OSAKA, HERE I COME

MAN! these past 6 weeks have just flown by! I'm so surprised that it is already over. well, its transfer week again, and so that means that we got our transfer call (really an email) today. And guess what? After just 6 weeks being here in cool Kochi, I am transferring to the booming metropolis of Osaka. I'm headed to Hirakata, the area that was the old Osaka mission home. There, my companion will be a 2nd transfer missionary (who apparently speaks german and spanish) and I will be the district leader! I'm sad about leaving Kochi, because I have enjoyed it so much these past 6 weeks, and I'll be sad to leave my Marquez Choro, because it was always a fiesta with him! But, the Lord has called me another way, so next week, I'll be in the heart of the big city. Osaka is the 2nd biggest city in Japan, and so it should be pretty crazy I think. Not sure though.

So yeah, this week was really interesting! We worked a lot harder than we did in the previous week, so we found some really good potential investigators, which was good. Its too bad that I'll be leaving because one of our super awesome investigators will be getting baptized in two weeks. She is so nice and kind, and I'm sure it will be an awesome experience for Elder Marquez.

Its interesting that I'm going to the old Osaka mission home, because that was the mission that Mr Park (my Japanese sensei) went to. Pretty crazy! Plus its a huge house for the missionaries. Its a 4人 so it should be a party. Its also the area that Hayward Choro was in before he came to Kakogawa with me, so that should be cool!

I hope that Grandpa gets better soon. I'll be praying for him!

So is Arynn going to start working at a hospital or something soon? Or do like, the Medical explorers? that would be cool. what classes is Lauren taking in Jr high school? and I'm sure Meghan is just a super popular kid, she just has that personality. Is she still planning on going to orem high?

Well, today I've got to pack my bags again, but that is helped by the fact that since the kochi apartment is so tiny, i never unpacked in the first place! Next stop, Osaka! Going to Hirakata. Well, love you all! I'll try and send something home from Kochi! There are like 4 really famous things here in Kochi, and the festival was one of them. Well anyone, next week I'll be emailing you from Osaka! Love you all! Goodbye!

Elder Casper

キャスパー長老

IT'S ALREADY MONDAY AGAIN????



Well, it is already Monday again, so it’s time to send you an email again. Want to know what else is crazy? It’s the last week of the transfer, so next week, once again, I'll have news on whether or not I'm going to a new area or getting a new companion or not. How crazy is that? The time is going way fast!Well, so this week was pretty interesting. Last Monday we went to that festival, so I can send home some pictures about that. And then we also went to our investigators home (which was forever away) and she made us tamales! Pretty nice change from the Japanese food that we always eat. We also kept teaching one of our investigators who is progressing really nicely. She wants to be baptized, but she's been afraid of the water. No matter how much we explained or described it, nothing worked! We had members talk to her, which kind of made it worse. So we were really lost on what we should do. As we were planning, a crazy idea came into my head. We could show her a video from some dvds that we use as missionaries to study about being a missionary. So we did that, because it was a perfect video of someone being baptized. She watched it, and was like "oh, that’s not what I thought baptism was at all!" and hasn’t been afraid since, so that was a cool experience.

This week we kind of had a hard time finding new investigators, but we are still working hard. I really like kochi, and I love the members here. It will be interesting to see what happens at transfers next week. Lately, new missionaries have been having two different trainers, so I'm not sure if I will still be with Marquez Choro next transfer or not. We'll see.
So, it was great seeing pictures! I'm glad that you are all having fun. Sorry that most of my pictures don’t have me in them. Usually I'm the one holding the camera.
Anyway, love you all! Hang in there and keep having fun. Enjoy school! It seems like just last month that you were starting it, but now its almost been a whole year. How weird is that? Well anyway, love you! Good bye! 

Elder Casper
ι(´Д｀υ)ｱﾂｨｰ
its very hot lately.

AUGUST 11, 2013 – ZONE CONFERENCE AND YOSAKOI
So hello again! This week was pretty interesting. we had zone conference in Okayama on Wednesday, so Tuesday was spent travelling there by bus. When we got there, we stayed in the old Okayama mission home with a bunch of missionaries, and then we went to zone conference the next day. It was pretty nice, but man, bus travel takes ALLL day. It was also the last time that I'll see Hayward choro for a while, because he's going home this transfer. You could say hi to him maybe when he goes home.
Another crazy thing that is going on as we speak is this huge matsuri (festival) that is going on here in Kochi. It’s called Yosakoi, and it started on Friday. I guess that it is one of things that kochi is known for and it’s pretty well known throughout the country. It is soooo loud. They have things like floats from parades in America, but like, the size of a semi-truck or small bus or something, and they just load it up with HUGE speakers and drums and decorations, and play crazy loud music (like, traditional Japanese music styled rock or something. I don’t know how to explain it.) and a ton of people in costumes dance behind it. They are taking up the shotengai (like, malls that are also streets.)  that we usually work at. It is sooo crazy. And then a ton of stands that sell food, shaved ice, candy, beer, and what looks like pirated video games or something. Interesting stuff.  We are going to go to it and take some pictures as soon as we are done here emailing. That’s funny that you thought the magnet was an eraser at first... I thought the same exact thing! :D Well anyway, let me send some pictures today. Love you! Elder Casper