Our Mission in Japan: Week 38 -- and 46 years, but who's counting?

Our various service activities continue as usual, except with a holiday feel and flavor. Cookies are always in high demand, but we are adding some peppermint here and there. In the coming days, the "never-fail sugar cookies" will make their debut. But for now, brownies are in season.

This week we had a couple of noteworthy events, not the least of which was our 46th Anniversary...more on that later. We have been recently volunteering for ACS (Army Community Service) at their office and reception area. It is a good place to meet new people and "show the badge." And, unlike earlier this year, we feel welcome and appreciated for what we can do. That change in demeanor has been a tender-mercy for us. We serve there on Monday and Wednesdays now as well as help with the "new-comers" orientation every other week. We are also still helping a bit in the Occupational Health Clinic. It's not a big impact thing, except for the one individual we help...but sometimes, it's the one that matters.

Wednesday afternoon we presented a special print (work of art) of Elijah being blessed, taught, and saved by God as he was about to just give up. The theme is about "suicide prevention" which resonates with the chaplain community. We presented the print, along with Chaplain Saxton (Camp Zama chaplain (LDS), and our partner MRMs, the Meltons, to Chaplain Grady, the NAF Atsugi Chaplain (Navy). He is one of our favorite people. We have worked with him since we got to Japan and he is an awesome individual. We have wanted to present him with a print for quite some time.

Later, Wednesday evening we supported the "Gingerbread Fun Run." It was really cold, but they had a great turnout and we helped MWR cheer people on and the Red Cross serve hot chocolate.

Thursday we visited the orphanage we have been going to for a while. We missed November, so some of the kids there were very excited to see us come this time. We did some Christmas-themed activities and games and left them all with a smile and a candy cane. Thursday evening we once again supported the efforts of the Celebrate Recovery group.

Friday was a long and busy day as we took lunch to our District missionaries and then later went into Tokyo to support our Zama Branch youth do Temple baptisms. We listened to Siri suggest an alternate route which ended up taking us 2 hours...never again.

Our plan, since it was going to be our anniversary, was to go Friday to help at the Temple and then spend the next two nights at the New Sanno Hotel. We would take Saturday as our "PDAY," and take a mental break from missionary labors. We enjoyed sleeping in a little, and being served breakfast, and we ventured out to see a bit of Shibuya a major shopping, retail, and entertainment district in Japan. Famous too for its big crosswalk area outside the train station. See our pics and video on FB. We had a nice fancy dinner back in the hotel on Saturday night and come Sunday we had to get up and leave early to make it back to our area in Zama for church. Such was our anniversary.

Sunday we had a nice meeting at church and later we helped our young missionaries (Elders) do a baptismal service after our Sunday church meetings. It was quite a long day, but fulfilling; however, our Anniversary day kind of passed by quietly. Maybe, next year, we can go on a cruise or something more celebratory. Still, 46 years together is something special in and of itself. We are here, together, more or less healthy, and still working at working and being together. We love each other, despite ourselves...and are working one day at a time towards eternity.