CAJ - Old friends

My heart is still reveling from our CAJ (Christian Academy in Japan) school reunion in San Diego.  It's been a couple busy weeks with grandchildren, so haven't been able to post much.  But the kids left this morning so in between washing sheets and cleaning up, I can gather my thoughts about my time.  

  Dan Sims, our photographer

Class of '73 - 50 years!

Here we are at our 20th class reunion in Dallas.  Oh my.  How we have changed!

with our spouses

The spouses.  We were so happy so many came!  Martha McMahan commented "What do you call more than 1 spouse?  Spice!"

After pictures, some of us walked down to the Japanese Friendship Bell, located at the end of Shelter Island.

There was lots of time spent in the Santa Barbara Room visiting not only with classmates but those in other classes and our teachers too.  Lots of life stories were shared.  As one classmate said "My heart has grown 4 times larger because of it!" 

The Friesen brothers.  Their sister was in my class but did not come.  We attend church with their cousin, Paul, who was an MK to Peru.

A red cup was placed on his wheelchair so we wouldn't bump him!

Joyce (Friesen) Herrington, 

my roomie my freshman year

Alan Shelton's laugh is the best!

The four of us go WAY back.  

Rick Derksen, me, Anne Marie Ediger, Tim Oxley

Not only at CAJ, but also MCS - Miyazaki Christian School, our one room school house in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki-ken, Kyushu.

Anne Marie Ediger is in the front row, 3rd one from left.  I was not yet in 1st grade.  Rick's family must have been on furlough in Canada.  Tim Oxley was not yet at our school.  I think he told me he came in 5th grade?  But his older sister, Kathy Oxley, is in the back row, 3rd from left.  She married Peter Lee, far right in back row.  She wrote a book about her dad's ministry (below).   Judy (Unruh) Mollenkof, on left , was at one time was administrator at CAJ.

Some of these kids went to CAJ after MCS.  Youngest to oldest: Bill and Wanda Derksen, Sherry Frazier, Dan Voran, Rose Derksen, Mary Kruse, Kathy Frazier, Faith Maxey, Deb Voran, Rick Derksen, Lawrence Boschman, Debbie Frazier, Tim Oxley, Doug Voran, Sharon Kruse.

Back row is Rick Derksen, Tim Oxley and my brother, Doug, Sharon Kruse.  I am in front of Tim.  Anne's family was in Tokyo by that time.

8th grade graduation.  Rick Derksen, Lawrence Boschman (passed away), Tim Oxley, Doug Voran (passed away), Sharon Kruse (passed away).  You might think something environmental caused their early deaths but all from various things.  Hereditary, heart, brain.

And even before school years, our families knew one another.  We were in the same mission, except for Tim.

Lawrence, Anne Marie and Doug 

Johnny, Anne Marie and Jimmy Ediger (who was in our '73 class)

I'm the baby in the middle row, first baby from left.  Rick is the blond boy in the front middle.  Anne is the blond girl in the front row, 2nd to the end at right.

 The class of '73 met in Meggie Bower's room to catch up.

Complimentary Taco truck on Friday evening

Saturday evening Polynesian Flair Buffet Dinner

There was a quiz about our school; questions like the names of the train stops between Higashi-Kurume and Ikebukuro (Ginny Blair knew!), the teams we played and their mascots (we had Coach Long at our table and he knew!), what year was CAJ founded and what was it before it was purchased? (It was a dairy barn that supplied milk to the Imperial family!) I found it really hard but we had some really good players at our table!  

Anda Foxwell spoke and gave us an update on CAJ.

What a wonderful time we had!  

Next post:  Sunday