Unity.

Late night ice cream run with the interns.

This is part of our happy little group of interns. It's been really cool to get to know them over the past week or so and find out what (or who?) brought them to Ishinomaki and why they decided to come. We come from all over the US (and Singapore) the age range is fairly broad as well, but we are united by our love for Ishinomaki and our desire to take part in God's work in this beautiful city. Though the differences can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, the conflict I've seen so far has been resolved peacefully and with maturity. Each person adds so much color to the group, and I'm grateful for each one of them.

John 13:34-35 says this:

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

And I've definitely been seeing a lot of love in Ishinomaki through my two weeks here. I take great joy in seeing the love that's among the volunteers in the Grace Mission Tohoku house as well as the great love for the people of this city, and that love is truly indicative of the love that we have experienced from God.

Volunteers and attendees singing and dancing together at the gospel festival.

I realize that I've drifted somewhat from my original topic of unity, but I'm okay with that. I challenge you as you read this (as I also challenge myself), to take the initiative and let someone know how you feel about them. Regardless of where you stand in the topic of faith, appreciation and love are expressed far too little in most cultures I've been around.

So in closing I'd like to thank you for your supporting me on this trip and for reading this post. God's doing some crazy things here in Ishinomaki and I'm so blessed to be a part of it, and I'm excited that I can share bits and pieces of what I'm learning. :)

-Spencer