Our time in Japan was so enjoyable. We stayed with a missionary family who opened their home to us and showed us how to live as believers among the Japanese people. We taught English classes every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for both adults and children. In our adult classes we were able to share about our adventures thus far on the Race and about why we had come. 
We played games with the kids, learned vocabulary and even taught them to roast marshmallows!
My favorite night of class was when we taught the high school group to make Mexican food. Each student rolled his or her own tortilla and ate homemade guacamole. We also created a photo booth to take fun pictures. Dressing crazy at parties and eating Mexican food is not common in Japan. It was so fun to share these new experiences with our students!
In addition to teaching English, our hosts are currently writing an English curriculum that includes audio. We got to record several conversations to accompany the text book that hopefully many will use in furthering their English education. It was a lot of fun and made me want to pursue a career as a Disney princess voice. You can listen to some of our recordings here: http://www.flipenglish.com/good-times-1/.
One Saturday we held a children’s event at one of the local churches. The afternoon was spent playing games and teaching English songs. It ended with the pastor sharing a Bible lesson and eating snacks. Around 15 children came to our party including our five new little friends who appeared at our doorstep the week before.
Our last weekend in town was a busy one. We spent a full day at a church making the balcony look better by sanding, painting, and power washing a balcony. Then on Saturday, we went to an outdoor ice skating party. Being from the South, I had never had that opportunity, so I was excited to add one more new experience to my growing list! Our hosts are always creating opportunities to build 
relationships with Japanese in order to share the Gospel such as this one. A large number of our English students and friends showed up to skate under the stars.
On our last Sunday, our new friends threw us a going away party. Members from the four churches who hosted my team as well as several of our English students and families came. Once again we set up our photo booth, and everyone loved it – maybe we’ll start the trend in Japan! We also sang some worship songs for them, and Kayla shared part of her testimony. We ended the day with Japan’s favorite decision-making game – Rock, Paper, Scissors (No joke. They play to decide EVERYTHING.) And also taught them some popular line dances (Something else that is not popular in Japan.) ]
Our last day in Sanda, we were able to visit Kyoto – a popular tourist city. We saw several famous temples, including the Golden Pavilion. We even saw where a scene from Memoirs of a Geisha was filmed and then saw four geishas in person on the street.
This day was also filled with eating many traditional foods. We got to try yatsuhashi, a thin triangular mochi candy with a filling. Cinnamon and chocolate are my favorite! I also got one of my favorites, udon (delicious fat noodles), for lunch. The most unusual food we tried that day though was ice cream. The shop we visited had three flavors – soybean flour, green tea, and sesame seed with honey. I chose green tea and sesame seed with honey mixed. It was green and grey, so definitely not the prettiest food I’ve ever tried, but it was not too bad. Sesame balls and salty Kyoto tea were also added that day to a long list of Japanese foods which already included octopus in several forms and poisonous puffer fish. Japan definitely has a cuisine like no other place I have visited! 
Our days in Japan have been full and fun. Over the past three weeks, I have gotten to play with children, teach English to adults, and speak in church services. Our hosts hear showed me how to live a lifestyle of sharing the Gospel that I know can be lived no matter what country I am in. The Japanese people and culture have definitely left an imprint on me that I will forever remember.
