We have much to write about our last few days, but there was one quick post I wanted to write.

Our last day in Japan, Eric was gone all day for the first-ever house church conference in Japan.  We were having house church at our home, but a number of people couldn’t attend, so it was a very small all women’s group.  That weekend our friend Megumi had stayed over in order to help me pack up.  Before house church, she took the kids to the park in order to let me be free to get things done.  She came back, and due to the heat and Annie getting dirty, she showered off herself and Annie.

This is how she came into the living room at the beginning of house church:

Our Japanese friends were SO surprised at the fancy way that Megumi wrapped her head towel, and Keiko proceeded to show Megumi the Japanese way of wrapping — a little less elegant looking.  We had fun laughing about the cultural difference… and then moved into an ice breaker and time of worship.

We joked that Megumi of course would never come dressed like this to a traditional church… but in this week’s slightly- unusual, very small setting, everyone enjoyed our casual family atmosphere.

At a very different level, Eric enjoyed the weekend house church conference.  It is truly an exciting, rising movement in Japan, and it was great for him to meet people from many backgrounds who are finding God at work through house churches.  We are thankful for all that God has taught us the last four years about house churches and building natural, deeper relationships as a way of sharing the reality of Jesus.