Getting Close to Marugame,

I've never been to Marugame, though I've been quite close. The main train line that cross the seto-naikai runs through Sakaide, which is about thirty minutes from Marugame. It was on that train line that I road from Fukuyama to Takamatsu in April of 2001 on a transfer as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I remember the train that ran across the seto-naikai was large, clean and quiet. The walls where white, the windows were large, and the cushions and seats were soft, modern, and sleek (much different than the old, industrial feel that accompanies you on a ride on a local train).

I sat next to Toby Anderton on that train ride. We shared Pocky sticks, or melon bread, or some other Japanese treat and talked about Japan, our companions, and our new area. I was a new missionary on my first transfer, unsure of the language, and unsure of myself.

In a month and a half I will cross the seto-naikai again, this time with my wife and child, with a better understanding of the language, and a different mission to fulfill. Will it feel the same? Will the jungle-like foliage visible from the train window captivate me the way it did when I stared at them as a 19 year old missionary? Will I stare at the people on the train, and wonder about their lives, about their culture? Will my heart ache for the old man with bad teeth, who spends the entire train ride nursing a cup of sake and reading a comic book? How will I react to the tired eyes of the overworked salary men? What will I talk with them about? When I first came to Japan it seemed unnatural to talk with strangers on the train. Now going back, I fear it will feel unnatural NOT to talk with them.

As a missionary, your life is entirely focused on one thing, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, talking about it with anyone, and everyone. Now I will be there as a father, and husband. I won't be there to convert souls, but to teach students, to soak in culture, to enjoy a country I love with the two people I love most.