December 2, 2012

Dear Family,

Wow it is already December and time has been flying by. The weather here has been really cold recently. We probably won't see any snow but the air is freezing I would say it is just as cold as Utah but it sounds like weather has been pretty nice there. Christmas isn't terribly big in Japan but we still see some decorations here and there.

Well in response to your questions the thing that makes Daniel and my companion similar is really just their personality. Other than that I'm not completely sure. One thing that has been interesting is that I'm the person who eats nato and both of the Japanese companions I've had don't. Well to name just some of the foods that I enjoy eating now are onions, mushrooms, and a lot of other vegetables. I also enjoy fish. It still isn't my favorite but I do enjoy sushi and other seafood every once and a while. I will basically eat almost anything that you put in front of me that is considered as food.

This last week has been another great one like always. We had a zone training meeting which was good. Something that I learned from that is through our service and how much effort we put in is a way of showing our love for Heavenly Father and His children. Lately I have been focusing on leaving no stone unturned. This last week I have put an extra effort in to talking with everyone. It has gone really well. I find that the more I work the more the spirit will help me to know where to go and who to talk to. Sometimes it just takes action. During last week I had a couple of experiences where I didn't know what to do or where to go so I just started working right where we were and after a little while we ended up teaching some great lessons and found a new investigator. I'm grateful for all of the blessings that the Lord has given and me. I am just glad that I can recognize the spirit and blessings.

Right now we are trying to help one of our investigators be able to recognize the spirit. She says she feels happy whenever she talks with us but she just isn't completely sure what is true yet. Hopefully we can continue to help her and that through the spirit she can come to a knowledge of the truth. I'm thankful for all of your prayers and support. I am grateful for this chance to serve - it is amazing. I love you all very much.

Love Elder Gandy

P.S. Mom I have a camera that another missionary gave to me. I'm still not very good at taking pictures but I will try and do better. For Christmas the only thing I can think of is food/candy for example they don't have any twix or reeses here and maybe a little bit of money to buy some warmer clothes. Other than that you don't really need to do anything big or special I'll be fine.
P.P.S. So that also brings me to the next thing which is the phone call at the end of this month. Don't get to excited yet but we will be able to use skype. So in the next couple of weeks we will have to figure out what time works best for everyone.