About Us

As of June 2013

     As the only all-American family in the town, everyone knows who we are, but often I don't have a clue who I'm chatting with.  They go on about how big I've gotten, how small I used to be, how they used to see me at the park, meanwhile I wonder who they are. 

     Our town was originally planned as a hot-spring resort and thus has some peculiarities.  There are mansion-like houses with balconies and large yards, and others so small and rusty that I can't imagine someone living it them. 

      With our family of nine we have what most Japanese would consider a large house.  We have a three-story blue house with a yard that is gigantic compared to many Japanese homes which practically don't have a yard at all.  The hill rising behind our yard, sloping up to a back road, is what we call 'our woods'.  We claimed the tree-covered hill and have developed it into a sort of park.  Forts and wooden stands, rope swings and tree forts make it a fun place to play in the afternoon or invite friends to.  I enjoyed when we brought our English class kids to our house this summer.  They had a blast playing on the swings, climbing on forts and stands, exploring 'unknown' parts of the wood, and swimming in our pool which we put up each summer.

    As the bamboo waves gently in the wind, we enjoy climbing the dark and mysterious stone steps which eventually lead to the back road.  The hill which is on two sides of us keeps our house reasonably cool in the summer, and cold in the winter.  The tall trees in 'our woods' often hinder the sunshine from reaching our house, but even still we receive several sunny hours each day.

     Our home has always been busy with up to six classes in various grades going on simultaneously (often in the same room) with only two official teachers.  From another point of view we each have our own private tutors (ourselves) and the two assistant tutors (Mom and Dad) who help us whenever we can't figure something out.  Whether our classroom is a snuggly bed, a rocking chair, the warm spot in front of the heater, or picnic style out in the yard, we've all learned in a variety of comfortable places.

Our family in 2003

      Mom and Dad moved to Japan as missionaries in 1983.  Since then we've been here with a few brief visits to the U.S. to visit family and friends.  Though I've grown up in a very American home (compared to the Japanese) I've only been to the States a few times so in some ways it is a foreign culture to me.  Sometimes I realize that I've picked up some Japanese traits.  Things like bowing one's head in greeting, or not wanting to offend anyone, are almost built in.  Sometimes on a packed train I find myself drawing inward like I'm pretending that no one else is around.  But with limited Japanese, again and again I find that I fit don't in.  When I was smaller, not realizing my lack of Japanese-ness, I once asked Mom if she could tell that I was a foreigner.  I wondered how anyone could see that I wasn't Japanese.  With light hair, and fair skin that easily burns from the sun, I can now see that no one could mistake me as Japanese.  Thus I find that I am certainly not Japanese but not entirely American either.  It creates an interesting dilemma as well as an amazing opportunity.  Being somewhat bi-lingual and bi-cultural, I have a chance to be a bridge between two cultures, to bring understanding where two thinking patterns clash.

      We've now been living here for fourteen years.  Our town is surrounded by mountains, which constantly call for adventurers to come explore.  My brothers have discovered many amazing sights in the mountains:  Suicide Point, Samari Mountain, Crocodile Creek, and The Waterfall, to name a few.  I hope to get some pictures of them at sometime.
       Whether teaching English, playing at the park, saying a friendly hello, leading a wedding ceremony, or teaching seven kids at home, we always want to help people and bring the Kingdom of God wherever we go.