#25 A week of extraordinary events

An extraordinary week for us, but we were not quite "out of the woods" as much as we thought.  Our health is a bit more tenuous than we thought; however, we keep driving on.  For missionaries, even senior ones like us, our health and energy are so important. We have been blessed with good health most of the time, and for that, we are very grateful.

Monday we had planned to head to Tokyo in the afternoon and spend the night.  We had to be at the Tokyo Temple Annex bright and early Tuesday for our mission-wide devotional with Elder Quinton L. Cook.  We had also been asked by the Senior Missionary Couple that takes care of finding apartments to come and look at the furnishing from a unit that was being closed down to see what might be worth using for the new MRM couple that will be arriving near us in November.  So, we left earlier that day and drove first to Hachijoji to where the old Mission HQ/home was before driving into the area in Tokyo by the Temple and new Mission HQ.  We took a quick tour, offered our opinion, got a picture with Elder and Sister Nagata, and went on our way. We had a room reserved at the New Sanno, which was nice; however, this time our meal at the hotel was awful...would have rather gone out and found a ramen someplace...way overpriced too, 

Tuesday morning was special and a mission highlight for us.  Our entire mission came in for this special devotional with Elder Cook.  So, that meant a mission picture. Our first time seeing and being in a photo with ALL the missionaries.  We gathered in the cultural hall (gym) for the picture and then waited... And what do we do while we wait for a General Authority? We sing. That was special too.  After our picture, we filed into the chapel and we were blessed to hear comments and testimonies from our Mission Leaders (The Tuellers), Elder, and Sister Palmer (Elder Palmer is in the presidency of the Seventy). Sister Cook, she told us how special Church hymns and music are to testimonies...then, she led all of us in singing a hymn...but her way, sort of in a round. (Elder Cook mentioned that he is never quite sure what she is going to do, and he just lets her do her thing!)  Then Elder Cook spoke to us. He shared his personal experiences with Japan. He also shared some special testimonies and prophecies that have been made about Japan and how Japan is growing and changing as foretold.  Then he shared his very powerful and personal witness and testimony of Jesus Christ.  Words can't really describe it.  The spirit was very very strong,  Finally, he pronounced an Apostolic Blessing on us,  Wow. what a morning,  

The rest of Tuesday for us was serving in the Temple as we do each week.  Always a highlight for us. We also enjoy our association with the other Temple workers and Senior Missionaries we see each week.  

On Wednesday we took a bunch of pictures of our furnishings and apartment to show Elder and Sister Nagata what kind of stuff the new MRM missionaries might need... I have shared some of that in this blog with you all -- don't get too excited.

Wednesday's highlight was supporting the 9-11 run held on the Atsugi Navy base.  A variety of groups had signed up for 1-hour slots to run or walk with the American flag around the base in commemoration of 9-11.  We helped our friends from the Atsugi MWR office from noon to when the event finished around 6pm.  We also had a good visit with our Friend Chaplain Grady (Atsugi's chaplain). The last group that ran that day was a group of Sailors, that had all been selected to become Chiefs (Senior NCOs). They ran in formation and returned in time for the colors to be lowered for the day at NAF Atsugi command headquarters.  We really enjoy the moments of patriotism we experience at Camp Zama and NAF Atsugi.  We ended our day with the Camp Zama Community Club's Mongolian BBQ...one of our favorites.

It is now Thursday.  Sister Nelson is not feeling well.  She is trying to get in to see the doctor now. Her phone consult fell through but she got an in-person appointment for Friday.  She had a haircut appointment and then we got our "token" badges activated!  We will need those to allow us to help in the Zama clinics (this has been a LONG TIME coming).  Sister Nelson stayed home the rest of the day and I worked solo at the Red Cross office for a while and then later helped at the Celebrate Recovery activity we support each Thursday.  

Friday came.  Doctor's appointment.  Sister Nelson has pneumonia. There is some goodness in finding out the "why" of not feeling well.  She got some antibiotics and was directed to go home and stay home for 24 hours as she might have been contagious... after the drugs worked for 24 hours, it was safe to go out, if she felt better.  We stayed home the rest of Friday and ordered Domino's pizza delivery.  We had to cancel a planned event we had looked forward to.  Elder Cook was giving a "Japan-wide" fireside broadcast that evening and we invited a family investigating the Church to come and watch it with us.  We felt bad about canceling, but Sister Nelson was actually sick. 

Sister Nelson was, by this time, really tired of staying home, so the minute her 24-hour restriction was over on Saturday morning, she was off to go help with another community event, promising not to cough on anyone!  My job was to deliver an "emergency" Betty Crockers Brownie Mix to our young elders. (I also washed and cleaned up our mission car) We took it easy the rest of that Saturday, in the hopes that we could have a full and busy Sunday.

Sunday we both went to Church, we enjoyed a nice Sacrament meeting and then we taught a Sunday School lesson about the Sacrament to the family I mentioned earlier that is investigating the Church. That went very well, and they, the Goodson family, are special people.  We went back "home" and took a short power nap before packing up for our weekly trip to Camp Fuji.  On the bright side, Mt Fuji was out from under the clouds, it was a beautiful day and we had a good visit with our Marine friend Jason.  But, we still have not seen any Marines wanting to come to our Church services...we will continue to have faith and carry on.  

On Your Mark, Get Set...Not So Fast.

 Our Blog Week 24

After many things were canceled last week, we were ready and waiting to have a great, busy week. Well, it began that way, but then some type of bug changed our pace again. 

We didn't make it up to Camp Fuji because of all the rain we had. We were wondering if all the roads up and back would be safe as there had been a lot of landslides. Those are typical in Japan when too much rain takes over. That's the first Sunday we have been home on a Sunday afternoon for quite a while. We decided to start watching The Chosen, which so many have raved about. We are enjoying it, and watching it at our own pace is nice. It has compelled us both to reread the New Testament. Having both finished the Book of Mormon, we decided to tackle the New Testament. I haven't read it since my seminary teaching days.  We are both enjoying it. 

Monday was Labor Day for all those in the US, but it was just another day here. We didn't take a P-day last week, so we did that on Monday this week. We checked out a nearby mall, Aeon Mall. It was very nice, and Brad found two ties for $6.70 each. He likes to refer to them as his polyester, washable missionary ties. I found a new scarf, and then we sampled the Baskin Robbins ice cream. We didn't try any of the unusual flavors. Next time. On the way home, we stopped for take-out pizza for the Young Adults and missionaries who joined us for  FHE (Family Home Evening). We played a fun card game that Elder Williams shared with all of us. It's called Tori Dori. The Sisters shared a great message with us, and we all enjoyed time together. 

Tuesday was our regular temple day. One of my favorite days because I don't have to plan anything or make or bake anything for anyone. Don't get me wrong, I love doing all of those things but sometimes it's nice to have a break. We are able to both attend the temple and do our individual assignments, and we don't even have to plan them.  Another missionary couple, Elder and Sister Yamada, made us a box lunch to eat on our drive back home from the temple. (usually about 90 min drive) Why do sandwiches taste so much better when someone else makes them?  It was a great day all around. 

Wednesday started with a dental cleaning for Kim. I don't know if the dentist here is not as aggressive as my dentist at home or if I'm just getting better at my dental hygiene, but I got an A+.  That's my favorite grade. After coming home, I started feeling very achy and tired. I chose to stay home from a Red Cross event on Atsugi for Suicide Prevention Week. Brad attended without me, and when he got home, he said it was too weird going to things without me. I felt the same way last week when he was sick.  

Thursday dawned with me still feeling achy and tired. My companion told me to rest that day. Something I'm not very good at, but the way I felt, I didn't argue too much. Brad again attended an activity that evening without me with the base chapel. So much for being a missionary couple. 

Friday, I was encouraged to go to the doctor to get tested for whatever. They don't have Covid tests that you can buy at the drugstore here. The nurse tested me for COVID-19 and both Influenza A and B. All came back negative. I felt a little better and figured we would move on from the sick thing. 

Saturday and Sunday, the bug reared its ugly head again, and I was down and out. Consequently, I stayed home for both days and hoped for better days. I am now starting to feel better. I am not sure what virus hit me, but I am happy to say Sayonara to that. 

This week is dawning bright as long as we both avoid any more sickness. Being sick does have a way of making you appreciate your good health. 

I hope you are all enjoying the impending fall weather. It is one of my favorite times of the year. It is still a little hot here, but we are looking forward to seeing the fall leaves soon. The drive to Camp Fuji has the potential to be beautiful. 

Love to all, and may you stay healthy and safe. 

    

   

Week #23 -- Well, let's just cancel that!

This past week was one for the books.  Almost EVERYTHING we had scheduled and planned on was canceled.  Why?  Because we didn't shower?  Because we lost our friends?  No.  We had a week of Typhoon-ness, COVID (not us), and flooding threats and landslides.   Say what?  Yes.

Monday was somewhat normal, we spent time on Atsugi helping both the Chapel and the Red Cross. We always enjoy going over to the Navy installation. And we had a nice FHE with our young adult and a couple of the missionaries.  We took them to our favorite Sushi-go-round restaurant. 

Meanwhile, Typhoon Shanshan started moving north... 

Tuesday, one of our favorite days, we went to the Temple to do our shift.  After our shift, we were supposed to connect to a Zoom conference that would begin the Mission Tour by the Asia North Area presidency. That included a day-long Zone Conference on Wednesday and some other events we were supposed to attend or tune in to.  Well, as fate would have it, our Mission Leaders came down with COVID, self-isolated, and then suddenly the Mission Tour --and all the associated events were canceled. 

So, our Wednesday calendar was empty. (Meanwhile, the storm kept moving north). We decided to go to the temple and actually attend an endowment session (to experience the new changes). We did, and we enjoyed it, and the rain started... nothing serious yet, in our area, so we braved the rain and enjoyed a nice dinner. 

Typhoon Shanshan landed in southern Japan and created a lot of havoc...we just had rain...lots of rain. So the scheduled service event we planned to support on Thursday was cancelled because of the torrential rain that began falling in our area. Our mission leaders started getting concerned about the deteriorating weather.  The weather alerts started suggesting an increased risk of flooding and landslides...  We did support our weekly effort at Celebrate Recovery.  

Another unintended consequence of Zone Conference being canceled was having the weekly district council put back on the calendar, except we had already committed to the Red Cross for Friday...so we missed our lunch with the missionaries... And the rain continued... By late Friday, a number of local communities suggested some people evacuate (not us) or at least keep an eye on the local conditions (for floods and landslides).  The missionaries were all advised to stay home... We checked on our local area missionaries and offered to bring them some food (and maybe some cheer), so we made a commissary run and took them all their favorite cold cereal... And we stopped at McDonalds on the way home...

The rain remained relentless so our planned event on Saturday was also canceled! Yikes.  We stayed home, like most everyone else, cleaned up our apartment, and ordered Dominoes pizza (Yes, we have that in Japan--and it's really pretty good)

We regrouped for Sunday and hoped the weather would improve.  Sunday, we did make it to Church in the morning, but the rain was having a big impact on the roads and was especially severe up in the mountainous areas (Camp Fuji).  We decided that it probably would be wise to not risk that drive and we missed our weekly trip to Camp Fuji.  

We stayed home the rest of Sunday and hoped for a break in the weather. And we started watching "The Chosen."  It's Monday, the sun is shining and most of the Shanshan foul weather has moved on...at least until the next Typhoon (we still have another couple of months for the season). 

We hope this next week will get us back to a more normal routine. We did manage to review our emergency procedures and we were able to help the young missionaries this week.  So, all in all, we made the best of it. 

Wk #22 Oh Henry!

Wk #22 Oh Henry

This week's blog is brought to you by the Oh Henry bar. Does anyone remember those? Ok, only a few of you, but we will begin with our trip to Camp Fuji. We still didn't find any Marines who wanted to attend church this week, so we wandered into the USO lounge and invited the one Marine there to come and have some homemade banana bread. He replied, "Do you know how long it's been since I had homemade banana bread?" We visited with him briefly, and he said he was from a small town in upstate New York. And you guessed it, his name was Henry. We sent him home with an entire plate of banana bread and were happy to have someone to share it with. Still hoping and praying for other Marines we can share our services with. 

On Monday, we did a little service with the Red Cross, and then we traveled to Tokyo for a fireside with the Asia North Area President for the church. His name is John A. McCune, and he shared with all the area senior couples the comings and goings and workings of what he is in charge of and how it all fits together. After listening to him share all of that, I was exhausted for him and his wife.  Such a lot of work to keep all the wheels turning. He is responsible for Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Guam, and the Marshall Islands. His point is that we are all part of a much larger work and that each of us can make a difference as we serve. 

Because we had a Tokyo temple assignment the next morning, we stayed overnight at the New Sanno Hotel, which is about 5 minutes away. We had a nice dinner with another senior couple and took a minute to breathe.

Wednesday, Sis Nelson worked most of the day at the Red Cross office helping soldiers in-process. Elder Nelson had a bad cough and didn't think he should share it with others. He also stayed home Thursday, Friday, and most of Saturday, which was abundantly clear to Sister Nelson how a senior couple's mission is not meant to be done by one person. By the time I got through all of Wed, Thurs, and Friday's events, I was one tired missionary. And Elder Nelon was feeling much better after resting at home.  

Thursday, we had District Council, and it was the last time some of our missionaries gathered before they were transferred out. We shared "brown bag" chicken salad on Costco croissants lunch with them, and they all loved Goldfish, applesauce, and homemade cookies. We have three new missionaries joining us, and seeing their enthusiasm is so fun. We will miss Elder Ashton and Sis Lamoreaux. Sis Lamoreaux quickly reminds us that she is our 26th grandchild so we never forget her.  She is from Mesa and will attend BYU next fall, so we hope to see her again. 

We also returned to the orphanage on Thursday with the young elders and sisters helping out. We taught the children to say all the colors in English and played games with them. We also shared the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" with the younger kids. The orphanage seems to like what we have been doing, as they have invited us back for the next four months. Next month, we might teach them the names of animals. We are not sure yet. 

On Friday, we talked Elder Nelson into seeing the doctor. He is now taking some antibiotics and is feeling better every day. 

Our branch had a back-to-school activity at the park on Saturday, and plenty of hot dogs, hamburgers, and side dishes were consumed. The young men planned some games, but we did not get any pictures. I need to improve at remembering to do that. It did happen, just no pictures this time. 

It's been fun keeping up with some of the happenings at home. Our newest grandbaby, Holly Hope, is settling in nicely with her family. Our newest missionary, Jace, is learning many "lessons" at the MTC this week. All of the grandchildren are back in school now. How do they keep getting older? I know I didn't.  

I hope you are all ready for a little fall weather. We hope it's coming here soon as we endure the hot, humid temperatures. As of today, there have been more typhoons or earthquakes. 

Sending love and best wishes to all. 

Elder and Sister Nelson

                                                                            

Week #21 Typhoon maybe

This past week was influenced by the weather.  This time of year is very warm, humid, and subject to Typhoons.  Like anywhere else, people do their best to model, predict, and if necessary prepare for any extraordinary weather -- hurricanes, tornadoes, and in Japan, typhoons.  So this week, we watched a big typhoon form south of Japan and started moving in our direction. And, we had a few small earthquakes thrown in for good measure.  The typhoon-tracking people had this storm heading for the Tokyo area, impacting much of what we planned and did (or didn't do). 

Early in the week, we had a nice FHE in our home with our young adults and missionaries. Sister Nelson made spaghetti with all the usual stuff -- salad, bread, and an awesome dessert.  We played a little bit of UNO and then shared a special message.  Presently, we have only have one member coming, but he always brings his friend who is not a member.  The elders also joined us this week. She is a real sweetheart, but isn't very interested yet in religious things; however, she likes coming and we do our best to always provide a friendly and uplifting environment for her. Like many of the people we meet, we hope that someday, the spirit will touch them when they have. been prepared enough to see, feel, and respond to the Gospel light,  Much of what we do is about being a good example and "letting our light so shine that people may see your good works..." 

On Tuesday we had our temple day.  It was an interesting day because it was the first day that a new temple endowment presentation was implemented.  Change comes from time to time, but the underlying purpose and Gospel underpinning everything does not.  Even with all the "scurrying about" that all of our fellow temple workers had to do to adapt, we still felt, and can always feel, that special spirit that permeates the temple.  We love our "Temple Tuesdays."

Meanwhile, back to the typhoon that continued to spin and move towards us.  The government, the US Army and Navy, and our mission all began to suggest and implement the precautions should this storm be realized in our area. We saw several "be (or get) prepared" messages come through social media and by Thursday, some events had been canceled or delayed.  Our weekly district council (and lunch) with the missionaries became a Zoom meeting and we were told to stay in our apartments on Friday.  We had planned to take our one YSA to the temple Friday to do baptisms and we had to cancel that because Friday was forecast to be the day the Typhoon would be the worst and we might not be able to even get into Tokyo. 

While getting groceries for our lunch, which would later get canceled, we bought some extra water and a few other things...just in case.  Also, the mission had us (all the missionaries) practice the procedures for walking to our emergency evacuation location and calling the emergency message system to report our status and get a message from the mission office.  (We did that once before in April or May.) To prove you made it to the right place, you have to walk there and take a selfie to send in.  

The Bon Odori festival at the NAF Atsugi (Navy) base scheduled for Saturday got moved to Sunday and our plans to attend were dashed as Sunday we already had a full schedule. We had volunteered to help but we had to un-volunteer unfortunately.  The storm was still coming and we were ready and many of the normal activities and services at Camp Zama and NAF Atsugi were closing early.  The trains and even the expressways were going to be limited or out of service on Friday...the big day when the typhoon would land.  And we had our flashlights ready to go! 

We helped at the Red Cross at Atugi get ready for the big event...putting snack bags together, we also did some last-minute grocery shopping, and we tried to find a puzzle(didn't find one) for our day at home.  Friday we dialed into our Zoom district meeting, but other than that we took the day and did some house cleaning, laundry, read, and otherwise enjoyed the day and watched the weather reports. I am sure the storm was a bit more intense along the actual coastline, but all we got was a lot of rain from the outer bands.  By Saturday, the storm had moved on and it was a beautiful day.  Because the storm was very large and could have had a significant impact all the preparations and cautions were appropriate. We count it as a great blessing that this typhoon did not slam into Tokyo with all the force that it could have had.  

Being prepared for what might come is always that way.  Emergency preparedness or spiritual preparedness requires faith, trust, and obedience.  Sometimes we can immediately see the need and sometimes we do not; however, to be caught unprepared when we actually experience something significant is much worse than being overprepared for something that doesn't turn out to be as bad as it could have been.

We look forward to a more normal week.  We also look forward to this season of HOT and HUMID to change to fall... but I think we still have a few more weeks to go before that happens.  We did have a couple of exciting family events this week.  Our grandson Jace, (now Elder Nelson,) is in the Mission Training Center getting ready to go to the Philippines. And we welcomed Holly Hope Mabb into the world as our newest granddaughter.  

Have a wonderful week

Elder and Sister Nelson.

Week 20 "Can't see the forest for the trees"--John Heywood 1523

 Hello friends and family,

We started this week off with another trip to Camp Fuji. There are forests all around that area, and we stopped and took a picture of a dense forest. I am amazed at how thick the trees are every time I see them. Hence, the title of this blog, which I had to look up for the source. Now you've had your English literature lesson. (I am always intrigued by the origins of words and phrases.) Bonus points if you know the meaning of that phrase. If not, you can just google it, right? 

Mt. Fuji wasn't peeking out this week, and neither were any of the marines for sacrament meetings, but we had a nice visit with the chaplain, who is continuing to be helpful. We pray each week for those at Camp Fuji, even though we aren't sure who they are. We took a quick selfie in the Fuji Chapel. My daughter, Katelyn, says, "If you don't take a picture, it didn't happen." There you go, Katelyn. 

Our Family Home Evening this last week was a success. We made our first meatloaf in Japan. One of the single soldiers here asked if I would make it, and we topped it off with baked potatoes, corn, and rolls—just like home cooking, only in Japan. The elders taught us a lesson, and we played a short game called Tenzi. We enjoyed time with the young elders, sisters, and soldiers. This fall, we will have a few more join us when the Navy ship returns to port. 

The rest of the week was spent helping with Vacation Bible School at Camp Zama. Brad took great pictures, and I helped teach the Bible section. This included teaching a bible verse and a great bible story to help make it relatable. The last day was reminding the kids to "love one another," so I showed them a short video of "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus." We had about 90 kiddos, which was a lot of fun, but we were both pretty tired by the time Friday was over. 

We were able to start at the Tokyo temple again, as it had been closed for cleaning. The young sisters and elders attended, and the session was full. Elder Nelson, some others, and I help with the English-speaking missionaries, which is most of them. 

We had some great Military Relations Missionary training from Salt Lake this week. The Zoom started at 4 a.m., but it was fun to see all the other missionaries worldwide. We were told that there are now 100 different missions where MRMs are serving, as the gospel continues to spread across the globe. We are grateful to be a part of "the work." 

Lunch with the young missionaries this week was a birthday celebration for Sis Edwards. I always try to make what they request for lunch, and she asked for sloppy joes, Cool Ranch Doritos, brownies, and ice cream with hot fudge sauce. I signed, sealed, and delivered. I love our missionaries. Getting ready for another transfer next week. 

We had our first significant earthquake near us this week. Friday evening, there was some pretty good shaking going on in our apartment. We felt a 4+ earthquake. There was no damage, and all is well, but it was a little unnerving. There was a much larger one way farther south of us a few days before. 

This morning, we were blessed to join on a Zoom call with most of our family. We took a screenshot, and hearing from each of them was great.  Seeing all the grandkids and how much they are growing was my favorite. School is starting, and they are all raring to go. Our grandson Jace also bore his testimony to all of us as he is leaving for a 2-year mission to Tuegegaro, Philipinnes mission, starting this week. He has been studying Tagalog and will attend the Provo Mission Training Center for more language and mission training. It was wonderful to hear his testimony, and we look forward to hearing from him each week as he serves. We will also have a new little granddaughter born this Wednesday. This grandma wishes she were there to help and snuggle but Scott and Kristin will be okay without me.  We love and miss our family so much and pray for them daily. 

So, we are on to another week of serving and feeding folks. We love what we are doing and are grateful for all the love and support we receive from so many. Take the time to hug. They are the those you love. They are the best part of life here on earth. 

Love you all,

Elder and Sister Nelson