It's Sunday afternoon and the crowded house we're staying at is peacefully empty. I just got back from driving for the first time in Japan. Except for hitting the window wipers at least 4 times (instead) of the turn signal it went very well. The streets are more like extend-a-sidewalks in most places so learning how to swerve around cars, bikes and pedestrians without landing in the rice patty is quite the feat! I'll post a picture of our little boxy black car when we get one. It's cute! And I can't really blame it for not having AC. It gets us around.
Church
Joey tells me that church starts at 10 or 10:30 everywhere in Japan. We arrived before 10 and climbed 3 flights of steep stairs to the "church" or 4 spare green cement floored rooms. The folding chairs were set up with a small podium at the front. I didn't see any kids but the Bishop got up and starting giving announcements (I assume that's what he was doing, Joey wasn't translating at that point.) We soon realized that church was backward here. But because it was a 5th Sunday men and women were combined. Ah ha! There are quite a few Americans in the branch. Almost half of the people attending today were English speakers. One just had a baby, and two others are pregnant. All their first child. My they're brave!
For Sunday school a few dividers were brought out and they split the room. The nursery leader was sick today so Callan came with us. He got pretty restless part way through Sunday school and the rest of the meeting was a challenge. For Sacrament meeting they removed the dividers and handed out little earpieces to the english speakers. I guess all the return missionaries in the bunch take turns translating for the rest of of the non japanese-understanders. Luckily today Jamie and Mike (the teachers we're replacing) spoke and had Fumiyo (our boss) translate for the Japanese speakers. It was quite enjoyable but a little confusing. After church the "candy man" in the ward gave Callan about 5 cookies and a whole package of crackers. He ran around witht he other kids and seemed quite at home! I think we'll make some good friends, English and Japanese, in the coming months. And Callan will get more attention than he'll ever need! They all love his blonde hair!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Squatter Toilets
I'd heard about these so called "toilets" but I didn't know how widespread they would be! I sucessfully avoided them in the airport and the rest stop when we got off the bus. But at the train station there was no other choice! Ahh! The "noise mask" of running water was very funny but the task was not so funny. But I just bit my lip and tried it out. What else do you do when you have to go so bad! Then I had to figure our which "flush" to use. I learned later from Joey that one is for "big" and one for "little". Oh well. It was over and I thought I'd avoid them in the future. No luck. The school, the laundromat, they're everywhere. But really, they're not that bad. If we look at the positive side it's sure a lot cleaner than most US public restrooms you don't have to "touch" anything. But, if you want to stand up again you do have to grab the bar and pull yourself up!
I know this was WAY more than you all wanted to know. But thanks for listening.
I know this was WAY more than you all wanted to know. But thanks for listening.
Address and Phone
Here's our address everybody
763-0093
Kagawa-ken
Marugame-shi
Gunge-cho
188-7
JAPAN
Joey has his cell phone already but I don't have mine yet. Here's his number: 001 (country code) 09028949435
It's 16 hours ahead of Mountain time, 15 hours ahead of Pacific Time. Yes, it is Sunday morning already!
And to answer a few questions we got: we plan to get a digital camera when we can afford it it (cheaper in Japan) and we'll post pictures to our website marugamefranklins.blogspot.com
Callan is adjusting pretty well, he has been waking up at 5 am but he goes to bed at 8! Today he went back to sleep at 7 am though, which is nice. Callan really likes Japanese food! Yea! He has eaten everything we've fed him so far. We hope to get more adventurous when we have our own kitchen!
Love you all!
763-0093
Kagawa-ken
Marugame-shi
Gunge-cho
188-7
JAPAN
Joey has his cell phone already but I don't have mine yet. Here's his number: 001 (country code) 09028949435
It's 16 hours ahead of Mountain time, 15 hours ahead of Pacific Time. Yes, it is Sunday morning already!
And to answer a few questions we got: we plan to get a digital camera when we can afford it it (cheaper in Japan) and we'll post pictures to our website marugamefranklins.blogspot.com
Callan is adjusting pretty well, he has been waking up at 5 am but he goes to bed at 8! Today he went back to sleep at 7 am though, which is nice. Callan really likes Japanese food! Yea! He has eaten everything we've fed him so far. We hope to get more adventurous when we have our own kitchen!
Love you all!
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Day -1 and Day 0 and Day 1
Day -1: Monday, July 25 Provo. Our Last full day in Provo was spent in the company of family (Mom Franklin, and the Fitzgeralds) running last minute errands, cleaning, packing, and taking care of last minute business items like changing out locks and cleaning carpets. At 11pm we had everything out of the house and all 370+ pounds of check luggage in the garage. Mom Franklin dropped Melissa and I off at the Fitzgeralds where Callan had gone with Mom Fitzgerald earlier to go to bed. Mom Franklin then drove back to the house and loaded all the luggage into the car and drove home to Jason`s house to sleep for A few hours before getting up to take Jason to work in Salt Lake and meet us at the airport at 7am.
Meanwhile, at the Fitzgeralds, we all got to bed about 1:30 AM before waking up at 5:45 to get ready. Mike and Joey loaded the car, Melissa got Callan ready, and Cristi made breakfast (a really yummy multi grain oatmeal type hot cereal with raisins and other good stuff in it which we all ate in the car on the way to the airport.)
Day 0: Tuesday, July 27th.
We said good bye at the security gate and made it to the gate just as passengers were boarding and everything went smoothly until we taxied out onto the tarmac. After sitting there for fifteen minutes the pilot announced a minor technical problem and explained that we would have to wait until it got fixed before we could take off. TWO HOURS LATER, we finally took off from Salt Lake City.
Thanks to the minor technical problem in SLC our two hour lay over in San Francisco turned into a twenty minute dash from the arrival gate to the international terminal where we arrived at our gate just as they were calling our names over the loud speakers. It wouldn`t`t have been so bad if we didnt`t have three carry on bags, two backpacks, one computer bag, one stroller, one baby backpack, and one 30 pound two year old to carry with us down the stairs, onto the crowded shuttle bus, down the hall , across the moving walkway, down another flight of stairs, through the terminal and down the narrow plane isle (I distinctly remember overhearing someone passing us on the stair case saying `why didnt`t they check some of that luggage). We were the last people on the plane, did not get to eat lunch, go to the bathroom, or stretch our legs, and we were not able to let Callan run around a bit.
Day 1: July 27th, 2005.
Day 1 of our year in Japan officially started about 5pm Utah time somewhere over the pacific ocean as we crossed the international dateline and went from Tuesday evening to Wednesday Afternoon in Japan. All of Japan is in the same time zone and is about 16 hours ahead of Utah give or take an hour or so.
As we sped along at 530 mph. In our Boeing 777, complete with first class, business class, economy plus, and regular coach seats, all of which included their own television screen, Melissa and I noted the things we had learned about international travel with a two year old. First we came to the unanimous conclusion that we brought too many bags, or to few arms, or both. Second we learned that benadryll probably works more quickly and more effectively than a quarter piece of Dramamine, and trying to rock the poor child to sleep at the bulkhead and then place him in his car seat doesnt`t work. Third, no toy can hold a candle to the buttons above our seats , especially the large orange button that calls the flight attendant. And fourth, bring your own snacks (even fresh fruit, because if this flight is any indication,)no one asks you about it.
We watched three movies, I read 100 pages out of the most recent of J.K. Rowling`s Wizarding bricks, ate two airline meals, and only went to the bathroom once. We arrived five minutes early to Kansai International airport, and thanks to the immensity pile of carry on luggage, we were the last off the plane.
Once you get past customs, Kansai International airport is a colorful, well air conditioned, inviting architectural testimony to the Japanese tendency toward serene airiness and technological ingenuity. However, from the gate to immigration and customs the ambiance is more a cross between alcatraz and Ellis Island. The ceilings are as impossibly tall as the immigration lines into which we cued up are long, and the air is stagnant, the only breeze coming from the rustling passports and other travel documents being handed over tall counters to short, tired looking Japanese officials. The atmosphere was dull if not unfriendly, and we would have been there a long time had it not been for a kind gentleman who escorted us ahead of the line because we were a family (and probably because he noticed the ridiculous load of carry on luggage we were dragging behind us.)
Customs went smoothly except that one of our bags of luggage decided to give out on us and the entire zipper split. Thankfully when we packed it Mike and I secured the bag with luggage straps that held it all together except for a Japanese hymn book that slipped out at baggage claim.
leaving the immigration/customs area and entering the real airport was something akin to walking from the drab concrete and steel gates of Willy Wonka`s chocolate factory into the exciting oompa loompafied ambiance of the factory itself. We were instantly barraged with colorful Japanese art and advertising, music that sounded like it came from a video game, and a din of people making phone calls, exchanging money, and scratching their chins at maps and information boards. Enveloping all this was a great vaulted hall that extended probably 100 feet in the air and was painted in a pink that was somewhere between pepto-bismol and Good and Plenty Candy. It was fantastic.
Waiting for us amidst the hullabaloo was Nozomi Caruthers-the wife of an old mission buddy and current resident of Osaka. She helped us send our 360 pounds of checked baggage to our new home in Marugame and drove us to her parents house in Osaka where we were given an air conditioned room, two wonderful meals, and the relief of seeing familiar faces in what was for my wife a very unfamiliar place.
Meanwhile, at the Fitzgeralds, we all got to bed about 1:30 AM before waking up at 5:45 to get ready. Mike and Joey loaded the car, Melissa got Callan ready, and Cristi made breakfast (a really yummy multi grain oatmeal type hot cereal with raisins and other good stuff in it which we all ate in the car on the way to the airport.)
Day 0: Tuesday, July 27th.
We said good bye at the security gate and made it to the gate just as passengers were boarding and everything went smoothly until we taxied out onto the tarmac. After sitting there for fifteen minutes the pilot announced a minor technical problem and explained that we would have to wait until it got fixed before we could take off. TWO HOURS LATER, we finally took off from Salt Lake City.
Thanks to the minor technical problem in SLC our two hour lay over in San Francisco turned into a twenty minute dash from the arrival gate to the international terminal where we arrived at our gate just as they were calling our names over the loud speakers. It wouldn`t`t have been so bad if we didnt`t have three carry on bags, two backpacks, one computer bag, one stroller, one baby backpack, and one 30 pound two year old to carry with us down the stairs, onto the crowded shuttle bus, down the hall , across the moving walkway, down another flight of stairs, through the terminal and down the narrow plane isle (I distinctly remember overhearing someone passing us on the stair case saying `why didnt`t they check some of that luggage). We were the last people on the plane, did not get to eat lunch, go to the bathroom, or stretch our legs, and we were not able to let Callan run around a bit.
Day 1: July 27th, 2005.
Day 1 of our year in Japan officially started about 5pm Utah time somewhere over the pacific ocean as we crossed the international dateline and went from Tuesday evening to Wednesday Afternoon in Japan. All of Japan is in the same time zone and is about 16 hours ahead of Utah give or take an hour or so.
As we sped along at 530 mph. In our Boeing 777, complete with first class, business class, economy plus, and regular coach seats, all of which included their own television screen, Melissa and I noted the things we had learned about international travel with a two year old. First we came to the unanimous conclusion that we brought too many bags, or to few arms, or both. Second we learned that benadryll probably works more quickly and more effectively than a quarter piece of Dramamine, and trying to rock the poor child to sleep at the bulkhead and then place him in his car seat doesnt`t work. Third, no toy can hold a candle to the buttons above our seats , especially the large orange button that calls the flight attendant. And fourth, bring your own snacks (even fresh fruit, because if this flight is any indication,)no one asks you about it.
We watched three movies, I read 100 pages out of the most recent of J.K. Rowling`s Wizarding bricks, ate two airline meals, and only went to the bathroom once. We arrived five minutes early to Kansai International airport, and thanks to the immensity pile of carry on luggage, we were the last off the plane.
Once you get past customs, Kansai International airport is a colorful, well air conditioned, inviting architectural testimony to the Japanese tendency toward serene airiness and technological ingenuity. However, from the gate to immigration and customs the ambiance is more a cross between alcatraz and Ellis Island. The ceilings are as impossibly tall as the immigration lines into which we cued up are long, and the air is stagnant, the only breeze coming from the rustling passports and other travel documents being handed over tall counters to short, tired looking Japanese officials. The atmosphere was dull if not unfriendly, and we would have been there a long time had it not been for a kind gentleman who escorted us ahead of the line because we were a family (and probably because he noticed the ridiculous load of carry on luggage we were dragging behind us.)
Customs went smoothly except that one of our bags of luggage decided to give out on us and the entire zipper split. Thankfully when we packed it Mike and I secured the bag with luggage straps that held it all together except for a Japanese hymn book that slipped out at baggage claim.
leaving the immigration/customs area and entering the real airport was something akin to walking from the drab concrete and steel gates of Willy Wonka`s chocolate factory into the exciting oompa loompafied ambiance of the factory itself. We were instantly barraged with colorful Japanese art and advertising, music that sounded like it came from a video game, and a din of people making phone calls, exchanging money, and scratching their chins at maps and information boards. Enveloping all this was a great vaulted hall that extended probably 100 feet in the air and was painted in a pink that was somewhere between pepto-bismol and Good and Plenty Candy. It was fantastic.
Waiting for us amidst the hullabaloo was Nozomi Caruthers-the wife of an old mission buddy and current resident of Osaka. She helped us send our 360 pounds of checked baggage to our new home in Marugame and drove us to her parents house in Osaka where we were given an air conditioned room, two wonderful meals, and the relief of seeing familiar faces in what was for my wife a very unfamiliar place.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Our Last Sunday
Yesterday was our last Sunday attending the Lakeside 8th ward in Provo, UT. My parents, my in-laws, and my brother with his two kids attended sacrament meeting where Melissa and I spoke on Forgiveness and Repentance respectively. Then we went to Brother Cooks Sunday school and talked about the organization of the priesthood. The third hour of Church was by far my favorite hour of the day and perhaps my favorite hour of Church since moving in to this ward two+ years ago.
I have been the Teachers quorum advisor for two years this August and in a Mormon congregation that means I work with the 14-15 year old young men who are learning the ins and outs of being a lay priesthood holder. We study the gospel in depth by topic and on the weekdays we function as a varsity scout troop. The dual nature of the quorum brings us together in a variety of activities from hiking and biking expeditions, to service projects, to classroom discussions about the nature of God and Christian discipleship. I wouldn’t have asked for another calling in the Church. There is a power and vitality that comes from working with these incredible young men that is not available anywhere else. I was reminded of that this Sunday.
Instead of a typical lesson, we decided to have a group question and answer session about the Gospel, about life, about anything. At first I wasn’t sure if the four young men in the room would be interested, but I wasn’t disappointed. Each of them came up with relevant, interesting, thoughtful questions that were important to them in their stage of discipleship.
These are few samples of the questions they asked what is a date? How do you know when you’ve been forgiven, how do you answer questions using the scriptures, How should you respond to spiritual impressions, and How do you choose a spouse?
With Brother Joe Memmetts, Francisco Alverez, and me, we took turns answering questions, and allowed the boys to answer some of them themselves. I was impressed with their insightfulness and their genuine desire to know about the gospel. I don’t know if they’ll read this but I’d like to take a second a thank each of the boys I’ve worked with over the past two years.
Taylor: When I met you two years ago Taylor, I could tell right away that beneath the rough exterior was a strong leader and a man full of genuine concern for others. Never stop learning patience, keep up the hard work on the football field, and do what you told me you were going to do on Sunday: read the scriptures more. Thanks for being a friend.
Benson: I know that I always call you Baylen. Sorry. I have always appreciated your quiet kindness and your willingness to help. I know it’s not always easy, but you do a fantastic job of being kind to others and asking thoughtful questions. Never stop being thoughtful, never stop asking questions. I know you will do amazing things with your life. Your testimony will be your guide as you prepare to serve a mission in another two years.
Baylen: I am amazed at the adult you are becoming. Thank you for talking to me like a friend and for always offering to help. It’s hard as an adult leader to feel accepted, and you always made me feel like I was doing okay. I wish the best for you in Golf and what ever your life has in store for you. I think I’ll be around when you get your mission call, so I’ll look forward to that.
Sergio. I’ll never forget the morning you knocked on my door and asked for a ride to School. Thank you for feeling comfortable enough with me that you could call. I hope you always turn to your youth leaders and your family for help when you need it. Thanks for being a friend, and letting me talk with you. Good Luck with school, with Football, and with everything. Don’t spend too much time with the Ladies; there’ll be time for that after the mission. Take care.
Logan: Thanks for being the anchor of the quorum. Your presence at planning and presidency meetings, at camping trips, and church was inspiring. I can’t think of an activity that you could have been at that you weren’t. “Being there” is a large part of success. Keep it up and your example with rub off on others. Thanks.
Luke: No one else has stopped by my house to talk more than you. I know that life is not always easy and I know that it is sometimes difficult to do everything you’re supposed to do, but I thank you doing what you’ve done. Thanks for helping, thanks for mowing my lawn occasionally, and for walking my dog, and for being interested in my family. You will go far as long as you continue to show kindness to those around you and continue to work hard. Take care.
Sebastian: Well, you’ve been Missing In Action for the past two months, but I just wanted you to know that I have appreciated your interest and enthusiasm for activities. I’m sorry we never did the study night at mutual that you wanted to do. Don’t forget to bring that up to Brother Memmetts when school starts again. Take care of yourself, and make sure you help out your mother. She’s a busy woman with a lot on her hands. She needs her sons to be her anchor.
Colton: Colton I will always remember hearing your testimony in sacrament meeting. I can tell that you think about a lot of the same things I thought about when I was a teenager. You will do great because you have a real concern for others, and your heart is pure. You have great parents who love you and are doing a great job raising a future missionary. Thanks for being a friend. I will really miss you.
Jake: We only worked together for two months, but I was so glad to have you in the quorum. I don’t want you to get a big head, but there is a scarcity of people like you in the world. Your combination of stoic work ethic, serene presence, emotional stability and genuine interest in others will take you wherever you want to go. I hope you use your abilities to build the church wherever you are. Good luck in Soccer, good luck in school, and God bless you in everything.
You guys are all great. Please keep in touch. I want to here about your sports victories and losses, about your school work, about camping trips, about your first dates, about anything. I’ll see you all in a year.
I have been the Teachers quorum advisor for two years this August and in a Mormon congregation that means I work with the 14-15 year old young men who are learning the ins and outs of being a lay priesthood holder. We study the gospel in depth by topic and on the weekdays we function as a varsity scout troop. The dual nature of the quorum brings us together in a variety of activities from hiking and biking expeditions, to service projects, to classroom discussions about the nature of God and Christian discipleship. I wouldn’t have asked for another calling in the Church. There is a power and vitality that comes from working with these incredible young men that is not available anywhere else. I was reminded of that this Sunday.
Instead of a typical lesson, we decided to have a group question and answer session about the Gospel, about life, about anything. At first I wasn’t sure if the four young men in the room would be interested, but I wasn’t disappointed. Each of them came up with relevant, interesting, thoughtful questions that were important to them in their stage of discipleship.
These are few samples of the questions they asked what is a date? How do you know when you’ve been forgiven, how do you answer questions using the scriptures, How should you respond to spiritual impressions, and How do you choose a spouse?
With Brother Joe Memmetts, Francisco Alverez, and me, we took turns answering questions, and allowed the boys to answer some of them themselves. I was impressed with their insightfulness and their genuine desire to know about the gospel. I don’t know if they’ll read this but I’d like to take a second a thank each of the boys I’ve worked with over the past two years.
Taylor: When I met you two years ago Taylor, I could tell right away that beneath the rough exterior was a strong leader and a man full of genuine concern for others. Never stop learning patience, keep up the hard work on the football field, and do what you told me you were going to do on Sunday: read the scriptures more. Thanks for being a friend.
Benson: I know that I always call you Baylen. Sorry. I have always appreciated your quiet kindness and your willingness to help. I know it’s not always easy, but you do a fantastic job of being kind to others and asking thoughtful questions. Never stop being thoughtful, never stop asking questions. I know you will do amazing things with your life. Your testimony will be your guide as you prepare to serve a mission in another two years.
Baylen: I am amazed at the adult you are becoming. Thank you for talking to me like a friend and for always offering to help. It’s hard as an adult leader to feel accepted, and you always made me feel like I was doing okay. I wish the best for you in Golf and what ever your life has in store for you. I think I’ll be around when you get your mission call, so I’ll look forward to that.
Sergio. I’ll never forget the morning you knocked on my door and asked for a ride to School. Thank you for feeling comfortable enough with me that you could call. I hope you always turn to your youth leaders and your family for help when you need it. Thanks for being a friend, and letting me talk with you. Good Luck with school, with Football, and with everything. Don’t spend too much time with the Ladies; there’ll be time for that after the mission. Take care.
Logan: Thanks for being the anchor of the quorum. Your presence at planning and presidency meetings, at camping trips, and church was inspiring. I can’t think of an activity that you could have been at that you weren’t. “Being there” is a large part of success. Keep it up and your example with rub off on others. Thanks.
Luke: No one else has stopped by my house to talk more than you. I know that life is not always easy and I know that it is sometimes difficult to do everything you’re supposed to do, but I thank you doing what you’ve done. Thanks for helping, thanks for mowing my lawn occasionally, and for walking my dog, and for being interested in my family. You will go far as long as you continue to show kindness to those around you and continue to work hard. Take care.
Sebastian: Well, you’ve been Missing In Action for the past two months, but I just wanted you to know that I have appreciated your interest and enthusiasm for activities. I’m sorry we never did the study night at mutual that you wanted to do. Don’t forget to bring that up to Brother Memmetts when school starts again. Take care of yourself, and make sure you help out your mother. She’s a busy woman with a lot on her hands. She needs her sons to be her anchor.
Colton: Colton I will always remember hearing your testimony in sacrament meeting. I can tell that you think about a lot of the same things I thought about when I was a teenager. You will do great because you have a real concern for others, and your heart is pure. You have great parents who love you and are doing a great job raising a future missionary. Thanks for being a friend. I will really miss you.
Jake: We only worked together for two months, but I was so glad to have you in the quorum. I don’t want you to get a big head, but there is a scarcity of people like you in the world. Your combination of stoic work ethic, serene presence, emotional stability and genuine interest in others will take you wherever you want to go. I hope you use your abilities to build the church wherever you are. Good luck in Soccer, good luck in school, and God bless you in everything.
You guys are all great. Please keep in touch. I want to here about your sports victories and losses, about your school work, about camping trips, about your first dates, about anything. I’ll see you all in a year.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
VISA APPLICATIONS ARE IN!!!
Tuesday afternoon Melissa came home to find a note from the post office saying we'd received a registered letter from Japan. We were sure it was our certificates of eligibility for our Visa applications. We were sure our weeks of waiting were over. So when the letter turned out to be nothing more than Melissa's passport, which we'd sent to Japan so our boss could get the certs, we were more than a bit disappointed.
However, the next day there was another letter in the mail from Japan, and it was the certs! (This is really amazing because we found out that our paperwork had been turned in to the immigration office in Japan on June 17, and had been returned to our boss in Japan only ten days later. We were initially told that the process may take as long as long as two months).
Melissa mailed the certs. Along with our visa applications, passports, photos, etc. this morning and we should get them back late next week or early the following week, which will still be about a week before our plane leaves. SO--close, but not too close if you ask me.
However, the next day there was another letter in the mail from Japan, and it was the certs! (This is really amazing because we found out that our paperwork had been turned in to the immigration office in Japan on June 17, and had been returned to our boss in Japan only ten days later. We were initially told that the process may take as long as long as two months).
Melissa mailed the certs. Along with our visa applications, passports, photos, etc. this morning and we should get them back late next week or early the following week, which will still be about a week before our plane leaves. SO--close, but not too close if you ask me.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Finding Money in the strangests places
Deciding to move to Japan for year meant giving up financial aid money that we have been using for a large chunk of our living expenses while in school. My 10 hour/week PR job at BYU covers food costs, and my handy man job covers a few bills, but the mortgage, and health care and other big ticket items were all covered by scholarship, student loans, and grants. Not going to school during summer term has meant that money has to be found elsewhere. What has been surprising is the number of different ways we have come into money over the past month, and what is even more surprising is how closely the emergence of those money making opportunities has coincided with paying tithing.
First let me preface that the law of tithing is the Lords law of finance, which allows members of His church to learn unselfishness while funding the physical needs of the Church. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pay 10 percent of their gross increase into a general tithing fund that is used by the church to handle everything from building construction to educational material. In fact a large portion of my education at BYU is subsidized through tithing funds. After each pay check I pay tithing to the bishop of my local ward and he in turn sends the money on to Salt Lake. A month ago, shortly after finalizing the decision to go to Japan, I found my self writing out a tithing check and wondering what I was going to do to cover the many expenses that we would incur between then and leaving for Japan. Besides the normal bills, groceries, gas, etc that we needed, we had to pay upfront for our plain tickets, pay passport fees, visa fees, international drivers license fees, and get the house ready for renters.
As I turned in the tithing check, I said a little prayer that went something like this. "Okay Heavenly Father, I'm paying my tithing. What ever you can do would be great." This is where the miracles started happening. That night Melissa and I went to Dinner at Beau and Shilea's house. They are friends from an old ward who attend BYU and have two darling daughters (Savannah, 2, and Mirian, 3 mo.). Beau occasionally does handyman work for a woman in Provo and that night he told me her sister had called him wanting some work done. He told me he was too busy and that he had given her my name. She called me two days later, and I have since done about twenty hours of work for her at a very good wage. That was just the beginning.
Two days later Melissa was in a car accident on the way home from the doctor’s office. She told me when I came home from school and she seemed fairly frustrated/irritated/ upset. However the car was only superficially damaged (a scratch, and a small dent, nothing structural), and it wasn't her fault. "You got in an accident?!" I said. "That's wonderful!" She looked confused, but I explained to her that since the accident was superficial and she wasn't hurt, that we could cash out the claim and use the money to pay bills, etc. We ended up getting quite a bit of money for the repairs, and I did them myself, which allowed us to put the money to more important things (groceries, mortgage, bills).
That same week a relative called us and told us they were sending Melissa a check as a graduation present. Still that week Melissa got a letter in the mail from her credit card company saying that her credit limit had been increases (which allowed us to purchase our plane tickets upfront on credit, so we can be reimbursed for them when we get to Japan). A week after that we put 'For Rent' signs out in front of our house.
That same day we received a dozen phone calls and had a wonderful young couple with a few children signed up to rent the house starting the day we leave for Japan. The money that came and will come from these blessings has helped us pay bills and get ready for Japan. However the blessings are still coming.
This Sunday a wrote another check for tithing and Monday night I got an email from an old boss telling me he had about four weeks worth of writing work for me if I wanted it. Of course I did. I now have full time work plus extra through the day we leave for Japan while a month ago I had a 10 hour/ a week job and no idea what I was going to do. I know that simply paying ones tithing is not a ticket to getting rich. I also know that the promises of the Lord are true.
Malachi 3:10 says: Bring ye all the tithes• into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
This past month I have felt the windows of heaven open above me and we have received blessings to the point that I'm not sure I have room to receive it. The lord did not give us all the money we needed. Instead he provided ways for me to earn it.
First let me preface that the law of tithing is the Lords law of finance, which allows members of His church to learn unselfishness while funding the physical needs of the Church. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pay 10 percent of their gross increase into a general tithing fund that is used by the church to handle everything from building construction to educational material. In fact a large portion of my education at BYU is subsidized through tithing funds. After each pay check I pay tithing to the bishop of my local ward and he in turn sends the money on to Salt Lake. A month ago, shortly after finalizing the decision to go to Japan, I found my self writing out a tithing check and wondering what I was going to do to cover the many expenses that we would incur between then and leaving for Japan. Besides the normal bills, groceries, gas, etc that we needed, we had to pay upfront for our plain tickets, pay passport fees, visa fees, international drivers license fees, and get the house ready for renters.
As I turned in the tithing check, I said a little prayer that went something like this. "Okay Heavenly Father, I'm paying my tithing. What ever you can do would be great." This is where the miracles started happening. That night Melissa and I went to Dinner at Beau and Shilea's house. They are friends from an old ward who attend BYU and have two darling daughters (Savannah, 2, and Mirian, 3 mo.). Beau occasionally does handyman work for a woman in Provo and that night he told me her sister had called him wanting some work done. He told me he was too busy and that he had given her my name. She called me two days later, and I have since done about twenty hours of work for her at a very good wage. That was just the beginning.
Two days later Melissa was in a car accident on the way home from the doctor’s office. She told me when I came home from school and she seemed fairly frustrated/irritated/ upset. However the car was only superficially damaged (a scratch, and a small dent, nothing structural), and it wasn't her fault. "You got in an accident?!" I said. "That's wonderful!" She looked confused, but I explained to her that since the accident was superficial and she wasn't hurt, that we could cash out the claim and use the money to pay bills, etc. We ended up getting quite a bit of money for the repairs, and I did them myself, which allowed us to put the money to more important things (groceries, mortgage, bills).
That same week a relative called us and told us they were sending Melissa a check as a graduation present. Still that week Melissa got a letter in the mail from her credit card company saying that her credit limit had been increases (which allowed us to purchase our plane tickets upfront on credit, so we can be reimbursed for them when we get to Japan). A week after that we put 'For Rent' signs out in front of our house.
That same day we received a dozen phone calls and had a wonderful young couple with a few children signed up to rent the house starting the day we leave for Japan. The money that came and will come from these blessings has helped us pay bills and get ready for Japan. However the blessings are still coming.
This Sunday a wrote another check for tithing and Monday night I got an email from an old boss telling me he had about four weeks worth of writing work for me if I wanted it. Of course I did. I now have full time work plus extra through the day we leave for Japan while a month ago I had a 10 hour/ a week job and no idea what I was going to do. I know that simply paying ones tithing is not a ticket to getting rich. I also know that the promises of the Lord are true.
Malachi 3:10 says: Bring ye all the tithes• into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
This past month I have felt the windows of heaven open above me and we have received blessings to the point that I'm not sure I have room to receive it. The lord did not give us all the money we needed. Instead he provided ways for me to earn it.
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