June 2009 Transfer Week - This was a Big One

We welcomed 13 new missionaries to the mission this past week. It was the biggest transfer of the year and it followed a District Conference and Stake Conference in consecutive weeks as well as having the boys finish school and Julie here with everyone getting ready for summer. It was a busy week to say the least. This was also a unique transfer as we had more Japanese missionaries than foreign enter the field. 8 Japanese and 5 foreign.

Here are the new missionaries front row sitting left to right Elder Novak, Sister McIntyre and Sammy, Sister Hayase, Sister Kobayashi, President, Elder Buerger. Standing in back Elders Kodama, Imi, Iwasa, Kimura, Matsuki, Shinozaki, McBurney, Homer and Akina. Breakfast in the morning one transfer week. Elders Pyper, Andrews and Fishler.

Elders Matsuki, Kodama, Kimura, Soloman, and Sisters Hayase, Kobayashi and Pyper. Below: Elders Matsuoka, McBurney, Iwasa, Buerger, Homer, Shinozaki and Novak.

We saw 12 missionaries return home. We lost a lot of great missionaries! We had a few parents meet their sons this time as well. Missionaries in this group are Elders Beecher, Christiansen, Kondo, Fruean, Bohman, Thompson, Goodey, Bahr, Howells, Badger, Bushman and Openshaw.
The final breakfast in the mission home. We were able to spend about a whole year with this group (12 of their 21 months in Japan). For most of them that was more than half their mission as they were in the MTC for three months. We have seen them grow as men and in their testimonies. We have watched as the Lord worked through them to bring souls unto Christ and raise the standard, vision and results of the Kobe Mission.