Mission Events

August 6, 2015 - Mission Leadership Conference. This is a monthly event, where Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders meet with President and Sister Wada for training, motivation, and inspiration. And food. Breakfast and lunch are served and are always a hit.

Here's me, polishing off all the leftover desserts! Just kidding, I only ate one, 

which is too bad because it was delicious!

August 10, 2015 -- We said goodbye to 20 missionaries going home today. A sister missionary who is being transferred from Kichijoji to another area later this week said one thing she was not prepared for on her mission was all the goodbyes! First her family and friends at home, then friends, instructors, and leaders in the MTC, and now every transfer (or at least a lot of them) she's saying goodbye to missionaries and members she's come to know and love. And it's true. Back when we thought we'd be in Fussa our entire mission, it was painful to say goodbye to the missionaries as they were transferred away from our area. In the office, we get to see them again from time to time -- and then the biggest goodbye of all, when they go home. At least several of them are from Utah and maybe we'll see them at mission reunions or their weddings or something!

August 11, 2015 -- New missionaries flew in, five sisters and one elder from the MTC, then on the morning of August 12th another elder from Japan arrived. He is what's known as a two-transfer -missionary. Two-transfer missionaries have limitations, health or otherwise, that may not allow them to serve for two years, so they are called for two transfers -- about three months. They don't go to the MTC, they come directly to their mission and are assigned a trainer and will serve as any other missionary. At the end of the second transfer, the mission president will evaluate how they're doing and make a recommendation to their stake president and the Missionary Department. They may be called then to serve a regular mission, the three months they've already served counting towards their two years, or they may be honorably released. The elder arriving is the second two-transfer missionary since we've been in the office. The first one was assigned to the Yokota Military Ward and seemed to do very well there. He's now on his second transfer in another area.

We've been impressed that the Church is giving these young missionaries an opportunity to serve in ways that match their ability to do so. It reminds me of all the flexibility in callings for senior missionaries -- if there is a willingness to serve, there will be a way to make it happen, despite health issues, financial concerns, family responsibilities, etc.

Anyway, back to these new missionaries.

Enjoying a "light supper" on the evening of their arrival. It's really a full meal, but it's about 8:00 p.m. by the time they get there, so it just sounds better to call it a light supper. Of course these missionaries coming from the Provo MTC probably feel more like having breakfast -- it's 5 a.m. where they came from, so this meal is to help them transition to Tokyo time.

Prayer before going to bed that first night. The cute new sister missionary who offered the prayer used the wrong word for "President" -- after the prayer President Wada thanked her for promoting him to Prophet!

I'm talking here to Elder and Sister Suzuki, a senior couple who live in Fujisawa, within the mission boundaries, and who are serving full-time in Member and Leader Support (I would add missionary support, because they are a great help to the elders and sisters in their area!). President Wada is very excited to have the first senior live-at-home missionaries in this mission and hopes there will be 

many more.

We were excited to see these new missionaries head out with their trainers two days later, rarin' to go!

August 19, 2015 -- Nine more returning missionaries heading home. This group included more Japanese missionaries whose families came to pick them up at the mission home. We watched a tearful reunion between Sister Nara and her younger brother from inside the office as they greeted each other in the parking lot. Her little brother was just crying as they hugged, and Elder Moua said, "Oh I can't watch this, close the blinds!" It made me tear up, too!

Elder Watanabe's family with President and Sister Wada. 

Elder Watanabe was serving in Fussa when we first arrived in Japan. We just love him!

Sister Nara and family

Elder Otsuka's parents were not able to come to pick him up on Wednesday, the day the other missionaries left. He stayed Wednesday night and worked with the office elders, and his family arrived Thursday morning.

Here's the Otsuka family heading back to the train station. They live in Sapporo, on the northern island of Hokkaido, where a new temple is under construction.

Just a couple of random photos from the mission camera -- 

Elders Kerr and Watanabe. I don't know where this picture was taken, but I sure like it!

Sister Fuggle and Sister Law. Can you tell what message they were asked to share 

with these Primary children?

And here's the office staff, left to right: Elder Ford, from Ohio, whose father is Air Force, mother is Japanese. His mother home-schooled him (and his five siblings!) with Japanese textbooks in addition to him attending American school, and he is amazingly fluent in speaking, reading, and writing both languages. Oh, his family lived in Germany for a time, so he speaks German, too. Then Elder Bates, from Cache Valley, Elder Moua from Georgia, Elder Dunn from Ohio, Elder Blanchard from St. Anthony, Idaho, Elder Murakami, Elder Naganumo, and Elder Mukai, all from Japan. This is an awesome group -- they inspire us daily and definitely make us laugh!