Omo o sanbi!

Subete no anata no kokoro o motte omonaru anata no kami o aishite,
Subete no anata no tamashī o motsu, Subete no anata no kokoro o motsu,
Soshite, subete no anata no tsuyo-sa o motsu.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
With all your soul, with all your mind,
And with all your strength.

 We sang this song during worship at Life Chapel, in Fujisawa, Japan.  It was really amazing to be praising God in another country, in another language, and realizing that it doesn't matter what the words sound like - the important thing is glorifying Him.

We attended church with Sarah Scripture, the wife of another pilot here at 51, and immediately felt welcome.  The pastor, Paul, was standing outside greeting everyone who arrived and we chatted with him for a few minutes.  He spent some substantial time in the States for business, and speaks very good English.  The service was conducted in half English, half Japanese - the pastor would say a few sentences in Japanese, and the translator would speak in English.  The worship songs would go back and forth, first singing a song in Japanese, and then another one in English. They would even put the Romanji characters up on the screen so we could sound out the Japanese words and sing along.  It was really cool to recognize the tune of a song, and be singing it in a different language! 

We're so thankful that God is faithful to lead us to people who follow Him, and encourage us.  We think of Psalm 139:9-10 (a verse my mother pointed out to us before we left):

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast."