VBS Week

I knew VBS week would be busy. I wasn't prepared for the week before and after to be busier than VBS week. I am finally coming up for air and will attempt to update.

Last week was VBS in Misawa. God was GRACIOUS and the rain fell in the afternoon - didn't interfere with our VBS plans. The weather was so much cooler than last year - and this is GREAT for those of us in a school with no AC.  We had 260 kids and many, many volunteers. A great week!

Arielle was the crew leader for 3rd grade boys. Nolan and I were crew leaders for preschool groups. Stacia and Zander loved participating.

Here are some shots from the week, I have many more, but I think group shots and shots of my own kids are the best bet here.

Stacia

At the closing session a fire alarm was pulled and we got to evac

For one of the crafts we made hacky sacks for our youth missions trip - the green shirts are mostly the youth who were going on the trip....they delivered them this week - but that may be a different blog post....when I catch you up on THIS week. 

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Humid? You Betcha!

It's hard to describe what humidity feels like to those who've not lived in a humid location. 


The pages in your book are damp. Your hair is limp. The wood floor is sticky. Your face and body are wet - even after you towel off. Your glasses fog up. Sometimes ink won't write on your notebook paper because it's so damp.....

I CAN show you what humidity LOOKS like....

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

You Judge....

The name of this business has cracked me up for the past year.....this was too good not to take a shot. 

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Tanabata 2011!

From About.com - "Tanabata is a Japanese tradition wherein people write thier wishes on tanzaku papers (colorful, small strips of papers) and hang them on bamboo branches. People also decorate bamboo branches with various kinds of paper decorations and place them outside their houses. The most common decorations are colorful streamers. Streamers are said to symbolize the weaving of threads. Others are toami (casting net), which means good luck for fishing and farming and kinchaku (hand bag), which means wealth."

This weekend is Tanabata Festival in Misawa. Akiko san gave us a bamboo pole last year and explained the festival. The wishes/ prayers n Japanese culture are not oft directed to the One True and Living God.....but it is a holiday we can enjoy. I find it fun to take the time to write our wishes out in the form of prayers on colorful papers and display them.

Local businesses make giant decorations to hang outside their businesses. 

This year's winner. 

Back side - that may be the date of the big quake/tsunami? 

It was right along here that we had the 6.5 earthquake.....we noted the wind stopped, but didn't really note anything else. Evidently, most others did. I think we're getting immune. 

 Booths line White Pole road with "food on a stick"....we do love festival food. It's a great way to try lots of new things in one day.

"Old Style" Ice cream - more like slushy in a cone

SO good...beef stew in a roll....I got the name of the cafe from the booth and hope to find this on a more regular basis. 

Chocolate cake doughnuts seem to be the big family hit

Two years ago he couldn't use chopsticks...now he can balance the tray, use chopsticks and walk at the same time....smiling for the camera is a stretch. 

Yakisoba

No clue - looked like a pancake and tasted like giyosa

Nikuman - or in the Philippines Cio pao

A highlight for us was making contact with the pastor at the little white church on the corner.....who knew it could be so easy. Poor Arielle has to come with Michael and I every time we make forays as she is the best Japanese speaker we have in our house. This has really forced her to get out of her shell.

It's the first day of the Japanese "School Holiday," this seems to be a great reason to get out in the sun, walk with family and friends and enjoy some festival food.  I haven't a clue about the orange lines. 

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

WHAT HAPPENED?????

We KNOW next week will be busy, but this week  took us completely by surprise. Michael and I found ourselves exhausted this evening and wondering WHY the week was so busy, why were we so tired. "What happened?" ::snort:: 


Michael did go in at 5:30 - 6:00 a.m. all week - but that isn't totally out of the realm of norm. 


Monday we welcomed a new Chaplain  and his wife to Misawa (Chris and Jenn). It was a joy to be able to run them from office to office and by the end of the first day Chris was checked in, they had an apartment, were looking at a car, had a hair cut and had signed up for phone service. They must have been EXHAUSTED - none of it was planned - but it all worked well. ::snort::  Michael had a PT test - which he passed. He ran home and picked up the kids and brought the older 3 in for youth group. The younger 2, Mike and I, Jenn and Chris and our wing chaplain and his wife went out for dinner. Always fun. 


"My" little car blew a muffler or something on the way to the airport on Monday. We delivered it to be fixed on Tuesday - leaving us with one car for the rest of the week.

Tuesday was a PAC meeting....I ended up missing the PWOC lake day as the time conflicted and I was shopping and preparing lunch for PAC.  I spent a lot of time on the road this week as we were down to one car.

Wednesday has NOTHING on the calendar but I know we were crazy busy. I remember school. I remember several leisurely skypes with Regional board members. I remember working on various PWOC Regional conference forms and plans.  Wednesday night was a chapel town hall meeting on Missions Outreach.

Thursday we had a Chapel staff picnic at the lake to welcome Chris and Jenn. It was a great time to reconnect as a staff.

Jenn is 3rd from left and I never got a photo of she and Chris

Friday I visited a friend who just welcomed a new baby to her family. I worked on chapel slide shows. I drove kids here and there and we picked up my little car. I also had another leisurely and beneficial skype with a regional board member.  Our kids, Michael and the new neighborhood kids played a rousing game of capture the flag.

 Universal taunting man expression? 

 Jared taunting the "old man"

Strategizing.....

Today? I'm not sure what we are going to do. I slept in until 6:00 a.m. and still haven't worked out for the day; Michael isn't up yet - we're taking it easy. LOL

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Divine Rabbit Trails - Hospitality

In the absence of an in-depth women's Bible study during the summer, I've been enjoying digging deep into my daily readings of Scripture. I was innocently reading through Hebrews when I arrived in  Hebrews 13 and took a rabbit trail.

I've planned to study hospitality for years. There have been times when we've burned ourselves out with hospitality - robbing family time and neglecting self-care. There have been times when we've had it balanced fairly well.  I went to a workshop on hospitality at the PWOCI Conference in Dallas. It was a great workshop, but focused mostly on "how tos" - tips like quick meals and ideas....as I said - it was GREAT - but I knew God had more for me.  I was sad to miss Mary's workshop on hospitality here in Misawa due to traveling. Beyond the workshops....I know God ALWAYS takes me deeply into His word and then provides other's teachings in the forms of sermons, books, and more when He is going to show me something personally "big".  I knew the time for personal in-depth study was coming.... THIS seemed the time - a divine rabbit trail (it doesn't get much better for someone who loves to study the Word).


I have spent the last couple of weeks searching the Word on the topic of hospitality. I've done word studies, cross references, looked at every verse where the word is mentioned (there really isn't that many) and have begun to make a list examples of hospitality in Scripture. I realized this a.m.  I've been developing a personal "Biblical Theology of Hospitality".


I feel I'm firmly planted in the Word and have dug deep into the topic....I'm about to begin reading what others have to say and actively seeking out others teachings. I may be a geek, but I know how God moves in my life...and He's moving. I'm wondering what's next...So much to share from my study.


I'll start with just this.....Check out the CONTEXT of the New Testament verses on hospitality. Hospitality is a basic virtue of the Christian life (Rm 12:13 and surrounding). Hospitality is a qualification of church leaders (listed before teaching) and older women (I Tim 3:2, Titus 1:8).  Hospitality is a practice we are to cultivate as we prepare for the end times (I Peter 4:9). Answering  the question of WHY it's a basic of  Christian life, a  leadership qualification and  preparation for the end times leads to the formation of a Biblical Theology of Hospitality.


I may share more later - so many notes in my little life journal. LOL


Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Very Bad Run

Debated if I should take another day between runs or go today.....wanted to do it. It was raining at 4:30 and 5:30 and 6:00.... grabbed my old workout pants and decided I'd do the elliptical....didn't want to wake up family so had a lovely tryst with God first.....then.....

It wasn't raining. I couldn't find my trusty shoes.......but I DID have a new pair of Asics running shoes "the runners" talked me into buying in May. They felt I should trade out shoes more than once a decade.

I've been using the Asics for the elliptical to break them in. I've only run in the Saucony. My knees have been fine. My shins and ankles haven't hurt....I was doing good and dreaming of running like a 20 yo in 2 months.......

Today was

A Very Bad Run!

The humidity and heat are both higher at 0800 than they are at 0430. 

There are real PEOPLE out in the rice paddies and fields at 0800. I don't like audiences. 

Within the first 5 minutes my SHINS and ankles were burning. Really hurting. I did about 1/2 the run and decided this was not a good thing. I simply MUST find the old Saucony shoes and possibly order a new pair online. 

THEN.....well....I'd noticed my workout pants weren't as snug as they used to be. Go ME! But they continuously FELL DOWN as I ran....try running with your pants drifting down to your knees. 

At 15 min I turned for home and decided I'd finish my time on the elliptical - which I did. 

My knees feel fine...my shin and ankles still burn...can a shoe make that much difference? Here I thought I was more in shape and thus able to run again but it could have simply been that the Saucony was better for me to run in than the New Balance which I had in my earlier attempts. 

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...