To the general "you" :)

If you would have been walking by Koriyama church yesterday, you would have seen 5 rambunctious children, ages 6 to 1, and two English teachers crawling around on the floor. You probably would have heard shrieks of joy, several gales of laughter, and some bouts of tears when the younger ones couldn't keep up with their older siblings. If you'd looked close, you would have seen the perfectly-developed and well-rehearsed pout on the 1-year-old, when her siblings came from English class with candy and she was standing empty-mouthed. You also probably would have seen the group of mothers, chatting together amidst the bedlam as if they were old friends.

If you would have stood outside and pondered the scene for awhile, you might have found yourself wondering what the women were talking about so enthusiastically, while the English teachers and kids were creating such a playful scene.

Sometimes I find it inexpressibly sad that you're not here, that you can't see or partake in the craziness, and, during moments like yesterday, I find my heart full with both joy and sorrow as I was able to participate again in a beautiful conversation about the Bible. My poor writing on the computer can't quite communicate the eagerness with which my Thursday mothers ask me questions about Bible study, or the funny discussions that come up, or the connections they make to their lives which are beautiful.

Noah, Abraham, Adam and Eve, God's plan, faith, human sin, God's goodness...these all come up in a conversation of two languages and many children's playful noises. :) It is so...real...and maybe because of that, it is such a blessing.

A new family joined the evening Bible study last night--primarily because the other mothers' talk about the Bible all through the afternoon English class. :) Was it crazy, with everyone coming in at different times? Did children run around in circles? Of course. :) But when the mothers start to talk about Abram's very-inconsistent faith and compare it to their own hearts...when they start asking Sensei questions in Japanese because they can't help but want to know the answers...when they ask for next-week's homework and gladly receive five chapters of reading...

...that is when I wish you guys could be here, and see how God pursues people, and know--beyond the shadow of a doubt--that we have, with us, a loving God, and many people who are hungry for Him.