Then there are the bikes!! Everyone rides them here, and you will often see moms and dads with a child in the back seat, a smaller child in the front seat, and even a child in a backpack or frontpack. This is a closeup of a bike rack by an apartment building. We did a close up of the bike so you could see the two child seats plus a basket up front for the groceries and stuff you need when you have children

We will include some more Improved Upon examples in a future email.

We haven’t written a lot about some of the very neat experiences that the missionaries have daily in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the 97% non-Christian population of Japan, but on Friday evening two of the missionaries in our office had a meeting with a young fellow they met just a week or so ago. They met with him at the Church and taught him a lesson. They felt the Holy Spirit during the lesson and asked how he felt. They said he thought about that for a while and then said, “my heart is quietly rejoicing.” What a beautiful way to describe the feeling one has when they receive a witness from the Holy Ghost that the things they are hearing are true and from God.

Also, at Eikaiwa last Wed. night we had a good conversation with one of our students named Yuichi. He is about our age, and is a retired university professor. He knew the office couple before us and they gave him a Tabernacle Choir Christmas CD last Christmas. While he was away from home for a month, he had a time when he felt down. He put in the CD to listen to and felt so much better. He said he comes to Eikaiwa at our church because he loves the feelings he feels when he is there.

We love the feelings, too—Jim & Pat