Though the house was still in disrepair and not emptied of our belongings, Norman, Melodie, and I (with Zulu and Fritz) left Kumamoto on February 28. The following day, we had a direct flight from Tokyo to Chicago, about 11 hours long.

In order to take dogs out of the one country and into another, there was much paperwork to complete, mostly to avoid transmitting rabies. Keiko worked diligently to research what was needed, sending in scanned forms, and allaying our concerns.

There were a few bumps along the way (though mostly all went smoothly). First, my shoes fell apart after the first flight! Crazy! Thankfully, I had packed an extra pair.

Secondly, we had an appointment in Tokyo to go through the quarantine area and get the dogs okayed to go. It was super windy that day (and not in Chicago!). All the dogs’ completed paperwork got blown all over the place. Three employees helped track down all but one of them. A fence helped, too!

So, now we’ve been back in the States about two weeks. We’re getting settled into our new residence, living with my mother in the house I grew up in. I’m already glad to be here, because we’ve had snowstorm after snowstorm, with pockets of ice scattered about. Being here to assist my mom sets my mind at ease on so many levels. We’d appreciate your prayers as each of us adjusts to the many changes.

We’re not the only ones moving. We had been trying to sell our home in Japan, since we’re not sure how long we’ll be stateside. The day before we left, a friend of a friend came to look at the property and was in desperate need to get out of their apartment by the end of March. They would need to move in within three weeks’ time! We had planned for Chloe & Cameron, and the new leader of the Kumamoto team to live on our property until June and November, respectively. Suddenly, each of them needed to get out! Keiko graciously lived up to her name (child of grace), and offered to let our kids move in with her until June. Jonathan is still searching for temporary housing and cleaning out our house in our absence. Crazy days!

We are so grateful for those who have been praying for us in this transition time. We still don’t have any concrete answers about our next step, though Norman is pursuing a related ministry within ABWE. Keep those prayers coming! And let us know how we can pray for you!