Watch the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - 

Saturday October 5 and Sunday October 6. 

There are two sessions (morning and afternoon) each day and each session lasts 2 hours.  

During the conference you will hear the word of God and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing praises to that same God.

You can also find archived General Conference Addresses to read, listen to or watch.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/conferences?lang=eng

Mormons: Global snapshot of Mormons 2

Cebuano and Ilokano 
are spoken in the Philippines. 

On Saturday we went to a recent convert's* house to celebrate her birthday. 

We had food, talked, shared a birthday verse, and sang a primary birthday song.

* she was baptized and is now a member of the church

Useful Quote

“My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you — each of you,” said President Monson, speaking to a capacity congregation in the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City. 

“[His love] is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. 

It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you deserve love. It is simply always there.”

Deseret News, 28 September 2013

Useful Quote

"Obey the laws of God. They are given to us by a loving Heavenly Father.

When they are obeyed, our lives will be more fulfilling, less complicated.

 Our challenges and problems will be easier to bear. 

We will receive the Lord's promised blessings."

—Thomas S. Monson, "Believe, Obey, and Endure", Ensign and Liahona, May 2012

http://www.preschools4all.com/image-files/ten_commandments.jpg

Letter Home: Missionary work is fun!

Being a missionary is so fun!  


Some fun things I get to do:

1]  Riding up and down hills

2]  Talking and listening to a lot of people

3]  Talking and listening in Japanese

4]  Sharing about how God loves us and how He has provided a way that we can return to Him

5]  Giving people Book of Mormons

6]  Looking fancy everyday

7]  Just serving others however they need help


What are some fun things that you are doing?

Japan: Average annual weather for Okinawa

I think that Sister Breksa is glad for the wind, as she mentioned in her last letter home,  
because of the tropical climate! 


Average Temperatures

http://weatherspark.com/averages/33303/Okinawa-Okinawa-Prefecture-Japan

Average Humidity

http://weatherspark.com/averages/33303/Okinawa-Okinawa-Prefecture-Japan

Letter Home: Four interesting things about Sister Breksa's missionary life

There has been a lot of wind  - which is great – and a lot of sun – I am getting tanned!  I put on sunscreen, but to no avail...

Some interesting things about missionary life:

1) I sleep on a futon (See 8 September post)

2) The Okinawa dialect is different from mainland Japanese.  There is one native Okinawan in the congregation we are assigned to - he served  a mission in the main land and  he could not understand people speaking Japanese! {And somehow I am supposed to do both.]  (See 21 September post)

3) We have no oven – our stove reminds me of camping (See 28 July post)

4) The first three minutes of my shower is cold water!

Japan: Sōmen noodles そうめん

Sōmen is a very thin noodle (less than 1.3 mm diameter) served cooked and cold.  The sauce is presented in a separate bowl.  The noodles are gathered up in chopsticks, dipped in the sauce, and then slurped up.  Yum.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sōmen

Sōmen is a common food and is served simply. 

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/bd/d4/d7/bdd4d7ed247bc94387d4b96e26919196.jpg

Below is a very fancy presentation. Cool.

I do not know the popularity of sōmen food art.

http://www.aibento.net/2011/02/girls-day-somen-cupcakes-bento/

For the Annual Girls' Day (March 3rd)

Moments That Matter Most (+playlist)

Okinawa 

(called Okinawa since 779) 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_Prefecture
Symbol of Okinawa Prefecture

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/East_China_Sea_Map.jpg

Some in Okinawa do not think of themselves as Japanese. The dialect of Japanese is different. China claims the Ryukyu Islands as their territory and at times Taiwan makes the claim. 

There is a movement for Okinawa independence. 

Video: Follow Me, and I Will Make You Fishers of Men

Letter Home: Writing her youngest brother about biking on busy narrow roads

There are a lot of people here. The roads are very narrow. But a lot of people is a good thing! For as we travel to and from places we stop our bikes and get off to talk to people we see.  

As I stop my bike squeals really loud - so I am probably scaring everyone away!