Where have we been?

You might be forgiven for thinking we have fallen off the planet. No blog entries since the end of August! We are still here - it's just time has run away over these past weeks. Actually the last entry explains a lot of the busyness as we have juggled the two roles, one leading the church plant at Hiragishi and the other leading the Hokkaido Region of OMF. This month David has been away from Sapporo, first at OMF meetings, then at an OMF Directors' Retreat and now in India for half-term at Hebron. Our lifestyle is certainly unorthodox! It's been great to be here as always. The first few days at school were helpful to catch up with some teachers and staff but the highlight of October half-term is Drama Week. Every year certain year groups put on plays of excellent quality. This year it was the turn of Daniel and Matthew's years to take the stage. Daniel had a smaller role in his play (a superb production of the Hunchback of Notre Dame) while Matthew had a more main part in Murder in the Cathedral, a difficult play set to spoken verse in older style English. His class did very well and Matthew ended up getting an award for Best Actor Runner Up. He is interested in politics and what we saw on stage showed some of the right qualities for that - at the end he was one to give the convincing speeches to the audience. This week we have been at the beach on the south-west corner of India. Kovalam is a gem of a place - warm sea, beach, many little restaurants and cheap hotels. The pace of life is very relaxed which gives great time for reading, pondering and reflecting, as well as enjoying leisurely breakfasts, bowls of tropical fruit, lime sodas and many other culinary delights - and that all very cheap for someone used to living in Japan! Matthew has taken many photos of the ocean and sunset - one is attached as the photo for this blog. Tonight the long journey back to Ooty begins for a final day of buying the all-important tuck for next term and a final meal at our favourite place for Sunday lunch before David begins the even longer journey back to Sapporo. A busy month awaits but hopefully we can be a bit more disciplined in keeping up with this blog to share the journey we are on with the church plant in Hiragishi as well as more widely in Hokkaido and indeed Japan.

Double life

It is often said that missionaries live in two cultures but are never really fully part of either. We go one step beyond that and take in a third culture. David is presently in India visiting Daniel and Matthew for half-term at Hebron School way up in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. The snow of Sapporo is left behind for the pleasant climes of Ooty. Actually lots of things change - bathing techniques (the good old bucket bath); food (a little bit spicier); early morning alarm (courtesy of the prayer call from the local mosque followed 30 minutes later by the 6am siren); and the traffic (crazy bustle of cars, buses, people, cows, goats, horses, often all trying to find a space on the road where there is one whether it's the right side of the road or not!) The first week is time for catch up at school - meeting the staff, interviews with the teachers (the report cards have just been distributed), enjoying the company of other parents who encompass many nationalities and work in many different parts of Asia. We love the family atmosphere at Hebron School. There is such a tangible sense of love caring and encouragement. Yesterday evening a Praise and Prayer evening was held at the school, attended by many of the older children as well as staff and parents. It was a wonderful time for this international community to praise and pray together as well as hear from three speakers who shared about their country of work and what they are doing (David had a slot on Japan). Keeping a toehold in three cultures has its challenges - but we (boys included) are all the richer for the experience.