Day 1. Orientation...and cleaning up.

After 24 hours of non-stop moving (which included vans, planes, cars, buses, trams, and trains) we arrived at our destination Toshima-Ku, just West of the center of Tokyo. This city moves fast. And efficiently. Even at the height of traffic and rush-hour people are polite, thoughtful, and careful. Despite the fact that millions of poeple are packed into this city, incredibly it works well, and life flows here at a peaceful and quiet pace. A strange contrast indeed, but a welcome change from Bishop life.

Today we spent our day in orientation, getting our heads around this week's schedule, and spending our afternoon cleaning, sweeping, scrubbing floors, etc. for our local church. It's an incredible privelege to be halfway around the world and have a chance to serve our sister church in such a simple way. I'm constantly amazed at how far the little things can go to help bring help, hope, and encouragement to those in need (of any kind).