May Update

I know we just sent out a “snail-mail” newsletter, but I feel like there is so much to tell you. I start a couple of weeks ago with our Japanese Barbeque outing. Our clan, along with our friends Megumi, Tamami, the Murakis and the Nishimuras, had a wonderful time at beautiful Toyotako Lake. So you may be asking, what is a Japanese barbeque like? One word…OISHI (delicious)! They have these large picnic shelters, a lot like the ones at parks in the States that you would rent for a large family picnic or church gathering. But, inside there are 12 barbeque pits. When I say barbeque pits, I mean BARBEQUE PITS. As you can see from this picture, the cooking area is as big as a large picnic table (we only used one grate over about half of the pit, but you can put two end-to-end to feed more people). There is a little table space coming off the pit to eat on because you get to eat the food right as it finishes cooking. There’s no waiting around for the burgers and dogs to get cooked through. The meat and veggies are bite sized so they cook quickly and you just continue to eat as the next piece is ready. There is a wonderful yakiniku sauce to dip everything in that is scrumptious. We had beef, chicken, pork, beef tongue (ok, I know that might not be your cup of tea, but don’t knock it till you try it), shrimp, corn-on-the-cob, onions, peppers, pumpkin (it’s what we would call acorn squash in the States), rice patties, and pineapple on the grill. There were other snacks and goodies for snacks and dessert as well.

It was a little drizzly, but the kids (and grown ups) had a great time playing soccer and catch on the big grassy lawn. Sarah and Sam wouldn’t leave the two teenagers of our group alone. Sarah was especially fond of our friend Masoko’s son Ryoseke. Sam who has never been described as shy, decided to go to the next table and “chat” with one of the young women there. He was telling her all about the cookie he was eating and she was captivated by his cuteness even if she didn’t understand a word he was saying. They had strawberries at their table and Sam must have gotten his love for strawberries across to her because she gave him one. I think we have the makings of a little evangelist here, or he’s just hungry!

We had a great time chatting and getting to know each other as we ate our way through an absolute ton of food. There are some pictures I chose not to put on the blog because we were caught stuffing our faces so many times! We talked about the difference between Japanese and American barbeques and the kinds of food we serve. The discussion turned to dessert and I asked if anyone had ever heard of S’mores. No one had, but they all agreed that they wanted to try them the next time. So I will bring the fixings for S’mores next time and introduce them to one of my favorite outdoor desserts.

Speaking of the next barbeque…one of the reasons we want to have another one soon is so our nephew Alex can join us. We told you that he was coming in the newsletter and he arrived safely last week. We couldn’t be happier to have him here and I think the jet lag is starting to wear off. The kids can’t get enough of their cousin and I’m sure he is happy for the breaks when they go to bed. We keep trying to tell them to take it easy on him and that they will have him here with us til will return to the States in July, but they aren’t ready to stop climbing on, hugging, chasing or tickling him.

One of the things Alex told us he wanted to experience while he was here was an earthquake…he’s 14 and I guess that’s something 14 year olds think is cool. Well as the three of us sat with Megumi during our Japanese lesson yesterday Alex got his wish. We had a small tremor from a 4.4 magnitude earthquake a short distance from here (put in earthquake picture here). The earthquake site we looked at said it was only a 1 magnitude at our house, but we felt the ground shake and heard the doors rattle. It only lasted a few seconds altogether. It was a first for all of us (except Megumi, of course) and David and I can add that to the typhoons we’ve encountered since living here. It feels a bit odd being so lighthearted about this while so many are suffering in China and Myanmar, but I think you know what I mean. Please continue praying for all the folks in those devastated areas.

Alex flew into Nagoya which gave David another chance to visit with our new friends, the Shimizus. David and Alex were able to stay in their home the night Alex arrived before taking the 3.5 hour train ride down to Shimonoseki. Again, the Shimizus were so kind and loving to our family. Mrs. Shimizu even made lasagna for them because she remembered from David’s last visit how much he loves it (lasagna noodles are very hard to come by here in Japan, so it was extra special). In the newsletter we told you how much the Shimizus enjoyed their visit to our home church in America. Mr. Shimizu recently had a chance to share his thoughts on the visit with the elders from Sakae church. He just sent us an email saying that his report was accepted with great joy and how much their church is interested in partnering with our home church. This is very exciting news and there are a lot of details still to be worked out, but it is fascinating to watch God put His plan for all of us into place.

The kids are all doing well. Sarah has lost another tooth and loves to show off the empty spot in her bottom jaw to anyone who will look. Sam is just thrilled to have Alex here. We’re thrilled too so that Sam can stop telling everyone he sees “my cousin Alex is coming” or asking daily “is Alex coming today?” or “is that Alex’s plane in the sky?” Sean just wants to be as big as the other kids. He’s into everything…mostly trouble. If he isn’t standing on the chairs he is opening the sliding glass doors and scooting himself down the two foot drop to the concrete slab outside our house. He definitely keeps us on our toes. Baby #4 is growing well and is the joy of Sarah and Sam’s hearts. They got to see a video of the sonogram today and were very excited to see/hear the heartbeat along with great shots of the little hands, head and legs.

We also got another great piece of news this week about our friend Heather Stengle. You may remember that she came and visited us the past two Christmases. She is going to be traveling to Beijing for the CSO (she has David’s old job there) in June. She decided that seeing she would be almost all the way here that she would just pop over the Japan Sea and visit us before going back to the States. We can’t wait for her to come but are a little less anxious for Sam to start asking “Is that Aunt Heather’s plane?” etc.

I think I’ve probably rambled on long enough, but I do hope you enjoy these updates. We sure do like sharing what’s going on with you. Take Care!

Love,

Marcy for the Crane Clan