JAPAN

I am ever amazed by what has happened in Japan. To watch the videos and to see the pictures are just heartbreaking.

On the other hand, it is amazing to hear and read the miracles that have come from this. People not doing what they normally had planned and it prevented them from being where they might have been in harm's way.

It is also amazing to see our church in action. They have been praised worldwide for their communication and relief efforts there in Japan. I just wanted to share some links and stories that I have received.

Messages from missionaries, church members, military and so on:

"Well we got to the church about 30 seconds before the tsunami hit and then tried to save the bikes as we watched them rush away. I think that a member might have found them though. We are still struggling to call people because the lines are hard. The streets are messed up and cars are all over and on top of each other. I have lots of pictures and videos. I will send them. Well we are good here. The area is gone. We are in Sendai. Well more when I can. I am fine though. We might have another baptism this month but oh well…"

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First, all of the missionaries are now out of Sendai and Tokyo. One Elder reported: "Sendai missionaries in the southern part of the mission went to Tokyo and then were flown to Sapporo while missionaries in the northern areas were going to be bussed to the north and then ferried across to Sapparo."

One thing not reported in any media was that many missionaries all over Japan were in Mission Offices or Churches for Zone and District leader training and conferences when the earthquake hit. Many were not in their apartments nor outside, which we think helped protect so many of our missionaries. They were with groups of missionaries along with their Mission Presidents.

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Elder … emailed his mom: He said on Sunday Pres. Tateoka took him and his companion back to their apartment in Fukushima to get some things. When they got there Pres. Tateoka would not let them go up until he went and checked to make sure it was safe.

The entire apartment was trashed. The refrigerator was on its side and had moved across the room. All the dishes were broken and the windows were all blown in. He was able to get some stuff but because of all the debris and glass he was afraid to dig through it to look for some things (like his camera).

He said it was a blessing that they had been at zone conference when the earthquake struck because if they had been in Fukushima they would have been in the apartment for planning time and would have surely been injured.

He told me that they were on the second floor of the church in Koriyama when the earthquake started and that there is a warning system that sounds on the cell phones when the Earthquake gets past 6.0. All the alarms started going off and Pres. Tateoka yelled at them to get out now!

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… said that he had to hold onto the railing to get down the stairs and that the Earthquake kept slamming him up against the wall. As soon as they got outside it started snowing heavily.

He said that he has heard many miraculous stories about how missionaries just happened to be doing things just a little differently than they normally would, or had planned to, and that is what saved them!

It was really, really difficult for them to say goodbye to members and investigators.

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Message from Sendai Mission President..."All is well as far as I know. Koriyama zone elders are at the evacuation center. Honbu is at the evacuation center. Ishinomaki is at the evacuation center. Morioka Elders, Kamisugi Elders and Sisters are safe. We could not get back to Sendai and had to turn back to Koriyama after 6 hours of driving. We have no phone contact. Thanks for your prayers. Love, President Tateoka"

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Some missionaries were not allowed to return to their apartments to get their clothing, etc., so they arrived with only what they were wearing. They are being taken care of. :-)

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The final two missionaries are now safe and accounted for. They arrived at an evacuation center and were finally able to send a text message to their Mission President.

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A Report from Tokyo Public Affairs Director
From Conan Grames, in Tokyo: March 16, 2011
We have had quite an experience here in Japan the last few days. Cindy and I were in the office when the quake hit. We have experienced several of these during the years we have lived here, but I immediately knew this one was different. It was the first time I decided to get under my desk. It
took very little encouragement from Cindy to do so. While under the desk, the shaking continued to grow and seemed to last forever. At that point I began to wonder, "How bad can this get?" Coincidentally, last week I had read two first-hand accounts of our missionaries who were in Japan
during the great Kanto earthquake of 1923. I wondered if this is what would happen. It actually turned out to be a stronger quake up in Sendai. We suffered little damage here—lots of noise and things falling off shelves and shattered nerves.

We have spent the time since, pretty much around the clock, looking for missionaries and members. All the missionaries were found alive and well, even those on the coast. It took us four days to find two sisters who were on the coast in Ishinomaki and get them out of the area. So far we have had no reports of serious injury among members of the church, although many have had to leave their homes.

Our responsibility is communications. Much of our time has been spent coordinating with Diane Sawyer's ABC news team about doing an interview with a missionary who experienced the tsunami. It turned out she couldn't get into the area, but their 20/20 team is here and they are still seeking
an interview. The missionary who will do the interview climbed to the second floor of the chapel with his companion. They watched the water come through the parking lot, sweep away their bikes, and flood the first floor of the building.

Tuesday we sent our first team into the area since there was no transportation until now. They will assess needs so we can begin to send relief. We have met with the Red Cross and the government and have offered cash contributions in addition to the in-kind help. The greatest physical need is gasoline, diesel fuel, food and water.

Wednesday we received instructions from church headquarters to evacuate all our missionaries out of eastern Japan. This was due in large part to the radiation threat and the fact that many of them have no food, water, and electricity. This is a real blow to the members who love the missionaries and depend on them, but they also want to feed and clothe the missionaries when they can't even take care of themselves at this time.

I am sure you have seen the devastation on TV. It really is unbelievable. We feel there has been much divine help in finding people. We hope we can be of some help to those in need.
Conan and Cindy Grames
Directors, Public Affairs
Asia North Area – Tokyo

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Message from the Pacific Area Emergency Response Manager for the LDS church:
Japan Earthquake & Tsunami – Update #5
March 14, 2011
Status of Church Members and Properties

- All missionaries in Japan are accounted for and are in safe locations.
- All missionaries have been moved at least 60 km from damaged nuclear plants.
- All Church employees in Japan are safe and accounted for.
- Approximately 950 members have been contacted. Initial reports indicate there are no injuries or confirmed deaths of Church members; however, there is still limited information on the status of members from the most devastated areas.
- Local Church leaders and area leaders are working tirelessly to contact and assist all members in the affected areas.
- Of the 54 church buildings in the affected area, 31 have been assessed thus far. Of those 31 buildings, 19 have suffered varying degrees of damage.
- There is no significant damage to the Tokyo temple.
- Church leaders in the Sendai Stake are in the process of assessing the condition of all Church member homes.
- The LDS disaster response team at Church headquarters is closely monitoring the situation and is in constant contact with the area office in Tokyo.
- Area leaders are working with government and humanitarian organizations to provide assistance.
- Members throughout Japan are expressing their love and sympathy to those affected by the quake and are anxious to provide assistance.
-A record 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan on March 11, near the city of Sendai. The quake generated a powerful tsunami which struck northern Japan within minutes, causing widespread destruction to coastal areas and communities. The Japanese government is reporting significant loss of life and severe damage to buildings and infrastructure in the Sendai area.
- More than 2,800 people are confirmed dead with thousands more missing as search and rescue efforts continue.
- The area continues to experience strong aftershocks triggering tsunami warnings. More than 300 aftershocks have been reported which are hampering rescue efforts.
- The majority of causalities in Japan are expected to be from the tsunami rather than the earthquake.
- The government of Japan has mobilized thousands of troops, planes, and ships for a large-scale emergency response operation. The U.S. government and military has pledged full support to rescue and relief efforts.
- Japan declared a state of emergency due to the threat posed by damage to two nuclear power plants and has ordered the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents.
- Access into the Sendai area is very limited.
- Roughly 2,050 evacuation centers are open with approximately 400,000 occupants.
- More than 4 million people remain without power. The government has implemented rolling blackouts to help conserve energy.
- Water and power systems have been damaged or destroyed in the affected area creating a shortage of clean water and other basic supplies.
- Tens of thousands of earthquake victims have been displaced from their homes.
- Communication services in the Sendai area continue to be difficult.
- No major damage is being reported in other countries from the quake or tsunami waves.

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There are native Japanese missionaries who have family members living in the worst hit areas! I can't imagine how hard it would be, waiting and wondering about their loved ones--family, relatives, neighbors, fellow ward members.

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Japan: Please pray for the Military that have been sent to Japan to aide in the rescue. Many of the worst hit areas cannot be accessed yet.

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We are still waiting for an update on the Sendai missionaries. We will hopefully hear soon. This much we do know:

-Contact with all mission presidents in Japan has been established.
-All missionaries outside the Sendai mission are safe and accounted for.
-President Reid Tateoka of the Sendai mission has contacted the area office.
-All missionaries in Japan living along coastal regions have been moved to inland locations.
-All members of the Asia North Area presidency and their wives are safe.
-Minor damage is being reported to the Tokyo temple.
-Tokyo temple housing is being used for to house members unable to return to their homes.
-Local Church leaders are working to contact all members.
-All employees in the area office are reported safe.
-The LDS Disaster response team at Church Headquarters is monitoring the situation and has been in constant contact via "Skype" with the Asia North Area.
-Leaders in all area offices are on high-alert and are working with local leaders to contact members and make them aware of potential tsunami danger.
-Government officials in all Pacific countries are working to move people to higher ground.
-Many cities and towns along the eastern coastline of Japan are reporting extensive damage from the tsunami. This is the fifth largest earthquake since 1900 and is the largest earthquake to ever hit Japan.
-Hundreds of deaths have been confirmed and numbers are expected to increase as reports are updated.
-Strong aftershocks continue to shake the area.
-Tsunami waves as high as 25 feet hit towns along the eastern seaboard of northern Japan.
-Thousands have been displaced from the tsunami.
-Hundreds of buildings and homes have been destroyed.
-Tsunami warnings have been issued for more than 50 countries throughout the Pacific region including Hawaii and the west coast of the USA. Most countries are reporting no damage.
-More than four million people are reported to be without power.
-Communication services are down throughout northern Japan.
-All public commuter services have been halted for the time being.
-Tokyo is reported to be in a state of gridlock.
-The earthquake was felt as far away as China.

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Remember, the power is out, so they are unable to contact many in the hardest hit areas.

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"We have heard from several of our friends in Yokosuka (south of Tokyo/Yokohama), where we lived, and they are fine, although there is some damage. They say the earthquake lasted 5 minutes and felt like it would not stop shaking. They speak of the Military Base pool (which is on the 2nd floor of the gym) leaking due to cracks and flooding down the stairs. Friends who had evacuated on Base to the highest hillsides spoke of seeing an explosion across the bay (near Tokyo) of a refinery of some sort. We have friends who are stuck at the airport where the shaking lasted for 30 minutes. Everyone was evacuated from Narita Airport out onto the tarmac to wait. My husband has been able to talk to several people in Japan via phone even though the news reports cell phones are out all over Japan. Our friends in Yokosuka have said they have felt at least 65 aftershocks so far...
I also read a couple of posts from friends on a military base in Misawa (100 miles or so north of Sendai) who report being in the dark, but ok.

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"We have just experienced a large earthquake here in Tokyo. It is probably related to the one in Northern Japan a couple of days ago. I have heard that this one measured 8.8-9.2, and the first wave went on for more than 20 minutes. It would subside and then go again. There seems to be a little damage at the office, but nothing critical. Both Wade and I and everyone at the office are fine, a little frightened, but fine.

"We have had one good aftershock, unless it never stopped in the first place. It has been nearly an hour now, and things are still not quite steady. We were able to get beneath the desks, so all is well. Any further news, and we will let you know as soon as we can. I'm not sure that the Internet is working, but I will try to send this anyway.

"We are now home at 6:30 and still have aftershocks, but more in the 5 range. We are fine. Disneyland has 1' of water from the tsunami.

"We are really ok. Just shaken, literally and figuratively, but alright.

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LINKS:

· http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/18/6292170-in-japan-the-mormon-network-gathers-the-flock

· http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/60636/45-missionaries-in-Japan-coming-home-early.html

· http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/d058dca5c41c4e14b9ac55024bc20c37/UT--Utah-Missionaries-Japan/

· http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_utah_missionaries_japan.html

· http://www.theblaze.com/stories/evolution-watch-the-japanese-tsunami-travel-from-sea-to-countryside/

· http://www.theblaze.com/stories/see-footage-of-the-moment-the-8-9-quake-hit-japan/

· http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2011/03/11/updates-on-japan-and-the-tsunami/

· http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14700413

· http://newsroom.lds.org/

· http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700118475/LDS-families-finally-hearing-from-missionaries-in-Japan.html?pg=1

· http://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com/upper_valley_religion/lds-missionary-witnesses-tsunami/article_55e6179e-50e0-11e0-b1b3-001cc4c03286.html

· http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

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Please Donate through a safe Humanitarian Aid source, like the Red Cross. I would suggest donation to the LDS Humanitarian Services.

Milano

In December 2010, my son entered the Provo MTC. He was called to serve a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He spent 10 weeks there training and learning Italian. In February he embarked on the biggest adventure of his life. His journey to Italy began on a Tuesday morning at 10 AM (where he was required to meet and travel to the Salt Lake City Airport). He flew to Denver, Colorado. From Denver, he flew to Frankfurt, Germany. From Frankfurt, he flew to Milan, Italy. He arrived in Italy Wednesday at 5 PM.

We talked to him on the phone when he was in Salt Lake and Denver, but then didn't hear from him for a few days. I was sad to find out the the Mission President's wife called some of the parents of the other missionaries to say their kids had made it (14 had traveled together), but she had not called us.

The first message we get from my son is that he wants to come home. He had only been there a couple of days. This was a night and day difference from our phone calls with him. He was so excited to be going and couldn't wait to be there. What happened in those first few days I do not know, but something happened. I couldn't believe the message that I had read. I immediately forwarded it to his mission president. I also sent a message to my bishop and stake president. This is the first time I have had a missionary. I didn't know what to do with a son who wanted to come home.

If he needed to come home because of worthiness issues or health issues or something that made sense than this would be a whole different story. Even if it had been a few weeks into his mission, this would have been a different story, but when it was only days, I knew something needed to be done, so I did all that I could at the time which was to fast, pray, go to the temple and let those who might be able to do something know.

I have no idea what my son was really going through, but this was a hard thing for my family to deal with. We were sad, then mad, then irritated, sad some more, and so on and so on. My son has no idea how much his siblings look up to him and how let down they felt by him. As a parent, I mostly worried about how my son would treat himself if he came home early. I think he would be his own worse critic and would really have a hard time with this his entire life.

The next few days were trying. I believe in the power of prayer. I know that my son has so many people who care about him and love him, so I asked if they would keep him in their prayers and since the upcoming Sunday was fast Sunday, I also asked if they would join our family in fasting for my son. I was overwhelmed with the love, compassion, and kindness of my friends, neighbors and complete strangers. I literally received hundreds of messages. I heard and received story upon story of personal missionary experiences. I was strengthened by their love and testimonies. I wished that my son could have felt the love and compassion from all of these people.

Fast Sunday came. Our family fasted longer than we had ever done together as a family. For my youngest it was hard, but she really wanted to do it. Even though I was a mess the week before, I woke up Sunday with the feeling that I have witnessed the Love of our Lord. I have no idea what the outcome will be for my son, but I knew that the Lord was mindful of him and of all the prayers and fasting that were being done on his behalf. I bore my testimony that day. How I don't really know. I just did. I didn't get up to thank or have some great story to tell, but a simple testimony. One that had been strengthened and needed to be shared.

Phone calls were placed to and from Italy. I am so blessed that my son has the Mission President he has and that we have a Stake President that is kind and caring and took the extra effort to set up a weekly call to my son to help put him back together each week.

Monday, following Fast Sunday, my son said he was staying - that he would give it 6 months. Tuesday he said he wasn't. Wednesday our Stake President got him to commit to a week and to take it week by week from there, and so on. It has been an emotional roller coaster for all of us, not knowing what to plan on or what to expect and not really understanding why. I finally got the confirmation that I had done what I was supposed to do. I had let it go. It was up to the Lord to help all of us get through whatever the outcome might be.

I don't see that the only successful outcome for my son is to serve a full 2 year mission. I wouldn't see or treat him like a failure if he were to come home. If he were to come home, there would be a lot of adjusting both for him and for us. We would have to then arm him with the skills to move on with his life, and just like sending him on a mission, I feel just as inadequate to do that.

So here we are a few weeks later. We finally got a message from him that states that he is excited for Christmas in Italy! His message wasn't all rosy and happy, it was almost of a more rebellious nature, but I can see that he is working through some of the issues that he has been having and is running the range of emotions, like I had earlier. However, I never expected that he would be happy for something 9 months away. This seems like the glimmer of hope that he needed and that we had all prayed for. Right now he is serving in Milan, Italy. I would sure love to be there. The 2 pics are from Milan.

Too Much Time has Passed

I think that I checked out for a year! 2010 was a really hard year for me. Don't get me wrong, lots of really great things happened. However, overall there were a lot of things that were just hard. 2011 has not started off so well either, but in all the craziness, I can finally see how things are working themselves out and how I have been extremely blessed along the way. Perhaps at some point I might mention some of the things, but for now I just want to move forward and look ahead.

2009 Christmas Update (newsletter)

Wow! Another year down. Crazy how time flies by so quickly. This has been an interesting year for us. It has had its ups and downs. Which reminds us of how thankful we are for all the blessings we do receive.

Ally - Just turned 9 years old. She has had an exciting year. In January, she was baptized. She played on a soccer team. She is easily entertained. She is very excited for Christmas. She has already made her family presents, wrapped them and put them under the tree. She is kind and friendly to everyone.

Landon - He happily graduated elementary school, joined the Deacons Quorum, and moved on to Middle School. Landon has never enjoyed school all that much, but middle school seems to work for him. He is getting good grades and doesn't hate it, but to say he liked school would be going too far! He does enjoy earning merit badges in the Boy Scouts and hanging out with his friends. He is fun to have around.

Sam - She is still our Dancing Queen! She was Sleeping Beauty in her Spring dance production. She is an amazing ballerina. She is looking forward to turning 14 in a few short weeks. She also loves to babysit. She is a favorite amongst many of the children we live by. She loves to shop and hang out with her friends.

Keyan - This has been a big year for him. He played lots of soccer, futsal and indoor soccer. He earned his Eagle Scout Award. His project was massive. He put in a sidewalk. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but he did it through a city grant which meant he had to go to neighborhood meetings, city council meetings, and other city meetings for approval, not to mention all the other requirements, just for the grant (not even the actual project). He is a senior in high school. He turned 18. He is a great kid. We are very proud of him!

Christy - I've been busy with all my volunteer stuff. My kids keep telling me I need to learn to say no! I enjoy it though. Although I really do need to get a paying job. I need a reason to get out of the house and to earn some money too! I coached Ally's soccer team this Spring. I designed the entire elementary school yearbook in only a few short weeks. I do web design projects and other digital design. I still love to scrapbook, although I never seem to find any time at all for it. I am still the Young Women's president for my ward and I love it! Mostly, I just do whatever my kids need me to.

Chris - This year has brought some unexpected changes. He has been a finance manager for years. He was at a car dealership that happened to lose both of their franchises due to the current administrations dealings with the US car companies. No, we are not big Obama supporters around here! Due to his dealership being up in the air for so long, they lost nearly all their business. Although Chris had a job, he wasn't making anything. So he jumped ship and is now working for One Hour Heating and Air. So if you live in Utah and need anything furnace or air conditioning related, you should call that company. It's been a huge adjustment for all of us! He is still a youth Sunday School teacher which he very much enjoys.

So life has been crazy as always.
How could one expect anything less? :)
We are looking forward to the holidays and the new year.
We hope that you have a very
Merry Christmas!