A Review of 2008 and Our Christmas Celebrations

2008 has been quite a year for us. In it we have been given many opportunities to trust the Lord, and in all of them, He has been faithful.

This year saw the passing of Yoko's grandfather, in January, and her grandmother, in November. In both cases, she was by her grandparent's side as they passed away. After the passing of her grandfather, it became clear to us that the Lord was leading us to Japan. So started an 8 month process of praying that the Lord would work things out for us to come here, and as always, He did. It was amazing to see how He provided a way for Yoko to finish her Graphic Design degree, renters for our house, and a visa for Erik.

We came to Japan to be close to Yoko's family and share the Good News with them. Yoko's mother, Hisako, has welcomed us into her home with open arms. Since she is a Christian, it has been wonderful to encourage each other. Yoko's dad lives 5 minutes away by train. We have enjoyed our weekly dinners with him and are encouraged by his openness to us sharing about Jesus. Please remember him in your prayers.

Here are a few events that happened this past year:

• -January- We started the year in Ohio visiting Erik's adopted Grandparents.
• -January- Erik's parents were in Costa Rica when his mom had a heart attack. She received excellent care there and has since fully recovered. The Lord gave Erik great peace during this time (this was the same time Yoko was in Japan with her grandfather).
• -February- A friend in Washington passed away.
• -May- We celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. Being married to your best friend is a wonderful thing.
• -June- Yoko completed her graphic design internship at Yavapai College and received her degree.
• -May- We visited friends in San Diego.
• -July- We visited friends in Oregon.
• -August- Erik left Yavapai College after 7 and a half years of working there.
• -September- We came to Japan
• -September to now is in past entries in our blog.

This year had it's fair share of sad moments and joyful moments. No matter the situation, one thing remain the same and that was the Lord's love. We are so thankful we serve a God that does not change. Our verse of the year was James 4:8a and 10: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." As these verses promise, so God has done. We look forward to what He has for us in the coming year, and sharing our journey with you.

Christmas this year was very enjoyable. It stared on the 23rd with a Couple's Christmas Dinner. We had great food and fun entertainment.
On Christmas Eve we had dinner with Yoko's mom and her mom's friend. Her friend had never heard the Christmas story before, so it was a joy to share that with her. Below is the Christmas cake we enjoyed. Christmas night we had dinner with Yoko's father and again were able to share the Christmas story.
Saturday, Yoko's brother and his family came our apartment for pizza, cake (below) and presents. We had a fun time playing with our two nieces (below). They are quite shy and have not completely warmed up to us yet.
Here is Yoko's mom, Hisako, our sister-in-law, Yumiko, and our 2 nieces, Mao who is 3 and Riko who is 5. They are watching the movie Chicken Little.