Happy Thanksgiving to all!
I know you are all looking forward to having a wonderful feast on Thanksgiving Day and being with family and friends. We will be having a quiet little get together with the Honbu (mission home) staff. I ordered my turkey from Costco and a few other things so it will seem like the real McCoy. We've asked our missionaries to take time at lunch to have something nice to eat and to share with their companions, a particular time in their life when they were thankful for someone or something. We have also asked them to make it a day of service. We all have so much to be thankful for.
We have been in Osaka this past week for a Mission President's seminar for the North Asian Area; Japan, Korea and Micronesian Islands (Guam, Saipan etc.). It was beautiful! The leaves were stunning. We stayed in The New Otani hotel that is located on the river. We had a perfect view of the river, the skyline of Osaka and the Osaka Castle. It was probably one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. We also visited Nara. Amazing! It has a huge Buddhist shine and park. The deer are all over. They walk right up to you. You buy these biscuits to feed them. I was so excited I bought 2 stacks of biscuits. Before I could get the edible tape off them, a whole herd had gathered around us! It was crazy! They started pulling at my skirt and Scott's jacket, nibbling on my legs. We were a spectacle! Not to mention we ended up with deer slim all over us. If you ever get to Japan, that's another 'must see'. It is out of our mission but very close to us.
Hair salon names! 'Hair Bless', 'Mustache' and 'Hair Pop'. I love Japan!
Our sweet Ryoko got baptized on the 14th of this month. She looked beautiful! She was so happy. It was fast and testimony meeting and she stood and bore a beautiful testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. I wish you could all meet her. I think she will come visit us in Utah some day. We love her and her mother, Megumi. Thank you again Sister Palmer for sending them to us. You are a good member missionary!
When we first got here and had the opportunity to speak in several of the wards and branches, I told them what I call the 'Ramona Story' (Ramona, I hope you don't mind, I think I cleared this with you before.) Ramona and I had met in the cal-du-sac one day, as we often did. It was January and we got to talking about our 2009 New Year's goals. We both, independently had set a goal to read the Book of Mormon four times that year. It was great to find someone doing the same thing I was. As we would meet, in the cul-de-sac again, we discovered we could read this book at least 6 times in one year if we read 10 pages a day. On other occasions through the year, when we would see each other we would talk about what we were reading and how we loved Nephi or Jacob or Alma, etc. In January of this year, 2010, Ramona called me and asked if I had reached my goal. I happily reported I had, and I had loved every minute of it. I had developed a relationship with those amazing people that fill it's pages and with the Lord. I asked her if she had finished and she had, not only reading it 6 times but 7! She said that she was thinking about it and thought "this has been the best year of my life". Then she thought, "Wait, this has been the hardest year of my life!" So many things had happened in the year that had been trying for their family. She told me that even though it had been the worst year of her life, it had also been the best. The Book of Mormon had buoyed her up and given her strength to meet the tests and trials of the year.
Last Saturday and Sunday we attended and spoke in the Nagano District Conference. Afterward a sweet sister from Matsumoto came up to me and said (through a translator) that when she had heard that story a few months ago she had decided to do the same thing. She felt she needed strength to withstand her trials, so she had began to read 10 pages in the Book of Mormon every day. She held the book to her chest and started to cry. She said she had almost finished her second time through. She told me what a difference reading 10 pages a day had made in her life. This I know to be total truth. It does make a difference. I watched Ryoko as she first started to read and didn't really understand anything except that Nephi forgave his brothers after all they had done to him, now, she understands more and more. She loves the things she's reading, all because she consistently does it everyday. The scriptures change lives.
Last night I was very tired. I stood at my kitchen counter a little overwhelmed. It has been a busy, busy month. Just in the last week we have had Mission President's conference which was wonderful. Then we had District Conference. A baptism (Sister Clark and Sister Wada's investigator, Sister Goto in Matsumoto). We have a couple of trips to wards planned. I am preparing for Sister's Conference next week and transfers the week after and getting ready to go home for a wedding. I had been to the dentist for the 5th and final time to finish a root canal. I had had a dream about home the night before and it was so real, it was like I was with all of you. I realized how much I missed everyone. How long it had been since I'd seen you all. I had put on Christmas music during the day to try to feel 'genki', but it wasn't the same without anyone here in the house. I haven't even thought about Christmas or had the same 'to do' list as normal. Elder Ishii had just called and asked us to speak in the Ise ward sacrament and do a fireside later that day. It was late and like I said before, I was tired. I was putting away a few things that were on the counter, among them, our family cookbook. I picked it up to put it away. I looked at the title. 'Baird Family Favorites'. I remembered the reason we picked that title. Our 'favorite' recipes. Many of our 'favorite' people's pictures are in there and each family's 'favorite' scripture. I opened it up. It opened to 'The Mark and Jaquelyn Standing Family'. I read their favorite scripture; "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31. It was as if the Lord had helped you help me. I turned to all your pictures and family scriptures and read each one. Finding strength from each verse. Thank you all for you support, for your strength. I love you all.
Sunday after Sister Goto had been baptized and we were waiting for her to come back in, we sang Christmas Hymns. I didn't have my English Hymn book and it's different when you aren't singing the words you know. I tried to sing in English, it's surprising how I can't recall the versus in English when everyone else is singing in Japanese. I looked up at the sweet sister leading the music, I looked around at others. I was overwhelmed with the love I felt for them. I thought to myself, how will I ever leave these people when our time is up? How can I bear that? I have grown to love them so dearly. Leaving will most likely mean, never seeing them again. I love these people. They are so kind and humble. This experience is so incredible.
I am thankful to all of you. I am thankful to the Lord for sending us to Japan.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Sister Baird, Bonnie, mom or grandma
Cultural tip of the week: Our beautiful little park is magnificent! People meet there at 6:00 - 6:30a.m. to do stretching. It is a cultural experience I love. In the evening around 4:00-6:00 people meet there with their dogs. It is so fun. They all go around, loving each others dogs. Those dogs should all be fat! They are constantly sharing treats with all the dogs. It's so fun. Just another thing on my 'I love Japan because....' list. I'm going to send pictures when I figure out how. There is this man with a small white dog with spiky hair. He paints a hot pink spot between it's ears, it's so stylish! I'm getting quite familiar with the dogs around here:)
I know you are all looking forward to having a wonderful feast on Thanksgiving Day and being with family and friends. We will be having a quiet little get together with the Honbu (mission home) staff. I ordered my turkey from Costco and a few other things so it will seem like the real McCoy. We've asked our missionaries to take time at lunch to have something nice to eat and to share with their companions, a particular time in their life when they were thankful for someone or something. We have also asked them to make it a day of service. We all have so much to be thankful for.
We have been in Osaka this past week for a Mission President's seminar for the North Asian Area; Japan, Korea and Micronesian Islands (Guam, Saipan etc.). It was beautiful! The leaves were stunning. We stayed in The New Otani hotel that is located on the river. We had a perfect view of the river, the skyline of Osaka and the Osaka Castle. It was probably one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. We also visited Nara. Amazing! It has a huge Buddhist shine and park. The deer are all over. They walk right up to you. You buy these biscuits to feed them. I was so excited I bought 2 stacks of biscuits. Before I could get the edible tape off them, a whole herd had gathered around us! It was crazy! They started pulling at my skirt and Scott's jacket, nibbling on my legs. We were a spectacle! Not to mention we ended up with deer slim all over us. If you ever get to Japan, that's another 'must see'. It is out of our mission but very close to us.
Hair salon names! 'Hair Bless', 'Mustache' and 'Hair Pop'. I love Japan!
Our sweet Ryoko got baptized on the 14th of this month. She looked beautiful! She was so happy. It was fast and testimony meeting and she stood and bore a beautiful testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. I wish you could all meet her. I think she will come visit us in Utah some day. We love her and her mother, Megumi. Thank you again Sister Palmer for sending them to us. You are a good member missionary!
When we first got here and had the opportunity to speak in several of the wards and branches, I told them what I call the 'Ramona Story' (Ramona, I hope you don't mind, I think I cleared this with you before.) Ramona and I had met in the cal-du-sac one day, as we often did. It was January and we got to talking about our 2009 New Year's goals. We both, independently had set a goal to read the Book of Mormon four times that year. It was great to find someone doing the same thing I was. As we would meet, in the cul-de-sac again, we discovered we could read this book at least 6 times in one year if we read 10 pages a day. On other occasions through the year, when we would see each other we would talk about what we were reading and how we loved Nephi or Jacob or Alma, etc. In January of this year, 2010, Ramona called me and asked if I had reached my goal. I happily reported I had, and I had loved every minute of it. I had developed a relationship with those amazing people that fill it's pages and with the Lord. I asked her if she had finished and she had, not only reading it 6 times but 7! She said that she was thinking about it and thought "this has been the best year of my life". Then she thought, "Wait, this has been the hardest year of my life!" So many things had happened in the year that had been trying for their family. She told me that even though it had been the worst year of her life, it had also been the best. The Book of Mormon had buoyed her up and given her strength to meet the tests and trials of the year.
Last Saturday and Sunday we attended and spoke in the Nagano District Conference. Afterward a sweet sister from Matsumoto came up to me and said (through a translator) that when she had heard that story a few months ago she had decided to do the same thing. She felt she needed strength to withstand her trials, so she had began to read 10 pages in the Book of Mormon every day. She held the book to her chest and started to cry. She said she had almost finished her second time through. She told me what a difference reading 10 pages a day had made in her life. This I know to be total truth. It does make a difference. I watched Ryoko as she first started to read and didn't really understand anything except that Nephi forgave his brothers after all they had done to him, now, she understands more and more. She loves the things she's reading, all because she consistently does it everyday. The scriptures change lives.
Last night I was very tired. I stood at my kitchen counter a little overwhelmed. It has been a busy, busy month. Just in the last week we have had Mission President's conference which was wonderful. Then we had District Conference. A baptism (Sister Clark and Sister Wada's investigator, Sister Goto in Matsumoto). We have a couple of trips to wards planned. I am preparing for Sister's Conference next week and transfers the week after and getting ready to go home for a wedding. I had been to the dentist for the 5th and final time to finish a root canal. I had had a dream about home the night before and it was so real, it was like I was with all of you. I realized how much I missed everyone. How long it had been since I'd seen you all. I had put on Christmas music during the day to try to feel 'genki', but it wasn't the same without anyone here in the house. I haven't even thought about Christmas or had the same 'to do' list as normal. Elder Ishii had just called and asked us to speak in the Ise ward sacrament and do a fireside later that day. It was late and like I said before, I was tired. I was putting away a few things that were on the counter, among them, our family cookbook. I picked it up to put it away. I looked at the title. 'Baird Family Favorites'. I remembered the reason we picked that title. Our 'favorite' recipes. Many of our 'favorite' people's pictures are in there and each family's 'favorite' scripture. I opened it up. It opened to 'The Mark and Jaquelyn Standing Family'. I read their favorite scripture; "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31. It was as if the Lord had helped you help me. I turned to all your pictures and family scriptures and read each one. Finding strength from each verse. Thank you all for you support, for your strength. I love you all.
Sunday after Sister Goto had been baptized and we were waiting for her to come back in, we sang Christmas Hymns. I didn't have my English Hymn book and it's different when you aren't singing the words you know. I tried to sing in English, it's surprising how I can't recall the versus in English when everyone else is singing in Japanese. I looked up at the sweet sister leading the music, I looked around at others. I was overwhelmed with the love I felt for them. I thought to myself, how will I ever leave these people when our time is up? How can I bear that? I have grown to love them so dearly. Leaving will most likely mean, never seeing them again. I love these people. They are so kind and humble. This experience is so incredible.
I am thankful to all of you. I am thankful to the Lord for sending us to Japan.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Sister Baird, Bonnie, mom or grandma
Cultural tip of the week: Our beautiful little park is magnificent! People meet there at 6:00 - 6:30a.m. to do stretching. It is a cultural experience I love. In the evening around 4:00-6:00 people meet there with their dogs. It is so fun. They all go around, loving each others dogs. Those dogs should all be fat! They are constantly sharing treats with all the dogs. It's so fun. Just another thing on my 'I love Japan because....' list. I'm going to send pictures when I figure out how. There is this man with a small white dog with spiky hair. He paints a hot pink spot between it's ears, it's so stylish! I'm getting quite familiar with the dogs around here:)
7:26 AM |
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