Hope in Jesus

I meant to have this post published by the end of November. As I write now, I'm sitting in my dark apartment, the only lights being my computer screen, and newly-hung Christmas lights over my nativity set that I got when I was living in Haiti, which seems like ages ago. It makes me smile. :)

If I'm honest, the words of the title are sometimes hard to remember to live by. Life brings plenty of trials, temptations, and pain. The devil is relentless.

BUT - I set my hope in Jesus. This season reminds us to hope. This hope thinks of the joy yet to come. This hope is the calm in the midst of the storm. This hope is life eternal. While sometimes it's hard to remember this hope, I find that it is often the very thing keeping me going.

I returned to Japan after my brother's wedding toward the end of October. Life has been a whirlwind since I've been back. When I arrived, we had some visitors! What a blessing to have Frank and Kathy here and share some wonderful time connecting. I jumped right back into teaching, and it was great to see my students again!

The second weekend back, we took a trip out to Yamanashi where we had a weekend of fellowship with those from the Tokyo and Shioda churches. We all stayed at a hotel, and our weekend was full of singing, good conversations, delicious food, fresh mountain air, and encouragement.

Thus began a stretch of busy weekends! The following weekend, I went to spend some time with my cousin and his family who live a couple hours from me, near the coast. We enjoyed an afternoon at the beach with a bonfire! Roasted hotdogs, s'mores, new friends we met at the beach, songs with the ukulele, and a beautiful sunset made for a wonderful day!

The weekend after that, I went to Itos' in Takao and to church with them in Shioda. Their town was having a festival that weekend, so we had a good time eating "street food," playing pickleball, learning a little Japanese sign language at a booth, and watching some performers! Church in Shioda was a blessing, and I always appreciate the opportunity to go for a walk with Carrie in the countryside.

under the grapevines

The last full weekend of November, we had a Thanksgiving feast at church. Somehow, sharing the joy of Thanksgiving seems extra special in another country. They don't have the history of Thanksgiving like we do in the US, but we can still give thanks to God for all He's blessed us with! We were reminded of His goodness as we sat in a room full of people talking and laughing, eating delicious food. There's so much to be thankful for!

Classes have been going well, even with a few changes in students and schedule. It has been fun to get to know the kids and see their growth. Now we are busy practicing Christmas songs for the Christmas program at church in a couple weeks! I pray that they may all come to understand the true meaning of Christmas!

Some other random happenings include shared meals with friends, sunny bike rides, and Christmas decorating!

The last month has held lots of ups and downs. As I write this, I'm thankful to be reminded of all the blessings gained from being where God has called me, when it's so easy at times to focus on the challenges. I hope in Jesus.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12