I Always Dreamed of Having a Little Brother...

Until Now! 

Watashi no Ottoto wa Wintersu Esan desu! (My little brother is Ethan Winters!)

Right from the start, Ethan and I have got along great! We have had many laughs together and many good conversations!

He is a very talented young man! Ethan is bilingual (he speaks Japanese and English), he plays violin and guitar, enjoys school, loves airplanes and knows tons about them and is amazing at drawing them, likes to ride his bike, is very good with directions, and laughs often! He is also faithful to read his Bible and memorize scripture! Him, Kayla, and I have had some good Bible devotion times together! There are more great things I could tell you about Ethan, but I want you to hear from him, so here is a bit about him and life for him here in Japan!

Hello my name is Ethan Winters.  I am 13 and a missionary kid to a foreign country.  I live in Japan!  Having the ability to speak two languages is very easy, for I am fluent in Japanese.  A lot of people ask me if I ever think in Japanese, but I don’t.  However, I have been told that I talk in my sleep in Japanese by my mom.  Sometimes my brain is trying to speak in Japanese, and it comes out in the opposite language.  This has happened many times while I’m having a conversation. When that happens it is especially funny when I am having an English conversation and randomly say something in Japanese.

Candid Questions:

Jordan: Do you dream in Japanese or English?

Ethan: I think I dream in both languages.

Jordan: What size mattress do you have?

Ethan: I have a futon. (a Japanese style mattress with no sizes)

Jordan: What side of the road is the “right” side to drive on?

Ethan: The left side is the “right” side of the road in Japan.

Jordan: Which way do you open a book? To the right or to the left?

Ethan: Most Japanese books I read in I open to the right.

As you can see, Ethan is an American who has grown up in Japan. This is the country and culture he knows best, yet his native tongue is English and his parents, though they know the Japanese culture and have adapted their lives to it, are American. Spending time with Ethan and listening and asking questions is always interesting and thought provoking! Trying to place myself in his shoes has been a learning experience! I asked him where he would like to live when he is older, and he said he isn't sure yet. I'm looking forward to seeing the man he grows up to be, and I will be praying for him to be a godly leader wherever God leads him! He is a unique young man, and I am blessed to be his "temporary" big sister, or, his Onechan.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.