The out-going mission Pres, President Iwassa tagged me in this picture on facebook so I would know my parents arrived safely! How thoughtful of him....I was so excited to see them in Japan!
It will be 3 weeks tomorrow that they have been in Japan, has it gone by fast for me....not really! I asked mom if it had for her....her answer was the same! I have only talked with them 3 times, but hopefully it will become more frequent as we now have skype set up, and a video phone...both worked great! Also they have been traveling the entire Fukuoka mission since the day they arrived, meeting and interviewing all the missionaries. They have also flown to 2 different islands that are part of their mission (Okinawa & Ishigaki), so it has been crazy, busy, non-stop! And next week starts transfers, so missionaries will be staying with them, having dinner, doing a temple session, and then off to the airport. Also new missionaries will arrive, spend the night, have breakfast, and be off to their area.
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They have had wonderful experiences, and of course down times too when they miss home, grand kids, friends, and mostly me!
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Hopefully mom can update soon and describe better than me their experiences. But the one that sticks out the most to me is their arrival to Fukuoka. They said as they made their way down to the luggage area at the airport....they could see the Mission President and his wife, and with them were office missionaries, members of their ward & stake, & some of the missionaries too. They had welcome signs and were singing to them. Both mom & dad said it was very emotional....and a wonderful welcome!
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Every time I talk with them, they say to me at least 2-3 times 'the church is true' and 'we know that Japan is where we are supposed to be right now'. The language barrier has been the hardest....they can't read street signs and have no clue what to buy at the grocery store. Also driving is crazy, narrow streets, driving on the right side of the car, and left side of the road. So they take missionaries or staff with them everywhere, and mom says they are all angels! I hope to have pictures of them soon, and will update. Thanks for caring about and loving my parents!
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Mom has a new email it is sherryssm@gmail.com
I know she would love to hear from all!
