Hey everyone!

So I know I just had my pday a couple days ago but they are getting us
back on the schedule of having them every Monday that's why we are
having it. So from now on I will have them every Monday with the
exception of a few weeks here and there but I will let you all know
about that if it comes up. I don't have much to write about so it will
be kind of short but I do have a funny story!

So for New Year's Day after we had our p-day (it ends at 6pm) then we
went out to dendo some more! Which I'm sorry if I haven't explained
dendo yet, it means missionary work so pretty much like knocking on
doors or talking to people on the street about the gospel. During our
P-day the senior missionaries in our area invited us over for lunch
and we hung out there and ate food for 3 and a half hours. I had a lot
of good food that I liked such as okonomiyaki and gyoza. But then I
had this stuff called mochi which is like pounded white rice and it
tasted pretty nasty haha thankfully they said I didn't need to finish
it. So yeah we did that on New Year's Day and then during dendo we
knocked on this one mans home who was having a huge party and him and
his wife came out. We started to talk to them and in the middle of our
conversation she looks at me and says "otokomae!". So I look at my
trainer all confused as she keeps saying it and he starts to laugh and
says it means "handsome man". (Fyi these people are about in their
60's). After I kind of laugh she goes inside and grabs like half the
party and brings them to the front door! So about 15 or so people come
out, a bunch of kids, teenagers, and other people and just look at me
and are like "oooh umai!" Or other Japanese words that I don't know,
later my trainer told me it was like words of agreement. After that
awkward little experience we kept talking to him and he invites us in
but we could tell they had been drinking and we didn't think it was
the best idea so we decline. Then I said that I can only speak a
little Japanese so it wouldn't be that fun anyways and he accidentally
heard "I can only drink a little sake" so that was pretty funny. We
left and he said to come visit him anytime so we are going to see him
later this week or next week.

Later that night we met another nice lady that gave us candy and the
following day we talked to a man who had met with missionaries 30
years ago! He enjoyed talking to us but said he wasn't interested in
our message. Right as we were about to leave he ran in and gave us
some candy too! We were excited until we realized he gave us coffee
jello haha. So needless to say we didn't eat that but we still
appreciated the gesture. On Saturdays we do an Eikaiwa class and it's
so much fun! I can't remember if I have talked about it or not but it
is one of my favorites things we do. It is just an English class we
teach for free here and the people always love it. We play games and
are able to get to know people in the area a lot better.

So that is about it for these past couple days! One thing me and my
companion have been focusing on is being bold with our commitments and
when we talk to people. I have seen already the impact it has had on
the people we talk to when we boldly testify to them. I believe they
truly do recognize us as disciples of Christ. I can't wait for my
Japanese to improve so I can become a better teacher and be able to
relate to people here better. But until then I have been focusing on
having a love for them and looking for ways to serve them and show
them my love even if it is as simple as smiling at them on the street.
I love being on a mission and I can't wait to see all the miracles I
know are waiting for me in Saijo! I love you all!

Love, Elder Sherrill