Company! Shaker Village visit

Sunday was a lovely day.  Really, the weather was glorious.  I look at the image above and I can feel the warm sun and cool breeze (and also remember the wonderful lack of humidity). An added bonus to this Sunday was the presence of our new friend, Brandon!  Brandon is a fellow WGM missionary headed to his first term as a missionary to Japan. This weekend, however, he was visiting us so he could share a little bit of his story at Global Cafe`. Since he had never been to Kentucky before (he heralds from a small town near Pasadena), we thought lunch after church at Shaker Village would be a special little experience to share a slice of central Kentucky history with him.  I'm sharing some of my favorite images here so if you have never been to Kentucky before, you too can get a glimpse of some of the special treasures this state holds (it's more than bourban, 'bacco, and 'bettin')!

These two were great!  I love making these memories together as a family before we leave!

We were really touched by Brandon's testimony Sunday night, which really begins with his grandparents who pioneered WGM's work in Japan in the early 1950s.  I was surprised to learn that as Japanese-Americans in post-war America, they were turned down by every mission agency they applied to except for WGM.  They went on to have a significant impact in University ministry, influencing today's generation of (aging) pastors in the Japanese evangelical church.  Decades later, their grandson (Brandon) is following the Lord's prompting on his life to invest himself in the same ministry as his grandparents, at another pivotal point in Japan's history.  Since Nathan's trip to Japan last May, our eyes have been opened and our hearts burdened for the great, great need for the Gospel in Japan.  We urge you to take some time to read and study about this place that is called a 'graveyard for missionaries' and pray for Brandon.  He will be working in Tokyo (pop 35,000,000), one of the world's largest spiritual orphanages.