Week 66 - Rainy days and Transfers - Tis the Season

It's hard to believe we are pushing into the middle of June and our time here is shrinking each day.  We are in the midst of the rainy season, but the heat hasn't kicked in just yet.  When it does, the humidity and the temperature will make life here a bit uncomfortable --especially if we are still walking every day.  

On Monday we got up at "o-dark early," and assisted with the Camp Zama Army 5K Run. We dawned our Red Cross Shirts, reflective vests, and kept the runners safe while the ran through the streets of Camp Zama.  We did this one last year too.  Later, Sister Nelson helped at Army Community Service and Elder Nelson trekked over to Zama City Hall to renew our proof of residency certificate. About the time he was almost back home, it started raining.  Later, for our YSA FHE we found we explored a Japanese vintage vending machine "museum" - the collection of mostly still working machines belonged to a auto parts store... anyway, it was certainly interesting, fun, and one of a kind,

Tuesday we bussed and trained ourselves  to the Temple as we do each week.   It was raining.  But, as always, it was a good experience just the same - rain or shine. We were both able to renew our Temple Recommends with our Mission President, and it was nice to have some time to meet with him - which we don't often do.  Later, we stopped at our favorite sushi-go-round place on the way home from the Temple. Elder Nelson also helped the young missionaries teach one of their "friends" via Zoom that evening. 

Wednesday we had a lot of "this and that" going on.  Sister Nelson checked in at the doctor for a follow up visit, Elder Nelson checked in with the barber, then we both checked in at the commissary for some groceries. We also worked at Army Community Services, the Health Clinic and enjoyed the bi-weekly Mongolian BBQ at the Community Center. It doesn't matter where we go, we invariably run into people that know us since we have been wandering around Camp Zama for nearly 15 months now...we are "everywhere," according to some reports! And, I believe it did rain.

Thursday we had our weekly District Council meeting (one day early because of pending transfers on Friday).  So, it was a special occasion of goodbyes since half of our young missionaries would be moving on to a new place...two of them were making their final transfer back home.  We had a nice lunch, pot-luck style, which meant lots of "this and that" to eat, including a new pasta dish by Sister Nelson! We also had a drop in visit by a good member of the Japanese ward who brought Japanese style pizza. Our district activity ended with group and companion pictures by Elder Nelson.  Later on Thursday we also met with our friends at the Celebrate Recovery gathering.  

Friday, whilst the young missionaries were transferring, we did a more than normal deep clean of our apartment, and we met Elder and Sister Melton later at the Atsugi base theater for "How to Train Your Dragon."  That was a lot of fun and popcorn too.  Also, one of our AC units (we have 3) started leaking water inside the apartment instead of outside in the drain. Bad. All we could do is unplug it and get the water out of it.  We cleaned the filters in all of them.  We also managed to get the Mission Office to send/ arrange for a repair person to come and fix our leaking AC unit (but not until Saturday). 

On Saturday, Sister Nelson made a run to the commissary (more of a fast walk) in the rain. We did some more cleaning up and awaited the AC repairman.  He came, along with two of the Mission's service missionaries Elder and Sister Watanabe.  We also work with them at the Temple on Tuesdays.  They are very nice people, but don't speak much English, so we did our best to visit with them for the 2 hours plus that it took the repairman to do his thing.  Later that evening, we jumped on the train and met some of our MRM missionary friends for dinner at "Mike's Tex Mex."  Another of our Japanese member friends, Brother Sakuma, who has been helping all of us through the Driver's License debacle, joined us for dinner as well.  

Sunday was Father's Day, so Sister Nelson made Elder Nelson a very nice breakfast! He got a few gifts and felt loved and we heard from most of our children in one form another.  In today's world, a call, an email, a text, you take what you can get.  We went to church and later came home and expanded our planned Father's Day dinner to include two of the Sister Missionaries.  Through the transfers, we got five new missionaries in our District and we got to meet one of them, Sister Davis from Australia! 

Life and rain will continue into next week and we are grateful for the health andstrength to do what needs doing and the special calling as missionaries to do it in Japan for a few more months.

Best wishes to your new week. And may the rain that falls on you be when you are under an umbrella. 

Love,

Elder and Sister Nelson aka Nelson Choro and Nelson Shimai

                                            

Week 64 Of Cabbages and Pagodas

 Hello all

Another week slides by as we continue to do our best and stay focused here in Japan. We love being here and enjoy all the service opportunities. We have asked ourselves what we think we are going to do when we get home. Neither of us has an answer to that, so we just keep putting our heads down and doing the work here. 

Monday, we slowed down a bit, and Sis Nelson smiled sweetly at the two people who came in to out-process with Army Community Service. It was a long 4-hour shift, but it was nice to visit with all the folks who work there. Elder Nelson putzed around the house and finished the laundry, etc. Later in the day, we had someone help us drop off our car to be serviced, and then we walked home. It was only about 2 miles and a cooler day. As we walked along the roadside, we passed quite a few small vegetable gardens that were planted everywhere. Elder Nelson called out to one of the men working in his garden and said, "Konichiwa."  The man then waved us over and handed us a cabbage and said, "For you". Now that never would have happened if we had been driving in a car. One of the joys of walking. We smiled about it all the way home. 

We were also able to join our two young adults for a delicious ramen at our favorite ramen shop. Hosea is an active duty soldier and serves as the Young Adult Rep for the branch. Eric is a civilian working on base at the Japan Engineer District. He is the one who recently tried to show us how to play pickleball. And we love them both. The other five young adults we have are going "underway" for 6 months with the Navy or live too far away to travel in for FHE. We are small but determined to offer FHE each Monday night. 

Of course, Tuesdays are always our time for the temple. This week, it was a very soggy Tuesday. We took our very large umbrellas on our walk to the train and from the train to the temple. The lovely little umbrellas that fit in the side pocket of one's backpack just don't cut it when it rains really hard here. We spent some time with our fellow MRM couples serving in the temple. We had a large group of young elders and sisters. Around 8 of them are going home this week. We will miss them. Some we hope to see again as they will be attending BYU. 

On Wednesday, we signed up to help out in the community, clearing out flower beds for planting. We enlisted the help of the young elders and sisters from our branch as we joined with other Japanese citizens at their park. One of the sisters didn't understand why were pulling up flowers that were still blooming (winter pansies) I explained that they will be replaced with some fabulous flowers that like the heat and humidity. The Japanese people love to have flowers growing just about everywhere. Their yards, along the streets, parks, and everywhere in between.  

Thursday, we helped with the Newcomers' Orientation for those people who are moving in this summer. We even welcomed the new General and his wife. He will be taking command next week. Elder Nelson does the briefing for the Red Cross, and we also helped with the breakout session, where many of the post organizations have tables and information. It's been a great way to meet new people. 

Sister Nelson also attended a birthday party for one of the sisters in our branch, Suzanne Ohsiek. She and her husband are moving back to the States this fall. They built a home in Vineyard, UT, so we hope to see them again as well. 

Friday, we had our District meeting, and our mission president and his wife joined us. We brought sack lunches for everyone as they were all headed out on another service project with the Meltons. I let them all make their own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They loved them. 

That night, Elder Nelson and I wandered down the street to our local Yakitori restaurant. It's super small, only about 4 tables and a counter with stools. You order what you want and watch while they cook each skewer one at a time. We tried a lot of different ones and enjoyed the atmosphere. Last time we went, the owner took our picture and hung it on the wall. When we walked in again, this time he remembered us and pointed at our picture. Truly a unique Japanese experience. 

On Saturday, we were asked to help clean the chapel, and we were able to get a ride there. Afterwards, we decided to try to find an old wooden Pagoda that Elder Nelson had read about. We set out on the train and found the area it was supposed to be in. We walked around for a while before we found it, and it was so amazing. A five-story wooden Pagoda built around 580. Yes, that means it is almost 1500 years old. It is made entirely of wood with a giant Cypress tree going up the center. All the wood fits together so that it can easily shift with the earthquakes we have here. It has been carefully maintained and is in excellent shape. Quite a wonder to see. 

Sunday was quiet. Sister Nelson taught a Relief Society lesson and the rest of Sunday was nice and relaxing. We had Marie Callender's pot pies for dinner and checked our calendars for the upcoming week. 

We are keeping a close eye on everything we want to do this summer and hope we have enough time to fit it all in. Each week seems to go by faster than the last. We love the great opportunities to serve and mingle with the folks on post and the Japanese in the community. It's been an incredible opportunity for us. 

We love you all and hope you are also having a great summer. 

Love, 

Elder and Sister Nelson

Week #63. Rainy Season and "Almost" counts in horseshoes, but NOT Driving Tests.

It's called "Tsuyu." Rainy Season. And it is that time of year again.  It won't rain everyday, but it might, or might not, so have your "kasa" (umbrella) handy. And it continues to be an ongoing season of flowers blooming. We enjoy seeing new ones bloom that we have never seen before. We will miss the beautiful variety of flowers.  

Monday was the US "Memorial Day" holiday.  Japan has one later in June. So, most of our Camp Zama community people and activities were on a long holiday weekend break, including all of our YSAs.  The young missionaries (our Elders from the Philippines) were curious as to what "we" do on Memorial Day. BBQ and visit grave sites of ancestors we said. Well, we couldn't do the later, but with some gentle prodding from MRM friends the Meltons, we opted for a BBQ with the young missionaries at the church meetinghouse in Yamato.  Collectively, we pulled together the makings, including charcoal and burgers and fixins' and met up at noon.  We had a great time with the missionaries and even a few of our Japanese member friends.  Sister Nelson made her famous potato salad.  Yum Yum.  And Elder Nelson did an impromptu duet with Brother Akasaka...see video. (They both served missions in Hokkaido at the same time, but were never companions.

Tuesday we ventured through the rain to the Temple and enjoyed another great day serving fellow Saints and missionaries.  This time of year, Japan gets lots of visitors and so our Temple experience included assisting a number of people visiting Japan and wanting to visit our Tokyo Temple too!  Wonderful.

With the "Drivers Exam" date looming, Elder Nelson spent time all week, including Wednesday cramming as it were, for the "Practical Driving Test."  Sister Nelson helped make baked goods and food for freezing in preparation for Young Women's "girls camp later this year.  She teamed up with one of the members of our branch and met in her home that has a real kitchen!  Later, after meeting up for lunch, Elder Nelson worked at Army Community Service and Sister Nelson at the Occupational Health Clinic.  Then afterwards, we made a side trip to the commissary for supplies before trekking back home. 

Thursday was the day.   And for both of us it was busy.  Sister Nelson had plenty to do without accompanying Elder Nelson to the Kanagawa Driver License Center, so he went by himself, accompanied by a good Japanese brother from the Yamato ward who could assist with any translation challenges and who also drove. Brother Sakuma has been a great help and is a wonderful example of selfless service.  Meanwhile, Sister Nelson delivered baked goods and helped with a Red Cross "Coffee Cart" for one of the Zama organizations and later trekked over (bus, train, foot) to help at the SHA Thrift Shop with a couple of the Sister missionaries. She then trekked home waiting for word from Elder Nelson.   Meanwhile, Elder Nelson encountered the usual "extra steps" and bureaucratic red tape, and his 1pm driving test didn't actually take place until about 2:30pm.  As we hinted in the title, "almost perfect" was not almost enough to pass the exam, but he didn't get the official word until shortly after 4pm. After some additional preparatory actions to schedule the next test, they headed back to Zama about 4:30ish. Meanwhile, Sister Nelson had been waiting to hear, but Elder Nelson was slow on reporting the bad news...so Sister Nelson got a late start for a quick trek back to the commissary.  We both, most Elder Nelson, need to work on communication skills we are learning.  All in all it was a busy, but not wonderful day.

Friday we trekked (foot, bus, train, bus, foot) to meet up with our district at the Yamato meetinghouse for District Council and District Lunch -- Sister Nelson managed spaghetti, salad and breadsticks this time and, as usual, the young missionaries devoured it with great joy.  We hitched a ride with Elder and Sister Melton afterwards and ventured to NAF Atsugi.  They had some meetings to do, and we went to the library.  Later, we met up at the Exchange Movie Theater and watched the latest (maybe last?) Mission Impossible movie.  We enjoyed it and we especially enjoyed and noted that it was devoid of swearing and unnecessary sexual stuff.  Just good old action and Tom Cruise doing a lot of running...  

Saturday we had planned an MRM P-day activity for a trip to Enoshima Island which is about an hour train ride south of us...but alas, tis rainy season and it was especially rainy and also windy, we canceled it for the sake of the weather.  Instead, we did some neglected and needed house cleaning and laundry. Later in the afternoon, we trekked again (foot, bus, train, bus) back to Yamato for a violin recital / concert by a very talented mother/daughter duo with some impressive music credentials. It was hosted by the Yamato ward and unfortunately not well attended, but the performance was amazing.  Sister Nelson got cornered by the Sister Missionaries after it was over to stay and help with a lesson with one of their "friends." So, she did.  Elder Nelson trekked home solo and Sister Nelson followed about an hour or so behind. And it was another long day. And we opted for Dominos Pizza delivered. 

Sunday we volunteered to teach Primary.  We had a class of five boys (age 7-8).  We managed, (mostly Sister Nelson) to keep their short attention spans engaged for a lesson about "honesty." We had a couple of stories, a video and a coloring activity! We survived and the group of boys did too.  Later, after church, we trekked home and stopped one train station short to go and visit a family that we have been working with since we got to Japan.  They host the weekly Celebrate Recovery activity at the Zama Chapel.  Good people.  They recently welcomed a brand new baby daughter into their home and invited us to come by and visit and see their new baby.  Sister Nelson loves babies as you know.  So we stopped by and Sister Nelson turned into her Grandma self and snuggled that tiny baby right to sleep.  They both thoroughly enjoyed it.  We then ventured home, later than usual, but we managed to put together a nice homestyle meatloaf, potatoes, and broccoli dinner.  Elder Nelson's favorite.  We ended our day by watching "Escape from Germany," a film depicting how the missionaries escaped Germany days before WWII started there with the invasion of Poland.  True and amazing story.  

We are ready for another week, unfortunately, we still have to walk some more, but we do so in faith that Heavenly Father will continue to bless us and strengthen us to do His will and serve Him while we are serving as missionaries here in Japan.  

Impromptu Duet of "Oyoge Taiyakikun" a popular song from our mission days.

Riding to the Temple