Hi!!

Konnichiwa!!  Friends and Family!

 

Transfer calls are tomorrow!  Aaaahh!  We're getting twenty-four new missionaries and only four are leaving!  It's crazy!  There is a possibility that we could go to a three man companionship!  Weird.  Anyway,

 

Funny moment:  Elder Jordan received a Spiderman actionfigure in a package about three weeks ago.  He was like, "What am I going to do whith this!?!"  Well, it turns out that there is an awesome young couple in our branch and the husband LOVES Spiderman (to the extent that he wears a different Spiderman tie each week to church).  It was his birthday last week, so we plotted with his wife on how to surprise him.  Hehe. . .  And we did!  He was super excited and happy.  That couple, the Nagata couple, has been super helpful.  They gave us rides to the stake center for General Conference so we would have to take the two hour round trip bike ride.  They are great.

 

Ah-ha:  You know how Nephi talks about the condescension of God in his tree of life vision (I think it's 1 Nephi 11).  Well I never really understood what that meant until recently.  We were reading that chapter with Kyan Shimai and when we read that verse I understood it!  I had just learned the Kanji that was used for the word condescension and it totally gave new meaning to the verse and concept!  Kanji are so cool!!  :D

 

Cultural/Language Lesson:  Speaking of Kanji. . .  Guess what I learned this week!  Our favorite verse (you know, 1 Nephi 2:15 - "And my father dwelt in a tent") has a really cool word in Japanese.  The word for tent is tenmaku (天幕).  The first Kanji, ten, means heaven and the second Kanji, maku, means curtain.  Tent in Japanese means heaven curtain or heaven's curtain.  I am told that an old Japanese belief is that if one lived in a tent they were closer to God.  Like a hermit or something.  Isn't that cool!!  Lehi dwelt in a heaven curtain!

 

Spiritual:  Kyan Shimai is amazing.  Talk about someone being totally prepared.  She told us this last week that she is still strictly following the Word of Wisdom and that when she becomes a member she will gladly pay tithing (we haven't even taught her tithing yet)!  She is incredible.  There's just one problem. . . her husband is anti.  They own a resturant together and they don't have staff working on Sundays which means it's just the family running the place on Sundays.  She said she totally wants to be baptized but she knows that she has to come to church for that to happen.  Please pray for her husband to soften his heart.  Our goal right now is to try and get him to sit in on the lesson with his wife.  Kyan Shimai is so inspiring!

 

Well, she's our only investigator currently.  We've met some good people but no bites yet.  We may have potential with our neighbors upstairs.  They gave us a tin box of fancy cookies (not cheap!), and greeted us.  They recently moved into the building and they are a cute little young couple!  We going to return the favor today; pray that it works out!  Okay, my time is up!  I love you all!!  I hope you have a wonderful week!!  Smile at your neighbor for me, please!  And hug your kids for me since I can't!

 

With a little wave and a Japanese nod,

 

Jenkins 長老

Just another week

Hello Friends and Family!

Conference was incredible!  Elder Cook made me bawl!!  I thought about all of the incredible women in my life and I am just so grateful!  I don't know if I have a favorite.  I saw Jessica Welch in the choir!  She was wearing the turquoise shirt, right?!  Conference was soooooo awesome.

Have you seen the new Joseph Smith movie!?!  It's really good!  Not as theatrical as the one that they played at visitors' centers but way more informative.  I only wish it had more music.  It is really good though!

Funny Moment:  I had a random member come up to me at conference and tell me that I look like the guy who plays Spiderman.  I laughed really hard because it was so random and so not true.

Spiritual Moment:  Kyan Shimai is our only progressing investigator and I need to tell you about her because she is incredible.  She was half way through a cup of coffee when we told her about the Word of Wisdom.  She didn't finish the cup and hasn't drinken any coffee since (about two weeks ago)!  That's the kind of faith she has!  She is incredible.  I will tell you more about her next week!

Cultural Thing:  We went to a Castle for P-Day!  Shuri Castle!  It was really cool to go and learn about Okinawa (which was actually called Ryukyu in ancient times).  History is so cool!!  And we ran into one of our English Class students!  It was cool to just say hi and see him there.  Really cool!  I'll have to send pictures!

Well, Bye!

Jenkins Choro

WOOOHOOO!!!

Hello Friends and Family!

 

Funny:  Even if you are wearing helmet, don't headbutt branches while riding your bike.  :)  Elder Jordan learned the hard way.

 

Ah-ha:  You never know where people are coming from, and listening is such an important part of life.  Elder Jordan and I had a great talk yesterday after Zone conference.  He is so awesome.  I love it here in Okinawa!

 

Cultural:  Home made sushi is so good.  We ate at the branch president's house this week and it was delicious!  His boys reminded me of the little boys; it was so funny.

 

Spiritual:  Zone conference was perfect yesterday!  And I am sooooo pumped for General conference this weekend!!  WOOO!!  I am sooooooo okay, too!  I am just all smiles and I got my first mosquito bite!  It's on the back of my hand!  I don't know how I missed the bugger biting me, too!!  I love being a missionary!!

 

Please pray for Sister Kyan and Sister Nakamura!  Kyan shimai is our investigator who can't come to church (her husband is anti and she works at their restaurant) and Nakamura shimai is a recent convert who doesn't come to church!  They need your prayers!  Sorry this is so short but I got to go!!!  I love you all!!!!  :D

 

 

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

 

Jenkins Choro! 

More from Okinawa

Hello Friends and Family!!  Konnichiwa!!

I love riding my bike and catch a whiff of the ocean.  That ocean breeze is so beautiful!!  For being on "vacation," I have never worked so hard.  :)  There are sooooo many hills on this island!  My legs would look so wonderful if it wasn't for the fat farm I have cultivated around them.  :)  The Arnells surprised us with a visit!  I love them!  They are so so wonderful!!  It's good to have them on the island!  I also got a very random call this week from Brother Aird (He knows Teresa).  He lives on the Northern side of the island and is about an hour away.  He just said hello and offered to meet sometime.  Really nice guy!  I am no where near the base; I haven't even seen it. Therefore, I haven't met Stephanie(?).  Elder Jordan is so so so awesome!  He and are a lot alike.  I love Okinawa!!!!  I haven't seen President Margetts since I first got to fukuoka.  He should be coming to a zone conference in a week though.  I'll let you know how it goes.  :)

Pres. and Sister Margetts

Cultural Thing:  Okinawa used to be it's own nation, but Japan conquered it.  Okinawa has its own taste in regards to culture.  Today on Elder Jenkins Cultural Blurb of the Week we will discuss shisa.  The shisa are always in pairs; they're dog statues.  They sit at the doors of every building and ward off evil with their menacing stares.  One always has its mouth open (Like it is saying, "a"), and the other looks like he is growling (like its saying, "n").  "A" and "N" are the first and last letters of the Japanese alphabet, implying an alpha-and-omega-like power.  The shisa are everywhere; foreigners call them, "Okinawa Dogs."  They inspired some Pokemon as well.  This is what I have learned.  Verify with wikipedia before you quote me.  :)

Funny Moment:  Caution to all vegans, vegetarians, and environmentalists with a weak heart and missing funny bone.  Skip this one.  :)  Anyway, I was riding my bike to the stake center in Naha, and I saw this billboard advertising the restaurant beneath it.  It showed this big piece of juicy meat being cut in half, beckoning all hungry to partake and be filled.  Of course I was uncharmed, but what made me laugh to myself was the name of the resturant: "Green Heart."  It had to have been the worst "go green" advertisement I have ever seen.  :)  Are you green?

Ah-ha! : (You have to say that like Prince John from the animated Robin Hood)  I am giving the spiritual thought today in district meeting, and my topic is "teach people not lessons."  Ammon and King Lamoni is overused, so I was trying to think of another story in the scriptures that I could relate.  Nephi popped into my head.  1 Nephi 19:23, "Liken scriptures unto me!!"  (Thank you Sister Turner and Seminary!)  Nephi really taught his brothers what they needed to hear, and he taught them from the scriptures.  The best tool for teaching people, rather than a rigid lesson, is the scriptures.  Cool, huh!?

Spiritual Realization:  Video games.  :P  I am getting back on that pedastal(sp?) briefly.  They are so damaging.  Please be careful everyone!  Okay, I'll get off now.

Well, that's it for now.  :)  Have a great week!  Mail can still be sent to Tokyo; they forward it here.  I love you all!  Thank you for the prayers!!  They really truly help!

Buckets of love and a thumbs up!

Jenkins Choro!

More pics

Elder and Sister Arnell sent some more fun pictures of Preston and the area.  They were also transferred to Okinawa and surprised Preston by showing up at his apartment.  They have been an awesome help for him and it is great for us to know he has people checking on him.

Surprise!  It's the Arnells!

Nice, neat desk.  Mom approves.

Companion, Elder Jordan

Elder Arnell in front of Preston's new, bright pink apartment.

The church building that Sis. Arnell said is big even by U.S. standards.

Random cement crab across from the apartments.

Awww!  He looks so good!  :)

Hello Okinawa!

Hello Friends and family!

 

I have no time so this will be choppy.  Okinawa is so weird!  It is a total island atmosphere; flip-flops and t-shirts are everywhere!  It is soooo humid, too.  It's about the same temperature as Vegas right now, I'm sure, but it is very very humid.  There are palm trees!!  I haven't seen those in so long!  My area is called Itoman; it is the southern tip of the Okinawa island.  It is a small area with a small branch of about 30~40 strong.  The church building is huge though!  They have A&W and Yogurtland here.  :)  I am using an old bike that was left by a missionary who went home.  Please pray that it will brake for me but not break on me.  :)  Well, I don't know what else to say.  Any questions?  (Haha, of course you have questions :P)

 

Anyway. . .

 

Ah-ha:  I have had the Saturday's Warrior song stuck in my head all week (Jimmy, Oh Jimmy don't listen to them!), and I could not figure out why it had even popped into my head.  I realized just yesterday where it came from.  There is a bakery across the street from the apartment called, Jimmy's.  That triggered the song, because I pass that giant sign every day.  Every time I pass it I start singing "Jimmy, oh jimmy!  Don't listen to them."  Over and over again!!  Brains are so weird.

 

Spiritual:  Music!  Oh! how I love music!  My new companion Elder Jordan can sing!  We sang for some members just last night, and it was perfect.  I love music!  (Don't worry Dallin, no one can replace you).  Singing or listening to music is such an easy way to invite the Spirit!!  I love it!

 

Well, that's all the time I have!  I love you all!

 

Jenkins Choro

Okinawa!!

We got a phone call from Preston this afternoon!!  He told us that he is in Okinawa!!  He was reassigned to the Fukuoka Mission of which Okinawa is a part.  He described it as the "Hawaii of Japan" and said that they are in short sleeves.  This is his companion's last transfer, but this transfer lasts for nine weeks instead of the usual six because the last one was cut short due to all the chaos in the country.

When the Tokyo missionaries were being reassigned, he said they were lined up according to seniority and then counted off 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, ... with all the 1's going to the same mission, 2's to the same mission, etc.  Nagoya and Kobe are the other two missions where Tokyo missionaries were sent.

Preston said that when they got to Fukuoka there was a noticeable SIGHHHH!  He said it is so much more relaxed than Tokyo.  Some of the missionaries in Tokyo had already been evacuated from their apartments before the "final" evacuation due to radiation concerns, refinery explosions, contaminated water, and/or lack of food. You know- minor problems! ;)  Anyway, he said the feeling is much more "chill, not in a lazy sort of way, but a now we can get busy with missionary work" sort of way.

His companion, Elder Jordan, also sings, so Preston is excited about that.  His bike is still in the Fussa apartment.  He's not sure what is going to happen to that, so for now he is borrowing one.  They get to ride their bikes along the beach, which is everywhere.  He did say that there is a southern Japan dialect that he has heard about, but he hasn't noticed it with anyone yet.

Preston said that he has not been worried, is not "freaking out," was never in danger himself, and pretty much sees this "reassignment" as a really far away transfer - with a new mission president.  He said things really don't seem too much removed from "normal."  He does feel bad for his poor Tokyo mission president who now has no missionaries.  But, his attitude has been "I'll go where you want me to go, just tell me where!" 

Sorry if this is scattered, I am trying to remember our brief, 10-minute conversation!!  To sum it all up, Preston is doing great.  He is well and happy and ready to get to work in Okinawa.  He will be emailing in couple days, so I will post again then. :)