Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It is a wonderful time of the year for us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and look back on all that transpired this past year.
This year was a one of a tremendous first for all of us. For the first time in our lives we experienced a major earthquake. The March 11th earthquake will leave a lasting memory and constantly serve as a reminder of how fragile life is. We still are experiencing occasional aftershocks, but we know that the Lord is in control and our lives are in His hands.
In April, Sarah, Erik’s sister left Japan to return to the U.S. It had been so nice having her near. July saw Maika celebrate her first birthday. She has been a tremendous joy to us. Raising her has taught us so much about ourselves and has given us a new perspective on how the Lord must see us. In October and November, we were privileged to have Erik’s parents visit us for a total of 11 days. Maika took to them right away, and she had a lot of quality time hanging out with her grandmama and grandpapa.
In terms of our daily lives, Erik’s work continues to go well. We are so thankful for this relaxed, flexible job. Yoko’s full time job of taking care of Maika and Erik is never short of some challenge. However, we are thankful that she is able and wants to stay home to carry out this noblest of professions. Maika is to put it simply, Maika. She loves to be held when she wants to be held. Outside of the house she as independent as one can be, but inside, she can be very needy. She enjoys music and dancing to it. She has 4 music books that she plays many times a day. She is very expressive and has a lot to say. We have been teaching her some sign language so that she can communicate with us until she starts talking. Everyday is a treasure, and we are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with Maika.
As this year comes to a close, we look back at all that took place and see how much we have to be thankful for. This year has been a joyous one as the Lord is helping us be content in whatever state we are in. Because of the March 11th earthquake, we saw even more how much we need to have a light touch on the things of this world. Everything here is so temporary. Even the families and the things we hold dear will not last. We see even more clearly that we need to be “accumulating” things that will last forever.
With love,
Erik, Yoko and Maika
