Raw Hide!!! ...Nope, Raw Horse!!!

Well, part of saying goodbye in Japanese culture is the Sayonara Enkai, or Goodbye Party. Rachel's teachers threw her a great one and asked that we come as a couple. The restaraunt was really cool, a marriage of modern and traditonal Japanese, with some great food and fun. Part of the dining experience included a first for us... horse sashimi. That's right, raw, uncooked horse meat. It was surprisingly good and tender, so, if you can't find Mr. Ed...



Anyway, tons of fun had by all and a great way to say goodbye to Rachel's great English teaching partners.

メガネがきれいですね!!! でも、レイチェルさんはもっときれいですね。

That's right. My wife has glasses!!! I suppose it only made a good thing better (a very loose translation of the Japanese title.) Anyway, after realizing it just wasn't kosher to wonder what those fun, brightly colored shapes with scribbly-doodles that are always on the side of the road (i.e. street signs) really looked like, she decided to take the plunge and got her some hip new glasses to accentuate an already stunning profile (man I'm scoring big browny points with this one). Anyway, just thought we'd prep folks back home for the new Rachel.

ぼくたちは二しゅ間のあとにアメリカにかえります。 (We're Returning to the States in Two Weeks.)

Well, the Ume (plum) blossoms are blooming and the Sakura (cherry) blossoms are hinting that they will arrive shortly. Spring in Japan is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen on God’s vast creation. Like no other place, the flowers and trees here in spring really give a sense of new beginnings and refreshing. I suppose this is a good parallel for Rachel and I. Time has come for us to make changes. Perhaps Japan has been a time of incubation for whatever God is preparing us for. I wonder what that will be. Perhaps it won’t be a blooming quite as beautiful as the cherry blossoms, in fact I am certain our lives can’t match that kind of grandeur this side of heaven. However, we are in the process of new beginnings as we return to the States for whatever God is preparing us to do. Please keep us in prayer as we do all the things we need to before we head back as well as facing whatever lies ahead of us in the States.