Going all out.

Opposite my language school is a kyu-kyu en shop. This means that everything in it is the equivalent of 50p (or a couple of pence less). I try and shop in there as much as possible; in fact, it's got to the stage where, if anything is ever over 50p, I think it's too extravegent to buy it. Don't know why; it just happened. But In Sook encouraged me to eat more meat - she said that it will make me plumper. I think she's right - I don't need to get plumper, but I could do with more meat; otherwise meals of rice and vegetables leave me feeling a bit hungry. So today I plunged out, and bought two chops, and one mince packet. The mince I had tonight, and it made a HUGE difference. I now feel positively FULL, and satisfied with it!

What else has been happening? Well yesterday was a meeting open to all the members (and leaders and missionaries) of SFDD churches; like a mini Spring Harvest. It seemed quite good, although I couldn't understand the majority so it wasn't that life-giving. However, God enabled me to get all my work done around it. I have some catching up to do from last week when I missed a day, and two weeks ago when I missed two days (when I was ill), but today went well; I worked hard and the lesson was good too.

My friends are dropping low. They started off full of fun, out for a laugh. But now one is seriously worried about his future, and money to support his studies here; another is worried too about getting into a university course here. A few of us are just TIRED. Not just from overwork, but just from being. Here. I am one of them. Not that I don't wish to be here, not for one moment, but the loneliness at occasional times coupled with the strange language most of the time (even on the radio), and the friends who for the most part come from such different cultures, is wearing a little thin. I'm glad I'm not alone if feeling like this. Ko-san does too, and Evgenia said the same today. On the other hand, some are still running high; holidays to Thailand are being planned for the Easter break, new flats being sought and found. I will be here, (here in Kyoto, and here in the same house!), but will have the lovely visit of Toni in April, friend from Barnie (Barnstaple - hometown), yeh!

Saying that, I am having plenty of missionary contact lately. Edi (British) is being lovely. I like being with her family. On Saturday I joined their town for a community work morning in the woods. I stucks bits of mushroom fungus in holes we'd created in old treetrunks, (it'll sprout into mushrooms for soup in a few years!), I watched the kids making dens using green branches, and made a knife from a bit of wood. It was gloriously sunny and we had a fun trip getting there, involving a local farmer having to rescue our car from a slight collision with nature! (big dip on grass verge, known as a river, hee hee).

My parents go to Corfu today, followed by a couple of weeks visiting their siblings in the south-east, and then my brother and his wife, who are struggling through the last month before baby number 2 arrives!

So that's my life. How about yours?!