Day 34 - Kurume Ward

I forced the kids out of bed early so we could head south again to Kyushu and attend the Kurume Ward where I was a missionary and have some great memories. The people there were very welcoming and arranged translators for the kids who, again, wanted to leave early but were happy, after the fact, that they stayed to make new friends.

Most of the people I knew well have moved away, but I was able to talk with a few I remember well who are in this classic pic of me from 1989 -  my hair and I, in all our glory, are in the front row on the right.

After church we returned to Hakata (a short ride on the Shinkansen which didn't go this far south when I lived there - 15 minutes now, about an hour back then - and checked into our next apartment, which is in a shabby building but is pretty nice inside.

The Niiharas invited us to dinner back in Tosu - between Hakata and Kurume - so we met them at the station and they took us to their home out in the countryside and fed us way more food than we could be expected to eat. They have a tradition of inviting people over a few times a month including missionaries, and they have thick guestbooks going all the way back to my time as a missionary in Kurume. It was fun to read the messages from people I knew back then.

The girls especially loved meeting their little dog, Rara. We enjoyed our visit and are very grateful for their kindness.

久留米のみなさんが本当に優しい人です。