Our Last Week

This week has been packed fuller than our suitcases that are about to burst as I type this. Tomorrow we leave for the States. It's hard to believe our time here has come to an end, but this week definitely gave us a lot to remember as we leave.

Monday was spent cleaning a huge tent, doing yardwork, visiting a Harley Davidson store, washing clothes, and going to the red light district with a local pastor who ministers there.

Tuesday, we did Japanese homework followed by Japanese lessons and an afternoon and night of babysitting (we went to the park and watched a movie after dinner, complete with treasure corn).

Wednesday, we had our last Japanese lesson and went with Nanae and Mrs. Yoshino along with the other missionaries to lunch at an Indian restaurant in Sapporo. Daniel and Megan came over for the last Bible study and dinner.

Thursday, we traveled to the association church camp. We spent the night there.

Friday, we traveled further east in Hokkaido with Aunt Mirial (who has become one of our closest friends here). We spent the weekend in the towns of Bihoro and Abishiri. We got to see the churches there and do a lot of sightseeing. We went to a volcano, a beach with hot sands, some mountains with beautiful views, a museum of Ainu (native Japanese) people, and and ice flow museum among other things. We met some incredible people and loved our time there. We returned last night, and spent this morning at VBS at the church.

Now, we're packing, and thinking, "where did the time go?" Thanks for your faithful prayers. Please pray for our safe return. Can't wait to see everyone!!

A Wonderful Weekend

This weekend could not have been packed any fuller. Friday, we had a team meeting for a few hours, and then headed to downtown Sapporo. We met up with a guy named Kota whom Jonathan met on a previous trip. We went with him, his friend, and Daniel to a famous Ramen shop for dinner. Afterwards, we watched a huge fireworks show put on by different fireworks companies. It was absolutely beautiful.

Saturday, we went to Odori for the last time. Missions school was great; it was a gorgeous day, so we got to spend a lot of time playing with the kids outside. We will really miss that church, and are so glad we got to be a part of it on Saturdays this summer. When we returned, we got ready for the yakisoba dinner party at the Yoshinos' house. Mrs. Yoshino picked us and Megan up and took us to her house. Mr. Yoshino and Nanae were there waiting, and Kazuko (one of Yoshinosan's unsaved friends) joined us too. We had the best time talking, exchanging English and Japanese words, looking at pictures, and playing with their dog, Luca. They are such a neat family.

This morning Jonathan preached in church. He taught from Ephesians 4 on the unity of the body of Christ. Nanae came with Mrs. Yoshino, so we were very excited. We all ate lunch together afterwards. Then, a group of us (some of the missionaries, Megan, Mika, Nanae, and us) went to sing karaoke and to see part of a dance festival in town. It was an amazing day. We are sad that we have to leave soon. We're just starting to learn enough and make enough friends to start to feel settled. This week will be a busy one too. Pray for us as we do what is asked of us and close our time here.

Camping, Shopping, and an Earthquake

The church camping trip was quite an adventure. We had a great time getting to know the church members better and enjoying the outdoors. After resting up from the trip, the rest of this week has included more Japanese lessons (and homework), shopping for VBS supplies, babysitting, attending a school event for one of the missionary kids (where we got to meet some cute Japanese children too), more of the Bible study with Daniel and Megan, and our first earthquake. Last night, around 12:30, the apartment started shaking back and forth...more than it usually does when big trucks pass by on the highway. The dishes in the sink started rattling and the bell on our door rang like crazy. It only lasted about 20 seconds, but it was pretty cool. It was a 6 at epicenter, but a 3 here. We've had all kinds of adventures, huh?

Please pray for us this weekend. We are going back to Odori church for missions school/kids club on Saturday. Our Japanese teacher also invited us over for supper on Saturday night. Pray that God will use us there. Her dad is the Buddhist priest and she is also an unbeliever. Her mom has been praying for both of them for years. Jonathan is also giving the message in church on Sunday. Pray that God will speak through him. Thanks for continuing to intercede for us. Love you all.

This Week

It has been a full week here, and we're excited about all that we got to be a part of.

We began a Bible study with Daniel and Megan, the oldest of the missionary kids. It's about God's character traits. This week we've been studying God's wisdom as seen in the story of Esther. They come over to our apartment at night for the study. We've had a great time hanging out and studying the Word with them. They're both really cool, and we're already wishing we could keep meeting after the summer. Please pray for our time with them.

We've also been able to spend a lot of time with the other missionary kids playing legos, watching movies, and taking them to the park. We made some precious Japanese friends at the park too with whom we had lots of fun trying to communicate.

We began Japanese lessons too with Nanae. She is so kind and patient with us. We met on Tuesday and Thursday, and she's coming again next Tuesday. We are learning how to write letters and what sounds they make. We're practicing on the paper you use in kindergarten or first grade....talk about a humbling experience. Pray that we'll continue to learn and get all of our homework done:) Please pray for Nanae too. We love her and want her to come to know Christ.

This week also included another trip to English class at the youchien (kindergarten), a lady's meeting and craft meeting for Rachel, and a visit to a club meeting at the town's international center.

We are about to head out on a church camping trip for the weekend. Pray for a good time of fellowship there and for the unbelieving friends who are coming with us. Love you all!

Saturday

Yesterday was a really interesting day; we had so many neat opportunities. We began the day by traveling back to the Odori church to help with the kids' club/mission school again. It's a pretty long trip by subway and/or train. The train station is quite an experience-one of the most crowded places I've ever been-but it's an adventure. The mission school started at 10, and we participated in songs, games, and Bible time for the first hour. After snack time, we were given the opportunity to teach the younger kids some English. I got to teach on body parts, and the kids really seemed to get into the lesson. It's exciting to do something we're passionate about and have trained for in school. We stayed in Odori for lunch and then took the train back. We prepared our dish for the potluck party we were invited to last night. The missionaries are invited to this party every year. It is put on by an English club, and it's a really great opportunity to get to know some unbelievers in the area. We had fun and made some new friends. Please pray for us this week as we begin Japanese lessons and continue to follow up on some new friendships.

Good Times....

This week has been a lot of fun. We are starting to build relationships and make plans for the next few weeks. On Tuesday, the pastor from Odori (a church we've been visiting) had the two of us over for lunch. A missionary from Hungary and his Japanese wife came over and cooked Hungarian food. Four other Japanese ladies who wanted to learn came over too. We had a great time getting to know everyone, and it was pretty crazy to have conversations in three different languages. We've been talking some with a lady who some of the previous missionaries have built a relationship with and asked us to try to keep in contact with. We are trying to work it out to go with her to her son's baseball practice. We are also starting Japanese lessons next week with the daughter of one of the church members here. There are a lot of people praying for her to come to Christ too. Please pray that God will use us in her life to bring her closer. Pray that we'll be able to learn some of the language too. We've also really enjoyed spending time with the missionaries' kids, helping them some with schoolwork (algebra, mom...are you proud?) and just hanging out. Their mom asked us to do a Bible study with them while we are here. Pray that we'll encourage them and learn with them. Tomorrow, we go back to Odori for another kids' club event. Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement.

Missionary Life

The past few days, we've been learning what real missionary life is like. Most of it is not preaching in front of large crowds or passing out tracts; most of it is living out the Christian life day by day in another country. There are still dishes to be washed, things to be repaired, kids to be taken care of, and friends to fellowship with. We have really enjoyed getting to know the missionary families and Japanese believers here. The churches really are families. A few fun things we've done in the past few days include helping with an English class at the youchien (kindergarten), celebrating the 4th of July with dinner and a movie, and being a part of a kids' Saturday morning program at a different church. Please pray for us as we continue to try to build relationships here. There are several great opportunities coming up in the next few weeks. Pray that God will show us where to invest our time. We're excited to see what's next.