As a foreigner, I often feel clumsy. I realized it today when I was parking my bike at the… bike yard? The guard in charge waved me over to a narrow spot down the aisle, where I walked the bike in and tried to get it propped up with 40 lbs of bike seat and… Continue reading Clumsy Mumsy

So the other day, I met a lady on the train.  She came up and introduced herself to us… which is very uncommon for Japanese.  I thought it was pretty cool though and we arranged to meet, which she later rescheduled for today. I showed up prepared today to share the message of Christ, and… Continue reading Ancient Doors

I love Japanese history.  Reading through it, it is easy to see how various influences and events shaped the Japanese way of thinking and acting. On Sunday, we were talking about the saying Japan is known for: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” Many of us can relate.  We are ministering to people,… Continue reading Two sides to every story

You know how we have jokes in America about lawyers and blondes and all those kinds of… jokes?  Well, I found out today that Japan doesn’t have any jokes about lawyers. See, it’s these kinds of things that are good to find out!  Sometimes humor just does not translate into other languages and cultures. Just… Continue reading Good and Perfect Gifts