April

April was again a full month, full of new beginnings in Japan. The new school year starts in April, and the blossoming cherry trees remind us that spring is here! Easter is also a great time to celebrate the new life that Jesus gives!

At the beginning of the month, I spent about five days with the Ito family and some guests from America in Takao. We had a wonderful week of orientation with some of Kenji's middle school classmates, to prepare them for their summer homestay trip to America!

I also enjoyed refreshing time spent with friends. We were able to get a lot of good time of viewing cherry blossoms, hiking, and we even took a trip out to Yamanashi to see the peach blossoms! I don't get tired of these views.

To celebrate Easter, we had several gatherings at church. On Good Friday, we had a pizza dinner, singing, and a small service with the homestay kids as well as our normal Friday group. On Easter Sunday, we were blessed with a full church! A couple weeks later, we hosted another Friday night pizza party and singing with my Tokyo English students, followed by our church Easter program that Sunday. It was so refreshing to see the pews filled, with several families that came for their first time! Praising God for this wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel message and the reason for our hope and joy!

God is constantly reminding me to hope. It's so easy to forget that at times. One evening, after a day of rain, the sky to the west cleared just before the sun went down, and we witnessed a beautiful rainbow! I went out to take a picture, and realized in the forefront of the picture was this apartment building, named Espoir, which means hope in French. God's fingerprint is everywhere!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13