Merry Christmas!

Today is the day after Christmas. Normally, it would be a hectic day of shopping, sales, and leftover Christmas dinner. But as I am in Japan, it has turned out quite differently. I have just returned from a wonderful visit to the churches and missionaries in Niigata, a city 2 hours north by bullet train. I met wonderful people who made me feel so at home this Christmas, even though I was geographically so far away.

My first host family spoke very little English and lived an hour out in the country. They had a very traditional-style Japanese house, which in the winter means that it is very, very cold. Japanese homes don't have central heating, so it is only heated a room at a time with kerosene, gas, or electric portable heaters. I did have the most unusual over sized airbag filled with warm air in my bed to warm it up for me before I went to bed. It was the warmest and best I've slept all winter! They took me around and showed me off to all of their family and we took pictures with everyone; and then left straight away to the next place. It was really funny. So now I have lots of pictures of people I don't know. I had a sweet potato for lunch that day too, and don't ask me why, but my host family the next night knew all about it and asked about it. Japanese people talk a lot about food, I'm learning... not unlike me!

The next family I stayed with was in town. I was so embarrassed at first, because I kept misunderstanding the things they'd say to me in English. "I'm a pastor- maker." Huh? I didn't know quite how to respond to this information- why was he telling me this? How do you make pastors? But then I found out he actually said "pasta-maker". ahhhh..... Then, I heard him say, "I teach pastries." Oh really? I'd love to learn! I began telling him of my pastry making stories, and got the oddest look. What he actually said was "I teach history." Wow- we were all able to have a good laugh. They called me "okashi no hito" which means "odd, or funny person". But from then on, the laughing rarely stopped and we all had a great time. They took me to a famous hot spring and I bathed Japanese style, I ate pasta with squid-ink sauce, had sukiyaki for the first time which is by far the best Japanese food I've had yet, had a jazz jam session with piano, guitar, and saxophone, watched kung-fu movies, and spent a lot of time at the church at services and special Christmas events. I met many wonderful Christians and a former VYM missionary who has lived in Japan for around 30 years and is married to a mochi farmer. I felt a but of pressure because I was constantly being introduced as "the teacher who may move here in April". We'll see what happens. In any case, it was a wonderful Christmas. Maybe I couldn't be with my physical family, but I was with many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.

Christmas day we had a big dinner at Betsy, another former Ver's house. There were many foreigners and Japanese people there. Some christian, some not. It was a wonderful and non-threatening opportunity to share about the meaning of the Christmas season to us through song and conversation. I have so much more to write and pictures to share, but I'm off again to a Christmas party and then will be leaving for our missionary family Christmas retreat soon too! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! God's Blessings!