February

Sometimes, the reality of living away from family hits hard. In those moments, when we choose to keep our eyes fixed on God, it opens up a world of gratitude and a recognition of His nearness like none other. I'm still learning this. It's been a month of choosing again and again to trust - often, multiple times a day. Though life brings hard days along with the good, I want to remember God's faithfulness all the time.

At the beginning of the month, we hosted a Friday night pizza, singing, and game night for the English students. What a fun evening! I loved making connections with students and parents outside the classroom setting.

I took a few trips out to Shioda this month, twice for classes, and once for church. I'm so thankful for the beautiful days we've had lately! After class one day, I decided it was time to try a Yamanashi special - houtou! This soup is like Japanese comfort food. It was so good!

Speaking of food, I enjoyed a couple outings with friends this month. These are a couple of my favorites! The first is at an onigiri shop with freshly made rice balls and sides. The second is shabu shabu, or Japanese hot pot.

In between all the lovely days, I was surprised to wake up one morning to a nice amount of snow on the ground! This is an occurrence that only happens about once a year, so it was an exciting day! I enjoyed walking to church with the beautiful views along the way.

On some of the warmer days, I enjoyed time at the river, picnicking, playing my ukulele, or reading and writing. On the last day of the month, I met up with Carrie and our friend Ni-san to ride bicycles, and ride in search of plum blossoms! We were certainly not disappointed!

There's always something for which to be thankful!

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18