loverly day

It really was a great day last Saturday when I went with some of my students to Ayabe. We started the day with a French lunch."

"Kani Miso" for starters. (ground up crab brains mixed with mashed potatoes and some Italian bread twigs) It wasn't nearly as disgusting as it sounds. It was actually quite good.

Next course: tiny veggies (yes, that's one piece each of broccoli, asparagus and cauliflower) The black half circle is jellied blow fish, some other fish I can't remember and squid ink. Again, not too bad.

Soup Course: Carrot Potage. creamy goodness.

Main Course: A mild white fish with vegetables and a tasty creamy sauce. Nice flavor. All of this was accompanied by some locally made "Ume" (plum) juice.

Dessert! That's plum ice cream under the tear drop shaped cookie thing. There was also fruit, a baked thingamabob with caraway seeds and a tea flavored custard. Yum.

And finally....my FAVORITE part.....

How sweet is this! I squealed with delight when I poured the milk in the cup because the most beautiful swirls came to the surface. Simple joys, right?

We had an amazing view of the "kira kira" (sparkling) ocean.

After lunch, we made our way up to the "Ume" (Plum) tree grove.

Spring is here!!! Hang on, my Indiana friends! She's coming soon to you too!

creepy

Every Tuesday when I commute home from Osaka, I walk under this sign in the train station. It really freaks me out. You can't see it fully in this picture, but it says "REST" in big letters on the right. Impossible. Too creepy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

from me and the cutest baby English students in Japan!

woah!

This afternoon I answered the door to a man holding a clipboard. He was looking down at the clipboard when I opened the door and when he looked up, he had a shocked expression on his face and actually stepped back! He said something like "Japanese is bad, isn't it?.....something.....newspaper....I'm very sorry....excuse me..." I've had a few people (mostly Jehovah's Witnesses) ring my doorbell who are surprised to see a foreigner on the other side of the door. I use this to my advantage, of course, and have an easy out. Although I did have a persistent telemarketer once who tried to speak English and asked me if my husband was home. Oh the awkwardness that is my life...

doggone it

(I apologize for the punny title of this post. But, really...I couldn't resist!)

Okay. I like dogs. They're cute. There's a special dachshund in Tennessee that saved me thousands of bucks in therapy. Here's a huge beef I have with Japan: People who treat dogs like children. It's heartbreaking, actually. Unfortunately, my judgemental self takes over when I go into shops like this:

About $50 for a set of dog shoes...

eeney, meeney, miney, mo

Japanese style

commuting artist

sanctuary

I've been slowly chipping away at Brennan Manning's Abba's Child for about 6 months now. Because I can't understand the sermon on Sunday mornings at my church, I've been reading this book during the service.

Here's something I read this morning that really grabbed my attention:

Only in a relationship of the deepest intimacy can we allow another person to know us as we truly are. It is difficult enough for us to live with the awareness of our stinginess and shallowness, our anxieties and infidelities, but to disclose our dark secrets to another is intolerably risky. The impostor does not want to come out of hiding. He will grab for the cosmetic kit and put on his pretty face to make himself "presentable."

Whom can I level with? To whom can I bare my soul? Whom dare I tell that I am benevolent and malevolent, chaste and randy, compassionate and vindictive, selfless and selfish, that beneath my brave words lives a frightened child, that I dabble in religion and in pornography, that I have blackened a friend's character, betrayed a trust, violated a confidence, that I am tolerant and thoughtful, a bigot and a blowhard, and that I really hate okra?

The greatest fear of all is that if I expose the impostor and lay bare my true self, I will be abandoned by my friends and ridiculed by my enemies.

I'm always blown-away by Brennan's honesty of his brokenness. I heard this man speak at Anderson when I was a student there. I was pretty much in awe of his intellect but also his simplicity of character. He loves Jesus and it shows. I wanted to just curl up on a couch with him, drinking tea and bare my soul--all my fears and insecurities. In reading this, I'm reminded of good friends that have been a safe place for me. Of hugs that have swallowed whole my weeping.

Our obsession with privacy is rooted in the fear of rejection. If we sense nonacceptance, we cannot lay down the burden of sin, we can only shift the heavy suitcase from one hand to the other. Likewise, we can only lay bare our sinful hearts when we are certain of receiving forgiveness.

What if our churches were all a refuge for broken people?
A haven.
A harbor.
A shelter.
A sanctuary.
How different would a Sunday morning look? How different would our homes look?

February Young Time

For a while now I've been putting together a monthly event for our "young" people in our church. They're all girls in junior high. They've been slowly getting used to having me around and even smile at me now! Big steps! During our "Young Time" events, we usually play a game or make a craft, have a short Bible lesson (translated, of course) and eat some snacks.

Here's February:

I remember doing something like this when I was in Kindergarten. The girls really got in to it and did a great job!

The, Chocolate FONDUE! This little one really loved the marshmallows!

We talked about language and how we communicate with people. I used an object lesson by teaching the American sign language alphabet. Then, I talked about how God's love was communicated with no words at all, but with Jesus dying on the cross for us.

It was a good day. I pray that these times at the church will stay with these girls for a long time. Someday, when they are searching for meaning in their lives, I pray they remember the church and the Bible and the zany American who loved Jesus.