Hard to Say Goodbye/March 2012 Finishers

How we love our missionaries!  How we hate to see them go.  But we know they have matured, in testimony and strength of character, in ability to study and serve.  We send them off with confidence in their ability to move forward and do great things. 

Seated left to right: Eckman, Ogaki, Otahara, Nelson, Shimajiri
Standing: Imaizumi, Wynn, Tsutamori, President and Sister Baird, Sis. Masuda, Takahashi, and Momose

Sister Iyo Masuda is from Hokkaido, Japan.  One elder said she has a great talent to help people become better.  Do sister missionaries get any more beautiful than this?

Sister Iyo Masuda. Yosh!

Elder Justin Eckman went home to St. Anthony, Idaho. Elder Eckman is very patriotic and loves his country.  He is funny, a great cook, (his cakes are in high demand) and when he is teaching, he makes things easy to understand.

Elder Eckman with Nagoya Castle in background.

Elder Nelson, left, with Elder Berrett
See Elder Nelson again below.  He's an angel.

Elder William Nelson loves many sports and playing the guitar. He has dreams to be an accountant and run his own business after his mission. One of his former companions siad that Elder Nelson has a dry sense of humor that makes everyone laugh hard.  And if there is a problem somewhere, he is the one you can trust to go fix it. He loves to serve others.  Another missionary said, "He is one of my favorite people ever."

Elder Masashi Imaizumi is from Chiba, Japan.  He can be quiet, but he is easy to get along with.  He is a good worker, and has a great sense of humor.  It's easy to make him laugh.  He thinks things through and can be an effective teacher.  He loved working with less active members.

Elder Momose also plays piano.

Elder Yasuaki Momose enjoys watching movies and painting pictures.  He wants to become an architect and design houses.  He was baptized just a year before his mission.  He is sincere and tender.  He is from Hokkaido, Japan.

Elder Shunya Ogaki is from Hyougo, Japan.  He enjoys doing puzzles and likes to do things to be healthy.  Even thought he may look slender, he is very strong, according to one of his missionary friends.

Elder Ogaki is quick to notice when he can serve.

One of Elder Otahara's former companion said that Elder Otahara is great with kids, and he enjoys riding his bike.  He teaches the Gospel simply, to the understanding of others.  He is also good with words.

Elder Otahara is the second angel from left.  He is with
Sister Masuda, Elder Nelson, and Elder Takahashi

Elder Shimijiri enjoys sports, especially basketball and track. He received a lesson about the church when he was 19, but later he received the lesson again and joined the Church at 23 years old.  He knows someone is waiting for this gospel and is anxious to share the it with others.

Elder Shimijiri (left) with Ken, Keiko, and Rua Edo, and Elder Kervinen

Elder Shimijiri

Is this Elder Takahishi's goal or accomplishment?

Elder Yusuke Takahashi comes from Saitama, Japan.  He hopes someday to work in an international setting.  Sports make him happy, and he likes to dance.  He is courageous and says rugby made his strong.  His bishop described him as humble and kind.

Elder Wynn

Elder Wynn is second from left.  Other missionaries from left:
Elder Curtis, Elder Flint, Sister Inoue, and Sister Kumagai.

Don't missionaries look great when they are serving!

Elder Mikel Wynn comes from Salem, Oregon, and his mother is from Japan.  He has the advantage of having lived in Japan as a young child, so he had a start on the language. He enjoys writing and music.  His whole family plays several instruments.  He is also interested in aviation and hopes to become a flight instructor.

Mutual Regard

Elder Shimon Tsutamori’s hero is his father.  He wants to be like him—a hard worker and always serving family and church.  He dreams of being able to help those in trouble.

July 2011 New Missionaries

This week, we celebrated 4 new missionaries coming to our mission! Sister Shimoji (Naha), Elder DeMille (Utah), Elder Hiruta (Tsukuba), and Elder Kobayashi (Sapporo). It was great to meet and get to know them! They will be great missionaries!

Left to right: Sister Shimoji, Sister and President Baird,
Elder DeMille, Elder Hiruta, and Elder Kobayashi.

The missionaires shared their testimonies on the train as they came
to the mission home. This is a picture of a couple they met on the train.

The new missionaires standing outside the Meito church with their trainers.

Sister Shimoji (left) and Sister Kumagai- Matsumoto

Sister Ziona Shimoji from Okinawa, Japan has four people in her family.  She loves her family and the church.  She enjoys playing tennis, playing with children and being in nature.  Playing tennis makes her smile and calms her and being a part of nature helps her feel Heavenly Father’s love.  She looks forward to a temple marriage and lots of children. She wants to study the Gospel and spend a lot of time together with her family.  Sister Mado Kumagai is from Hokkaido, Japan.  Her twin sister served at the same time in Sendai.  She has 3 adopted brothers.  She loves to draw and make sweets, giving away her great cinamon rolls and cookies.  She also enjoys playing with children.    Her family's faith and love have given her self-esteem and confidence that she wants to share with others.

Elder DeMille (left) and Elder Voss- Matsumoto

Toquerville, Utah, near the beautiful canyonlands, is home for Elder Joshua DeMille.  He enjoys music, hiking and camping.  His favorite thing is just having fun with the family and his friends.  He also likes to create knick-knacks.  He wants to be known as someone who is always headed up, always trying to be better.  He describes himself as fun, good natured, random, honest, stubborn and a good peace maker.  He has always loved the Gospel and sees evidence of God in everything.

Elder Voss's talents are memory, physical capacity and relating well
with others.  He is slow to get angry or upset and people have told
him that his personality has a calming effect on them.  He relates well
to most people and quickly develops trust and friendship

Elder Hiruta (left) and Elder Ikeda- Kariya

Elder Naohiro Hiruta is from Fukushima, Japan.  He is the only member of the church in his family, but his family supports him well and he loves them. He started swimming when he was five, so he could enter university because of his swimming ability.  He wants to become a teacher and contribute to society.  Elder Hiruta wants to give hope and power to the children he teaches.

Elder Ikeda is optimistic and slow to anger.  He can easily love people.
He has already had one great missionary experience where a friend was baptized.

Elder Kobayashi (left) and Elder Brown- Gifu

Elder Yuto Kobayashi from Hokkaido, Japan knows traditional Japanese dance, and performed on the university dance team.  He looks forward to an eternal family.  He is studying architecture and wants to design homes and cities.  He wants to own his own architectural company.  He is kind, calm, and optimistic.

Elder Michael Brown hopes to be self-employed at some point, but hasn't decided what he wants to do because there are so many professions he would enjoy.  He knows that one of the many benefits of serving a mission is the potential for growth and independence.