February 4th '11 (Sendai Mission)

These pictures prove that Rulon did sing with a quartet! Rulon, Elder Grames, Lisa Evans, and Sister Grames practicing "The Iron Rod".

The Goths and Rulon - at the Shinkansen station ready to go to Sendai Mission for zone conferences.

This is the double-decker Shinkansen that we rode all the way to Aomori. It would have taken about 11 hours to drive it but we made it in just about 3 1/2 hours.

And here comes the snow! We are traveling north. This is the first snow we have seen this season.

Paying the cab driver who took us to the hotel.

Checking in ...

The huge arrangement in the lobby ...

View from our window ...

President and Sister Tateoka who lead the Sendai Mission.

I have never seen such snow! But they clear the streets and keep the city going. We watched truck after truck take loads of snow to dump in the ocean.

Arriving at the Aomori chapel for the first zone conference.

Greeting the zone leaders ...

This is our lunch - rice with a special sauce (like ketchup). Here they are listening to Elder Goth, the medical doctor, give his presentation.

I love how they decorate everything - even restroom stalls!Here is a famous site - a cherry tree has burst through a solid rock. Parents bring their children here to take pictures and to show them an example of great determination. Notice how well the tree is cared for.

Another zone conference - another lunch!

Eating around a ping pong table!

There was a pond across from the church in Morioka where the Siberian swans come for the winter. We walked around it while the missionaries were practicing their presentations.

And the crow waits for a chance to steal the bread that we were throwing.

Aren't they beautiful!

The pond is completely surrounded with cherry trees. Love the character of this gnarled one.

Looking at the church from across the pond.This is the sign on the church advertising English lessons - made by missionaries, of course.

Group picture in Morioka.

My best friend! It was freezing in the churches - they only heat the room they are using. I sat by the heater most of the time!

Little dolls that I saw in a restaurant.

Breakfast at the mission home in Sendai that Sister Tateoka fixed for us.

Church in Sendai.

The Sudweeks - office couple who know Gayle Palmer!

Sendai group picture.

Missionary footwear!

And headgear!

A restaurant we ate at in Sendai -love the sign!

Picture of kimono in a shop - beautiful ones on display in the hotel.

Obi display - works of art!

Little purses!

This is Elder Aoyagi's grandson - his mom was making us lunch in Koriyama.

And this man was helping to care for him while the sisters were busy in the kitchen.

Lunch is ready!

These are strings of cranes hung in bunches on a Budhaist temple that was across from our chapel.

You write wishes or goals on them and present them to the temple.

I am sure there is a significance to the clothing on the statue.

I found out that the ropes are to protect the trees from heavy snow!

In front of the temple. It was just beautiful inside. Wishes tied on trees - easier than making cranes!

Incense urn in front of temple.

Looking inside the temple - lots of gold!

Ashes of many generations - perfect place to find family history!

Food for the ancestors.

The drum, etc.

The offering box - toss your money in here to support the temple.

Another mystery ...

These are tatami mats that cover the floors - they build the buildings and houses to fix a certain number of mats.

Working on the temple grounds before the spring visitors come.

The chapel at Koriyama.

The Koriyama group of missionaries.

We felt very privleged to have spent a week with such wonderful people! Dad did a great job on his presentations and saw quite a few missionaries who needed some help. I got a lot of reading done!

January 28th '11

I know, I know! But I want to remember "the time of the dresses"! Carried my sewing machine all the way to the church so the Young Women could make some dresses.

Finished the 5 corduroy jumpers - here's one. Sisters Seabach and Sorenson came over early to help cut out the dresses so the YW could begin to sew immediately.

Most of the girls had never used a machine before. They did quite well!

The YW leaders also helped - here are two girls learning that pressing is an important part of sewing.

I think the girls had fun and learned some things too.

They didn't finish the dresses, so the next day a few of us gathered and completed the ones they had started. I think the girls will be very pleased to see the final products tomorrow at church.


Now for the second part of this blog birthday parties! Yesterday at noon, we women went to a Mexican restaurant (very rare around here) for Momoko's birthday lunch. She is the executive secretary to Elder Stevenson. She is so talented and a wonderful girl.

Here is Momoko ready to eat intestine soup - yuck!!

And sweet Emi who is the secretary to our Director of Temporal Affairs. She also ordered the soup - the rest of us had salads!

Here is the birthday cake.

And then last night, we senior missionaries got together to celebrate Elder Fillmore's birthday. Here is Elder Watabe with the ingredients for "naba" which we cooked right there on the table with the portable gas burners.

Lots of vegetables - cabbage, mushrooms, and other things that I haven't seen before. Also, there were tofu blocks, chicken or pork and "glass" noodles plus a broth that we cooked it

all in. It's done! Elder Watabe dishes it out with chopsticks, of course.

And here's the cake and the blowing out of the candle.

The cake was delicious - pecan frosting on oatmeal cake. If you notice the ice cream - that much is about $12 US dollars!!!

We surely eat a lot together! We are glad that our apartment is large enough to fit us all in for such occasions.