Flowers in my rice, Akashi Ads, and good news!

Konichiwa minasan! Watashi wa Andason Shimai desu! ha ha. 
Welcome to a short filler on... Akashi Advertisements! (wait... I think that's the
wrong headline...wrong button!)
So! I live in Akashi, in Japan. I talk to people who speak Japanese. A

lady we stopped the other day said I was the first Gaijin Onesan (foreigner...) 
her son had met . It is so great. This week when we were housing a lady 
stopped US and asked us to visit her friend! It's so great that she recognized 
us as people who could help. The work is good. Our investigators are a little 
up and down, but coming. Kana Chan is actually a little sick, so her baptism is really important. We got to talk to her Mom (I got to meet her mom) last night, and I think
she will support her in keeping the Word of Wisdom. We have our last
real lesson with her tonight (PMG lesson). 


Kana Chan (age 11)

We have 2 other investigators working towards baptism. One we met with 
this week we had a maze lesson... that I actually did in Oakrest and stole the
idea! (a rope and the "Holy Ghost" helping, at the beginning after you
raise your hand the helper comes... the end is a room with a picture
of the Savior... so iu kanji) More "experience" lessons will help our
investigators "feel" more we think. 


Shimaitaikai (women's conference) was great. (we did our ansho! It was a little stumbly but we made it! Yeah D&C 4! I definitely was up early still trying to memorize. 
I know that the Lord really helps His servants!) At the conference all of the sisters made a lamb, that was the theme...and talked about the virtue of sisters! I guess I don't like things where I have to do the same thing over and over again, like I was supposed to do to make this sheep, so my companion finished him for me... she is so nice! My sheep is George on the left sitting on his ball of yarn. . ha ha. President asked us to rise up to the virtues we know we have, they had a great list. 

Yesterday we had Stake Conference, but it was broadcast to the saints from the
states... and President Uchtdorf and Elder Oaks spoke! It was so
great. Whenever I hear talk about the youth, I get so excited. I've
probably written that in my journal like 6 times recently, how much I
love the youth and want to work with them! The rising generation
really is the future of the Church in Japan. So great! It was cool
because President Uchtdorf held up a temple recommend and the new
FTSOY (For the  Strength of Youth) book, and commented that they are about the same size. He promised that the standards in there would help the youth get to the temple. I wanted to write our youth (my buddies!!!) and tell them the value of following these standards... and to get a FTSOY book and remember to follow these standards. A lot about commandments also, and the rescue of less-actives. So great.


We ate with a member this week, and she prepared such a yummy meal with all sorts of dishes! I'll send a pic. So sweet. We had sakura rice... which actually has
flowers in it...and a lot of other great things. Who knew???

All of the spiritual feeding must occasionally have some really good physical food... (which happens a lot in Japan). Afterwards, my comp told me we can't visit her often because she goes all out and she doesn't have very much money. So sweet.


And! At Shimaitakikai I found out that our sweet investigator got permission from her mom to be baptized!!! Yes! I was so excited. 
This gospel is miraculous. I feel so often that I am just a simple teacher, but He 
is the master teacher. I feel privileged to get to bear His message. He is miraculous 
and the work is true!


Love until next time, 
Andason Shimai 


And, I love you you sweet fam!!!
You are so great, every one! Press on and rejoice in the work... how
he wants us to be happy! :)


Getting crafty in the kitchen to take some treats around!

We saw this truck with a truck. So funny.

Wow, can I just say... Dad looks great in a captain's suit! And

his beautiful ship wife! (ha ha. what do you call a captain's wife...)
So fun! How fun to spread the joy of the gospel. What lucky young adults 
to have you as leaders!


Note from Sister Jen's mom:
Here is the picture of which she writes, and an explanation...

Scott is the second counselor in the Riverton, Utah Young Single Adult Stake, and has many opportunities for fun service in this calling.  He was asked to pull together a "Summit" (conference/activity) for the stake and one other stake.  It did come together due to much diligence and a lot of help...and it happened this week-end. Approximately 1500 young adults gathered at the Jordan Institute of Religion and the adjacent Salt Lake Community College South Campus for a "Cruise" complete with "EFY" young adults leading group games, amazing entertainment (including Jessie Clark Funk, Susan Gray, Josephine Scere, Polynesian Dancers, and the Nate Anderson Trio), spiritual nourishment (including Sherrie Dew and John Bytheway), an incredible luau, and a dance.  Scott dressed the part of the "ship captain" and did his thing. Thanks for the hat, Laura! The Summit ended with a Sunday night fireside at the tabernacle in SLC featuring a YSA choir, a speaker (Dan Clark), and his daughter, McCall who sang some solos and a duet with David Osmond (who also did a solo), and a choir. Such a great event!  Thanks to all who helped!!!


From the mission president's blog (address is on the side bar)

We attended a baptism Sunday.   This one was for a young married couple from China.  They are here doing post-graduate work at one of the universities in Kobe, Japan.


They were introduced to the church by one of their professors who is from Venezuela.


They were taught the gospel by a New Zealander from Australia and an American.  


At the baptismal service the opening prayer was given by a young man who was just baptized last week.  He, too, is from China.  There was a talk given by an elder from Brazil.  The chorister was Japanese.  The pianist was American,  and the congregation included saints from England, The Philippines, USA, Brazil, China, Australia and Japan.  Quite a little meeting of the United Nations!


Heavenly Father truly does love all his children.  The prophecies of the gospel reaching every nation on earth are rapidly being fulfilled.  I know of almost no other place in the world, other than in this church, where a simple, modest baptismal service like this one could take place with participants from such a vast array of countries and appear relatively normal.  The Church of Jesus Christ takes the Savior's admonition to, "Go ye into all the world..." seriously.  The fruits are sweet, aren't they?

It's all in a day's work...investigators, sun screen, monopoly, Chinese cooking, lovin' the work, etc etc.

 Hey Fam! 
I love you! 
Welcome to your weekly Akashi report...
Here is my missionary pic on the ward board.

Time is flying here! This week has been super good, and crazy. Our
investigators are in and out of the picture, progressing and not, and
progressing! ha ha. They are so great. We are teaching an 11
year old named Kana Chan, who loves fun lessons. We've gotten really
creative. This week (or last?) I made a walk through plan of salvation
and we played Monopoly in Gense. (the world). 

She loved it!
We have another investigator who is Chinese, she called us today and told us to come over and she would teach us how to make Gyoza! 

I'll soon be a pro!
We play basketball for outreach every... 1,2,3 Saturday night. It's great. Mostly I just scream, but hopefully it's a little quieter in Japan...
you should see our 11 year old investigator imitate my hops. It's
really fun though! (half court of course). Tuesday here is Eikaiwa (English class). The Zone Leaders are in our area again. (maybe it is always that 
way? shiranai!) Sunday an investigator came to Church with her sister 
(who is a member), that we haven't seen since I came. It was so great to
teach her! The mission focus right now is really testifying from the
heart, which I really love... that's all I can really do in Japanese. :)
We are focusing on feelings! (ha ha "feelings!" you'd love this
training plan Jana!) The ward is super. I love them already. There is
a pretty good group that joined last year who are really strong. One
of our investigators said this week that she will come to Church
whether she gets baptized or not, for the rest that it is for her. 
(We will keep trying to help her!) I love this work. Sometimes it seems 
like we are just worrying about our investigators a lot, but I know that 
the Lord knows them. He helps us teach to our investigators needs. 
Tomorrow we have a Shimai Taikai... a Sisters Conference! (I come on a mission and I don't even have to miss Women's Conference.) 
It will be really fun. The only thing is that we got called and asked  
to recite an ansho (memorized thing)... and it is D&C 4! In Japanese...
and English. Ha ha! I just laughed. I'm about half way through. I 
know the Lord can help me memorize!
The members are really on board with missionary work. We
had an outreach barbeque this week. I'm still trying to figure out how
much of my and my American game side to incorporate over here... haha!
Tis the EFY counselor and Aspen Grove counselor coming out in me! I had
them write questions to ask each other, ha ha. It was interesting and 
didn't work as well as I had hoped. :)


I am so impressed with how much of the Lord's work this is. This is His 
work. Sometimes our investigators face obstacles that seem 
insurmountable for them, but then I am looking at the situation 
with only my eyes.
His eyes are on them. He knows every heartache, heartbeat. I know that
He moves mountains when we have faith. I know that He will help our
investigators in His timetable to come to Him.


"For behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth..." 


I received the package Mom! Thanks so much! I bought a few summer
shirts and... inherited some ha ha. They have these fancy arm covers
here and wear visors and hand covers on their bikes to keep away from the sun. And UV umbrellas. haha.

I came to a land where they are worried about the sun and they like fair skin! Yes! 
I wear sun screen but still have a bit of a watch line on my wrist... ha ha. I think I'm going to try the sun arms today! 


The family reunion looks like so much fun! Thanks for the pics. It is almost July - can you believe it？It is so fun to get to plan and live to try to help others receive the Gospel. I'm a missionary! It's so crazy to me. Today our
Chinese friends were asking me why I chose Japan to come to. It's
funny to say... I didn't! I know that there is someone who has SUCH a
bigger picture, for me and for every one of those people we talk to. I am so grateful I was chosen to come here!


Thanks so much for your support! Your letters really uplifted me
today. 


My doryo (companion) and I play gestures a lot and I resort to sound effects even more in a foreign language. I hope that is not a problem when I get home. :)  We are working hard and loving it!

I LOVE YOU!


Your Dot...Sister Anderson

 recipe added by Mom Angelle

Gyoza - Japanese style dumplins

Gyoza is originally a Chinese dish, which has become very popular across Japan. This recipe shows how to make the gyoza dough and the gyoza filling. The time consuming and difficult part of making of the dough can be skipped by buying premade dough pieces, which are available at some Japanese and Chinese grocery stores.

Ingredients:

(for 30 Gyoza)

Dough:

170 mL water

200 g strong flour

Filling:

200 g ground pork

Cabbage

Nira*: can be substituted by leek or green onion 

Leek or Green onion

Garlic

Ginger

Sake*

Soya sauce, salt, and pepper

Sesame oil

Dipping Sauce:

Soya sauce

Vinegar

* This ingredient may not be available in Western supermarkets, but you should be able to find it in Japanese grocery stores that exist in most large European and American cities.

Preparation:

Dough:

Mix the water and the flour to a dough that should not be sticky but as soft as an ear lobe.

Put a wet towel over the dough, and let it stand for several minutes.

Separate the dough in 30 pieces, and form each of them to very thin discs with a diameter of about 10 cm. The middle of each disc should be a little bit thicker than the edge.

Filling:

Cut some green, outer cabbage leaves, some green onion (or leek), nira, ginger, and garlic in very small pieces. The amount of these ingredients should equal the amount of meat. Do it as you like.

Put some salt on the cabbage, and let it stand for five minutes. Then press the water out of the cabbage pieces.

Mix the cabbage, green onion (or leek), nira, ginger, garlic, and the ground pork all together, and add some salt, pepper, soya sauce, sake, and sesame oil. Mix it all very well.

Making and frying the Gyoza:

Put some of the filling onto a piece of dough. Remember that the filling should suffice for 30 gyoza pieces.

Moisten the edge of the dough with water. Moisten only a semicircle, not all the way around.

Close the gyoza. While closing it, fold the edge about 6 times as shown on the image.

Put the gyoza on the table as shown in the image.

Fry the Gyoza in a little bit of hot oil until the bottom is brownish, then add water so that the gyoza are in the water with about half of their hight.

Keep the high heat and wait until all the water has vaporized. Then remove the gyoza from the heat.

Dipping sauce: Mix the same amounts of soya sauce and vinegar together.

Serving and eating:

Eat gyoza pieces after dipping them in the dipping sauce.

General information:

In China dumplins are usually eaten either steamed, fried or in a soup. Japanese gyoza, however, are usually fried. There are many kinds of fillings used, e.g. with different seafood instead of the meat, other vegetable, etc.

Ruel and Jan Clark Family Reunion Pics

  

                                                                    Jana turned 40!