What is a typical CAJ family?

One of the hard things to do on Home Assignment was give an adequate description of the range of people who make up CAJ. I want to give you a quick picture by telling you about some of the parents I've met in the last week and a half at the school.

Mrs Y is Russian. Her husband is Japanese, but they met on an island (Saipan - ever heard of it?) in the Pacific where she studied at university. They've lived in Hawaii for the last 20 years, but have recently come to Japan for her husband's work.  They have two daughters, one in grade 4 at CAJ, the other at day care.

Mrs K has a son in kindergarten with our 5 y.o. She is Thai-Chinese (Thai mum and Chinese dad). Her husband is Japanese, though they haven't lived in Japan much since they were married. She says she is Catholic and wants to move to Australia.

Mrs J is Filipino. Her husband is too. They have two boys, one in kindergarten and one in first grade. She is a missionary who works with refugees, asylum seekers and other needy foreigners. He is a graphic designer.

Mrs D is Japanese married to an American. They live about an hour by train away from school. Their only son is in kindergarten and she spends much of her day travelling back and forth by train.

Mr V is American. His wife is Japanese Their eldest is in second grade with our 7 y.o. and they have four younger children. He spent his entire school career at CAJ and they have come back as missionaries after six years in the US. He also coaches soccer at the school.

As you can see there is not much in the way of "typical". Yes, I could tell you about the families who have both partners from the US or Australia or Canada and are missionaries, but we are the rare exception here. There is more uniformity amongst the teaching staff, but still more variety than you'd find at the usual Australian school

Is it any wonder the school has adopted the passage of 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 as this year's theme - "One body, many parts". Our mission, OMF International, also is made up of many nationalities. We talk about 'unity in diversity' and amazingly, most of the time it works.

One thing, it keeps you flexible. You cannot assume much! You also find it hard to find other people like you. Living and working in Japan and with so much variety amongst my friends has helped me to keep my eyes on Jesus rather than other people. While I value my friends, in Him alone can I find security and affirmation of who I am.