Transfers are Painful

We are three weeks from transfers, and already I am dreading it.  Now we have had Elder Kervinen with us for two transfers (12 weeks), and he will leave us and go home.  What a great young man he is.  He is from Finland, strong and good looking, very obedient and hard working, and most importantly, he has a soft and kind heart. He is very easy to love. He is artistic and great on computers, so I can get his help with about any difficulty, and he always has time to help without complaint.

Elder Kervinen, teaching other missionaries.

Elder Hollister, left, and Elder Kervinen.  Elder Hollister went home last transfer, and I had grown to love him, too.  He is a second year Air Force Cadet and and got his appointment this time (after his mission) from the Vice President of the United States after going through a special cadet board.  Leaving the Academy for a mission does not guarantee you will get in again, so he had to go through a special review to get a nomination.

I don't know for sure, but I think Elder Kishi may be transferred away this time, too.  He was in the office when we got here, and I think it has been five transfers for him.  I'm sure he's ready to be out sharing the gospel more than he has been able to while working in the office.  He has really learned a lot of English, though.  Even in the five months we've been here (through three transfers) his English has obviously improved.

I had mentioned in another post that I have been doing the mission blog.  Elder Kishi was one of those missionaries who didn't send in information about himself before his mission.  So I asked him to fill out the information sheet and then translate a summary of it for me.  It is so "Kishi," and I simply must share it.  It's another great example of the Japanese English that I love to hear and read, but it also reflects his love for his family and for life.  He will complete his two years and go home in November, and we have been encouraging him to get an education, and to consider applying to BYU-Hawaii.  We hope that he will.  So here's what he wrote (with his permission):

Elder Ibuki Kishi

I introduce my beloved family.

I come from a family of twelve people.

Beginning at the eldest Eiji Nobuko Hidetomo Tendo Reika Manami Ibuki Shue Taiga Hyuga Isshin Fudo and my Grandmother and a dog.

Everyone is always cheerful and we get along great.

Hidetomo is a return missionary from Tokyo.

Tendo is less active, but he is so kind and he helps our family a lot.

Reika is a most beautiful woman of all over the world I believe. She is a return missionary also.

Manami is a most cute woman of all over the world. She is serving as a missionary in the Sapporo mission and she entered the MTC at the same time as me.

Elder Kishi and Elder Berrett, right.
Elder Berrett is the recorder in the office.  I think we get to keep him another transfer or two.  He is so helpful to anyone, any time.  He is good to the core.  He has learned about a few things that I don't care much for, and loves to tease me about it by pretending he is planning to do those things when he gets off his mission.  

Ibuki is me!

Shue is a most charming girl of all over the world. I can testify. She is so cheerful girl.

Taiga is cool boy more than me. He has a good sense of what is just and right.

Hyuga is in a rebellious stage now, but still a good boy.

Isshin is cute chubby little boy, hopefully not too chubby, but he is always happy.

Fudo is obedient and pure and everybody loves him!

My father is so kind and he is the foundation of our family.

And my mother surport to our dad, she is blight, and she always has smile, and she has a very young hart.

Very cheerful family and the best family in the world!!!

I grown up in this church, because of that, I never thought about the Gospels truth until begin to think about to go or not to a mission.

But since I decided to go to a mission, I pray and read the BOM a lot, and I made a more time to think about the Gospel, and that makes my testimony.

If we pray with humble might God will answer to us. And I know that when we reading a scripture God will stay by us. And I know that the Book of Mormon is true!

I never had a diligence to try something, therefore I seeked a optunity that be able to try with diligence. My elder brother went to a mission, and when I hear his story I began to want to go a mission. Even I have a lot of weak, I want to help to the people who have some weakness with me, and I want to make all people smile. I don’t have strong testimony or teaching skills but I will study hard! And I will be a good missionary! I want to be a be loved missionary.

My hobbies are singing and cutting paper, card tricks, juggle, etc...

My goal is to make a great family. I want to make happy family like my now family. And my dream was going mission, so... that comes true, Im finding a new dream.

I am cheerful and positive. Because I have a lot brothers and sisters I can make relaitionship, doesn’t care age or sex. I love to make other peoples happy. I am weak for formal things.

Because I know Elder Kishi, I can just hear his voice as I read this.

These darling girls are Millie, age 4 and Hazel, age 6, two of President Baird's brother's daughters.  
By the time they left to go back to the US, Elder Kishi was their idol.

Last week, President and Sister Baird had visitors from Utah arrive.  They have four daughters, but the youngest two are 4 and 6.  President Baird brought the family up to the office to meet us, and then he asked Elder Kishi to cut some elephants and dragons and things out of paper.  Before long, I could hear the girls just laughing and laughing.  Kishi had them wrapped around his finger, so to speak, with what he did and said.  He just has a real gift with kids.  The children at church flock around him each Sunday and he has trouble getting away from them.  He would make the world's best elementary school teacher.

I will miss him when he is no longer in the office.  Learning to love these awesome young men and then telling them goodbye--the hardest part of the mission!

Oh, and a couple more beauty shops:  My Bud, and Grace Hair