Mission Accomplished Miss Bert!!!!!!!!

Here we go, from top to bottom:

The first picture is our delegation from Covenant Presbytery. This is about the only time we have all been in the same place at the same time all week, so we thought we'd better do something to document our presence.

The second picture is of a Traditional Japanese Drummer. That dude could get it on! In America, we beat our kids for doing the same exact thing this brother was doing in worship.

The third picture is so funny to me. Notice the lady is all dressed up. She's on her way to a very professional job somewhere. But look what she's wearing for shoes....Rubber Boots. Today was a rainy day in the morning, and everybody donned their golashes. It's Redneck Fashion at its finest.

The fourth picture is PROOF!!! I ATE THE YUMMY, YUMMY BABY FISHES!!!!!!!! They looked worse than they tasted. Not as good as the eel from the other day, not nearly as bad as sardines. All in all they were almost neutral in flavor. But I DID IT!

The fifth picture is what every school girl in Japan looks like. They are all required to wear the uniforms. These girls are so cute. They ride bikes, play sports, shop, do everything in these little skirts. And to date, there's only been one moment of impropriety that I've seen. (Which was too funny.)

All in all, Japan is a great place. The people are so driven to succeed that often they appear exhausted, sad, hopeless and distant. But the Japanese Christians are great. They have been set free from the chains of the culture of drivenness. And they show it. I was made aware of a tragic statistic that speaks volumes towards this drivenness. Japan has a suicide rate of something like 30,000 per year. I think we in Kentucky have gotten this one figured out. "It'll Keep!"

I have decided that I will miss this commuter-type lifestyle. I have been enjoying my long walks to and from everywhere. I have enjoyed the train. I have especially enjoyed not having to go nutso on bad drivers. I have really, really enjoyed not shelling out 145 bucks to fill up the F250 with gas.

In a few moments, I will head down to McDonald's, which has become my morning custom, and say farewell to my new friends behind the counter. They have been so good to us. As soon as we walk in the door, they turn over the counter mat and provide us with an English menu. We all laugh and exchange a few "thumbs up" motions. We all point to what we want and they smile in return. On the first morning, they would all peek around the corner and make sure we were still there and doing OK. Now, a week later, we are as normal to their day as rice. I think that other than being loud and gluttonous (compared to Japanese eating habits) the American people called Cumberland Presbyterians have been a very good witness for Christ.

Following breakfast, I will return to my room and pray that the suitcase not only zips, but also holds. That and a quick prayer that I am under 50 pounds. I have used up a lot of toiletries and tossed the containers in the hopes that I can free up a few pounds. I have cut the sleeves off of a couple of T-shirts and eaten (had a lot of help eating) my huge bags of licorice and jelly beans. I think I should be OK on the weight. But that may just be wishful thinking.

After that we will all check-out of the hotel and board a bus for the 2 hour trip to the airport. Because of all the time zones and the flying against the rotation of the planet, our trip will take

-30 minutes to get back to the states. And yet somehow, I will still be on the plane for 14 hours. Gee Whiz. I've forgotten how traumatic that flight was on the way over here. Yikes. If it weren't for my family, I'd just stay in order to avoid the "forever flight."

Speaking of my family, my wife issued the challenge or the double-dog dare or whatever, and I couldn't let it slide. So this morning, after much prayer and meditation, I approached the commode. With determination and drivenness and a bike helmet for safety, I used all the buttons on the control panel. JINKIES SHAGGY!!!!! That's creepy. Way past creepy. Whoever created that thing is a sick, twisted human being. It's just unnatural. But I did it. I'll try just about anything once. So there you go Miss Bert. Mission Accomplished!

As I close, I am sad to leave the experience behind, yet so glad to get back to the people who love me most. Say a prayer for the travelers today. Knowing that you're doing it, cuts down on my anxiety a little.

He Has Made Me Glad!

Jeff