I'm turning Japanese...well not really...

Hello! Well, I made it safely to Tokyo. We got in on Sunday night and then had 3 days of orientation, and then we arrived Wednesday night to our new home for the summer! Ariel and I are staying with an amazing Nav Staff couple, Kyle and Jennifer, and our schedule is pretty flexible as we wait for the rest of our team to arrive from California. Since arriving on Wednesday, we met some of the B.E.S.T. Club students for soccer and dinner, and we also went to our first Shabe which is the B.E.S.T. Club's large group meeting. Shabe comes from the Japanese word Shabetanito (probably spelled wrong) which means "everyone speaks," and literally, everyone who comes is challenged with both the use of the English language as well as tough discussion. We discussed Father's Day, and it broke my heart to hear the students open up about their troubled lives at home. A common experience in Japanese families is that children really do not know their fathers because they work so much, and then they come home in many cases to drink to excess to deal with stress. Then they put the same pressure to succeed on their children. I was floored by the openness of these students to share their lives with me as we had just met. Please pray for our conversations as we continue to hang out, and that they would continue to feel safe with us "Setters" and that we'd be able to continue to grow in our relationships with each other.

Going back a few days, the staff in our orientation emphasized all three days the importance of abiding in Christ this summer and then trusting that by doing so we will be bearing lasting fruit here in Japan. That totally resonated in my heart because I've been studying that concept for over a year now- and pretty much everyone I know knows that John 15 is my favorite chapter in the Bible. Out of abiding in Christ, I am able to trust that God's purposes will be fulfilled- how sweet is that?

So yeah, this is the first time in two and a half days that Ariel and I aren't hanging out with Japanese girls. We've had overnight guests the last 2 days, and we have been shopping, learning any Japanese we can, and hanging out and really just being girly that entire time. I wonder when they'll realize we aren't really that cool- hopefully we have at least a few more days to dispel the myth that we're the "cool" Americans.

That's about it- I'm a terrible blogger, and I promise to be more faithful with this:) If anybody reading this has a spare moment please e-mail me- I love hearing from the people I love at home:)