Elder Watkins Japan Nagoya Mission: Sayonara... Nagano

Transferees and bffs

Bye-bye Nielson Shimai!

Me and Yama on a yama.

Peterson Shimai & Nielson Shimai hiking.

Good morning.

   We got up a 5 am this morning to go to the eki to watch Nielson Shimai take off on her first train to home. She didn't get to go yesterday because they didn't reserve seats on the bus. (Trains to Nagoya are still down from the typhoon.) Needless to say, it was one of the most pull at your heart moments of my mission so far. I have been with Nielson Shimai longer than anyone else out here and she has changed my life. She is one of the greatest friends I've ever had.

   And later today, at 3 pm, I will get on a bus to leave Nagano. That's right, I'm transferring. It is hard but exciting too. I will be in the Seto Ward in the Nagoya East Stake. Aichi Prefecture, hottest place in the mission, oh boy. I will be with 3 other Elders and my new companion is Elder Jackson, from Salt Lake City Utah. I talked to him on the phone, he sounds like Elder Chapman haha. He seems way cool. I'm really excited to go there, even if it's hot.

Elder Yamada will come back to Nagano with a new bean chan, just like I was when I got here. And Sister Peterson will be with Sister Takahashi. Elder Beck in Ueda is also transferring to the Tsu Branch, Yamada Choro's old area, he's way excited. Elder Mueller will be with Elder Takayama. So a lot of this district will be Japanese.

So I've been packing my whole life up for the past 2 days in order to prepare. We went on a branch hiking activity on Saturday in the mountains. It was so pretty there. It reminded me of camping with the boy scouts, and doing the big family camping trips. It was also hot out. I was able to look around and see family all around me. While in the woods we got phone calls and I was able to hear from my friends Elders Tanner, Smith, Brown, and TuAkoi.

I felt the same as I gave a talk in church yesterday and looked at every member and realized that I love each one of them. They said many kind things to me yesterday. Hikari chan even hugged my legs. So cute. I gave out my business cards (meishis) to all the members and some said they would look me up on facebook. We also dendoed with the Branch President and Dendo shinin (branch mission leader) for my last time with them. I felt the spirit as we visited some less active members.

   As I was packing, Tezuka Kyoudai came to say bye. I will miss him. He told me that I was his friend and that he will miss me. I realized then that while I didn't baptize him, (he was already baptized when I got here) I played an important role in bringing him to Christ. And he changed my life too. I understand more than I ever before did the pure love of Christ. I have charity for every single person in Nagano.

Now as I leave, I take the things I've learned and the memories I've made. I will go forth in the spirit to the next chapter of my mission. And let me tell you how much I love that a new Bean chan is taking my place fresh out of the MTC. Because I was such here in Nagano, I dendoed in the snow and rain, biked long distances up hills, climbed mountains, made eternal friends, and I became a missionary. Nagano will always be a special place in my heart because here I became.

   So my dear family and friends, I now go to Seto. And as I go I will sing in my heart "Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before."

Love always,
Elder Cullen E. Watkins