Elder James Calhoun, Tokyo Japan Mission

Email #11 Monday, January 5, 2015

My Dearest Family,

It's been another great week here in Japan! We had a pretty eventful week. After emailing on monday, we went bowling. I played terribly, but it was super fun! On Tuesday, I went on my first exchange! It was really fun and I learned a lot. I went to Nagaoka with Elder Wheatley. He's one of the zone leaders. He taught me a lot about streeting and the importance of talking to everyone we see. He got quite a few phone numbers just by stopping to talk to people. It was impressive. One of the Elders in Nagaoka is named Elder Henderson. He's from Utah, and is a legit cowboy. He has some pretty crazy stories. I hope I end up as his companion sometime, it would be super fun and he's a really hard worker. New Year's is a big holiday here in Japan, probably the biggest, way bigger than Christmas. We aren't allowed to go out because it's so crazy. Instead, we stay inside and clean and read the Book of Mormon. Tuesday was deep cleaning day, and Wednesday was Book of Mormon reading day. We cleaned the apartment really thoroughly, and for a day or two it looked really good, and now it just looks the same as before! Things get so crazy so quickly. Along with tons of other things, I think I'm really learning the importance of helping around the house in college and in marriage. I kind of feel like I'm back in elementary school, when I would just write, "I'm thankful for my mom because ... she cleans," but I really do appreciate you so much more Mom. You're the best! Along with your amazing mom skills, I really appreciate your amazing example of spirituality, kindness, hard work, and cheerfulness. I have learned so much from you and wish I had been better at expressing it! The next day was Book of Mormon reading day. I didn't read nearly as much of the Book of Mormon as I should have. Our apartment discovered the "Church History in the Fullness of Times" book on Gospel Library, and it has been consuming my life. It is so enlightening and I am learning a crazy amount from it, and it also feels good to read while I eat. I miss reading! I am consuming it at a fearful rate. Friday was a normal day. We havebeen trying to get more people to come to our activities, but because we had three not-normal days, we weren't able to broadcast it as much as we were hoping. No one came, but we're working on it! All the churches have ping pong tables and have Chinese paddles, so I'm learning to play holding it Chinese style. It's way easier to slam, and forehands are easier, but backhands are super hard. Hopefully I'll play enough that I'll be able to beat Dad when I get home. On Saturday, I went on exchanges with Elder Walker, one of the Elders in our apartment. I learned a lot about housing and preparing for lessons from him. He's awesome. Sunday was normal, and today has been awesome! We went to this big mountain in our area and the town at the base, Yahiko. We went and visited a big, famous Shinto shrine that was really beautiful. We then took a cable car up to the top of the mountain. You could see for miles and miles, and on one side you could see Japan, and on the other, the Sea of Japan! It was beautiful. We went hiking through three foot snow up to this monument. It was really steep and super fun. We decided to build a huge snowman! It ended up being taller than me and really heavy. The base took forever to roll. We were pretty happy the result, you can see the ocean in the background!

I typed that earlier today, so I'll reply to your last email here. I'm SOOOOO happy for Liza! Baptism is so important, and I'm incredibly happy she was so excited for it! You rock Liza! THE BUCKEYES WON!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! I yelled out and stood up and fist pumped and Elder Mobley had no idea why I was so excited. That makes me so happy! Although, I'm pretty proud of myself, I haven't thought about sports at all since arriving to Japan! I'll keep that up, because it helps with missionary work and it seems to be helping the Buckeyes win! Mom, would you mind sending that crepe recipe and the onion and carrot and potato recipes thisweek? And I really need you guys to send me your ideas for smarter and more creative missionary work, and about the speed stack cups! Thanks a ton! I love you all so much, thanks a ton for all your support and love! I have the best family in the whole wide world!

Much love,

カラフ-ン長老