I am becoming a little Japanese!

My Dear Family,


Time is short today and so hopefully we'll be able to pack this all in
with a bow and send it! I am here in Akashi with my wonderful
companion, Ishiyama Shimai.  It is so fun - i just love her!!! She is 29 and a 
convert of 5 years. No one in her family is a member, she is from Sendai, 
and this is her last transfer on the mission. She is so great. I know we are 
supposed to be here now! I realize how little Japanese I know but I am so 
grateful for her help and patience. THE WORK IS TRUE!!!! The Lord knows
 us and watches over us! I am so grateful. I think that Heavenly Father must have
just smiled when He sent us on that exchange and I got to work with Ishiyama 
Shimai. My last companion's new companion is the sister she exchanged 
with too! 


We have four investigators right now in Akashi. Three of them have
baptismal dates! It is so humbling to have your Japanese companion
send you on splits on your first day in the ward with a member you
just met, with someone you didn't plan to teach because another
investigator didn't come... and not know for sure even if your
investigator understood because not only are the concepts sometimes
hard, but then they are in Japanese. My head hurts sometimes...a lot. ha
ha. But the work is so good! I love the people in Akashi. I know that
I have been called to this area, this transfer with a specific
purpose. 


This week... I moved to Akashi! We cleaned up our apartment and we
were out of Tokushima. We met with a huge group of missionaries, so
many people switching companions, and we were off. The work is good,
and hard. Real faith requires pressure oftimes, and sometimes that pressure 
hurts. But it is amazing what the Lord can do with one person who is willing
to be a tool. It comforts me so much knowing that it is His work. It
takes a lot of faith to know that He CAN work through you, that you
CAN do it... but I know that we can. I know that is is Jesus Christ's
work, and that His sheep are numbered. More than that, I know
of His tender mercies. He is so good to us. 

How I love you family! How I am thankful for your support.
In other news... it is so fun talking to people! The work is so good.
I am amazed at how the Lord fulfills His promises, sometimes in ways
that we don't anticipate. I am reminded of that so often.We may not know
the how or the why, but He knows us.Let's have faith and trust in His promises! 

What a life!!!
I love you!
Love, Your Sister Anderson



P.S. Last night for a treat I... put hot chocolate in the freezer! ha
ha. It is like this famous dish we had at a place called Serendipity
in New York. Livin the dream...

I went shopping today for summer clothes with my comp and so many of 
them looked like kids clothes! You would not believe how tiny some of these 
sweet Japanese people are. :)


PP.S. I bought my first scrunchie today. They are big in Japan. It's
SWEET! They also have really festive tape. I am becoming a little...
JAPANESE! The ward members are SO NICE. I know we have a great work
together and they seem super on board with missionary work. AWESOME. I
know that this ward will hold a special place in my heart forever. I
love it!!!


I also ate Nato!!! Announcement! It wasn't that bad. It is like the
thing that eveyrone talks about who comes to Japan. Ha ha. My stomach
was a little like.... woooowwww! but it's ok.

Nattō (なっとう or 納豆? - Nato) is a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis. It is popular especially as a breakfast food. As a rich source of protein, nattō and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in feudal Japan. Nattō can be an acquired taste because of its powerful smell, strong flavor, and slippery texture. 

Nattō is commonly eaten at breakfast to accompany rice, possibly with soy sauce, tsuyu broth, mustard, scallions, grated daikon, okra, or a raw egg. In Hokkaidō and the northern Tōhoku region, some people dust nattō with sugar. Nattō is commonly used in other foods, such as nattō sushi, nattō toast, in miso soup, tamagoyaki, salad, as an ingredient in okonomiyaki, or even with spaghetti or as fried nattō. A dried form of nattō, having little odor or sliminess, can be eaten as a nutritious snack. There is even nattō ice cream. Soybeans are sometimes crushed and fermented. This is called 'hikiwari nattō'. It is a food that is easy to digest.
The perceived flavor of nattō can differ greatly between people; some find it tastes strong and cheesy and they may thus use it in small amounts to flavor rice or noodles, while others find it tastes bland and unremarkable, requiring the addition of flavoring condiments such as mustard and soy sauce. Many non-Japanese find the taste unpleasant and smelly, while others relish it as a delicacy.  Even in Japan, nattō is more popular in some areas than in others. Nattō is known to be popular in the eastern Kantō region (Tokyo), but less popular in Kansai (Osaka, Kobe). 236,000 tons of nattō are consumed in Japan each year.

Transfers and tender mercies...

Hey my beautiful fam!!! 


How are you doing? :)
Wow the Lord attends this work! We got transfer calls this morning... but before that, we got a call on Saturday night with a surprising announcement. They are closing Tokushima for Sisters and only Elders will be here from here on out!  There is a new "sisters" area opened that my companion is going to. Knowing we were leaving made yesterday a pretty emotional day! So, having that said, we both knew we were leaving but we didn't know where. This morning, I found out that I will be going to... AKASHI for the summer!!! Isn't that crazy? It's so fun because it's the place I got to kokan (exchange), and with the same companion! I loved that kokan so much, and I already love and look up to my new companion a ton. Her name is Ishiyama Shimai and she is Japanese! It was funny because the kokan was so short (1 day) and I learned so much. Akashi is a great place, and I feel really excited to get to work there. 


It really is such a tender mercy. I know that it is where the Lord wants me. It's a little hard because we are handing off our investigators, I've started praying for the Elders a lot more ha ha. I bore my testimony in Church on Sunday and just cried! At the end of the meeting, Asuka San asked what we'd said last and I explained again we were leaving, and she started to cry a little bit which made me cry again, and I quickly beckoned the Elder that is staying here to come to talk with her. She finished the Book of Mormon and fasted with us yesterday. She is doing SO WELL. I am so excited for her. I know when she recognizes all that she is feeling and the growth she's had step by step, she will be even more prepared for this next step in her life. Take care of our friends Elders! ha ha. They will and the investigators will do great, because the Lord will take care of his Children--all of us.

So! We taught Asuka San a few times this week. It's crazy with all the things changing. Missions are amazing. I have felt the Lord in my life so much this week, especially when I was having hard times. He is so great and so close to us. We got to testify to a less active and I just cried as I bore my testimony about the Savior. It is amazing because He knows what His children need, and we get to be a part of it.

 Asuka is in the blue dress...

I'm not going to lie... I'm a little nervous (and excited) for this new adventure in Akashi! Yesterday the Bishop called a totsuden (sudden?) meeting with the missionaries. When we walked out of his office, the ward was standing there and broke into singing "Called to Serve." One of the Elders is headed home... and we are being transferred - it was so incredible. The ward is so sweet and made us cards - they must have done it so fast because I'm pretty sure they found out at Church that we were leaving. I'll include the ward pic--this is our Tokushima ward!

 Ah, life. What else do you want to hear? I'll include some pics we took with people in Tokushima! How we love them. Oh my goodness. The people are amazing. Last night we got a call from this wonderful lady in the ward... oh wait, let's go back to Friday morning. Friday morning, we get this mail... 
...and we go out to find MacDonald's on our porch!! 

This same awesome lady calls us last night to bring us these beautiful little cakes. (Yamamoto Shimai). We love her so much!! Her son just left on a mission. I love my ward so much.

I have another pretty amazing experience to tell you about. The cutest Matsumura Fufu invited us over on P-day... to wear kimonos. This could be a once on a mission experience. :)
It was so fun. I had no idea the detail it took to get them just right. She is SO CUTE. You would love her Mom! They are the funniest, sweetest little couple. They make these gourmet meals for katei no yube (family home evening) and the missionaries switch off going. They are so sweet. I'll send some pictures of her getting my kimono right and the final product! So sweet. We made a fun card for them and took them Matsumura Kyodai's favorite dessert. They are so sweet.


I love this life. Up and down but the Lord knows us, and I know that. He is so good to us. How I love you sweet people!

The Church is true. I will mail you from Akashi. The Lord is in this work and we are always on the brim of miracles. I know it is true.

With love!
Sister Anderson

mo hitotsu shasshin

PS.  Also, since we are moving out of our apartment, I was doing some cleaning today. Sometimes you find all sorts of fun things cleaning out a sister missionary apartment... maybe I got carried away...

I found an old cookbook of Famous Mormon Recipes by Winnifred Jardine. I love this cook book!!! I got a little carried away thinking about the name and dressed up to be Winnifred Jardine with my cookbook.. oh P-day. :) love you!

Interesting info about our daughter's new city:

Akashi  明石 —  Special city  —明石市
is a city located in southern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the Seto Inland Sea west of Kobe.
As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 290,776, with 117,392 households, and a population density of 5,907.68 persons per km². The total area is 49.22 km².

City symbols
- Tree Sweet Osmanthus
- Flower Chrysanthemums


Akashi was an important city during Japan's pre-modern period due to the presence of Akashi Castle, headquarters of the Akashi Domain. The city, in its current form, was founded on November 1, 1919.


Akashi is well known for Akashiyaki, a kind of takoyaki particular to the region. Small pieces of octopus (tako) are placed inside a ball-shaped mold containing a mixture of flour and eggs and this is then fried. Akashiyaki is often eaten by dipping in a thin soup. 



Hiroshi Watanabe: This photograph titled "Flying Octopus, Akashi, Japan" was taken in a city named Akashi in the western part of Japan, west of Kobe. In its fishing port, octopuses are caught in the summer, and stretched and dried under the sun. When it is dried and hardened, the shape is retained and it looks like a kite. People shred it and bite into it for taste and flavor. It is a Japanese version of beef jerky in the US. It is interesting to know that octopus in Japanese is "tako" and the word also means "kite," although Kanji (Chinese character writing that Japanese use) for each are different. I doubt dried octopus was used as a kite, but they probably used the word as they look very similar.

Uonotana (Uo-no-Tana, 魚の棚, lit."fish-shelf") is a 350-meter shopping arcade brimming with fish dealers comprising the majority of more than 100 retailers. Fresh seafood landed at the Akashi Port and auctioned off around noontime can be purchased at the stores shortly past noon. 


Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, also called “Pearl Bridge”, is located in Japan and considered as Japan’s finest engineering feat. Akashi Kaiko Bridge is the world’s longest suspension bridge in the world with a length of 3911 meters (12,831 ft). The Akashi Kaiko Bridge acts as a link between the city of Kobe and Iwaya by crossing the Akashi strait. The construction was finished in a span of 12 years which actually begin in the year 1986 and completed in the year 1998. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge plays an important role in providing three routes across the Inland sea.
Architecture
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge uses one of the finest architecture and technology which consists of three spans. The Akashi Kaikyo Suspension Bridge is designed in such a manner where the earthquakes and harsh sea currents doesn’t damage the bridge. The Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995 is the best example for this bridge’s efficiency.
History
Before the construction of the bridge, boats and ships (ferries) were used to carry passengers and vehicles across the Akashi strait. Akashi strait is an international waterway which is approximately 1500 meter wide shipping lane. Akashi strait waterway is also one of the dangerous waterways before the construction of Akashi Kaiko Bridge due to some severe storms. During the year 1955, a severe storm was experienced in which two ferries were sank resulting in the death of 168 people. As a result, the Japanese government planned to develop a suspension bridge to cross the strait. Originally, the plan was to construct a railway bridge along with a road bridge. But the construction was restricted to a road bridge only consisting of 6 lanes.
Tourism
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge was constructed in such an extent which also attracts tourism in Japan. Two amazing parks were built in the surroundings of Akashi Kaikyo Bridge for tourists. The two parks were named Maiko and Asagiri. The view from the park is a wonderful experience to the visitors as the view from there is absolutely magnificent. Both the parks can be reached by traveling through the coastal train line.

Amazing...

Sister Jen has a new niece! Brenna Eve Soulier was born to Rob and Lolly Soulier May 25th. She is 21 inches long and weighed in at exactly eight pounds. She is the fifth child - welcomed by her siblings Ellie, Ryan, Trevor, and Sterling. We are thrilled with our beautiful twenty-sixth grand child. :)

Sister Jena's weekly letter:

Dear Fam, I love you!


So fun to see pictures of baby Brenna. What a cutie! She looks perfect and so new! So precious! Thanks for the pics and the updates you wonderful people. I love you all. I love you so much. Thank you for your sweet support and love. This week truly has been a week of miracles, but probably not all of the ways I thought. It is amazing to me how good the Lord is to us. He truly is fulfilling things in my life He has always promised. I feel keenly blessed and aware of my blessings. I love Him. He is so good to me. Thank you so much for all of your encouragement. I love you!

Sometimes so much happens it is hard to tell you all everything in a letter! We've been meeting with Asuka San a lot... when I was looking at the week I realized that we've met with her every other day this week. Thank you so much for your faith and your prayers. She is amazing. The Lord is helping us so much. I know we have help that we cannot see. She is coming right along. She accepted a baptismal date this week, but her mom is really against it... which is sad. She is under 20, and so she can't get baptized unless she gets her approval. But then I look in the scriptures and I read of mountains moving through faith, I look and see the woman with the issue of blood healed in an instant after years of searching, trying deperately to find a cure, I read of bread that when coming from the Savior fed 5000, and I know that He will provide a way for our sweet investigator. She is so sweet, and so willing to try. I am so impressed by her example. I don't know how to explain in words the miracles that are happening in the field now. I don't know how to describe what is going on with our investigators.  I know that Jesus Christ is personally involved with every one of our investigators. I know that He cares about my heart, about their hearts. I know this is His work. I know that He entered Gethsemane for every one of us, and that the Atonement was an individual event for each of us.  He is the solution to every problem, He has felt our weaknesses and our pains, and as we trust Him we can move mountains in our own lives or in the lives of those we love.

Asuka San asked me what my favorite scripture is this week before Eikaiwa (English conversation school). We looked at 3 Nephi 17:7, and talked about it a little bit. (great!) Towards the end of Eikaiwa, I asked she and her neighbor if there was anything else they wanted to learn about (meaning English). She looked at the Book of Mormon and worked to form her English response, and said: "I want to study about Jesus Christ!" I said, "Me too!!" and we just laughed. She is super spiritually in tune. It's amazing, but I look at her and see a spiritual giant. She is still trying to figure things out and prays earnestly for help and her answer, but I look at her and I just think she is so prepared. She has been praying and committed to read daily this week. She lives far, so she has to travel quite a bit from her university to get out here... and yet she does! We'd talked after Church for around 40 minutes, teaching her a little about what she was asking and what was covered in Church, and decided we'd better not teach her a lesson because it had been so long a day already. I asked her if she had time to meet this week, and she said, "I'm good till 5!" ha ha. It's amazing that the Lord is preparing such amazing people. I love this work. I love testifying of Jesus Christ. She is picking up things so fast, it's amazing how different things are and how she is working to come unto Christ. I feel our lessons being carried in a way that is beyond what is normal. This is probably way too long, but I just know we are not alone.

So!!! Our other investigators aren't progressing quite as speedily or in the exact same way. They are so great. No other dates yet, and transfers are next week! It's crazy how fast the time goes. It's getting HOT in my corner of the world! (but not as hot as it will get if we don't repent! didn't President Hinckley say that? ha ha.)

Bikes in Japan sometimes have funny names written on them. My favorites (or maybe just the most recent two I noticed ha ha) were... "Herb" and "Today" (but no Neil Diamond songs on the mission! I know how much my siblings love "Comin' to America...Today!" because it was the only tape they had to listen to on long trips to California!) Love on the rocks...ain't no big surprise...

The Lord is working more and more miracles in my own life. Even on a mission, getting to be along on other's journeys to Him, I am getting personally tutored. I love Jesus Christ. I love this work. This week the Spirit told me that I would look back on this time forever, and that this time is meant to be FUN!!! It truly is - I am livin' the dream!!!

YEAH JAPAN!!!!!!! Sorry this letter had a lot of personal things. They just kind of flow out! I love you though and know that the Lord will provide for you. He is so in the details of our lives in ways we can't even comprehend. Never forget that He is with us.

I LOVE YOU! And I love Him. The work is true!

You are wonderful!
Sister Anderson


The number of people we are going to baptize in Japan! woooo!

mister donuts! arent they cute...

 I see you!!!

relief society flower arranging activity...ii ne!

 Here is the pic you have been waiting for...raw squid and eel and other interesting items...  Yummy!!!

And they thought everything was smaller here!

Dearest Family in America!

Wow! That's weird. I'm sitting in Japan right now and you are sitting in America, on a Sunday night I've already lived on my hemisphere. Ha ha! How I loved talking with you all on Mother's Day!! What a treat! All my nieces and nephews sound so grown-up. :)
Happy Mother's day to all you moms...thanks for your example to me and to so many others.  I am so grateful that you love being mothers. Thanks again to everyone for all your support and love!


My beautiful Japan...

We have some great miracles to tell you about. This week, I just felt at the beginning of the week that this would be a week of miracles. Last week, before we called, three of our investigators came to Church on Sunday. Three! We were so stoked. I love seeing Heavenly Father's children progressing.

The first person I want to tell you about is Noguchi Asuka San. Probably two or three weeks ago, I started talking to a girl on a bridge (she was the one that said "I'm interested in Christian churches!"). This past week she came to church, and we gave her a Book of Mormon and a pamphlet, and scheduled a meeting for Tuesday. On Tuesday when she came, she apologetically pulled out the Book of Mormon and said she hadn't finished it. I said was that was fine, of course. When my companion asked her where she'd read to, neither of us quite understood what she said, and we would have missed it if a member hadn't stopped and said, 300 pages?? Ha ha. It turns out, she'd read 300 PAGES! She came again to Church this week. She really is incredible. We had a lesson and it was a lot for her to take in (mostly just answering some questions she had). We are actually teaching her today, soon after I write! It was so neat though. At one point, she asked us what it would be like if people chose not to follow Christianity (or something like that?). I just cried as I got to testify of Jesus Christ to this sweet girl who is coming to know Him. He is everything. He is the reason we can go home, the reason we have peace and can overcome. He is "the light and the life of the world." It's so amazing to be a missionary. The Lord is helping us so much. Even today in front of the Hyaku Yen shop, a girl just started talking to me and in the midst of our conversation, we told her why we were in Japan. It's so incredible to wear Jesus Christ's name, where people can see us and ask us about Him  so that we can invite people to come closer to Him. So! Noguchi San is super great. We are also teaching a girl named Sarah that we met, who is a member of a Baptist church. She is so great!! I love these two girls. She is 24 and has wonderful faith in Jesus Christ. We talked a little bit about baptism this week, but our next lesson (tomorrow) will be on the Priesthood and proper authority. Both of them are "ii kanji," like... good feelings?  ha ha, they both are doing so well and we have a great feeling about them. It was so exciting when we were talking about the Plan of Salvation with Sarah. We have a few other investigators we are working with, but these are the ones we were able to meet with this week. I love Japan! Sometimes, I think like Nephi in 2 Nephi 4... and my soul feels all the stress of life. Things can be hard. But I do know that "Nephi's lament" turned around with the words, "I know in whom I have trusted." I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that Heavenly Father loves us. You are so great fam!

This week, I guess another miracle is... I ate raw squid and raw eel! (This can be a follow up question for Ellie and Hyrum who asked about the food!) I had my first sushi shop experience. It is so fun, there is a conveyer belt and you just grab whichever plate looks appealing and pay at the end... they are about 100 yen a plate. I lived! They are actually not that bad... I also realized I like beans more than I like cake, and that was a weird experience. Ha ha!

I love you sweet fam. It's such a weird place to be in, sometimes I look around and I am surprised at what kind of life I'm living. Every once in a while something will catch me off guard, but I'm amazed at how at home I feel. Thank you for your prayers, they help so much. I know that Heavenly Father answers the prayers of little girls (President Monson's story from conference), and of everyone else. I know He hears us. I know that He is just waiting. This week in one of our lessons, I realized anew that this work is ONLY possible through Jesus Christ. This work HAS to be done with the Spirit. When you step back and look at someone changing their life, in ways we can't understand or comprehend, it is amazing that it happens at all. And yet it is happening everywhere. I know that Heavenly Father knows His children. Oh, the work is so good. I studied patience on Sunday and realized I was a little afraid to pray for patience from the many stories I've heard of seemingly bad experiences that come from asking for a virtue! ha ha. I realized in Church yesterday that Heavenly Father can tutor us with good things. I realized anew my dependence on Him this week. Without the Spirit, we cannot do this work.

Our investigators have some big decisions to make this week. Tomorrow, Sarah will have a big decision to make about baptism. Would you pray for her and for our other investigators? Both of the investigators I've mentioned are making big steps. I'm so excited. I can only imagine what Heavenly Father feels for us, even as we begin to progress. How He loves us!

Well my sweet Fam, I wish I had 3 hours to plop you in Japan and walk you around, to put you on my bike over the red cobbled streets, to have you nod and say "konichiwa" to the sweet old ladies bicycling and walking by, to stop by Hozawa's shoe stop on the corner of two lights, and say hi to the shopkeeper who must be in her fifties or sixties but dances and feeds the birds as she sells shoes. I wish you could come with me to visit the members, how you would love them and how you would cry over their humility and love. Someday we will be eating Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and talking about these stories that are happening now. (but don't worry! I'm not thinking about it!  ha ha)... but for now these letters will have to do. :) Oh how I love you sweet people. How the Lord loves us. How He loves His children.

Ice cream tag line... and they thought everything was smaller in Japan!  hahahahahah!

This week I got asked if bike helmets are part of our religion. (For how often we wear them... they might as well be ha ha.) I got asked if we were ok doing blood transfusions and the other day I got asked if I was Amish, or if I eat meat. I am livin the dream! wooo!

Things are so great. I can't believe my first twelve weeks are almost over in the field! Transfers are in two weeks, how crazy is that?
      
So... everyone has a dog in Japan, but we aren't allowed to have pets... but I think we finally found one President could approve of! ha ha. 

Another pic of us...how I loved seeing my brother!!!

Who would have thought???

 Eating at the member's homes:

 Treats i made the other day (pie looking with raspberries) - yum!

  This is to show Ryan the green hills! 

 Today is supposed to be a solar eclipse! This is the beginnings. It's pretty cloudy but the pic is still cool. Can you see it? 

 I love you Fam! The work is true.  Thank you for your prayers and faith. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are so great, plus 50 bonus points.

Love,
Sister Anderson in Japan

Miracles happen!

So...many of you know that our son, Nate, is in Asia.

We could almost hear the ecstatic scream half way around the world as he set foot on beloved Japanese soil!

He has been looking forward to returning to his ol' stompin' grounds for over six years! About that long ago, he played drums in a jazz band that performed at Universal Studios Japan. He was living in the boundaries of Jen's mission for a year. She even visited him when he was there! 

This trip, Nate will also visit Korea - the land of his mission.

And yes...the nice people at the airport allowed him to check his garbage can drum set! 

He worked for weeks to build a portable set that he could carry, pull, store extra items in, set up anywhere, and still be within airline luggage checking limits...not to mention one from which  he could make music! We nicknamed him "Maurice" (from Disney's Beauty and the Beast - haha, and only because Nate kept calling himself crazy! What an invention - complete with attached plastic buckets, a cymbal, bass pedal, foot tambourine, etc.!  He sits on a bucket to play the set, which is also stored inside the Rubbermaid garbage can/drum. You can see from the pic that his garbage can set is labeled with his name (right side up to transport, and upside down for when it is a drum). Amazing, right? Nate said he is glad he put padlocks on the lid to keep it shut (and protect the innards) - because people keep trying to put trash in it! :) You can see  more pics of his adventures on Face Book.

On May 9, Nate and his friend Yuri rented a car and took a morning road trip from Osaka to Tokushima. 

...and look who they found there!!!

Nate had contacted Sister Jen's mission president who gave him permission to see her!!! 

His report:

She is doing great and her Japanese speaking skills are fantastic - really doing well speaking this complicated language!  We are so grateful all this worked out, and these two kids of ours got to see each other half-way around the world from their home in Bluffdale!  

Miracles do happen...

On Mother's day (Monday in Japan)

we Skyped (sound only) our sweet missionary and had a glorious conversation - clear as a bell - another miracle!

The conversation included:

Souliers in California

Andersons in Colorado

Andersons in Georgia

Nate in Korea

And her Utah Sibs and Family

From our conversation we learned:

Sister Jen sleeps on a futon and hangs her clothes on a clothesline to dry.  

Her apartment has a washer and a shower.

She studies for about four hours each day.

Her legs are really strong from biking two or more hours every day.

She can not see the ocean from where she lives, but there is a beautiful river nearby.

The rainstorms in Japan can be fierce - the windows of her apartment rattle!

The strangest food she has eaten is octopus.

There are wonderful people who take good care of the missionaries.

That the Japanese language is hard for her to speak but she is getting better at it!  The   

         nieces and nephews told her that the "Madgab Game" she challenged them to do (see 

         letter on May 1st) is hard to figure out - so they know she is doing amazingly well  

         learning Japanese!

She was on TV the other day answering a question about Japanese food.

She prays a lot!

Sister Jen loves her mission and is so grateful for all the love and support!!!

When we were trying to make the call and were having some difficulty, I emailed the mission president's wife, Sister Zinke. When the call went through to Sister Jen, I let her know that we worked it out. Here is her reply:

Dear Andersons,

I am so glad that you were able to figure it out!  She is such a sweetheart...we love her so much!  We are grateful for her cheerful service!  Hope your day was wonderful.

Love,

Sister Zinke