June 13, 2010 We had a baptism service at church today for newlyweds Muneaki and Kayo Murata. This was our 7th baptism celebration since being in Japan and the first one to get rained on! Weather aside, it was still a great day.
June 10, 2010 Happy 10th birthday Luke!
May 18, 2010 We have added Issue 57 of "A Minute with the Masons" to our newsletters page. You can read it here.
May 17, 2010 Today Luke went to the orthodontist to start the process of getting braces. Phase 1 is a retainer for two years. At first, he only has to wear it at night and when he is hanging out at home.
April 29, 2010 Here is our little Leia. Isn't she cute!
April 23, 2010 After our monthly meeting with Pastor Kuroda this morning, we decided to eat lunch at a place called Kaika Sushi. Chris ordered the sakana teishoku (fish lunch set), thinking that she was going to get a nice piece of fish. Needless to say, she was a bit surprised when they showed up with the whole fish HEAD! However, it was very good and it made a fun picture.
April 19, 2010 Michael went on his first big hike of the Spring season. He did a 20km stretch of the Diamond Trail from Kimitoge Station to Mt. Makio, via Mt. Iwawaki. Click on the picture below for closer look at the map of the route he took. Michael literally walked from one end of the sign to the other. The trip took just over 6 hours (one-way).
April 18, 2010 Luke has been asking for a pet for quite a while, so after church today we went out and bought a hamster. After much consideration, we finally decided to name her Leia. If you want to know why we chose that name, consider the names of the brother and sister duo from StarWars (the picture to the right will give you a hint.)
April 17, 2010 We had our annual church outing to Mt. Makio today. This was the first time that we have not done it on a national holiday, so we had a smaller crowd than usual. However we still had a great time of eating (thanks Miki, Ueda and Kanayama), testimony (thanks Katherine and Mikako), singing (thanks Sei and Altus) and playing (thanks 100 meter roller slide!)
April 16, 2010 We had to go to Osaka today to apply for Luke's new passport. On the way home we stopped off in Shinsaibashi to visit Osaka's first Krispy Kreme! It was supposed to open two days ago, but when we got there we were saddened to discover that the grand opening had been postponed until the 29th. So, while we didn't get our doughnuts, we did get to go to the Apple store (which is just one block away!) Now we have TWO reasons to go to Shinsaibashi!
April 9, 2010 Junko performed at the KCS all-school chapel this morning. The students really seemed to enjoy her. Michael also continued his message series called "Who Are You?" Today, the topic was "You Are Holy." After chapel, we took Junko and the entire Cheng family to Nara Park. Pictures of chapel, Nara Park and Junko at SIBC can be seen here.
April 8, 2010 Michael went to the airport today to see Shibuya as he departed for Australia. Although we are happy that he will finally be back with his family, we are sad to see him go. Not only has he been a huge blessing at SIBC over these last 13 years, but he has also been a dear friend. Shibuya, may God bless your new life in Australia!
April 4, 2010 We had a wonderful Easter service today at SIBC. Besides celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, Junko perfumed a couple of songs during the worship service, which made it a very special service. After that, we had a wonderful potluck lunch, followed by a short drama presentation by the kids (thanks Fifi and Chris!) and more singing by Junko. On a sad note, today was Takeaki Shibuya's last day at SIBC. He has been at SIBC for 18 years and has been a valuable asset as a translator and a member of the Leadership Team. Later this week he will go to Australia to hook up with his family who moved there about a year ago. Shibuya, we will miss you!
April 3, 2010 The Cheng family (David, Junko, Joshua and Megumi) arrived at our house today. They will be staying with us this weekend and next weekend as Junko will be singing at various locations around the Osaka/Nara area (including SIBC and KCS). Today just also happens to be Josh's 12th birthday. Happy Birthday Josh! March 22, 2010 Luke had his second piano recital today. He has been playing for just over two years now and is showing good progress. The recital was held at a community center in Nara and 15 students performed. Each student did 2 songs on their own, plus a duet, either with their teacher or with another student. You can see a few photos here or can actually watch Luke play here. March 19, 2010 Today there was a teachers appreciation lunch at KCS. Even though Michael is the school chaplain who only does one chapel a month, he was still invited to attend. The lunch consisted of a nice sushi and soba set. Mmmm! Thanks to all of the teachers who work so hard to help the students grow, both academically AND spiritually. You guys are great!
March 17, 2010 In celebration of Girl's Day, Chris and her Japanese teacher (Hattori-sensei) went to a doll festival in Takatori-cho, Nara. About 90 homes in this village set up doll displays in their homes/shops of many different styles and sizes. People can then go on a walking tour and visit the houses. Chris really enjoyed it, and Michael and Luke are even interested in going to see it next year (yes, they want to go look at dolls!) February 5, 2010 Kansai Christian School (KCS) had their annual all-school ice skating day today at Hirakata Park. Michael plans to put together a little video of the day, so when he gets around to it, he will try to post it on YouTube.
January 31, 2009 Here is the annual group photo we took at SIBC today.
January 1, 2009 Today we celebrated Chris' birthday a little early by going to the Outback Steakhouse in Umeda. Chris was in the mood for steak, so we decided to give it a try. Among other things, we tried their famous "Bloomin' Onion." It was greasy, but really nice. Happy Birthday Chris! For more updates, see... 2009 Updates 2008 Updates 2007 Updates (July to December) 2007 Updates (January to June) 2006 Updates
April 18, 2010
April 16, 2010
March 17, 2010
