Earthquakes Everywhere!

Late Friday afternoon I received an email from a friend that there had been a 7.2 earthquake in Japan. Of course, I immediately got online to find out where the earthquake was, and how close it was to Hiroshima. It seems that it is far north of Hiroshima, and it is likely that Travis did not even feel it. I truly must have not been a big event, because it wasn't even mentioned on the news that evening. Just when I was breathing a sigh of relief, we woke to find an 8.8 earthquake in Chile...with all eyes pointed toward Hawaii for a tsunami. Gladly, both earthquakes and the tsunami seem to have been much less devastating than they could have been. We are blessed, and happy that both boys have escaped any injury the the earthquakes they have both been close to this past month.

Japan Hiroshima Mission Closing

Shortly after our last posting, we received news from the Kobe, Japan mission informing parents and families that he Hiroshima mission was closing. I was wondering what Travis' response would be, here is his email from yesterday:

In June the Japan Hiroshima Mission will be closing. The mission is being split in half and added to the kobe and fukuoka missions. the news was pretty surprising, but Im okay with it. Im just glad to be a missionary here in japan! Weve been assured that this is not because we are a bad mission or anything, there just arent enough missionaries. the number has gone from 55,000 to under 50,000, so the church has to be more strategic about the placing of missions and missionaries. I wonder if Ill be a kobe or fukuoka missionary in June?

The reason they dont tell your release date is because you have the option to extend it by 6 weeks at the end of your mission! I know you want me home asap, but Ill probably want to extend. This first transfer has gone by so fast, Im scared of my whole mission going by too fast! so much to do, so little time!

I got your package this morning! thanks so much, Ill definetely put the blanket to good use ;). American candy is hard to come by here, so its nice to get some! I especially like the jello; Ive only had japanese jello once here, and it wasnt that good. there is one flavor that doesnt exist in japan: Mint! isnt that wierd? there is no mint anywhere! I guess the toothpaste you sent me should be pretty minty!

So, I have only one request. I have a 4 gb card here that I can fill with pictures. If you could send back the card I mailed home, then I can switch cards and send you the one I have! We can get an exchange going! I can print any pictures　I need, so we should be able to just mail cards and not need to mail pictures.

Anyway, Ill send home another letter today! Love you all!

Well, just a few days after posting this last message about how great the boys are doing in their missions, we received news from Japan that Travis' mission is closing as of July 1st. Travis promptly wrote home with what he called the "Big News", this is what he reports:

In June the Japan Hiroshima Mission will be closing. The mission is being split in half and added to the kobe and fukuoka missions. the news was pretty surprising, but Im okay with it. Im just glad to be a missionary here in japan! Weve been assured that this is not because we are a bad mission or anything, there just arent enough missionaries. the number has gone from 55,000 to under 50,000, so the church has to be more strategic about the placing of missions and missionaries. I wonder if Ill be a kobe or fukuoka missionary in june?

The reason they dont tell your release date is because you have the option to extend it by 6 weeks at the end of your mission! I know you want me home asap, but Ill probably want to extend. This first transfer has gone by so fast, Im scared of my whole mission going by too fast! so much to do, so little time!

I got your package this morning! thanks so much, Ill definetely put the blanket to good use ;). American candy is hard to come by here, so its nice to get some! I especially like the jello; Ive only had japanese jello once here, and it wasnt that good. there is one flavor that doesnt exist in japan: Mint! isnt that wierd? there is no mint anywhere! I guess the toothpaste you sent me should be pretty minty!

So, I have only one request. I have a 4 gb card here that I can fill with pictures. If you could send back the card I mailed home, then I can switch cards and send you the one I have! We can get an exchange going! I can print any pictures　I need, so we should be able to just mail cards and not need to mail pictures.

Anyway, Ill send home another letter today! Love you all!

It sounds like he doesn't know he's already been assigned to Kobe. Since he doesn't read our blog from the mission, we are safe putting it here (I hope). We were surprised, but also glad to see that Travis took the news in stride. Did you notice that he wants to extend his mission for six weeks? He's only been out for 4 months and is already planning to extend...this must mean he is truly enjoying his service. As long as he's home for Christmas 2011, I am glad to see his enthusiasm.

Seth also wrote us today, he is also doing well, getting a new companion and enjoying the work! He and Amanda were able to email back and forth today for a few moments. That was a real treat for them both.

The Latest from Japan and the Dominican Republic

There is an older missionary couple that oversees 17 missionary companionships in Seth's area and they have a blog where they post regularly. We found this photo of Seth on their blog. Seth mentioned the day they did a "Slip and Slide", what a treat to see a photo of him here! It makes me very happy that Brother and Sister Johnson are there in the DR watching over our son. It gives me great comfort! Seth is adjusting to the weather and is really enjoying missionary work. He tells of a story of a couple that cannot hear or read. Seth and his companion use simple pictures and drawings to communicate with them. They aren't sure if the couple can actually be baptized, but they are enjoying the time they have to teach them. Seth tells us that his Spanish is getting much better. He was starting to get a reputation for being a very quiet Elder, but he is feeling more comfortable now and starting to speak out. Seth has had a couple of investigators join the church, he tells us of their humility and excitement for the gospel. The people of the Dominican Republic live simple, and in many cases, very poor lifestyle, but they gospel is the same in every nation, so says Elder Rumbaugh!

Travis is doing well too! He emailed on Saturday to tell me that he had a special mission conference on his regular P-day so not to worry if I don't hear from him for a while. There is a rumor going around among the Hiroshima mothers that the Hiroshima mission is going to close. The work is going slowly, and the number of missionaries in Hiroshima is falling below 60, that's only about 15 companionships for the entire mission. There is talk of Hiroshima becoming part of the Kobe mission. This is still unconfirmed, we'll probably hear more next p-day. I am glad that he was able to email home and let us know he would be gone on his regular p-day. Travis' emails usually arrive around 7:00pm on Sunday nights, that's about noon on Monday for him. It makes Sunday evenings our favorite night of the week. I find myself looking a the clock once dinner has been served. As mentioned, the work in Japan goes slowly. Travis mentions that people don't seem to be anxious to learn about the gospel, which is a surprise to him, especially considering how humble the reserved many of the people in Japan are. This has been a challenge for him, but he shares how he and his companion talk to everyone they meet and he gets to practice his Japanese quite a bit. He mentions that he is directionally challenged, and without his companion, he would be lost most of the time! He also reports that he can speak Japanese pretty well, but understanding the natives is still difficult. Good luck, Elder Nuttall!

We are pleased that both boys are doing well, and I am counting the days until Mother's Day!