back to school

The school year in Japan runs from around April to February (with a long break in August).. so universities are back in session now for a new school year! The past few weeks we've all been going back to campuses to reunite with old friends and make new ones. Please pray for the 3 campuses Trent and I work on.. Tsuda, ICU, and SK. Especially lift up SK University as it's a new place we'll be targeting this summer! A Christian faculty member has become a true person of peace on campus, providing many connections there! He's already introduced Trent to some of his students and has invited him to come speak in his classes this term. Trent will also be bringing volunteers to the campus this summer. Please pray that God would protect and bless the new ministry on SK campus and that He would create new disciples from among the students there.

Spring is still unbelievably beautiful in Tokyo. Now that I have experienced what it's like to have four distinct season, I know what I was missing in Texas!! Even the weeds in this country are beautiful - take a look:

Those are just plain old weeds growing on the side of the road! Amazing!

Thanks for continuing to pray over our relationships with our neighbors! We feel like God is really working here in our building! Last week at a cell phone store Trent "randomly" ran into a new neighbor we had just recently met, and he asked Trent if they could get together to talk about our work! On Wednesday night I'm having dinner with Mrs. Oka.. this is the first time I will have see her since January because she has been so busy! And then on Saturday night we are having Chi-san and Hi-san over for dinner at our apartment. (They are the couple who came to our Easter brunch that we've spent time with a few times now.) God is just giving us so many cool opportunities here! Please pray for these special appointments this week :)

Thanks for everything- we love you! Check out the left hand margin of the page to see more updated prayers and praises!

a beautiful quote

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does, in fact, please you.
And I hope I have that desire
in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this
you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore, I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.

--Thomas Merton

real quick

Tonight we'll be having dinner with our neighbors, so would you please say a prayer for us? Thank you :)

Also, this is an interesting article that has to do with marriage & divorce in Japan. If you have some free time, check it out!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501720.html

hanami

This week the cherry blossoms (sakura) are in full bloom here in Tokyo, so on Sunday we went out for hanami, which means "flower viewing" in Japanese. We went to Koganei Park near our house, which is really well-known for it's cherry blossoms.

It is crazy what a big deal this is all over Japan. I cannot really think of a parallel in American culture. The Japanese anticipate the sakura all year along.. and it is all anyone talks about for the 2 weeks or so that it lasts. Then it is over for the year and the anticipation begins for the next year. It's impossible to talk about Spring in Japan without talking about sakura. And trust me, it's also impossible not to be awed by how beautiful they are when they do bloom!

You can see in our pictures that the park was packed, as were all the other parks in Tokyo I'm sure! Everyone came out to enjoy the sakura and the beginning of Spring together. Trent and I joined in the madness and had a picnic like about a bajillion other people did on Sunday afternoon. Although pictures really can't capture how stunning it really is in person, we hope at least some of the beauty comes through...


If you want to see more pictures of this sakura season, go see our photo page! You can find the link in the top, left hand margin of this page!