Transfers, February 2013, New Missionaries

For anyone who is regularly at the international gate of the airport,
 here (above) is the sure sign that it's transfer day.  Eight carts,
awaiting luggage.  Won't it be fun in July, when we are expecting
at least 20 new missionaries!  President Baird gets so excited when these great new missionaries come walking through that gate:

Sister Leah Hodson, United States

Elder Samuel Richard, Australia

Elder Victor Lazaro, Brazil

Can't forget the group picture and the Hoiza Shout--YOSH!

From left:  Elder Milder, Elder Mikkola, Elder Lazaro, President and Sister Baird
Sister Hart, Sister Hodson, Elder Chiba, Elder Richard, and Elder Tano

Yosh!

Then they are off!  On to a train from the airport to the Nagoya Station, where they make a quick stop for photos at the Golden Clock, and then transfer to their final leg.  They will arrive at the Kamiyashiro Eki and be picked up to ride the last few blocks to the honbu.

From left:  Elder Clark, Recorder, Elder Hara, Commissarian, Elder Richard, Elder Chiba,
Elder Mikkola, Elder Milder, Elder Tano, Elder Lazaro,
Sister Hart, Sister Hodson, Elder Ellsworth and Elder Schade, AP's

At last, the next morning after some training, they get to meet their first companion and find out where they will be going.

Elder Yoshifumi Chiba

Elder Chiba, left, with Elder Harada are going to Nonami.

Elder Yoshifumi Chiba is from Sendai, Japan.  He was baptized first in the family, and his mother followed.  He has an older and a younger brother.  He wants to work hard on his mission so his family will receive blessings.  He enjoys volleyball.  He is a person who never gives up.  The experience he had when he prayed to know if the Church was true also caused him to want to serve a mission.  The Atonement of Jesus Christ has helped him forgive others and find great peace in his life.

Elder Harada really appreciates his knoweldge of the Gospel and finds resolution of 
problems through it. He feels peace and joy at church.  He feels confident that 
his mission will help him decide what to do for the rest of his life.

Sister Saya Hart

Off to Fukutoku are Sister Hart (left) and Sister Ishihara

From St. George, Utah, Sister Saya Hart comes from a family of five.  Her mother is from Shizuoka and she has a grandmother who lives there currently.  Sister Hart loves the fine arts and visual arts and plays violin and piano. She enjoys photography and would like to study that and film eventually. She is warm and friendly, kind and positive.  She has a great motto for her mission:  Loyalty to the Lord.

Sister Ishihara loves to listen to good music and she enjoys performing as well.  Music brings her joy, especially if she is the one bringing it to others.  She has received comfort, encouragement, courage and power from God through prayer.  She knows that He loves her.

Sister Leah Hodson

Sister Hodson, left, will join Sister Rogers in Yokkaichi.

From Indianapolis, Indiana, Sister Leah Hodson has two sisters, one of whom is her twin.  Sister Hodson was majoring in acting and linguistics before her mission.  She would love to visit every Disneyland in the world and win every cooking competition she enters.  She enjoys crafts, reading science fiction, and listening to classical music.  She is cheerful and humorous. Sister Rogers studied Japanese before her mission, so she entered the mission running. She is an excellent trainer and while this is the second person to be blessed by her training, there will be more.  She wants to give 18 great months of her life to her Heavenly Father because He has given her everything.

Elder Victor Lazaro

Elder Lazaro (left) and Elder Romero will be headed to Ina.

Elder Victor Lazaro hails from Curitiba, Brazil.  He is the youngest in his family, and his older sister and brother both have degrees.  After his mission, Elder Lazaro will go to BYU Provo and major in economics.  He loves math and engineering, too.  He likes talking to people, learning languages, and making people laugh.  Elder Lazaro also plays guitar, and likes movies and learning.

Elder Romero says he loves doing things.  He is a very hands-on person.  He has
had many wonderful spiritual experiences and has felt the Lord's hand guiding him.
His life hasn't always been easy, but he has come through smiling,
and he thanks family, friends and the Lord for help in doing that.

Elder Pontus Mikkola

Elder Wilcox will train Elder Mikkola (left) in Tsu.

Elder Pontus Mikkola is from Espoo, Finland.  He is the middle child, with a brother on either side. He loves art and chemistry and studied chemistry for a year before his mission.  He also has an interest in Japan and its culture, so was glad to get called to Japan.  Elder Milder likes Japanese Indie music and trying out new cooking recipes.  He says he is patient and warm-hearted, taking others into consideration in everything he does. Elder Wilcox loves and wants to travel.  He is outgoing and loves meeting new people and always seems to be happy.  He is excited to have kids and raise a family.  And he is best friends with his own siblings and loves his family "a ton!"  Elder Wilcox plays drums and has even played a show in Hollywood.

Elder Eduardo Milder

Fujieda will be home to Elder Milder (left) and Elder Matsunaga

From Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Elder Eduardo Milder has an older brother and sister, and a younger sister.  He lost his mother to cancer in 2010.  Elder Milder studied in psychology in college for one year before his mission and loves getting to know people.  He gets along well with everyone and is patient with himself and others.  He is always in a good mood. He was a professional soccer player for a while.  Elder Milder has had a special friend since he was 10 years old, and hopes to marry her when he gets home. Elder Matsunaga uses sign language and speaks English.  Some day, he would like to make a movie that changes peoples' minds about God.  He would also like to use movies to tell about our church's doctrine.  He enjoys talking with both children and adults.  He is loving and open to feeling the spirit.  He is a hard worker and kind, and doesn't like being in a bad atmosphere.

Elder Samuel Richard

Elder Richard (left) and Elder Ludlow will enjoy being in Okazaki.

Elder Samuel Richard is from Perth, Western Australia.  He is the oldest of 7 children and has four sisters.  His family is very close.  He is thinking about being a pilot, a teacher, a lawyer or an engineer after his mission.  Reading, swimming, strategy games and sports of all kinds are what he enjoys, and he also loves to meet new people.  He calls himself funny, outgoing, and focused and he works well under stress and perseveres through challenges.  He is also a good teacher.

Elder Ludlow is hard working, organized and determined.  His testimony is
another one of his strengths.  He is serving a mission because he knows
how happy the Gospel will make people, and he wants to set
a good example for his little brothers.

and Elder Jarem Tano

Kanazawa will be blessed to have Elder Tano (left) and Elder Kaneko.

From Pearl City, Hawaii, Elder Tano hopes to become an aeronautical engineer and work on planes in the Air Force.  His parents and a brother all served missions in Japan, and one of his three sisters served in Thailand.  Elder Tano gained his testimony through prayer, fasting, and scripture study over a period of time.  Part of that testimony is that he was called to be a missionary before he even came to earth.

Elder Kaneko uses sign language and speaks English.  Some day, he would like 

to make a movie that changes peoples' minds about God.  He would also 

like to use movies to tell about our church's doctrine.  He enjoys talking 

with both children and adults.  He is loving and open to feeling the spirit.  

He is a hard worker and kind, and doesn't like being in a bad atmosphere.  

Dendo with President Baird!

Written by Elder Jose Romero

We were so surprised one day, September the fifteenth I believe it was, when we got a call from Elder Ito. We were right in the middle of companionship study, when the phone rang. Elder Ito proceeded to inform us that we would be spending the following Tuesday working together with our beloved Mission President! Not to be redundant, but we were extremely surprised. This was something that neither of us had expected to happen. I (Elder Romero) was in the middle of my third transfer, and Elder Rocha in his thirteenth. And up to that point, neither had done a day's missionary work together with President Baird. We were told we would meet President Baird at the Ina Branch building at ten in the morning. And he was to work alongside us until five in the afternoon.

As we talked together after finishing the phone call, we were still quite shocked. But as we looked at our plans, and discussed, an excitement began to replace the shock. This opportunity probably wasn't going to come again. Therefore, who would be best to visit? Who could benefit most from a visit from the Mission President himself? With questions such as those in mind, we planned. And we prayed.

The day soon came. We had our usual morning routine, and left the apartment to meet with President Baird. As we had been preparing for this day, we had had many questions about how it was going to work. We were informed that he was bringing along his bicycle, and would ride alongside us. As we peddled to the church, excitement, and a little nervousness bubbled within us. We turned into the parking lot, and there was President Baird, bicycle out, helmet in hand, ready to go. We offered a prayer, and began our day's labor.

The day began by our going to the main hospital here in Ina. It's a large building, with opportunities to see, meet, and talk with multitudes of people. This particular day, we had been focusing on finding a new, possibly more than one, investigator. That being our goal, we needed to do our part, and talk with everyone.

Now when President Baird says to talk with everyone, he's not messing around. He talks to EVERYONE. Well, except we can't directly contact a female, but everyone else was stopped, and talked to.

President Baird as a hospital volunteer.

I learned a great lesson during that trip to the hospital. Not everyone is going to talk to us very long. Not everyone wants to talk to us at all. But everyone that we talked to on that ride was perfectly willing to give us directions to the hospital, even though both Elder Rocha and I knew how to get there. And not only were they willing to direct us, but it usually opened up a conversation. They would ask why we were going there or something to that effect. We could explain about who we are and what we are doing in Japan. We passed out around seven pamphlets into the hands of those that knew not God. In time, we reached our destination. We registered President Baird to do service with us, put on our aprons, and went to work.

Our hospital service usually consists of helping people who need wheelchairs, assisting with carrying heavy bags or other items, and just being friendly. Many appreciate our help and will engage us in small conversation. On this particular day, Elder Rocha and President Baird talked to a man who spoke English fairly well. As they talked about why they were in Japan, he suddenly had to leave. They attempted to obtain his contact information, but he left too quickly. They did what they could.

Elder Romero and President Baird

Service time ended, and we once again took to the road on our bicycles. We had planned to stop by a potential investigator’s house, who lives close to our apartment. We play badminton with our Branch President and many others, every Monday. We wanted to invite her, as she had come before. But she wasn't home. We were about to return to our apartment, but first decided to knock on the next-door neighbor's home. I had met a very lively and kind woman who lived there a few weeks earlier. So we knocked.

A man answered on the speaker box. I was slightly surprised, not having known she was married. We introduced ourselves and expressed our desire to meet all our neighbors. The man said OK and came to the door to speak to us face to face. It was a pleasant interaction. We told him why we were in Japan, asked about his family, and gave him a Proclamation to the World pamphlet. He was very kind, accepted the pamphlet, and said it was OK if we stopped by again. We then returned to our apartment for lunch.

After lunch, we had an appointment with a less-active member, a Brazilian named Mateus Fujihara. He is an extremely nice and friendly man, who slightly struggled with the Japanese church vocabulary. He has had many difficult trials in his life, and we believed a visit from President Baird would help him build his already quite strong testimony.

Elder Rocha and President Baird

The lesson went very well. We hadn't told him President Baird was coming to his home. We told him a special visitor would be there, but we didn't say who. Needless to say, he was very surprised to discover the Mission President knocking on his door. It was a day he still talks about often, and none of us will ever forget. 

We began (after the prayer) by watching the Restoration video. It was something to really invite the Spirit into his home, to help us teach, and enlighten us all. We read from the scriptures together (even President Baird. The whole lesson was in Portuguese!), and testified of what we had seen and heard. Mateus bore his own testimony, and President Baird then asked a few questions. He then gave Mateus a challenge. Up to this point, Mateus had been a bearer of the Aaronic Preisthood. President Baird issued the challenge that he prepare himself to receive the higher, Melchizedek Priesthood. He suggested that together with the missionaries, he prepare his mind, his heart, and his soul for this honor. He accepted. And I am happy to say that he has prepared. He was done everything that has been asked of him, and he is ready to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, November 18th, 2012. We concluded with a prayer, and it was time to be at our next appointment.

Our next appointment was in the home of another Brazilian family.  This is a couple, who had recently been baptized on the 26th of August, Anderson and Erica Kataok, together with their now one year old daughter, Naomi. This day we had planned our first Family Home Evening with them, (once again, almost all in Portuguese). We were very excited, as President Baird was present for their baptism and already knew them on a personal level. This visit was planned with the hope to strengthen their faith personally, and as a family. 

We had a great time! Singing hymns and playing the game with the cups and balloons was great! And afterwards, we shared a small spiritual message about how the Lord has prepared so many ways to strengthen families and feel His love more in our homes. We testified of the divinity of the family organization. This, of course, brought the Spirit into their home. But what touched that family most was when the parents, Anderson and Erica, expressed their own feelings and testimonies of how they have seen this gospel already bless their lives. We closed with another hymn and prayer and left, leaving a portion of the Spirit to reside in their home.

As we left their home, it was time for President Baird to leave Ina, and for us to continue our work for the day. President Baird told us many things, and counseled us on the subject of finding the faith to find, as written in Preach My Gospel. We took a few pictures, and parted ways.

Elder Rocha and I pondered much about our experiences with President Baird, and each learned different things about how we can improve our own missionary work. It can often be as simple as asking directions.

I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to work alongside President Baird. I know he has been called of God and holds the keys to direct the work here in Japan, even in little Ina. He cares for each of his missionaries, and those they teach and interact with. And if you don't know how to approach someone, ask for directions. People are inherently good.

Hooray! Four Great New Missionaries, June 2012

The only thing better than getting new missionaries is watching them baptize.  We got four wonderful new missionaries this time.  Please meet:

Elder Ludlow, Elder Romero, (President and Sister Baird),
Sister Rogers and Sister Ishihara

 In case you can't read kanji, the sign at the right says this group of missionaries are all fabulous.  (Just kidding--about the sign, not the missionaries.)

Do think there are any butterflies in stomachs right now?

How can two sister missionaries who have traveled all day
 look so beautiful?

Dinner for four tired missionaries and off to bed.
Elders Kervinen and Ellsworth, AP's on left.

Next morning, they are all rested and ready to start training, but not before we get to be treated to a violin/cello rendition of "If You Could Hie to Colob."   

It was truly subarashii.

Sister Rogers and Elder Ellsworth, one of our AP's.

Sister Ishihara, left, with her new trainer, Sister Shimoji.
Notice the tissue (and if you have good eyes, you'll see a few tears
in Sister Ishihara's eyes.)
First, the spirit told President Baird to make these two companions.
Second, these two told President Baird that they were good friends.

Sister Inori Ishihara's parents and oldest brother all served missions.   She is from Okinawa, Japan and plays the French horn and flute.   She likes touching people's hearts by being bright, friendly, and optimistic.   She has received many blessings from prayer.

Sister Shimoji is a very happy, cheerful person.  Sister Shimoji listened to 
General Conference and as they talked about serving a mission, 
she felt inspired to go.  Even though she got a good job, 
she quit it to serve a mission.

Sister Inori Ishihara's parents and oldest brother all served missions.  

She is from Okinawa, Japan and plays the French horn and flute.  

She likes touching people's hearts by being bright, friendly, and optimistic.  

She has received many blessings from prayer.

Sister Rogers, left, and Sister Hunt

Sister Rogers comes to us from Brisbane, Australia and has two sisters  and six brothers.  She loves musical instruments and plays piano, violin,  guitar and sax.  She also plays basketball, soccer, and has a black belt  in Taikwando.  She will audition at the Queensland Conservatorium of  Music after her mission.

Sister Hunt loves to work. She also finds that music energizes
 her mind and spirit. And she enjoys a sincere conversation.
 While she loves to read, she finds that reading the scriptures
consistently is simply a feeling that can't be replicated
 with other literature or philosophy.

Sister Rogers comes to us from Brisbane, Australia and has two sisters

 and six brothers.  She loves musical instruments and plays piano, violin, 

guitar and sax.  She also plays basketball, soccer, and has a black belt 

in Taikwando.  She will audition at the Queensland Conservatorium of 

Music after her mission.  

Elder Ludlow, left, with Elder Schade

Thousand Oaks, California is where Elder Matthew Ludlow  calls home.  He enjoys basketball and football and loves competition.  He hopes to eventually become a chiropractor.

Notice Elder Schade's huge smile.  It makes a lot of people happy.
He loves being out of doors and also plays the piano.
He knows from experience that prayer is a powerful tool.

Thousand Oaks, California is where Elder Matthew Ludlow 

calls home.  He enjoys basketball and football and loves competition. 

He hopes to eventually become a chiropractor.  

Elder Romero, center, with his trainer Elder Dinkel on left,
and Elder Gates on right (a threesome!)

From the great city of Provo, Utah, we get to have Elder Jose Romero.
  He is the youngest of 7 children and says his mother is an
incredible woman.  Elder Romero loves to rock climb, hike, bike,
 canoe and swim.  He loves a physical challenge, but he especially
 loves getting to know people better when he spends time with
 them outdoors.  He has had many wonderful spiritual experiences
 and is grateful for leaders who have taught him great things.

Elder Dinkel has a great smile that shows his enthusiasm for 
the work.   He knows lots of words and loves to use the big ones.  
Not everyone gets to train two people at once.

At the time of this blog post, Elder Gates has only been 
in the mission for  three months.  His trainer, Elder Dinkel 
says he's already very good with his kanji, takes part 
in lessons effectively, and is willing to share his great 
musical talent.  But the best thing is he is perfectly obedient.