Busy, Busy, Busy!

This is the week before transfers once again.  Of course I totally spaced off that this means Elder R and Elder Mosdell were able to attend the Tokyo Temple making pday and email one day late. 

Jeff says that they are so busy that he's having a hard time fitting everything (shopping, laundry, email, stuff like that)that must be done into his pdays. I guess the Elders are gaining an appreciation of quality planning and scheduling, I hope they get it figured out before they get too frustrated!

Jeff wished his sister a happy birthday, was excited to hear about Elder Jones heading out to Costa Rica and sends his best wishes for serving as well as surviving the MTC. He was much less excited to hear the news of the passing of one of the boys he grew up with, but seems to be taking it well and was glad to have the full schedule to occupy his mind.

Jeff sent photos this week.  None of himself, but there are some interesting things to look at which we will add as soon as I figure out the technical hurdle and can get them on here.


An old Japanese hymnal

A military plane which has been flying over and doing parachute drops

The flower arrangement from church on Sunday

"A cool caterpillar"

this spider is "as big as my thumb, not the nail, the whole thumb"
apparently it is so aggressive that it will attack anything that touches the web including grass.

This is the cherry burger.  It looks like a normal burger with some kind of soft cheese (cream cheese?) and cherry jam or pie filling.  There are also fries and something that resembles a green salad with thousand island dressing.    Jeff says "it sounds kind of gross, but it is really good."

Eclipse photos and keeping way busy!

This week our email was quite short, something about a lesson and a basketball game.  Jeff says he is doing well, they are looking forward to getting the package that we sent last week.  The weekly update appears here just as it did in the email (cut and paste = awesomeness) and I'll add on some of the pictures he sent for your viewing pleasure.

Weekly update:

I'm short on time today so I'm not going to type a full summary, but here's the highlight of the week:

Today (Monday) we had a solar eclipse :) Photos will be uploaded! That was WAY AWESOME!!! Elder R got some good photos of it, so I'll upload them. It was a lot of fun. :) And tonight we played basketball with a ward member and his friends, we were supposed to have an investigator there, but he canceled as we were headed over. I'm WAY beat right now...

For new foods, I had some sweetbean paste mochi called Kashiwamochi. It's pretty good, though it looks like elf food lol.  

Awesome pictures of the eclipse from Japan!

 Pictures of the boy with his mochi filled with sweet bean paste (Anko), or "elf food".

Night photo, I'm guessing that is Elder R but that's just a guess.

I love the sticker in the top left, "DON"T BE STUPID!" and the laptop has the blue screen of death. Love it! 

1/4 of the way there already

Six months ago today we left Jeff at the MTC curb in Provo.  In a way it has gone fast, but in a way it also seems like it has been a very, very long time. 

Jeff requested some American foods (candy, box mac and cheese, chocolate) and a few other things so we packed them all up in a box and shipped them off yesterday morning. He sent us a few pictures, none of him, and I guess we'll talk to/see him next at Christmas. By then he'll have been out over a year. Crazy. 

I should have rotated this before I put it up, sorry.  I'm not sure what it means, possibly an alien crossing?

As a service project the boys (in Kanab Cowboys t-shirts) spent two days chopping down all the weeds and grass at the apartment building using what appears to be a machete and scissors.  I'm sure that wasn't any fun at all.

Of course it had to rain on their efforts.

Skype

We haven't gotten an email yet, but we were able to see and talk to Jeff using Skype.  It was wonderful to see him and chat with him.  He says that none of the other American missionaries get a package every month, but he seems to be OK with being spoiled like that.  He misses American candy, being able to understand everything that is being said, being able to read signs, and driving. 

We learned that all Japanese toothbrushes are the size of American children's toothbrushes, so the missionaries love getting "normal" toothbrushes.  I guess we'll be getting a pack at Sam's club to ship to him with his package this week in addition to the chocolate, gummy bears, peach rings, and other candies and things that we will send.

We will post again after we get an email and  some photos (hopefully), but for now we are glad to know that the boy is doing well and looking good.

6 month mark is almost here!

Hey!
No pictures this week like the boy promised, but we did find out that not only do we get to talk to him on Sunday, but we get to SEE him via the magic that is the Internet (using Skype and Leighn's brain power).  I am SOOOO excited!  Yep, going to have a Mother's Day BBQ and then video chat with my boy! This will likely be the finest Mother's Day in like ever! ♥♥♥

Wednesday and Thursday of the past week were VERY rainy so they did some "area book dendo" in which they found an inactive sister who is looking to return to church once she settles in a little bit.  She had just moved into the area.

Friday they went on splits.  Jeff was with Elder B who was one of the "Senpai" when Jeff first got to the MTC.  There was a flat tire on a bike and a change of plans (no proselyting near the beach area) but "over all it was a good day".

Saturday they "un-splited" and were given a referral from some members in the Narita ward.  A nice bonus was that the sister had been on a mission here in America and had learned to make some "really good American-like food" so that was also a good day.

Sunday: "A fairly normal Sunday, until (a member) family called us and wanted us to come over for dinner and a practice lesson. It went OK, but my Japanese isn't as good as the Sister wants' it to be... :P Go figure >.< She's a little crazy though so it's OK."


(Mom type question here - who among us isn't "a little crazy"?)


Monday: Met the book contact from Wednesday, taught a bit of English to a Peruvian, and  "just cleaned for Skyping next week!"

At the end of the email Jeff wrote ":) See to ya next week!"

Since the boy didn't send photos this week (first week since he left the MTC that we haven't gotten at least a picture of something) I'm going to attach a picture of an idea for his bug.

Well, I thought it was funny.

Crazy May!

Well, it's May, one of the two craziest months of the year.  It seems like I can't get anything done in May because of all the additional end of school stuff that happens.  Yep, I'm explaining why the post is nearly a week late.  Sorry.

Highlights from Jeff's email last week:

1. Elder R is not from Richfield.  I'm not sure where we got that idea, but it was incorrect.  Still no word on where he is from though.  Upon rereading email I have cleverly discovered that Elder R is from Roosevelt, not Richfield.  (as Jeff would say "Duh Mommy!")

2. The cooking supplies and menu in the apartment didn't meet with the approval of the new companion, so there will be new food experiences happening.  Jeff is excited to try new things and learn to cook new foods.

The week was filled with the usual appointments, Eikaiwa, and such. Other than that the Elders had a lot of introducing, a bit of getting lost on the way here and there,  some fun at the stake athletic meet where Jeff ran all over the place with some of the kids from the ward, and a trip to a "real sushi place" where the elders ate "real sushi, not California rolls".

Elder Mosdell's camera batteries apparently died part way through the week, so we didn't get much in the way of pictures from him, only these two:

Yes, they did eat these little squids.  Jeff said they were "gross :P"

I guess all those little colored, wind sock looking things are fish flags.
Jeff said he will send more photos of them this week.

We still have no clue how the mothers day thing will work, but he had better have a plan for us when he emails this week or I'm going to be seriously grumpy with him!  We are hoping to be able to use Skype and maybe even be able to see the boy.  Cross your fingers!