May

This month was one filled with lots of hard processing, but also evidence of God's faithfulness.

May started off with a downer. I had a fever and was basically confined to my couch for the first couple days. It was the most sick I've been since living in Japan (not counting my headaches and shunt issues, which was essentially just mechanical failure, rather than a transmissible illness) and that, coupled with the rain those days, made for a gloomy home isolation. The positive side is that the bulk of my sickness and recovery was over Golden week, so I was off work anyway.

As always, we enjoyed our "Seekers" Bible study. This time we had a couple guests, as Anna's cousin and friend were visiting from America! It was wonderful to share in learning more about God's word together. Pray that God would continue to work in the hearts of those here for His glory!

One afternoon, I decided to take a spontaneous trip to the ocean. The hour and a half each way was well worth it, even though I didn't get a full sunset like I was hoping. There is just something so soothing about sitting on rocks surrounded by the sounds of the ocean, and this was just the medicine I needed after being sick!

Mother's day came, and it's always hard to be away from family on days like that. But I'm so thankful for the Inoues, who invited me to share in their Mother's day supper that night so I didn't have to be alone. They are such a gift! We enjoyed a dinner of fresh tuna sashimi, which was a gift from their neighbor. He had caught an approximately 460 pound tuna, and shared big chunks of it with all his close neighbors. It was delicious and oh so pretty as it was being cut! Who knew that I would ever get excited about a chunk of raw fish?

A couple days later, my first nephew (after six nieces) was born! I am forever thankful for new life! It is definitely bittersweet to meet someone, especially a new baby in the family, for the first time over video call. It pulls at my heartstrings of homesickness just a little more. I can't wait to meet him in person!

Classes have continued as usual. I learned a new term for this time of year - 五月病 or "May disease" - kind of like our winter blues in the States, but starting in May here. Spring break and the start of the new school year have passed, Golden Week is over, and now for the rest of May and June, there aren't really any holidays or breaks from school. On top of that, it's rainy season. This is just a long time of year. I'm thankful for God's mercies that are new every morning.

Some things that make the days a little more cheerful are singing, food, and time with friends. Mid May, Itos hosted a dinner and singing with some of their high school son's classmates. It was such a joy! I'm thankful for these little moments.

I also started teaching a new class out at the Shioda church in May. So far, there are just two adult ladies signed up, but we hope more come, and if we can work out the schedule, we'll add an elementary class as well. I enjoy having an excuse to get out to the country more often.

In between the rainy days, I like to go down to "my" river, although, this time of year, the riverbank is very overgrown, so it makes accessing it a little difficult. The views there are always my favorite.

God remains faithful. I'm reminded that even in the uncomfortable areas of life, God gives grace. Even in the lonely times, God is near. Even in the times of unknowns, God knows.

All the way my Savior leads me...