Beloved Hogge Family:
What’s up? Is everyone genki? That means, “is everyone happy?”
I’m doing okay. I just happened to pick up a rather bad headache in the last hour, so it is quite a bad time that I chose this hour to write you all a letter. Please bear with me as I type with my eyes closed. ☺ Oh, down went the ibuprofen.
Well, we had transfers, and so that means that I didn’t do much outside missionary work this week. However, I am still in the Mission Office, and I am still Mission Recorder. Yay. We have been doing a lot with the new mission president in changing things up around here. He is a really awesome man. His faith is so strong that it makes my faith strong too. He has a vision, and we are all working to accomplish it.
One of the things we have been working on is adding new articles for the mission newsletter. President Isa wants pictures and letters from missionaries every time they have a baptism. And so, we got our first one last week. It is a really cool story because Elder Moon and I were the first ones who contacted the man who got baptized. He is a 79 year old man, and both of his daughters are members, but he had never been asked to hear the lessons. So we invited him to hear. We had a couple lessons, and then we were both transferred. However, the missionaries that came in for us kept it going, and eventually brought him to the waters of baptism. It is unexplainable the joy that you feel when being a part of a baptism. So far here on my mission, I have been the one at the baptisms seeing the fruits of other missionaries’ labors before me. Now that I have been a part of the beginning of the story, I still feel that same joy. That comes straight out of D&C 18:15 -- “How great would be your joy if you bring just one soul unto the kingdom of God.” Just goes to show how the gospel is true!
Anyways, one of the elders who did the baptism wrote an article explaining Brother Isoda’s baptism and sent it to the Mission Office. I revised and edited it for length, and I’m not going to lie, it was kinda fun! Uh oh, I’ve got that blood in me. No matter how much I say I disliked English class in high school, I can’t escape genetics . . . . so: President Isa has got me writing some more form letters for “congratulations on baptism” and that kind of thing.
At transfers, Elder Jensen came into the mission office. He crashed his bike 3 weeks ago and had surgery on his collar bone, but now he’s out of the hospital, and looking to take my spot as recorder by the end of next transfer. He is a really young missionary who just started his 3rd transfer, so he really really wants to get out and work, but with his arm in a sling, the only way for him to stay in Japan on his mission is to take my spot. So, I’m going to be training him this transfer, and then I might head out into the field. (Who knows, if there are any problems in the mission, the AP’s told me I could go out earlier . . . . I like being a problem solver! ☺)
Random fact: I saw a wild boar the other day while we were visiting a potential investigator! It ran around us and hopped into the forest right behind the potential investigator’s house.
Random fact #2: At this past transfer, my trainer and 2nd companion (half trainer) both finished their missions and went home to America! They are my first to go.
Random fact #3: I made that Oreo pie that you sent me, Mom. It was a great hit in the office! It was way fun and really easy to make. Anything like that is way nifty out here!
Random fact #4: I am in my 2nd 3 person companionship . . . and that just basically means FUN!
My headache is still here, but it feels like it will go away soon. I SO wish I could have been there for Grandpa’s setting apart as a sealer. That must have been so COOL! Imagine: Hogge family temple trip! Once everyone gets back off their missions, that would be so fun. Also, I’m glad that China went well. Everything was safe and all that. I’ve heard stories about how crazy China can be, so I’m glad it all went well.
So yeah, that’s about it. I hope everyone is doing well!
Mega (Japanese symbol meaning Love)
Hogge Churro
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
30 June 2008 and 7 July 2008
30 June 2008
Hey family!
Another P-day on the run, and I’m scrambling to get a letter or two written! Yeah! I’m right now on a ferry headed back to Miyajima -- the big red gate in the water! There is a huge forest of trees engulfing the island it is on. Lots of green. Lots of green. There is a nice little sea breeze, and it just feels right here. This morning, we saw our old mission president off -- and caught it on camera! Yes, President Yafuso was a very small, happy man! Some would even call him a little cooky! Haha, he was always looking to make a joke -- and it was even funnier when it wasn’t funny just because he’s a little old man! Haha. Yeah. And then we welcomed the new mission president as he stepped off the shinkansen Saturday. Okay, that was confusing. Basically, our new mission president came on Saturday, and our old mission president left Monday morning. So. . . .
7 June 2008
that went by way too fast! Yeah, it is a week later, and it’s the same letter. Yeah, the new president is kind of quiet, but a REALLY strong man. When it is time to work, boy! He works! I’m glad I’m in the office because I have the chance to get to know him. He really came in without knowing much about the mission at all, so we are all learning a bunch together. I pride myself that I’ve gotten him to laugh and relax a bit. ☺ He’s a really great guy. Sister Isa is really stepping things up, though. She’s got us working on changing procedure and “the system.” I think she put it best when she said, “I’m a mean mom, but I give candy!” Yeah, she’s fluent in English, and he’s pretty good, but not quite fluent. So, that’s way more English than our last president and wife. Anyways, we have been really busy with things changing in the office/mission with the new couple. And, on top of that, one of the elders in our zone crashed way bad and broke his collar bone! But man, he’s a trooper. He had surgery last week, and he’s dying to get out. It’s only his 2nd transfer, so it looks like he will come to the mission office and eventually take my place as he does a little rehab. And on top of that, his companion is one of the craziest, insane missionaries in our mission, so all of us in the Mission Office have been taking turns transferring to the area an hour away and continuing the work. I like being a part of the solution!
Anyways, this was my most patriotic 4th of July yet! It’s amazing how much more that holiday means to me here in Japan. We started things off right -- putting little American flags I got in a Dear Elder package from Grandma and Grandpa Buck in our shirt pockets and waving them by swiveling our whole bodies while singing “God Bless America” to my Japanese companion. Haha. It was pretty way funny. And then, I went with one of the AP’s to take his driver’s test. He was failed for the 3rd time. The Japanese are sooo “strict.” Basically, they told him he wasn’t checking his mirrors long enough one time, and the next time, not checking his mirrors as precise and quick enough! It is even on a course, so there are zero cars. They wanted to force him through a driver’s class which would cost money and time that he doesn’t have, . . . so all he can do is just keep taking the test (which he would pass in America every time) and fail it in Japan. So, that gave us more reason to celebrate our patriotism and country that is fair on driver’s tests. Hooray! Every heart beats true for the red, white, and blue! God bless America! Haha. So, in conclusion, I love the mission and especially the people, not I am still very much American!
Cheers, Elder Hogge
Hey family!
Another P-day on the run, and I’m scrambling to get a letter or two written! Yeah! I’m right now on a ferry headed back to Miyajima -- the big red gate in the water! There is a huge forest of trees engulfing the island it is on. Lots of green. Lots of green. There is a nice little sea breeze, and it just feels right here. This morning, we saw our old mission president off -- and caught it on camera! Yes, President Yafuso was a very small, happy man! Some would even call him a little cooky! Haha, he was always looking to make a joke -- and it was even funnier when it wasn’t funny just because he’s a little old man! Haha. Yeah. And then we welcomed the new mission president as he stepped off the shinkansen Saturday. Okay, that was confusing. Basically, our new mission president came on Saturday, and our old mission president left Monday morning. So. . . .
7 June 2008
that went by way too fast! Yeah, it is a week later, and it’s the same letter. Yeah, the new president is kind of quiet, but a REALLY strong man. When it is time to work, boy! He works! I’m glad I’m in the office because I have the chance to get to know him. He really came in without knowing much about the mission at all, so we are all learning a bunch together. I pride myself that I’ve gotten him to laugh and relax a bit. ☺ He’s a really great guy. Sister Isa is really stepping things up, though. She’s got us working on changing procedure and “the system.” I think she put it best when she said, “I’m a mean mom, but I give candy!” Yeah, she’s fluent in English, and he’s pretty good, but not quite fluent. So, that’s way more English than our last president and wife. Anyways, we have been really busy with things changing in the office/mission with the new couple. And, on top of that, one of the elders in our zone crashed way bad and broke his collar bone! But man, he’s a trooper. He had surgery last week, and he’s dying to get out. It’s only his 2nd transfer, so it looks like he will come to the mission office and eventually take my place as he does a little rehab. And on top of that, his companion is one of the craziest, insane missionaries in our mission, so all of us in the Mission Office have been taking turns transferring to the area an hour away and continuing the work. I like being a part of the solution!
Anyways, this was my most patriotic 4th of July yet! It’s amazing how much more that holiday means to me here in Japan. We started things off right -- putting little American flags I got in a Dear Elder package from Grandma and Grandpa Buck in our shirt pockets and waving them by swiveling our whole bodies while singing “God Bless America” to my Japanese companion. Haha. It was pretty way funny. And then, I went with one of the AP’s to take his driver’s test. He was failed for the 3rd time. The Japanese are sooo “strict.” Basically, they told him he wasn’t checking his mirrors long enough one time, and the next time, not checking his mirrors as precise and quick enough! It is even on a course, so there are zero cars. They wanted to force him through a driver’s class which would cost money and time that he doesn’t have, . . . so all he can do is just keep taking the test (which he would pass in America every time) and fail it in Japan. So, that gave us more reason to celebrate our patriotism and country that is fair on driver’s tests. Hooray! Every heart beats true for the red, white, and blue! God bless America! Haha. So, in conclusion, I love the mission and especially the people, not I am still very much American!
Cheers, Elder Hogge
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