Winter comes to an end....

It has become a custom to have missionaries and their investigators or new members over to dinner a couple of times a week.  This has helped us get to know many good people and share the gospel with them.  

We traveled to Guam again in January to do medical training.  We attended a conference with other senior missionaries who are serving in that mission.  

Guam is a beautiful place to go during a cold winder in Tokyo.  In the morning we ran along the beach.

The nurse (a senior missionary) in Guam told us about various historical places on the Island.  She also took us to a museum of the history of the Second World War in Guam.  The Japanese took over the Island for about 2 ½ years.  They put the Chamorro people in concentration camps and used many of them as slaves.  When the Americans liberated the Island, there was a lot of bombing and many killed, but they liberated the Chamorro people from the awful conditions of their camps.  

This cave was one place where the Japanese hid their weapons during the war.

We are standing and looking at the beach where the U.S. Troops landed on Guam during the war.

The beach where the Americans landed to liberate Guam.

Guns on that beach.

As the U.S. troops landed in Guam, the battle moved up this hillside.

  It was a bloody battle.

Driving to one of our meetings we came upon this man and his water buffalo.

He let Clair have a ride.

These are some of the senior couples in the Micronesia/Guam Mission.  There are about seven Islands with missionaries. These islands are spread very far apart and transportation to and from them is not frequent or regular.  These senior couples work with the younger missionaries on each island.  We trained them on what they could do to help everyone stay healthy and what to do when they get sick.

They also told us of the wonderful things they are doing on the Islands--improving the education on the islands, teaching seminary and institute, working with members of families who haven't been baptized yet, working with military people in Guam, teaching English, doing community service, working in the mission office.  The Church is growing rapidly in this mission and a new stake was formed about a month ago.

Eating Chamorro (local people of Guam) Barbecue.  It was delicious.


We had a tour of a Chamorran village.  They taught us about their customs and history.

They are doing a Chamorran dance for us (I am sorry this link won't probably actually work for you).

Enjoying the beach scenes in Guam.

The clouds in Guam are beautiful too.

Just before leaving Guam, we took a short cruise up a river and saw the ruins of an ancient Chamorran village.  In the river were many of these small needlefish.

What the village looked like in the past:

A fire-making demonstration using a coconut husk.

This woman wove many different items from palm fronds.  She also chewed betel nuts which are habit forming stimulants which give them a "high."  They also stain the teeth and saliva red.

These are "latte stones"--two stones piled up.  They were the foundations of the homes which once existed in this village.  The more important the person was, the bigger his latte stones were.  

We learned many things from the conference in Guam and it was a real privilege to meet the wonderful couples and mission president and his wife.  Here are some things I learned:

1. The young are never too young to learn and the old are never too old to change. 

2.  John 7:17 – If we do His will we will know His doctrine.  One Elder said that is why he has a testimony.  He has lived it and knows it is true.  I think this is a good thing for those of us born into the church to realize and to help us understand why we know.

3. One Sister said she wants to be here where the Savior comes.  I would also like to be here. 

4.  On a mission you go through battles and make relationships like no other.

5. The best gift you can give is the Holy Ghost.

6.  Knowledge is not good enough. In the pre-existence we had knowledge and chose (some chose to follow Satan).  Now we have to choose again.  Everyone will know Jesus is the Christ.  But we must choose Him (by faith).  If we don’t DO (act), then our faith is without value.  We have to stay involved in the work to keep the spirit like we have it now.

7.  God's purpose is to bring to pass the exaltation and eternal life of His children.  (Moses 1:39) We want to help Him in this purpose.

8.  Never fall into complacency.


Back in Tokyo we often see these little children walking with their pre-school class.  They all hold onto rings connected to a rope and seem so well-behaved for how small they are.

Not long after celebrating the new year,  we went to a "Mochizuki" or mochi making festival.  Mochi is pounded rice.  It becomes very sticky and rubbery.  They use mochi in many ways but you always need to be careful to chew if well or it will choke you!  At a mochizuki, everyone takes turns pounding the rice.