Kurt and Akane's son, Kent, greeted me with snowballs when I went to work in the morning:)
The room for our branch school at Oharu Church, where I attend! I'm so excited to have many supplies and a special room for the kids at church!
The downstairs of Oharu, where we used to have English class and where church service is held.
Snow in Nagoya only happens about once a year. It's a random event that keeps you on your toes because people in Japan don't often drive in snow. It snowed on a Saturday morning, which meant I would have to drive to work amongst the craziness. Thankfully, God cleared the roads with the sun before I left for work.
The snow in Japan reminds me of what's going on with life in Japan right now- a time of transition with random surprises. Aaron and I are seeking God's plan for our lives together, and we are planning to live in Bloomington, IL when my term here is up. While I'm confident this is the best plan for our lives right now, it's not what I expected for us to be doing. However, some time in the states will give us an opportunity to get adjusted to married life and probably prepared for our next overseas adventure. Like me, Aaron would like to work overseas for at least a year.
In addition to this life transition, Saban English School is also transitioning to a new term at the school and opening the branch school at Oharu church. I have been helping paint, decorate, and assist with trial lessons where kids can come in and have a free lesson to check out the school. It's somewhat of a stressful time, as we see new students come in, new schedules formed, and some students leave. I am looking forward to a change, and to see more students coming to our new branch school!
I also have had the opportunity to put together our first English kids service at Oharu Church. An attendance high for us at church is 29 people, and we had over 15 kids attend our first one! 7 were from our school and non-Christians. We had a Valentine's party and our theme was God's love, with songs in English, a Bible story about Jesus love for kids, and a craft and game to go with. It was such a blessing to be able to teach non-Christian kids about Jesus and God's love for them! One group wanted to sing "Celebrate Jesus" after the service was over! This was definitely something only God could do. We are planning to do this service once a month, and I am planning our next one for March 14th!
In the midst all the activity going on here, God is faithful. Just like He melted the snow for me to drive to work on clean roads, His steadfast love and faithfulness remains the same. I am so thankful for His intense love for me, and His constant and consistent provision!
