Merry Christmas!

Christmas greetings from our family to yours! It's been years since I went caroling at Christmas time. The caroler figurines that decorate our entryway this Christmas remind me of the joy of singing the wonder of our Savior's birth. We have much to give thanks for this year, as God has been so gracious in helping us to settle into our new home.


We are thankful for our littlest, Marisa, who is three years old now. Although she puts on a shy face outside, she's a bubbly doll who loves jokes, singing, and dancing. She takes after her mom's tastes in so many ways. She tries her best to keep up with her boisterous brother, but prefers quieter role-playing games.

Samuel, now five, offers us many reasons to be thankful. He protects and teaches his sister and helps his mom and dad around the house. He started school at Kiko Academy this fall and excels in his studies, particularly the ones related to bugs. In addition to his violin lessons, he enjoys the Awana Sparks club on Sunday nights where he plays games and learns Bible verses. He loves Star Wars and LEGOs.

Kiko, namesake of the aforementioned home school Academy, continues to develop her interests in childhood education, bread baking, cheese appreciation, international evangelical relations, and domestic management. Since joining the Wake Forest/Youngsville Classical Conversations group, Kiko has enjoyed learning the classical model for educating children and studying, together with the children, subjects like Western history and Latin that she missed growing up in Japan. Learning to bake with fresh ground wheat has been another fascination of hers this year. There's nothing more delicious than all natural, freshly baked bread!

Daniel, God bless him, continues to act childish for his age. His unhealthy obsession with building motorized LEGO contraptions is carefully concealed behind a loving and hard working, fatherly image.

We are also thankful for our friends at Open Door Baptist Church. We have enjoyed the fellowship of the care group and the opportunity to open our home for a Japanese Bible Study fellowship. The following verse sums up our feelings throughout this year as we've watched God's plan unfold before us.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

We pray that God's blessings for you will be even more numerous as you acknowledge him and let him direct your paths in the coming year.