Love, Elevate, Simplify, Strive, Strengthen, Sushi (February 8, 2016)

First of all... CONGRATULATIONS EW FOR HER CALL TO SERVE IN THE BEST MISSION ON EARTH. Glad to share this piece of Eden with you, excited for the people here to feel your love and win your heart. :)

This week, I just wanted to share with you the basic part of the Asia North Area Plan for 2016. (Really simply put, the church divides up the globe into a number of areas so that it can take care of areas based on the needs of the people there. Asia North Area is Japan, Korea, Guam, and the Micronesian Islands, if I remember correctly.)

Anyway, the plan is:

Because we want to live with Heavenly Father again, we:

Love

Elevate

Simplify

Strive

Strengthen

Invite

and Find Joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

My companion and I have chosen to quote this each morning in English and Japanese, and it's given me a lot to ponder about. Each of these verbs has a deep meaning, and I have a lot to improve on, but my favorite part is the emphasis on our finding joy. It is easy to be miserable or disappointed, but it is also easy to find joy. Each and every day is filled with moments, and we can choose to make these fragments of light or darkness.

It all depends on whether you look at the shadows or the source.

As we all know, contrast is what makes the picture beautiful, but I can also testify that a path of light is a lot easier to get along with no stubbed toes;)

Living life and loving the work! Luke out!

Pictures: Some holiday about the change of seasons, and for some reason which no one could really explain to me, y'all eat sushi on the third of February while facing some obscure island. Gotta get that sushi. Like, all of those people are going to buy sushi to eat it silently while facing an island, heaven know why. (Except us, if there's one thing we're not it's silent.)

Note:

February 3 is "Setsubun,"a festival that celebrates the day before the start of spring. The classic tradition is to toss roasted soybeans out of the house, while chanting "鬼は外、福はうち" (demons out, happiness in"). Apparently the eating of uncut norimaki is a newish tradition. Wikipedia has this to say about it:

It is customary in Kansai area to eat uncut makizushi called ehō-maki (恵方巻, lit "lucky direction roll"), a type of futomaki (太巻, "thick, large or fat rolls"), in silence on Setsubun while facing the year's lucky compass direction, determined by the zodiac symbol of that year. This custom started in Osaka, but in recent years eho-maki can be purchased at stores in the Kanto area and it is getting more recognized as a part of Setsubun tradition.

Wikipedia also notes that "While the practice of eating makizushi on Setsubun is historically only associated with the Kansai area of Japan, the practice has become popular nationwide due largely to marketing efforts by grocery and convenience stores." Natch.


Bonus photos: