The waiting room/ my living room

 
In the middle of the first floor, there is a room with tatami underneath carpeting. The room was originally very old-style Japanese, but with the carpet, sofa, and bookcases, it looks more modern now. It was decorated that way when the school opened. If any students or parents come early, they can wait in there for class to start or end, respectively. But it's also like a 'family room' for me. There is a small TV, VCR and DVD player, and the bookcase is half full of toys for any students or siblings that come in, and in the other half I've put my cookbooks and other things that I wouldn't mind people seeing and reading. I've also taken advantage of this space to keep a Japanese bible and other Christian literature, both for adults and children. It doesn't have windows directly to the outside, so it stays the coolest during the day. It also has an air-conditioning unit, but it hasn't been hot enough to try that yet.

 

Easter

 
April 8, 2007


Easter!!!

The Lord has Risen! This year’s Easter was very exciting, as three people were baptized at the church in Niigata! Two of them were English students there and friends of all of us in VYM, and the other is a young girl just starting high school. I didn’t get such great pictures from my vantage point at the back of the church, where I played horn for the prelude and along with the organ for the baptism hymn, but someone else went up to get a better angle and Pastor sent some of the pictures to me.

It’s a typical Lutheran pouring-water-on-the-head type baptism, so they bowed toward the altar to receive it. We spent all day together: sunrise service, breakfast, regular worship/baptism service, potluck lunch, hanging out at the church, taking a stroll in the park, going out for dinner, and returning to Efrain’s apartment to all watch “Ben-Hur” together. Left home at 6am and returned at 1:30am the next day. Very thankful to Laura for the ride home!