Learning To Ride A Bike (1974 Mission Diary)

August 30, 1974
President and Sister Sato came back and we talked and had a light snack with them.  Then President Sato had an interview with me.  It seem like every missionary have to ride the bike.  I wish I tried to ride the bike when the children offered to help me many years ago, but I never thought I would be using a bike, but they claim I have to learn.

September 4, 1974
This morning we went out again from 6 am to 6:30 am to practice bike riding but I didn't do too good although my legs are black and blue.

September 21, 1974
Today was a good day because I was able to ride the bike, but I still put too much in my arms, but at least I am able to ride it.  I thank my Heavenly Father for the help he has offered me, but I am so scared of the traffic so I don't know when I will have the confidence to go out on the road, although I have to.

September 25, 1974
I am able to ride the bike but now I need lots of practice so If I could only go out any time early in the morning by myself and practice, I'm sure I will get better, but my companion is a person that can't get up early and she doesn't seem to give me much time to practice although she does gripe about me not being able to ride the bike.  Especially when it is p-day and we have to do the grocery shopping on foot.  Of course, I would be scared to ride the bike with so many things on it.  I wonder if I will ever get used to it.

October 1, 1974
Today, Izaat Choro and Frehner Choro came to our apartment about 10 am and I had a mensetsu with them.  I had to make a goal for the things I should do by November 1st.  The goals were for me to ride the bike well in a week and to do this, we should go out and practice on my lesson plan hour every morning.  Memorize Lesson Plan C & D.  Pray out loud for 15 minutes every day.

October 14, 1974
We had a lovely day today weather wise, but what a day for dendo.  I rode the bike when we went to dendo.  I went where we had to ride the bike for 30 minutes and there was quite a few traffic, but I did pretty well.  There are ditches all around this place and I guess I'm scared I might fall in or something, but I fell twice around it, once I dropped my bag but there wasn't too much water so it was ok, but my basket came off so Kato Shimai had to carry my bag on her shoulder.

We were going to go house to house but I fell and dropped my white sweater and bag so we had to come back and wash my sweater and take a shower.  This bike riding is hard for me but it is hard for Kato Shimai.  I hope I will get better soon so I won't have to worry too many people.

October 17, 1974
I am riding the bike pretty good now.  I am so happy to be in Tsu - my companion is wonderful, I am riding the bike all over now.

Dai Ichi Branch Talk (around 1984?)

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I wish I could say that I'm glad to have this opportunity to speak to you, but it is always a scary experience.  Dick and I have been coming to this branch for a ong time, actually a generation has passed on.  Dick was just a young boy then, but now he is a nice daddy.

Time flies and it doesn't seem too long ago that Tomi San and I used to pick up Sister Waki, Sister Niki, Sister Mori, and Tomi's mother and went to the temple together every month.  They were so appreciative and it was fun to go with them.  Now they are gone and it's our turn to be the older folks of the branch.

The branch has really changed.  All the young girls are now mothers and raising wonderful families.  The thing that changed the most at the branch is that we have lots of children now, we didn't used to have hardly any children.  Pretty soon we will have a good group of deacons like all th eother wards.  We waited a long time for Jonathan and his friends to grow up.  It won't be long now before they will have a good deacons quorum.

I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to learn about this gospel and became a member of this church.  We moved to Utah when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and the World War II was started and we couldn't stay in California.  At that time, we thought that it was the end of the world, but actually it was a blessing in disguise.

We lived in Utah for a long time, but didn't know about the Mormon church until we moved to West Bountiful.  Soon as we moved in, the children started to go to primary with their friends and then to church.  I wanted to take my children to church, but I thought Japanese should go to a Japanese church.  I knew there was a Japanese Christian Church, and a Japanese Buddhist Church in Salt Lake, but it seemed too far to take them to church and then I didn't know which one to go to anyway.

My oldest daughter always liked to go to church even when she was small.  She used to go to church with her friends in Rockport and Murray.  I didn't know what church she was going to, but thought it was ok as long as she was going to church because I didn't think they taught anything wrong.  She was going to the Mormon church all along.

When we moved to West Bountiful, things were different there.  My children's friends invited them to go to primary with them and then to church.  Stake missionaries started to come over.  They were all so friendly to us, the whole town became our friends, and not long after, my two oldest children got baptized and then the next two and then Dick got baptized when he was 8 years old.  Before I was even baptized, the primary presidency came and asked me to be a primary teacher.  I told them that I didn't now enough to teach a primary and they said we have manuals, all I had to do was study it and give the lesson.

I had some 9 year old girls and I actually became a primary teacher before I was a member, but I guess I felt guilty teaching these young girls without being a member, so I was baptized by my son Ken not too long after that.  I found out that the Mormon church was not only for Hakujin, but for everyone and even Japanese could go there.  All my children became very active church members.

The Lord has blessed me very much.  I have been blessed with 5 children and they have each found wonderful mates just suited for each other so I have 5 wonderful in-law children and 27 grand children.

My grand children are growing up fast and now I have a grandson on a mission to Japan, 2 grand daughters attending BYU and lots of priesthood holders.  We have priest, teacher, and quite a few deacons.  I'm sure most of them will be going on missions.

In Matthew 6:19-20, it reads
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.  But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through or steal."

This is my bonus year and maybe much time left so I must do my best to lay up treasures in Heaven.

I love the scripture DC 82:10 where the Lord says "I, the Lord am bound when you do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."

I know that the Lord does bless us when we do what is right.

I am blessed now of being a primary teacher to Jill, Allison, Aaron, Yoshi, Tony, Amelia, and Kimi.  They are so cute and very smart.

I know that this gospel is true, that our Heavenly Father lives and Jesus Christ is our Savior.  I know that Joseph Smith was our prophet and did restore this wonderful gospel and that we have a living prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball to guide us in the latter days.