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

Week #19. Back in "School" and celebrating "Bon Odori."

This week had two major themes for us.  We volunteered to help with Vacation Bible School at the NAF (US Navy) Atsugi base and we participated in the Camp Zama Bon Odori festival.  

We enjoyed a week-long adventure entitled "Breaker Rock Beach," which featured themes, songs, dance, games, crafts, and more --all with a good "Christian" flavor of Jesus saves, God's truth is paramount, we are all sinners, and did I say, "Jesus saves!"  The religious content comes from the Bible and is in sync with our beliefs...well, mostly.  We enjoyed working with all the kids that attended and the hardworking (and very sincere and wonderful) volunteers, including the Atsugi chaplain...a great individual.  My job was capturing anything and everything with my camera for posterity and a slide show at the end.  Sister Nelson helped with registration, food prep, and serving, here and there.  We enjoyed it, but it wore us out by week's end....and we get to do it again next week at Camp Zama!   

Concurrently, we were helping with preregistration for the Vacation Bible School that will be held this coming week.  I think after two consecutive weeks of "School," we will have had our fill for the season; however, we will be here for another round come next summer. We have had a lot of opportunities to meet new people and answer questions about who we are, why we are in Japan...and why we like to volunteer.  All good subjects as far as we are concerned. 

We caught a break from "school" on Tuesday because a Philippino sister in our branch invited us, and the other missionaries, to her home for a meal.  It was about an hour on the train, and she welcomed us with quite the feast.  We ate our fill, and hardly made a dent in what she had lovingly and graciously prepared for us. We also helped her celebrate her birthday!

Not a week goes by that we don't get in a little volunteer action with the Red Cross.  We helped with newcomers welcome at Atsugi, an information exchange at Zama, and again during the Bon Odori festival at Camp Zama on Saturday.  For some reason, we were nominated as Volunteers of the Month at Camp Zama.   The Red Cross continues to be a great venue for us to "show the badge" and meet people from across our communities at Camp Zama and NAF Atsugi. 

On Friday we met with our District and Sister Nelson prepared a wonderful chicken enchilada lunch for them. Our district's young missionaries are always very appreciative of the things we do for them each week.  On Sunday, after our weekly trip to Camp Fuji, we had the Sisters in our home for a lesson with one of their friend families that they were teaching.  That was a special experience for us as we helped answer some important questions and concerns they had...and also shared our testimonies. 

Saturday was the celebration or festival hosted by Camp Zama for Obon.  Obon is a Japanese tradition, based in Buddhism that celebrates one's ancestors.  There are traditional foods, dress, music, dance, and fireworks.   We skipped the dancing part but were able to enjoy watching others. It was really hot on Saturday so we didn't really go out into the festivities until early evening and we also had to do our shift with the Red Cross that evening as well.