Monkey Crossing

This last week was spent in business meetings, devotion, worship, prayer, and general retreating with the whole VYM community both here in Tokyo, and then for the weekend at a retreat center in Chiba. It was such a blessing to gather with the whole group of missionaries, to hear first hand all of the stories of the different happenings at their sites and where and how God is working. I get more and more anxious to be through with orientation and into a site when I hear these things. But I learned too that Japan is known as a "Missionary Graveyard"; that it "chews them up and spits them out." My heart is so saddened to hear this, but it drives me to my knees more in prayer for the other missionaries here, for perserverence and steadfastness in my own faith, and for the people here who are living in darkness. Please continue to hold us all up in your prayers too!

On the drive back from the retreat center, I saw for the first time in my life a monkey crossing sign. Yellow, diamond, it resembled a "children playing" sign, except there was a large primate in the middle of it. We were definitely outside of the city! This weekend too, there were other monkey happenings, but it was actually the birth of a gibbon in Idaho!!! My ottoto (little brother) welcomed his beautiful red-headed, brown-eyed daughter into the world! I am even more anxious to get home and meet this beautiful baby in a few weeks time! God is so good- I feel so blessed that it worked out for me to be going home for Sarah's wedding so soon after the birth of this baby. Kira Nadine.