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Hello from Japan! Last Friday evening we
arrived here in Japan,
after the smoothest trip ever! We thank the Lord for that! After settling
into our new home, our first job was to become legal aliens here in Japan. Evangeline writes about
our trip to the city office.
Today
we went to submit our alien registration at the city office. With the three
kids. They were very good in the waiting room while David and I filled out
forms. We were happy to finish before lunchtime, but the clerk apologized
for the time it would take to complete all five AR’s and said we
could go home and she’d call us when they were ready. But just before
we left, she had us sign our names as they appeared in our passports, so
only one adult would have to come back to pick up the documents. We
happily--and carefully--complied. I joked with David that I had never seen
him sign his name so legibly, middle name and all.
Well,
when the clerk called back that afternoon, she said everything was ready,
but apologized that both of us would have to come in again because there
was something wrong with our signatures. So we all piled back into the car
(grateful for a vehicle on this misty day) and returned to the city office.
It seems that we had signed our names TOO carefully and they didn’t
match our passport signatures to their satisfaction! I needed a little more
swoosh and David needed more dash and squiggle. Do you know how hard it is
to write your name EXACTLY as messily as the first time? After 5 attempts
and a fit of the giggles, I finally got it right.
Maybe
they should go back to taking our fingerprints! J
What’s
the point? I’m not sure. It was not a wasted day; it could have been
worse. The “difficulty” was not a ruse for a bribe, as would
have been the case in some countries. I really appreciate how meticulously
Japanese do things. Whatever they do, they do with all their might. They
are also very considerate of others, sorry to inconvenience you, instead of
insisting on their own rights many times. I have a lot to learn from them.
I respect their culture and love the people. So much that I want all of
them to be saved. So I will work here with all my might, as unto the Lord.
Warmly,
David &
Evangeline Kindervater
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Proof that we are back in