The Long Road

It's been a long time. Or as the Japanese would say, "Hisashiburi desu ne?"

I had a wish in the MTC that on the day I arrived home, I would sneak up behind my parents at the airport and say, "Hisashiburi, ne," in my deep and sonorous RM voice. They would turn around, begin sobbing, and embrace me.

It didn't turn out that way. Even if I did get the chance to try it, they wouldn't have known what "hisashiburi" meant anyway.

Oh, the dreams of a young man! How they shatter all to pieces after that first round of housing. But, let's start at the beginning.

I served in the Japan Okinawa Mission from November 1994 to September 1996, not including my stay at the MTC. I served under President Pope. My MTC district consisted of Elders Hodson, Krikava, Solen, Wahlquist and five other who went to Sendai. There were no Shimatachi in our district; therefore, our baser personality traits were not hindered whatsoever by the need to act respectably in mixed company. But let me go on the record by saying that Elder Cline was a good, little boy.

I entered the mission field and was assigned to Elder Spencer in Naha South. After a while, he transferred and I became companions with Tanaka. Then, a greenie from the JMTC arrived and my apartment went three-man: Tanaka, Cline, Torikoshi.

That was stressful. I was young and living with two native speakers. But I transferred about two weeks later and found myself in Oyama with Norton. Glass and Solen were there, too.

Oyama was a dream apartment; therefore, I nicknamed it the Oyama Dream. It had rats, cockroaches, and geckos. But I did get a good deal on my car insurance.

Glass left; Hollibaugh entered. Solen left and Stewart entered. Norton and Stewart went home together, leaving the entire area to Hollibaugh and I.

Hollibaugh transferred out a few weeks later and Field came in. We had a great time together. We even visited a local brothel. Of course, we didn't know. We were just knocking doors. We got out of that situation as soon as we could.

A day before my Hump Day, I transferred from Oyama. I was grateful for that transfer. My gunjin investigators were falling apart. One confessed to a recent act of adultery. Another's husband had returned from overseas with his one adulterous confession. And yet another began telling very creepy stories about being visited by demons.

I went to Kadena to serve with Iida. In the apartment were Hansen and Solen.

Iida and I proselyted in the Yomitan region. After he transferred, I became companions with Sue.

Kadena was my own personal crucible. I underwent the most severe trials there. So when I transferred, I rejoiced inwardly and boarded with honbu van as glad to get out of there.

I went to Okinawa City to be with Wood. Clark and Didier were there, too. Okinawa City was the complete opposite of Kadena. The three Elders I lived with there completely saved my attitude. When Tanner transferred into take Didier's place, it got even better. Wood, Clark, Tanner - what a great bunch of guys.

It was short-lived, though. I transferred two months later and went to Yonabaru to serve with Solen.

Yonabaru was the pinnacle of my mission. Solen and I tracted the heck out of that area with little result, but we worked hard and it felt good.

It was in Yonabaru that the President spilled the beans to Solen and I about the impending merger with Fukuoka. He and his wife showed up at our apartment on a Slump Day to pick up a box of supplies that had been erroneously delivered to us. I'll never forget the moment when the President said, "Well, I guess I can tell you now. The mission is going to be closed."

The Yonabaru Apartment was one of the first of many apartments to get the axe. Solen and I both tranferred out together. No one came to take our place.

I went to Shuri, but contined to cover the areas that had comprised the Yonabaru Proselyting Area. I served with Mikesell, first. Brimhall and Komene were in the apartment, too. When Brimhall went home two months later, Mikesell transferred out and Komene and I took over the entire Shuri/Yonabaru areas. I died not long after that. My days as a missionary were over.

I went home to Maryland, spent a few months trying to figure out what life was going to be about. I eventually went to college, earning first a BFA degree in art and design from a school in Maryland. Then, I went to graduate school, earning my MFA in painting at East Tennessee State University.

I married Nancy Powers on October 17th, 1998, and now have three girls: Bekah, Leaf, and Fern. Those are the nicknames, actually. The real names are Hannah, Laurel, and Frances.

I have never fully recovered from my mission. Okinawa has a way of lingering in the shadows of the mind. I am quite alright with that, too. As inauspicious as Okinawa is, I am glad I am one of the few people who got to serve my mission there.