Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I am thankful for:
Shrek Marathons
Care packages with cranberry sauce
Care packages without cranberry sauce
YWCA Japanese classes
My family
My friends in America
My friends in Japan
My friends everywhere else in the world
A rice cooker that always works even when my stove doesn't
Hanging out with 2 and 3 year olds three mornings a week
Being almost done with my seminary applications!
My Friday English classes and all the kids at ELCC
Japanese/English conversations with the girls in the office
Beautiful weather
That my family is all together today
Skype conversations with friends from home. 
Gilmore Girls on DVD
My own washer machine
An incredible support network back home
New and exciting opportunities this year
New Years Eve in TOKYO!
The leaves finally turning red in Nagoya this week
The most delicious clementines I've ever eaten
That Kaki (Persimmons) are in season
Answered prayers and that God always hears us, even when we can't voice our prayers
Alice's Restaurant on YouTube

Gobble Gobble Gobble!
<3 Christen

"On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage". Acts 28:15

A few weeks ago there was a national holiday in Japan and I spent the morning touring Atsuta Shrine with one of my friends. Atusa Shrine is a famous Shinto shrine in Nagoya and the morning we went was cool, sunny and beautiful. Sharing the beautiful grounds with us that day was a boy/girl scout bazaar, a class of adults learning about Shinto and hundreds of Parents and their children. In Japan it is customary for parents to bring their children to the shrine to be blessed when they are 3. 5 and 7 years old to pray and this was a specific day for that. There was such a sense of the Holy in that place. I know I will go back before I leave Japan.

"...You shall make them of choice wheat flour" -Exodus 29:2

Happy November!

Last Saturday the youth center where I live and work hosted an udon making event for kids.  I was so excited to be a part of it because I used to love going to these kinds of events through church or Girl Scouts when I was little.  Also, I love udon!  For those who don't know, udon is a thick chewy type of Japanese noodle that tastes great in soup.  In the grocery store it's usually found partially cooked in frozen blocks.  But trust me--it tastes so much better freshly made! 

For 3.5 hours last Saturday the kids came and made udon and had lunch where we ate the noodles we made.  It was so much fun.  We even had a contest for the worlds longest noodle cut from one piece of dough.  On Friday night I got to help make noodles that the volunteers would eat for lunch and I'm proud to announce that I held the title of Nagoya Youth Center's "longest-noodle-maker" for 12 hours!  Then the next day one of the kids almost doubled my record! 

Enjoy the pictures.  Yes, it was just as delicious as it looked.  There was flour everywhere!

After they made the dough from flour, salt and water the kids got to stomp on it for 20 min.  I was told that the stomping method makes the most delicious udon.




Next each kid got to roll out their own dough and cut their own noodles.




It was difficult for some of the younger kids to cut the noodles, but this girl did an awesome job.




In the running for the youth center's longest noodle!




Soup toppings. 




Once the noodles are cut they must be boiled until they are translucent.




The noodles my group made!




My soup made with the noodles I made the night before.  It was so delicious!