Snow and Celebration

Snow fell on Friday night and delighted all the participants who had never seen snow. They were like kids at the first snowfall. The ARI Opening Ceremony was held on Saturday, and we saw native dress from the Philippines, Nepal, India, Kiribati, Sri Lanka, Mynmar, Ghana and other countries. Dignitaries and guests came, and there was a reception following.

We met ARI's founder, Takami-sensei, who is elderly now. He and another pastor had a vision for this rural training center 38 years ago. We are thankful we had the chance to meet him.

At night, we had a celebration and danced to music from different countries. Lots of energy from the young crowd!

We attend church at the United Church Of Christ in Nishinasuno. The ARI bus takes us there, then stops for food shopping. Sunday afternoons are free, and we walked to Nogi Shrine and enjoyed the cherry blossoms. After, we found a German bakery! Ah, tea with milk and sachertorte!