Exams, Exams, New Baby, Exams

On Monday, I took 2 exams testing my knowledge of Japanese grammar, and ability to listening ability, and wrote an essay. The essay topic was on whether or not I thought students should be permitted to use their smart phone dictionary in class (I argued that it was, based on the fact that buying an electronic dictionary costs around $400, while the Google Translate app on my phone is free). Tuesday continued with vocabulary, kanji and reading comprehension. In two weeks I’ll take the 4 hour long, 3 part N3 Japanese Language Proficiency Exam, so in preparation for that, today I spend the first three hours of class taking three practice tests once again going over grammar, vocabulary, kanji, and reading comprehension.

It’s been a little bit of a rough transition going back to being a full time student after being out of school for ten years, and learning Japanese is significantly more challenging to me than my computer and Bible classes I took at Master’s. And yet, we are here to share with people the hope of salvation through Christ Jesus, something that is impossible to do unless I can actually communicate with people. Praise God that little by little my Japanese ability is progressing. While I am still far from where I need to be, I feel that I’ve also come a long way from where I was a year ago. Thank you for praying for us as we go through this process, thank you for your long term investment in us, in patiently supporting us through this vital period of preparation for a life time of service here in Japan.

Tomo is officially into her third trimester, and is furiously researching every conceivable baby gadget, tool, and necessity. She’s determined that American baby products are largely superior to Japanese ones, so about half of what we’ll be getting will be coming from the States. She’s feeling pretty ambitious, and is even tossing around the idea of cloth diapers. We’re both really excited about the prospect of having a new baby girl in our home, and also totally exhausted at the mere thought of it. Tomo’s due date is three days before my Fall exams. Please be praying for us to be able to cope with all the preparations, and for a safe and healthy delivery in September!