Midnight (so techincally July 17)
Slept in WAY late (9:45 or so) after waking up to heavy rain around 5 or 6 am. got up and lazed about a bit; showered and we all went to the salon where Keiko from the adult English classes works and had coffee and met her cute and camera-ready staff (and took photos together) :) Then went home just in time to meet Toyoko-san, Uta-san, and Mieko-san at the house. Walked to a "sweet factory" and made some fun sweetbean treats in different colors and shapes (much to Laurel's chagrin - "augh sweetbeans are everywhere!"); afterwards went to the adjacent sweet shop and had tea and some really yummy cake.
Biked to Yamazawa and hung out for awhile browsing around... got some 100-yen handkerchiefs and some neat products from a store near the arcade corner of the building. Pedaled back to the house and Laurel and I walked over to the Kamin for class supplies and found a few 100-en fans - whee!
@ 7:15 Ito-sensei picked me up for the Sunflower meeting (older ladies' Bible study) - on the way there we stopped briefly at his house and Ryoko-san came out and invited everyone to dinner before we leave. At the Bible study I gave my testimony. One of the ladies at the study was there because she "felt no hope" and had been invited by the others... praying that she finds that hope in Jesus.
Afterward I asked Ito-sensei about his daughter and he said she's 26 and is an "X-ray doctor" in a town about 5 hours away by car. He hasn't seen her all year and can't call too much because she's so busy with work. She is a Christian and sounds cool :)
When I got back to the house the other girls were still at Keiko's house for the Friday lessons, so I taught myself some ukulele chords with Moe's starter book and when they got back I played a little with Jeri :)
