Week 50 January 13-19, 2014

Monday we had the opportunity to share in the New Years tradition of making mochi.  The Fukuoka Ward members made mochi together.  We enjoyed tasting it many different ways and Elder Koberstein got to try his hand at pounding the mochi.

Machigome, japonica glutinous rice, is steamed and then pounded into a dough like substance that is molded into many things.  This picture shows three batches of rice cooking.  The rice was cooked four layers high taking the rice from the bottom and adding new rice to the top.  There are only three batches of rice cooking pictured.

 This is mochi in a sweet bean soup.  It was very good.

After mochi making we went to the Fukuoka Dome for a swap meet but arrived to late.  The clean up crew was all that was left so we took a walk around the dome.  They had a display of important/famous people that you could shake hands with.  Elder Koberstein is shaking hands with Paul McCartney.  It was fun to see who had been there and left their hand for other to shake.

The fingers on this statute must be important  as many like to do this when pictures are taken.

Thursday evening after working at the honbu we drove to Costco and went shopping.  We enjoyed the lights that still mark the shopping center as well as the hot dog from Costco we had for dinner.

Friday we took a walk in the zoo which is next to the honbu and temple.  It is on a hill but build so the animals and cages are not really visible from outside the zoo.  This picture has the temple's angel Moroni in it.  The hillside made many layers possible.  It is a beautiful place that has been enjoyed by the public for 60 years.

This is the elephant enclosure in the middle of this large city.

My favorite part was the view of the temple from many places inside the zoo.

The temple behind the train tracks.

It is amazing that the temple is so visible from the zoo yet the zoo is so well worked into the hillside that it is not very noticeable from outside.  We do hear the monkeys howl some times though.

So much to see on a walk though the zoo.  It is a not to miss spot in the city of Fukuoka and we chose the best day (cool without a large crowd).

Scripture of the week:

John 10: 17-18

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This commandment have I received of my Father.