Os!
That means "sup." It's not very missionary-like so I try not to use it usually, but I thought it would be ok for an email home. Ok, today is the first day in 3 days I have been able to speak English. For the past three days we have been doing a "consecration" where we give up English completely as well as something else of our choosing. We call it a Nihongo Tabehodai, which means "Japanese feast". Sometimes it's also called an Eigo danjiki or "English Fast" but I like the first one better. I chose to also give up cafeteria entrees as my other fast haha! They aren't even that delicious but being here in my 10th week I'm a little sick of salads and wraps, so I have been eating a little too many entrees I think. I feel a lot better not having eaten them for a couple of days haha. It was really fun not speaking any English, and I was so dedicated to my danjiki that I didn't even speak English when President Brown (the president of the MTC) started talking to me in the cafeteria. I had one of the other Japanese missionaries translate for me that i was very sorry but I couldn't speak any English, and he just looked bewildered and started asking me if I was related to Buzz Tingey. Does anyone know the answer to that? I don't think we are.... but anyway it was funny. Most of my district thought it was weird that I didn't just talk to him but I hadn't spoken English for 2 1/2 days and I wasn't going to break it!! Oh also on Sunday during the Fireside my district sat in the foreign section and used the Japanese translator headsets. I actually understood a lot!
Ok, in other exciting news I discovered a new talent I have. I can write with both hands at once in opposite directions. My left hand writes exactly what my right one does but completely backward going the opposite way. My teacher Neilson Sensei told us he could do it and was writing in Japanese and all sorts of stuff, so I went up there to try it and low and behold I am also ambidextrous (spell check)!
We're leaving in 2 weeks!!! Yipeeee. I'm so excited to get into the mission field, wherever that may be. Just pray that they don't keep us in the MTC longer because as much as I love it here I don't think I could handle more than 12 weeks not being able to teach and contact! I'm itching to get out there and try out my new skillz. We had our departure meeting on Monday. We're getting our flight info this week probably on Friday!
Oh, they also told us that when we get to the airport we'll be able to make phone calls home to family before our plane takes off. I don't have any phone numbers for anyone, so it would probably be good for someone to send me phone numbers for mom, dad, Annie, and maybe Sarah. I'll have about 20 min to talk. I don't know who I'll call or even if I'll have time, but if I do I'll call someone for sure!
Conference is this weekend! I am sooo excited. Everyone please watch Conference. There is nothing more special that the Lord has given us than the opportunity to twice yearly hear from his Prophet and mouthpiece on the earth! What a blessing. I know I'm all gushy and mushy about the gospel because I'm a missionary but seriously, I feel like Christmas morning is coming up! Paha. During our Fireside this week the speaker took the whole hour to summarize and talk about the last days of Christs life. That message really hit home with me as well as a lot of people in my district, and I now have a new resolve to study Christ's life by reading Jesus the Christ again and learning all I can about him so I can testify about him with power to my investigators. It was a really beautuful and powerful message.
Love you!
Love, Tingey shimai
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