The Flowers of Spring

March has been an especially beautiful month on Okinawa. Flowers bloom everywhere. Even weeds in the alleys are bright with color. While on the north end of the island, we took the opportunity to drive through a tropical forest and stop at the Azalea Gardens. It was a gray day, but the flowers were amazing.

Purple morning glories twine around trees making it appear the trees themselves bloom with these trumpet shaped flowers.
Nearly every home, yard, business and field is rich with flowers this time of year.

We find ourselves busier every week. This month we took orientation classes to volunteer at Camp Lester Naval Hospital. Additionally, we have more frequent opportunities to teach and to support the work of our younger counterparts. It's hard to decline any opportunity to serve, but we can spread ourselves only so thin.

Speaking of thin -- or, more accurately, the opposite of thin -- we have both gained weight in the five months we've been here. We exercise too little, eat on the run, and spend long hours in our van traversing this island. I'm setting a new goal to take better care of my health and fitness. We'll see if Phil joins me in this commitment. ;-)

One recent activity was furnishing an apartment for two sister missionaries who arrived in our area just today. Opening a new apartment means outfitting it with everything from kitchen utensils, table and chairs, lamps, desks and study space, sleeping quarters [see Culture Corner below], refrigerator, washer and compact Japanese stove (which resembles a camp stove). This means we went shopping -- yea!

My experience as a bargain hunter has come in handy. We scouted out thrift stores (known here as Recycle Shops), 100 Yen Stores (like a Dollar Store only much better!), hardware and general merchandise stores. Additionally, members of the church contributed basic household goods.

On a sad note, Phil's father passed away last week in McAllen, Texas. We pay tribute to his honorable heritage. We appreciate Phil's sister and brother for their tireless support in family matters which allows us to serve far from home with the knowledge that his aged father was well cared for.

Culture Corner - Tatami mats and futons (pronounced foo-tone)
Traditionally in Japan, one sleeps on futons spread on floors of tatami mats. Tatami mats are made of soft woven straw. Japanese futons are flat flexible mattresses about 1-1/2 to 3 inches thick, stuffed with cotton or synthetic batting. They are designed for use on tatami flooring and are typically folded away during the day to allow for flexible use of the room. The average Japanese house is very small by American standards. A sleeping room must serve multiple purposes. The Japanese are masters of space conservation, taking full advantage of every square centimeter.