Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Wandering through Okinawa

      Koza Baptist Church in Okinawa, Japan, has been an amazing supporter of Gentle Hands.  Every year, they send at least three volunteer teams to serve and spend time with our kids. As a result, I have made some amazing friends and have been blessed (through chocolate and non-obtainable American goodies).

      Every time they have come, I have heard stories of all the wonderful things to do in Okinawa, as well as the amazing places to eat. It finally worked out for me to be able to visit for two weeks in July, and let me tell you, Okinawa did not disappoint!

     Rather than simply tell you with words, here are a few of my wanderings through pixels:


We may or may not have visited Family Mart at least 10 times


Monster snow cones at Motherleaf


A pretty epic slide... Okinawa has many parks with amazing slides like this


Beautiful view from a lighthouse


Exploring this lovely waterfall


This color blue...


Reconnecting with my friend Kristen... from small-town Florida to Japan!


Serene beach... Really Okinawa, you have outdone yourself 


Pedicures at Coco's. For years, I have been admiring the toes of the Koza ladies when they
come to Gentle Hands, and it was finally my turn! Definitely a highlight. My feet have never been this fancy. Ok, I'm done. 


My sweet friend Gretchen who opened up her heart and home to us. She is the big sister I always wanted. And she let me cook in her kitchen, so she's brave. 


My dear friend Chelsea and her husband are stationed here. The last time we saw each other 
was five years ago in India. So glad to have the opportunity to reconnect. 


A few other highlights:

1. Okinawan Salt Cookie Ice Cream... I would eat this every day, all day
2. Popeye's sweet tea... Every time we went to the Air Force Base, I would visit Popeye's, and eventually I ended up just buying the gallon. 
3. Meeting a sweet elderly Japanese man in Starbucks and trying to have a conversation. 
4. The 100  Yen store... the Dollar Store, but better (and I ended up buying an embarrassing amount of bowls). 
5. Settlers of Catan... finally learned how to play, and yes, it is addicting. 



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