Week 7, March 18-24, 2013 Japan Fukuoka Mission

This has been a wonderful week.  It started out with a Mission Conference for the Kumamoto/Kagoshima areas.  Brother Mills, who is in charge of all foreign MTC's was the keynote speaker.  The President's assistants first reported that the mission has 112 missionaries as well as 7 missionary couples.  However over the next year they expect this to rise to 140 full time missionaries.  That is a doubling of the full time missionary effort in this area of the "Lord's vineyard"  President Gustavson spoke about the Standards of excellence in the mission and the top 5 iniative in the Wards, Branches, and Districts of the mission.  Bro. Mills spoke about the importance to tell a principle of truth to every person we interact with so the Spirit has a chance to testify of its truth.  It was a fantastic conference.

Cherry Blossom time has started here in Kumamoto.  We went to our Japanese class at the International Center in downtown Kumamoto and even though it was raining the Cherry Blossom's were fantastic.  Here is a close up that I took.

 Here I am along the long wall of the Kumamoto castle with the Cherry Trees (sakura no ki).

And here is Luetta.

 

 On Thursday we drove across the island of Kuushu to Oita to inspect the apartment there.  It was a fantastic trip.  Here are some photos of the trip.

A beautify pine tree lined road.

Rice terraces ready for the rice to grow.

While in Oita, after inspecting the apartment and hunting up a bunch of things that were needed, we drove down to the waterfront and found this fantastic cruise ship getting ready to go.  We saw four 18 wheeler trucks enter the front of the ship (see the part pulled up on the picture).  Amazing.

 We did a little driving along the water front and got this fantastic shop across the harbor of the ship.

The next morining before driving back to Kumamoto we went back to take pictures during the day of this area.  Before we left our comfy hotel we took a picture of it.

The Elders apartment had a "way cool" Dendo clock that puts their day timetable on the wall.

Here are us with the zone leaders and Oita Elders as we got ready to go back.

Here is a picture of the ship (apparently it is a Ferry Ship).

At the seaside we climbed up on the seal wall.

The water here is amazingly clear.

On our way back to Kumamoto we stoppped on the outskirts to have some of the fameous Ramen at this resturant.

I got the very spicy, which was just about right for me.  I loved it, we programed that place into the Garmin.

 



 Saturday was a wonderful day.  We joined with the Kummoto and Nagamine Wards on temple day.  We got there in time to join in one Japanese session and then the English session just after it.  It was a great day.  This is the first time we have been to the temple since leaving America.  It felt so good.  It was especially great since we were with so many people that we now know and love.  It was really reat since Matsuka Koydai, a new convert of just a few weeks went and did twenty baptisms for the dead.  What a wonderful key to his testimony was added by doing this great service to our loved departed kin.  I can't believe it, we had so much fun that we forgot to take pictures.

 

On the way home we had a great treat and stopped at Costco (thanks Lynn for sending our cards to us)  We had pizza that tasted just like wonderful Combo pizza from home and got lots of great food that has the american taste and type that we really enjoy in addition to all the new taste sensations of Japan.

 

Sunday, we attended both wards.  Here is an example of an announcement flyer for an upcoming activity on the 30th.  As mentioned on facebook, "

Here is an announcement for a Kumamoto Ward Activity that thanks to Japan Googles app I can read well enough to figure out what it is about. Japan Googles, will take a picture of a Konji character and find its many meanings, this along wit...h my MTC trained ability to read Hirogana and Katagana and sometime what the words are is the key. The app is fantastic. Can you figure out what the activity is about, pictures are also a cue to context."

 

 

I really like the cute Kumomon bear.

 

Lastly here is a very interesting painting in the Kumamoto Stake building of the Tree of Life.  I really like the Japanese people under the tree of life.  Not the best picture, maybe I can get a better one later.