August 17 - Learning as we go

The Canadian Academy interviews and testing went well. We are ready to get started, and we all have a lot to learn about the school. I have to buy indoor shoes for all the kids. They must wear these at all times while inside and use these for gym/PE (cannot mark up the new gym floor). They change into outdoor shoes for recess and departure. School lunches are over $5.00 each. Yikes. We will definitely figure out packed lunches.

We had a very busy and fun weekend. On Friday night, Phillip and I went to dinner with a couple that we met our first week here. We walked a couple of blocks to a Korean restaurant, where our friend Andrew said to the owner, "omakasecheman", which means "I am putting myself in your hands." The food just kept coming. I am not sure what all we ate, but it was fantastic. We are very fortunate to have found terrific friends here already. Cassia is from Brazil, and Andrew is from New Zealand. Their kids are great as well. (All the kids stayed at our apartment. At one point, they got a call from the apartment below because the kids were running. Jacob responded by saying he was sorry, and that we were used to living in a house!)

On Saturday morning, Phillip and the boys went with our friend to his professional rugby team training. In the afternoon, we hooked up with a different family (Suda is Indian; Akemi is Japanese) with 2 boys (Akira - 7th and Asuka - 4th grade) who play baseball with the Japanese youth league. They did some baseball drills and then played wiffle ball. The boys just hit it off. It is amazing to see how the children can connect so easily.

Sundays .... While Japanese people are very respectful of each other, religion does not appear to be very important to them. Many, many activities are all held on Sundays. We have very much struggled with letting the boys play rugby because training is always on Sunday mornings.

A big decision ... As background, most of our friends know that Matthew (9) has struggled most with this move. He has shed many tears, and just wanted to stay in Terrace Park with friends and play American football. He asked if he could at least play rugby (after watching Invictus!). I had told him he could not play rugby because they do not wear helmets. Well, as fate would have it, the first family we met here (friends noted above) was a rugby family. Matthew was so excited to hear that they actually do wear helmets. He has loved the practices and really, really wants to play. Jacob has decided not to play, which is fine since middle school baseball starts next week, and the boys are checking out flag football on Thursday. (Two sports at a time is more than enough!) So, Phillip and I spent much time thinking about this and decided to try out a plan. So, on Sunday, Matthew went to training and the rest of us went to Kobe Union Church (the only English speaking, interdenominational Christian church here). After church, we went to watch Matthew. Our plan? On Sunday afternoons, we have a family meeting where we take turns taking Matthew through the message and discussing. We hope that this will not only help Matthew to continue to learn on those weeks he is not physically at church, but will also help the rest of family to put our learning into action each week. We'll continue to pray about this and see how it goes over the next few weeks. There are not many children at the church, and no formal children's program beyond Sunday School. (There is now a youth director for middle and high school. I am sure that we will get to know him well, but he was out on Sunday.) It will be important for Phillip and me to ensure that the children continue to grow in their faith as we seek opportunities to interact with other Christian children. (There is also a Catholic church here where a number of Americans attend.)

On the rugby front .... this was the first time I got to see a training. Imagine Matthew as the only American kid (note tall boy with blond hair and blue eyes) on this huge turf field filled with Japanese kids playing rugby. It was amazing to watch him interact with the team when he cannot speak the language. With sports, there is definitely a language that goes beyond speaking. He seemed to understand what the coaches were asking him to do, and they would demonstrate a lot of the time. The boys would pat each other on the backs when they made good plays. The smiles were also universal. The coaches and teammates call him "Matt-o." Matto got his uniform, and his first game will be September 5.

The boys had their first sleepovers in Japan last night. We have open house at the Canadian Academy tomorrow, and then school starts Thursday. Our sea shipment arrives on Friday.

Please pray for us as we continue on our journey.

Peace and Love.
Tina