March Begins!

You may have noticed we have tried to include a little more information about the mission itself and our purpose and vision on the blog. I know we have many parents of our missionaries visiting the blog regularly to get an update on the mission and to perhaps see a picture of their missionary. We have also had some of our newly called missionaries checking out the blog before they enter the MTC. Welcome to all of you! We do not have a lot of time to spend with this and I mainly use it to get pictures and information out to our family and friends instead of using email and letters, but it is a great tool for sharing information with parents about our vision and progress in the mission. Of course, I leave out a lot of personal and sensitive data and details regarding the mission and missionaries, but try to share whatever I can as appropriate. Hope you enjoy our family information as well. It is a unique and amazing experience to serve the Lord full time with children at home, away at school and on a mission.
We picked up Elder Throop from the hospital this afternoon after interviews in the Osaka North Zone. Sister Throop will be very happy to see that he looks really good. We will keep him in the office for a little while as he cannot ride a bike yet and risk another head injury. He was happy to get out of the hospital. I think he was getting bored. We gave a Book of Mormon to the gentleman he shared a room with who will be in the hospital for another several weeks having suffered from a motorcycle accident. He said he would read it and he does have a lot of time on his hands!
Here are the missionaries from the Osaka North Zone enjoying their cookies. There is an investigator and member pictured with them.

We took a break and had Indian curry and nan for lunch at a restaurant near the church. They served unlimited nan and I could not believe how much the elders ate.

This past week we also interviewed the Yamato Koriyama District missionaries in Nara. After the interviews Sister McIntyre and I met with a wonderful sister, a single mom, from the Nara Branch who has not been to church for some time. She has a 15 year old son that attends church every week by himself as well as early morning seminary everyday. We were happy to become friends with her.

Earlier this week we visited Wakayama and interviewed 12 elders in that zone. We have a lot of personality in this zone.

On preparation day several missionaries got together to play volleyball in Ibaraki, Osaka. Sister McIntyre wanted to play so we drove out with the assistants and joined in.

Some of the missionaries made Kobe Mission rugby shirts. Here Elder Latimer shows off his with Sister McIntyre and Elder Bushman.

They had fun. Some played soccer outside and then several stayed and played basketball after volleyball wrapped up. Everyone finished by 5:00 or 5:30 so they could end preparation day by 6pm and start working again!

It must look like we are having a lot of fun in this assignment. Well...it is because we are. Nothing could be better than working 24/7 with these wonderful servants of the Lord in this great work. And yes, it is a 24/7 job. I have worked hard throughout my career, but I am not sure I have ever felt as exhausted as I do at times in this calling. A lot goes on when you have 100 missionaries. But it feels good being anxiously engaged. We just keep focused on our purpose and everything seems to work out.