JEMS Missionaries in Nagoya, Japan
After much preparation we have arrived at Christmas. Today we woke up and opened presents with M’s parents on Skype and my parents actually here visiting in Japan. It was fun to watch Tobin excited about all the new clothes … Continued
Our friends invited us to lunch on Christmas Eve. Their son wrote a Christmas drama and performed the drama with his sisters. He is only in third grade and amazed us all with the depth to the performance chronicling the … Continued
This year the Nisshin Church decided to put on a Christmas outreach dinner event. The meal was a traditional American Christmas dinner. This might sound easy but rounding up all the ingredients is quite the challenge. I, C, had the … Continued
We were told by friends to make an effort to continue American traditions abroad. After talking about whether to buy a small Christmas tree Cathalain came up with the idea of creating our own since we have plenty of open … Continued
Japan is interesting in the fact that even though less then 0.5% are professing Christians they LOVE to celebrate Christmas. The day after Halloween all the stores become filled with Christmas apparel and decorations. I was shocked when I walked … Continued
In Virginia we would revel in the beauty of the fall leaves. Typically this would occur around the 23 of October. In Japan we were surprised to see how beautiful the leaves are, but instead of occurring in October it … Continued
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! We have many things to praise and thank the Lord for as we reflect upon this last year. We are especially thankful this year for the many family and friends who partner with … Continued
This week Bruce and Susan were in town from America. Bruce preached at various churches on Sunday and as a couple they met with many team members to encourage their spiritual walk while in Nagoya. We drove up to our … Continued
During out two week break from language school a Japanese friend suggested we visit the Okazaki (the town we live) Castle and eat at a famous tofu restaurant on the grounds. As we toured I was saddened with how distant … Continued
At our school there is an annual “matsuri” or festival held. It is a time of games, speech contests, food, entertainment and really an opportunity to enjoy time together. (A “matsuri” is typically an annual event held in all towns/schools … Continued