Week 7 in the MTC

Week 7:

For starters, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGES AND LETTERS. Yes, I am being a good boy, sometimes. Also, props to Veronica for already placing more Book of Mormons than me. I'm not jealous. But I'm also a liar.

Well we got the news that we'll be receiving our flight plans this Friday. We've only got a week and a half left in the states, so our dorms are about to turn into a riot house since we're just gonna party. We got a new set of Kohai and Nihongen, and they're absolutely fantastic. There's only 2 Nihongen Elders, and I had the craziest small world experience. One of the Elders, Nishimiya Chōrō, is from Saitama. The first day he came up to me and asked if I was Elder Cuff, I didn't have my name tag on since it was the end of the day at the residence hall so I was wondering how he knew who I was. He then asked if I knew a Bishop Node. His bishop is Asuka's Dad. (Mom insert: for friends reading this, Asuka is my daughter-in-law. She is married to our son, Ward. They lived in Japan for a year or so.) Apparently he was told to keep an eye out for me, turns out we're in the same zone and we're neighbors. We've become awesome friends this past week. He's a big fan of comedy, which is great since everything is funnier in Japanese. He's absolutely hilarious and his companion, Yoshizawa Chōro, is just as goofy, they literally make my day on an hourly
basis. It's also a good reminder that my Japanese isn't as bad as I think it is. Although very broken, I can still have a conversation and
joke around with them. I'm sad that I only get to hang out with them for 3 weeks, but they're going to be amazing missionaries. Also the
Nihongen are really helping out on putting a dent in all the seasoned seaweed my wonderful mother and father sent. So that's been fun.

Oh, I almost forgot, I got called as District Leader a week and half ago. It's not much different, except I talk to the Branch Presidency
more and report on how everyone is doing. There are other little things but, again, it's not much different than before.

We heard from Elder Nelson of the 12 on Tuesday. The interesting part is there was nothing specific that really stuck out to me, but it was probably the most relaxing and peaceful devotional I've ever been a part of. It was amazing. It also gave me a solid reminder that
although my Nihongo (Japanese) is Gomi (Garbage), I can be the vessel for the spirit, to provide that same feeling to families in Japan. I
am not the teacher. But simply the student. Remember if it's hard, it's a good thing. So suck it up, and lower your shoulder. There's work to be done.

愛しています！
(Love)