Aunts and Uncles in Japan

One of the great things about being back in Japan is reconnecting with the missionary staff.  Even though most of the missionaries in Japan are Special Assignment Missionaries, that in no way means that they are short term. Even the Bartons, who are career missionaries here started out on a two year SAM assignment.  The Bartons and 3 other SAMS who are here now, were here back when Christy was in Japan the first time (1992) even before she met Terence. They were Christy's extended family the first time she came, fresh out of college and new to life abroad. Mike Wagner, especially, is like a big brother to her. Christy has many fond memories of holidays and missionary staff meetings at the Barton's house with everyone. We also spent our first Christmas as a married couple visiting the other missionaries around Japan.

When our boys were born and we came back for our second term with an infant in tow, these same missionaries became surrogate aunts and uncles to Willem, Tai and now Xavier, too. 

We have enjoyed getting together with them now a couple of times since we've arrived.  This past week Bernie and Cheryl Barton and Zonia Mitchell were able to come over for dinner on Valentines Day.  We had fun talking together.  It was almost as if there wasn't a gap of six years since last time we had been in Japan.  

After dinner we all did something uniquely Japanese.  Though it is something that the missionary staff always enjoys, we must remind ourselves that it sounds so odd to North American ears.  Down the hill from our apartment is a brand new multi-level complex that is basically a bunch of public baths.  Now before anyone gets too concerned, they are segregated by gender.  As someone noted in an local English language magazine, she has seen more naked people in a short time in Japan than she has seen in North America in her entire life.  So Terence, Bernie and the boys went together to the men's bath to strip down and hang out with a fair number of other men enjoying water of varying temperatures and locations, both inside and outside.  Christy and Cheryl did the same in the women's baths.  (Zonia offered to watch Xavier for us because as the sign said, "The person attaching a diaper cannot enter the bath").  

It sounds like it would be a very awkward situation, but once you get past your own issues you realize that no one really pays attention to the fact that you are naked.

This was the boy's first experience in a Japanese public bath.  They loved it, and started counting down the days to the next opportunity we would have.  They don't know it, but we missed an opportunity a few weeks ago when the missionaries got together to celebrate Bernie's birthday with dinner and, of course, a bath.