"There is work enough to do, ere the sun goes down" Week #31

 Here we go again with another busy week of volunteering. Oh wait...that's what we are here to do. That's good because we are doing plenty of it. 

We started the week off nice with a simple day of laundry, house cleaning, and the like. Every once in a while, a day at home can be nice. We prepared dinner for the young adults at FHE. Honestly, it's been a week and I can't even remember what we made. Anyway, we have one sweet Japanese gal who joins us. Her name is Moka, and we just love her. She lives with her grandmother. About 30 minutes before our meeting is about to start, she calls and asks if her grandma can come. Of course, I said yes and then hung up and fussed over what we were going to do with Grandma. It turns out that she just wanted to meet us and gave us a special rice dish that you make at this time of year. Kuri Gohan, chestnut rice. It looked similar to the picture, but she cut the chestnuts up smaller. It was very delicious. (Oishi deshita) She also wanted to thank us for always having Moka over on Mondays and sending treats home with her to share with Grandma. As it turns out, she didn't stay, but meeting her was very nice. We had a full house with all the missionaries and 3 other young adults. Full house is easy to do in our tiny apartment.

After serving in the temple on Tuesday, the mission president and his wife invited us and some other senior couples to the mission home for dinner. Their apartment is brand new and very large. Kind of made me miss my house, but then again, my apartment here only takes about 20 minutes to clean, so maybe not. We enjoyed visiting with all of them, and none of them remembered to take a picture. Old folks have real-world problems. 

The rest of the week got even crazier with volunteering at the hospital at the Occupational Health clinic for the first time now that the preliminary process is finished. There was a guy in the waiting room that looked like he had waited a long time? This made me realize that I had never seen the movie "Beetlejuice" because I didn't know who that character was. Maybe we can watch it this year.

We were back in Tokyo Wednesday night to stay overnight at the New Sanno Hotel. We had to be at the temple annex bright and early the next morning for the Missionary Sisters-only Conference, aka Shimai Taikai. The mission president's wife organized it, and the Senior couples managed all the food. Soups, salad, rolls, and yummy desserts. Our hubbies were the go-to guys for prep, set up, clean up, and take down. It was a full day of meetings, games, food, and fun. And then a drive back home. We found out the hard way that there is now some night-time repair on the expressway. It took us 2 hours to get home. Tired Elder and Sister Nelson. 

Never fear; Friday dawned early with lunch preparing for the young elders and sisters' district meeting. Two elders had birthdays, so we didn't forget the candles, ice cream, and fudgy brownies. We had to leave them to clean up after themselves because we had to return to Zama for the Purple Pumpkin Carving event. It was an awareness event for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We were Red Cross Volunteers handing out candy and coloring books. But wait, there is more. That evening, we volunteered to help with the Halloween Fun Run for families. Our job was about as easy as it gets. Hand out glow sticks and cheer the runners on. And that's about all the energy I could muster for that day. Not complaining...really. 

Saturday would have been a nice day for a little break, but we signed up to help with a community bazaar on Atsugi. Lots of beautiful things to see, and we made a few purchases after we volunteered. Then it was back to Zama to prepare for the Trunk or Treat on the airfield for the community. Elder Nelson painted his face up very scary and frightened quite a few little children. The Japanese moms and dads all took pictures of him as their children hid behind them. Plenty of candy for all, and we headed home when our bucket was empty. Literally and figuratively. 

No sleeping in on Sunday as there were cookies and a salad to be made for Fuji and the branch Linger Longer. Oh...and did I mention I was privileged to speak in church that day? The best part of the day was the missionary lesson we helped teach to the Goodson family, who have set their baptism date for next Sunday. They have been faithfully coming to church and taking the lessons. We are very excited for them. Pictures next week for sure. 

And Mt Fuji was still there when we drove there Sunday afternoon. Covered in clouds and fog and plenty of rain. Still hoping for some fall colors soon. It hasn't been quite cold enough to bring them out. We will be making some changes to our trips there on Sunday. More on that next week. 

Sometimes, when I sit down to type up the events of the week, I am amazed at the many opportunities there are to serve here. Serving others is such a rewarding opportunity. I love the people we meet, and they are so appreciative. Yes, we get pretty tired but we love what we are doing and are grateful for all the love and support from home. Have a great week. Love to all. 

PS One of these pictures I found while searching for pictures on Elder Nelson's phone. What exactly should I think about this picture? 

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Mid October and here comes Blog #30, then November!

Here we sit in beautiful Japan and time keeps flying by. We stay so busy that most of our days run together; before you know it, another month has started. And so goes the work of two old missionaries just south of Tokyo. 

Sadly, we did not make it to Camp Fuji last week. We always put it into our Apple maps and let Siri tell us how long it will take to get there. Last week, she said 2.5 hours. This meant that somewhere in the 35 miles of expressway, there must have been a bad accident backing up traffic for miles. Generally, it takes us a little over an hour to get there. So we stayed home instead of sitting in a traffic jam for hours. It was nice to have a Sunday evening to just chill. We finished listening to the rest of the General Conference sessions and geared up for another week. 

Our Monday FHE with the young adults was a nice break for the lady who cooks for them. 😉😁One of them asked if he could bring pizza so I didn't have to cook.  I put together a "salad bar" to go with our pizza. The young adults all love pizza, so it was win/win and a great evening for everyone. We played some Uno Attack and sent them all out the door with the leftovers. We are so grateful to be able to give them a place to gather. As soon as the Navy ship returns next month, we may have to find a larger place. 

We were able to help with a 5k Color Run this week. It was supposed to be last week, but the rain postponed it. This week was perfect, with coolish weather and about 75 people participated. Lots of families and little kids who like getting "colors" thrown on them. I helped at the registration table (far away from the colors). Brad took pictures for the event. We love helping with community events where there are families. 

Thursday dawned bright and early as we were asked to teach early morning seminary. It started at 6:30; by 6:45, about 8 of them were there, and we could start. We taught about tithing from the scriptures and what the windows of heaven might be for them as teenagers. It was not a lively group at that hour, but I love teaching the youth. We finished off with banana bread, and they went off to high school. 

We quickly changed into our Red Cross t-shirts and sat at the community information table on Zama. After which, we changed our shirts again, headed to the orphanage, and taught them about jungle animals. We topped off our time with them by helping them make animal masks. The 4-6 year olds loved them and ran around like the little animals they can be. We were able to take a few pictures because you couldn't tell who they were. The other pictures are of the two elders and two sister missionaries who were helping us. Elder Aspacio's companion chose a monkey mask for his companion because he believes he might actually be part monkey. And the treat we shared was, what else? Animal Crackers. 

We got home at about 5:30 and had another event at 6:00 to go and support and bring some food. Afterward, we came home and made 75 Halloween treat bags for the elders and sister's Zone Conference the next day.  By the time we rolled into bed, we hoped Friday would be a little less crazy. 

Friday was Zone Conference with our mission president and his wife. They are starting to make a few changes in the mission and shared some of their ideas and goals with us. The young elders and sisters have many challenges here in Japan, but they always impress me with their good attitudes and hard work. They loved the treat bags, and it was nice to see them smile. 

Saturday, we headed to Tokyo for Stake Conference and the adult's meeting. We opted to stay overnight at the New Sanno Hotel to be back for the general meeting on Sunday morning. It's always nice to take a little break from the day to day routines. We relaxed a little and headed to Camp Fuji from Tokyo. A little longer drive, but the traffic was light, gratefully. 

We are also helping set up and prepare for the new missionary couple that is coming next month. Taking an entirely empty apartment and furnishing it with all the things needed is quite a big job. Mostly they have asked us to measure rooms and give our opinion on what we think is needed. We decided that we were happy to help, just not have to buy it all. The mission takes care of that. 

And the work goes on. Each week I am amazed at how we are able to do all the many activites each week.  We have our good health and enough strength to do what we need to. I know that we are being blessed with extra energy to do that. We love what we can do here and pray for our family and loved ones to be safe, happy, and healthy. 

                                                        

Week 29 Its raining and parading and beautiful too.

Rain, Rain Go Away...please :)  

We are amazed at how fast the week goes by...incredible to think that we are midway through October already.  While we were not extraordinarily busy, we had a full week...interrupted a little by the rain. While it was not a typhoon, it was pretty soggy here for a few days.  And with the autumn weather, a couple of times, it was a little on the chilly side.  We love the fall weather, especially when it's dry and clear -- beautiful.  The leaves have not started turning in our area yet, but from everything we have heard, it will be amazing and beautiful when that time comes... so stay tuned. 

We continue to bounce between Camp Zama and NAF Astugi.  Monday started at NAF Atsgui, helping the Red Cross and the Chapel at the weekly newcomer's orientation.  One of the Atsugi Chaplain's assistants is taking my photography class, so we had a little impromptu lesson while manning the chapel information table.  Sister Nelson had to hold down the office part of the Red Cross. Later, I actually did the Red Cross briefing -- 3 minutes of fame and glory...next slide.   

I took advantage of my time at the NAF Atsugi HQ building by going up to the library and pitching my photography class at Zama.  The librarian signed me up for 3 classes in November. It will be fun to maybe reach a few more people that way.  We finished off our Monday effort by going to the commissary and then home to make some food for our YSA FHE dinner we do each Monday.  We mixed up a big "American Style Curry Rice batch." It was a hit, as it always is...Curry Rice (Kare Raisu) dates back to the beginning of our family, which was imported from my "young missionary" experience.  We really enjoy our time with our YSAs and with the young missionaries. We hope and pray that we can make a difference in their life's journey.

On Tuesday, we made the trek to Tokyo to work in the Temple.  We always enjoy the opportunity to work in the Lord's House and participate with all that come to attend or to serve; Sister Nelson and I have done just about all the possible Temple duties, so we will be well-trained for future Temple service opportunities.  It was rainy, so we also enjoyed being inside!  We saw a very strange site on the way there. I think it was a first-ever sighting.  See the picture.  It was clearly labeled as a "Restroom Vehicle." It made us laugh.  We have no idea how or when it is used. "Excuse me, could you please send the Restroom Vehicle?!?"

Wednesday was our turn to help out in the Camp Zama Red Cross office. We spent most of our morning there and wondered if our afternoon activity would get canceled because of the persistent rain.  It did.  We were supposed to go back to Atsugi and help with the Color Run 5K.  A fun run that involves throwing colored chalk powder all over each other...all in celebration of "Navy Week."  Well, it sounded fun; however, the rain prevailed, and it was rescheduled to the following week. So, we ended our service day early.

Thursday, Sister Nelson was making stuff for our District Lunch on Friday while I took our car in for a service...and got a haircut while waiting for the car.  The car was happy with a new oil change, tire rotation, and more.  We put a lot of mileage on this little Toyota, so we were glad to get permission to have it serviced.  In the afternoon, we signed up to help the Zama High School put on its Homecoming Parade. We ended up helping the principal line up all the participants...more than I expected.  It was a nice little hometown-style parade around Camp Zama.  It featured a color guard, marching Soldiers, a firetruck with VIPs, the football team and cheerleaders riding on flatbed trailers, a marching band, and more! I took a bunch of pictures and shared them with folks.  After the parade, we made a quick trip back home and packed up for one more event, our weekly support to Celebrate Recovery.

Can you believe it's Friday already?  Sister Nelson made a baked Ziti-casserole with garlic bread, Caesar salad, and popsicles.  The young Elders and Sisters made short work of it, and we had ZERO leftovers, which is just the way we like it.  Our Friday trip to the District Council with lunch starts early with final preparations, packing up, and leaving by 0930. It is almost an hour's trip in the car.  By the time we are through with it all and we are packed back up with empty dishes (and a big bag of trash), it is nearly 1:30 or so and we don't get back home to our apartment until close to 3pm.  Quite a full day for two senior missionaries.  We stopped by the post office, then retired to our apartment and later ordered Domino's pizza for dinner.

Saturday and Sunday this week were set aside for watching General Conference.  And we did. We were uplifted and inspired, and we look forward to reading the talks again and again.  In addition to General Conference, we had a few additional interesting events.  Saturday, we met a gentleman that the missionaries had run into earlier for breakfast.  His name is Kiichi (first name). He is about 60, and he has been associating with Church members for quite a long time, but mostly for the friendship and English-speaking opportunity; he told us about all the people he has met and associated with from living in the DC area and back in Japan. He even knew Elder Wada (who spoke in Gen Conf on Sunday afternoon).  We are unsure where this new relationship will go, but we will see.  Part of me wants to say he is what we used to call an "English Bandit" (someone who just wants to hang out with Americans and practice English),..in my missionary days, we would generally avoid those kinds of people because they took away a lot of time with absolutely Zero interest in learning about the Gospel.  Part of me, though, says, "People change..." and this gentleman has been attracted to church members for almost 40 years...its the light of the Gospel in us, but he doesn't know that...yet.  We shall see.  Anyway, we got a bunch of groceries for a big Sunday breakfast we planned and then watched Saturday's general conference

On Sunday, we invited the Goodson family, who is investigating the church and has accepted a baptismal challenge for early November.  The Sister missionaries joined us as did our friend Hosea Schroeder.  Sister Goodson is from American Samoa, and so is Brother Schroeder.  Brother Goodson is Hawaiian. Sister Nelson (with a bit of help from me) whipped up an amazing breakfast that featured her breakfast casserole and homemade cinnamon rolls...we also had a big fresh fruit plate.  Oh boy!  YUM YUM.  Everyone was filled with food and with the Spirit. A great event.   

We elected not to drive up to Camp Fuji to watch the rest of the conference. It turns out to be a holiday weekend, and so the projected drive to Camp Fuji was over two hours! That just meant trouble, being late, and stuck in endless traffic, so we chose to stay home—a good decision.

Look out! Another week is just around the corner.

Week #28 Not as busy...finally

 Week #28 Not as busy...finally

Yay, for a week where our schedule let up a bit, and we weren't running around with our hair on fire. (considering my lack of hair, that is a problem.) It was nice to step back a minute or two and find the bottom of the laundry basket. Our washer and dryer combo are small so large loads are not happening. And even when it's a smaller load, it takes a very long time to dry. Yes, we have used the drying rack a few times. Not quite as bold as many Japanese who hang all their laundry out on their apartment balcony. Things dry eventually, but with the humidity, it probably takes as long as my dryer. Real missionary world problems. 

So we started off our week NOT listening to General Conference because they asked us to use next weekend as our conference weekend and listen to it all at once rather than getting up at 1am to watch it. This way we can watch it at normal people's hours. Lots of good shares on FBook coming out of Salt Lake City about the conference, and we look forward to hearing it all this weekend. We did make a trip to Camp Fuji where there are apparantly quite a few training units there right now but not any that want to attend a 4pm sacrament service. We shared our peanut butter cookies and brownies with about 8 of the Marines watching a movie in the USO lounge. No leftovers is the goal, and they took care of what we brought. 

Our Monday found us helping out at the Red Cross office on Atsugi. It was very quiet and uneventful, which is the way we like it. We're glad we can man the office while the full-time representative is away, but we certainly don't want any crazies while we're there. We hurried home to make dinner for the young adults and Elders coming for FHE, but alas, only the Elders made it, so we called it feeding the missionaries and had a nice time. 

Tuesday, we were back at the temple. Often, we meet folks who are traveling and also come to attend the temple, and this week was one of those. We met a couple from Holladay, Utah. Then we see if we can make a connection of some kind. Coincidentally, we determined that the fellow was the brother of our good friend from when we lived in Leavenworth, KS, Kathi Martin. They insisted that we try to connect by FaceTime with her and so we had a fun chat in the courtyard of the Tokyo temple. Small world when you add the military connections to church connections sometimes. 

Wednesday was my stay-at-home day while Brad tromped off to Tokyo to have his stitches removed from a questionable mole. I dropped him off for his ride at 6:20 a.m., and he didn't get back until about 3 p.m. I'm used to being alone, but it was weird not having him around. He is my missionary companion, after all. So that day, I finished some projects myself, and all was well with the mole. 

Thursday was District Council and lunch with the young missionaries. This week, it has cooled down a bit, so we served Taco Soup with Fritos, cheese, and sour cream. It was well received by all. It was also transfer week, and we had to say goodbye to Elder Williams. He returned home to California. He was the district leader, and we will miss him. He was a deep-thinking and clever elder. We hope he enjoys BYU Hawaii. 

That evening Elder Nelson taught his first photography class at the library. The mission has asked us to use our talents as a way to share the gospel with others. That can come in any form and so Elder Nelson chose to share his love for photography. He is meeting and getting to know new people and being an example of a disciple of Christ. He has two more classes to teach with them. 

I attended the Red Cross Volunteer Appreciation party, where I had bowling alley pizza and homemade brownies. I also earned a Red Cross sweatshirt for my hours this month. Now, if it would just get cool enough to wear it. 

We rounded out the week with more service to the Red Cross at the Fire Prevention Open House event. It was held outside so the fire crews could show off their skills, and it rained the entire time. Firemen don't mind, they have on waterproof gear. The rest of us stayed under the canopies and handed out Red Cross swag. We also had a CPR dummy for adults to try out their skills in chest compressions. Then, they could put their name in for a free CPR class. There weren't many people that day, but we had fun meeting those who came. We even got to try holding and shooting water from an actual fire hose. It's an amazing amount of water and very powerful. 

Each week goes by so quickly here. We love working with so many different people and serving our hearts out. Starting to feel like we haven't ever done anything else. We love it here and are grateful for the love and support we get from home. Who knew being a disciple of Christ could be so fun? 

Love to all, 

Elder and Sister Nelson