First week in Japan
So... Haha I don't even know where to begin...
May 24th- I left for the airport with Sister Heaton, she also left the same day, but she went to the Fukuoka Mission! While we were at the Phoenix International Airport, we met 9 other missionaries! Five of them were from Japan! They were the first district from Japan that was able to make it to the Provo MTC in person! The missionaries we met were Elders Rasmussen, Takeda, and Suzuki. And Sisters Dyer, Lawton, Robinson, Jensen, Ninomiya, and Matsubara. And then there was me and Sister Heaton. We flew out of Phoenix into LA and we had a short layover, enough time for a small lunch and then we flew to Japan! It was a 12 hour flight and it was hot! The whole time! So that was fun... Haha, but the food was good! They gave us two meals and it was fun to see the presentation of it. We then arrived at Japan! I talked to the two people beside me and they were both going to Vietnam, so I wished them luck! We then proceeded to conduct 2 hours of COVID testing, paperwork, and waiting. We then got through customs and we were picked up! They drove us to the JAL City hotel which was cool. There were 6 other elders there as well! (We flew on the JAL airlines.)
Because of the time schedule shift and the long flight I got there on the 25th and then on the 26th the missionaries going to Fukuoka and Sapporo left at 9:30 and Kobe and Nagoya left at 10:40. So we said our goodbyes and then we split! Us missionaries at 10:40 went on the Shinkansen, a bullet train! The other missionaries with us were all the sisters that flew in with us minus Sister Heaton and Sister Dyer. Only Sister Ninomiya and I were going to Kobe that day. It was a super cool experience to be able to ride a Shinkansen and yes, it's very fast! It took about 2 hours to get from Tokyo, to Kobe! We then got off and quickly found the mission president! President Halvorson and Sister Halvorson are awesome! Before our pictures we spoke some Japanese to each other, simple, but I could understand, so that was nice :). We then got pictures and did bunch of paperwork at the office.
The next 3 days, I helped around the office with the office elders, Matsumoto and Yamanatsu Choro, the senior couple, the Allens, and the AP's, Sato and Yoshida Choro. It was fun! I helped move things around in this big Japanese vacation home that the church bought. It has a pool, gym, and a sauna in the basement. It's nicknamed the Ghost House. It's HUGE. I helped teach a lesson with the AP's. I helped set up the smartphones with the office or honbu elders.
One night, President & Sister Halvorson took Sister Ninomiya and I out to dinner! They took us to a place that specialized in fried food haha. I got fried pork, hamburger, and this fried cream, potato, thing. And lots of salad :). It was very good and I wouldn't have thought I would be having some great fried food in Japan :).
This Saturday was when we found out who our new companions would be! I saw Elder Bennion as well which was fun! He was an Elder that was with me in my MTC District! We talked for a bit and maybe we'll be in a district together, or companions! And my new companion is Matsumoto Choro! Haha, it was pretty funny and awesome to hear that, as we were working together for the past couple of days. It'll be a great transfer :).
We had an interesting Sunday! Elder Matsumoto was an office elder, but now he's with me, but the new office elder needs training, so we'll be in Kobe for 3 weeks as that process plays out. Our area is in Fushimi and we cover two wards, the Fushimi and Otsu wards. But since we are in Kobe, our area is a 2 hour train ride away... So what do you do in that situation? Go to church! We left at 7:50 and we missed the train at 8:05, so we had to wait till 8:15. We then took a connecting route to the JR lines. JR lines are the national lines in Japan. We took this train all the way through Osaka and Kyoto. We then took a subway down to Fushimi. We started walking and we got picked up by our Ward Mission Leader, who was also late haha. We then got into church and after the sacrament the Bishop invited both of us up, big rip. Elder Matsumoto introduced himself and I understood that part and then he said something at the end, I think maybe a scripture or something. I knew I needed to talk about my family, where I'm from, and a hobby. I did all of those things, in blockly Japanese, but I did it. In English I literally said.
Good Morning
I'm Elder Robertson. Nice to meet you all
My family has 7 people. I have two younger brothers and sisters.
My favorite hobby is playing the piano
I am from the state of Virginia.
After that, I had an awkward pause bc I didn't know what to do next so I just bore a simple testimony that Christ is our Savior and that Joseph Smith is a prophet. The Spirit was there and that's what matters, but it was still tough haha. The rest of Sunday went great and we had a long ride back :).
We tried out street contacting in Japan and it is super different than Gilbert. I think out of the 15 people I said hi to, only 3 said hi back and they were practically running away as they said it too :). Okay, I'm joking, but seriously, it is tough. So I'm still trying to learn more about how it works here.
Pday. Today was nuts! We went to Sannomiya, a part of Kobe and we did some fun stuff there! We went out to eat at this cheese place haha. I got this steak thing and they put steaming melting cheese all over it haha. It was a unique place to eat :). We then walked around and then headed to an island and to this sign that said, "Be Kobe". It was pretty fun and had a good view of the city behind it. It was sprinkling when we left and we went shopping and just put our food in our bags and carried it on the train back home. I bought a train card as well, so now I just have to keep it charged and I can just scan it whenever I go through the line.
This is probably one of the longest emails I'll write. Maybe not :). But it has been one of the most singularly craziest week of my life. Just wow... BUT, it has been awesome in every single way.
Quick thought. God needs you today, right now. Not tomorrow, today! There are people that love you and want to be part of your life. And the person who wants that the most is your Heavenly Father. He is all powerful, but he cannot control what you choose to do. So when you choose to include Him in your life, you are giving the only gift you can give. Your desire and love. It's ironic, that it's the only gift you can give, but the best gift. So give it!
Hopefully that makes sense, if not, email me ;). But seriously, I hope that you all have a great week! Can't wait to email you all next week about this adventure.
ロバートソン長老
President & Sister Halvorson
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