June 26, 2011

Dear Family,

Things are going well here. I had an amazing week. This last week was my companion`s birthday and we got to celebrate it with a family in the ward. They invited us over for dinner and made taco rice and it was good. They also made a cake for him and it was very delicious. Then I also had a miracle happen yesterday. In every ward I think they have something called a fruit basket, which members brin each week for the missionaries. Yesterday I found something incredible in it. There was a pickle jar! One of the members knew I loved pickles and bought them for me. I almost forgot how amazing just a plain pickle taste. I haven`t found pickles in Japan, except at McDonalds and they are on the hamburger, but it`s still not the same. So that was one of the many miracles this week was getting pickles. I actually got my companion to try a plain one for the first time and he thought it was okay.

It has been fun talking with people and sharing this gospel with them. It`s also been amazing the things I have been learning here on my mission. It seems like Heavenly Father keeps teaching me new things and ways that I can be better. I`ve also realized how much effort it takes to try and make improvements in yourself. It takes quite a bit of effort, but it`s worth it. Lately I`ve been working on being more confident. I`ve been slowly improving, but if any of you have any suggestions on how to be more confident that would help a lot. I definitely have confidence in this gospel and that this is the Lord`s work and now I`m learning to show that confidence, even when I mess up on a Japanese word. By the way, I messed up yesterday and instead of saying baptism is exchanging promises with God, I said through baptism we break promises with God. It was a funny mistake, but that is the fun of doing this work. This truly is God`s church and through it we can have eternal families. I`m grateful for all of you and that I have the chance to be with all of you in the eternities. I love you all very much.

Love

Elder Gandy

P.S. Mom, if the relatives are wondering about the earthquake, I didn`t feel it, but the proselyting area right under mine felt it a little bit.

P.S.S. Mom, my mission president should be sending a letter or email to all the parents about their homecoming talk and if you go, I would like it if you could make a cd with the songs I created and give it to them. If there are any that you think might be if-y then just put on the ones you think they would like. Thank you.