Day 1 & 2

Every year from June 14th ~ 16th, the Enmaichi Festival is a BIG deal in our city.  For these 3 days, 2 of the main streets downtown turn into a row of booths: games, foods, toys, balloons, cotton candy, with bumper to bumper people.  ECS, out English conversation school, is right on 1 of the main streets.  We cannot have classes there, but we do have Open Door.  We literally take the front doors off and open up the space to make "rest place".  We have cheap soft drinks for sale, games for kids to play, toilet facilities available, people hanging around to talk or play games with, etc.  Last year we weren't able to have Open Door due to being short staffed and Josh's health, but this year we are going it go 2 of the 3 days, Saturday & Sunday.

 

Friday morning, Josh's school had a field trip to the festival.  With doctor's reluctant permission & the WIKE, we met up with his friends.

Ready to go...

Quick stitch from bike trailer to jogger...

Playing a game... (Shhhh... don't tell the doctor, but mama let me out of my WIKE so that I could choose my balloon "yo-yo"!!)

Friends...

Friday afternoon & evening we had classes at our house.  Considering it was the 1st day of te festival AND beautiful weather, we actually had students come to all but 1 class!!

Saturday dawned rainy, but a nice gentle rain.  Jerry & I went early to get things pre-set up before we picked helpers up at the station.  Home for lunch & then right after, Jerry, Robin, & Tony (friends) headed to ECS to Open up.  We are open from 1~8pm both Saturday & Sunday.  Josh & I stayed home out of the weather.  The girls went to hangout with friends.   I am missing the action today, but that is OK, I will be there tomorrow.

Prayer Requests:

1. Open Door will be an opening for outreach, for friendships, for the LORD!
2. Friday, we received a call from our respite care caseworker.  In the next couple of weeks we will be having some trial stays to see IF Joshua can indeed have respite care.  There is still no guarantee that they will accept him, but they are at least willing to doing some of the prep work toward being able to stay.