Kire, desu ne? (It's beautiful, isn't it?)

The sakura (cherry blossoms) have made their debut in Japan. I caught the beginning of their arrival before I headed to Guam for my spring vacation. I watched as a little girl picked up fallen blossoms and put them in her mothers purse saying, "here's a pretty flower...and another....and another." The life span of this beauty is so short, but its magical. Even in my limited Japanese, I was able to comment on the beauty to a stranger walking by and have a short interaction.

Obama loves Obama

At the beginning of every English class, I ask my students "How was your week?" They usually tell me about something they did or learned in the previous week. Recently, a student brought a newspaper clipping with the headline, "Obama loves Obama." She was excited to report this information to the class and to me, who had no idea such a thing was happening.

Obama is a small city in Japan with a population of around 32,000 people. I've read that this city has a small group of Obama supporters who have formed a group called the "Group that Supports Barack Obama Voluntarily." (As opposed to the group who supports Barack Obama INvoluntarily??!!) Here's a quote I found for the reasoning behind this Obama-mania in Japan. ' "Obama gives good speeches and has a good voice, so I want him to do well. And, of course, we share the same name,' said Seiji Fujiwara, a hotel executive and leader of a local support group established earlier this month for the Illinois senator." This group has made T-shirts and headbands that were worn on Super Tuesday. They have sent Obama a Daruma doll (a round bottomed figure that can't topple over) for good luck, as well as a "Manju" cake, which is a sweet bean paste cake with Obama's face imprinted on it.

karaoke English lesson

I've met two wonderful ladies who I have begun meeting with for an informal time of English conversation over dinner. Tonight we ate great food at a local restaurant. The hostess (owner?) was really excited to have me there and kept saying how cute I was. She said I was "coquettish" and looked like Meg Ryan! My friends told her I was Christian and she crossed herself catholic style!! So funny! When I wanted to take her picture, she asked "hug? hug?" YES! OF COURSE!! It was so refreshing to meet a Japanese person who was so friendly and outgoing.

We ate sushi and some other things I never care to try again! This is a picture of the head cavity of a crab. They told me it was the ground up guts of the crab. My response after the first and only bite:
"No thank you!" The crab head is on the left and shrimp head is on the right. I don't mind the shrimp so much, but I don't like it looking at me with the beady, black eyes!

After dinner, we went to karaoke place because I have been dying to go since I got here. We certainly won't be winning American Idol this season, but it was SOOOO much fun.

I haven't laughed like this in a long time. おもしろかった! (It was fun!)

the incredible singing hulk

maybe I should use this for teaching English?

breaking the mold

As a teacher, I welcome “teachable moments” in the classroom. These “a-ha” occasions where something clicks in our hearts and minds are transforming. I witnessed such a moment today during one of my English classes. Every class begins with an introduction time when I ask my students about their week. These free conversations give me a small glimpse into the lives of people who are often reluctant to share personal information. One student was describing an art exhibition of the famous Japanese artist Hokusai. A lot of what she told me was difficult to comprehend, but I did catch that the master drawing was destroyed after the reproductions were made. This reminded me of the American saying “God broke the mold when He made you.” My students often enjoy hearing about idioms and proverbs. I explained the meaning to be that you are unique. One of my students said, “oh...it means you are worthy!”
I am re-learning that a lot of wonderful things happen unexpectedly. I didn’t plan for this lesson on my own. I didn’t have a 4 step program to explain God’s plan of salvation for the world. And yet, here it is lived out in everyday life. We have value. We are uniquely and wonderfully made. We have purpose and we are beautiful because we express the creativity of a loving creator. These living parables are all around me all the time. I pray that God would open my eyes to the Truth of who He is so that I may help others to see what I am seeing.

Never give up hope

When I started writing this post, I didn't realize my sermon would be found in these words. I was able to process through what was going through my head. Praise God!
My words are meant for the church in Tarumi but wanted you to join in on what God is speaking to me right now. Please pray that these words are received well. I'm a bit nervous to be speaking about such a delicate matter (you'll understand this if you read all the way through).

This week I was 1 1/2 hours late to teach English in Osaka because of a train delay. Yes, I was annoyed. It was the first time since I've been in Japan that my frustration came to the point of bringing tears to my eyes. So far, I’ve been able to keep calm in high pressure situations. But on this day, this problem pushed me to the limit.

I tried to stop being selfish, remembering that all the other people on the platform had important meetings and jobs to go to also. I thought about the probable cause of the delay: another suicide jump. This happens all too often in Japan and it makes my heart sick. This thought helped my selfish attitude to calm down a bit.

It wasn't until later that I discovered the real reasons for the delay. Part of the delay was caused by some major fog slowing down the trains on my line and several others. Another reason for the delay was a train that had to take an unexpected stop due to a sick passenger. Both factors combined affected the schedules of around 100,000 commuters, myself included.

When I read the report in the news, I immediately thought about the impact that this one passenger had on so many people. It couldn't be helped; the poor man or woman was sick and needed to get off the train.

My point is this: many people think that they don't matter. They think that their life is insignificant and they wonder if they could really make an impact in the world. The sad truth is that the number one cause of death for Japanese people my age is suicide. This is shocking. I see this sadness often on the faces of those around me when I ride the train. They have no relief for their pain. There is no hope for something better.

The third chapter of Lamentations talks about despair. The author (who was probably the prophet Jeremiah) goes into great detail about the ways that his life has been difficult. He knew darkness. His health was bad. He had anguish and distress. His prayers seemed to be unanswered. He felt helpless and devastated. People laughed at him. He was filled with bitterness and sorrow. He forgot what peace was. The great city of Jerusalem was destroyed. This was a very devastating time for the Jewish people.

And yet, Jeremiah clung to hope. Verses 21-24 bring these words of hope: “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’”

How did Jeremiah remember this hope? How was he able to pull himself out of his despair to remember God? Jeremiah knew that God had a purpose for his life. He knew that God loved him and wanted good things for him. This is found in Jeremiah 29:11( For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.) Because Jeremiah knew this Truth, he could trust God. He could trust that God was in control of his life. Even if Jeremiah were to die, he knew that his death would be serving a purpose.

Because I have been saved from a life of despair, I have a responsibility. If I saw someone drowning in a river and I had a rope in my hand, I couldn't stand by and watch that person die. If you are a Christian, you have a “rope” in your hand. You have a hope in Jesus. You are clinging to a Truth that is solid, even if you don't fully understand everything about Christianity.

I’m sure you know that a man from our church died last Sunday. This is a difficult thing to talk about. Please forgive my boldness in talking about something that I know so little about. Utsumi-san struggled with alcoholism for a long time. This church reached out to him and his family, but it was very difficult for him to accept this help. Before he died, he told Bernie, "You don't need to come to me. There are more important people you can be helping." I never met Utsumi-san. I don't know much about this man but his death has touched me. I was sad for his family when I saw them at the funeral. His death has caused me to think about many things. I wondered if he really understood that God loved him and cherished him. I wondered if he knew that his life was important. I wondered if he knew that his life mattered. Bernie told me that his constant battle with alcoholism made it very difficult for him to accept God’s unconditional love for him. In the end, Bernie shared with Utsumi-san the hope that is found in Jesus. Bernie believes that Utsumi-san was finally able to receive salvation.

I praise God that this church didn’t turn away from Utsumi-san. You didn’t close your eyes to the pain of another person. God must be very pleased that you gave His love to someone who was hurting.

Maybe you yourself are also hurting. Maybe you are having a difficult time remembering what hope is. Don't forget the Truth! You matter. Your life matters. You have a purpose. God loves you. He died for you. He is holding out a rope for you. If you are in despair, please talk to someone. If you are wondering what the purpose of your life is, please talk to someone. If you know someone in despair, don’t let another day pass by. Talk to that person. Tell them about the hope that you have in Jesus. Don’t stop reaching out to people. Pray that God will change their hearts. Pray that He will show His love through you. We must never, never give up hope.

more Christmas photos

Here are some more photos.

The first slide show has pictures from the Christmas programs held at Tarumi church. We had a kids puppet show (I was a shepherd with strange facial hair). We also had a candlelight service where I sang with the choir. We sang O Holy Night in Japanese and the Halleluia chorus. I also sang Breath of Heaven (in English) for a solo.



The second slide show covers various parties that I was a part of with the English program at Tarumi church and Konoike church. Summary: I ate lots of food.

Christmas/New Years with the Bartons

boy howdy. I hate that so much happens and then I get too tired and lazy to write it all out for you. I don't want to give shallow promises for later, cause I'm not sure it will happen. SO, I will show you my pictures that I've captioned.

It was a great 2 weeks with the Bartons. I felt really comfortable with them and I hope they have the same thought for me! We laughed a lot and played many, many hands of Uno.

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closing 2007

As 2008 begins and I remember 2007.... I refer to the ultimate guide for life: An email forward...

Where did you begin 2007?
Urbana Missions Conference in St. Louis with 22,000

What was your status on Valentine's Day?
single. Now stop asking.

Were you in school (anytime this year)?
For the first time in a long time, NO.

How did you earn your money?
various part-time jobs (house cleaning, activities department at a nursing home, Borders/Seattle’s Best Coffee) and finally coming to Japan to teach English.

Where did you go on vacation?
many travels (St. Louis, road trips through Indiana; Colorado Springs and Denver; Japan-Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka) but nothing I would call “vacation.”

What did you purchase over $1000?
plane ticket to Japan

Did you know anybody who got married?
a handful

Was anyone born?
Ruthie VanDeVoorde (daughter of Mike and Emily) is the one who comes to mind first. She’s a wonderful gift from God.

Did you move anywhere?
I moved back home to Clarksville, TN for half of the year and then moved to Kobe, Japan.

How did you celebrate your birthday?
I was in Colorado Springs for a language training seminar. I had rum raisin ice cream in a small town ice cream shop with some new friends.

Are you registered to vote?
Yes, but I need to figure out the absentee voting thing.

What was your favorite movie of 2007?
Little Miss Sunshine

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
YES! I totally got sucked in for the first time. Not ashamed of it either!

Did you get sick this year?
A couple times since coming to Japan-I guess from the stress.

What’s one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2007?
Find such comfort and peace in moving back home with my parents. My parents have dogs and I learned that puppy therapy is good stuff. I’ve never wanted a dog for a pet before now.

What has been your favorite moment of the year?
Coming through the doors of customs in Japan and seeing a group of people there to welcome me to my new home.

What’s something you learned about yourself?
I learned that I have a lot more determination than I thought I had.

What was your worst month?
Around June I thought my dream for Japan was over. I cried a lot of tears in that month.

What was your best month?
August-the commissioning service in Akron, IN was SO encouraging. My friends gathered and told stories from my life. I felt so much love and affirmation.

Overall, how would you rate this year?
Every year shows me more and more of myself—the good and the ugly. I’m thankful for God’s grace.