• went to church
• ate udon for lunch made by the lovely ladies of the church
• went out to a different city to visit some very good family friends who also held a service in the late afternoon
• went out to eat to fellowship with some of the people from the second church

Today we got to meet our very good friends Jack and Keiko. Jack is the American pastor who baptized both my dad and Keiko. They are missionaries and now hold a bilingual (English and Japanese) service every week in Osaka. They are such an amazing couple and I love both of them very much :)

Jack is now 83 years old but he looks AT LEAST 10 years younger than he actually is. His first wife Jerry past away when he was around 65. I had the opportunity to talk to him and he told me how he and Keiko got married. Jack and  Jerry were missionaries in Japan many years ago and helped to bring both of my parents and Keiko to Christ. After their missionary work in Japan, Jack and Jerry returned to the states and Jerry eventually passed away. Keiko was in LA at the time and Jack decided to visit her to see how she was doing. He told me when he visited her, he jokingly said to Keiko, “If I weren’t so old,  I would marry you” and Keiko looked at him and said, “What does age have to do with marriage?” Keiko is my parent’s age and she is 25 years younger than Jack. They have been married for 15 years now and have served the Lord together as missionaries in Australia and now in Japan.

God works in mysterious but marvelous ways. Jack and Keiko’s heart for evangelism is really inspiring to me. The way in which they faithfully serve the Lord together as husband and wife is really beautiful. They are truly a blessing to all those around them. They really encourage me to obediently follow the Lord and trust in the plans that He has for my life.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.     -1 Corinthians 15:58