Ben's 21st birthday is coming soon on November 1. More than anything, he would love to get letters from family and friends!
Elder Benjamin C Everett
Japan Fukuoka Mission
9-16 Hirao-josuimachi
Chuo-ku
Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka
810-0029
JAPAN
*********************************************************
Ok, so I'm not entirely sure who decided it would be a good idea to schedule a re-wiring for the Honbu's phone and internet system during transfer week, but it's been a bit of a rough week as far as computer use goes. For about a week or so my computer was the only one connected to the internet, and the internal drive for the office, so just about everyone was using my computer this week! But it's all switched out now and all the missionaries are in their new places, and it's all good.
My companion, Elder Yamanashi ended up getting transferred this time around :(, but I have a new companion, Elder Tanaka! He came to Japan the same time I did (well, two days before, but we try not to talk about that too much.....) Elder Tanaka was actually my roommate in the MTC for a couple of days before he ended up moving to another room (a fact that I haven't let him forget since coming to Japan). He's actually been one of the missionaries that I look forward to seeing whenever I get a chance at a zone conference or something like that, so I'm way excited to be his companion this transfer! He came in early like I did to get trained so we had a good week or so of a three man companionship, which lets us visit people that we don't normally have a chance to visit. It was a really good, super fast week!
So, after doing some more digging into the international license, we realized that it's only for people who go traveling so that they can use a rent-a-car in that country; if you actually live in that other country you have to get that country’ license. So I had to take that Japanese Driving test after all. Things I've learned from the experience:
1) I never want to work at a DMV in Japan
2) You are not tested on how well or safe you drive, but on how well you follow the rules of the DMV
3) Japanese DMVs are roughly the size of a small airport with their own test course; they can upkeep such a facility because it costs an arm and a leg to go through the system
4) There are a lot more foreigners in Japan than I thought (I met people from Nepal, India, China, Korea, Ireland, France, A US Consulate....)
5) DMV Dendo works out pretty effectively, and a ton of people are open to hear the gospel while waiting the 3 hours for a chance to drive the course.
6) The DMV in Fukuoka has a really good Udon shop right in front of it, and they all know me there now!
This week was what we would call a bitter-sweet experience. It was way cool to have all of the missionaries come in, fresh out of the MTC with tons of Dendo fire, and to have meals at the mission home again! But with each new wave of missionaries comes a group going home after 1.5 or 2 full years of service. This group had Elder Clements go home, who has been a huge part of my mission. He was my trainer, and set the tone for the rest of my mission, and it was a sad thing to see him go, but exciting to know that the 2 years were well spent. It always hard to see people go that you've grown to know over the past while, but it's good to know that they are in the work of the Lord their whole lives.
The other interesting thing that happens being in the honbu is that whenever things go wrong for transferring missionaries, we become the only source of help for them! This go around there was only one missionary that had a hard time transferring; incidentally, it was Elder Gandy! The connecting bus to Hiroshima ended up not being at the station, and the station manager said that they don't have such a route from that station! Elder Gandy ended up having to go to a payphone and call the APs here and try to get it all figured out. But the APs were out and about, so the call came to me to figure out his route to his new area. After some frantic searches on the internet we finally found a route that would take him there and sent him on his way. But the train he got on ended up taking a lot longer to arrive at the connecting station than planned so once again we had to change the plans. Elder Gandy kept calling from payphones that only last 26 seconds per 10 yen you put in, and I don't think he realized you could put in multiple coins..... But 9 calls later we finally got him on a bullet train, and all is good now! I remember him telling me earlier that he was really worried about transferring because he thought that something might go wrong and he'd have to find his way on his own... well, it happened, but he took it like a champ and survived Japan all on his own! He even was talking to the Station Managers on his own! That's a really cool thing to see.
Ok, well, we are going to see general conference (we watch in a week late here in Japan because they have to translate it and send it out to all of the stakes). I'm really excited to watch conference because I've been hearing rumors of great talks and great things to come to pass!
Here I go to hear the Prophet’s voice, and to have a great time with our investigators hearing the counsel from the Living prophets in our day!
Do cool things,
Elder Everettエベレット長老
My companion, Elder Yamanashi ended up getting transferred this time around :(, but I have a new companion, Elder Tanaka! He came to Japan the same time I did (well, two days before, but we try not to talk about that too much.....) Elder Tanaka was actually my roommate in the MTC for a couple of days before he ended up moving to another room (a fact that I haven't let him forget since coming to Japan). He's actually been one of the missionaries that I look forward to seeing whenever I get a chance at a zone conference or something like that, so I'm way excited to be his companion this transfer! He came in early like I did to get trained so we had a good week or so of a three man companionship, which lets us visit people that we don't normally have a chance to visit. It was a really good, super fast week!
So, after doing some more digging into the international license, we realized that it's only for people who go traveling so that they can use a rent-a-car in that country; if you actually live in that other country you have to get that country’ license. So I had to take that Japanese Driving test after all. Things I've learned from the experience:
1) I never want to work at a DMV in Japan
2) You are not tested on how well or safe you drive, but on how well you follow the rules of the DMV
3) Japanese DMVs are roughly the size of a small airport with their own test course; they can upkeep such a facility because it costs an arm and a leg to go through the system
4) There are a lot more foreigners in Japan than I thought (I met people from Nepal, India, China, Korea, Ireland, France, A US Consulate....)
5) DMV Dendo works out pretty effectively, and a ton of people are open to hear the gospel while waiting the 3 hours for a chance to drive the course.
6) The DMV in Fukuoka has a really good Udon shop right in front of it, and they all know me there now!
This week was what we would call a bitter-sweet experience. It was way cool to have all of the missionaries come in, fresh out of the MTC with tons of Dendo fire, and to have meals at the mission home again! But with each new wave of missionaries comes a group going home after 1.5 or 2 full years of service. This group had Elder Clements go home, who has been a huge part of my mission. He was my trainer, and set the tone for the rest of my mission, and it was a sad thing to see him go, but exciting to know that the 2 years were well spent. It always hard to see people go that you've grown to know over the past while, but it's good to know that they are in the work of the Lord their whole lives.
The other interesting thing that happens being in the honbu is that whenever things go wrong for transferring missionaries, we become the only source of help for them! This go around there was only one missionary that had a hard time transferring; incidentally, it was Elder Gandy! The connecting bus to Hiroshima ended up not being at the station, and the station manager said that they don't have such a route from that station! Elder Gandy ended up having to go to a payphone and call the APs here and try to get it all figured out. But the APs were out and about, so the call came to me to figure out his route to his new area. After some frantic searches on the internet we finally found a route that would take him there and sent him on his way. But the train he got on ended up taking a lot longer to arrive at the connecting station than planned so once again we had to change the plans. Elder Gandy kept calling from payphones that only last 26 seconds per 10 yen you put in, and I don't think he realized you could put in multiple coins..... But 9 calls later we finally got him on a bullet train, and all is good now! I remember him telling me earlier that he was really worried about transferring because he thought that something might go wrong and he'd have to find his way on his own... well, it happened, but he took it like a champ and survived Japan all on his own! He even was talking to the Station Managers on his own! That's a really cool thing to see.
Ok, well, we are going to see general conference (we watch in a week late here in Japan because they have to translate it and send it out to all of the stakes). I'm really excited to watch conference because I've been hearing rumors of great talks and great things to come to pass!
Here I go to hear the Prophet’s voice, and to have a great time with our investigators hearing the counsel from the Living prophets in our day!
Do cool things,
Elder Everettエベレット長老
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