"My Spidy Sense is Tingling"

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Some people call us Mormons.   We come in all colours, shapes and sizes (and that's just my family).   One funny thing about Mormons is that they seem to have a special "Spidy Sense" when it comes to picking out other Mormons.  There has been many times when I have picked them out of a crowd and there have even been times when I've been picked out of a crowd.

Just this week I was reminded of one of these occasions.  I'm not big into Facebook - I don't really understand it.  But because of my kids I have an account.  Recently I received an invitation on Facebook to be a friend of one of these fellow Saints that we met about 4 years ago.

For Spring Break in 2004 we went to Disneyland.   One day Judy and I and the 4 youngest were on the Mark Twain Riverboat.   Being Japanese I wanted to take a picture of my family.  Another Japanese looking young man beside us on the boat asked if he could take a picture for us.

Here's the picture he took (Its also the picture that motivated me to start running - another story for another day)

We started chatting with this young man.  He asked me if I was Japanese.  I told him I was from Canada.  He was Japanese American.

  

He asked if I spoke Japanese.  I said I spoke a little.  I asked him the same question.  He said he spoke some and that he lived in Japan for a while.   When I first saw him and his young family I thought - "This guy could be Mormon" - but now my Spidy Sense was really tingling.   I replied that I lived in Japan for a couple years as well.  He asked why I was there.  I said I was there with my Church.  He said "What church was that?"  (I think by now we both had it figured out but still too reserved to ask right out - must be the Japanese culture).    I can't remember who said it first but  "Oh - you must be LDS" finally came out.

His name was Tim and we had a nice visit.  We had several things in common besides belonging to the same church - he was Japanese American - I'm Japanese Canadian (close enough).   We both served missions.  He was from Ohio and was a seminary teacher.  At that time only Alana was in Seminary so he chatted with her about that for a while.  He was there with his wife and 3 kids.   We exchanged email addresses and went on our separate Disneyland adventures.

Since then, we have exchanged a couple emails.   But when he invited me as a friend on facebook I found out that we have some other important (scary) things in common.

I love headlamps.  Your hands are free when you use one.  It points in the same direction you are looking.   I use it when camping, working on the car, BBQing in the dark and even reading in bed.  Why wouldn't everyone use one?   I have a mission to convert the world to headlamps even if its one person at a time.   I love people who use headlamps.   Its like running into another Mormon.  There is an automatic bonding.

Having said that take a look at this recent picture of Tim.

Do you see what's on his head?
   

Compare that picture to this one of Alana, Jenelle and me at a recent Father and Kids Camp.

What do you see on our heads?

You will also notice that Tim is cooking with a dutch oven.  I also love dutch oven cooking but I'm not nearly the expert my dad is.

Grandpa Takahashi and his pineapple upside down cake.

  

Thanks to all those people like Tim who live their lives in such away that you can tell they are different.  Whether its because you wear a headlamp because you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ is Latter-day Saints.