Monday, December 16, 2013

こんにちは皆さん！！！

It's great to hear that everything is going well over there.  I was able to hear your voice from David's iPad for like 2 seconds at the airport, haha.  It was great to see David and take some pictures with him.  The Wada's thought it was cool that he was there.  They are fine with people visiting, just as long as it doesn't take away from our purpose as missionaries; so hanging out with David is totally cool.  

I got your package 4 days ago!  Thank you so so much!  I also just got the ward's package and I've been trying to put it up soundly in my space, not a whole lot of space though.  So today I am on the 4th day of Christmas.  And I'm on the 4th day of my sugar binge, haha.  There sure is a lot of candy to go along with the Christmas stories.  

This past week has been a busy one.  It has mostly consisted of preparations for future events.  This next week, the 16th-21st, every day we have a big event going on in the mission. Then next week is doesn't get much easier.  We have President's interviews tomorrow, then Elder Whiting of the 70 is going to come to the mission for a two day tour on Wednesday and Thursday, then we have more President's interviews the day after that, then we have our temple day with the Wada's and then our ward's Christmas party, and then we have the big mission Christmas eve party and then Christmas, and then an all Japanese conference with Elder Aoyagi of the 70, and then we have an all mission culture night for our investigators and less active members, and then it's new years and everyone in Japan will be drunk.  

President Wada basically put me in charge of planning and coordinating all the events this year, so I can kinda relate to how you feel mom.  It's a lot of work planning out all of these events and calling a billion people and what not.  But there are lots of fun parts to it.  I'll be sure to send you lots of pictures of everything that I do!!!!  I could use your prayers.  It's a lot of work, but I know that I can do all things through the Lord.  

So, I can probably use the Mac on Christmas.  What time do you want to facetime there?  Let me know what time you want to get on there and then I can work my schedule around that time.  

I love you all so much and hope you have a merry, merry Christmas!!!

Love, 

Elder Crandall 

Thursday, December 12th, 2013

Our good family friend, David Tarr, happened to be working in Japan these last few weeks and was able to meet up with Elder Christopher Crandall for a little bit! Here are a few fun pics!! He looks so great!!!

Looking good!

Elder Crandall with our family friend, David Tarr

Elder Crandall with his companion, Elder Medeiros, and his mission president, President and Sister Wada

Monday, December 9th, 2013

We had another splendid week at the honbu.  All in all, it was eventful, yet less stressful than some of our other weeks.  We got a lot accomplished as far as upcoming events and various preparations are concerned.  Things are going to be quite a bit busier this next week with missionaries returning home and we are getting ready for Elder Whiting to come here for a mission tour.  

I have also been put in charge of planning out a missionary Christmas conference and an intercultural holiday celebration event.  We are planning on 150 people being at the Christmas conference and over 250 people being at the intercultural event.  Big fun, big responsibilities, and a big resource pool.  I have 119 missionaries at my disposal, hopefully everything will go well!  

We are in the middle of traveling around the mission and doing Presidents Interviews.  While people are interviewing, Elder Medeiros and I practice teaching fake investigators with the missionaries and take them through something called the basic training requirements. It's pretty self explanatory.  It's fun to get to interact with all of the missionaries from all over the mission.  I have pretty much only been to 1/4 of the mission area, I know the other Tokyo mission really well, but it's been a good chance for me to get out and see the southern half of Tokyo.  It has a lot more hills and half of Mt.Fuji in it.  

We are working extensively on creating a better reporting system between the missionaries and their local units.  Every year, each bishop prayerfully creates goals for the number of baptisms their unit will have for the up coming year.  We have taken those goals and with the data we have concerning the missionaries weekly performances, we have created individual standards of excellence for each unit.  

For example, in my ward, Kichijoji ward, we have a goal for 12 baptisms next year.  They have had two so far this year, so it is a pretty substantial goal.  In order for us to have one baptism, on average, it takes 20 new investigators, 9 investigators at church, and 7 baptismal dates.  So we need every week, to have 5 new investigators, 11 people at church, and 8 baptismal dates in order to have 12 baptisms this year.  Thankfully, we have 4 companionships working in this area right now so maybe that will be do-able.  However, we will need to work with members and double our current effort if we want to reach our goals.  

If we work with ward members better, we can lower the number of new investigators, people at church, and baptismal date ration down quite a bit.  For example, 1 in every 4 member referrals gets baptized.  Those referrals are very high quality potential for baptisms, therefore, if we work well with members and help them dendo their friends, then we could lower our new investigator rate down to 10, 7 or 4 new investigators per baptism.  

This is what we are teaching and training missionaries about.  How do we work hard, smart, and inspired.  How can we develop our teaching skills so that members will trust us with their friends.  And how do I help people convert to the gospel through teaching them the lessons.   

The picture at the top is me eating a fish eyeball!  It was waaaay good and really sweet!  Thanksgiving was great!  It was full of American food, the Wada's are American at heart.  We filled up Elder Yamashita's room with balloons for his birthday.  He was swimming in them, haha.  

I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!!!

Love, 

Elder Crandall

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Well, it's weird having P-day again already!  (His last P-day was on Thanksgiving day)  It's been like 4 days so not a whole lot has happened.  We just got back from going to Don Quixote with President Wada to get some Christmas lights.  It costs 40 bucks for a strand of 100 lights. Crazy!!! 

Things have been going good here.  Busy, but not too busy.  Our little ward is growing little by little and we are starting to get to know a lot of the members really well here.  

In reply to the last email, I'm not sure what I would like for Christmas.  I thought of one thing that would be nice and that is some more family pictures.  Maybe some printed out family pictures that I can share with people in my photo album.  I'm good on toothpaste and deodorant for a while.  I've got plenty of white shirts and pants and my suits are doing fine.  If you send me candy, then peanut M&M's would be much appreciated!  :)  I don't know, it's weird being a missionary and not really needing anything, haha.  

I am actually emailing you on a MacBook Air, haha.  President sometimes lets us use his stuff to get our stuff done.  I kinda like it, it's much faster and lighter than the church computers.  We just got back from going out to a crazy good ramen shop down the street with President Wada, the sisters in the area, and Sister Wada. They put a giant slab of butter right in the middle of the ramen and it melts down deep into the noodles.  It's almost like eating popcorn ramen, haha!  At the bottom is the picture of me eating the ramen with butter.  That was the best of all of the ramen I have eaten over the past year and a half.  If you come pick me up then we can go eat there.  

By the way, my release date is May 8th.  That night is when all the returning missionaries travel to the honbu and then on the 9th is when they would drop everyone off at the airport.  So if you would like to pick me up, arrive in Japan on the 9th would be the best day I think.  But the 8th would work as well, and actually the 10th might work as well if tickets are cheaper.  But the 9th would be the best time probably.  

Just remember, Japan is really really really expensive.  It's gonna cost an arm and a leg, but it's the best country on earth. :)  And lucky for you, you have a tour guide that can speak both languages!  Yay! 

That's all I have for this week.  I am so excited for Kelsie and her little Burdette Bagel that's in the oven!  Keep me posted on that.  

I love you all so much!  Merry Christmas!!!!!! 

Love, 

Elder Crandall  

Yummy ramen with a slab of butter on top!

November 28th, 2013

Dear Family, 

I appreciate all of the love and support you and our friends have given me with this big switch in my calling.  It's been a big change, let me tell you a little bit about this last week.  

So on Tuesday, we had Elder Evans of the Seventy come and visit with his wife.  I got to see all of my buddies from the North Mission that I haven't seen in like 5 months and everyone was freaking out that I am serving as the assistant now.  I don't know how, but everyone already knew.  Pres. Budge must have leaked it out or something.  But it was just way fun to see everyone.  The conference was great. Elder Evans is funny and shared a lot of cool mission stories with us and shared a lot of what happened during the decision process for the missionary age change.  I was only able to stay for half of the conference.  I had to leave half way through with all of the returning missionaries.  We hopped on a bus and went to Narita Airport.  Then, Pres. Wada took us out to a way nice sushi place at the airport and then we picked up the new missionaries right after that.  We had 16 new missionaries come in and they are as green as they could get.  One of the new missionaries is Elder Crandall from Salt Lake, haha.  Maybe some distant relation?  

All day Wednesday we did a bunch of different trainings with the missionaries and went out and dendoed with them for a little while.  Thursday we had the trainers show up and we paired them off and did a bunch of trainings and then sent them off to their various areas.  Then we taught English class (well, actually Bible class, but we do it in English) and had a fun sports night.  

On Friday a sister missionary came to the honbu 'cause she was having anxiety problems, which eventually led her to leave today to go home.  We had to help her get settled and get ready to go home.  Then we had a meeting with the mission presidency, Pres. Wada, Pres. Stevensen, and Pres. Welch make up the presidency. Taught a bunch of lessons in between it all.  

Sunday we had church, and it was fun.  There is a black guy in our ward, he is from Zimbabwe.  He served his mission there a few years ago and now he is a college student in Japan.  His name is Brian, nicest guy ever, also the most interesting guy ever.  Brian is black, but he actually is albino so he is white.  He is a black albino from Zimbabwe.  Blonde hair, white skin, yellow brown eyes, but with big lips, nappy hair, and a thick black Zimbabwe accent, haha.  Coolest guy ever.  I'll try to get a picture with him.  

On Monday, we got to hop the border into the other mission and hang out in Tokyo.  I had to go get my license translated into Japanese so that I am eligible to take the driving test and get my Japanese license.  I don't have a date for the test yet, but my companion and the office recorder have driving tests on this next Tuesday.  I am waaaay nervous of all Asian drivers on the road!  Pres. Wada let me park the car the other day so at least I have some practice in, haha!  

Then the past few days have been way crazy.  One of the new missionaries wants to go home so we just moved him here with us to hang out with us and see if we can't help him overcome his problems.  We had to give some emergency transfers this past week so that people fill in all of these holes.  There was a bike accident, a sister lost her credit card, an elder got his keys stolen, President Wada has been up in his eyes in emails and phone calls from the mission office regarding the missionaries that want to go home.  We have had a few therapists come over here to help the missionaries overcome their challenges.  The big problem here is that these missionaries that want to go home don't know how to cope with their challenges and relieve their stress.  If there is a problem, they ignore it and ignore and don't try to resolve it.  Eventually all of it turns into stress and that compounds on itself and becomes a time bomb that explodes into anxiety and home sickness. These new missionaries are way young, have never been away from home and when opposition arises, they have no idea how to handle it.  So some words of wisdom to people preparing to serve, resolve concerns about the work with your companion and surrounding people and expect the mission to be hard.  It's okay to have stress, just learn how to get rid of it.  We have had 3 sisters go home and 1 elder is trying to go home right now.  All of them are Japanese.  It's been way hard to see my friends and people I love go through hard things like this, but it has been a testimony to me about the power of a freed mind and enjoying being a missionary.  

Last night at like 10:15, Elder Blake, the Mission Recorder whom I live with, all of a sudden blacked out.  Elder Medeiros caught him before he fell, luckily, but we put him in a chair.  His face was ghost white, no color in his skin or lips, eyes wide open and pupils dilated like you wouldn't believe.  He wasn't saying anything and was limp like a doll.  It took about 15 seconds before he started to respond again. He looked like he was about to die but finally he started to talk again.  We told him not to fall asleep again and to keep answering our questions.  Sis. Wada called an ambulance and we kept asking him questions.  He eventually started to be able to see again and his pupils were going in and out of being massively dilated. Pres. Wada was there talking to him, keeping him calm.  By the time the ambulance came, the color was starting to come back into his lips and face and his heart rate was picking back up.  The doctors came, asked a bunch of questions, then brought out the stretcher.  As they were rolling him out of the honbu, he reached over the end of his stretcher and grabbed a Book of Mormon and some pamphlets to take with him, haha.  He came back home a few hours after he went to the hospital and is fine now.  Just a little cherry on top of our busy ice cream Sunday, haha.  

We have another busy month ahead of us.  Today we are going to have Thanksgiving dinner in the Wada's home!!!!  Yaaaay!  And after today we are going to get ready for Christmas!  Yaaay! 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everybody!!!!  I love you all so very much!!! 

愛していますよ！ 

Elder Crandall 

Monday, November 18th, 2013

Hello Everybody!!! 

Well mother, it's gonna be pretty easy to get an ecclesiastical interview from President Wada.  Don't worry about that.  I am glad that everyone is doing great back home.  No big news is good news, right?  I remember when I started to do my BYU applications as well.  I think the gist of my essays where on my future goals, big life plans, and to show them that I have a solid plan to get the best education possible.  I think they are looking for people who understand the purpose of BYU and know what they want to do when they get there.  

This week was by far the craziest week of my entire mission.  Just when I thought things couldn't get any busier or any more fun, I got a phone call that changed the course of my entire mission.  It was Wednesday night, I was stopping people and handing out English class fliers at Higashi Kanagawa station when Elder Hill answered a phone call from Pres.Wada.  He told us to go somewhere a little more quiet to talk with us.  I was puzzled by this 'cause I knew that he was in Korea at that time attending a mission presidents seminar.  We walked down the street a little bit until we got to a quiet stairway and then we put President Wada on speaker phone.  He started to address me and told me that he was sorry to have to do this to me in the middle of the week, but that he was going to give me my transfer call right then and there.  With absolute sureness and resolve in his voice, he then told me that my new assignment was to transfer to the Mission Office and be his new Assistant!  It took me about 5 seconds to respond because I didn't know what to say or how to feel about it.  Pushing back tears of sadness and excitement I feebly responded with an okay and asked when I am to move.  

After calling the then assistants that night, I found out that I had to leave the next day, so I packed up, said goodbye to all of our investigators and headed off to the Honbu (headquarters).  And so today, I am emailing you all from the mission office computer!!!  I am in Kichijoji ward, the stake center for the Musashino Stake.  The mission office is right next to the church and I live on the first floor of the mission office, and let me tell you, it is a dang nice place to live.  It's all practically brand new.  We have 2 showers, bunk beds, 3 computers, I have my personal phone now, and the Wada's live right above us and often bring us delicious home cooked food.  Last Thursday through today (Monday) has been an absolute whirlwind of activities and events.  I gave a zone training the morning I left without anyone knowing that I was leaving, that was hard and really sad for me.  I picked up the Wada's at the airport and got to ride through Tokyo at night and go on Rainbow Bridge.  We had one of the Kichijoji elders investigators get baptized and then had stake conference Saturday and Sunday.  This next week, tomorrow and the whole rest of the week, missionaries are going home and the new missionaries are coming in.  On top of that, Elder Evans of the 70 is coming tomorrow to give a two mission conference and we have had to organize all of that.  The elder I am replacing is going home right now and we have been busy saying goodbye with him to lots of people.  We had a welcome to the 'Bu party with the Wadas and the Yamashita's (the office couple) last night which was really fun.  Then had zone P-day today with all of the Musashino missionaries and we played dodge ball and made steaks and mashed potatoes.  We eat goooood here at the Honbu!  

My companion's name is Elder Medeiros and he is from Hawaii.  He is like 6'3" and used to weigh like 330 lbs, however, since the start of his mission he has been eating healthy and working out every morning and he has lost 140 lbs!  He is a fit beast now.  We run like a 5k every morning and play basketball a lot at the church.  He is an awesome missionary.  He got here a transfer before me so he is still learning the ropes as well.  I am now on transfer 13, in my 7th area with my 11th companion serving as the AP.  

Kyle and Connor, in case you are wondering what an AP is, every mission president selects two missionaries out the whole mission to be his personal assistants.  Basically, all we do is maintain the best area in the mission, the example area, then do every thing that President Wada says.  He has a lot to say.  When ever we have a spare moment, we go out and find.  Luckily, we live in one of the best finding areas in Japan.  There are always tons and tons of people around all the time and there is a humongous outdoor mall right next to us.  

It seems like I am going to be here for the rest of my mission.  I only have 6 months, 4 transfers left and Elder Medeiros will go home after 2 and I will need to stay and train a new assistant and carry on the mission for the rest of my time.  

This week is going to be crazy so please please pray for me!  This is going to be the biggest trail yet, but it will bring the most blessings.  I am so excited to be working under President Wada.  He is one of the most amazing men I have ever met.  I love him and I feel so much love from him.  

I love all of you as well and pray for you every day.  I have to go to wall mart right now so I'll email you next week!!! 

Take care and know that I love you! 

Elder Crandall

Monday, November 11th, 2013

Hey everybody! 

Thank you so much for the great email this last week.  I am so sorry to hear about the Cooney family and the loss of Betty.  I remember meeting her one time, at least I think it was her, on a plane ride back from Salt Lake many years ago.  I have a very vague memory of that so I'm not totally sure if I'm right.  But in the end, it brings a little bit of joy to my heart to hear and know that she endured to the end and is now gaining her eternal rewards.  I truly believe that.  

Ya know, here in Japan, they believe in one of two things.  They either believe that after they die, the wicked go to hell and the righteous are reincarnated into a different form, destined to continue this never ending struggle of sorrow and pain.  Kind of a dark perspective.  Or they believe that there is nothing after you die, it's the total end of everything.  Actually, I just got out of a lesson with one of our investigators, Zach, and we asked him what he thought about it and he told us that he was taught in a Buddhist school that reincarnation is real and that he might come back as a bug if he didn't work hard.  But he didn't believe it. However, when he thought about the normal Christian alternative of heaven and hell, he felt really bad 'cause he was worried that he would go to hell.  So now he has concluded that he just shouldn't think about death at all and just give it his all until he dies. But he is 19 and is completely miserable at this point.  He is reaching out for help, but will never admit it 'cause of pride.  He wants to change, but change is scary for him.  He has gone through child abuse, starvation, abandonment, and now he is going through poverty.  We read 1 Nephi with him, showing him how the scriptures relate to him and when we got to the point were it talks about Nephi being born of goodly parents, we asked him if he loved his parents and he told us that he hates his father and doesn't love his mother.  His father beat him and abandoned him for months at a time as a child and his mother bosses him around so he doesn't love her, he respects her, but he sees her as a symbol of oppression that he needs to overcome.  I told him that like Nephi, I learned so much from my father.  I told him how we would always go camping together and how he taught me everything I need to know about camping.  And how while we would camp he taught me life lessons and shared his testimony with me.  I told him how much I love my father.  I told him that the key to parenting, the key to influencing people and the key to raising children is love.  He then asked us what love is like.  He said he doesn't know what love is and that he dearly wants to know.  I shared Moroni 7:44-48 with him and told him to go home and study those verses and to come back and tell me what love is.  I feel too much love from the people around, especially my family, to think that this life is the end of all happiness. There is more to life than work, school, movies and golf.  I know there is a greater purpose for us, each of us, and this life is nothing more than preparation for the next one.  

I am afraid that this is all I can share due to time this week.  Thank you, mom, for feeding the missionaries.  I have been fed once by the Relief Society back when I was in Yachiyo ward, I know how much they appreciate it.  

I love you all so much!!!  This week is transfer calls so hopefully I don't go anywhere, but with my history, who knows whats going to happen!!! 

Muchos Gracias, 

Elder Crandall