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From Returned Missionaries

Keith Arnold

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As some of you may know, three of us returned missionaries are working as volunteers on the conversion of Japanese conference issues of the Liahona and Seito no Michi from pdf files into MS Word files. Keith Arnold and Larry Shumway are helping. Dennis Meurer also helped us for a season. We believe it is an important project. Keith lives in Maine. He has been helping for almost a year and half. He is steady and dependable. Here is an email from him along with my reply.

2/13/08

nkarnold@midmaine.com

Aside from moving to Japan, what is the best way to keep Kanji in my head? I learn many, but it seems that I forget them just as fast.

We have been having huge snow storms. Sunday evening we had a stake priesthood meeting. Driving down to Bangor, about 40 miles south, the weather was fine. When we dismissed from the meeting it was snowing, and blowing so hard that driving through the town was very difficult.

Well, I prayed all the way to the interstate, and asked for a light. One of the cars next to me pulled ahead, and all that I could see were his tail lights. I do not know what he was following, in the dark, and blowing snow, as the road was barely visible.

The driver in front of me drove all the 40 miles, and past my exit, where I was able to turn off. I have no idea where he was going, or how far he had to go, but he has my sincere gratitude.

All the priesthood brethren made it home safely to all the distance branches, some of which are two hours away from the stake center. Great how the Lord answers our prayers so simply. I guess that I was expecting a burning bush.

Hope that you are feeling better. Keith

Dear Keith,

Thank you for sharing this. Do you mind if I put it on the website with a little note about you?

There are many Kanji to remember. I think most Japanese people don't remember them all. They can read more than they can write correctly, of course. We don't remember all the English vocabulary we have come across in our lives either. We can read more than we can spell correctly.

Eventually, the kanji we know become sight words. We recognize them by sight. But the construction of the kanji is more complicated than even long words in English, in my opinion. Those kanji we use most often we remember the best. We learn best in context. We learn by making mistakes, by testing ourselves, by looking up kanji again and again. I think what you are doing with the conversion project is a very good way to become familiar with kanji, better than making a list and trying to memorize it. And of course, you have the right, as I do, to petition Heaven for help to remember those kanji with which we can serve the Lord more effectively in the future for His glory, not our own.

Best wishes, WWF