Playing in the Snow :)

BEST Club just returned from it's annual snowboarding trip!!! We traveled to Nagano and spent 3 days playing in the snow. It was a lot of fun hanging out with students. Four freshmen joined the trip and their quirky personalities kept us laughing the whole time!

Getting ready to hit the slopes

This is Masashi and Kyle on the over night bus on the way to Nagano!

The men enjoying one of many traditional Japanese meals at the resort!

Saying good-bye! BEST Club goes to the same resort every year so we have a good relationship with the woman who runs it (the woman left of Mark). This year she even made a few arrangement for us to come although she was already booked. We hope she can see God's light through us!

sweet time in Hakone!

Two weeks ago, some BEST club girls decided to take a trip to Hakone, a nearby onsen (hot springs) town, to have fun, relax in the public baths and enjoy our last days with Mary. Yes, that’s right, Mary’s time in Japan has come to a close. She returned to Nebraska to study pharmacy. We miss you a ton, Mary.

everyone at dinner at our hotel: Left: Sae, Mary, Ayano, Chisato. Right, Fuyu, Asako, Jo, me, Na

i love japanese food! this is what each person's place setting looked like! wow!

a close up of the food: on the large plate to the left is broccoli in some sauce with octopus legs. I believe the orange things are carrots wrapped around bamboo. next to that is some pickles with a spicy sauce and some ham on the side. at the top is raw salmon over lettuce. yum!

hanging out and drinking green tea in our room

we stayed in a japanese style hotel. they provided our yukata (basically a long cotton robe/dress) and the over coats (since we had to walk outside to get to the public bath) for us to wear during our stay. we decided to take a formal shot. lookin' snazzy don't you think?



with jo and mary



Hakone is in a rural area, yay for scenery!