Some cherry blossoms in the background (look above the bushes). The bushes here turn fiery red in the spring as the new growth comes out. Really neat to see.
In the background the sign says beware of Rattlesnakes. No one claims to have every seen one.
St. Patricks Day, we even had green rice. The real hit was the fresh spinach bread--a much better tasting bread than zucchini bread by the way--and a brilliant shamrock green!
Playing Badmitton (they are really very good!) The two girls with their backs to the camera are all-Kyushu champions. The one on the right is a member. They are really amazing to watch. 
Eikaiwa (English conversation) Class...
At church in Oita. The other Americans are the Holmes family. He is working for the International Center in Oita. 
The Bishop in Oita, who used to be Bill's Companion:
And his wife and children.
Cherry Blossoms in the background (the big tree)
Missionaries with Sister Iwaasa, our mission mom. She has just returned from buying us individual lunches--rice, a pickle, some meat sauce on the rice, a small serving of potato salad and a surprising lack of vegetables. Sister Iwaasa and I agreed that maybe next time we would not take the elders' recommendation without checking it out first:)
More Missionaries and investigators and new members. The two tall Americans standing in the middle are our zone leaders, Elder Johnson from Sandy, UT and Elder Monahon from Gilbert, AZ. They really tower over everyone:,
Missionaries again, taken April 22, 2008: We have three new missionaries in our district, so I am not the only one who cannot understand Japanese. Sister Pike, standing next to me, is from Springville, Utah. Her dad is an ancient scriptures professor at BYU.
Missionaries! The same group taken twice so that you can see that both of us are here, not just one in front of the camera and the other one some where else (usually in back of the camera):
A class on marriage and relationships. The young man in the center in the purple hat announced last week that he is engaged and getting married in the temple. He met his fiancee at the first big YSA Outreach opening social. Hooray for Outreach!
Another baptism. Although we did not directly teach her, she is a wonderful, humble person and is in our ward, Nagamine Ward, here in Kumamoto. Sister Miyase and her son are on the right. Miyase Kyodai is one excellent dancer. He is teaching a very complicated modern Japanese dance to the YSA for our upcoming conference.
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