March Update

March is the month of sakura, or cherry blossoms, in Tokyo and we have had so many opportunities to see their beauty even though they are here for such a short time. To Japanese people, the cherry blossoms are a reminder of how short, yet beautiful life is. As Christians, we have hope that this life is not all there is, it is only a glimpse into our eternity with God. 1 Peter 1:23-25 says that we "have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,through the living and enduring word of God. For, all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”  Easter is always such a good reminder that we have a hope and a faith in something that will last forever. 
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Ministry Updates

Praises & Joys

Prayer Requests

• Okinawa Christian School International has hired Andy as the school Chaplain and I will be teaching high school history and technology integration.
• We are official Team Expansion missionaries but our forwarding agents are still waiting for their official approval; by June we should be able to make a complete transition.
• We will be finishing up the school year here on June 10 and starting in Okinawa on June 20. 
• Megan and Naomi will fly to Okinawa on April 23-25 to try and find a house for us to move into in June. 

• Eliya turned 5 on the 16th and learned to ride her bike without training wheels.
• Mia and Naomi both moved up a level at their Japanese school.
• Megan will start with a new group of middle school students for her Digital Tools elective course tomorrow and enjoyed an overnight trip to Kyoto with her 8th grade homeroom.
• Andy and his 6th graders just finished reading their novels and will begin making iMovies this week as a final assessment. He also ran a half marathon with his running group- our Japanese neighbor and two high school students from CAJ.
• Sakashita family (from our church in Sapporo) came to visit us for 3 days.

• Housing in Okinawa that is near the school, within budget, and in a comfortable neighborhood.
• Moving expenses will be approximately $2000. Please consider giving a special gift toward these costs. 
• Stability for our girls despite the transitions ahead.
  
• Wisdom and grace as we grow stronger as a family unit.
  
• We are hoping the girls can join the USA gymnastics classes offered on the military base in Okinawa from June; we are in the process of figuring out how to go about getting approval for this as it would be a huge blessing to the girls.