Feb 27 - Mar 4, 2012, We love Spring

Spring continues this week. We visited Kumamoto Castle with the young missionaries on Monday. The first plum blossoms are out. Tom thinks that some of them are cherry blossoms. We love to go to the Castle and see all the beauty during the different seasons.

Tom, Junichi, Clements and Watanabe Choro, Uchida and Tokuzawa Shimai posing with a very old tree at the Castle.

Nagano-san, a PI, and Tokuzawa Shimai. Nagano-san speaks very good English!

Uchida, Tokuzawa Shimai, fierce warrior, Clements and Watanabe Choro, Bess, Tom and Nagano-san.

Blossoms and Uchida Shimai. Both beautiful!!!

Our stone at the Castle. Corny!!

We made more cookies and made the rounds again this week. Zouza Shimai said she actually shared some with her husband this time. It is so much fun to visit with them!

On Thursday and Friday we had special two Zones training conference.

AP Triffitt Choro training us! He goes home to Australia next week. He promises he is coming to Annabella next October during a break in his playing season. We are seriously considering a trip to Australia to watch him play.

Thank Heaven for sweet talented Shimai. Uchida and Kobayashi Shimai.

The Sakamoto couple stayed with us Thursday night. It was really fun! They do not speak English and we do not speak Japanese. Tom was late getting home since he was transporting missionaries. After a chicken salad and muffins supper we played UNO. It is a fun game that we all knew. We ate dinner and played UNO until bed time. We laughed a lot and had a very enjoyable time! Sakamoto Choro fixed the lock on our toilet room door. No more uneasy missionaries.

Sakamoto Shimai and Bess fixing muffins. Pamela's Baking Mix.

Sakamoto Choro and Tom, no language barrier with UNO!

Koyama, P. Stratford (Kagoshima ZLs) and Burton Choro. Second day of training.

Saturday we drove to Fukuoka and took the train to Dazaifu. We went with President and Sister Margetts and Elder and Sister Rogers, Stratford and Usui Choro.

Usui and Stratford Choro, Tom, Bess, Sister Margetts, Sister and Elder Rogers. President is taking the picture.

The "older" missionaries including President.

Bonsai plants. Enjoy Rob!!

Dazaifu has all sorts of fun things to watch.

Sisters Rogers, Okumura, Margetts and Christensen.

Dazaifu Shrine and blossoms.

Yep, those are dogs with pants, not strange children.

Usui Choro guarding our loot after a long day of shopping.

Grandson and Grandpa Tashiro Choro.

Uchida and Tokuzawa Shimai and Watanabe Choro saying goodbye to Clements Choro. He is Honbu bound. New AP!

Oaks Kyodai giving Clements Choro a goodbye.

We will miss Clements Choro....he has been here in Kumamoto since the end of May. Almost all of our mission. Watch out Honbu, he doesn't need too much sleep.

D&C88:34-35 Gives five degrees of disobedience. See if you can identify them.
34 And again, verily I say unto you, that which is ^agoverned by law is also preserved by law and perfected and ^bsanctified by the same.

35 That which ^abreaketh a law, and ^babideth not by ^claw, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, ^djustice, nor ^ejudgment. Therefore, they must remain ^ffilthy still.

Love;

Grandma and Grandpa

Mom and Dad

Bess and Tom