Sendai Japan Mission 2011-2014: April 2012

We decided it would be good to have a shimai specialized training (the missionary department frowns on having sister conferences). The sisters never get to do exchanges like the Elders do and they are not mission leaders (APs, Zone Leaders, District Leaders), though they are Senior Companions and Trainers which are the two most important callings in the mission. The sisters love to be together and have so much experience to offer to each other. We had them all in our home for 24 hours and loved every minute of it.

As they gathered, they each got an apron that they autographed for each other.

They love to be together!!

Once everyone arrived, we got started. The first item on the agenda was to have each sister tell about themselves and their family. Many brought family pictures or other things to pass around the table. These sisters are so creative and clever and talented. I was amazed. This is Sister Tehei from New Zealand.

Sister Fukuda. She was very homesick in the beginning of her mission and dearly loves her family. She has overcome that now and is doing so well!

Sister Collins arrived in the mission a month ago--a little later than we anticipated. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the MTC. She has a extra burden of finding the foods she can and should eat in a stange country with foods she can't even identify. She gives herself shots of insulin before every meal. Bless her heart!

Sister Asato is from Okinawa.

Sister Kimura is a sweet, timid shimai that is really beginning to blossom.

She played the piano as part of her introduction. Very good!!

Sis Yoshida is the mother figure in the mission to all the other sisters. She went to BYU-H and speaks English quite well so I sometimes forget that she is Japanese. She is often my "go-to" shimai for so many things.

Sister Yoshida and Inoue listening to the others!

Sis Sato will go home in two weeks. She is a ray of sunshine and fun wherever she goes.

Sis. Kitade has blossomed. She has confidence and a smile on her face always.

Sister Mukaitani is a good singer and pianist. She came into the mission strong and continues to be strong.

Sister Chikamori is a nurse and a caring first companion to Sis Collins who has diabetes. She is a sweetheart.

Sister Bohnet is from Utah. She pulled out of this box a picture attached to a string of all the things she loves. So clever. She has picked up the language very well in 4 months. She has a new baby brother born since she arrived in the mission.

Sister Furukawa loves to dendo (do missionary work). She is shy and quiet, yet a strong and wise missionary.

I showed the girls our family video that our daughter Angie put together as a Christmas gift. They loved seeing our grandchildren and children.

Sisters Tanaka and Kimura taught the others a less familiar baptism song from the Primary that could be used in baptisms.

Any chance they got, they all gathered around the piano to sing together.

I had a translator come both days so that I and a couple of the missionaries could understand what was being said. Of our 16 sisters, 12 of them are Japanese.

A fun class was taught on "Best Practices". Each companionship shared an idea or practice they have found that is really effective in their missioinary efforts.

We asked that each companionship bring great graphics or teaching tools they use to teach different principles. The girls signed up for the copies they wanted to have and Sis Jahana prepared a packet of great ideas to take home with them.

Random pictures. Aren't they cute! Sis Chikamori and Inoue.

Sister Yoshida and Kimura.

Sisters Fukuda and Sato

At the end of the day Monday, we paired up the sisters with different companions and they went out dendo-ing. Each companionship was assigned a very specific neighborhood. By the end of the evening 2 hours later, these 16 great missionaries had found 28 PI's. (A PI is a Prospective Investigator or someone who was interested enough to allow the missionaries to return to tell them more) An adjustment was made at the last minute from one neighborhood to another. The missionaries in that area decided at the end of the night that the next house they found someone home, they would sing to them. They decided to sing, "I'll Find You, My Friend." Well, someone was home and they sang. It turned out to be an inactive member. (those odds are almost impossible) She told them that she had been thinking about the church and missionaries that very day. Who know what will become of that inspired visit?

When they returned from dendo-ing, they had dinner. Soup and salad and rolls.

Tuesday morning we served a breakfast casserole (thanks, daughter Emily for the recipe) and muffins. The Japanese girls had never had anything like that but they seemed to eat every last bite.

Breakfast with Pres. Rasmussen.

Several discussion groups were presented by different companionships. This topic was companion unity. I think she was trying to demonstrate how it isn't good to let your companion carry you around and always take the lead.

It is better to work side by side and share the challenges of a companionship.

I didn't get a picture of the cake demonstration, but Sis Sakamoto came and showed the girls how to bake cakes in their rice cooker. Recipes were handed out and everyone was happy. Ovens are not a standard appliance in a Japanese kitchen. Toaster ovens are all the missionaries have. Using their rice cooker is a genious idea for baking.

We took the missionaries to a little restaurant around the corner from the Mission Home. The man who owns it (he is a one man operation--takes your order, cooks the food and does the dishes)closed his store for 1 hour while we were there since we filled his whole restaurant. He had all the food ready for us when we arrived. (we all had the same thing). The girls loved being treated to lunch in a restaurant.

I gave each missionary a little purse with a picture of the companionship and a scripture attached.

Sis Furukawa did translation for me today and she joined us. She is the mission cook for several occasions like transferes and Zone Leader Council. She is like a member of the family.

After we finished lunch, we invited the owner to come out so we could sing to him as a Thank-you. We sang, "I Am A Child Of God" in lots of harmony that was really beautiful. He was very touched. Then we took a picture with him.