*Bounce, bounce*

My brother came to visit from Tokyo today! Ok, so, not my real brother by blood or anything, but my Japanese brother. When we adopted each other as family I really don't quite remember, but every since the official adoption, we've hung out, fought, cried, laughed, worked, and played enough music together to have a very good brotherly-sisterly relationship.

Then, a few months ago, God moved him to Tokyo. Blah! :( However, there were multiple good reasons for that... Anyway, we don't see each other much anymore at all, but we do still keep in touch randomly, and whenever I'm in Tokyo I see him, and today he came up to Niigata for the first time to visit here again and pick up some stuff at home. If I'm his younger sister, then Cindy makes for some kind of older sister, and Nomura-sensei is definitely a father figure. Tonight we all met up at the church, and Grace joined us, and we all did our random family hanging out. Atsush explained his new manga to me in English (he's a manga artist), and then we had over two hours of worship song singing...beautiful times of music in God's presence, with all of us crowded around the piano. Sensei, who had a cold and a fever today, still stayed up and sat singing with all of us--even taking over the drums at the end! Cindy, who was supposed to be writing her site report :), just sat and encouraged us all to bask in the music and God's presence. Grace and I rotated on piano, and Atsush and I rotated on guitar. Oy...I so much want to capture some of these moments and their feelings...but I guess that is why music is music, ne? It's just not the same as a typed-up report.

On another random note, because Sensei was sick, he didn't come to prayer meeting today, but Grace did. It was so incredibly wonderful to see how relaxed she was, and how relaxed the church members were with her! For a moment it felt like the poor church members had suddenly adopted 4 new teenagers--me, Lindsey, Cindy, Grace, and Kim, who was visiting! When we all took over their piano and their bathroom, they looked a little frightened...but praise God for random, door-openings and new opportunities with relationships and prayer!

Ok, enough mental bouncing for joy here. Time for bed. :)