Mission Story:
I finally made it back to Japan. Pam and I celebrated our 40th anniversary by returning to Tohoku for a two week vacation. We were in Japan from July 25-Aug 9, 2018 starting with two days in Nara in the south and then going to Sendai, Aomori, Hirosaki, Sapporo, and finally Yamagata, We saw four Matsuri with the highlight being Nebuta in Aomori, Neputa in Hirosaki. To our delight Tanabata in Sendai and Hanagasa in Yamagata were also amazing. We made to the temple in Sapporo and to church at the Kamisugi Ward at the our favorite church building in Sendai.
The trip brought back all the memories and was glorious. Finally we got to see Elder and Sister Daniel Young who took us to lunch. We served together in Sakata in 1977.
Past entry:
I served in the last year and half of President Teruya starting in Sendai in April 1976 and then moving to Aomori and then Sakata. Under Pres. Kwak I served as a zone leader for five months in Aomori and Koriyama zone respectfully. My favorite place was Tendo where I had both a family baptism and the fun of being in a newly opened small town. I spent the most time in Aomori and loved seeing Nebuta. I was known at the end of my mission for showing off the "best written" Dear John letter across both zones where I served. Amazingly, Pam did not marry the other guy and we have now been married 40 years. She was even better as a wife.
I have always treasured my mission experience and retained my love for the people of Tohoku.
