Mission Leadership Council in August

The night before MLC was in Kamisugi. 

President Sugawara, Sendai Stake President,

prepared some flyers he wanted the missionaries to hand out.

A great group of leaders in the mission.

The Office Remodel Project

The Mission Home and Office is over 30 years old and nothing has been done to the office since it was built to improve or upgrade it.  After that many years of many different missionaries working for short periods of time and no one feeling like they could or should throw away anything, the office was full of useless junk and old records that needed to be destroyed.  Sister Rollins came to us as a missionary in January and we keep telling her she came "for such a time as this" as her family business is building and remodeling and she is an interior decorator by trade.  She had a vision and the ability to work with contractors (tho she doesn't speak any Japanese) and we were able to convince the Facilities Management office to spend our yearly budget on this remodeling project.  Everyone in the office worked hard to go through files and drawers and cupboards and discarded everything that wasn't needful to do their jobs.   We took literally tons of paper to the city incinerator to discard it.  We wanted to pack up only what we needed to run the office efficiently. The project took 3 weeks to complete once it got started and the office was moved to my dining room table while the work was done.

 

BEFORE PICTURES

Our wonderful AP's moving "stuff" out of the office to prepare

it for the workers to start knocking out walls.

We took down all curtains & white boards hanging on the walls

 and moved computers and printers out.

One of the big improvements was enough electrical outlets

and internet outlets to accommodate all of our

electronic equipment and not see an unsightly cords anywhere. 

Many desks and file cabinets were stored in President's office.

 (much more that is shown in this picture.)

Trying to get some last minute things done before

the computers were unplugged. This picture is a good reminder

of how congested the office was even though

 the wall hangings were removed.

 

Stuff everywhere!!  The bowl was caramel popcorn

I made for the staff to keep them happy

on a hard day of moving.

 AFTER PICTURES

Our beautiful new front door that lets in light. 

We also got a motion detector light by the door. 

The office Secretary's Desk with new built in cupboards behind it.

Desks

More desks

Office machines placed on built in cupboards.

The big office printer in in the back of the room behind

 a large storage cupboard so it can't be seen

when you enter the room.

That storage cupboard in the back of the room looking

 towards the entrance to the office.

President Rasmussen's office with a new rug.

Elder Noonchester's office looks so much nicer.

President Rasmussen takes a look as it is all finished. 

The only thing left to do is wait for the paintings to

arrive from SLC that will be hung in the room that

will make it especially beautiful.  The Mission Office

is now not just an "office" but a lovely place where

the work of the Lord can be done and the spirit can

be felt by all who enter it.  We are grateful to

everyone who has helped make this happen for

the Sendai Mission.

FHE in July

Tuikolovata Shimai and Valentine Shimai sang a special

 musical number.  They have been in the

mission about a week.   

We had about 50 attend.

The Assistants taught the lesson as Pres. Rasmussen

sat on the floor and listened!

Sister Kakuda and Rollins did the activity which was teaching

 about the Tanabata Festival.  One of the traditional things

 to do is write your wishes or dreams for yourself on a strip

of paper and hang it on a tree. Everyone who attended

wrote their wishes and hung it on this real bamboo tree.

Layered Chocolate Pudding dessert

 

Elders Ito and Hakaraia

Money and Lesuma Shimai

Takatsuka and Shuto Shimai with Elder Hakaraia

in the background who loves to be in pictures!

Yoshiku was baptized a couple of months ago and is leaving for

America to study English at BYU-Provo in hopes he will

get accepted into BYU in the future.

Takatsuka, & Kushi Shimai  with a newly

baptized member from Nagamachi.

 

 

The Sakamotos Finish Their Mission

The Sakamotos have been in the mission 18 months and

it is now time for them to return home to Utah.  It was

nice to become reacquainted with them after 40 years

since we were in the same ward at BYU with them as

newlyweds.   They have been a vital part of our mission

and have done much good in the Ishinoamki Branch. 

For their "Last Supper" we took them to a Korean

restaurant.  (I know, that is a strange place to take

them in Japan--it was really good food, though!)

The morning they left on the plane...

This is Tanabata Festival time in Sendai and

 the airport was decorated for it.

 

My handsome Mission President

among the decorations.

Have a safe journey and we will see you soon-in a year!

Noria Palmer Visits the Mission

 

Noria Palmer worked at the MTC teaching Japanese to Senior Missionaries until recently.  She taught us before we came to Japan-(tho I'm sure I was her least successful student ever) and she has taught several Mission President's wives in the past few years.  She is a wonderful person and we love her.  She has kept in touch with us and the other Senior missionaries in our mission who she taught and finally was able to come to see us while she was in Japan visiting her family in July.  We all went to dinner together one evening and Noria spent the night with us at the Mission Home.

 

Elder and Sister Sakamoto, Noria and Sister Rollins.

Noria still teaches Sister Rollins every week by SKYPE.

 

Noria with Sister Rollins and

Sister Kakuda (Office Missionaries)

The Sakamotos drover around Ishinomaki for a day to

show her the devastation that still is evident from

the Earthquake and Tsunami.

Elder and Sister Noonchester (office Missionaries)

President Rasmussen