Hey mom and dad


What to bring to japan?  Well it will be cooling off but it will still be hot. Shorts should be perfectly fine.  Maybe bring 1 or 2 pairs of pants just in case.  Definitely bring jackets just in case it gets cold.  If I remeber right, the evenings can get chilly.

That is great that the Satos said that it was ok to meet. Did they respond in English?  I am way excited.

So about you coming here.  If you want I could probably pick you up at the airport if you want and we could do something on Thursday.  I am not exactly sure where I will be for my last week but I think i will be in the mission home.  That is what makes the most sense.  If I am there the possibility of me picking you guys up is very high.  What do you think?

The plan looks good.  I am way excited.  I have acouple of people I want to see but I will probably see them at confrence. I need to double check that confrence is on he 9th.  If it is it works out perfectly.  I would say to bring between 10 and 15 omiage`s.  Probably closer to 15. What exactly are you going to bring anyways?  If they are big and hard to bring what ever wroks is ok.  I dont know exactly how many people I will visit/see so about 10to15 should do it.

Ok now to my week.

This week we worked hard and did what we could with the new study schedule we have for new missionaries.  Some days we would have no time to go out because of appointments with memberts etc.  It was kind of rough.  We would talk to alot of way cool nice peolple but when it came time to meet again and talk about Christ they said they couldnt.  Kind of frusturating but we love them and we hope to see them again on the street.  Then Sunday came with no one coming to chruch and no new investigators for the week.  Kind of a bummer.  I thought I would be reporting alot of zeros that night.  But halfway through sacrament meeting we got a call from a potential investigator that we had met about month ago.  He was having a rought day and so he called us to meet us.  I told him we were at chruch so if he wanted to meet he would have to come to chruch.  So he did.  He had a good time.  We had a temple fireside and a pot luck after church.  He came to both of those and the members were really nice.  He felt way welcome.  He became our first new investigator of the transfer.  He is not the strongest investigator but he knows why the missionaries are here.  To help.  He knows that if he called us he could feel better.  What a tender mercy from the Lord.

This strengthened my testimony that the Lord is watching over us and knows what we are going through.  I will work hard even if we never find and investigator and I wont complain.  I know that this is the Lords work and that no matter what happens as long as I am working hard and doing my best it will all work out.

I love you all.  I am getting excited for you all to come. see you soon

elder christian price

pictures!!!
1 meand my comp
2the kouchi castle
3 cool statue in the castle

4 the veiw fromteh castle

Hey family,

How are you?  I am great. My new comp is from utah, american fork. hey mom do you remember a kid named Brandon Healey?  He went to elementary school with me.  Well, I am his cousins trainer.  My comps name is Healey.  He is awesome.  We hit it off right from the start.  We like the same things we are both chill and we are both ready to work.  This past we we have had not alot of time to work but this week is going to be amazing.  I know it.
No dad ihave not eaten biscuits and gravy for over 2 years.  I cant even imagine the taste.  That is how long I havent eaten it.

I am also excited for you to come.  We definately need to go to the noodle factory and the ninja museum.  When it gets closer I can solitify plans but that will probably take up most of our time. we also need to go to Nara and see the deer(dad i know you would love that) and see the biggest budda statue in the world.  It is way cool.  Hiroshima; if we take the shinkansen it probably wont take us too long to get there but it will eat up some time.  The matsuda factory sounds fun too.  Becasue we only have 4 days I think we will have just enough time to do all of it. Sunday will be general confrence in Japan I think so we will probably go to Yamatokoriyama because there I can see the members from Nabari and from Yamatokoriyama.  And then that day we can go to Nara and stuff maybe.  I will give it more thought in a couple of weeks
I sent the translated letter to the Sato family last week.  It was kind of hard to find the address and make sure tha it was correct but I think it was.  I will wait about another week before I try agian or call.  I will get the numbers from the old email you sent me.

I cant believe Kyle is getting back. thats crazy.  Tell him hi for me will ya. and I am glad that Greg is doing well and gave a good talk.  Missions are the best.  They shape our lives, and teach us how to be, how to face the hard times. I am so thankful for this opportunity and I am sad that it is coming to a close but it is just one amazing chapter.  This last 6 weeks is going to be heaven becuase that is what happens when you get blessings from God and you see his hand in the work.

I love you all and cant wait until we meet again.


love


elder christian price

Hey mom and dad,

...Next the nuclear thing and food.  You probably are a little worried about it but I dont really know. We dont watch the news.  An english class student said that the store we shop at had been selling meat that had been tainted with radiation but I couldnt taste the difference but even with that being said the store is still open and a whole bunch of people still go there so I dont think it is that big of a deal.  Sometimes people in Japan like to make it seem bigger than it realy is. They really dont like nuclear stuff here or some peolpe don't so they amplify that kind of stuff, I think. I dont watch the news so I dont know.


Ok now this week was crazy. There was the Yosakoi festival (yosakoi matsuri).  It was 3 days of straight dancing from 12 to 10 all over the city.  I took some way cool pictures and videos.  Just to explain Yosakoi a little bit, there are over 100 teams and they use wooden paddles that have two pieces that move so when you move it fast they snap.  So they play really loud music and walk/dance in the streets and in large coverd walkways.  It is nuts.  My pictures and videos don't do it justice.  There were a billion people here from all over.  I will send some pics later.  Then after that the Obon festival started.  It is not as extravigant but it is all over Japan.  It is a buddhist festival where they beleive that their ancestors come to visit them and their graves.  It is pretty neat.  It is summer vacation so when ever we find people they say call me after summer vacations and stuff so we have been struggling to find new investigators.  And with all the festivals going on it is hard to talk to people.  All we can do is try right?


This morning we got transfer calls and ........ I will be staying in kouchi and I will be training a new missionary.  I thought I would.  It is going to be way fun.  It is also going to help focus more on the work and work even harder to show the new missionary how to work hard.  I am excited. I will send his picture next week.


This week during study I learned about prayer.  There is a good part in pmg chapter 4 that talks about praying with faith and has 11 steps to good effective prayers.  You should read it and try to apply some of the things.  It has really helped me in my prayers.  Prayer is so powerfull but it is so easy to make it a routine and repetitive.  Especially as missionaries prayer is key. Realizing that it is a conversation with God and treating it like one is really important.  When we have that faith and pray earnestly anything can happen.  I am looking forward to working with a new missionary and working hard.


You are the best family every.  I know not just my immediate family reads these so when I say family I do mean everyone.  I am so blessed to have such a great supprotive family.  There is no greater blessing than a happy supportive family.


love you all


elder christian price


pictures.


first 4 are of yosakoi


then last one is of the last district meeting of the transfer.

Hey mom and dad

thanks for the emails. Life is good. This week I spent most of my time in different areas so I dont have much to say. I did get to go bowling for the first time in japan. It was pretty fun. We had a single adult activity and we had some less actives, recent converts and english class students come. It was a blast I will send pictures with this email.

It has been amazing to see how I have changed in the past few days. I can definitely see and feel the power of fasting and prayer. The sons of mosiah and alma were such great missionaries and were so knowledgable because they fasted and prayed and I wish I would have done the fasting part more often. It is way hot so it makes it hard to want to do anything especially if you dont sleep very well which can happen a lot. But recently it hasnt been that much of a problem especially when we were fasting yesterday I didnt feel hungry or tired. I felt good like I iknew that this was what I was supposed to be doing. It felt right. It was a crazy awesome feeling. Even though it was burning hot I didnt care, life was good.

Missions are the best!!!!!

by theway here is my address.

kouchi ken kouchi shi aioi cho1-25 rejidensu nonami 601

I live way close to the kouchi train station.

Being on the island of shikoku is fun. I dont really feel like I am on an island because I cant really see the ocean but when I think about it and realize that there are not that many missionaries here it feels like I am on an island seperated from everyone. But is is all good. It doesnt change how I work. I came to kouchi by train. You could probably take a boat which would be funner but we take a train.

Loveya lots. these next 2 months are going to fly by. so see you in a bit.

elder christian price

ps
1. is of zone confrence. all of the missionareis that gave their last testimony before they go home
2 and 3 are of bowling

Hey mom and dad,

well this week as definitely a better week. We all have trials and when we rely on the lord we will recieve the help we need to continue. We were kind of busy this week with a lot of things. We vistited a lot of less active members. We had some lessons with investigators and we found 2 new investigators too. Of course not everything this week was good but it is getting way better. Little by little I am strating to change and the lord is giving me blessings.

I can see how good my japanese is now and how lazy I have gotten when it comes to study. Becasue I can get around I kind of loose the need to study really hard. I am also at a dificult spot because I have learned all the basic stuff so now I have to move on to the tedious stuff which I like but every moring it seems hard to study. but I feel comfortable with my japanese.

One of our investigators speaks fluent british english. She is way nice and has no religion. She is not against religion but she does like to rely on others. We talked for a long time and she actually realized that whenever she was in hard situation that she didnt go through it alone. She always had help. She thought alot about that. I told her that is a blessing from god and god helps us through many ways. I dont know how interested she is in the gospel but I think she has definitely seen that religion or the principles of religion have been in her life for a long time without realizing it. I hope in the coming weeks we can work with her and help her progress towards baptism.

This week we will not really been in our area to work because we have zone confrence tomorrow and then we will be going to an area in my district for a comp. exchange. The areas in my district are so far apart and so expensive that you can really only afford to go once to an area so we stay a little longer so I can work with both elders.

Life is still amazing I Japan!!! and it always will. No matter what kind of hardships I have I will always be thankfull for them because I have seen how it has changed me for the better. This gospel is great right?!

I love you all and can't wait to see you all

love

elder christian price

Hey mom and dad
A surprise to hear that the tanners are moving. But i guess it’s all good. That place in Colorado seemed way fun. Maybe we can go there some day. The atonement is such a great blessing. I have actually been thinking about that a lot lately. It seems like I don’t use the atonement enough in my life, but then again I feel that I may use it more than I think without realizing it. Or may be receiving the blessings of the atonement without realizing it. I feel like I am working hard in my new area. But I seem to be seeing no results. It is kind of frustrating. I know numbers are not everything but our numbers are really low. We can’t find, it’s hot and we haven’t really met with members. There is only so much I can do and it seems like it isn’t enough. I am still happy and excited to be here in Kouchi working hard and learning a ton but because of this situation I have been thinking about the atonement. It is hard to go to a ward missionary work coordination meeting with no new investigators and nothing really to show for the week. We studied grace when Pres. Mcintyre was here and grace it what you recieve when you have done all you can. It is the percent out of 100 that you couldn’t do. The key is to rely on the lord. That is something thatIi am really starting to learn. It is way hard to rely on something you can’t see or touch but when we can do this we can better be a disciple of Christ.
Because of this I have really had to change. And I mean a lot. Uncle Dave always said `when the going gets tuff the tuff get going. ` Well now it is tuff and I want to be a tuff one so I am going. With all this being said don’t worry about me too much. I am focused on my purpose thanks to your prayers. I thought that my last 2 transfers were going to be easy. Boy was I wrong. I am growing so much from this experience. I am actually happy to have this experience. Because without it I would not be progressing and if you are not progressing you are digressing.
That is just what I have been thinking about lately. But we are still having a great time. Talking to people. We talked to a guy from Australia who is here to work. He was way sweet. He is way busy so he can’t really meet right now but he was way interested in what we had to say. Way cool guy. There was also a festival the other day and that was way fun. Got some cool pictures. Next week there is going to be a crazy big dance festival that lasts like 2 or 3 days. That will be a great time to talk to people and experience some Japanese culture.
Hey dad so i actually just got done retranslating the letter you sent. I will probably send it with a letter that i will be writing. Nobukasu might understand the other one but just to make sure i will send mine too.
And the plugs in japan are similar. If they don’t have the third ground prongs you and use it in japan. But if it has the ground prong you have to buy an adaptor.
Well thank you family for everything. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Japan is amazing and don’t you forget it. It is the best place to work as a servant of the lord. 2 and half months are short but it is going to be the best 2 and half months ever.
Love ya
Elder Christian Price

Hey mom and dad,

That San Diego trip sounded and looked awesome from the pictures. I am so jealous that you got to go spear fishing. You will have to take me when i get back. That looks like a blast.

I will send a letter to the family in japan a.s.a.p. Hopefully it will be sent by the end of the week but at latest next week.

Japan is amazing. It is so hot, I am tired, by head hurts, my mind is going a million miles an hour and I am loving all of it. I am still trying to learn how to street. It gets better every day but it still isn’t where it should be. That is way I like it I guess. I have realized thatIi am a person that does not like to be stagnant. I always like to be moving or doing something. I always want to progress and get better. I try not to settle. Relearning how to street is one of those things that will be hard but will make me stronger and a better missionary. I am really starting to learn the meaning of diligence and hard work. This is my second to last transfer and i can feel myself, the natural man, wanting to go home. Not work too hard, and not be exactly obedient. I never thought i would be this hard. I feel like the end is what gets a lot of missionaries. It is so close to going home. You can almost taste the jet fumes. It is crazy to think about. But i don’t want to be an ordinary missionary. I want to finish out strong to the end. I don’t want to think about the end until it comes. Elder Slater was a great example of this. He was way happy while working and he was way focused. Then when i way him just before his parents came it had finally hit him that he is done. That show i want to be. I want to go all-out and have it hit me when it is over that I am done. It has been a real personal test to keep my self-motivated. I also have a transfer 3 missionary who is trying but i still need to do most of it all. I need to be a good example in all i do, say, etc.
I am loving it here in Japan. It is the best place on earth. The work is starting to move here in Kouchi. Slowly but surely it is moving. I am trying to leave my mark on Kouchi. And not just with the members but with the people to. I have never really had this desire until now. I don’t know if Kouchi will be my last area or not so i am going to do all i can to leave this place better than when i found it.
We were housing the other day and we found this way old guy. I say way old but he was probably around grandpa prices age and he actually reminded me of grandpa price. He wasn’t as big but just the atmosphere/ora he had just made me think of grandpa price. He also loved America and westerns. We are going to visit him this Friday. I pray that it goes extremely well. There is something different about this old guy. Most old people yell at you, say they are old so they can’t understand, or the say they are in a different religion. But this guy listened to us little and said we could come back. I will let you know what happens next week.

You are the best family in the world. I owe all thatIi have and have done to you. I am who I am today because of you my family. Thank you. I love you all, have fun in the pool. Save some water for me.

Love

Elder Christian Price