Hey!
Sorry I haven't updated my blog in a while. May has been a really busy month here in Japan and I haven't had a lot of free time. On May 9 we prepared and handed out carnations to our neighbours for Mother's Day. We went around to houses and put them at front doors. Inside was a little card with a poem and an invitation to church on Sunday. On Sunday we had church and had a special lunch and dessert for the mothers. Usually on sundays the mothers will prepare lunch and clean up after but on Mother's Day we did not allow them to and made sure they didn't come in the kitchen to give them a bit of a break. After lunch we played with the children. On Monday we went to an english student's house for Okinomiyaki, which is basically like a pancake with vegetables and an egg mixed in and meat on top with okinomiyaki sauce. It was really delicious. On Friday morning we went to a student's house to participate in a tea ceremony. This student is a tea ceremony teacher and a ikebana (flower arrangement) teacher so we learnt about both. Her house is an old traditional Japanese style house. It is very beautiful and it was a very interesting experience. That afternoon I took the train to Fujigaoka and spent time at an old couples house, who are students at classes I help teach in Fujigaoka. The lady, Nako, taught me how to make paper corsages and tried to show me how to do some calligraphy, but I was not very good at it. We ate dinner together and then I took the train home to Toyota. On Sunday, the 18th, we went to church and then spent time with the youth at the church. We played worship songs for each other and shared testimonies. It was very nice to hear other people's testimonies and to hear how God has worked and is working in their lives. We then had dinner together, which was Okinomiyaki. Today we are going to visit a lady from the church and learn how to do calligraphy. In addition to this I have been helping in English classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and teaching two classes on Saturdays. Please pray that God would continue to work in the hearts of our student's that they would be open to learning about God and the Bible and that a hunger for God would grow in their hearts that they may seek Him and come to know Him as their Lord and Saviour. Pray also for me as I have not been feeling well lately. Pray that God would heal this sickness and that He would provide me with strength and energy to keep going. Pray also for our team that we would not lose focus on what we are doing here and that our hearts would be open to the Spirit's leading. Pray that we would be able to hear and obey what God is asking of us for the rest of our time here. Pray also for our visas as we are still waiting for them to be processed. Pray that if it is God's will that we would be able to stay our full length of time here. God is continually teaching me patience and to trust in His plans even when I can't understand them. God is also teaching me more and more to trust in His timing and to wait patiently on Him. He has great things in store for me. That is about all right now. Until next time, Sayonara.

Golden Week

Hey!
So this week was really interesting. It was Golden Week in Japan. It was our midterm retreat as well as electronics fast. For the midterm retreat other English teachers from Japan came and spent four days at the church. During the day we went to some touristy places and at night we had worship and sharing time. On Saturday we went to Otsukannon, a big outdoor shopping place, which was really cool but I was also frustrated because it feels like we were really rushed for time and I didn't get a chance to see everything. We also went to Nagoya Port on Saturday and just sat by the ocean watching the boats. It was nice to relax and enjoy the beautiful warm weather and sunshine. On Sunday we went to church and then went to Asuke and saw a traditional Japanese village. It was really cool because there they still make everything they need from things in nature and they sell a lot of it. It was a really neat place to see but I wish we had more time there. On Monday it was raining so we went to a shopping mall. It was okay but we made a big mistake going there on Golden week holiday because it was overcrowded and we had to wait almost half and hour to get a seat in a restaraunt. That night for supper we went to a restaraunt that a man, named Pak San, owns and works at. He is from Korea and so it is a Korean barbeque place. They bring you raw meat and you cook it at a grill on your table and dip it in this sauce. It was amazing. On Tuesday we went and saw Okazaki castle and a flower garden place. There I had some matcha (green tea used in a tea ceremony) and it was soo good. It was very peaceful to drink it while looking out at the pond in the garden. Then we came back to the church and the English teachers went home. Every evening we had worship and sharing times with people sharing their testimonies each night. That was probably my favourite part because I love hearing people's stories, how they came to know Christ and all the things that have shaped them. Every night tho everybody stayed at our house late so by the end of the retreat I was pretty tired and really glad to have the chance to rest on Tuesday night. Some prayer requests I have are for our team that we would stay in good health and get good rest and that we would be able to stay focused on what we are doing for the rest of our time here in Japan. Also please pray for our Japanese teacher because she got a slipped disc. Pray for fast healing and recovery. Please continue to pray for the people of Japan and our English students that God would continue to move in their hearts and that they may come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and come into personal relationship with Him. Pray for me that God would give me opportunities to share His love with others and that God would give me words to speak. Pray that I would have continued focus, energy and strength and that I would be disciplined in spending regular time with God. I am so excited to be part of what God is doing here in Japan. Until next time, Sayonara.