The WABAK Machine

When I was a kid there was a cartoon that I loved called Peabody's Improbable History, which was part of the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Peabody, a dog and his boy, Sherman would take trips back into time and view historical events from a humorous point of view. Invariably, they would get into trouble and have to make sure the events came out as they should. This past weekend, I boarded a WABAK (Wayback) machine of my own in the form of a Japanese Shinkansen or bullet train to a place I have not seen in 36 years, Nagaoka, Japan. I went to see the city one more time and to attend church with a friend from work. It was of course, wonderful. The city is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains which are covered in ski resorts. It is a lot like Salt Lake City, except for not so many people. The countryside is beautiful, covered in pines and deciduous trees in the summer.

When I was there, we had church in a house. Now there is a chapel and about 20-25 people came to the meeting. It was very special to meet these people, even if there was only one sister who was there when I was. She remembered my companions but not me, I had learned not to be so out there in Nagaoka. My testimony of the work and my love of Japan really solidified there and it is a special place for me. If I come again to Japan, I will go and spend more time there.