August 2012.  The new missionaries arrive safely and are assigned their first companions.  Each transfer begins with the sorrow of bidding farewell to the returning missionaries we have grown to love, but ends with the joy and excitement of welcoming new missionaries into the mission.

We bid farewell to another group of wonderful missonaries in August 2012.  They will all be missed.

Last Sunday (August 12, 2012) we visited this group of Portuguese speaking saints who meet in Oizumi which is about two  hours North of Tokyo by car.  Sister Budge spoke for 15 minutes in Spanish and they loved it.  Oizumi in Japanese means a big spring of water, so I made reference to the Waters of Mormon and referred to the place as Morumon no Oizumi.  There is a great spirit there and a bright future.  We have 4 missionaries there now who speak Portuguese and Spanish.

All Mission Conference Photos

All Mission Conference Album, a set on Flickr.  August 10, 2012.

Everyone enjoyed traditional Japanese Bentos for lunch, and catching up with their fellow missionaries.

The All Mission Conference

August 10, 2012.  If you look closely I am sure you will find your son or daughter here somewhere.  We had a great conference today with all the missionaries in the mission.  The theme of the conference was unity.  We introduced a new mission song, and held 8 different workshops centered on uniting and focusing our faith, prayers and works on Bringing Souls to Christ.

July 2012.  Safely Gathered In!  Our first group of new missionaries straight from the MTC.  What a great looking group of servants of the Lord!

July 2012.  Our first group of missionaries to leave the mission.  Congratulations on a job well done!  It was very sad to see them go....

Sister Budge and our son Dan sign the quilt.  Also, some longtime stalwart leaders in Japan now serving a mission in Tokyo sign on to the Cause!