March 15, 2003

Sat. March 15, 2003

Dear Family and Friends,

We have had a good (busy) week. Even though blossoms are coming out on the trees, it still remains rainy and cold. We have heard from most of the family and some others. We sure appreciate hearing from you. It sounds like everyone is getting along pretty well. This morning we walked over to the shopping area and bought a few things. Then we went over to Best Dept. store. I think it is connected with Bests in the U.S. We bought us a new electronic Sanyo English-Japanese pocket dictionary. It is really nice. Most of the missionaries here have one.

Sis. Banks received an e-mail about them finding the girl in SL that was kidnapped. We have been reading that. We would have never guessed she would have been found alive, and right in SLC. That is really a miracle (even though she has probably really been through it with such strange ducks that took her.) Church apostates are usually much more weird than others that do those kind of things.

Today and tomorrow the Banks and some of the Mission leaders were supposed to go up to Fukuchiyama for a Stake Conf., but they got a call last night saying one of the Stake Presidency had passed away, yesterday and they wouldn’t be holding anything until tomorrow (Sun). So they will leave early tomorrow morning.

Last Sunday after Church, the Gollaher’s invited us over to their place for dinner. They are the couple that served as Mission Pres. in Brazil and now his company Mazda, has sent him here for three years. One really interesting thing was that Mom and Sis. Gollaher are relatives on the Christensen line. They have the same great-great grandfather Christensen. When they heard about Oak City, they said they had been to more than one Christensen reunion there. He was raised in Roosevelt, UT. and she is from SLC. They also have seven children (5 girls and 2 boys) who live in the US. Its a small world in the Church. They both speak Portuguese really well and tomorrow they are holding a Portuguese Sacrament meeting. Her and Mom have been assigned as visiting teaching companions.

I am going to be speaking at church tomorrow, and I’ve got Elder Robertson lined up to do the translating for me. Mom thinks I’ve got a really good talk about Eternal Life prepared.

Next week will be our busy week, well at least Wednesday and Thursday are especially busy. We thought we were getting nine new missionaries in on Tues. but now it has been upped to 13. The one Elder that had to go home because of a bad knee is also coming back with the group. When they go home for surgery, etc. they usually don’t send them back anywhere out of the States, but because this Elder had only been here 4 months and had the language learned, they are sending him back.

Mom has really been busy getting the letters to the Pres. and other papers and materials bound into neat books, ready to give the missionaries that are going home. The missionaries really prize the stuff they are taking home, so Mom wanted it to be nice, and it is (as only Mom knows how to do).We are both getting onto our jobs here. Things have a way of working out when you stick to it. We are the only missionaries that are assigned here for out entire mission. Many of the other office staff have been transferred already and each month there is great concern about who will go and who will stay. Mom said that Elder Allred an Asst. to the Pres., who is going home next week, has had 16 transfers since the beginning of his mission. That has really changed since I was on my Mission. Two places I served for 14 mos. each and the last place for 8 mos.

It is really a blessing to be couple missionaries. We have the companion of our choice throughout our time here, and are not expected to follow the procedures that the young missionaries are have to follow.

One week after General Conference, we are going out to the Takasu Ward where they will show us all sessions of the Conf. on delayed TV. We are looking forward to that.

We were surprised to hear from Elaine that Ross is making a change in his employment. It sounds like Marilyn’s boy Scott is getting married in the Timp. Temple. Things go on whether we are there or not.

Keep up the good work.

Until next week, Gary & Shirley (Edited)