Pictures of John in Japan!

My brother (who's on a mission in Japan), finally sent some pictures. It's awesome to see where he actually is, who he is working with, and the crazy crowded city of Okinawa.

I love Saturdays.

I made it through Watts Homecoming Week. It was really busy, but it was a lot of fun. I have to say that the dress up days were pretty boring (with the exception of cross-dressing day), but the pep rally was a success and we won our game in the freezing cold! Afterwards there was a homecoming dance that I chaperoned for an hour before I was given the OK to go home. Watching the kids play around and...just be kids was fun. I laughed a lot. Even though Friday was a ridiculously long day (6:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.), it was fun. I'm just glad that things are going to calm down for a little while. Next week is a 3-day week, and Thursday and Friday are our Fall Break. Well...I've got a half-day on Thursday plus I've got to go to an away game with the cheerleaders.

I've seriously neglected grading this week too. So this weekend is full of catching up. I also need to make a physiology study guide and test.

This is what I did in Chemistry today.

The title is very true. I'm not wearing the proper safety gear...thus setting a very bad example for the kiddos. They had already seen the reaction once and begged to record it on their phones and such. Usually that wouldn't happen, but hey, I'm not totally demonic.

School and John

Whoever thought that teaching was an 8-3 job needs their head checked. Good grief. I work all the time and I still feel like I'm never on top of things. Nick says I need to chill out. I'm trying to, really, I am. But it's hard. And it seems like the next couple of weeks are just going to be insane. First of all, the cheerleaders are preparing for homecoming stuff, which is all next week. They've got this big pep rally planned and dress-up days and all this hoopla. So I'm involved in all that business. I've also got two football concessions next week...senior sponsor junk. AND the homecoming dance (I just now remembered that one...fantastic). Field trip to the Tulsa State Fair. And the list just goes on and on and on and ON. I'm currently avoiding a big stack of papers that need to be graded...and no, these aren't papers the kids can grade.

I sound like a Debbie Downer.

I really do love my job. I mean, REALLY love it. Even on the days that I have a kid yelling at me or someone slamming the door or when an entire zoo class pretty much flunks a test (ok...maybe I didn't love it then). It's just so much work though. I don't understand how anyone thinks that this is an easy job with great hours. Yeah, I guess if I was a bum teacher who couldn't care less about education...then sure. I could zip right out at 3 and not give a second thought about it until 8:00 the next morning.

I'll really love tomorrow...I think. In chemistry I'm exploding stuff. :)

Those of you that know John, keep him in your prayers, please. He's having a reality check on the mission and is starting to realize just how long he's going to be there. I think he's getting homesick, and he did admit in this last email that he pretty much passes out from exhaustion every day (he rides a bike in the hills) and a few times he's wanted to call the president and call it quits. Of course he never will, but he's just having a rough time. I miss him like crazy. When you've got only one sibling, it makes things lonely. It's sad to go back home and not see him sprawled out on the couch all lazy-like and listen to his sarcasm. Or not getting to yell at him because he stole my Coke.

Even though the mission experience is tough (and especially tough since he's my brother) I wouldn't trade it for anything. I know he's learning so much, even though he doesn't see it. He's still the same person...just more of a man. Can't wait to see what changes he has over the rest of his time.

If you want to write him an email, his address is JrHelms@myldsmail.net. I'm sure he would appreciate it.

Anywho, there's my depressing post. On the upside, my favorite band, The Used, released a new album, and it's fricken good.

John is officially in Japan!

Here's John's first email from Japan. He sounds like every greenie missionary...very excited.

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K first of all, if you are reading this, and you just got it (should be Sunday night), email me right back, and we can get a chat type thing going on here. No time limit outside the MTC.


Questions!

1. I got a Giant. It's the most reccomended bike out there, and nobody really has problems with them. Other then the inevitable flat tire/broken chain/getting hit by a car.

2. Yes. I got a Cannon Wordtank M300. Most missionaries in the past have gotten the same thing, just a step down. But, they quit making those, so I went for the better one. It's price was 25,000 yen, but I got it for 17,000. I got the very last one.

3. Umm. I have 6,000 left, so about $57. I had about 71,000 when I started, ($800) but after the bike, a basket for the back of my bike, the electronic dictionary, and a few other needed things that I'm buying today, I'll be around broke. I plan to take out money today, not sure how much. I also have about $174 in missionary funds for this month left.

4. Well, let me explain how awesome Japan is. I don't really know yet! Wanna know why? Because I was in Japan for all of 2 days. Those 2 days were amazing. I love Japan. But, I got my first area last wednesday, and my very first area is....

Okinawa. It's frikken hot here. It's not even Japan (I'm not kidding), I'll tell you more later.

5. Slow.

K next email.
Yes, my P-day is actually Monday. Remember Japan is 14 hours in front of you. Or 15 hours. I'm not too sure. Right now it's 10:23 AM Monday morning. So I guess right now it's Sunday night there. Like 8 or 9 or something.

The food here is really good. Like way good. But then again, I'm not really in Japan, I'm in Okinawa. It's prettymuch a mix of Japan, America, and Hawaii. It's really really pretty. Oh, before I forget, let me go ahead and tell you what being a missionary in the Okinawa Okinawa area involves. I'm over 4 wards. Four. 1 Japanese ward, and 3 american branches. Let me just say that uh, it's frikken busy. We teach in both Japanese and in English. I really want to go back to the mainland. There is usually a pattern here, so let me just explain it really simply. Usually, one of three things happen. 1, A missionary starts out on the mainland of Japan, then sooner or later, he gets transfered to Okinawa, and stays there for the rest of his mission. 2, They stay on the mainland all their mission. 3, The start our in Okinawa, stay for just a couple transfers, and go back to the mainland and spend most of their mission there. Chances are, I'm number 3, which I'm happy about. Okinawa is very very very laid back, and we teach in english as much as Japanese. Funny thing is, every missionary wants to be where I am now. The fact that I have my first area in the most pretty part of Okinawa, and that I'm over Americans, oh, and not to mention that we have the most nice apartment in the mission (not kidding), makes people want to be in my spot. We literally get so much food from both the Japanese and Americans that we don't need to go shopping for anything other than milk. I'm about 99% positive that we have, by far, more food than any other missionary in Japan.

I don't know how, but I got matched with a trainer that fits me perfectly. His name is Elder Richardson. We have pretty much the same personality, and he says I remind him exactly of him when he came to Japan. We get along really really well, and he helps me out tons. So thanks for the prayers, cause geez, they worked.

Okay, as for airports in Japan. They do have english words, but not very many. Even less in the smaller airports. In the bigger airports, though, the workers usually, if not always, can speak some english, so it would be fine for anyone. In the smaller ones, I'm not too sure how people would cope if they didn't know at least a little Japanese, to be honest. But really, don't get the idea that I know any Japanese, cause I honestly have no idea what is going on about 85% of the time that I'm listening to Japanese. On a funny note, I've come to the realization that not a single missionary in the entire world knows what on earth he or she is doing. It's really quite amazing. Seriously, you can plan as much and as well as you want or can, and these plans for the day can be amazing. The days never ever go along with what you plan. My days here haven't even come close to being in line with what we've planned. Now, some people might say that it must be because my trainer just sucks. Well, let me clarify, I'm pretty sure that I have one of the best missionaries in the Japan Fukuoka Mission. How many missionaries are trainers? Prettymuch none. Most missionaries serve for 2 years, never training anyone. If they do train, they train usually in the last 4 months of their mission. Most often, they only train the last transfer.

My trainer has 9 months left. He's so skilled in the language, that he literally has absolutely no problem whatsoever in anything pertaining to that matter. He might be even more skilled in teaching lessons, in either Japanese or English. He's absolutely amazing.

So yeah, it's a really good thing, planning. It helps you out a lot, gives you an idea of what you want to do for that day, and you try and base it off of that. The only problem is that it just simply fails every single time. What's really cool about that though, is that the days turn out way better then anything we could ever plan.

I'll write more when I think of something. If you check your mail soon, reply back fast, and let me know you're on, and we can exchange emails. Also, as far as emails go, I can only email family. BUT, I can also write emails to whoever I want, send it to my family, and they send it to the person it's ment for. So, I can email anyone. It's just that my parents have to forward it to whoever it's for. They just don't want me directly emailing other people I guess. Oh, and anyone at all can email me. So good news on that.

Love, blah, aishite imasu, oh, and we have 3 people with baptismal dates. Lets just say that having 3 baptisims in the first transfer in Japan might be one of the most rare things in the world.

First one is on the 19th, and yes, I'm baptizing! I'll send pictures.

High school boredom.

Courtesy of my chemistry class. Maybe I don't assign enough work :)

I know, I know.

I guess I'm not the greatest blogger. I've been super busy with teaching and I'll be honest, it's more insane than I ever imagined. I love where I'm at, but I'm frustrated sometimes. Okay...I'm frustrated a lot. Pretty much every day.

I think I've mentioned this when I found out I got a job, but I teach four different subjects within my specialty. With 6 classes total, 3 are biology, and I have a class each of chemistry, zoology, and anatomy/physiology. The a&p is an honors class so they are graded on a 5.0 scale. This class is also the one that is fighting me the most. They want a good grade for minimal effort, which irritates me...but I have to remember that it's just how most people are raised. They're just going to have to learn to be responsible. I hope they realize it before their first test. I doubt they will...but more shocking things have happened before!

My zoo class is fighting, too. Traditionally, the science curriculum at this school has been weak. Really weak. Zoo was a blow-off class, I think. I've got 30 kids taking this class (in the same hour) and they're complaining that I make it too hard. Sigh. It's really irritating. Their first test is tomorrow. I was way too nice and gave the kids the entire hour to study together today. Some took the opportunity, but of course others didn't. I pretty much know who's going to do alright and who's going to wish they'd enrolled in a different class.

Right now I'm loving my chemistry class. They are juniors and seniors (maybe a couple of sophomores thrown in) and they are a lot of fun. They actually do their work when it's time to work and we have fun when it's time for that. They've taken a great interest in my mini-skeleton that I've got on display. Currently they've named it and have given it a pope hat. Seriously.

The biology classes have their good days and their bad days. My 2nd hour is as good as gold...3rd hour makes me want to pull my hair out. I only have 2 girls in that 3rd hour, so it's a bunch of rowdy boys. 7th hour is pretty fun.

Maybe I'm just in a better mood in the afternoon.

I've been meaning to take some pictures, but it's still been so crazy that it's a wonder I remember to breathe sometimes. I'll get to it.

In other news, John (my brother) is doing fantastic at the MTC. He leaves for Japan in about 2 weeks or so. He's pretty excited but also really nervous. He's also very ready to leave the MTC and I think he has been after the 2nd week there.

Nick started school yesterday. I think overall he's liking this year better. He says it's more applicable to what he's going to be working with. Right now he's in a pharmacology class that for some reason they chose to schedule in the evening. What's hilarious to me is that the bishop of our ward (who is a pharmacist) is teaching the class. I've given the bishop permission to smack Nick around, since he tends to fall asleep in class.

Nick's also been really busy with the house lately. He pretty much re-did the utility room all by himself. I mudded, and he did the rest. He also has been replacing ceiling fans and light fixtures. I'm glad he can do all this stuff...or at least figure out how to do it. I would be at a loss, for sure.

Seminary is also going very well. It's a sacrifice to get up early and teach a bunch of high school kiddos the gospel, but Nick's doing a great job. The youth are loving it and they've been acting excited about it. Nick has also been really excited about it. He insists that he's got a really good class. I think the whole situation so far is awesome, and he's definitely being blessed for his efforts. The true test will be how they act when January rolls around and it's cold and dark outside :)