Week 43 - November 25-30, 2013

On Wednesday we drove to Costco were we were able to buy pumpkin pie, Costco rolls, cranberries, hamburger buns and meat patties, bottles of nuts and flour tortilla shells.  It is always so fun to get a piece of pizza or hot dog just like in the United States.

On the way back to the office it was raining and we passed many school children walking home from school.  They all have uniforms down to hats and umbrellas.  They look so nice and so much alike.

This week was filled with lots of work and celebrating Thanksgiving in Japan.  We were invited to the mission home for a Thanksgiving dinner along with all the missionaries in the Fukuoka ward.  There were about 20 at the meal.  After the meal we were able to share things we were thankful for.  It was a very enjoyable evening.  I made my cousins "Cranberry Salad".  It was a challenge using my blender on the cranberries.  Here is the recipe.

Cranberry Salad
12 to 16 ounce package fresh cranberries
16 ounce can of crushed pineapple
4 tart apples
1 cup sugar

Wash and grind the cranberries.  Peal and coarsely grate the apples.  Drain the pineapple.  Combine pineapple, cranberries, apples and sugar and refrigerate over night.  It is great as a left over following Thanksgiving.

The mission president's wife introduced this new candied yam dish to us, it was yummy!

Yam and Apple casserole
6 medium yams
3 or 4 apples, pealed, cored and sliced
1/2 cups butter
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Parboil yams 20 minutes, cool, peel and slice in layers into buttered casserole, alternating yams slices with apple slices.  Melt butter in small sauce pan.  Add cornstarch, sugar, and salt and stir  until sauce thickens.  Add lemon juice, then pour sauce over yams and apples.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for one hour.  Makes 8 servings. 

Saturday was a very special day for us.  Friends from Nagamine Ward and Tsuboi Ward were married in the Fukuoka temple.  That alone is very special but we had a friend from Kumamoto who brought her parents.  We were able to talk to them about the temple in the mission presidents office while the couple was married and then we all went out for the bride and groom to come out of the temple, take pictures and receive congratulations.  I asked two of the Elders from the Fukuoka Ward to talk to them with us.  One of them had served for a few months in the Shimizu Ward in Kumamoto.  It was a very special experience to share a little of our beliefs with a friends family members.

Saturday afternoon Terry and I spent some time looking up the Sawara Shimin Center.  We are looking for a Japanese conversation class in Fukuoka.  This site is above a big bus terminal and about 15 minute from our home in the car.  This evening we went to the class.  We reviewed Hiragana and Katagana.  We talked about some words with only a double letter sound that have different meanings.  It was fun and maybe it will push us to work harder on language again.

Scripture of the week

And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be make glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.  D&C 78:19