Out with the snow and in with the rain! It has been coming down lately, I guess April showers lead to May Cherry Blossoms! Weve learned that when the weather lady says its a 10% chance of rain, she really means its definately raining, it will just be about 10% as rough and wet as a typhoon. The same goes with 50% and so on. But we do enjoy the sun we get now and then. The other day we gut up at 430 am, bundled up and biked down to the coast to climb a hill and watch the sun come up. It was too overcast for us to see anything, but it was fun exploring the hills and cliffs.

Last P Day we were down on the other end of town, climbed this mtn right on the coast and had a great view, then went and had dinner at the cafe in the middle of nowhere on the cliffs that Elder Knighton and I discovered about 2 months ago. We were the only customers there, and when we walked in the little old lady (who has been running the place for 50 years!) got the stove cranked up and put some jazzy records on. I dont think she has changed the decor in 50 years, it was quite hipster, made me think of that hotel in The Shinning. The menu has only 3 options, and it was pretty cheap so I was concerned on portion size, but it ended up being really tasty and filling, for only about $4. I`ll take that any day! Weve had some really good lessons and random experiences testifying to people, we cant make everyone listen but we are definately making sure they get a chance to hear this great message! Super random but the other day we were walking down the street and passing the local badminton store (yep, its that popular here), and did a double take when I saw a shirt with thse Power ranger looking pigs playing badminton! It is the most random shirt Ive ever seen and Im totally getting one today! Have a great week!

Your Man.

In Japan.

Elder A K Jones.

March pictures

Well it was a good week. It wasnt exactly super exciting, but it was good. Last week we got Elder Spurling a slick new bike, but we havent ridden yet since the mission office forgot to hand us his helmet when we were there and so we are waiting for it in the mail. Its been raining alot, welcome to a Japanese spring! We had some cool spiritual experiences and taught some good lessons this week. Had General Conference this weekend, an amazing opportunity to hear from a living prophet and his apostles. Thats seriously about it. Hopefully it doesnt rain today!
Your Man in Japan,
Elder Andrew Kade Jones

What a week. So Monday Elder Knighton and I had a Tour de Muroran, had an hour bike ride out to the lighthouse on the cliffs, it was mostly uphill and very windy. PS if you go a few months without biking, ease back into it. If you decide to go out, in can result in a lot of sore muscles and a bruised groin. Wounds or it didnt happen. Tuesday we had our usual weekly training meeting 1.5 hours away. Get our transfer call from the Assistants to the President (APs), he tells me I allready got my call so I can hand the phone to Elder Knighton. Umm yeah...I havent heard anything yet... "What? Your kidding right? I called you yesterday... Did I forget to call you? Oh crap. Well, youre going to have to hustle, because we need you here in Sapporo tommorow morning. Elder Jones, you are now a trainer". Yeah, thats probably the most nervouse and excited ive been in a while. So Elder Knighton and I rush back home, trek to the city hall to take care of stuff, pack all his stuff, cancel all th next days plans, and essentially do 2 days worth of prep in a few hours. Yeah, that phone call a day earlier would have helped.

Wednesday I went out to the mission office, there are 15 new missionaries (the most weve ever had at 1 time by far), and therefore 15 trainers, of which I was the youngest. Got my brand new "bean chan" as we call them, Elder Connor Spurling, 19 yrs old, about 5'7" and 130 lbs, from Indiana. He is a way legit and funny kid, weve been together about 5 days and its been a blast. Its hilarious, his Japanese is better than mine was at that time (he took 3 years of it in HS), but thinks I am amazing because I can talk to people. Ha, hes so fresh. Weve allready seen some miracles. Friday we are knocking doors, meet this 30 yr old guy, recently seperated from his wife and kid, has been thinking about his reason for living and looking for truth. Well, nice to meet you too! We go into his house, teach a great lesson, he lets out a few tears and says he feels this peace as he talks to us. We testify hard core, commit him to baptism and give him a Book of Mormon, goes way good.

Anyways we are both way excited to see miracles in Muroran, these next 2 transfers are going to go by way too fast. Have a great week out there, take it easy.

Your Man in Japan,
Elder Andrew Kade Jones

Hey Everyone!

Some cool stuff this week. So last Monday we went to another area, Tomakomai, about an area away by train, to have a district activity and have our weekly meeting the next week. Well the other 4 missionaries (8 in our district total) were stuck for like 8 hours at their station due to a blackout, so the other 4 of us partied. We went to this big park with a slide that winds down the side of this hill it is made of those rolly metal bars and was like a roller coaster it was way fun. Today it is sunny and fairly warm, we rode our bikes for the first time in months, that was wierd. The ocean air is killer on your bike, its already all rusted. Today we are going down to a lighthouse on the coast where you can apparently see the curve of the earth since the view is so wide.

 

Ok, so in case you didnt know missionaries are totally guided by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit, whatever you want to call it but it happens. So Wed, we have an appt to meet this college kid up by the college, Elder Knighton and another missionary had taught him his first lesson the week before. He doesnt show, so I call him. Says he worked late last night and was sleeping, was way tired and wanted to meet another day. Ughhh, yeah, sure whatever. Well a few hours later we are walking around some apartments looking for a place to pee, and guess who we run into? Mihara Kun! (the same kid). He was coming home from getting some groceries. We talk to him, he says he is sorry but tired and will meet another time, nice about it and all. So a half hour later we are trying to find an appt Elder Knighton made the week before but he cant remember the right apartment, which was really annoying me. "I think it might posssibly be this one" he says. Yeah, it better be! We walk up and knock on the door it should be. Guess whos apartment it is? Mihara Kun! Hes like "oh hey...I didnt know you knew where my apt was..." We dont! I invite us in and he lets us in. We teach a great lesson, give him a Book of Mormon, teach him how to pray, and commit him to baptism. Like seriously. It was wierd.

And then Saturday we are down by the coast where its pretty hilly, there is this neighborhood built on the side of a hill and there are just paths between houses and front doors are hidden all over its crazy. So we just blitz the thing from top to bottom right to left, rejected. We are about to go take a bathroom break when I get this feeling we missed a house...So we head back up and just look around, turn a corner and see this blue house we didnt notice before... So we go knock the door, this dad comes out and starts talking, has a family of 5, way nice guy, says he is interested and is cool with us coming back. Yeah, it was cool. That doesnt happen very often...So yeah, we are doing good out here. Cranking out miracles and getting blessings dumped on us. Anyways, everyone take it easy and have a great week!

 

Your Man in Japan,

Elder Andrew Kade Jones