Week 50 - 1 Year - Hard to believe! Six months left, wow. Only one more week of driving, YIKES!

Today marks 1 year from when we started our mission at the Provo Missionary Training Center.  In some ways that seems like a forever ago thing, in other ways, it seems like just yesterday.  Anyway, enough with nostalgia.  Here is what our last week resembled. 

On Monday we had a follow up meeting with a Wellness counselor about our nutrition, exercise and weight management goals. It was very helpful because we factored in our needs as "old folks" this time. No more "P90-X" in our future.  Sister Nelson then volunteered at Army Community Service until noon. Elder Nelson was going to tag along on a tour of the local shrine and see the Girl's Day doll displays...but alas, it was rainy and cold and thus canceled.  This week was "Read Across America" week at the schools nation wide (US), including our DODEA schools.  We signed up to read stories and today was our first day.  Sister Nelson read "Green Eggs and Ham" and Elder Nelson read "The Cat in the Hat," to some pre-school age children.  Wellness Meeting, Arnn Elementary story telling.

Tuesday, the Tokyo Temple is still closed for another week. We helped out at the Camp Zama Red Cross office in the morning and then we made our way to the Elementary School for another reading engagement. Sister Nelson read "The Lorax," and Elder Nelson read, "Yertle the Turtle." We both had appropriate hats to wear both Monday and Tuesday. This time we read to 3rd graders. And the weather was a little bit nicer than Monday.  

On Wednesday with our new "Wellness" focused motivation, we went to the gym.  Later we went grocery shopping at the commissary for the remainder of the week because Thursday was going to be a crazy day. Elder Nelson had a special lunch meeting with Chaplain COL Wallace.  He had told us about a historical event in Japan regarding the early Christians and a book written by a famous Japanese author, called Silence." Elder Nelson ordered the book, read it, and now they met for lunch to discuss it. We love the relationship we have with our Camp Zama chaplains.  After lunch, we both had volunteer shifts to work. Sister Nelson at Camp Zama Occupational Health and Elder Nelson at Army Community Service. Sister Nelson ended up helping Dr Throop make posters for a High School Career Day event.  Service is as Service does!  And today it was cold and rainy. 

This week, our Thursday was especially long and crazy. (and it was also COLD again) Our day started by helping at the biweekly Camp Zama Newcomers briefings, where Elder Nelson also is the token Red Cross representative. It is a good way for us to meet all the new people moving to Camp Zama, so we like doing it.  Afterwards, we had lunch with one of our inherited friends, the Stars and Stripes Representative Rob Z. He is a good soul. He has been in Japan forever, he is devout Jewish, and has a rather brash New York style demenor...but he likes LDS missionaries. The Phillips before us befriended him and we inherited the friendship.  Later in the afternoon, we went back to the Elementary school for a Math event. The school organized a gym full of games and prizes and such around Dr. Suess themed books and stories. (See pics).  Our final event on Thursday was our weekly support for Celebrate Recovery. So, after about a 14 hour day, we crawled back to our apartment pretty much exhausted.  BUT,  we still had to do some cooking prep for our District Lunch the next day.  

Friday started early with lots of cooking and prepping for bringing a special lunch to our young missionaries. One of Elders from the Phillipines was celebrating his birthday and had asked for "Adobo Chicken." Sister Nelson researched out a good recipe and we did our best to recreate it.  It was actually very very tasty.  Another Sister Nelson, the cooking missionary, success.  To make it even nicer, it was a relatively warm and dry day.

Saturday was cold again, in fact it actually snowed here. Nothing stuck to the ground, but it was cold enough. We are REALLY READY for spring to come and stay.  Anyway, we had signed up to give blood at a Japanese Red Cross event being sponsored by the Yamato Ward (the Japanese congregation we share our chapel with).  We showed up, waited in line, only to find out that if you haven't ever donated blood in Japan before, and happen to be over age 64, they would not take our blood. So, foiled by the sometimes querky rules of this otherwise wonderful country.  We left, but we did get credit for showing up!  We drove back to Zama and met up with Elder and Sister Melton and wandered around in the semi-annual bazaar held on Camp Zama. Lots of nice furniture, paintings, Japanese things, even swords for sale. It is easy to walk away this time because we have to travel home in the same two suitcases that brought us here. We did by a print and a very nice silk Obi (for hanging on a wall). We did lunch with the Meltons, watched it snow outside and later retreated to our apartment for a short rest.  We still had one more event to go.  We attended a "Baby Shower" for the wife of the Celebrate Recovery facilitators we support.  Both of us went.  It was Elder Nelson's first Baby Shower experience.  

Sunday brought a much nicer clear and warm day and an opportunity to attend our regular church meetings. We always enjoy meeting with our fellow members of the Camp Zama branch.  This week, we had a "Linger Longer" planned.  It was a bit chaotic, but well attended and a great chance to fellowship with each other.  After the usual clean-up routine, featuring STP (Same Ten People) we made it home and thus ended another busy and long day.  Monday will come soon enough.  

We love you for your support and prayers. We have one more week of driving left to go before we are going to be like "Pioneer Children" and Walk and Walk and Walk.