Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  There was a guy putting Christmas lights his roof.  We walked up to him and I asked him if he knew why he was doing that.  He said for fun.  I told him it was for Christ.  I explained the star and all the things he was doing.  He didn't have interest but  it was pretty funny haha.  Our investigator, I-- prayed for us.  It was amazing.  He was saying how he was so thankful for the missionaries being here and he just wants to understand.  It was heartbreaking hearing a 50 year old man sound like a child.  So amazing and he is little by little learning.  We had to split investigators with the new missionaries so we've been doing tons of finding.  I got all the ward letters.  So cool hearing from my hometown.  Sorry that I cant answer individually, I wrote down answers for everyone but I don't have time.  So basically this will answer them all.  Yes, Japanese is hard but it is improving gradually day-by-day.  I decided to go on a mission because I know how everything good in my life has come from Christ's true gospel so I want to tell other people and help them feel the same way.  The food is great.  I just get hungry because sometimes I don't eat that much because of time.  On Sunday we rode our bikes to a members home, an hour there and hour back on or bikes.  He is a rice farmer and has a 200 year old rice mochi maker thing.  We got this huge hammer that was heavy and smashed the rice into mochi.  Apparently Niigata, the prefecture Sanjo is in, has the best rice in Japan.  So best in the world I think.  Its known for being the best in Japan.  You can literally eat it by itself.  Just white rice and it's amazing.  The other day the weather was very bad and we got hailed in the face - a lot this week.  Not good for finding people because no one wants to talk to you as they are getting hit by hail.  Not too fun riding a bike in it either haha.  So we've been housing a lot.  I made my first joke in Japanese when someone turned us down.  It was funny.  Always good to have a good attitude while housing.    I love payday candy bars I learned.  Hint hint.  Probably need to stop eating so much candy though haha.  The mission is great.  The ward Christmas party was fun.  We had to throw it together at the last second because the lady doing it was going to be late so they told us missionaries to do it.  We did it though and it turned out great.  I cannot wait to Skype!!!!  I love your emails.  I love you all!!!!!!!!!!

 

Love,

Elder Mason Proctor

 

 





The Finished Product

 

Well, my first transfer change happened, my former companion went to be Zone Leader and I got a new companion. My new trainer/companion is amazing!!!!!!!!He is from Hawaii.  He has got me doing all these language study games and a new structured language study plan!!!!!!!!!  I am learning so much faster.  He is also giving me a lot more responsibility so I'm learning faster.  At ward council or whatever its called in English where you talk about all the people your working with, he had me talk about everyone.  It went great.  I spoke the best Japanese I have yet.  So awesome.  Also, he has me carry the phone around so I have to at least try to talk to the people.  Most of the time I get it to work but sometimes I'm just like: nope, haha.  So we've had a weird week with transfers.  Our apartment now has four Elders (2 companionships).  Elder R--, my trainer.  Then the other companionship is elder K---, Nihonjin:), and Elder N--- from Canada.  He's brand new and looks just as clueless as I was, haha.  Elder K-- is great, he's fluent in English, so basically I have two great trainers because I'm with them both a lot.  Elder K--- can tell me what sounds natural and that's great.  He said my pronunciation is great.  Thank you Rosetta Stone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you so much for that dad and mom.  It really has made a difference.  I know some everyday stuff and my Japanese is better because of it.  

I got the ward gift.  Best homeward in the world.  I love Nacogdoches with all my heart.  That's a good poem sister Ault and thanks Nicholas!  I haven't been able to look at the whole package yet.  We went to an old folks home Saturday.  The same one as last month.  We performed a talent show for them.  We sang and stuff.  They wanted me to do something with basketball.  So I got Tatsuhiro the 8 year old crazy Japanese kid and spun the ball on my finger and I tried to spin it on to his.   The old people loved it!!  So funny.  Then we played a Japanese patty cake/rock paper scissors game with them.   The lady who cried last time when we came balled her eyes out the whole time because we came again.  She was so happy.  Tatsuhiro asked me if I was a basketball Champion in America.  Those were his exact words, in Japanese obviously, but that's what he asked.  I told him no haha.  Thanks to the Datin girls.  Their letters really get to me.  They make me happy. We trudge through the snow now.  Can't ride bikes and of course can't drive a car so I walk and walk and walk.  I got sprayed by snow the other day by a car.  Soaking wet, not cool but whatever, haha. 

We invited I-- to pray and do all the commandments for 3 weeks and tell us if the church was true and if he felt the spirit.  I called him Friday and he told me ever since he prayed he felt the spirit and is getting strength!!!!!!  Wooh!  So he might be our white Christmas baptism. 

I love you all so much.  We had a little get to know you meeting in our apartment on Saturday.  Elder K-- talked about how he loves his family and how Japan needs to know the gospel.  So he loves his people.  He's district leader by the way.  It made me tear up.  I have a new slogan that I tell my self.  Make Japan your 3rd family.  So that's what I do.  Elder K--- got teary eyed a little because he was happy I want to help him with his country.  I love you all so much.  My Nihongo (Japanese) has spiked upward in the past couple of days.  The gift of tongues is real.  So real.  Peoples faces are shocked when they learn we have only been studying Japanese for a couple months. 

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh yeah, a drunk 70 year old guy on a train came up to me and started bowing to me the other day and telling me thank you and stuff.  grabbing my hand and doing deep bowing.  Sooooooooooo funny!!!  He thanked me in Japanese and in English, hilarious

 

Love,

Elder Mason Proctor

今日は! (Hello!)

 

So many things to tell all of you all, so here it goes.  First of all, I rode the Shinkansen two weeks ago and forgot to tell you.  That's the bullet train and yes bullet is the right word haha.  It took us 13 minutes to get to Niigata when it usually takes 45minutes :)  so that was cool.  We went to Sado on Monday.  We rode the Jet Foil over the sea of Japan to get there.  Then we took the ferry back.  So I've basically ridden every possible means of transportation in Japan in 6 weeks haha.  Not many missionaries even get to ride one of those.  So at Sado we saw a miracle.  I was working with the Elders in Sado while my companion was interviewing their investigator. We were housing (tracting) when we, all three of us, saw a shooting star.  It was cool and next they asked me where we should go next, because I was visiting.  I thought for a second, trying to feel wear to go next so I was like - well that shooting star was out of the ordinary so I said follow the star.  We followed it instead of our original plan.  We found an apartment complex.  We heard music being played in one of the upstairs apartments.  Went to it.  Knocked on the door and a gaijin (foreigner) answered?!?!?  A white guy with blonde hair haha.  So shocked.  He is an English teacher apparently.  We walk in and he is definitely prepared.  He said in the last month he has read the bible more than ever.  He loves Christ.  He just said he has been looking for more of God's word.  When he said that I was like "OHH YEAH!!!" in my head.  I kept my cool though.  Gave him the Book of Mormon which one of my split companions just "coincidently" brought an English Book of Mormon that day.  The guy is doing well.  They met him again and told us he is progressing:)  I- came to church :)  he is progressing and we just got back form teaching an amazing lesson:)  His name is T- and he's in his 20's.  I told him how if he follows the word of God, he can know for a fact that He is real and not just a thought.  He wants his girlfriend to hear the message too:)  Other than those things a normal week.  Weird looks at us on trains, rain pouring all the time and its cold.  I get soaked and its all fine.   People speak Japanese that I don't understand but I am now at the point that I can hold my own by myself.  If the conversation goes in a normal direction, work, sports, family, I can hold my own.  Still confused a lot of the time though haha.  Its alright though. We got transfers calls today and I'm staying in Sanjo.  I'm getting a missionary with a Spanish last name but I'm pretty sure he speaks English.  Also we will be a four man apartment.  Two companionships.  The other companionship has a Nihonjin (native Japanese Elder) so he can help me a lot. That is all for now. Keep praying as it helps sooo much, I love you all:)  さようなら (Bye)

 

Love,
 

Proctor Chouro

Branch member's son at a dinner appointment. Most American phrases aren't quite right, lol

Hangin with the "locals" - We eat waffles here.

Riding the JetFoil on the Sea of Japan heading to Sado Island. Selfie with another members son. He's a funny guy.

 

I'll try to tell you as much as I can.  So today we are going to Sado.  It is the island off the coast next to us.  The leaders there have a baptism and Elder Pronk is interviewing so our Pday is basically non existent today.  Sado will be cool though.  Last Monday, I read Mormon 1:15 in personal study.  It specifically says when Mormon was 15 he felt the goodness of Jesus.  I had that scripture in my bag of tricks just to be prepared.  We ran into 4 15 year olds. :)  Taught them some stuff, so cool.  Tuesday I went on splits with Elder Shibuta from Brazil.  He is a zone leader.  He speaks 4 languages now.  His dad owns a language school.  I didn't even know he spoke Portuguese.  He's so good at English.  So I learned a lot from him.  Cool story, it was pouring freezing rain like always and we were about to go home for dinner for the night.  We thought we had done all the houses but I just checked again, you know how OCD I am.  So glad I did.  Saw one we thought we had knocked but hadn't.  We decided to put off dinner and try.  Found a family named "A".  The A family.  We are teaching them Wednesday.  So excited and they have 3 little kids.  I also tried to speak a lot more this week.  I'm improving but man is it hard.  There's a lot of different ways to speak Japanese, so old people are impossible to understand, kids voices are really high, but teenagers and 20s and 30s are the best.  Kids are so adorable.  So funny them saying the same English sentences but in Japanese.  One girl at church was trying to pick up a chair and was like "dekinai!!" which means "I cant do it" then she started telling us a story and since she was 3, I could sort of understand haha.  Oh yeah, a couple of days ago it snowed!!!!!  So cold.  In Japanese you don't walk up to people and ask how they are doing.  Its just weird.  The way you do it is comment on the weather and then if they talk, you're in haha.  So sometimes I feel like the official Sanjo weather reporter.  I spend all day saying: "Samui desu yo ne" (It sure is cold)  "Ame ga taihen desu yo ne"  (Its rainy today) Then when they stop we teach.  Sunday we ran into a bunch of chugakuseis (middle schoolers) who were 14.  They actually pulled out there phones and took pictures of us gaijin (foreigners) immediately haha.  Elder Pronk also does free running so he did a backflip for them haha.  In Sanjo there's no gaijin so we always get looks haha.  On trains its hilarious.  I always am like, I wonder how many people are staring at me right now haha.  I'm 188 cm and I tell it to people a lot.  Housing (Tracting) is hilarious because the people are always shocked.  One old lady just stumbled backward and it was so funny.  Our investigators are doing alright.  This family is probably our focus now.  People in Japan just don't want to offend anyone so we never are exactly sure how interested they are. Thanksgiving we ate Ramen, so basically not thanksgiving haha. The other day I got soaked in freezing rain but hey, I'm used to it by now haha.  The gospel is true and Japanese is fun but constantly stressful but I'm doing it and with Heavenly Fathers help. I'm improving everyday.  I love you all. 

 

Ai, (Love)

Proctor Chourou (Elder Proctor)

 

 Ramen for Thanksgiving - yummy!

 

 

Kon'nichiwa!

 

My dad asked if they have Walmart in Japan and in Tokyo there is Seiyu.  Seiyu is Walmart.  It has a Seiyu sign but on the inside there are Walmart cards and the same pictures and stuff haha.  I had a quick little week.  We sung "I am a Child of God" in English to a lady at an awesome looking Japanese house.  Their houses are normal.  Sometimes a little run down, but with awesome looking Japanese roofs, even on the run down ones haha.  Some are awesome and look like the movie classic ones haha.  So I just got a haircut, I was super nervous because I cant do that in Japanese yet.  But we got there and there was some random fluent Japanese lady haha.  She was a stay at home mom and we got her to plan to going to Eikaiwa (English Class).  Wooh! so awesome.  She actually was all excited to bring her kids.  We were at the haircut at the right time it seems like.  I love you all so much.  The church is true haha.  Japanese is improving.  Because of the conference it really got me focused on learning Japanese quicker.  I need to trust that I really can learn it quicker.  I don't have to settle for the end of my mission.  I can be more effective and helpful now.  I figured out why everyone thinks Japanese are bad drivers.  In japan at least its because the roads are so small!!!  They like weave around each other and barely miss but its normal haha.  So they are actually great drivers just so used to dodging each other that they are great haha.  That lady we met could be promising.  Don't know yet though.  Our investigator Y- is sort of opening up a little bit.  Its just hard because they think anything can be a god so when we tell them our religion they are like, Yea what's one more.  But once we teach they start to understand.  We had a pot luck dinner because an 8 year old was baptized.  I would tell you what I ate but I honestly don't know myself haha.  Each bite I just hoped that it wouldn't taste gross haha.  It was all good.  It rains a lot here!  Today we are going to a place called Uniclo to get clothes and stuff.  I'm excited.  Sorry that I don't have much to say.  Its only been a couple days.  I'm doing my best.  Japanese is hard.  Yes, this is not the language they taught me at the MTC haha.  But every day I understand more and more.  If you want to know what its like though. I know what you can do.  Watch a movie and every five seconds mute it for like 10 seconds then turn it on for 5 seconds then mute for 10 seconds then just keep doing that and you'll understand how my understanding Nihongo (Japanese) goes haha  Well I love you all.  you are the best. Ai shite imasu!!

 

Love

Elder Proctor

 

 

So it is freezing!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So cold and its been raining for three days.  So sick of the rain haha.  Hard to ask people to stop and talk to you when they are getting drenched and wet haha.  The language slowly gets better.  I can understand a little bit more now and I actually am saying stuff to them.  Its the hardest thing getting used to the speed.  They speak so fast!!!!!!  I can understand missionaries but natives are hard.  Yes, I sleep on the futons.  There is no AC/Heater so yeah, it's freezing all the time! Literally an hour ago my companion figured out this portable heater thing though so yes!!!!!!!!  We were so happy.  We literally would work out in the morning under our blankets haha.  I can cook a little bit now.  Rice every time but its actually really good.  I like it.  We fried peanut butter balls the other day and I choked?!?! My companion did the Heimlich and everything.  It was scary.  My first thought before I really was choking was wow this would be something dumb to choke on.  Then I did it.  It was scary but over now haha :P  I also said something funny on the street the other day.  "Ki o tsukete ne" means like "be careful". Just a nice thing to say to someone right.  Well I got in a habit on the street and after we talked to a man about God, he said he was ok and quickly walked away.  I said "ki o tsukete ne" and my companion laughed.  Then I realized he denied God and I said "be careful....." oops haha.  One investigator named F- is our best right now.  He's been investigating for a long time.  The other 4 or 5 just don't commit.  They like talking but not doing.  We're working with them though.  In Japan they have this notion of everything is true so when we talk about our religion they say that's good stuff.  But they don't realize the fact that it is impossible for everything to be true!  Its funny.  Like in a lesson we said the Book of Mormon is true or its not true.  The investigator said it can be both.  What?!?! haha were working on it though.  Yesterday we talked with this 25 year old or so man who they met before I got here on a train.  We ate lunch and he ended up taking a Morumon-Sho (Book of Mormon) and actually might be our best potential investigator for White Christmas! wooh.  So that was great.   I ate fried octopus the other day.  Good, just ignored the octopus part, that's the weirdest I've ate.  We taught Eikaiwa (English) class - lots of funny moments there.  My companion is awesome.  He helps me and teaches me to cook which is good haha.  He knows his way around well too.  We ride trains all the time.  Japanese people ride bikes like crazy!!!  There's bike parking at McDonalds?!?!?! Haha  Read the scriptures and pray.  Christ is our Savior.  God is our personal Heavenly Father.

 

Love

Proctor Chourou (Elder Proctor)

 

Morumon Sho o yomeba kazoku no kankei o tsuyomerareru to yakusoku shimasu - figure it out haha  :P

 

 



Just got my sweet ride! I had to wait a week because they had to special order the height, lol.



Our "deluxe" accommodations - mine is the one on the right.

So this week I had my last soccer game and basketball game.  I played a little baseball too for like 20 minutes.  Basketball was fun.  I have to say though.  Soccer has been the best.  Since all of us are about the same skill in soccer its fun.  We don't keep score in the MTC but in soccer its kind of hard not to know the score since its so low.  But we scored more goals than the other team every time:)  WE had to say by to one of our senseis.  Hatch Kyoudai.  (a "u" next to an "o" makes a long "ohh" sound by the way)  It was sad.  He was great and really humble.    Tonight we say by to our other two regular senseis.  Not looking forward to that.  Our whole district is probably going to cry but its ok haha.  We've grown really close to them because they teach us for 6 hours a day.  I cant wait to be fluent like them .

 

I had my last lesson with our practice investigator.  the Spirit was so strong.  We decided to just bear our testimony about Heavenly Father and Christ.  The Spirit was so strong.  It's going to be hard to leave my real kyudosha (investigators) in the field.  Japanese is awesome.  Everything really started clicking this week.  I got some help from the Nihonjin too.  They obviously can speak it a lot better haha.  They can tell me what sounds natural and give me tips.  So I've accepted the fact that I'm going to be clueless in Tokyo haha.  Its ok though.  I can teach and bear testimony so I know the Lord will use me.

 

My next post in a week will likely have pictures of my new trainer and my Mission President and his wife. I am exactly 14 hours in the future Texas time so if it is 8 in the morning in Texas, it is 10 in the evening in Japan.

 

 

It's awesome learning Japanese.  Its funny though because I can have a complete conversation about the Gospel in Japanese but everyday stuff I can't as much.  I guess the Gospel is a little more important though.  This is going to be a jumbled letter so bear with me.  Something funny I learned is that the word for visit and excommunicate are almost the exact same so you have to be careful.  If you say I like to visit members it can come out as I like to excommunicate members. I can teach lessons in Nihongo. Nihongo is Japanese.  I'm used to hearing it that way.  My Nihongo is steadily improving.  The grammar is all backwards compared to English.  Its nice though because there are no exceptions.

I got Happy Birthday sung to me in the cafeteria.  It was really loud, but it was actually comforting for me.  I also was told Happy Birthday about a million time.  Most of the time in languages I didn't understand.  Its because my companion is kind of a goofball.  He's such a nice guy who helps me all day but he is a goofball.  He wrote on a paper that it was his companions birthday and walked behind me all day.  Every time someone would walk by he would flip it out thinking I didn't know and the missionaries would say happy Birthday.  He's a nice choro (elder).

I really appreciated all of the letters everyone sent on my birthday. There were so many and I figured my mom put something up on her Facebook to get such a reaction. I thank all of you for your support and prayers.

It was fun getting the new Kohai.  they don't know any Nihongo haha.  They say some funny stuff that just doesn't make sense.  I'm a Senpai now.  It's crazy!!! I sing better in Nihongo than English haha.  I think its because I'm more focused on reading in Nihongo so I don't hear myself.  WE have a district of all Chorotachi.(Elders).  WE sound awful at singing most of the time. Just like in Priesthood.  our branch is pretty much Chorotachi too so I'm not seeing this whole thing that there are more Shimai, (Sisters), than elders at the MTC. That's what everyone said before I left but I don't see it. It seems like there is way more elders than shimai.

Thank you again for all of your support. My email is mason.proctor@myldsmail.net so if anyone wants to shoot me a letter you can do it through that address.

 

 

 

 

Three weeks into my mission already but still at the MTC. I feel a little jealous of Taylor, Abby, and Jordan. They only had to stay 2 weeks. I love the Spirit here but the long hours of language and gospel study in a fairly small classroom gets monotonous at times. I just want to be out in Tokyo doing what I have been called to do. This man named Brother Irie talked to us too in a devotional. He was converted in Japan when he was young.  He had to go through so much because his family didn't want him to join the Church.  He knew it was true though.  He spoke Japanese 95% of the time and I understood Everything!!!! Granted he did talk slow and purposely used words that were common but still it was awesome!!! I was emotional because he sung a song about being converted that he wrote afterwards. He sung in both Japanese and English.  People say they hear my accent sometimes.  That's weird.  I like it though.  Texas is the best.  Japanese is going well but getting stressful.  There's so much to learn.  It's like having a school project that has no end and no beginning.  So I have no idea where I should start studying.  It's going well though.  Thanks to all who are writing me and emailing me. It helps soooo much!