エルダーショー

home profile entries list address

ホーム

About

The adventures and misadventures of Elder Shaw as he teaches among the Japanese, and is no doubt taught in return.

Head to the 'Profile,' section to read more about who I am, and what I believe in. For more information on where I actually am, please click here.

文

Entries

7.06.2010 / 9:00 PM

Kon Ban Wa!

Hey everybody! Sorry I'm getting this e-mail to you all so late. But I had service at the temple in the morning (which was awesome!) and it lasted for over 3 hours... So I didn't have any time this morning to send off an e-mail. Also, as a result of the temple service I had virtually zero time to write letters this Tuesday! So I'm sorry, but only Mom and Dad got letters :/ It was okay though, because the Dearelder service and mail service were back logged majorly for the 4th of July celebrations, and as a result no one in my zone received any dearelders after last Thursday or Friday. So if you sent me one... I still have yet to get it! Sorry :/ At any rate, Happy Canada day! And Independance day. (I guess :P) Haha, so I'll start off with the interesting things that happened this week? First, it was Canada day. Which was great fun because I got some fun Canada goodies from Mom in the mail. Pictures will come next week (since the bookstore was closed this week). And then Independance Day came! Guess what!? The MTC Mission President let all of the Elders stay outside until 10:30 to watch the Stadium of Fire's Fireworks array on the 4th of July! Isn't that so cool? I got lots of pictures and might send some next week as well. It was really fun and cool, and we ever got to hear a little bit of Taylor Swift... Although it was mostly drowned out by the screaming crowd. Definitely an experience I won't forget! This week also we got 30 new missionaries arriving at the MTC who are also going to Japan. They're all newbies to Japanese of course, and won't be leaving for 12 weeks though. Except for two elders. There's a finnish Elder named Elder Kirvenen who studied Japanese for 5 years and an Elder Christy who lived in Japan for 7 years. Both of them speak near fluency, and as a result have been placed in my district! So it's been really cool to get to know them and admire their Japanese speaking abilities. They'll be leaving to Japan at the same time that the group of Missionaries who arrived with me will be leaving (in 5 weeks or whatever). At any rate, it's been really fun to get to know all the "Kohi," which is the word we use for newbies. Haha. I think that's all I can talk about for now. I'll send pictures to Emily next week! At any rate, my enter key does not work again (I hate the MTC computers!) so sorry you all have to deal with huge walls of text. Maybe Emily can space if out on my blog for me? At any rate... Because it was Canada day this week, I was feeling very patriotic, and I wrote a short poem that shares my feelings about Canada. I didn't spend too much time on it, so obviously it's not my best work... But it gets the point across. (And I have no enter key... So "/" means it's a new line. "//" Means new stanza) K?) (I used the arrow keys to get this first and only space).

Kon Ban Wa!O Canada, Why? / O Canada / I heard it first / When I was just a boy / "Something great," they made me say, / "Something worth standing for," // But I scorned, and flailed / My body frozen / Lungs chilled, and breath / Standing Still / I asked / O Canada, Why? // Why do thy winds blow unceasingly? / Thy valleys strain forever? / Why do thy cities grind? // Why is thy sky so pale? / Thy air lack luster? / Why are thy days so short, / And thy nights so dank? // But as I tore / And clawed and shoved / Thy people, thy people / Apologized. / For what? // Thy nights were long / But patient // Thy air was plain / But Humble // Thy sky was pale, / but hope shone just beyond the edge. // Thy cities screamed / exhorting me to listen / And thy orchestra played. // Thy stretching valleys sang softly of thy grace, / And thy wind bade trees to boom of thy glory. / Thy oceans drummed a melody to thy majesty / And thy mountains whispered, just enough of thy wisdom. // Through the cold I saw thy warm / Only by thy chilling hand / Could my heart begin to thaw / And I remembered / I remembered / O Canada / I will stand on gaurd for thee. [[[ Okay that's the end of the poem. Sorry it's so hard to read. But the point I want to make is not found within the poem. The point that I want to make... Is that it is extremely easy for me to talk about Canada. So easy! And I jump at every opportunity to talk about Canada. And as I wrote this mostly lackluster poem, I began thinking about why I enjoyed talking about Canada so much. And I realized, it's because I love Canada so much, that I can so easily talk about Canada. Then I got thinking... If this is true for me, it is likely to be true with everyone. And if this is true for everyone, if things we love are so easy to talk about... What does that say about our love for the Savior? I know that personally, I find it awkward and difficult to bring up Gospel subjects outside of the setting that I'm currently in. But I claim to love the Savior with all my heart. For a moment, this thought made me feel a little bad about myself. Like I should be more able and ready to share what I know to be true. However, I quickly realized that this was silly! For, by my own logic, the easiest way to beccome more comfortable and confident talking about the savior is to develop greater love for him! What task could possibly be more simpler? I'm pretty much out of time, but I want to challenge everyone this week to get to love our saviour a little more. Read your scriptures for a little longer. Pray with a little more sincerity. Listen a little harder for the spirit. I was told reccently that there's no secret to missionary work. Great missionaries don't do anything different than good missionaries. They just do that same thing a little better, and a little longer. That applies to life as well. I know if we just do what we know to be true, a little longer and a little better, we'll see a big difference! That I promise. But now I'm out of time! Sorry evveryone if this is hard to read! Blame the MTC ccomputers/time limit/ crappy keyboards! I love you all!
--
Sincerely,
Elder Shaw