Elder Tschirki in Japan: Jazz Piano

So this week was pretty entertaining/ Elder Mismash got sick on Tuesday, making all of us sick by Saturday except for Elder Colton. We all just have colds but one of the members gave us 200 dollars to go to the hospital and we can't take money and they won't take it back so we don't know what to do. In Japan, you go to the hospital for everything. Everything. Even if your nose is stuffed up. So we all showed up to church with masks on (that's what you do in Japan because it's clean and safe). It was definitely awful at church and we all came home and fell asleep for 3 hours because our whole bodies just ached. Anyways, today we're feeling better, not perfect, but better. Probably going to take a nap today too.

So last week, on Thursday, Elder Colton and I went out to dendo and we found this house with plates and stuff and knickknacks everywhere. Everywhere, and they had two chairs so we wanted to get pictures by it, and there were people outside across the street and so we couldn't, so what did we do? We waited. For about fifteen minutes, did some doors on the street and came back and took the picture. As we were leaving, the man that lived there drove up to us and waved us down and we thought that we were busted. He then speaks to us in perfect English, telling us that this was his house, and that he lived in New Orleans for years. He then invited us into his house so he could play some blues and jazz and us being pianists obviously didn't refuse. He told us that he was 88 years old, and he had four pianos. We walk in, he gets his wife's attention (she was teaching a vocal lesson for a young woman that was going to audition for a musical in Tokyo next week) and she loved us and they sang and talked with us for a while, and eventually sang Amazing Grace to us. The best part is that they were Christian and loved Jesus and were very excited when they knew that we were missionaries and they said that they might come to our church sometime and hopefully play some music. So what started out as wanting to take pictures in front of a quirky house turned into finding Christians that love piano and jazz and will potentially become investigators. I think God for sure at least guided us to be there at that time and had those people outside talking so either they could meet us or that we could meet them and be blessed from them and their talents because we were working hard and being obedient.

On Saturday, we went out with Fukunaga Kaicho to an old folks home and played music for them, and they really loved it. We did a SMAP song and everybody, even the old, senile people, loved it because everybody knows SMAP. Everybody. They're the most popular band in Japan by FAR. Anyways like I said, this week was definitely interesting and I'm out of Shimonoseki in a week I think, which will be okay. Four transfers in one place is a long time. I wonder where I'll go! I wonder who I'll be with! We'll see. Next Tuesday is pday, not Monday! Remember to tell me if my boy Leonardo wins his award!

Elder Tschirki

The old folks home that I will never be put in because you die there.