1966 - 1969 Japan

September 26, 1966

Dearest Dad, Mom, Lynn, and Layne
How are all of you? It will be two weeks in the morning since we left Park Valley and we haven’t heard one word from you. We sent cards from Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, Travis AFB, and Anchorage, Alaska and a letter from here. We hope that no one is sick.
Last Saturday night we had the worst typhoon that has hit Japan in many years. We are in a new hotel so we hardly knew anything was happening except we could hear the wind. The next morning we could see roofs and building torn apart everywhere we looked. On the base where we are stationed they estimated $3,000,000 in damage. The house that we are going to rent was hardly touched but almost all others in the area had considerable damage. We hope to move in later this week if everything goes well. We are really enjoying our visit here. Everything is so different. The roads are more narrow and winding than in England. The buildings are small and poorly made. I hope the letter concerning our visit with Don Hansen made some sense. Well it is late so I had better close. How are the coyote callers doing?
We love you and miss you so much. Write. I will let Shirley finish this letter.
Terry and Wendy decided they would write to you too. Wendy is standing up in her crib. She stands up in it all the time. We got her a walker and she goes all over the hotel room. She really enjoys it.
We are really enjoying it over here, but are getting anxious to get settled in a home of our own. The members have been so good to us. I don’t know what we would have done without them.
It is really interesting over here. The people are really friendly and really make a fuss over our 5 little ones. The hotel here is very nice, so much nicer than the ones in England. The typhoon was rather frightening. I was surely glad it was during the night so Jim was here with us. Well it’s time to get Tammy and Danette to school, so much close for now.

14 November 1966

Dearest Dad, Mom, Lynn, and Layne,
We appreciated you letters so much and pray that you are still doing well, Dad. You must be careful! Don’t start back to work too soon. It just isn’t worth it.
How do you like our stationary? They surely have a lot of beautiful things. The scenery over here is so fascinating! The people and shops are fascinating! We went to the mountains for a picnic with a family ranch. The mountains are high, steep and very close. They are terraced almost to the top. They have just been harvesting the rice.  I just wish there was some way to share this experience with you. It’s difficult to describe and have you understand how beautiful it really is.  What a wonderful experience.  If all of you will just take good care of yourselves while we are gone and stay well, we will be so very happy to have this assignment.
Jim hasn’t actually been called to be a district missionary, but he and a district missionary teach several people each week. He is in charge of the Protestant Youth group, and we are going on a weekend trip Saturday morning to take them to a retreat.
I will close now and let Jim finish this. We were so happy to hear of dad’s recovery. Please be very careful dad. How are the trappers doing? They are surely having some wonderful experiences.
We are surely enjoying our stay here in Japan. This weekend Saturday and Sunday Shirley and I are taking a group of protestant youth to a conference up here in the mountains. It should be really interesting.  
We surely miss being with you especially during this season coming up.
Our love always,
Jim, Shirley, Tammy, Danette, Jamie, Terry, & Wendy

November 29. 1966

We were happy for dad’s recovery but we were very sorry to hear that you had been having trouble mom. We hope that you are both well and strong soon.
We are also really proud of Lynn and Layne and very grateful that they are at home with you. Dad we were also glad to have you write to us as well. I wish we could be there with you to help you with the branding and other work around the farm this fall.
We are doing well. The kids are doing very well in school and Jamie, Terry, and Wendy are getting cuter and more mischievous every day.
Shirley and I went with a group of the Protestant Youth to a place way up in the mountains. We traveled for four hours through some of the most interesting and beautiful country we have ever seen. The quaint little Japanese villages with their gardens and then the terraced hillsides and farms home with thatched cottages. It was interesting as we climbed up into the mountains to see how they utilize every foot of land. We crossed through one tunnel that must have been two or three miles long. On the other side was a large valley that is the wine and grape capital of Japan. Then we climbed up into the mountains again and we saw the beautiful terraced rice paddies and beautiful ornamental Japanese shrubs. We finally were way up on the hillside and there we came to farms with milk cows in the Highland pastures. It seemed as if we were almost back in the States. These animals are all from the original her of livestock brought there by an American who set up this 900 acre farm, hospital and school to help the Japanese. In recent years they have made a nice lodge. We stayed there, sang around the camp fire and had services and such things for the young people. Mom you would really have been frightened on the winding switch backs we had to go up to get on the plateau where the farms were located. The smell was so good up there. So fresh, just like it is in Park Valley. That is so different from the smell from open sewers and etc here in the populated areas.
I am in the middle of a teacher training program on base so I had better get to work.

12 December 1966

Christmas is again almost here. We hope your packages arrive in time. Everything under 5 lbs goes airmail from here to San Francisco so they should arrive in time. Don’t send yours to us airmail. It’s too expensive. Just send them regular mail and if they are under 5 lbs they will come over here air mail from San Francisco.
I’m sitting here listening to our Christmas records, waiting for Jim. He’s in Tokyo for the first time at a meeting in the Mission Home for the LDS Servicemen’s Committee. He’s very busy, but manages to spend more time with us, which we appreciate so very much. I’ve just been called as 2^nd counselor in Primary and as Social Relations Teacher, a big challenge and very frightening If only I had the ability which my wonderful husband has. He just finished giving lessons to 3 people, along with a District Missionary and they were baptized a week ago, wonderful people.
We love you so much and want you to take care of yourselves. We are proud of you and your accomplishments, Lynn and Layne. By the way, you two made one little girly VERY HAPPY when you answered her letter. Danette is writing one to you now. Tomorrow our little Terry will be 2 years old.

21 December 1966

We received the package yesterday and the kids are really excited about opening them.  Today received your card and letter. It was so nice and we appreciate everything you do for us. We will buy the wagon and whatever else we can for the kids from the $10 you sent. They will really appreciate them. It really made me homesick when you told of Paul, Marvel, Lynn and Layne going up after trees. I though again this year as I do always when I went to buy our tree of the wonderful times we have had going after Christmas trees. We had planned on being with you this Christmas but I guess it will have to wait for a couple of years. When we look back over our stay in San Antonio that is one thing we regret that we didn’t do and that was to go home for Christmas at least one year. We will do better next tour.
We have some good news for you. I just received word that I have been promoted  to the rank of Major. I do not know the exact date but it will probably be in the late spring. At least I have made it and I just have to wait for the effective date of rank. That’s pretty good for only being in the service a little over seven years. Our Heavenly Father is really being good to us in every way.
The work is really moving along and I am moving in many directions at once. This coming week right after Christmas we will be taking a group to a Winter Conference at Nikko Japan. One of the most beautiful areas in Japan I understand.
The kids are really growing and doing so well in every way. Wendy is really doing well and stealing the hearts of everyone who sees her.

September 9, 1968

Dearest Dad and Mom,
We realize it has been quite a while since we wrote last.
Elder Ezra Taft Benson was here 4 weeks ago and called Jim to be coordinator for all the servicemen in the Far East under President Benson. This is the same as he was doing in England under President Tanner and President Peterson. I’m very proud of him. He does a wonderful job of everything that he undertakes and he has so very much responsibility. We had our first homenight of the New Year last week and have decided to film and record a special program for you sometime during the next 2 – 3 weeks.
Wendy has been quite sick with a bladder infection. She is taking ampicillin and it is going aay. She is such a tiny thing. The doctor says she is a healthy little girl and just small boned.