Trials and trails

Sometimes a trial is a trail that God wants to lead us on for his greater purpose. 2 weeks ago our hot water heater went out, so we went to the public spa. There I ran into a pastor I had been thinking about working with. He had not planned on being there either. At the last minute he had been asked to take some foreign guests there. His guest had not wanted to leave so the night was becoming rather late. Kazumi, Cherry, and I came in and Pastor Niwa was sitting drinking tea. He and I had time to talk. Later he emailed me saying that he thought God had arranged our meeting. He and I will get together this coming Saturday.

Yesterday I got a traffic ticket. The whole ordeal lasted a little over 2 hours. It was not very fun. I taught at a local school and the street to the school is one way from 2 to 5 pm. No one told me and the sign explaining it was not visible from the school. A cop was sitting there and in all effect it was a trap to get the daily ticket quota. They brought me to the station where they were not very nice to me. Here is a side note about the law in Japan, they can hold you for up to 30 days with out a charge and they do. It is how they get confessions. I left the police station wanting to leave Japan for good. But then I realized that unlike my Japanese friends I had the hope of leaving. The only possible hope for my Japanese friends was that regardless of the situation God loves them and wants to have a personal relationship with them.

Then later in the evening we got a call from Kimiko who is moving to the US and had been reading some Christian daily devotionals we gave here. Her husband has already gone to the US and she was calling to give praise to God. He had gotten a good job with good benefits and found an apartment with a grocery store only 200 meters away so Kimiko would not have to drive right away. When Kazumi gave me the phone the first thing Kimiko said was "I want to thank God." Sometimes a trial is a trail God wants to lead us on. I understood the depth of her words because I understand the context of life in Japan and turning from that to trusting in God.

The Cherry Blossoms are in Full Bloom

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom. April is the beginning of the new school year in Japan. Cherry switched kindergartens and had a graduation at one and an entrance ceremony at the other. My niece Riko also entered elementary school, and I started as a teacher at 11 different schools and kindergartens. Yes, eleven!!! I will visit 7 kindies and 4 elementary schools this year.
A week ago we met again with Kimiko, a Japanese woman interested in learning about Christianity. We had a great time. She is also in an international marriage and has a daughter the same age as Cherry. Kimiko and Kazumi have a lot in common so when we go visit it is an all day event and it is a lot of fun. Kazumi gave her a bunch of Daily Bread devotionals in Japanese.

This coming Sunday the church council will meet at Ena and we will continue to work on some ideas together. We will discuss the children's program we hope to start in May. It has been a very busy week or so; pray for all the transitions going on. Pray the the Lord will continue to draw us closer to him and guide us in his will for our lives.