Christmas 2007

"Happy Merry Christmas" as the signs say. It has been a good one. I got to do to two different daycares and dress up as Santa Claus for the kids. I also got to sign a letter as Santa Claus for someone`s son - which has all been way fun. I am a great Santa - because I`m caucasion and really tall, so all the Japanese kids think I`m the real one. I like it.

There`s two Chinese girls talking - this is what their conversation sounded like - "swan chang wong ching CHRISTMAS son twan ton aong" It made me smile.

I went on exchanges the past week with Elder Muhlstein and we had a great time knocking some doors and talking about Christmas. We brought up a computer game that I had almost forgot about - I played it like when I was ten. I know dad will remember it - it was called Monkey Island. Elder Muhlstein made me laugh a lot that we had such a random thing in common. That`s kind of what makes life fun sometimes - the random funny things.

So the Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith is probably one of the coolest books I`ve ever flipped through. I am very excited to get into it. The sources are funny how it talks baout all the spelling and punctiation being updated. Languages are increadible - how different English is from a hundred or two hundred years before. Japanese changes pretty fast. I have some Japanese books from the 70s and 80s, and they said that one word that I use ALL the time was actually a feminine sounding word. I was a little worried - but the truth is that nowadays, everyone uses it. the word it "suteki" which means cool, or good looking. Everytime I see a young guy wearing a hat, I tell him "Suteki na boshi desu" which means, nice hat. They always like that.

This past weekend there were some Christmas parties at the church. The choir sand - but somehow Japanese choirs are a little different than amaerican choirs. I still haven`t heard a choir that sounds...well, good...but they tried hard. I smiled to myself to think that even though there were some out of tune notes - God probably was smiling at them trying their best.

The ward here gave us a ton of presents. I got a way cool scarf - amybe a little feminine, but I`m sure going to wear it...or I`ll try. Also, a professional writter - i forget the word in English, but a person who writes things prittier than a computer, wrote a scripture (moses 1:39) in beautiful japanese characters, on a gold leafed board, and gave one to Elder Cano and I. It is perhaps the coolest present I`ve revieced...except for one other thing. Sister Wang gave me a saxophone tie clip - it was probably the coolest thing ever.

Anyway, I love you all so very much. It was way good to hear you on the phone. I`ll talk to you in 5 months.

Yours,

Elder Alexander Todd Fuller
Japan Nagoya Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints