FRIENDS

A couple of months ago one of the teachers I worked with in CUSD, messaged me on Facebook and told me she was coming to visit Japan with her husband.  Mary and I made plans to get together once she arrived. We met in Kamakura and spent the day talking, walking, shopping, eating and visiting some historic sites.

It was so much fun!  It made me realize how much I have missed all of my friends back home.
Friends are such great treasures.  Please know how much I miss you all.

WHY YOU BE SO NICE TO ME?

Can it be almost 3 months since we have posted anything on our blog? I thought when we first received our mission call that this blog thing would be a really good idea...now as the days and weeks seem to be passing by I am not so sure. However, we know it is!

As we climb into bed each night exhausted from our day's work, I am reminded of a letter our youngest daughter sent home from her mission in Uruguay. She wrote, "It is the greatest feeling to come home at 9:30 p.m. each evening and feel like you pleased the Lord and were able to touch someone's life with the gospel."

We count our blessings each and every day to be a part of this great missionary work. We have experienced the new level of energy that is taking place all over the world as the "Savior's declaration to Joseph Smith is being fulfilled: 'Behold, I hasten my work in its time." (D&C 88:73)

Time and time again the spirit has borne witness to us that this is where we are supposed to. We have grown to love our small Yokosuka Military Ward. These young families are faithful, and strong. Many of the women literally "hold down the fort" while their husbands are deployed for months at a time. On Wednesday evenings we hold an Institute Class for our YSA's at the Chapel of Hope on base. Every other week we attend a YSA FHE dinner that the bishop holds in his home. We try to spend as much time as possible with our YSA's inside and outside of church. What a joy it is to work and serve with them.

In addition to our ward family and YSA's we work closely with the Elders and Sisters in our mission. We attend all of our District and Zone Meetings and love taking the train to Hakuraku and Kamiooka. Two weeks ago our district met in our apartment where Elder Addington gave training from Preach My Gospel. He taught us how we could strengthen and support our stake and ward leaders. For lunch we walked across the street and into the Main Gate on base where we took the Elders for pizza. Last week I gave a 30 minute training to our Zone on "Unity in Companionships."

Our weekly calendar is filled with visiting families and individuals, teaching lessons to investigators, studying for Institute and Temple Preparation (a class we recently were asked to teach), temple attendance with our mission or ward/stake, ward council, district meetings, zone conferences and auxiliary training, high council meetings and high council speaking assignments.

During the month of August we volunteered for one week to be Group Leaders at Vacation Bible School on base. Over 250 young people attended. We enjoyed it immensely! It was fun to get to know so many of the military families.

We had the privilege of listening to Elder Matthew O. Richardson, Second Counselor in the General Sunday School Presidency and Elder David L. Beck, General Young Men's President at the Area Auxiliary Training and Devotional in Hakuraku and Kichijoji.

Recently, I was approached by one of the Japanese ward members if I might be willing to teach English to her and a few of her friends. I am excited for this opportunity and to have help with my Japanese. Starting next Wednesday I will meet them at the train station and they will come to my home for a couple of hours every other week. One of our other Japanese friends wanting to attend said, "How much you charge?" When I told her it was free, she asked again, "How much you charge?" I said the classes are free and I didn't want any money. With disbelief she responded, "WHY YOU BE SO NICE TO ME?" I replied, "Because you are my friend and have been so kind, that I want to do something nice for you."  I tried to explain    this is one of the reasons why I am on a mission in Japan, and we are here to serve and love others as Jesus Christ did. I know she did not fully understand, but these are the opportunities we pray for on a daily basis.

Oh how we love the sweet, kind, gentle, thoughtful, quiet, and pure people of Japan. We have learned so much from them and have grown to appreciate their culture and customs.

The Elders helped us create a Halloween Party Invitation in Japanese. On October 29th, we hope that many of our Japanese neighbors-young and old-will visit our apartment. We live in a high rise with 14 floors and have had some of the most delightful experiences trying to communicate with our neighbors as we travel up and down in the elevator. One elderly gentleman when he sees us repeats over and over, "I don't speak English." He says it in English then starts speaking to us in Japanese. I am excited to meet more of our neighbors and put my party hat on!

Last week we traveled by train to the Tokyo South Mission home in Kichijoji. Elder Addington was asked to speak to the departing missionaries. We knew all of them so it was exciting to see them off! We enjoyed having dinner with the office couple, Elder and Sister Yamashita. Starting next transfer we will see an increase from 22-25 new Elders and Sisters to 30-35. Our zone just increased from 18 to 24. We received 5 new Elders and Sisters straight from the MTC-some of them just 18. What an exciting time!

Elder Perry spoke to the Mission Presidents recently and said, "This is the most remarkable era in the history of the Church." It "ranks with the great events that have happened in past history, like the First Vision like the gift of the Book of Mormon, like the Restoration of the Gospel, like all of the things that build that foundation for us to go forward and teach in our Father in Heaven's kingdom." So we need to be engaged as never before to match the excitement of our leaders and the commitment of our full-time missionaries. President Monson said in our most recent Conference: "Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord's vineyard to bring souls unto Him."

We are pleased and honored to be part of that 22,000+ missionary force that has come out in the last year! And we pray to do our small, but important, part to further this - His work!! We know "He will assist us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill His work!"

Love to all,

Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandpa

Elder and Sister Addington

Next blog I will try to share photos of some of our favorite foods and what our small Japanese apartment looks like. WE LOVE OUR MISSION! WE LOVE JAPAN!

August & September 2013

Vacation Bible School at the Chapel of Hope on base. These two cute twin boys belong to our Primary President.

The Elders in our District love it when we take them on base to eat American Food.

For some reason it appears that my hand is on the shoulder of Elder next to me, but it is the hand of the Elder behind him.

This is the gentleman who translated his menu into English for us. 

I gave him a Book of Mormon before we moved out the neighborhood and into our new apartment.

He makes the best Yakisoba. Yum!!! 

Ancient Buddhist Temple (Sensoji) in Asakusas. is one of Tokyo’s most colorful and popular temple. We were here three years ago with two of my brothers, my sister-in-law and my father. I love this place! A shopping street of over 200 meters called, Nakamise, leads from the outer gate to the to the temple’s gate, the Hozomon. The shopping street has a history of several centuries. 

Traditionally when moving into a new apartment, or home in Japan, it is customary for one to deliver small gifts to your neighbors. Often it is detergent! Yes, detergent. The reason being is that dirt and dust become unsettled when you move in. You stir things up when you arrive with your car, truck or bike filled with moving items or boxes. We were told that our neighbors would prefer something such as chocolates from the United States. We bought chocolates on base and had someone print in Japanese our last name, and what apartment we are in. We also included that we are missionaries! What fun we have had delivering these to many of our Japanese neighbors. 

We traveled by train to Ensohima a small island, about 4 km in circumference, at the mouth of the Katase River, which flows into Sagami Bay in Japan. Several shrine buildings are found around the island and are dedicated to Benten, a popular goddess of good fortune, wealth, music and knowledge. It was a very hot, humid day! I believe I experienced a small heat stroke. We were warned that the summer months would be grueling…and let’s just say that has been an understatement. 

Since Benton is the goddess of wealth, visitors wash their money at the shrine’s pond hopeful wealth will come their way. We are still waiting…

The USS George Washington arrives home after a summer deployment. Over 5,000 are on this ship including many individuals in our ward. Watching this ship arrive brought back many memories.

We were there to welcome the GW home and to give hugs to our YSA’s. We missed them while they were gone! 

Majestic Mt. Fuji This photo was taken with my iPhone camera from the bus. Pretty awesome picture, I think.

Look at these green, lush rice fields. Another photo taken from the bus on the way to Mt. Fuji.

We were counseled from time to time to visit historical places here in Japan to appreciate their culture and customs. We are grateful that the base offers tours that we can take on occasion. The first one we took was to the Yoshida Fire Festival. It was a lot of fun!

The Yoshida Fire Festival is held every year on August 26th to appease the goddess of Mt. Fuji and to keep the volcano from erupting another year. Yoshida no Himatsuri also ceremoniously serves as the closing ceremony of the Fuji climbing season. For this lively two day festival, named one of Japan’s three most unique festivals and celebrated for over 500 years. the entire community comes out to watch the burning of the large “taimatsu” torches and the parade of two portable shrines through the streets. 

I couldn’t resist taking this picture of these adorable little boys who appeared to be playing, rock, paper, scissors while we were waiting for the festival to begin. 

CATCH THE WAVE

"Dear Brothers and Sisters, I add my voice to that of President Thomas S. Monson and others in praising those who have responded to a prophet's call for more worthy missionaries. Now an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm for missionary work is sweeping the entire earth.  Since President Monson's historic announcement last October, thousands of elders, sisters, and couples have been called, and many more are preparing...
More of you young men and women will catch this wave as you strive to be worthy of mission calls.  You see your opportunity to be on the crest of that wave...You parents, teachers, and others, catch the wave as you prepare our rising generation to be worthy of missionary service...You adults catch the wave with help for the spiritual, physical and financial preparation of future missionaries...You senior couples, you plan for the day when you can go on your mission...This wave of truth and righteousness is wondrous!  It is not manmade!  It comes from the Lord, who said, "I will hasten my work in its time."

We are excited to be part of the "wave" in the "hastening of the work" in these latter days.  There is no spare minute.  The pace is intense.  Great moments and memories wash over us every day as we press forward with our mission.  Our past military experience helps us to engage with military families, young single adults in military service and our neighbors and daily acquaintances.  It is rich and meaningful to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, and the Restoration.  Our mission is to"invite" and to help them "come unto Christ."

Some of our highlights the past two months:

*June 2nd-Today in church our current bishopric was released and a new one sustained.  Many families have completed their military assignments here in Japan and are returning home to the states.  Several of our YSA's will soon be deployed as well as others.  Until new families arrive and ships return to port, we have been asked to sub in Primary during the summer.  Elder Addington was set apart today as a High Council Member by President Frost of the Japan  Tokyo South Stake Presidency.

*June 5th-Japan Tokyo Mission Tour-3 Zone Conference (Fujisawa, Machida, Yokohama) Presided by Elder Michael Ringwood, Area President-Asia North Area (Conference Theme-Moroni 7)
Wonderful conference!  

*June 8th-9th Japan Tokyo South Stake Conference-Presiding Elder Koichi Aoyagi (Second Quorum of the Seventy)
Speaker-Elder Duck Soo Bae (Area Seventy from Korea)

*June 18th-It was our privilege to be the witness couple in the last temple session before the mission is to split July 1st.  

*June 21st-District Meeting in Yokosuka.  For lunch, we provided Taco Bell, Subway, chips, cookies, soda, etc.  It is so fun to watch the elders eat as they enjoy some "American" food.  We didn't realize how much they miss Taco Bell or Subway.  We just miss '5 Guys' and 'In n' Out.' 

*June 24th-28th-(AOB-ICR)  Area Orientation Briefing/InterCultural Relations
Attended one week training on base.  Mandatory for all new, incoming military personnel. Helped us acclimate back to military life and to Japan.  A very long week, but well worth it!

*June 30th-Worldwide Missionary Broadcast-(one week delayed for us)
What an exciting time to be involved in the Lord's work!  
"When we are on the Lord's errand-we are entitled to the Lord's help.  Remember that the Lord will shape the back to bear the burden placed upon it."  President Thomas S. Monson


*July 1st-We are officially placed in new Tokyo South Mission

*July 2nd-Traveled by train to Hakuraku for a 'Meet and Greet Conference' with our new Mission President and his wife-President and Sister Wada.  A great couple!

*July 8th-Traveled to Tokyo to meet with our Stake President, John Madsen and our Mission President, Takashi Wada for lunch. Two other senior missionary couples were there.  Discussed at length, stake goals and directions and how we can assist and strengthen the wards in our stake. 

*July 12th-District Meeting in Kamiooka  John 4:  Woman at the Well

*July 16th-Started a partial move into our new apartment-Elders from mission home came to help.

*July 20th-21st-Traveled to Camp Zama and Atsugi NAS where Elder Addington was asked to speak.

*July 23rd-Yokohama Zone Meeting Hakuraku-5 Elements of Conversion

*July 27th-Ward Pioneer Day Celebration-Throughout the afternoon we had well over 150 in attendance.  Students from Eikawa, members from the Japanese Ward, non-members and new families just arriving in Japan all came.  It was a lot of fun.

*July 29th-Sister Addington attended a 4 hour class called 'Your Japanese Home'
She loved it!  

The above is a sampling of our busy schedule but doesn't include all of the personal, and meaningful experiences we have on on a daily basis with ward members and our Japanese neighbors and friends.

For instance, down the alley is a small restaurant. (300 square feet) 
Almost daily we wave to the owner when we pass by.   Recently he stopped us and showed us how he had been working on a translated menu for us to read. We were so appreciative of his kindness and went back the next evening for some delicious yakisoba noodles.  We plan to return tomorrow evening for dinner with the elders and to give him a Book of Mormon.

We have been busy visiting the "sea widows" whose husbands are deployed and  sending care packages to our Young Single Adults who are also deployed.  Currently we are fellowshipping a family on base who is interested in the church.

In two weeks we will be assisting with VBS (Vacation Bible School) on base for one week.  We have volunteered to be group leaders and look forward to working with those of all faiths.

There is so much work to be done that at times it seems overwhelming. We love it here so much and are so grateful for the Lord's hand each and every day in assisting us in this great work.

Thank you for your love, support and prayers.  We appreciate your emails, cards, letters and packages.  We miss you and pray daily for our family and friends back home.

May we all catch "the wave" and fulfill the Lord's command to take the gospel "to every nation, kindred, and tongue, and people.

Sending lots of love and hugs all the way from Japan,

Mom and Dad

Elder and Sister Addington

Forest and Linda

July 2013

 

 District Meeting in Yokosuka. We love the Elders!

The owner of this restaurant created an English menu just for us. Our old apartment can be seen to the left of this photo. Our brown colored balcony is on the bottom.

Our Japanese washer/dryer. I have post-it notes to help me understand how to use it!

More June 2013

Our neighbor, a sweet elderly woman, clipped these flowers from her bush and handed them to me. Kindness abounds everywhere in Japan.

Our visit to the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.

 Tokyo Temple

Elder Lee could hardly contain his excitement when he saw Subway and Taco Bell for lunch!

We were so thrilled to find a Costco in Japan near us!

June 30

Elder Addington is loved by the Primary children!