Hello all,
Moving right along in the heat of the Japanese summer. I remember saying we would be doing two summers here and trying to get ourselves ready for the heat and humidity again. Somehow, you forget how bad it is until it happens. Although our grandson talks about the heat in the Philippines, I don't think we are quite as hot as he is. Humidity has never really been a favorite which is why we say we like summers in Utah. Hot but dry.
We started off this week firing up the Japanese oven and baking for several events, one every other day, so we tried to keep it simple with banana bread, apple bread, and Rice Krispies squares. (Things that don't melt) Elder Nelson took Sister Nelson's ACS shift so she could do some of the baking on Monday. No FHE this week as our two young adults were out of town. That left even more time for baking. And did I say we did some baking?
Of course, after all that baking, we looked forward to our Temple Tuesday. It really is a lovely, peaceful day, and we only have a few more left. We hope to continue serving in our temple near our home in Utah. It will be a little different than our experience here, but serving at the temple is a blessing.
After our temple shift, all the senior couples in our mission were invited to the Mission president's home for dinner. We all brought something to add to a taco night. It was nice to mingle with all the "old folks," and they reminded us that we have been here the longest, and the next couple to leave. Now that was where it started feeling real that we are getting close. But for now, we love all the serving and helping that we do.
On Wednesday, we gathered with about 1/3 of the mission for Zone Conference. All the young elders and sisters love seeing each other at these conferences. We took the train to the conference, and it was raining. We exited out of the wrong side of the train station and ended up walking a very long way to the chapel where the meeting was. It was raining and we had umbrellas, but we were both thoroughly soaked because of the humidity. It's like taking a bath with your clothes on. But we had some excellent training and yummy food prepared by the Relief Society sisters from the Fujisawa Ward. We will have the opportunity to attend one more Zone Conference in August. Elder Nelson took a lot of great pictures that he has shared with the missionaries. They love pictures.
Thursday, we provided some baked goods for a coffee cart held at one of the offices here on Zama for the Red Cross. They also have dogs that come for the employees to pet. Bella was the only doggie this time. She is the cutest little Maltese-Poodle. Afterwards, we headed to the SHA Thrift Store to help with a sale they were having. As much as you can fit in the bag for $5. The Elders also helped sort and hang up the new things that had been donated. It was a happening place. We then treated the Elders to McDonald's at the train station. A value meal at McD's is 630 Yen. With the great exchange rate, that is only $4.37. Not going to find those prices in the U.S.
Also on Thursday, we made a lasagna for the final night of the Celebrate Recovery program we have helped support. John and Stacy Villanueva are the leads, and they are moving back to the U.S. We presented them with a beautiful print of Elijah from the bible story in 1 Kings 19. We have been given these prints by the McDermott Foundation, which donates them to be presented to chaplains and servicemen. They are very beautiful. John and Stacy were very touched. We have enjoyed supporting their efforts to offer an addiction recovery program here on Zama. They will be missed.
Friday, we tried to stay home and regroup for our Saturday event, aka more baking. It was nice to not have any other commitments that day and to keep out of the heat. Elder Nelson ordered in some Korean food with Uber Eats, and we had a quiet evening at home as well.
Saturday was Camp Zama's Independence Day celebration/festival. They open the gates to everyone and have music, food trucks, kids' activities, and fireworks. We helped get the Red Cross booth set up and provided baked goods for the Japanese First Responders who were there for emergencies. It is really fun to see how much they enjoy home-baked goods. Japanese folks don't do much baking. There are bakeries everywhere, and their Japanese ovens at home are small, so they just don't bake. I have the same size oven and have had to make lots of adjustments to my recipes, but we have made it work. That's not to say that I don't seriously miss my double ovens at home. However, I've done so much baking here that I may not bake for a while after we get home. It hasn't been good for my waistline either, but all the walking has helped. At the festival, we treated the elders to some takoyaki (like a tater tot, but it's octopus, not potato) because they said they really liked it. We do not. The Japanese love it too.
After the fireworks, we cleaned up all the leftover snacks and took them to the Red Cross office. All the baked goods were gone. Then we took our two old, hot, and tired bodies home. All the walking in the heat and humidity tends to create a lot more laundry. Just grateful we have clean, dry clothes to change into and a washer to wash them.
Sunday was a great day with the members of the branch. We have one brother from our branch who likes to give us a ride. Hence, not a lot of steps that day and only one outfit for the day.
I know I have told you how we feel about the heat and humidity, but we really are enjoying our time here. So many good people to serve with. We know this is the best thing we could be doing right now. We want to finish strong, and we have several more events to support. Thanks to all for your love and support. We love you all
Elder and Sister Nelson
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