Sunday, February 15, 2009
Kendall and Cortney's kids...
Aliza, Avery, and Ashlynn Struchen and Mckinley and Holden Murdock visiting Grandma Pat and Grandpa Glen's house for Valentine's Day...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009...
Today started out with Steve leaving by 6:30 to go to work. I had a couple of appointments that I had to go to. Amanda had piano lessons and was out of school for parent/teacher's conferences. They have 1600 kids at her school and so you don't go to conferences unless there is a problem. Amanda is doing great, so she didn't have to go. Dean took his first college test on line for this semester while we were all gone. Then, Steve came home and needed to check out some church buildings. We all went along for the ride and to let Dean see some of New Mexico's charm. Dean was able to see several of the buildings that Steve is over. It was fun for him to see the different church buildings and the great distance Steve has to travel. We had a great time...didn't get home until 10:00pm. Long day, but so nice to be together...
Birthday dinner...bottom two pictures are one of two birthday breakfasts...
We split the birthday breakfasts up. Steve likes Eggs Benedict and Dean likes Belguim Waffles. Since we were up so late and the waffles take 2 hours to set before cooking, we decided that Steve's breakfast would be on the birthday. Steve had to be to work by 7:00 and I had to be to work by 7:55. Dean's breakfast will happen on Sunday. We are making this a birthday weekend, not just a birthday day...
Zuni was also on the agenda to check out...
We stopped at Paywa's to see Jimmy's big mud oven, shopped at a local shop, and finished off with pizza from Chu-Chu's...
Ramah was next on our venture...
This is a cave dewelling along a dirt road by Ramah. It's a fun place to stop and see how small the entrances are and low the ceilings are.
Acoma trip...
Acoma is the oldest known settlement in the USA. There are 13 clans that live there with no running water, electricty or plumbing facilities. Their pottery is one of my favorites. They use the Yuka plant as brushes for their fine strokes on their pottery. One of my favorite places to visit...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
February 12, 2009 Happy Birthday to both of you..... Steve is 52 and 25 for Dean...
Dean and I have been planning this surprise for a few months. I found fabulous airfare for Dean to fly here from Buffalo, NY and since he and Steve share the same birthday and were born at the same time, I just thought they needed to share their birthdays together this year. So, Dean flew into Albuquerque at 9:45 last night. Steve had no idea he was coming...the look on his face was priceless...
Amanda had her New Beginnings last night. We were there longer than planned. So, we had to take Steve with us to the airport. I told him that we needed to go somewhere and he had to go with us and he couldn't ask any questions. He was great...Steve drove us and then when we came to the airport exit I had him take it...He put a fun smile on his face, knowing something was up...
We pulled in and the flight hadn't arrived yet. We pulled over to the waiting area and watched the plane land. It was really close to our vehicle. Then Steve decided he was going to start calling all the kids to see who didn't answer their phone. Amanda took his phone and we waited for the deplaning to happen...
It was finally time to pull to the luggage/curb side and greet our surprise visitor. Steve was so happy when he saw Dean come out...It was worth all the planning
We had a full and fun day. Steve and Dean had pedicures later this afternoon and Amanda had a manicure. Steve was totally enjoying the foot soaking and Dean was laughing so hard when the guy was working on his feet, because it was "tickling"...We had a great time...then I fixed steaks, shrimp, potatoes, asparagus, green salad for dinner and topped it off with a trip to DQ for hot fudge sundaes... Great birthday and fun enjoyed by all...
Dean went to school and had lunch with Amanda. Steve came to my class had a birthday party lunch with pizza and cupcakes. Some of the kids made really fun cards for him and had little treasures to share.
Fabulous day....
Monday, February 9, 2009
More of Aaron's letters to us 2-9-09
The new comp is a way nice elder. Way easy to get along with and helping me learn Portuguese!!
The apartment is a little smaller and dirtier...I must say I like having been in the Toyama apt. 6 months so I could get it all clean to my liking...now I have to start over! haha
We live like 5-10 minutes from the Inuyama Eki...the church is also way close and way nice! It has the parking under the building which is on stilts. Then there are two floors of church. Way nice.
I think we will just shop at supermarkets. I haven't gone shopping here yet so I am not quite sure...but I have seen maybe one fruit veggie stand so I don't know...
The apartment is a little smaller and dirtier...I must say I like having been in the Toyama apt. 6 months so I could get it all clean to my liking...now I have to start over! haha
We live like 5-10 minutes from the Inuyama Eki...the church is also way close and way nice! It has the parking under the building which is on stilts. Then there are two floors of church. Way nice.
I think we will just shop at supermarkets. I haven't gone shopping here yet so I am not quite sure...but I have seen maybe one fruit veggie stand so I don't know...
Aaron's letter 2-9-09
Hey Everyone!!
Well I am now in the city of Inuyama!! Way different than little country Toyama but still awesome!! Lots of Brazillians and quite a few other Latinos as well, lots of Peruvians. They are the nicest people ever!! Much more open to our message and even letting us into their homes! I don't still understand everything our of their mouths but am learning and trying to do my best! I have been trying to speak as much Spanish as possible to the Peruvians in the ward to help with the Portuguese and yesterday gave my first door approach in Portuguese! Then right after I said who we were Elder Brandao took over haha!
But its way fun here! The members are the bomb and way fun to associate with! Half the chapel sits the Japanese and the other half sits those getting translation into Portuguese! Way funny set up
Yeah so that's life here...way big area still and we always bike a ways down this one road to get to places. Or we take the train and then walk.. we actually train quite a bit here. it's so bit that in order to get all over, you have to use the train. So bike and train area...
Now for the spiritual goodness we all love!
So when I came here I was wondering why I, an unspeaking Portuguese elder, would come to a Brazillian area....after thinking I came to the conclusion that it was to push me even farther as a missionary and member of the church...then I went to church on sunday.
I first noticed how there just seemed to be a split in the ward. A lack of full unity. I mean, all the members are still great people and way nice, but divided by the barrier of language.
So after church I began talking with an awesome sister, Sister Endo. She is a great missionary. In her entryway she has church material and copies of the Book of Mormon for all to see and question. She has given away many copies of the Book and is just awesome. Well, she told me how she had been praying and praying for an American elder to come here becuase lately it's have been only Brazillian. She told me how the relationship between the Japanese members and the elders has kind of gotten weaker and was praying for a solution. Then, she said, as I was giving my talk on Sunday, she felt a strong confirmation that this was meant to be and that while I am here, we can see a baptism.
While she was tellIng me all of this I felt peace and confirmation that that is why I am here. There is work to be done and we are called to do it! I know president Traveller is called of God. Furthermore, I know that God hears our prayers and answers the desires of our hearts. I have no doubt about the fact that I am here for a reason.
Heavenly Father completely knows our need and desires. In the case of this one sister's plead, he sent me. It is an amazing joy to be a servant of the Lord and go where he needs me. Yes, I am having to learn Portuguese. But through the Japanese I already have, I can help this ward and work with Elder Brandao and move this area, both Brazillian and JAPANESE!!
The church is true and I know that with all my heart!!
Love you all tons and wish you the best in all your efforts! Don't forget to look to the Lord for added help, it will come.
Elder Parks
Well I am now in the city of Inuyama!! Way different than little country Toyama but still awesome!! Lots of Brazillians and quite a few other Latinos as well, lots of Peruvians. They are the nicest people ever!! Much more open to our message and even letting us into their homes! I don't still understand everything our of their mouths but am learning and trying to do my best! I have been trying to speak as much Spanish as possible to the Peruvians in the ward to help with the Portuguese and yesterday gave my first door approach in Portuguese! Then right after I said who we were Elder Brandao took over haha!
But its way fun here! The members are the bomb and way fun to associate with! Half the chapel sits the Japanese and the other half sits those getting translation into Portuguese! Way funny set up
Yeah so that's life here...way big area still and we always bike a ways down this one road to get to places. Or we take the train and then walk.. we actually train quite a bit here. it's so bit that in order to get all over, you have to use the train. So bike and train area...
Now for the spiritual goodness we all love!
So when I came here I was wondering why I, an unspeaking Portuguese elder, would come to a Brazillian area....after thinking I came to the conclusion that it was to push me even farther as a missionary and member of the church...then I went to church on sunday.
I first noticed how there just seemed to be a split in the ward. A lack of full unity. I mean, all the members are still great people and way nice, but divided by the barrier of language.
So after church I began talking with an awesome sister, Sister Endo. She is a great missionary. In her entryway she has church material and copies of the Book of Mormon for all to see and question. She has given away many copies of the Book and is just awesome. Well, she told me how she had been praying and praying for an American elder to come here becuase lately it's have been only Brazillian. She told me how the relationship between the Japanese members and the elders has kind of gotten weaker and was praying for a solution. Then, she said, as I was giving my talk on Sunday, she felt a strong confirmation that this was meant to be and that while I am here, we can see a baptism.
While she was tellIng me all of this I felt peace and confirmation that that is why I am here. There is work to be done and we are called to do it! I know president Traveller is called of God. Furthermore, I know that God hears our prayers and answers the desires of our hearts. I have no doubt about the fact that I am here for a reason.
Heavenly Father completely knows our need and desires. In the case of this one sister's plead, he sent me. It is an amazing joy to be a servant of the Lord and go where he needs me. Yes, I am having to learn Portuguese. But through the Japanese I already have, I can help this ward and work with Elder Brandao and move this area, both Brazillian and JAPANESE!!
The church is true and I know that with all my heart!!
Love you all tons and wish you the best in all your efforts! Don't forget to look to the Lord for added help, it will come.
Elder Parks
Amanda's Jaw Expander
This is what it looks like inside Amanda's mouth. This is a picture model that I found, but it just like it. It will extend her top jaw line so they can move the other teeth into place. She talks funny, but is doing okay so far...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Amanda has started two years of braces and work on her teeth
Amanda has waited for this day forever. Steve took her this morning to get everything started. It will take two years for everything to finalize. She has spacers in her teeth on the top right now. She'll get wider spacers on Monday. They will be in there until the end of April or first of May. They are extending her top jaw line so she has more room. They are not pulling any teeth. Amanda was happy about that. So, before the end of the school year, she'll be our metal mouth daughter. She took after me with her top teeth. Poor child, but she is happy to get everything going now. We'll get pictures at the next visit...
The Japanese Tea Ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony or Sado is a traditional way of preparing tea rooted deeply in the Japanese culture of honour and based on Taoism and Zen Buddhism. Powdered green tea is skilfully and elegantly prepared by a host and drank by guests preferably in a tranquil setting. Each step of the process must be mastered, each hand movement a graceful, precise, pre-defined expression honed over many years of training which doesn’t stop with the ceremony itself but extends into other traditional art forms like calligraphy and flower arranging.
Guests also have strict behaviours to follow including a script for both speech and gestures, the whole point of the art and detail of the exercise being that it be the most charming, perfect way of doing such a simple thing and that each meeting should be treasured for it cannot be reproduced.
The traditions of the ceremony were begun by samurai in the 13th Century. It is now common for Japanese people interested in learning more about their own culture and traditions to take tea ceremony lessons.
Even in the most basic ceremony a variety of implements are needed: Natsume, which are tea caddies, Chawans, tea bowls, a tea scoop, Chasen, which are whisks carved from a single piece of bamboo, Hishaku, a bamboo ladle, Fukusa, a silk square used to clean the tea scoop and to cover the hot handles or lids and Tana, or shelves to put everything on.
The ceremony begins with the cleaning of all the implements in front of the guests before the careful process of boiling the water, adding it to the powdered tea, whisking and serving the tea takes place. Conversation is kept to a minimum, the idea being to create and enjoy a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere amid seasonally appropriate décor, scents and sounds.
There are huge numbers of traditional tea houses or ocha in Japan which will allow visitors to watch or take part in tea ceremonies. The Shizuoka region to Tokyo’s west grows some of the best tea available so it is a good place if you’re interested in getting the best flavours. If you’re looking for the most traditional of experiences Jo-an Ocha, set in the Urakuen Zen Garden in Inuyama was built in 1618 by one of the great tea ceremony masters has been designated as a National Treasure. 1 Mikadosaki, Inuyama-shi, Aichi.
Guests also have strict behaviours to follow including a script for both speech and gestures, the whole point of the art and detail of the exercise being that it be the most charming, perfect way of doing such a simple thing and that each meeting should be treasured for it cannot be reproduced.
The traditions of the ceremony were begun by samurai in the 13th Century. It is now common for Japanese people interested in learning more about their own culture and traditions to take tea ceremony lessons.
Even in the most basic ceremony a variety of implements are needed: Natsume, which are tea caddies, Chawans, tea bowls, a tea scoop, Chasen, which are whisks carved from a single piece of bamboo, Hishaku, a bamboo ladle, Fukusa, a silk square used to clean the tea scoop and to cover the hot handles or lids and Tana, or shelves to put everything on.
The ceremony begins with the cleaning of all the implements in front of the guests before the careful process of boiling the water, adding it to the powdered tea, whisking and serving the tea takes place. Conversation is kept to a minimum, the idea being to create and enjoy a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere amid seasonally appropriate décor, scents and sounds.
There are huge numbers of traditional tea houses or ocha in Japan which will allow visitors to watch or take part in tea ceremonies. The Shizuoka region to Tokyo’s west grows some of the best tea available so it is a good place if you’re interested in getting the best flavours. If you’re looking for the most traditional of experiences Jo-an Ocha, set in the Urakuen Zen Garden in Inuyama was built in 1618 by one of the great tea ceremony masters has been designated as a National Treasure. 1 Mikadosaki, Inuyama-shi, Aichi.
Urakuen Garden in Inuyama, Japan
The Urakuen garden and the Jo-an teahouse inside the garden is a must-see sight in Inuyama. The garden is a short walk from Inuyama Castle in the grounds of the luxury Meitetsu Inuyama Hotel.
Urakuen is designed as a cha-niwa garden; a garden designed with the aesthetic of the tea ceremony in mind.
Joan Tea Ceremony House in Inuyama, Japan
Joan is one of Japan's most celebrated tea ceremony houses and a designated national treasure. It was built in 1618 by Oda Uraku, a younger brother of Oda Nobunaga and a disciple of Sen-no-rikyu, Japan's most famous master of the tea ceremony.
During the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the Joan teahouse was moved from Kyoto to Inuyama where it now stands in the Urakuen, a Japanese garden which also exhibits Uraku's former study room and more tea ceremony houses.
Urakusai was a noted teamaster who studied under the great Sen no Rikyu and started his own tea school in Kyoto. With Christian influence on the rise among both the aristocracy and common people in the early 17th century, Urakusai became a closet Christian and there is a possible link between his adopted Christian name of "Joao" and the name of the teahouse Jo-an.
Inuyama, Japan
Inuyama (pop. 70,000), just 25km north of Nagoya, has the oldest original castle in Japan. Although it isn't very old by European or Asian standards (even Japan's oldest temple is 800 years older), nor very big, it has the particularity of being the only castle privately owned nowadays. The Narusune family have been their happy possessors since 1618.
Note the Jo-an teahouse (如庵) in the Uraku-en Garden (有楽園) on the way from the station to the castle. The teahouse was founded by Oda Nobunaga's brother, Oda Urakusai, in 1618 and is considered one of the finest in Japan.
There is not much else to see in Inuyama, apart from cormorant fishing (鵜飼い "ukai") in the Kiso river, or take a boat trip on the river itself.
Aaron's letter 2-3-09
Hey Everyone!
Well I am finally on and typing the email. Earlier we got suddenly kicked out of the 2nd library by the apt because of another no email rule. How lame! But that's alright we just went home and I continued the packing thing because I am officially being transferred to time #1!
(drum roll....) I am going to Inuyama! It's more south by the mission home and is full of Brazillians and non Japanese speakers!! Haha, even my new companion is Brazillian. His name is Elder Branao. So, as you may be wondering, I now have a need to learn Portuguese and pick up that long lost Spanish! I am a little nervous for it all, seeing as how my Japanese isn't perfect yet, but know that, as I felt from the Holy Ghost this morning, *it will be ok.* It is going to really push me even harder once I get there and going. I have to buckle down even harder and really focus my energies in on the right things!!
But if there is one thing I have learned from the past 6 months in Japan it is, the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father truly help us in all our righteous endeavors! So, even though this new change is looming over my head, and happening tomorrow!, I have faith. Sometimes it's a hard thing to really have that strong faith, but once I (we) do, it all works out!!
On that spiritual note, the baptism was awesome!! Oh my goodness was it awesome! The service turned out great and then as I was standing with her in the water I was overcome with this strong feeling of power that enabled me to speak for a few moments. It was awesome. After, as she bore her testimony, we all felt of her goodness. She is the sweetest lady and is trying with all her might to progess. She specifically said in that testimony that she is so excited she can now take of the water and bread each week. How pure! Then as we went out to lunch yesterday she mentioned how right after her baptism the next day she had the strongest urge to light a cigarette and smoke. But, as she confidently told us, she didn't give in! She is fully aware of the adversary and trying with all her might to conquer, and is doing it!!
And, sadly, I will be leaving this amazing ward but know that the two elders I am leaving it to will be great! And when things are set on a base of the Lord, fear is crushed.
Well that is about what life has been like lately and I love you all tons!!
The church is true and we all have a great chance for greatness with the knowledge we have!!
Never forget that!
Elder Parks
Well I am finally on and typing the email. Earlier we got suddenly kicked out of the 2nd library by the apt because of another no email rule. How lame! But that's alright we just went home and I continued the packing thing because I am officially being transferred to time #1!
(drum roll....) I am going to Inuyama! It's more south by the mission home and is full of Brazillians and non Japanese speakers!! Haha, even my new companion is Brazillian. His name is Elder Branao. So, as you may be wondering, I now have a need to learn Portuguese and pick up that long lost Spanish! I am a little nervous for it all, seeing as how my Japanese isn't perfect yet, but know that, as I felt from the Holy Ghost this morning, *it will be ok.* It is going to really push me even harder once I get there and going. I have to buckle down even harder and really focus my energies in on the right things!!
But if there is one thing I have learned from the past 6 months in Japan it is, the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father truly help us in all our righteous endeavors! So, even though this new change is looming over my head, and happening tomorrow!, I have faith. Sometimes it's a hard thing to really have that strong faith, but once I (we) do, it all works out!!
On that spiritual note, the baptism was awesome!! Oh my goodness was it awesome! The service turned out great and then as I was standing with her in the water I was overcome with this strong feeling of power that enabled me to speak for a few moments. It was awesome. After, as she bore her testimony, we all felt of her goodness. She is the sweetest lady and is trying with all her might to progess. She specifically said in that testimony that she is so excited she can now take of the water and bread each week. How pure! Then as we went out to lunch yesterday she mentioned how right after her baptism the next day she had the strongest urge to light a cigarette and smoke. But, as she confidently told us, she didn't give in! She is fully aware of the adversary and trying with all her might to conquer, and is doing it!!
And, sadly, I will be leaving this amazing ward but know that the two elders I am leaving it to will be great! And when things are set on a base of the Lord, fear is crushed.
Well that is about what life has been like lately and I love you all tons!!
The church is true and we all have a great chance for greatness with the knowledge we have!!
Never forget that!
Elder Parks
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