Dear Friends – It’s 11PM Monday night. It’s surprising that there are seven of us still up. Even after a very tiring day with the children, people are still hanging around being goofy. Something that is a lot of fun for me is to watch the team members interacting with the people here in Chino – especially the children. Monica is usually one of the first people to greet the children who she recognizes while serving on past mission teams. You can see the children warm up to her hugs and kind words. The kids love to attack Daniel and Tsuguru and be tossed around and chased. But to receive a motherly embrace and kind, sweet words, they will always turn to one of the women on the team. Everyone on the team is very good in spending time with the members of the Chino church and all the parents who bring their children to the various activities. A special thanks to all the members of our team who speak Japanese and translate our conversations with the people of Chino.
After breakfast Shizuka, Daniel, and Kaori went to visit a member of the Chino church who is in a nursing home after suffering a stroke. She is unable to speak but communicates in other ways. She was able to acknowledge to our team members that she was aware of their presence. This afternoon we had a second day of English conversation classes. There was one craft class for adults and they made bookmarks. I know that sounds pretty bland, but these bookmarks were very pretty. They don’t just slip in-between the pages but fit over the corner of the page. There were all types of decorations to add and they had a wonderful time. Koby and Kaori spent a long time talking with the moms as they worked on their projects. Thank God for the young people on our mission team who can keep up with the energy and enthusiasm of the kids. For the children, there was a craft class, games, and a sing-along. The kids had a great time and there were many of them still staying long past the 4 o’clock ending time.
For dinner we had soba noodles with tempura. This was one of the best meals I have eaten at the church, prepared by the church members. It was better than eating at one of the Japanese restaurants in L.A. But even better than the food was the guest we had joining us – Mr. Gomi. He is the husband of the woman our team members visited in the nursing home after breakfast. This 93 year old man lives at his home, by himself, without anyone living there to help care for him. Mr. Gomi’s wife, his son, and son’s family are all Christians and members of the Chino church. Mr. Gomi is not a Christian and had never been in the Chino church before. Kawano-sensei half-jokingly said it was a miracle he was in church. They had Koby and I sit with him for dinner – to put him at ease in the presence of other old men. He is in good health, has a clear mind, and was a blessing to talk with. He had a photo album which included pictures of him riding a bicycle backwards. He stands on the bike facing backwards and pedals with the bike going forwards. He is still able to do this. He also rides his bike in the conventional manner around the town. Time to close this message.
We can use your prayers for team unity and for all team members to share the love of God with one another. God is always good in answering our prayers. Don
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