Talking on Cell Phones, Toliets and Communication in Japan

Hello!
 It has been snowing on and off all week here, but today is unusually warm (4 C) and it is drizzling rain outside! We don't like it.
It sounds like you had a fun MLK Jr. Day. We didn't even know about it. But at our lesson on Monday night, the couple said "Isn't today an American holiday?" I was sort of lost as to what it could be, but then they said Martin Luther's name, and I remembered. I am so glad that our country has diversity. A lot of Japanese people talk about the prejudice that goes on in America, but none of them really understand the fact that there is racial diversity in America. It is nice to be able to unite with so many people from different backgrounds that have different perspectives. America really is a promised land.
This week hasn't been too exciting for me, but it hasn't been bad either. On Thursday we rode a train to Takikawa to go on exchanges with the elders there. As we were riding, I got a phone call from Sister Iwane (the recent convert). In Japan, it is impolite to talk on cell phones while riding public transportation, but I couldn't reject Sister Iwane, so I picked it up anyway. (Sometimes there are advantages to being American. You can get away with a things like that.) She had some sad news: her father has cancer and is only expected to live for 3 months. So she was sort of worried about her family, especially because they found out that one of her siblings is not actually her sibling. They have different parents (or something crazy like that...the Japanese was sort of confusing). I was glad to be able to talk with her a little bit. And she came to church on Sunday, so she was able to get the support and love of all of the members here.
Exchanges in Takikawa ended up being a bust because of ineffective planning. Our missionary work was not very effective, and I felt like I didn't do enough to strengthen their faith. I still have a lot of learning to do as a leader.
Our lesson on Monday was really fun. It was with a guy named Nagaoka that we have taught a few times before in his genkan (front walkway by the door). His girlfriend invited us in, so we were way happy (teaching two is better than teaching one!). She offered us coffee, which we politely turned down, but that eventually led into me being able to teach them the basics of the Word of Wisdom. It was a really fun lesson, and the guy kept joking about stuff that we couldn't do. For example, right before we left, the girlfriend asked if we wanted to use their toilet. The following conversation occured between Nagaoka san and his girlfriend:
"Don't offer them the toilet! That's disrespectful!"
"But, it's just a toilet."
"Yeah, but they don't use the toilet. They're Mormon. What were you thinking?"
"Everyone uses a toilet. Even they do, right?"
"That's what you'd think. But everyone drinks coffee, too, and they've never drank coffee before."
About that point is where we stopped rolling on the ground in laughter to tell them that we can use toilets, but had no current desire to do so. It was so funny. It's not as funny when I retell it, but it was one of the funniest experiences I have ever had.
The best part of the lesson was right after that when the girlfriend said "Before you go, I have one final question: where do we go when we die?" I got so excited, but we were out of time and really had to go. So we committed them to reading Alma 40 and we are certainly going to teach them the Plan of Salvation next time we meet. I am pretty excited for them.
Well, that is about it. I love being a missionary. I love having a great family. I love you all. Have a great week.