Alma O. Taylor

This brother was one of the first Mormon missionaries called to Japan in 1901 at the tender young age of 18.  He ended up serving an 8 year mission there which saw only 35 baptisms.

This is what Brother Taylor had to say of his study of the language: “[This] afternoon I spent in study and research after the Japanese language, which seems at present an almost insurmountable task, most discouraging to the mind of its young student.” (source)

I haven't been here two months yet but I already feel pretty discouraged by this almost insurmountable task.  

I am not entirely sure but I didn't understand even a word spoken in church today.


In other news, I got an invitation to dinner from the Sato family which apparently consists of the Bishop, his wife or the woman I met last week who always insists I sit next to her, their son or the engaged man in Sunday school who helps translate for me, and their daughters.  Thanks to one of the daughters who just got back from a year in Romania where she did a study abroad and served as a translator during the third hours, I was able to put all those pieces together.

In other other news, I make a pretty awesome spaghetti sauce from scratch.

In other other other news, I walked home from church a new way today and ran into a lot of street concerts.  One in particular was a not a concert so much as a DJ who played Latin music while couples danced.  It was all very fun.  I wonder if this is a weekly thing or just a this Sunday thing.  The Jozenji Jazz Street festival is coming up.  I'm hoping that today was not it though or I missed it.  I should have paid more attention to those signs.