Week 75 - July 7 - 13, 2014

Monday was zone conference with President and Sister Gustafson.  They both spoke to us.  Sister Gustafson spoke on the mission motto.  Which is:

Obedience is the price

Faith is the power

Love is the motive

The Spirit is the key

Christ is the reason

She took much of her remarks from Naval Adm. William H. McRaven, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, at the University-wide Commencement at The University of Texas at Austin on May 17, 2014 talk.  To listen to his whole talk check out this site:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70 

"But, YOU are the class of 2014—the class that can affect the lives of 800 million people in the next century.  Start each day with a task completed.  Find someone to help you through life.  Respect everyone.  Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if take you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up—if you do these things, then next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today and—what started here will indeed have changed the world—for the better.

Tuesday, as we walked though the covered mall to the YMCA Japanese practice class, we passed by a floral shop with the cutest flower arrangements.  At first glance I though the animals were living plants but as I looked closer I realized that they were just straw but very cute.

Tuesday evening we attend hospital Eikiawa.  This picture of Guilin, China hangs on one of the walls of the room we generally meet in.  We ask, "why"?  The students told us that they are sister hospitals with a hospital in Guilin, China and Heidelberg, Germany.  Guilin gave the hospital this beautiful picture of the their mountains.  The hospital staff communicates in English when the exchanges happen.  They work hard on English skills for these exchanges all year.

Wednesday was Elder Koberstein's birthday.  We started the day jogging in a light rain shower.  Elder Koberstein received a specially made e-card from a wonderful friend in Japan.  We decided to drive to the International Center instead of bike because of the impending Neoguri Typhoon.  We enjoyed our Japanese class but our English students felt that they wanted to go home before it got bad.  We did not have our Eikiawa class.  It was nice to have an extra hour to made dinner for Elder Koberstein on his birthday.

We had one student brave the upcoming Neoguri Typhoon for Eikaiwa Wednesday evening.   We enjoyed talking English with him and others in attendance.  We talked about what we should do to prepare for a typhoon.  One suggestion was to lay your bicycle on its side.  This is a friends Facebook picture of her bike.  She is prepared for the typhoon.  We brought ours bikes inside the apartment along with the tall tomato plants and watermelon vine from my patio garden. 

The Kumamoto/Nagimine missionaries and Eikiawa students sang "Happy Birthday" to Elder Koberstein and gave him three balloons with messages and a candy bar, a birthday card and a new pair of glasses that say Happy Birthday.  What an evening at Eikaiwa on Elder Koberstein's birthday.

 

Thursday was a scheduled inspection in Nobeoka but with the impending typhoon we cancelled it.  We were so happy that the typhoon was not strong when it got to Kumamoto.  We feel very blessed.

 

Friday we helped the Shimizu/Tsuboi Sister buy a second air conditioner and closet inserts so they could hang up their cloths in the new apartment.  Their apartment building has kanji and arrows for the elevator.  We took this picture to learn how they read. 

I found the same kanji in the ward bulletin on Sunday.  They were for the opening and closing prayers and songs.  Pictured is the opening song and prayer listed in the Kumamoto Ward.  The word for open is "hiraku" and close is "shimaru".  It was exciting to read more of the program at church.  It is such a blessing to be able to read the written materials around you every day.

  We saw and heard the first semi for this summer.  We heard them while jogging on Friday morning in the trees at the park.  This one came to visit us eight floors up.  It was outside our front door on Saturday evening.  They are amazingly large insects and make a very loud noise.  They tell us summer is here for real in Japan.

Saturday we worked in the Fukuoka Japan Temple.  This picture is from the zoo in January but I like the view of the temple and city behind it.  I love going to the temple.  It reminds me of the children's primary song:

I Love to See the Temple

by Janice Kapp Perry

I love to see the temple.

I'm going there someday

To feel the Holy Spirit,

To listen and to pray.

For the temple is a house of God,

A place of love and beauty,

I'll prepare myself while I am young; 

This is my sacred duty.

 

I love to see the temple.

I'll go inside someday,

I'll covenant with my Father;

I'll promise to obey,

For the temple is a holy place

Where we are sealed together.

As a child of God,

I've learned this truth;

A family is forever.

 





 Scripture of the Week

Enos 1:15

"...Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it."