Summertime brings the heat!

The long road to summer!
Spring brought with it flowers, spring classes and eventually the heat of summer. Both of us started out the school year this spring with new classes and some new students. While both had their own challenges, we finished strong and felt that we helped our students learn more English and more about the world around them.

Caitlin's family came to visit!
This spring we also had Caitlin's family (including her sister, home for her summer vacation) visit for a few days. We all had a chance to visit a few places in Kyoto and spend some time together on the weekend.

Eating lunch together in Kyoto.

We got to know our church family better.
This spring had some great opportunities for us to interact with our church family at Kyoto International Chapel. This included: a cleaning day where we cleaned the church in preparation for the summer services; a hiking day up to the top of a local mountain that lasted a little longer than we anticipated (we got lost); and getting to know a new couple who are living in a nearby town.

Pausing on the top of Mt. Ide, a local moutain.

A jam-packed summer vacation.
While the summer has come and the vacation is almost gone (but not the heat), we have done a lot! Before we left to spend some time with Caitlin's family, we visited Kyoto Toei Movie Park, a theme park in Kyoto where various movies and shows are filmed, including samurai movies. While staying with Caitlin's parents in Toyko, we had a chance to climb Mt. Fuji and go to Tokyo Disneyland. After that, we spent some time at Takayama, a missionary vacation spot near Sendai in north eastern Japan.

Taking in the view from the top of Mt. Fuji.

What else has been going on?

• We celebrated our first wedding anniversary on July 27th. We ate dinner at an American restaurant near Caitlin's parents house in Tokyo. (Also the restaurant where we ate for our engagement celebration.)
• Caitlin will be starting the fall school year term next week. Thomas has meetings next week then classes during the first week of September

This month, please remember these prayer requests:

• It is hot in Kyoto! Pray that we can keep our students focused on school work in the heat and also help them adjust after the long summer break.
• Pray that we will continue to help our students and bless those around us, including our neighbors.
• Praise God for one year of wonderful marriage! Pray that we will continue to grow together and honor Him in our marriage.
• Please continue to pray for the Tohoku area of Japan. Even three years after the tsunami, the damage is still there. Pray that people's hearts can be reached by the work that continues and that God will bring about change to help heal the land and the people.

Shalom,
Caitlin and Thomas