Week 39: October 28 - November 3, 2013, Serving in Kumamoto

Monday was 2 zone conference, we had many wonderful trainings, including training from the asia area medical team.  It was very useful information and spiritual training as well.  We also learned how to balance ten nails on the head of one nail.  Here it is in case you get asked to solve this puzzle.

On Tuesday, which was the alternative P-day, we tried to go to the zoo, but it was closed.  We continued biking and found two great places for Christmas present shopping.  Here is the bike parking lot downtown.  It only costs 100 Yen per bike if you stay over an hour.

We have been having fun watching construction of apparent homes viewable from our balcony.  Here they have dug the foundation trenches and are laying rock before pouring concrete.

Now the forms are in place. 

Wednesday we biked to the International Center for the last time and said good-bye for 2-3 months to our four students, one of which is also our Japanese teacher.  It is very sad to say good-bye we have enjoyed the teaching so much.  We gave them all a gift of a Book of Mormon with our testimony in it and an invitation to learn more about the gospel.

Wednesday evening was our English class, but this time it was a Halloween party for our students and both wards.  Here I am doing my favorite activity of making and serving dry ice root beer.  It turned out to be very popular with our American missionaries and a few of the local members.  However we had materials to make two batch but only served one due to lack of demand.  It turns out that many Japanese think root beer tastes like medicine.  Furthermore the name is very misleading.  One person asked what it was and I replied, root beer using my best katagana pronunciation, and they replied, they could not drink it since they drove a car to the party.  In Japan they have a very strict, zero tolerance for any alcohol drinking and driving, not even one.  We explained that it was only "soda" but she still didn't partake.

Here is the refreshment table, consisting primarily of a very good tasting chicken stew and French style bread.  I enjoyed it a lot.  Also the green gel in the silver cups are a Jello, which also tasted great.

 

 

Back to our house construction, we now see the rebar in place.  When they pour the floor slab they then pour a concrete wall about 2 feet tall where all the walls are going to be.  Time will tell if it is just a crawl space under the house or they are actually part of the wall.

Thursday, we inspected the Elders apartment in Yatsushiro.  They got a Celestial rating so we took them to lunch that we enjoyed last time we were here but with different Elders.  Here is Luetta's dish, with lots of vegetable.

I got the same as last time, a boiling pot of spicy ramen.  It tastes great, but is served with a flame under it, which until the fuel runs out keeps it boiling.  I tried to be careful but still burnt my tongue.

This photo of the house construction shows the rebar poking out of the floor slab in preparation for the wall pouring.

The slab is mostly cured.

Here they are pouring the partial walls.

Rain expected on Sunday so it is covered with tarps to allow the concrete to cure fully.

Christmas is not far away and shipping takes a long time, so here we are preparing.

One last awesome sunset photo before we leave to Fukuoka.  We will be available for Skypeing in the Car Monday Morning our time, Sunday Evening in the U.S.

Good-Bye Kumamoto for a few months.