Another Week

Good evening, everyone! I hope your week has gone well. I can't believe I haven't posted anything all week! I think that is because I haven't done anything really out of the ordinary this week, even though we have been incredibly busy.

Let's see... On Tuesday morning Staff meeting was here. Only Rev. Fukuda came, since the other family is leaving for the Netherlands this week, and Mrs. Fukuda was busy. That evening Keiko came over for dinner, and to work with Abi on the music for church.

On Wednesday night, Abi and I walked down the street to another festival they were having. While the last festival we went to was just their fun summer festival, this one was the beginning of the time where the ancestors supposedly return to their homes and look after their families for a time. So the Japanese did dances that welcomed the spirits back. Neither Abi nor I participated. We watched and talked about how sad it is that an entire city can come together and do this for three nights in a row, dressed in their best clothes, and that they all know the dance (even the children), while we who really have a Protector that lives and rose from the grave sometimes forget just how wonderful a gift we have been given!
Oh. Another thing I remember about Wednesday is that when we came home from the festival I actually got cold! It was cold outside in the middle of July! I slept with my window open that night, and it was really nice.

On Thursday Abi and I went with Miho-San to a HUGE Japanese department store to buy a boys' yukata for Aidan. Miho is the mother of Aidan's best friend. They also live in this building... I could have spent all day at the store just looking at all the stuff! The store was about 4 or 5 stories tall. There were clothes, shoes, dishes, camping gear, etc. etc. etc. On the bottom floor there were also groceries. Just that floor was probably the same size as our Wal-Marts! This one store had it's own food court. It was probably the biggest single store I've ever been in! On Thursday night I printed all of the things I wanted Eastin and Hinako to do for their English lesson.

On Friday morning after I went for a 45 min. walk and had my quiet time, I made finger-paint for the children. Neither Aidan, Eastin, nor Hinako had ever finger painted before! They loved it! Even though they didn't really paint a 'picture', they just squished their fingers in it and loved it. In Japanese schools they don't really encourage imaginative creativity or play. I think that's one thing the Sato's miss about the American preschool Hinako was in, and want me to encourage.

So today, I am hoping to get my hair cut. If I do, I'll try to send pictures. My goal is to not have to cut it again while I am here, since a haircut is so expensive!

Since this is my day off I think I will find something to do for a few hours until Abi gets back from soccer. If things go according to plan, we'll go get the hair cut. :)

Good night all!

All my love,

Hannah