on returning home.

which home, you say? the one with my boys.. wherever they are will always be home.

things i love about japan:

• not wearing shoes in the house.  keeps everything so clean, don’t worry much about dropping things on the floor or tracking mud around.
• particular to my area, the weather.  only about three months of mild winter — LOVE. IT. we can still play outside most days, even in the coldest month. i miss Nebraska snow on Christmas only.
• the fresh food — meats, fruits, vegetables, fishes, all pretty fresh and in season.
• the way living here challenges me and my long-held ideas and beliefs. the way it forces me to make convictions where i might’ve been okay to just accept something as truth.
• learning a new language (though this is also rough!)
• the opportunities to meet people totally unlike me.
• in the way of the Gospel, we are not building on another man’s foundation — everything is new ground.  (this also means that we’re still tossing rocks out of the field and never really know when we’ll get to cultivate the ground or sow seeds.)
• the family we’ve been given in other missionaries.  i love love LOVE our Navigator family!