Sendai Japan Mission 2011-2014: June 2013

Aomori District Conference In June

The Aomori District sisters came for some training while the men were in

Priesthood Meeting on Saturday afternoon. I love these sisters and appreciate

that they came from quite far away for this gathering.

This special musical number was presented by this sister (in pink) who is somewhat less active. She played the keyboard and then started singing to her own accompaniment. Immediately after, one sister then another would stand up and join in the song until 7-8 ladies around the room were singing together. It was really nice and added to the spirit of the meeting.

District Relief Society President, Kasai Shimai.

I showed some exerpts of the Worldwide Training videos and we talked

about them for my training. Sister Yamada was my interpreter.

The Hirosaki Sisters, Ono, Kimura, Smith & Miura.

This District Presidency was released at this conference.

New District Presicency and their wives.

Mission Leadership Council in June

(By looking at the pictures of this post, you might think I did all the training for the meeting, but actually I had only a few minutes. The Elders got my camera and took these pictures but none of the rest of the meeting.)

(L-R top) Ohori, Oba, Christensen, Okada, Yoneda, Hunt, Pres. Rasmussen, Uchida, Saunders, Takase, Sanders. (sitting) Akiyama, Sister Stubbs, Kimura, Saito, Kano, Palmer

2 New Couples Come and 1 Couple Finishes their Mission

Elder and Sister Kimura arrived after just 1 month notice.

He has been a Stake President and recently recovered

from cancer. We pray his health will be good during

his mission. They will be awesome additions to the

Tsuduoka Branch.

Interesting note: This is the Branch they were baptized in

30+ years ago. They know many of the people-both

active and less-active. They also have family in the

area who are non-member. I'm sure they have a great

work to do in Tsuduoka.

Elder and Sister Matsushiga will go to Miyako to

replace the Yamanita couple.

They are wonderful and kind and strong in the gospel.

Elder and Sister Kimura

Elder and Sister Matushige

The Yamanita couple

finish their mission

The Yamanitas talked with the Matushiges before

they left for their area. That evening we went to

dinner to say good-by and thank-you

for their wonderful service to the Branch in Miyako.

FHE in May

Pres and Sister Sugawara sang in a quartet with us. We sang two verses and asked the attendees to sing with us for the last verse of this hymn. It was a spiritual experience!!

Sister Kakuda gave the lesson!!

Mission Presidents Seminar in Tokyo in May

We get to enjoy two Mission President Seminars each year. In November we travel to Korea and in May we travel to Tokyo with the other MP in the Asia North Area. Gary and I caught the bullet Train 5 minutes after our last going-home missionary left the mission and traveled to Tokyo. We dropped our luggage off at the hotel and met some of the other Presidents and wives and left for the Temple.

Outside the Tokyo Temple

We took the subway and met Brother Sakioka for dinner that night. Gary baptized him 40+ years ago in Tokyo and he has remained true and faithful. He and his wife have 8 children and he has been a Bishop in his ward. He is a good man and we love to see him when we get a chance.

At dinner one evening, we were luck enough to ssit at the table with the

Alder Family (he is Director of Temporal Affairs for the Area) and the other

teenage children of Elder and Sis Ringwood and Pres & Sis. Wada.

Scott and Bonnie Baird of the Nagoya Mission. They will finish their mission in June.

Rich and Janna Zinke of the Kobe Mission.

(A photographer took lots of pictures of the days at the seminar which is why I didn't take many.)

The Area Office staff sang the prelude music for us in the morning before we started our meetings.

Good-by To 5 Finishing Their Mission

We love these missionaries so much it is hard to let them go. This transfer we said goodby to Sister Mukietani, Elders Mizoguchi, Preston, Mizuochi, and Everett. It is interesting to us that these two American Elders (Preston and Everett) were in the MTC at the same time we were and we met them and spent an evening with them before coming to Japan. They arrived in Japan about 2 weeks after we did-our very first transfer. Now they are going home! Unbelievable!!

With the Assistants

Elder Everett was a wonderful Assistant to the President with the best Japanese in the mission for a non-Japanese. (However, he is 1/2 Japanese so the language is in his blood!)