a really balanced person. Really focused but easy going to... I like her. She says what needs to be said but isn't ever rude (definitely a peacemaker). Any who! Every night is like a big slumber party with these ladies cuz they all have such great personalities. Love my "Shimaitachi"
       The Elders. ha. The elders are......elders. And we have a lot to learn from one another? ha all I can say is they make our days interesting and entertaining. Quick down lo: Elder Earl- we call him "yoda." ha he's a genius. He understands Japanese probably the best and the way he says things is very wise....ha he sits like a doctor and always puts his hand on his chin (like his contemplating deep matters) ha he has glasses and the longest legs I think I've ever seen. He's a kick in the pants tho when the other elders get him all hyped up ha- cuz he seems like he's 50 and then all the sudden this 19 year old boy comes out of him. (funny story about him to come). Then his comp- Elder Greenburg. He's from Idaho (Boise tho)....we have arguments about which side is the best. Ha he reminds me of how Chandler and Hayden talk. Always coming up with slang from Japanese words. He's hilarious....and such a boy. Ha gotta love the elders! Then there is Elder Olsen- from Canada. He's one that's not quiet about what he knows (language wise).....and is very proud of Canada. ha conversations with him are interesting. Then his comp, Elder Jacox. He's our district leader....and a good one too! Ha he's funny. He is hard to describe. Just a happy guy that wants to obey the rules and be a good missionary- but prob more of a book worm than an athletic person. Then there is Elder Von Neederhausen- ha he's a character. He's from Florida...and is also super funny. He's a bit more quiet throughout the day (and is the only 18 year old we have) but when he does speak up, it's usually worthwhile to listen. He basically just sings Japanese hymns everyday ha. And by the and of the day his shirts a bit untucked and he looks thoroughly tired. Really respectful to the Sisters tho. I'm pro Elder Von. He's a humble guy. Then there is Elder Cottle. Such a sweetheart. Super nice kid and also has a good sense of humor (the peacemaker of the boys I think).
       So. funny story- Sister Moss's sister (haha) came to our dinner table to meet everyone. and Sister Moss is introducing everyone to her.... (and it's just girls left and Elder Earl and Elder Greenburg). And Sister Moss goes: "and these are our chorotachi" (elders) and we look over (only two girls noticed at first and then told the rest of us) but right at that moment Elder Earl is trying to stuff the bottom of a cup in his mouth. hahahahaha. Elder Breenburg had convinced him to try and see if he could do it. We all busted up.... the two original girls that saw it couldn't even breathe. Yoda has a funny side. Ha. Elders. Ok well...... more good stuff about my week. 
      We now have two investigators (one of our teachers and then...... the other teacher) ha. But yesterday. Ah yesterday was the best lesson Ever!! ( One "investigator" is aboy and the other is a girl). We taught the boy yesterday. And it was so awesome. So his character (for lack of a better term) is named Shohei. And he's 18 and his parents are divorced. Yesterday was the second time we had taught him and the first time he was super sad and disconnected. (Besides the fact that we're trying to communicate back and forth to him in Japanese). But yesterday, we asked him the question. " Why is it you wanted to meet with the missionaries Shohei." and He basically said the missionaries seems super happy and he wants to be happy everyday. And the life is difficult and he doesn't understand it's purpose. The NEXT thing we had planned was to have him read a quote that said something to the effect of.... "many people wonder why we are here? where we are going? and what out purpose is?" then to ask him if he had had similar questions. Kanzen (perfect) He said he did (obviously). The next thing we had planned was for me to testify to say that we knew that the plan of salvation gave us answers to these questions. The spirit filled the room when I said that that statement. And I felt it reassuring the profound truth behind those words (it still make me tear up). The amount of genuine concern that I felt for Shohei's happiness and well-being was so powerful. Love (the spirit) illuminated that room and our souls. Sister ivory could barely make it through the next statements of- We lived with Heavenly Father as spirits before, He made a perfect plan for us, that plan is called the plan of salvation, God's whole purpose is to bring happiness to his children, life is an opportunity and a blessing and the gospel of Jesus Christ brings us happiness in this life and the opportunity for eternal life in the world to come. It was almost as if I was seeing the wonderful plan through his eyes- new to it and so wanting to know the truth. But speaking it from my own mouth that knew- in my heart that was I was saying was true and that I had experiences that confirmed that truth to me. The mixture of old and new. I don't know, it was something else. Our investigator started to cry ( an RM) and you could just tell that there was something more to what we were saying than just words. That is what being a missionary is really about.Moments like those are what make all of the difficult moments worth it. And I can't wait to have those moments with real investigators.
        Other highlights of the week. Are that Ivory and I taught the "district meeting" lesson this past sunday. (So about 6 days ago). And it was on Faith on Christ.... we used Elder Holland's talk (Lord I Believe) super good! and PMG and some videos. Let's just say there were some tears shed....from both the teachers and the learners. 
        Also. There is a big missionary broadcast this Sunday. All the 12 are coming!! woo hoo :) exciting....and I'm in the choir. They're recording it and will be posting it to the church website. So if you want to you can look for me. That should be super awesome to experience. Excited I am. ha (Japanese sentence structure). 

                             Love, Sister Haderlie"