Week 65 April 28 - May 4, 2014

Last preparation day it was rainy so we mostly stayed in with missionaries coming over to email.  We reserve the morning for Skyping with our family which is always so much fun.

This week we went to Beppu for apartment inspection.  It was a rainy day

with some fog through the mountains, luckily it cleared up after a short while.

The Elders got a "Celestial rating" again and they chose to go out to lunch as a reward and took us to the same Yaki Niku we went to last time.  It is delicious, but hard on our waist lines as it is all you can eat in one hour.  The Elders can really put it away, so so can we.

That night we stayed in a small Toyoka hotel room and studied.

Friday we inspected the Oita Elders Apartment.  First we has a traditional breakfast in the Toyoka Inn.  I am getting more use to this style, the rolls and jam were out when we got there.

On the way to the elders apartment we passed the Oita castle, of which only the stone walls are standing, however it looks like they were tearing down a building inside, maybe to restore it like the Kumamoto Castle.

We also went to the water from that we have visited in the past, there were many fishermen there.

Also a large ferry boat across the bay.

In the water there were many jelly fish, here is one.

And here is a movie of it moving.

The Oita Elders got a "Celestial rating" and chose lunch.  You guessed it at an all you can eat Yaki Niku, only this one was all you can eat in 1 1/2 hour.  Ohhhhh.  The signs below are 食べ 放 題 (Tabe Hana Dai) or All You Can Eat (Buffet).

It taste so gooooooooood.  Eat your heart out Jen.

This apartment has in the past used a lot of tack put in the walls which is against mission policy.  The mission has to pay for damage to these wall when the apartment is changed.  Often times this can exceed the deposit amount.  To help them out we got four large sheets of foam plastic that you can place behind your desk and pin into as much as you want.  Area maps and inspirational pictures are very valuable to have readily visible.  We hope this helps.  Here we are with the car loaded.

After finishing at Oita we took a side trip to an astronomical observatory on the coast just south of Oita.  Here is Sekizaki Ocean and Astronimical Observatory Hall.  We couldn't stay late enough to see the telescope and observe the sky, maybe another day when our schedule is different.

They had Kinobori wind socks displayed all over for Kodomotachi day on May 5th.

This is the view from just outside the viewing room looking towards a local island.

There is also a small light house down by the shore.

Here is a pictogram of the area.  The distant lands are not visible above due to fog.

Here I am in the binocular observation room which is below the main observatory.

We finished off the day with a beautiful sunset on a beautiful spring day in Japan.

I didn't take this photo, but here is the telescope.

This photo of Sekizaki Ocean and Astronomical Observatory Hall is courtesy of TripAdvisor

On Saturday we did a little street contacting.  Here is one contact.  We did have some language issues.

Typically we will bike along where people are more open to visiting such as the river/canal.  We will ask them if the know English with "Anata wa, eigo ga hanase masuka? (あなたは、えいごがはなせますか？)" or something similar and give them an Eikaiwa flyer.  If they know english we can talk to them in greater depth.  This time we tried a bench and smiled at everyone going by and saying Konbanwa, if there was any positive response we will try to continue the contact.

Oh well a day in the life of a senkyoshi.

Week 64 April 21 - 27, 2014

Preparation day included another attempt to climb Tatsudayama Ryokuchi Park, a hill on the other side of the Shirakawa river, where the Kumamoto Ward will have a picnic on this coming Tuesday.  The final approach to the top was blocked by a gate.

However at the base of the hill was the Tatsuda Nature Park, so we took a look at that first.

It is always interesting to see all the things made out of bamboo.

This nature preserve is in a beautiful bamboo grove.

Here are the graves talked about on the entry sign.

This is a very mosey area and it covers everything.

I believe this is the shrine area.

Want a drink out of the community cup?

These are bamboo shoots, according to some u-tube videos I watched these seem too large to harvest form making bamboo shoots to eat.

They are all over.

A very mosey trail.

Even the rocks were covered.

After this we continued up the hill and near the area we were gated out we saw this huge azalea bush.

I mean really huge.

With beautiful flowers.

We continue to see carp/koi flags all over town.

Luetta and I continue our training program entitled "Couch" I assume they mean the potato style to 5K running program.  Here I am on a 22 minute straight run.  No real problem yet.

On Saturday we went to the Fukuoka Temple and enjoyed serving there.  Afterwards we went to Costco for our replenishment of American foods.  This time we tried a non-american dragon fruit.

We tried it out and it is rather bland, I think we will try the ideas on the package of putting it in a salad.

On Sunday we enjoy attending most of two wards and one missionary coordination meeting.  During the Nagamine Ward meeting I was given an assignment to talk in Sacrament meeting about tithing on the 18th.  That will be fun.

Week 63 April 14 - 20, 2014

Spring is here and many days are beautiful.  Last preparation day we bike up a nearby hill called Tatsudayama Ryokuchi Park.  The Kumamoto ward will have a picnic here on the 29th (a national holiday in Japan, the previous emperors birthday.

It was a very pleasant day for a bike ride.  Notice the car coming in the mirror.  These mirrors are key to avoiding accidents on the many blind intersections in Japan.

On the hill side there was a cemetery.  Many cemetery's in Japan are on hills.

I started down an apparent hiking trail, but some official looking men came by and told me Dame (which isn't a swear word, but means don't do it) so I complied.  We never made it the top from this side of the hill, apparently you can only do so on the hiking trails, which my cycling garmin said we could ride on, Oh well.

So we headed home.

Passing the Shirakawa river.

There are many beautiful blooming azaleas in Kumamoto now.

Also there are still some blooming tree varieties.

On our inspection trip to Nobeoka, we passed many Koi (carp) flags.  These are for Kodomotachi (children's) day on May 5th and are flown throughout April.  We understand that there is one fish for each son (some sources indicate daughters and parents are included).

Some time ago I was fascinated with these flags and bought a small set, them Mom became very motivated and collected a complete Koberstein Family set including parents and sons and daughters.  Can you pick your self out of the group.

Sunday was Easter and we enjoyed two Easter services (one in each of the Nagamine and Kumamoto Wards).

Click on the link below for our Easter Wish for you.

May you have a most joyous Easter celebration. We did here in Japan before America.

Week 62 April 7 - 13, 2014

After our son visiting our camera's must have got tired and I have few photos this week.

Here is Luetta gardening on our patio.

At a ward recycle event in the Kumamoto stake center various items were in the cultural hall that were available for reuse.  I really like this plate with bamboo groves on it, I have found them fascinating here in Japan and I look forward to have this as a memento of our stay in Japan

Saturaday and Sunday were our days here in Japan to listen to the delayed replay of conference to allow for the translation to be completed.

One of my favorite stories is that of President Boyd K. Packer and his youthful "need to know".

"Times of war or uncertainty have a way of sharpening our focus on things that really matter.

World War II was a time of great spiritual turmoil for me. I had left my home in Brigham City, Utah, with only embers of a testimony, and I felt the need for something more. Virtually our whole senior class in a matter of weeks was on its way to the war zone. While stationed on the island of Ie Shima, just north of Okinawa, Japan, I struggled with doubt and uncertainty. I wanted a personal testimony of the gospel. I wanted to know!

During one sleepless night, I left my tent and entered a bunker which had been formed by lining up 50-gallon fuel drums filled with sand and placed one on top of the other to form an enclosure. There was no roof, and so I crawled in, looked up at the star-filled sky, and knelt to pray.

Almost mid-sentence it happened. I could not describe to you what happened if I were determined to do so. It is beyond my power of expression, but it is as clear today as it was that night more than 65 years ago. I knew it to be a very private, very individual manifestation. At last I knew for myself. I knew for a certainty, for it had been given to me. After some time, I crawled from that bunker and walked, or floated, back to my bed. I spent the rest of the night in a feeling of joy and awe.

Far from thinking I was someone special, I thought that if such a thing came to me, that it could come to anyone. I still believe that. In the years that have followed, I have come to understand that such an experience is at once a light to follow and a burden to carry."

It reminded me of certain times in my life when things looked very bleak and I "needed to know" and I received that witness that gave me confidence in Gods reality.  It was interesting that this story happened in what is now part of the Japan Fukuoka Mission.  I pray that each member of my family, in particular, will either remember or did deep and have such an experience, it is a key to happiness.