Letter from Matlock – 26 October 2010

A brief explanation.  We let Matlock know that we were not receiving his letters and he used a different mailbox.  It must have worked - so there have been no letters posted for two weeks because we have received none - will post them if they ever come!

Dear (Family in Japanese characters),
I cannot even begin to explain how crazy this week has been.  Wednesday, at the zone conference we received posters for eikaiwa to post around our area.  So we went out to try and post them.  The one board we found said that you had to go to the town hall to get the item approved first.  So we went there and talked to the lady in charge of that.  and still can’t understand – I don’t like being treated like an idiot, etc, etc.  In the end we are not allowed to post any of them because they have “shukyo kanker” or in other words because it’s related to religion.  So that fell through.  Then we go to the church to set up for eikaiwa.  When we walk in a member was there and he said, “Oh!  You’re pretty early!, most likely he didn’t know or forgot that we needed some extra time to prepare and set up.  So I’m running around trying to get eikaiwa set up.  At that conference we also received new teaching manuals so the lessons are completely changed.  As you can tell that threw a brick into everything.
Next day –  we go out to visit a Sister in the ward which we’ve tried to do countless times before and failed.  On the way there my companion gets a flat tire (mind you this is the fourth one between the two of us in the last two weeks).  We continue on by foot since we’ve been deferred too many times now.  We find the house, we talk with her, and we share a spiritual message.  While she is sharing her experience/testimony about what we just told her my companion just passes out!  He came too shortly after he hit the ground but I called the mission president, the mission doctor, and the Sister called the ambulance, and they came to pick him up.  President and Dr. Goth both said he’s probably ok, but he medics were insistent on taking him to the hospital to run some checks.  So we went.  While they were running some checks and filling out some papers with him I went off and called the mission president, his brother and canceling all our appointments.  After all of this when we had returned to the apartment the mission president called and asked me “So what did you learn today?”  I told him that I learned how to say “insurance” in Japanese.  He laughed.
Now I’m with Elder Yamaji who is from Japan.  He was actually my zone leader my first transfer.  He’s a really good missionary, and well, he’s Japanese.  Luckily he speaks pretty good English so I have a last resort if I just can’t get an idea across to him.  And he’s district leader – his plan for our first district meeting is to set some goals and come up with a plan to accomplish them.  Things are going to start getting done!  He knows what needs to happen and how to go about doing it.  Granted I know too, but that’s where experience and the language ties in.
Well, here I go
(Elder Wyman in Japanese characters)