Again, these photos were shared by Sister McClure .... giving us a peek into his first days in Japan. After being picked up from the airport the new missionaries stay at the mission home in Sapporo for 1-2 nights.
Breakfast
In President McClure's office. He gives the missionaries an introduction to the mission, including stats.
Very interesting!
The seasoned missionaries who have been selected as Trainers sit on one side of the room ....
While the new missionaries sit on the other.
The president announces the companionships and the areas where they will serve.
Ebetsu! .... with Elder Dawdy
Ebetsu appears to be a suburb of Sapporo -- still part of the metro area with 115,000 people. A river runs through the town with the majority of the city infrastructure directly in the middle, connecting to nearby Sapporo. As you can see in this Google Map, Ebetsu & the surrounding area is agriculturally dense. Hokkaido (the northern island of Japan) as a whole makes up a quarter of Japan's usable farming land. Hokkaido is also the nation's largest producer of milk and beef.
More food
They have a tradition in the mission to subject the new missionaries to a dish called Natto (fermented soybeans). Pictures and video are taken while the missionaries sample this distinctive new flavor.
With his new companion he is off!
Typically the missionaries get to attend the temple when they arrive at the mission home, as they are both on the same property. But sadly, the temple just closed on Monday, September 9th for its regular cleaning/maintenance. Just missed it! But I'm sure there will be other opportunities. What a blessing to have a temple right in his mission!
