A Special Sayonara Gift

This is Mr. Ogura.  He was one of our Sakata advanced English or eikaiwa students.  He became a very dear friend.  If you follow this blog, you have seen many pictures of him and posts of times spent with him.  He was a good man, with a strong desire to learn English. 

We visited him and took him a gift in the last weeks of our mission and he gave us gifts.  So we were surprised when, at our last eikaiwa he said he had another gift for us.  He tearfully told us how much he appreciated all we had done for him.  He said it was ichigo ichie- or a once in a lifetime opportunity to have known us and learned from us.  He said he appreciated all of the English we taught him, but that he had learned much more than just English from us.  He said Elder Hinton had taught him how to love his wife more and how to treat his wife.  He said our example had helped him value his family.  (He had told us previously that he and his wife had met his daughter and her husband at a resort and spent time together in a "reunion" as we often told him and the others about our family reunions.)  He was emotional as he told us.  His feelings were so heartfelt.  He then said he would like to give us his stamp collection that he has collected since he was a boy.  He then gave me the booklet containing the collection.  He said he hoped we would show the collection to our grandchildren and that it would make them desire to come to Japan.  He said if they come, he will welcome them warmly into his home. 

Here are some pictures of some of the pages of stamps in the book:

We were very touched with the gift and with his heartfelt gratitude. We sincerely hope that one or some of grandchildren will go to Japan one day and have the privilege of meeting and knowing Mr. Ogura.