Bess making cookies. Two days of making cookies and taking out to unsuspecting people.
She vows never to whine about how long it takes to bake cookies when she gets home.
Another transfer week, saying goodby to old friends and hello to new ones. Bess is starting to toughen up and only cries for a little with each transfer. What great young missionaries the Church is sending to this mission!
Tuesday after District meeting we had a great buffet dinner with both districts at the Hotel at the downtown bus station.
Bottom left corner: Clements, Ichikawa and Stirland Choro, Itohara and Tagawa Shimai, Takaku, Iino, Fontanet and Hill Choro.
S.Okada, Abe and Oobayashi Choro, Blau, Ito, Matsuhashi and Tsuamori Shimai.
Wednesday we worked on buying apartment supplies for some missionary apartments.
Takaku Choro scrubbing the kitchen wall with companion's toothbrush. Shimizu/Tsuboi apartment.
Thursday we said goodby to Ito Shimai and Oobayashi Choro. They have become such good friends. They have both been here 18 weeks. Clements Choro needed a companion for a few hours so we brought him and fed him a German Pancake breakfast, studied, and picked up new missionaries in the afternoon.
Bess, Oobayashi Choro, (transferred to Mihara,) and Tom.
Clements and Oobayashi Choro, Good Zone Leaders and companions.
Tom, A. Ito Shimai, (transferred to Ube) and Bess.
Companions, Tagawa, Blau, A. Ito and Itohara Shimai. Itohara is still waiting for a visa to go the the Temple Square mission.
All of us clowning around so that we wouldn't cry!! It was a cold and drippy day.
Nagafuchi Choro and Carroll Shimai at Bus Stop. Weather had warmed up by afternoon.
We got two of the best. Carrol Shimai fresh from the MTC and Nagafuchi Choro. We have known Nagafuchi Choro since the first day we arrived! He was in the mission office as the MSM.
Thursday we took Carroll and Blau Shimai shopping for Carrol Shimai's bike. We found a big screen TV at the store and while the Shimai shopped we watched Tom and Jerry cartoons in English. Best TV we have watched in 9 months.
On Saturday Tom went to a Kumamoto Ward High Priest Party. The food, Nabe, was cooked, served and eaten by the High Priests. They visited and each told how they had proposed to their wife and what their most fulfilling calling was in the Church. Tom reported that his was being a missionary in Fukuoka, Japan Mission.
Philippians 2:
17 Yea, and if I be aoffered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
Tom answered the door last night and was handed these flowers and asked, "Will you marry me?" After a lot of laughter the Shimai admitted that they had bought these at a less active's flower shop planning to give them to another less active who was not home so we were chosen to receive them.
Tagawa and Itohara Shimai smelling the flowers. (no smell)
Thought you all might enjoy the spelling on this sign. It gave us quite the laugh and we had to double back to take this picture.
The flowers are beautiful in the Fall. Wish we had our gardening books to find out the name of these.
We love serving the Lord here in Japan. We hope you all find joy in serving where and how you can.
Thank you so much for the emails and letters. We do so appreciate them!
Love,
Tom and Bess
Grandpa and Grandma
Dad and Mom
(Wow there are 6 of us)
Isn't the mission the BEST! Looks like you two are having the time of your life. Good for you. We love where we are, too. I am still amazed at how fast the missionaries get into your heart! How we love our missionaries, the people here in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of MI and this incredibly beautiful place. The gospel is true. It is all so very true! It changes and blesses lives! Love you dear fellow servants in the vineyard.
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