Compelling Reading

What could be so riveting?

Choosing Joy started as a way for the older girls to keep up on the younger's childhood as they left home. It morphed into a huge "hobby" complete with memes, deep musings and such  and then nearly died....as I realized I didn't have the time to "be cool and perfect." ::snort:: THEN Michael deployed and asked me to please blog the mundane and a photo each day so he could keep in touch with us. I agree....for the deployment.

It turns out we spouses simply don't have time to share the dailyness on those overseas calls. We prioritize. Michael loved being able to see the every day goings on....That saved letters and phone calls for romantic notes and business.
 

Daily blogging was a habit by the time he returned home. I wasn't convinced I wanted to keep blogging, but Michael was convinced I should - even if the only thing I did was share what we did each day. He said it was a legacy I was creating for the kids and it would be our family journal. Well SHOOT -  I am a TERRIBLE scrapper - still not fully convinced I agreed to continue.
 

During another deployment I printed a Shutterfly book to send Michael. Stacia was AMAZED to see "ME in a BOOK." I realized she'd never seen a single photo of herself PRINTED out. All her photos were online. We decided to put out the money and work on  printing the blog...it's NOT cheap. I'm not totally happy with the end product we receive from Blog2Print/Shared Books, but some of them are printed.  We're working towards having them all printed.  The first years of the blog have to have titles added as blogger didn't have a title field a decade ago.

This week our blog books from 2011 arrived. 2011 was a life-changing year for us - the year of the Earthquake and Tsunami and the subsequent recovery. Clicking "Earthquake" in the side bar will take you to posts about the year.....Yes, we are glad to have the years chronicled.

L printed with "medium" photo option - R printed with large option

Over the Moon Excited

Yes, we are.

It's ridiculous how excited I am to share we are going back to Japan.

We will be accompanying our denomination's Global Ministries Director and his wife to Tokyo in July.  Yes - just 5 months away! The Churches in Japan are celebrating their 60th anniversary, and we will travel over to celebrate with them and represent Open Bible.

This will be our vision trip. It will be a chance for us to share our vision with Japanese pastors, to meet the church leaders of our denomination in Japan, to hear their vision for the future of the Japanese church and to see if our visions compliment one another. It will also allow our Global Ministries Director to get to know us, and to explore together what the future may hold.

We did not expect this. We contacted our denomination in late  2013 to inform them of our heart for Japan and our belief that God is calling us back. We asked for prayer and hoped for some suggestions for organizations they recommended we contact as our denomination has not had missionaries in Japan for some time.  We "knew" following this leading would require us to leave our denomination.

Unbeknownst to us, a delegation from the Japanese churches had visited headquarters in September and had extended an invitation to the anniversary celebration.

So - yeah, it will only be for a couple of weeks, but we're going back. We'll be able to hear the hearts of their pastors and see how we could possibly be used in Japan.

Why did we keep quiet? We savored the secret. ::snort:: We also wanted to be sure details would work out before saying anything and most of all - we didn't want rumors to start that we are "going to Japan as Open Bible missionaries."  We are not. We are going on a trip to worship and celebrate with faithful pastors in the land which captured our hearts. We are chasing after God's vision.  We know we aren't ready to sit in the rocking chairs come Air Force retirement.

We are researching to see if we stand a chance of getting Space A tickets to somewhere in Japan in July...we could bring the kids...or if we should just do this trip alone. Tickets are more than we remembered them being....but our children would LOVE to come with us - and they speak Japanese. ::snort:: Sort of!  Lots to process....

  We  need to update some passports!

Wednesday's Excitement

Big day at our house! Wednesdays are always big days but THIS one was especially big.

Michael  came to base with us and went to his office during PWOC.  He was ready to go home when we arrived at noon....but he did get a few hours of work knocked out which I know made him feel good. His convalescent leave ends on 11 Feb.....


I certainly don't know if this is an accurate photo
Photo via Google Images

AND those "screaming brakes" on the Nissan? Turns out it was the front wheel  bearings. Arielle drove it to base, while I drove the van. She garnered all sorts of attention at the front gate. Everyone was happy to give her an opinion of what the noise was in her car...tires, brakes, lots of opinions but no one guessed right. LOL 

We brought Michael home, did a bit of table school and then the kids and I went back to run to the commissary and go to  youth group and Family Bible study.  I'm looking forward to being able to attend as a family again soon.

THIS is Choking?

We came home earlier in the week to groans and moans and wailing.

It seems Nolan and Arielle bombed their Kanji tests. They choked. They were humiliated.  Arielle blamed Nolan in some strange twist of logic for her test anxiety. They'd disappointed their teachers - Ryu and Kim Ichikawa. Arielle dreaded Nikki asking her on Sunday how her Japanese classes went this week.

This bombing? Arielle was SURE she'd made a B at best.  I'd hardly call THAT a world-class bomb myself. She informed me she has all A's this year and this was serious. I thought back to my high school days to see if I could relate. No - still not feeling it.  ::wink::  I know how to bomb and THIS was not it. We were a bit disappointed to hear their tests went so poorly as we know they work on it daily. They are doing FAR better than we are on language lessons. ::cough::

On and on it went....

Until I got the following note from their teachers: 

Hi Arielle and Nolan (and De'Etta),

I'm happy to give you your test results today!  Nolan 95% and Arielle 97%.
Don't forget to STUDY those verbs!!!
Looking forward to seeing you and working on Chaper 7 Monday!
Take care,
Kim

Seriously? THIS is a choke? THIS is a bomb? THIS is humiliating. Bah humbug!

I honestly do NOTHING to produce such over-achieving homeschool stereotypes. They must have received that gene from their father.

8 Things Those Facing Crisis Can't Tell You (But Wish They Could)

This list is from Fight Back With Joy by Margaret Feinberg.  Again, I'm sharing as I want to have the list handy. They also apply in  a variety of situations.

1.  Reach out to me.
Many are looky-loos - they slow down at the scene of an accident, read the details and share them, but never reach out to the victim. "...Your presence matters. When you reach out it means more to us than you'll ever know."

2. Notice me.
"The desire to try to connect with a person's loss is strong, but sometimes it can take the conversation to unhealthy places. This is not the time to process your pain. Simply listen with out trying to fix the situation or us. We just need you to be with us and for us. Notice us and pay attention to our needs. Some days we need to commiserate; other days we need you to distract us with fun stories. When you're unsure of our needs, ask, 'What do you need from me right now.'"

3. Do what you say you're going to do.

4. Ask God how to pray for me.
"Praying for us is good, but asking God how to pray is better......instead of praying for what you think we need, ask the Holy Spirit how to pray before you begin."

5. Don't give me any clichés.
"Skip the Bible clichés. This is not the time to remind us that god has a plan or God works all things for good or God is going to use this to fill-in-the-blank... Such words can bruise rather than bless, hurt rather than heal. If you share a Bible passage, make sure it's been meaningful to you in your own time of suffering. Pray about when and how to share the scripture. Always do so with gentleness and grace. "

6. Meet my real needs.
"Instead of filling a person's life with trinkets, ask what the person needs. The person may need help paying legal or medical bills, buying groceries, making a mortgage or rent payment, or caring for their children."

7. Remember my family.
"Let them know you're praying for them too. If you know the family well, spend one-on-one time with the kids and listen to them, even if they say or do something outrageous. They are also processing grief ad may need a safe place to express anger, sadness, and ask tough questions.

8. Stay with me.
"Ambulance chasers are a dime a dozen; re-builders are hard to find. Swarms of people appear on the scene of a crisis, but six months later they're nowhere to be found....If you have a meaningful friendship with someone who has experienced great loss, consider setting a reminder on your calendar to check back every few weeks. Keep letting them know that you love them, you're praying for them, and you're still with them."

Choosing Joy!
©2015 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Mom Mary is Home!

Look who is home! Here's a shot of Mom (G'ma) Mary arriving home from the hospital.

I want to have her moxie and spunk when I am in my 80's.

These are two of her neighbors helping her to settle back into the house.

In other news, Michael went to chapel today. Yes, he wore pants. He came home and spent most the day reclining in PJ's but it was a good start and nice for him to be out and about.

Stacia's artwork from Children's church

5 Things To Say When You Don't Know What To Say

This list is from Fight Back With Joy by Margaret Feinberg. I'm often asked, "What do you say to someone who....."

This list provides some options to consider in a variety of situations when you "just don't know what to say."  I'm sharing here as I want to keep the list handy.

1. Know that you are loved and prayed for today.
Make the one suffering the central concern. Give the gift of presence.

2. My heart aches with you and for you today.
This acknowledges your grief but keeps the  one who is hurting central, rather than your feelings.  "This makes us the focus of concern and compassion while acknowledging that you are with us and for us."

3. I have experienced loss, and I am so sorry for what you're going through.
If you have experienced similar grief, this opens the possibility of "comforting those with the comfort you've received," (2 Cor. 1:4). "We may not be in the mood to chitchat or may find great comfort in connecting with you. If we ask you to share, remember to keep the focus on our current loss and grief even as you share form you own. This can be a gift to those of us feeling alone, isolated, or unsure about what we're feeling or thinking."

4. If you have a specific prayer request, I'd be honored to pray for you. But in the meantime, know that I'm praying for you and asking God how to pray for you best.
"This well-meaning question can become tiring to those facing great loss or pain. Specific prayer requests can be hard to identify, can change every day, or may not be public information. Remember you don't need specific details to pray for us."

5. You are so loved! What specific thing can I do and/or provide that would help you right now? Let me know - and if you don't have any ideas, I have suggestions.
"Many people think they know what someone needs without asking the person. The result is often an abundance of one or two resources and a lack of other needs being met. The refrigerator fills with casseroles that soon go bad; the closets overflow with blankets while medical bills go unpaid and the lawn isn't mowed for months.

Always ask what someone needs. Come prepared with practical ideas....Offer a gift card to a gas station,  pharmacy or grocery store. Suggest prepaying for several hours of handyman or cleaning service. Offer and afternoon watching  a comedy to get out of the house and laugh. Provide an evening of childcare. Remember the needs of the spouse and kids too."