Then and Now

The last time I'd gone to our beach was when we took Carol out looking for sea glass. That was a fun day. I loved sharing our special beach with Carol, a special friend. Fun to connect a past assignment with a current assignment. 

On our way home for church today, Mike pulled in to Kaihohen (Momoishi Beach area)...there is yellow tape up so you can no longer park in the parking lot....I'll post a photo here so the kids can see what things look like now...

The area has a somber feel to it now. Several other Japanese families were out, doing what we were doing I think....visiting a favorite spot, considering the events of the past week, sort of stunned and struck at all that has happened. I wanted to simply kneel down and spend some time in prayer.....but it wasn't the time...yet. 

Here's the gatehouse we always told the kids would be closed to stop storms and tsunamis from going up the "river" and destroying homes....

We've walked along this wall often..... 

It's just a small piece of the bigger picture...but it's our picture.....

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Energy Saving Appliances

After 27 years of marriage, I finally did it. In an effort to conserve energy, I bought a pressure cooker. I have no clue what to really do with it, in the end features didn't matter, the BX had one left.....I own it. 

It promises I can do our roast in 45 minutes and that is doable even for an energy conscious family like ours. ::grin:: 

Do send your favorite recipes for pressure cookers....maybe we can broaden our meal choices.

Tanya tells me I can bake bread in the microwave.....

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Thoughts and Prayer Requests

{Here is a piece I've written for PWOCI, I thought I'd post it here too as it shares my thoughts and feelings during this week.}

Pray for Japan

De’Etta Goecker (Asia Region President)

My daughters and I had planned a PWOC Adventure to Korea, but God had other adventures for us in March.  Many of you heard I was driving from Misawa to Tokyo for the Tokyo Area Retreat when the earthquake hit. We left Sendai 40 to 60 minutes ahead of the earthquake.  It took eight days for me to get home to my family. It was 20 hours before I heard from my family. Our children were alone during the earthquake. It is not a time I want to relive, yet I wouldn’t trade the lessons I learned during the week of March 11^th for the world. Someday, I’ll share.

It is no accident that Asia Region was formed 1 ½ years ago. As we’ve focused on this year’s theme, “Shine in the Light of His Glory,” and as we’ve prayed for revival in Asia, I believe God has been preparing us for this season. Light shines brightest in darkness.  We are poised to SHINE in Asia (both to frightened military spouses and to a beloved land which has lost so much).  I’m eagerly anticipating the kingdom business God will do when we all meet together in Tokyo for the First Annual Asia Region Conference in November 2011.  God has been setting things in motion for revival in Japan. I know this.

We so appreciate the outpouring of love, prayers and offers of assistance from across PWOC. You’ve often moved me to tears.

Please continue to pray for the nation of Japan, the rebuilding process which will take years, the HOPE of JESUS to be seen and embraced in Japan, and for your fellow PWOC sisters in Japan.  You’ve heard about the voluntary departures, the shortages, and the continued worries.  I’m sure as you place yourself in our shoes (crocs), the Holy Spirit will guide your prayers.  There are challenges for both those who chose to leave and those who chose to stay.

Japan has been called “The Graveyard of Missions.”  While I don’t believe God caused the earthquake, I DO believe He can bring great good from terrible disasters. Our God is in the business of redemptive restoration.  As I prayed about this in the days after the earthquake, I believe God directed my prayers in a clear direction. Please join me in praying for the cultural narrative in Japan to change. Previously, it was considered dishonorable to accept a gift which you could not repay in kind.  I believe as Japan begins to understand there is no dishonor in accepting a free gift you cannot repay, it will create a new bridge for the gospel of Jesus to speak into this culture.  Pray for missionaries and Christians who will invest their lives in crossing that cultural bridge to bring the Hope of Jesus to Japan.  We dare not miss this opportunity.

 I continue to choose joy in Misawa, Japan!

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Spring/Winter - Sprinter Walk

Mini-me begged to bake brownies (below) and go for a walk today. It seems she gets cabin fever. ::snort:: No one else wanted to walk, but the snow had melted so we set out.

First off we noticed we are the only family which chose to stay in our two block subdivision. We did find a few children in the subdivision over and will see if more show up on the weekend.

These guys were really happy to see us. I forgot treats and they kept getting into my pockets in a search for carrots or apples. 

Stacia enjoyed "fishing" in the pond. I enjoyed sitting on a stump and soaking in the peace. Nature has a way of centering me.  It was incredibly peaceful and quiet here today. We'll be back here. (Local folks, yes, I know it says KEEP OUT, but the farmer has told us we can fish in the pond). 

Signs of springs! This was really encouraging after the snow which greeted us this a.m. 

Jared went to base for soccer "practice" - they aren't allowed to have formal practice but the kids can get together and practice on their own and maybe they'll still be able to play a game or two this season. 

Michael is at work. 

I have worked on some PWOC tidbits.  I've also started to try to figure out what to do about my house. Everything which was on shelves is stacked around the floorboards...not sure how much longer this should last.....no real big aftershocks today....maybe it is time to put things back up. 

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

No Bake Brownies (Kristin)

Stacia begged to bake brownies today. I was clearing my desk and found this recipe. 


Assemble ingredients:

3/4 C Butter
1/2 C Brown Sugar (Rapadura)
1 tsp Vanilla
3 C Quick Oats (I used rolled oats)
1 C Chocolate Chips
1/2 C Peanut Butter

Have our assistant melt bugger over medium heat:

Once melted add sugar, vanilla and oats. Stir until it's a sticky mess!

While she's occupied combine peanut butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt. 

In a greased 8x8 pan layer 1/2 of the oat mixture (press down firmly), the chocolate mixture (reserve some to drizzle on the top), top with remaining oat mixture (lightly press down), drizzle chocolate on top. 

Put in fridge for 3 hours...or until you can't wait any longer ;-) The kids love this one. I'm not tempted - this sugar fast seems to be working.  Not sure if the rolled oats "work" but I have children who will eat raw oats.....seems more fudgey than brownie like....but Stacia was happy with the results. 

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Comment Moderation

Due to so many comments all mentioning one website in the past 12 hours.....comments are moderated again. I haven't had time to check out the site. May be fine - but 50 comments by different names all leading to the same website is not very up and up in my book. 


Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Green Smoothies

I've heard of these for years, but usually in the context of someone sharing how much they loved their Vitamix...somewhere along the line I assumed a "regular" blender wouldn't be able to make green smoothies. ::snort:: Windy shared how much they LOVED their smoothies. This surprised me as they were not previously veggie lovers. I shared that I wasn't going to buy a Vitamix to eat veggies. She shared tips to make them in my blender - and it worked. 


I heard not to use the same greens every day - so today we used a variety of lettuce. I think we like the spinach better...... But here you go. 


Put 1 C of water in blender, add 2 - 3 C of greens of your choice and blend for several minutes to make a smooth puree (I used less greens the first day so the kids would like the fruity taste) 

Assemble and add fruit - I used an orange, small pineapple, Greek yogurt, strawberries, 2 small bananas and frozen blueberries, flax seed, splash of vanilla and/or almond

I simply quarter oranges, peel them and throw them in 

Blend and stir for a few minutes until you like the consistency - you'll see this makes a purplish/brown shake as I added red and blue fruits....

She loves them and is getting a variety of greens in her diet. 

If you like it sweeter you could add dates or honey. You can leave out the yogurt, I like to add it so there is protein to balance the high carbs in a smoothie. I try to have sliced, frozen bananas on hand for smoothies as they make very smooth and creamy smoothies. I don't use ice, choosing to use frozen fruit instead. 

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...