Goodbye Kotomi!

Sadly, Kotomi left us on Tuesday to return to her home in Osaka, Japan. It was a very sad morning. She did not want to leave and we didn't want her to either! We had an amazing time getting to know her. She was so kind and polite, she tolerated my kids who can be quite obnoxious at times, and she was thankful and gracious. We will miss her so much! I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to host a Japanese student. There is a bit of commitment required on your end (feeding them three meals a day, driving them to the church every weekday, entertaining them on the weekends), but it is soooo worth it! It was an amazing experience for our girls to be exposed to another culture. Kotomi spent so much time with Brooke, teaching her origami, and there were so many teachable moments to share with the girls about life on the other side of the world. I can totally see us doing this again in the future!
http://www.missiontojapan.org/

Kotomi and Toko in the van, getting ready to leave for the airport.