The Sendai Mission

Lake across from the Morioka chapel, Sendai Mission

Beautiful swans with blue on their beaks! (to match my fingers!)

We hit the road again this past week. Had five zone conferences in five days. The Sendai Mission is the largest of the missions in Japan, being 10 hours by car from the north to the south. If you have a map handy...we took the train to Hachinohe where President and Sister Tateoka picked us up and we drove 3 hours to Aomori.

Aomori zone Sendai Mission

This a seaport town and their weather comes off the Siberian peninsula...brrr! It was so cold and windy and the snow came down sideways! One of the concerns here is keeping these dedicated missionaries from getting frostbite in the winter!
(and we left Tokyo with a blazing 73 degrees the day before)

Outside our Tokyo apartment window...compare to...

Outside the hotel in Aomori

Next stop was Morioka, which was a five hour drive because the freeway was closed so we took back roads. The chapel in Morioka had a beautiful lake across the street with many lovely swan and a large flock of ducks.

Ducks and Swan...so pretty

The Sendai zone was next and we had a great time with these amazing missionaries and their very hardworking Mission President and his wife. One of the APs said he was from Washington too...yes, here is a picture of Elder John Edwards from Moses Lake, WA with his companion Elder Fukuda. He was baptized in Moses Lake when he was 16. Both of his parents teach at Moses Lake High School! We had never met, but he knows some of our kids and we know many of the same people. What fun! He is an incredible missionary!

Elders Edwards and Fukuda

Our next stops were Koriyama and Nigata. Nigata is on the far west of Honshu on the Sea of Japan. It was a very inspiring week and we had a fabulous time!

Always on the lookout for great signage! Aomori store front!