Special Guests = Party

At Okisho, whenever we have special guests from abroad, we always have a little party to welcome them to the island and to the school. So the other night, we welcomed a man named Dave Bennetts from the University of St. John's in Minnesota. "Dave", as he likes being called, is one of the men responsible for sending us American ALTs. This year we have Paul Telthorst, Mary Wagner, and Grace Brogan. All three are great additions to the Okisho team, and we have Dave to thank for them! So after a night of speeches (eloquently translated by our vice-chairman, Mr. Masaichiro Nashiro) and eating, we took a commemorative photo and the fun night came to a close. Thanks, Dr. Bennetts, for coming to Okinawa and giving us an excuse to eat good food and get together like we did!

Welcome Grace!

Back in July, my dear co-worker Aaron left Okinawa and Okisho behind, and moved to Tokyo. It left a huge void in our office. You see, me and Yukiko and Kenney love having a fourth companion. Well after 2+ months of loneliness, we were graced with a new co-worker from Minnesota: Grace! So at the end of her second week, we celebrated her arrival by going out for dinner together. It was a great time of getting to know her, and I look forward to getting to know her better and working with her!

Below is a short clip of my co-worker Kenney explaining the circumstances of his class' basketball practice in the park. Quite funny, especially if you've ever met Kenney.

Live from the Koinonia Cafe...

Hakugaijin! That's right, the one and only, the man who wowed the crowds at the Franklin Graham Festival. Our very own Pastor Tim Newell assembled an all-star band to back him up as he mesmerized a packed coffee house of teenagers and 30-something photographer(s). It was really cool, and the guys all did a great job. The side room was equipped with a projector, so those who couldn't clearly see the "stage" could see it projected on the wall of the room they were in. Click on the upper-right picture - you can see the screen right in the middle of the picture. There were fun games, great songs, and lots of Jesus. We look forward to Hakugaijin's next performance, rumoured to be some time in late January!