FERRY TRIP TO SADO ISLAND

We try to go to a different Branch of the Church each Sunday that we can. We decided to go visit the Branch on Sado Island which is a 2 hour ferry ride on the Sea of Japan from Niigata. Sisters Yoshizawa and Yoshida go to the Branch once a month to support and teach lessons to anyone the 7 members prepare for them to teach. Bless their hearts. They get up at 4 AM and ride their bike 45 minutes to the port in the dark to catch the ferry. Once they arrive on the island, they take a bus to the church which is 30 minutes away. It makes for a very long and tiring day for them.

On the ferry, everyone takes off their shoes and sits on the carpeted floor and talks or sleeps. We brought a breakfast for the 4 of us to eat from our hotel. We enjoyed traveling with these two sweet sisters.


To take up time on the boat, we found this photo opportunity and took advantage. Silly, I know!



This is the total active branch-except the Branch President wasn't at church this week because he had some training obligations at his work. The wife of BP is on the back row in green. She is such a nice person and spent time with us driving to and from the port. She also spoke in Sacrament Meeting and taught the Sunday School lesson that Sunday.
After the two hour block of meetings, this lovely pot luck lunch appeared. The table was set up in the little one room chapel and we ate a delicious meal together.
It was fun to do the dishes with the sisters in the Branch.
These two men (plus the Branch President) are the only Priesthood holders. One is a counselor to the BP and conducted Sacrament Meeting and the other blessed the sacrament.
Two of the ladies in the branch with Sis Yoshizawa. Both have physical handicaps but are so friendly and happy.
This is the little chapel. It is very tiny but the spirit was still felt in the meetings.

RICE FARMERS IN IZUMI

Our mission is relatively rural even though Sendai has 1 million people and the larger cities are several hundred thousands of people. Still, as we travel throughout the mission, we see thousands and thousands of rice fields. Gary has challenged himself to understand all about growing rice in Japan. Our Stake President introduced Gary to this rice farmer, the KUMAGAI family (not a member) and we have become friends. Gary goes to their home every month and is discovering all the steps these farmers take to keep their fields in top condition to grow rice.

The KUMAGAI couple and Gary the first time they met.
This sweet little lady is the mother of Mr. Kumagai who lives with them. She is 93 years old and is mentally sharp, loves to talk and is a story teller.
The second visit their home, Gary took me with him and we sat around this table on the floor (the space under the table where you hang your legs is heated and feels really good in that big drafty farmhouse) and talked to her for hours. I couldn't understand a word she said and Gary could only understand about 1/2 of it, but we fell in love with her just the same.
We took picture next to the rice. We were actually not preparing for a race but rather just trying to get closer to the rice.
We met this lady working in her rice field and stopped and talked to her for a time. She took her hat off to get her picture taken. So cute!!

Gary always endears himself to everyone he meets.
They are writing konji on their palms to explain what her last name means.
This was the third visit to the rice field. This visit they were turning over the ground before winter.

Mrs. KUMAGAI working in the fields that day. They gave us homemade miso and mushrooms from their garden.
This is a HUGE!!! statue of Buddha in Izumi where the rice farmer lives.

District Conferences held all month

The month of October has included a District Conference almost every weekend all over our mission. We started in Aomori, then to Niigata, Kooriyama and Morioka. We enjoyed each conference and met so many nice and great members of the church. Gary spoke in 3 sessions of conference ; Priesthood Leadership Meeting and Evening session plus Sunday morning session. I was asked at each conference to speak to the RS sisters while their husbands were in the Leadership meeting. I prepared a video of my family that I shared with them and they seemed to like it. Then we just shared conversion stories and sisters introduced themselves. I also got to speak at two sessions of conference. At two of the conferences, we were asked to do a fireside after the conference. We turned it into a question and answer session that was more casual and relaxed. We hope the members feel comfortable with us.

Sister Belnap translated for me in Aomori. She was baptized in Sapporo and knew Brian when he served his mission there. It's a small world!!
Bro. Ebina, counselor in District Presidency, Pres. Murakami, District President, Gary, Bro Nagase & Saito of Mission Presidency.
Beautiful bento served us for dinner in Niigata.
Pres.Inoue and his wife of the Tokyo Temple presidency. He was the Bishop in Tokyo 40 years ago when Gary served there. Gary was thrilled to meet him again.
Sister Yoshida, wife of Gary's counselor in the Mission Presidency. She served her mission with Gary 40 years ago.The District Presidency was changed in Niigata this conference. This is the out-going presidency.The new presidency with Gary. The new District President is very young-early 30's.

Pres. Saito, Kondo, Gary & Uehara
The new District Presidency with the Mission Presidency.
The Elders serving in the Niigata District and I got to visit in the parking lot for an hour after conference. We had lots of fun just talking and taking pictures. This is Elder Juchau.
(L-R) Elders Kendall, Taylor, Gannon, Preston, Tanaka, Squire & Dick.
Mission Presidency: Pres. Yoshida, Gary, and Nagase. President Yoshida worked on the translation of the Book of Mormon into Japanese (Moromon-sho) and translates for all Visiting General Authorities when they come to visit Japan. He also translates General Conference talks into Japanese.
Sis.Inoe and Pres.Inoe and President Saito,Exec. Sec to Mission Presidency. Pres Saito is a wonderfully kind man and the father of 10 children.
Kooriyama District Presidency. Pres Matsumura (center) and Suzuki & Takahashi. President Matsumura is also very young (early 30's) and is married to the oldest daughter of Elder Aoyagi (Area Presidency)
District Presidency and Mission Presidency.

Book of Mormon Specialized Training

The month of October was spent traveling around the mission giving specialized training to the missionaries on using the Book of Mormon more effectively in their dendo (missionary work). The Church published a special edition of the Ensign especially on the Book of Mormon that is full of many helpful tools (pictures, timelines, testimonies) to help investigators understand more about the Book of Mormon. This is especially a challenge in Japan. After training by Gary, me and the AP's, time was given for the missionaries to mogi or roll play different situations so that in a real situation, they will feel comfortable and know what to say or do.
A ward member from Yamagata with Sisters Tauira and Tanaka.
Elder Ruefenacht happy to have his own copy of the Liahona.
Ready to eat a bento for lunch.

Zone Leaders training. Elders Narita and Lay.

Elders Ovard and Bigger
Sisters Sato and Chikamori



At each training, I cut up apples which are in season and delicious and made a dip of cream cheese and brown sugar. It was a hit everywhere we went. Gary is serving the plate of apples.
The Morioka chapel is across the street from this beautiful, small, recreational lake that is full of Koi and ducks. The trees around the lake have turned Fall colors and in the spring they have cherry blossoms. Elder Ovard and Elder Bigger and I went to the lake and fed the fish and the ducks. A little man will sell the crusts cut off the ends of a loaf of bread. The ducks and the fish swarm around whomever is throwing food at them. This little boy loved the power he had and the attention the animals gave him for throwing them food.



Elders Ovard and Bigger.
Elder Dowdy and Sister Maki
Elder Narita and Sister Fukuda
Elder Ishida and President Rasmussen (Poor Elder Ishida was very nervous to mogi with his president. He is very young in the mission.
Sister Asato and Elder Lay

Elder Dowdy-District Leader from Odate.

Gary was able to give her first Temple Recommend to Sister Sato in Odate. She was so happy!!
Outside the church were these darling kindergarteners walking with their teacher. They were so cute, I had to take some pictures of them.



Elders Shaw and Narita.
Elders Everett and Yamatani
Elders Nishida and Ellis

I saw this sign that said DENDO which is a very popular word in our mission meaning "Missionary Work". I'm sure this store name means something very different, tho.