Happy Birthday Bess, 5 - 11 Dec 2011

Monday was Bess's Birthday! She had a great birthday receiving calls and emails from family and friends. We had a dinner/party with the young missionaries. Tom make her favorite Japanese meal, "Watanabe don," named after the choro who shared the recipe with Kim Choro who shared it with us. Thank you Kim Choro!! The Shimai made her fresh fruit salad! Everyone really enjoyed and said how good lunch was....Bess couldn't taste it or smell it until she ate the small bowl of leftover on Thursday. It was still good!

"Watanabe-don", prepared by Chef Christensen Choro.

Birthday cards from missionaries.

Bess, Carroll Shimai, Junichi-san, Clements and Stirland Choro, Blau, Tagawa, and Itohara Shimai.


Homemade cards!!

They even do dishes! Blau Shimai, she goes home to Utah this week, and Clements Choro.

Bess was still sick most of the week and only left the apartment for a few hours most days. We went to Yatsushiro on Wednesday to check Matsuhashi and Shichijo Shimai's apartment. It took us some time to find them, since they moved in October and we didn't get the word. Their new apartment is alot closer to the Church and is new and very nice.

Yatsushiro Shimai Matsuhashi and Shichijo.

Thursday, Bess slept most of the day after a very bad night. Friday we drove to Nobeoka and checked the choro's apartment. When we finished, it was time for lunch so we took the missionaries to a barbeque for lunch for their treat.

Nobeoka Choro, McKinney and Burton.

We drove on into Oita Friday evening and Saturday morning we went to the Oita Choro's apartment and were met with homemade cookies and a message from the Choro for Bess. It is so nice to have so many thoughtful people around us.

Oita Choro, Wada and Amor and Chocolate, chocolate chip, peanut butter cookies. Tom loved them. The Choro gave us some to take back to Carroll Shimai for her birthday also.

We returned to Kumamoto on the back roads. It was a very pretty drive. We saw our first snow in Japan on some of the mountain passes. Never can tell where "Millie" is going to take us!

Yes, the roads are narrow.

Snow on Mt. Aso

Fall colors in December

Art on tunnel entrance.

We have no idea, but they are cute.

Even Bess thinks the bridges over here are beautiful!

While we were gone the shimai baked a birthday cake at our apartment, so everything was all ready for Carroll Shimai's party as soon as we got home and Eikaiwa was over.

Blau and Carroll Shimai.

Carroll and birthday cake. She is a sweetheart, but then we never get anything but the best in Kumamoto.

Shichijo, Itohara, Carroll, and Blau Shimai, Junichi-san, Stirland and Clements Choro.

In the valley the weather seems like Halloween weather

Tom's breakfast of soup, natto, and bread. Bess says "yuk" to nattos.

Christmas tree at Church.

Elder and Sister Grames, they are here in Tokyo on a mission doing "Public Relations"?
We met them in the Tsuboi Ward this morning. They were here for the English speaking contest that several of our young members participated in this weekend. Wonderful examples!!

Oh, how the Lord needs more missionaries!! Couple missionaries are so needed! We have been blessed far beyond our wildest dreams! The Spirit is so strong as we ask for help and are guided every day. We have been protected from harm several times and strengthened much.
We've wondered at times what we are supposed to be doing and then we look back and see the wonder of it all.

They do not celebrate Christmas here as we are used to. There is very little "hype" to buy, buy, buy. Very little decoration and almost no Christmas music in stores. This has been good for us. We have taken the time at last to study the life of Christ. Tom in reading the New Testament and Bess in reading Jesus The Christ. We are grateful for our Saviors life and we are so thankful for this mission!!

Love,
Grandpa and Grandma
Dad and Mom
Tom and Bess