Trip to Okinawa April 2020

We went down to Okinawa to visit Dan and Terri Gardner and to help them in renovating the second floor of their church.  

 We saw this aquarium at the Naha airport after getting our luggage.  Big tropical fish here.   

The morning glories and these other vine-like plants were growing all over everything.  

This orange gladiola grew by the roadside while on a walk around the Gardner's neighborhood.  This color I don't have, yet.  

Henry preached the Wednesday night service at Shinko Baptist Church.  It was live-streamed and recorded, with less than 10 people in person at the church. 

These walls will be repainted once the apartment area is finished.  The Japanese pastor and his family will live upstairs here.  There is a bathroom with a tub, three bedrooms, kitchen and living area, plus an office for Pastor.  

The ceiling was removed and the attic area will have flooring on it for storage.  It goes the length of the building. 

This is a tree I passed on one of my walks--looks like more than one tree/vine have attached itself to it.  

The Seaside Baptist Church is in Nago, about an hour north of the other church.  Last time I saw it, there was just the foundation laid and the lot to the left was vacant.  Now a big machine company occupies it.  There's a nice park nearby, plus some apartment buildings.  

This is a view from the opposite side of where the Gardners live.  Their home is in front of that row of trees in the middle of the photo in front of those houses.  

Not far from the above is this elevated road.  

This is a different tree trunk with other things growing on it.  

These next photos are taken at the Naha airport the day we left on April 30th.  Starbucks was closed.  There were many beautiful orchids all over the place,   We departed about 6:30 pm just in time for the sun to set over the Pacific Ocean.  

Seedlings

Sakura and Kiji bird---Japanese pheasant

Some photos from this morning's walk around the neighborhood.  

Male Japanese pheasant in the field next door 

Sakura in bloom April 2020

Kita machi road next to train tracks  April first these trees are not quite at their peek, but very impressive and beautiful 

Along the Arima River 

Road to Arima 

Intersection in Arima going to Arinodai on right

The Japanese cherry tree in our yard 

Local park in Fujiwaradai

This is the tree near our neighbor's house along the creek. 

A little Excitement in Hatacho

About 7:30 pm there were sirens out on our street,  There was a small car behind an overturned motorbike.  Firemen were talking to a man sitting on the street.   A police cruiser also came from the left while the firetruck was on the right side of the street.  Then a large police van came.

The man was able to get on the gurney by himself and then he was taken to the ambulance. 

The police cruiser pulled into our driveway and soon the car involved pulled in behind it.  The firetruck left about 8:15 and the cruiser was gone by 8:30;  the police  were getting the man's statement and marking the street.  Everyone was gone by 8:30.  

Flurry of snow

We woke up to a little snow on the ground with temperature about 6C outside.  The morning was cold and windy and we had at various times rain and snow coming doing, sometimes fast and furious.  Not usual for Kobe.  

Snow along the field on the backside of our home 

Mt. Rokko from the main road 

This is the snow falling fast about 9:30 a.m.  It stopped by 9:35  

March 15 Church

There were a total of 12 in the morning service today, our highest attendance for regular services.  The Yoshimoto, Taitano and Kuramae, and Iwanaga families came (2 each) 

There were two 5-year-old kids today so I had a class to teach.  The lesson was on the Lost Sheep.  The kids help me with the flannel graph alot  :-)  

Henry doing the announcements 

Henry at the pulpit and Mr. Fukumoto doing the AV.  Mr. Sakamoto's back is in front of me.