It's Transfer Time!

I feel I must inform you all of one of the most exciting--and strenuous--weeks at the Mission Home, Transfer Week.  Actually, it started the week before when the whole mission attended the temple on Tuesday morning.  On this particular day, President and Sister Albrecht treated Elder G and me to TGIF for lunch.  The totally American menu items  (Denny's here is as disappointingly unAmerican as can be.) started at about $12 each, and then it also cost the President $12 to park for the hour!  Although I had a choice of American entree items, I chose Taco Rice, a Japanese version of tacos, only everything is served over rice, not inside tortillas.  Loved it, and have plans to make it regularly!

Prior to this week, I had plenty to do with getting packets ready for both the outgoing and incoming missionaries.  For the outgoing I put together two things:  one is a journal collection of all the weekly letters to the President the missionaries have written over their 18-month to 2-year stay.  I do my best to decorate the cover in Japanese rice paper, colorful papers, and Kanji script stating Japan Tokyo Mission.

The other packet is full of their important documents--a closing letter from the President, letters regarding each baptism the missionary participated in, the release letter to the Stake President, numerous pictures which were taken the day they arrived (and later, too, if they became a Trainer), a paper they filled out when they applied to go on a mission, and other odds & ends.

Then for the incoming missionaries I also put together a packet with all the papers we will review in that morning's training.  I start about two weeks before on all of these as I don't want to get caught short.  Elder G also ensures that the necessary funding for each missionary has been provided for their MSF (Missionary Support Fund) cards.  In our mission, despite the Church-wide $400 monthly contribution from either the missionary or his/her parents, the actual cost is almost $1200 per missionary. 

I believe we are the 2nd most expensive mission in the world.

For the past few weeks, the President and his three Assistants have been reviewing all 170 missionaries, making decisions as to who is transferred and who gets a new position--such as District Leader, Zone Leader, or Trainer.  By Saturday morning the decision is made, and the Assistants call all those affected to inform them of their upcoming transfers.  On Monday morning, all missionaries being transferred, along with their companions, meet at one of two train stations.  There they make the switch with their new companions and head out to their new areas and apartments.  All their big luggage (two fifty-pound suitcases, usually) is picked up by a local shipping company, so all they have to deal with is their "carry-on luggage."

Also on Monday afternoon those missionaries who have completed their missions and are heading home report to the Mission Home.  The President then conducts a "going home" interview with each returning missionary.  They are served what is humorously referred to as "The Last Supper;" then they have a testimony meeting and retire for the night.  In the morning, we assist President and Sister Albrecht in serving them a tasty breakfast of french toast, hash browns, lots of sweet breads, and fresh fruit.  Some of the missionaries' families who arrive to meet their missionaries also are invited to the breakfast.  One family had brought all (four) of their children on this trip!

Great "farewell breakfast"!

Elder Loosli's family in attendance as well

Six departing Elders with a Brazilian flag presented to the President from one of them, Elder Lacayo

 Everyone saying their goodbyes

 So long!  Farewell!  Auf Wiedersehen! Goodbye!  Oh yeah, and Sayonara, too!

(I couldn't resist showing off the peach or plum blossoms in our parking lot!)

By late morning the President and his Assistants take the missionaries to the airport.  They stay at the airport an additional three or four hours, as they have to wait for the new missionaries to arrive.  This week there were 19 of them!  They don't just "people watch," however.  They have planning sessions for the upcoming six weeks.  By 4:30 PM or so, the new missionaries arrive, but it is not until 7:30 PM when they reach the Mission Home due to having to pass through customs, retrieve their luggage, and travel 90-120 minutes back to the Mission Home.  This time, we had to rent a 55-passenger bus to haul all 19 missionaries, the President and his 3 Assistants, and 38 pieces of large luggage and 19 smaller ones!  (These luggage pictures were shot the next morning.  Japan is so safe that there is no problem in leaving these out overnight!  

Bicycles, however, are kept locked.)

It was like a maze, trying to get from the office door to my desk!

The missionaries were then directed to find a bed upstairs.  There are three bedrooms with bunk beds for the Elders, and the Sister Missionaries share a nice big bedroom with a king-size bed and extra futons.  In the morning they all strip their beds and remake them with clean sheets.  Hooray for Sister Albrecht

getting them started on the right foot!

Sisters Kuwahara, Ono, and Long

Although fuzzy, I can't resist showing what the Mission Home's "shoe porch" looks like every time we have a gathering.  I think it's hilarious!  The shoes are facing the door, which necessitates your turning around to step OUT of your shoes.  The reason for this is so they are ready for you to step back INTO when you are ready to leave.  Normally, when there is not a crowd, they are to be close enough to be able to step out of and into without having your feet touch the porch flooring.  Interesting custom, wouldn't you say?

Sister Albrecht had a wonderful light supper of soup and salad with ice cream for dessert, and then all the tired ;missionaries were ready for bed!  I had collected all their passports and was in the office until almost 10 PM, scanning/copying them and updating Church info before giving them back the next day.  It would have been much later had Elder Galbraith not helped me out!

The next morning we served the same breakfast to these 19 "newbies."  In contrast to last night, 

they were wide awake and very hungry!

 6'4" Elder Medeiros from Hawaii

Highly skilled hash brown chef serving Elder Allred from Nevada

  

 19 missionairies plus 5 from the office make for a good crowd!

Hmm, I wonder which nationality of Elders prefers to sit on the floor to eat?

Five darling new Sisters.  Note the ever-manifested "peace sign" shown by the Japanese Sisters

Afterwards, we moved to the nearby cultural hall, where we held training.  At that point their 19 new companions (trainers) had arrived to share in some of the training and to be ready to take them back to their new areas.  "Companionships" were yet to be announced.  I did 30 minutes worth of training about updating various forms of personal information, the process involving passports and gaijin (foreigner) cards, their writing a letter home notifying parents of their safe arrival (right then!), and their required weekly letters to the President.  Elder Galbraith also took 30 minutes discussing their finances--how their monthly spending money is downloaded to their mission "credit card," as well as how they seek reimbursement for expenditures that are reimbursable.  The Office Commissarian, Recorder, and the three Assistants

also conducted training that morning.

Once again all 40+ missionaries were treated to a wonderful lunch before we all returned to the chapel for a final meeting.  Sister Albrecht spoke about their family of six children and also gave some background on her and the ever-impressive President Albrecht.  The President gave an excellent motivational speech, and then all 19 new missionaries were asked to bear their testimonies--English-speaking missionaries in Japanese and Japanese-speaking missionaries in English!  Needless to say, it wasn't a very lengthy meeting!  Ha!  The "finale" was when the President called up to the stand the new Trainers, one by one.  He would have them say something exciting about their particular area, and then he would end all the suspense and announce who was his/her new Junior Companion.  It was a very enjoyable time to hear everyone give a cheer and to watch the two new missionaries give each other a big "bear hug" full of excitement!

From there, we moved to the front lawn where numerous pictures were taken:  one of the missionary alone, one with the missionary and President & Sister Albrecht, one with the missionary and his/her Trainer, one of the 19 new missionaries, and one last one of all the new missionaries and their companions.

Elder Shibuta from Brazil

 Our April 24, 2012, new group of missionaries from America, Japan, and Brazil

So Japanese!!!

Before they could head out, they were required to stop by the office and purchase a bike helmet.  They will also be purchasing a new bicycle (adding to the already 70 million in Japan) within the next couple of days.  For this, they were told to bring about $600 extra to buy one.  They are not to buy one from departing missionaries as the bicycles are pretty much "trashed" by the end of two years.

 Elder Nakamura, our Commissarian, selling the helmets to the new missionaries

Finally, they were all ready to head out to their respective areas.  Once again, we hire the same local shipping company to come and pick up their big luggage and deliver all to each of them in their new areas.  Still, they need to take their overnight-luggage with them to the nearby subway or train station.

 Junior Companion Elder Kerr and Trainer Elder Kuji

Trainer Sister Stevenson and Junior Companion Sister Kuwahara

Overall, it was one of the most fun weeks of our mission, but also the most tiring!  Their excitement (coming from both the outgoing and the incoming missionaries) was very infectuous!  But there is also a lot to do, late hours spent and early morning arrivals necessitated.  Nevertheless, I'm totally looking forward to our next Transfer Week, which is already just 5 weeks from now!  (Wow!  Is it that close already?!!)  This cycle is repeated every six weeks, so you can imagine how busy we all are in getting ready for this as well as taking care of all our regular daily and weekly responsibilities.  It's a great experience, and the energy is epidemic!