Adventures in Hokkaido...

At the end of August we took an 11 day trip to Japan's Northern Island, Hokkaido. 35 of us crammed into a small bus and a big van, driving 16 hours, catching an 8 hour ferry and then touring the island, staying a few days here, a few days there. It was a great time for getting to know our freshmen friends better, and personally I LOVED the scenery!! 11 days is a long time to travel with college students, particularly when you don't know much of the language, but we had a great week couple of weeks together!



Hokkaido is SOOOO beautiful! All of the flat, green farmland reminded me of home! It was nice to be in such a spacious place compared to the packed-in city. Isn't God an amazing Creator?!!


What's a trip to Hokkaido without a visit to the zoo? These little guys were my favorite!


We cooked most of our meals together over a campfire. Here Saki and I seemed to be enjoying our veggie cutting duties.


We helped dig a pond at the campsite we stayed at for several days.


Yes, that is ME, eating CRAB! It was ok :) I think Hikari enjoyed it more that me!


Winding up the old pitching arm for a fun afternoon of softball. And Elbert steps up to bat...

Summer Snapshots:

"Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands." (Is. 42:12)
Sunset over Tokyo.

Chinatown in Tokyo with Hiromi & Miwa.

Laughter filled photo-opp in our tent at English camp.

Girls weekend in Tokyo with Jennifer & Jamie. Thanks for the care-package, Jo!

Hanabi (fireworks) Festival- beautiful girls & beautiful fireworks!

It was funny... trust us!



Summer team farewell party- we miss them already!

Can he get any cuter??!!

Studying with Nami at Starbucks. Mandy: Japanese; Nami: English & Chinese- wow!!

Clarification on how to correctly use a "Western-style" toilet!

Lighthouse Girls

As roommates, we've been enjoying time together with our two newest roommates Johanna & Kathryn who are here with the summer team. Last week we went out for coffee at a local shop. I love these girls!!

Kathryn, Mandy, Nami, Aki & Johanna

Soccer, soccer, soccer!!!

Last weekend I went to my first soccer game. Soccer is incredibly popular here, and we only sat for a few minutes during the half-time. It was crazy, loud, and very fun! Would have been more fun if our team had won, but... maybe next time!



Johanna, Aki & Me

Sophomore Dinner...

Recently I hosted a dinner party for the sophomores. The food was tasty & the time together was great!

My personal haven...

When I first moved here, I had a futon on the floor, a few shelves, and a rack to hang my clothes on. After acquiring a few more pieces of furniture and spending some time with a friend's sewing machine, I'm now LOVING my little room. Design is a high value for me, as is rest, so having an asthetically pleasing room is such a blessing to me! Living in a different culture is exhausting, so its so nice to come home to a place that is restful and relaxing!

More crazy English signs...

This vending machine gave me a good laugh:


Of course Americans do the same thing when wearing t-shirts or even tattoos with Chinese or Japanese characters, not having a clue what it REALLY says! (Those of you considering a Chinese tattoo may want to do a little research first!)

Mandy's Friday English class...

My Friday night English class has been a great opportunity to learn and strengthen friendships. We always have a lot of fun!

Nami, Me & Mayu, enjoying Sprite floats after class.

Ice Cream for Dinner!

One night, Jamie, Jones & I went out to dinner at Baskin Robbins. That's right- it was an ice-cream for dinner kind of night, and all three of us thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Japanese Driving Test... Attempt #2: passed :D

God had mercy on me & I passed my driving test on the 2nd try!

Dreadfully awaiting our turns to drive with the Japanese driving official.













When the driving man announced the one person who passed that day, I've never been happier to hear "Bah-ru-ko-mu-san" (Balcom-san). Whew!!!
Praise Jesus!!!