Last weekend we flew to Osaka for the Japan District Assembly. This is a time where the pastors and some church members from all the Nazarene churches in Japan come together for worship and meetings. It's always great to see old friends, make new friends, and practice our Japanese listening and speaking skills. :)
These pictures give a few highlights of the weekend...
Brian was spontaneously asked to join a group of pastors singing a special song at the seminary graduation service... his Japanese reading skills were put to the test. ;)
A lot of families brought their kids this time, so we had fun getting to
know them and playing together... they took this picture after we had
to leave on Sunday, but I'm so glad someone took this pic so you can see
our new friends. :)
Noah and Justin did a fabulous job of quietly playing and coloring during the meetings and services... they normally sat at the back with me but would occasionally wander over and sit by Brian for a few minutes. :)
A definite highlight for all of us was spending time with our new regional director, Mark Louw, and his wife, Linda, and daughter, Alex. Alex and the boys immediately bonded and had TONS of fun getting to know each other over the weekend. It was hard to say goodbye, but we're so thankful God sent them to serve on the Asia-Pacific region!
Please continue to pray for our churches in Japan. Less than 1% of the Japanese population are Christians, but we know God is bigger than any statistic and desperately wants the Japanese to know of his love and grace. Pray for our pastors you see in these pictures as they work every day to reach Japanese for Christ.