Why is the food cold and the drinks hot!

That is one of the many questions I ask myself as I sit down to a meal in Japan. During the summer many of the Japanese dishes are served cold. Well, I tend to like my food HOT. The hotter the better. But in Japan, I may not get that!

I have been in Ofuna, which is where my church is located, since Friday. It is a beautiful city that is built in the mountains. I am staying with a woman who attends the church, Ito San (Mrs. Ito). She is very gracious! She has opened her lovely home to me for a week. She has prepared a lot for me and she even let me call home! I was thrilled and so was my family.

Sunday was my first church service at Shonan Nozomi (my church). The people were very excited to meet me! They greeted me with open arms and tried their best to speak English to me (which is more than I can say about my Japanese!). Yamanaka sen se, the pastor, prepared for me, too. He had all of the songs for me in English so I could sing along and he recorded the message for me in English on his iPod so I could listen to it while he spoke in Japanese. During Sunday school a translator joined my class to help me follow along with everything. I have been asked to join the youth class. Regularly, there are 2 boys and 2 girls. They seem to be great kids. They all come from Christian homes. After church, there was a welcome party for me. The food was all very good. Everyone introduced themselves, but I do not remember many of their names. At least, I may remember what kids go with what parents. All in all, it was a good day.

Yesterday (Monday) I went to Kamakura City with Ito san and her sister. It was about 30 minutes away by train. We walked much of the time once we got there. Kamakura is a popular destination for tourists and it is famous for its shires, temples, and the Big Buddha. It was very nice town and looked like a good place to go shopping. We also visited the ocean. It was very windy and cool, but it was pretty. It was good to get out, but a very tiring day. There is not much planned for the next couple of days so I hope to relax and prepare for camps. I am going to be a helper at the Junior English camp and a teacher at the Adult English camps. They begin in 2 weeks and they are both at Okutama Bible Chalet.

Please continue to pray for me as I continue to adjust to Japan and everything that is new. It is has not been an easy transition, but God has a plan so I just need to keep the faith.

Love,
Amanda