We spent some more time with the Red Cross this week, amongst other activities. Both the Red Cross offices here in Zama and Atsugi are getting new directors, so consequently, they need volunteers to staff the offices whenever possible. So we did both offices this week. It's usually pretty quiet, but you never know when an emergency call might occur. Red Cross offers what they call the Hero Care Network to notify families/soldiers of emergencies. Red Cross messages are the way to do that. When new soldiers/sailors in-process they come by the office and give us their contact information, which is then put into the database. Now you are up to speed on all things Red Cross office.
Speaking of the Red Cross, after completing about a three-hour on-line course, we both took the three-hour "hands-on" CPR/AED training this week. We found it very interesting and educational. We can now say we know how to do both CPR and AED. I can't say one ever wants to have to do either, but if necessary, we now know how. I'm not sure what ever happened to ResuAnnie of CPR in the olden days, but we took a picture of the "dummies" we trained on. We failed to get their names.
We also found some marines in the USO lounge at Camp Fuji this week. They were all sitting around eating pizza, and I told them they looked like they needed some brownies and rice krispie treats. They agreed, and we enjoyed visiting with Luke, William, Dalton, and Law. We told them we'd be back next week, and they requested Chocolate Chip cookies. The marines at Camp Fuji are out training for 2-3 days in the woods and then back in for 2-3 days. Repeated over and over again, so we never know when or if we will see anyone when we go there. The drive is beautiful, and we love helping marines find joy, even if it's just in brownies.
Last Monday, we traveled to Tokyo for a Tokyo-wide senior missionary FHE(Family Home Evening). It basically consisted of a group of about 40 old folks around 65-75 years old getting together to eat and play silly games. And it was a farewell for Pres and Sister Node. I lost it when we all sang God Be With You Til We Meet Again in Japanese. We were the only Military Relations missionaries there. The rest were office missionaries and area office missionaries. They loved the American food I brought from our commissary here on base. They don't have access to any of that. Surprising how much one loves "real" cheese and Daisy sour cream. Oh, and let's not forget Pace Picante Sauce. I left it all there for them to "fight" over when we left.
We then headed further into Tokyo to RON(remain- overnight), A military acronym I learned from an old colonel I live with. We stayed in a swanky Hilton Hotel using our Hilton points. We had our temple shift the next morning, so it seemed like a good idea to RON rather than make the drive twice. Driving in Tokyo isn't hard. It just takes a long time to navigate the roads. The temple is only 27 miles away, but it takes about 75 minutes to get there. Last week, we took the "long" way home because we got on the wrong road. That trip took 2 hours. So much for navigating with Siri. Most of the time, she gets it right. Sometimes it's just unclear, and we make a wrong turn.
Here's a little more on Fran. I sent a random picture of her. We purchased an inexpensive stand mixer for all the cookie-making and other baked goods I make for various occasions. I've never had a friend named Fran, but she has been a real joy to have after mixing everything with a fork. I'm pretty sure she'll stay here when we leave. Maybe I should have given her a Japanese name like Franiko.
We also helped with an Army 5k Fun Run this week. There were not a lot of runners, but it was all around the base, so they needed some volunteers to stop traffic every now and then to let the runners pass. It is always fun to see people running races. It reminds me of all the times we watched Brad's parents. Brad and I are NOT runners, but we do enjoy a good two-mile walk in the mornings.
Friday was the second time we attended our mission Zone Conference. It was our last conference with the mission leader and his wife, Elder, and Sister Node. Their replacements will be here in a couple of weeks. We joined with all the young missionaries from 2 different zones for some great training and encouragement to keep doing "the work." The Japanese Relief Society sisters fed us taco salad and chicken nuggets. There weren't any leftovers! Young missionaries can really put away the food. It was great joining with them and we were challenged by Pres. Node to "commit to be life-long disciples of Christ." I know we have witnessed his example of that. We will miss them both.
On Saturday, we had intended to go to see a Hydrangea festival about an hour from here, but our CPR training ran longer than we thought, so we just hopped on the train down to Yokohama, a port city for Japan. We decided to walk around Chinatown, although I don't think there were a lot of Chinese people there. Lots of different foods, smells, trinkets and stuff. We didn't buy anything, and it was pretty hot, so we opted for a mango and a strawberry smoothie and trained it back home. On the way home we enjoyed a traditional Japanese ramen from a favorite shop we like here.
All in all, it was a great week of helping out where we could, making cookies for others, and trying to get ready for the much warmer temperatures that are coming. Summers in Japan are very hot and humid.
Hope you are all doing well and enjoyed your Fathers on Father's Day. The Father here was treated to a nice hotel stay and a new summer kimono. More about that later.
Love to all,
Elder and Sister Nelson
Hooray for Fran or Franiko....she looks awesome!
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