MISSION TOUR AND ZONE CONFERENCES WITH ELDER & SISTER AOYAGI

Elder Aoyagi of the 70 and in the Area Presidency speaking to our missionaries.

Sister Aoyagi was a perky, fun lady that everyone loved.

Aomori Zone Sept 2011

Special Musical Number All Creatures of our God and King sung by Sisters Asato & Maki, Elders Everett, Shaw, Mizoguchi and Yuasa.

Morioka Zone Sept 2011

The entire zone sang the special Musical Number I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go. Elders J. Taylor, Ohira, Watanabe, Robbins, Sisters Sumikawa & Sato, Elders Ikeda, Ishida, Tilleman-Dick. Elder Ovard played the piano.

Relief Society sisters cooked dinner for the Sendai Zone.

Sendai Zone Sept 2011

Roll playing "working with the Bishop". This particular picture shows how NOT to do it as you can see Elder Holbrook looking at the ceiling and not paying attention to the Bishop. He was hillarious to watch play this part.

Sister Aoyagi and I roll played meeting someone at their home. First we did it the wrong way and then the right way. The wrong way included kicking off shoes in the gankon a leaving them helter-skelter and sitting down with your coat and backpack on.

The Special Musical Number in Sendai was Lead Kindly Light sung by Sisters Tehei, Kumagai & Onda, and Elders Ellsworth, Ruefenacht and Oikawa.

Niigata Zone Sept 2011

The special musical number was A Child's Prayer sung by Elder K. Taylor, Sisters Yoshida and Yoshizawa, Elders Kendall, Gannon and Price. Elder Kurita lead them and Elder Preston was at the piano.

Elder and Sister Ouyagi made everyone wake up in the middle of the afternoon each day by doing actions to Put Your Shoulder To The Wheel while I sang it. That did the trick!

GOLDEN EAGLES BASEBALL

Gary has become acquainted with Marty Kuehnert who is "Mr. Baseball" for the professional baseball team in Sendai. He was responsible for building the baseball park and has built the team into a force to be reckoned with in Japan. He arranged for the best seating in the stadium for Gary and Elder Thomas and Elder Jahana to enjoy a baseball game. He even took them on a tour of the beautiful stadium before the game. Such a fun evening for these three hardworking missionaries. Elders Thomas and Jahana and their wives are senior couples working in the mission office.

Gary and Bro Jahana walking to the baseball park from the Eki (train station)

A great action shot taken from their seats directly behind home plate. Notice how low the catcher gets to the ground!

Bro Jahana was in heaven!! He loves baseball but has never been to a professional baseball game.

Elder Thomas loved the whole experience, too.

Marty Kuehnert with Gary and Elder Jahana.

The three baseball fans!

A signed baseball.

This Little League teams was anxiousto get into the stadium.

The female version of the mascot. (just like an American game)

Ribbon Cutting for Ice House in Watari

As we drove into town for the ribbon cutting ceremony, we were early and had a chance to drive the streets and see what remains of this community. It was basically gone. This is only one of many piles of wood. There were also huge piles of tatami mats and other piles of metal pieces. You can only imagine how each piece of rubbish was carefully gone through and placed in the appropriate pile.

This is what remains of a playground for the children in town.

Notice there is no water under these boats.

One little house ornament survived but the homes did not. The entire community is now reduced to thousands of foundations where beautiful homes once stood.

The Fishermen Co-op insisted a plaque be attached to the two Ice Houses that says the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated them.

This house stores the fish as it is being prepared to be shipped around the world. The left side is a huge freezer room and the right side is a huge refrigerated room.

The church also donated these three trucks to the Co-op.

This house makes over 3 tons of ice every day. What a blessing to these fishermen to get their buisness functioning again.

Elder Stevenson (Area President) cuts the ribbon.

A nice plaque was presented to Elder Stevenson by the Mayor of Watari.

Group picture taken after the ceremony. (Gary is sitting next to me and was cut off. Why am I the only woman in the picture. I even look concerned about that !!)

THINNING THE STRAWBERRY PLANTS IN WATARI

Getting off the bus and walking towards the strawberry fields.

Hundreds of flats of strawberry plants were growing. We were to thin out the plants to make them healthier to produce more berries per plant.

Elder Taylor and Elder Cannon worked together-one held up a flat while the other did the thinning with scissors.

This sweet lady was weather worn from working in the sun all day long every day. She taught us how to thin the plants.

Three of the ladies we worked with. We learned to love each other even though we couldn't speak with words.

Group picture with the farmers.

This fellow, Hiroshi, was always so happy and friendly. He told us he was a volunteer who has come every day to help since the disaster. He told us that he carried his 90 year old mother on his back to his car to escape the tsunami.

FAMILY HOME EVENING at the Mission Home

The shoes in the Gankon are a good indication of how many attended. We counted about 50!

Missionaries in the Sendai area could come if they brought an investigator or a less active member.

The living room was full of missionaries, members who heard there was a FHE at the Mission Home and came, and investigators.

Gary taught the lesson on Families. Of course, he got everyone involved in the lesson. There was a nice spirit in the room as many told of family experiences that were meaningful to them.

We sang Families Can Be Together Forever.

Special musical number beautifully done by two of our darling Shimais, Sister Onda and Sister Semba and a member of the Kamisugi Ward.

Loving the special musical number.

Elder Jahana, who works in the office, was in charge of a group game that had everyone laughing and interacting .

The fellow in the blue T-shirt was found by the missionaries and is being taught the gospel. When they met him, he pulled out of his pocket a Pass Along Card that had been given to him by Gary one day while we were waiting to get our Foreigners Card at the city hall. Gary gives them out to absolutely everyone he meets. He had a great time at FHE and said he wanted to come again next month. We hope he will be a member attending our next FHE.

The game required imitating an elephant.

All ages attended from babies to YSA to young marrieds to older people. Everyone had a great time together.

We served lots of homemade brownies and Ice Cream