Tuesday - They're Off - AND

The bags were packed, they were on the list and now we wait to see if they would make the final cut and fly to Seattle. They did. Seems most are flying HOME to Japan at this point and not back to the states. 

I found myself a bit nervous as the time came for the family to leave. Hesitant to be staying in Japan - alone - without kids or Michael (though I'd done 8 months without Michael).  I realized WAIT....I've not BEEN ALONE more than one night in the past 28 years.....and this is a new experience. 


I left the terminal and headed to the chapel where Sarah and I had a date to fill PWOC retreat totes. 

Sempter Gumby has been our refrain on this retreat team. First, we were scheduled in May. Then we had to move to April. Then we had an earthquake and 60% of our group left, and all were nervous about leaving kids for 3 days....we moved to a local event....Going to be great fun and I can't wait to hear what God is going to say to all of us...we are surely primed to consider what it means to SHINE IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY. 

The house is so very quiet tonight. Very quiet...but I'm relaxing.....and cleaning. I may not get the whole house clean but I can do some main areas..... Having done two rooms I think it's time to climb into bed and watch some Monk. 

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

Monday

Monday was Michael's first day of leave - and it dawned on us - WE HAD BETTER PACK BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL FLYING OUT SOON!!!

Arielle went to the ortho and got a mouthful of new hardware. Poor thing.

Jared had his final practice and youth group.

Michael and I worked on details that needed to be wrapped up. We spent quite a bit of time trying to find a home to rent that will fit all of us and my folks on the beach. Still looking.


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

Election Time In Northern Japan

Evidently, in rural Japan, the key to getting elected is to install one of these cool speaker systems on the top of your van, and drive up and down the streets 24/7 asking all to please vote for you. I'm not sure how effective the method is but it sure got our attention.

I first thought it was another tsunami warning...then I saw the vans.....and they've been going at it all week out here.

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

Another Week

It's been a full week since I blogged and I'm going to have to rely on the camera's memory card to remember what we've done. 


School has started back in Japan....and it's always fun to watch the new kindergarten glasses. They wear yellow hats, carry yellow umbrellas and have yellow covers on their back packs to let us know they are new students. Darling. Poor picture -but darling sight to see. 

Monday was full of shopping....for the RETREAT coming up next weekend. It was a bit jarring to change hats and I'm not sure I'm doing it well....but I'm trying. LOL I've got a great retreat team and  it seems to be putting itself together with very little help! Monday night was the first session of Faithful, Abundant and True at PWOC. 

Monday a band of shoppers went out and shopped  for the Transition Home Kits. 

Tuesday a.m. I organized and did paperwork during most of the video part of Faithful, Abundant and True, as I'd seen it Monday night. 

I ENJOYED both discussion groups (Monday night and Tuesday morning immensely) and God spoke to my heart LOUDLY. 

I spent quite a bit of time early in the week trying to keep up with emails from folks asking about helping, donating etc etc. I also did a fair bit of  inventorying and organizing for the ongoing Chapel Transition Home Kit project.  Somewhere along the line I realized I'd outgrown my clipboard. I created a notebook - and promptly out grew it. 

This led to buying the biggest notebook I could find and filling it with the many forms, schedules, handouts, directions to cities etc that I've compiled for the project.  

Wednesday was our second kit assembly day! Wow - so much easier. We've worked out a routine. I'm sure we'll keep tweaking as the weeks go by.  I LOVE this is a project that Moms can do with children in tow.  On assembly days we have lots of children and youth who show up to help. It's WONDERFUL!  It helps us all to know we are doing something concrete to help out. 

Susane has been my partner in crime or I have been her partner in ministry for two years. I'm going to miss her when she moves this summer. See....we even point alike now.  Though I wonder if we were answering two different people or simply confusing one. ::snort:: 

We seem to have gotten ahead of the city officials so this week's batch of kits were assembled and stored. Ready for delivery when CRASH determines their best spot of service. 

This was my shopping funny of the week....

Can you make it out? Horse Fat Shampoo

Jared was disappointed this week when we encouraged him to quit soccer. It took about a week of practice but we finally realized his horrendous headaches were coming after practice.....and he'd been told it could make months-year for his concussion to heal. He wasn't ready for soccer. He talked to coach and Coach asked him to stay on as a manager and morale booster. Thursday he left for Iwakuni and Hiroshima for games down there.  Our home has been strangely different with him away. 

Thursday and Friday I spent time updating my stock inventory sheet and making shopping lists of what was needed this week for the home kits. I was able to give all the ladies shopping logs, Japanese words to explain what they are doing to the curious, Japanese shopping list and YEN to go shopping by Friday. We're getting the system down. 

Friday, Susane, Annette and I zipped over to Komaki to see the meeting room and onsen we'll be using for the PWOC Spring Fling next weekend.  Then we headed back for the Good Friday Tenebrae service. It was meaningful and thoughtful. 

The weather changed somewhere during the week and my lack of coat wearing caught up with me. I'm sick....and taking zicom every 3 hours.....trying to kick it quickly....much too busy to be sick long. 

Mike stayed in late last night to welcome home our first plane load of returning Voluntary Departurees. Is that a word?  It was fun to hear of all who have made it back and know who is coming back tonight and tomorrow.  I'm a bit sad I'm leaving and won't have time to really visit with so many friends who have been gone....and yet I'm going to have all NINE BABIES IN ONE HOUSE for a week! Can you imagine the blessing of THAT? 

Today, Tina took my lists and went shopping. What a BLESSING. She told me I needed a break. I came home to sleep but spent the day researching OR Beach homes, hotels in Eugene, flights from TX to OR etc....I also found graphics for Mike's sermon, fielded phone calls and moaned and groaned. 

Mike is at the office writing and OPR and making sure all is ready for tomorrow. I happen to know three women have called about how to get their purchases into the storage room - so I'm betting he'll be taking breaks.  I think I'll grab a blanket and snuggle on the couch. I wish I had Orange Juice or chicken noodle soup or CHOCOLATE but I'm too tired to care enough to go shopping. ::snort:: 

Michael and the kids will be leaving on Tuesday to go to OR. I will head out as soon as the retreat is over. The first plane I could catch out was Monday (bit difficult to travel from here these days with the trains and roads out - the plane is solidly booked. We have to retrain ourselves not to wait to buy our tickets a couple of days before flight).  I'll keep busy with one more Kit assembly day, the last minute details for retreat and the retreat.....I'll sleep across the ocean and wake up in EUGENE, OREGON. 

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

Weekend of Normalcy

You may have noted I was a bit worn out in the last few posts.  After the lovely day of playing in the dirt, I spent Saturday doing a bit of cleaning. Mike had a "dec" or "OPR" or something or other to write and spent the day at the office.

I fell asleep in the afternoon....pretty much unheard of...but needed.  I ran out to Homac to buy 60 containers for this week's  home kits (all the van would hold). Praise God the funds came in for another week of kits. I organized the shopping list into 4 categories and 4 lovely women have volunteered to shop a category each. This should greatly ease my shopping duties this week.

We ended our Saturday night playing Pitureka at Stacia's request. Arielle's energy level picked up as she began to win. ::snort::

Palm Sunday - what a great way to begin a week. I feel in some ways that Easter has slipped by us this year, but we're living lessons of Easter in a new way.  I read this quote a couple of days ago and it resonated with me, "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance for what will only make sense in reverse!" Phillip Yancey.  I've been contemplating. Sure seems like a good definition....it is what we are living these days in Japan.

This afternoon we paid our taxes and discovered there are PERKS to having someone in a combat zone for 8 months.....nice perks. ::grin::

Time to prepare for the week. Lots of activity once again....but God gives strength...in fact He gives JOY which is our strength...grace which equips us to fulfill His calling....

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

Japan through the eyes of the Church

This is long, but it is powerful! Have you been wondering how the church in Japan has fared? May God cause our hearts to give, to act, to PRAY. PRAY with Passion for revival and His mercy, strength and miracles.


"The light of the world"_After the Earthquake in Japan(English ver.) from Dear.Japan on Vimeo.


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

Playing in the Dirt

Sometimes you simply need to play in the dirt. Arielle and Nolan had been waiting for me to plant our "garden".  I knew I needed to do something comforting. 


Our little seedlings have taken off - should have been planted earlier - maybe - but we were busy last week. 

We had lots of plants to put in too. Last year we had about 4 containers and it went so well we are adding many new containers. Michael is home and has ideas to combat the crows.....he's also been watching the farmers with their plastic wrap..... it may have been early...but we needed to do something together that was NORMAL. 

I sat with tears and played in the dirt...and I was comforted in some strange way.  At one point Arielle and I headed out to buy flowers and more soil. The cashier pointed out we had fertilizer. I'm a bit worried that we planted many of our plants in fertilizer...we should know soon.  This is a start....we have the other side of the house, the back of the house and the strip of gravel off the patio too. 

Back in February we ordered, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader," for Nolan. He's been checking every box that enters our home. It was funny (oh, quake again) to watch him this afternoon. It had arrived and we'd hidden it. Tonight is pizza and movie night. We put on the movie and loved the surprise the kids received. 

It's late and I may be tired enough to sleep.  Tomorrow, we need to buy more soil, plant more plants, pay taxes, pick up some plastic containers that Homac will hold for me.....

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