GROW-ing with the Kansai team

...sure aren't like the palm trees in southern california...

...today we met with our asian access regional network team, otherwise known as the "kansai team"...kansai is the region of japan that includes as major cities (i) osaka, (ii) kobe, and (iii) kyoto...each member of the kansai team works in the area framed by these three cities...

...above claire is pictured with two of the k-team members: kari (left) and nozomi (right) and baby nina...kari and nozomi are two church planting associates, just like us!...kari has been in japan for 1.5 yrs and nozomi is in the last year of her first 3-year term w/ asian access...

...so every two weeks, the kansai team gets together for a time of worship, prayer, bible-study, missionary training, and eating...as its name suggests, the group mtgs are great ways for the missionaries to GROW in faith and fellowship, elements that are so essential to overall spiritual and emotional health in such a challenging field...

...our grow group meet at the home of peter and wendi thomson...they are such a radiant and hospitable couple who have 4 beautiful children...peter is the chief of asian access' missionary staff in japan....he is such a godly, humble, and skilled leader...and yeah, his japanese rocks!...

...here's their gorgeous home...

...the guys and the ladies meet separately and pray for each other...with peter and eric, God has totally answered one of my biggest pray-desires: to be in an accountability group with godly and humble servants of God...with me as the younger "timothy," here are the two "pauls" that i will be looking up to and learning from the next 3 years...

...being our first time in the grow group mtgs, we were welcomed with awesome signs....

...and here's the artist, sophia, who also doubles as claire's hair stylist...

...joining us in the grow mtg was fuji-sensei and kazumo-san...fuji-sensei is the pastor of the sanda chapel, which is the church plant of which the takamotos are part...

...after the mtg, kari and nozomi taught us a few things above living in japan...like...taking the subway...

...????

...and shopping at the supermarket...pretty much like any japanese supermarket in the states, but nonetheless it was neat to see japanese ingenuity and presentation in all its forms in the super...enjoy some of our first sights...

...the shopping carts are so much smaller....since japanese people (typically housewives) go to the market every day, they get enough food for one day...hence the small shopping carts...

...kooky: we saw pocky sticks "for men"...tellingly, its flavor is "bitter"...

...with the food we purchased at the super, we cooked chicken curry for the takamotos...quick tip from nozomi -- get two different curry flavors and mix them (use half of each flavor) to create a more unique, flavorful curry sauce...

...despite its material wealth, we're reminded that japan is a nation in serious need for the gospel of christ...so let's keep praying for japan that God's kingdom would come in japan and God's will be done in japan as it is in heaven!