Frosty February

Please pray!! One of our dear friends and child care worker was suddenly diagnosed with fast-growing throat cancer. She will go in for surgery on March 10. The surgery is high risk, and if successful, will result in the loss of her voice and some mobility in her arms.

Please pray for Eri and her husband Hideo, pictured here with kids from our staff day care

We're thankful! Our family is healthy, which we definitely don't take for granted in this time of fickle weather, with bouts of influenza and colds all around.

Grammy bought me ice cream!

February is Freedom Month! All around Tokyo and the world, we work to promote freedom and basic human rights for all. Thanks to everyone who shared our fair trade chocolate with us! Most chocolate in the world is picked by children or slaves who aren't getting paid for their work. Buying fair trade chocolate and other products promotes a global culture of respect, where each person gets paid a fair wage for her work. Learn more about fair trade (Japanese or English).

Breakfast for Ikebukuro's homeless: each winter, middle school students from CAJ get on the first train of the morning, 5:00 AM, and head downtown to bring food to the homeless sleeping in Ikebukuro station. Japan's homeless population officially "doesn't exist," however, when trains stop running, from 1AM - 5AM, stations will wink at the individuals who sleep on station floors to shelter from the cold. When the middle schoolers return to CAJ, high school students, supported by Ryan and a few other teachers, welcome them with breakfast of their own. Even from an early age, we want our students to understand the importance of empathizing with others, and loving our neighbors on all sides.

Bubbles at the park

Valentine's Day snow!

First snow man!

Our big event of this month was the Third Culture Kid (TCK) seminar. Those who grow up in a blend of cultures, or a different culture from their passport or "home" culture create a third culture of their own. TCKs typically have remarkable resiliencies and capacities, and can make homes all over the world. Many of the world's top multi-national organizations are lead and shaped by TCKs. However, TCKs can also end up stranded, homeless, in a void between cultures. As we prepare our students to transition in graduation and home assignment, we want to give them some time to reflect, set goals, and learn about themselves.

Neighborhood women having fun with dried flowers!

A lesson in dried flower arranging to our friends from the neighborhood

Reading with Nanna and Granddad

Family news: Our 3 kids are doing well! Practice pre-school youchien days are going ok. He is happy and doesn't want to leave by the end, but the morning is very tearful!

Grandpa feeds me honey!

Kid L is delightful and lively. She is usually dirty and bruised, but she lives very full days! Recently, her favorite person is Grandpa; second to eating honey off a spoon, she likes taking the dog for walks.

Early morning study session with Papa

The new baby has reached 16 weeks and has a complete little body, including hearing and tasting! We're looking forward to meeting him or her in August! Ryan has settled into his study routine of waking up at 4AM to study for his classes while the rest of us sleep until 5 or 6. He works really hard to get enough sleep, but this routine allows him to spend evenings with the kids instead of coming home from work and going straight to his books. Nelle Caitlin was exhausted but pleased by the TCK seminar, and is glad to be able to catch up on rest and other work now!




Staff at CAJ raise support through the Japan Christian Academy Association (JCAA). If you are excited about what we do and want to be part of our ministry and the ministries and people we support, please support us! Donations made to JCAA on our behalf are tax deductible. NEW!! Use a credit cart to support via Paypal! Follow the link http://goo.gl/7VNPiD to be directed to our JCAA donation page (no Paypal account necessary) OR make checks payable to the address below and JCAA will provide a receipt. Include a separate note indicating that the money is for us. Address: Japan Christian Academy Association: P.O. Box 905, Wheaton, IL, 60189, USA.