Home!!

Elder Jenkins has returned home to get care for his injured shoulder.  He has an appointment Friday to get it checked out.  Your thoughts and prayers are still very much appreciated.

And he says "hi!"  :D

Two quick ones

June 13

Hi Friends and Family,

I don't have any time today because we are going to go hike Mount Takao!!  I am super excited, because I hear it's beautiful!  Don't worry, I'll take pictures.  ;D  Well, I have to go now.  Time is up!  LOVE YOU!!!!  :D  I will probably email after the mountain too just because I was left no time.  (>_<)

[He was obviously not able to get back to the computer after the mountain, because this is all we got!]


June 19

Hey Everyone!

I'm going to the temple!  No time!!  I LOVE YOU ALL!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!

Jenkins Choro

Sendai service

Konnichiwa Friends and Family!!

Grandma and Grandpa sent a list of questions so I`ll just post it as I wrote it to them.

1.  Where specifically did you go  or where are you now?  We heard you were sent to "Sendai."
      We went to Higashi Matsushima.  It was just for a day; I am back in Tokyo now.  It was just a day of service.
2.  How many went?
      The whole Tokyo mission went.  We were separated into two groups and went to two different locations to work.

3. How long did you stay?
      We left Thursday night by bus, slept on the bus, got to Sendai at about seven in the morning, went to our different locations, did our assigned projects, drove twenty minutes away to see the ``off limits`` zone where water and rubble still is, went to a church to eat dinner, drove back to Tokyo, got back at about three in the morning, slept on the church`s floor for a couple hours, took the first train home in the morning at about six, showered at our apartment, and then went to a ward activity straight away.  :D
4.  What did you do?
      All we did was shovel three inch slime out of a man`s yard and then a neighbors fields.  The slime/sludge was a mix of oil, gas, sewage, ocean water, and what ever else.  We had to bag it all; there were piles of bags everywhere.  That was it though, sludge shoveling.
5.  What was your transportation to get there?
      Bus there, walking from house to house for the actual service, and then bus back.
6.  Why did you need to be insured?
     It was a requirement from the government for all volunteers to be insured.  It was about $1,000 per person.  It was really expensive.
7.  What did you learn?
     TV doesn`t cut it.  Seeing the rubble and destruction in first person was extremely humbling.  It was creepy.  The water has so much gunk in it that it steams.  It looked like a swamp out of fiction; like the Grimm Reaper should come out of the mist or something.  It was not a pretty sight.  We were taken to see the ``new`` shore line that jut cut through a neighborhood.  It was weird and really sad.  I get a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about it.

8.  Did you enjoy your Sendai trip?
     Absolutely!  I am SO grateful!!  I wanted to serve so bad but there is nothing to do down here, especially in Kofu.  It was so nice to serve!!  Was it small?  Yes, but I was so glad just to do something!  It was good to see the wreckage, too.  That is not something I will easily forget.  I will send pictures.
9.  Any other questions?  :)

YAY!!!!!!!

Family and Friends!!!!

Guess what!?!  WE ARE GOING TO SENDAI ON THURSDAY!!!!  YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We leave Thursday night and work all day Friday!!  Yay!!  We can do service!!!!  YAY!!!!  I am soooo excited!!  It is costing a lot of money!  A lot of money; to insure each missionary and for transportation.  I am going to an area called Tagajou.  I am so excited!!  I'm nervous about what it will look like and what I'll see, but I am just so excited to do some service!  YAY!

Well, we had transfers and I stayed!!  Yay!  For once I've stayed in an area!  We did go four man.  My new companion is Elder Bates!  He and I have sooo much in common!  It`s so nice to breathe and stretch in a way!!  The other two missionaries are Elder Keith and Elder Kuroki (Nihonjin).  We all went to the honbu to transfer, because all the missionaries returned to Tokyo!  President Albrecht ran into me in the hall; there were more than a hundred missionaries in the church.  He stopped me and grabbed both of my shoulders.  I tried to squirm out, but he gently pushed me against the wall.  I was pinned.  He looked right into my eyes and told me that he loved me and that he was proud of me.  That was such an empowering experience.  President Albrecht has so much love.  He is awesome.  :D

Okay, I have to go, because six people have to use this computer now. :)  I love you all!  I'll tell you how the Sendai service project goes!  I'm so excited!

Love you!!

Jenkins Choro!!

Hi.

Konnichiwa Friends and Family,

 

Well, transfer calls are tomorrow morning, which means more change.  All the Tokyo missionaries are returning!  However, not all of the areas are re-opening.  Our apartment is going to become four man!  We don't know anything else!  Well, I know that I'm staying; I talked to President Albrecht.  :)  I'll let you know what happens!

 

Spiritual Stuff:  1. So yeah, I talked to President and he was really encouraging.  :)  We'll have interviews next month, and I'm super excited!  President is so awesome.  2. Elder Fowers gave a talk in sacrament meeting this week, and I understood most of it!  3. I LOVE reading the Book of Mormon and the Ensign.  They have been a great support.

 

Cultural Thing:  The Japanese have a saying, "O-tsukare-sama."  "Tsukareru" means to get tired, and "sama" is an honorific version of the English: "Mr."  "O" just makes it more honorific.  Anyway so it means: "Mr. Hard worker," but that doesn't even cover it.  You say it to construction workers as you walk by, someone that does something for you, someone that does something busy, hard, or challenging, something the makes them tired, etc.  It's hard to explain; there isn't an English equivalent that I can think of.  Anyway, just a fun little saying.

 

Funny Stuff:  I've already had some fun encounters with the intoxicated.  :D  I'm sure there are more to come, too.  People act so weird when they're drunk!  Anyway, so the other night we were walking home and there was an old drunk man peeing on a wall right by the train station on a busy street!  The best part was when Elder Fowers yelled, "Otsukaresama!"  The man jumped and tried to hurry away.  It was pretty funny.

 

Well, I have to go, but just a few more things.  1. I've re-introduced olive oil into my life and I am so happy!  I had forgotten how good it tastes.  2. I love you all!  Thank you for your love and prayers!!  I am so grateful for your support!!  3. We still do not have any progressing investigators but we do have one baptismal date with Rodrigo.  He is from Bolivia, but has been in Japan for a while.  He's seventeen and likes church.  However, he has soccer practice on Sunday mornings.  :/  Pray for him please!

 

Okay, I have to go now!  I love you!!!!!!!!!

 

Jenkins Choro

Hello there

[Mom's note:  Sounds like he could use some mighty prayers!  Thanks in advance!]  :)

Hello Friends and Family!

 

Well, I'm still having a hard time.  :)  I repeat:  I have never done something this hard and I'm starting to think that I'll be saying that for the rest of my life.  Yay...  I don't have much to report.  We are doing 24/7 around the clock finding right now because none of our three investigators are progressing.  This is a tough situation to be in.  :)  We haven't even left the city we live in yet!  Twelve more cities to go!

 

Spiritual/Yes-I-cried-again Moment:  There is one family and one single man in the ward that speaks English so we have an English gospel doctrines class.  We talked about the nature of God.  Who is God; what kind of person is he?  Well, I cried as I explained one time that I really felt God's love, a long time ago (senior year).  I look like such an idiot when I cry.  :)

 

Cultural:  People work a lot here.  They commute far and work a lot of overtime.  It's interesting to see that affect church culture as well.  Activities are on Saturdays and Sundays because those are really the only days that work for the ward.  It's weird to see the differences.

 

I said I would write more, but I actually have less time than last week and nothing else to say.

 

I love you all!  Each and every one!  And I miss you!!

 

Jenkins Choro

Hope Ya Know I'm Having a Hard Time. :)

Hello Friends and Family!

 

This week I have been inspired by many things.  One:  My mom.  (:D)  Two:  A talk by Elder Cook called, "Hope Ya Know We Had a Hard Time."  Third:  My first good prayer in a long time.

 

Spirit Burst:  My prayers have been weak for a while.  Do I pray in English or in Japanese?  Why am I so miserable?  How do I be an effective missionary in these circumstances?  I let those questions really bother me and weaken my personal prayers.  They were short and to the affect of:  "Hope ya know I'm having a hard time."  My stubbornness created a wall that prohibited me from receiving help and consolation from those that could help.  I have never done anything as hard as this.  This is hard and I've hurt a lot and I'm only a quarter of the way done (I'm not counting; numbers courtesy of Rachel ;D).  This is NOT what I thought it would be.  Yet I was being such a stubborn bum!  Well, who better to help than my mom and on what better day than Mother's Day? (Trevik and Dad`s advice was similar and helpful.)  Guess what they all said. . . "Take it to the Lord."  And yesterday for the first time in a while I had a conversation with God.  I cried.  I told Him that I hurt, and I told Him where it hurt.  As I poured everything on the floor and offered it to the Lord my mind de-fogged.  I saw what problems I could fix, and then I saw those that couldn't be fixed by me.  I felt a strength to just deal with the burdens that can't be fixed.  Yesterday was a good day because of it.  My understanding of the Atonement deepened a little.  If you're hurt, take it to the Lord.  If you've been wronged, take it to the Lord.  If you feel alone, invite the Lord to stay with you.  I am still in the same situations.  I still have problems.  Nothing visably has changed, but I'm trusting the Lord to help with those things I can't do alone.  And I've felt it already.  I wasn't delivered from my trials but I am receiving strength that is not my own to bear the weight.  I'll survive.  :)

 

Elder Cook's talk: "Hope Ya Know We Had a Hard Time, "  President Eyring's talk: "O Ye That Embark," and the entire last General Conference have really inspired me.  I'm just doing my best and shipping God the rest.  :)

 

I don't have anymore time.  I will write more next week.  I love you all!!  Have a fabulous week!  And know that God can strengthen you to just keep going.  Hang in there!

 

With deep gratitude for all the love I'm getting from all of you,

 

Jenkins Choro