Christmas over, the New Year yet to come. . .

We had our Kids' Christmas Party at the church on Christmas Day. It was a lot of work, but it was soo neat to see everyone working together. Seriously, it felt like the others from the church who were involved were making it "theirs", and not just "doing what they had to". From creating the "characters" for Mary and the wisemen, recording voices, and putting it all together with music, as well as other preparations on the day of, I felt blessed not only by the event itself, but also the fact that I sense growth in that area in our church. Growth in being a body, one body! I was getting a bit discouraged about how easy it is for divisions and misunderstandings to happen, especially between those who have been in the church a long time, and newer people, as well as between cultures. So, that made me especially excited. . . and realize that I can't help but give thanks to God for that!! Oh yeah, there were also 47 kids there, which is huge!! For the kids' club, we had up to 30 last year, nearer 20 this year, but almost all of my English kids came, and a lot from summer. A lot of them also came with their parents (mostly moms), so it was really great for them all to see the Christmas story unfold before them in words and music, and then play some games and create "Christmas tree cakes" (cut cake in cubes, cement together with whip cream into the tree shape, roughly, and cover with colourful candies -- and it tasted good too. I recommend it!) May the words of Jesus' love speak for themselves (and hopefully that includes using us!) Thanks for being so great God :-)
Today I'm in Osaka. It feels like a really loong time since I've been here. It's really good.
I can't even say how blessed I feel with the friendships that God has given me here, and the fact that after those first 10 months in Osaka, I thought I might never be back, and now here I am, with the chance to enjoy, be encouraged by, and hopefully encourage those very friends. Tonight Fusae (I call her my Japanese mom -- I've known her now for 4 1/2 years, and she truly has been a huge encouragement and support to me -- When I come here, I come "home" to visit!) said that she remembered when I was about to leave Osaka after teaching for a year, and how I cried during that last meeting. I felt like I was going to fall apart when I had to say good-bye to her. I didn't know it at the time, but she said that she had expected I would be much more "put-together" and not so emotional about the parting. When she saw those tears, it made her feel that Japan and the people really had become special to me, and that seemed to impact her deeply. I myself hadn't even realized at the time how much I had grown to love Japan and the people I had met. . . and how much I would miss everything.
I've been thinking a lot about the fact that I have a limited time left here. Well, it is still 6 months, but the way these past (almost) 2 years have gone, I have no doubt it will feel very short. Thinking about leaving is almost too much at times. Though I obviously will and can never feel completely "at home" here, I have felt such a sense of belonging here, and it's hard to think about that fading into a memory. Who knows if or when I will be back, but I pray that I will be able to cherish the memories, look forward to the hope that I know God has planned, and, most of all, to enjoy the moment. (And I have to say, there are definitely a lot of "things" -- mostly people ;-) -- that I'm looking forward to!)
After graduating from high school, I think we all realize that life is much deeper and more "raw" than we could have imagined. I think feeling deeper is harder, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

just a sneak peak!

"Nihau" -- from Shanghai! Yeah, just took a little "weekend-trip" across the Japan Sea to have a look around this city of 17 million (give or take). . . and what a trip it was!! It was absolutely fascinating to see (what little I could in that time) a tiny bit of where the culture resembles, and also how completely different it is from Japanese society. There were other places where it reminded me of home too. . .
This is a picture of the "new Shanghai" a view across the big river that runs through the city. The big tower with the bubbles (Oriental Pearl Tower) is a look-out tower that we also went up, and a very small segment of the rows of skyscrapers lining the horizon. The downtown is packed with them, and new ones being built like crazy. Glass covered concete masses reaching up into infinity, and cranes everywhere you look -- soon the tallest tower in the world will be completed here -- somewhere over the 500 metre tall one in Taipei. Amazing, eh?
A night view -- these pictures were taken from "Old Shanghai" on the opposite side of the river, an area filled with buildings of historical significance from a city with a long and colourful past. Apparently before the war, there were many more foreigners living here, especially British and French, than there are now.
The city definitely spends a lot on lighting for their buildings, driving through downtown was amazing as almost everywhere was lit up, and you could see huge advertisements flashing across the sides of buildings. You can also see the night cruise ship taking in the view. There are so many people who frequent this riverside walk that they are making the most of it, and during the afternoon we saw a ship with a HUGE plasma screen, we're talking 50 meters across, showing the latest cell phone ad. . . the cutting edge technology was amazing!
There are two very different perspectives of this city -- looking up, it is a city of the future, one in which humans almost don't even "belong", and when you look down, you are brought back to the stark reality of daily life. Life of transportation, by bike, motorbike, cars, buses, and all of those weaving their way in what at first seems to be complete chaos, but when you look close enough, you can see how everyone knows their place in the system, plays by the rules and it works, in an uncanny way. Since, according to our guide, Shanghai drivers hate stopping (well, that's probably universal, but exaggerated a bit more here), it is amazing how they will cut in between groups of people crossing the street, and wedge their way past slower cars. Lane markings, and especially turning lanes seem to have no meaning in most cases. Pretty fascinating to watch our driver -- you could tell he was experienced!
A visit to what we hear is one of the most famous sights in Shanghai. This traditional garden was filled with walls, small doorways and buildings in the traditional Chinese style with tiled roof, and spires bending upwards on the corners. The red colour, combined with the shapes, small bridges over the water, and rocks set in the garden brought out the beauty of Chinese architechture. These round doorways are so neat!
Junko and I. Junko is one of my students -- it was her first time overseas, which was really exciting! We had a really great time at this marketplace, checking out the little shops and just taking in the sights all around us. (with more to come. . .)

Emmanuel

God with us. I've been thinking about that a little bit lately. God with us. Beside us, around us, just with us. A pretty cool thought actually. One that I don't think about often enough. How easy it is to get busy, lonely, bored, feel empty and "unfulfilled". . . If I really knew that God was with me, with us, would I -- or could I -- feel that way?
God with us. . . in an encouraging word from a friend, in a smile, in our pain, in the rain, in chaos, in the faces around us, in the gifts that we give to those we love, appreciate, and sometimes even strangers. I have been overwhelmed with God showing Himself to me in the way many of my students and those from the church have given towards shoeboxes to send to those in other Asian countries that are not as materially blessed as Japan. It touches something inside of me to see their excitement, generousity, and the way I imagine it will reach out to a child, with a tangible reminder that Someone cares. . . still cares. . . has always cared.
How often do I have those reminders? How many times a day? How many moments are there when, if I was only looking, I would see God right here with me. . . and how I could share Him with others around me. Because God's not here for just a moment, He's here for all the moments. I want to spend more moments knowing and enjoying Him.
FLN (family life network) has been asking Canadians the question: "If you could ask God one question and knew He would answer, what would it be?" So, I thought I'd ask my students -- "I want to know about all the mysteries of the world" "I want to know why I'm here" "I want to know when the end of the world is" For me? I want to know when I get to meet You.
Guess that day will come, but in the meantime, why not enjoy God with me right here, right now? God with us. . . this Christmas day. . . everyday. . . every moment. Time to get together, I think.

absolutely incredible!!

This was my little trek out to Sanage Shrine near my place on Friday. . . and my view from the parking area -- I could not get over how amazing this tree was. . .


I'm not sure if it's different varieties of Japanese maple trees or what, but the colour variation from one tree to the next is amazing -- yellow, golden, and crimson red. . .
This is a shot I took looking into a small pond beside the shrine -- isn't it neat with the reflection of the pine tree branches and rooftop, maple leaves floating on the water, and if you look closely you can even see red and yellow carp fish below the surface!

a little catching up. . .

Hallowe'en in Japan is a little different than at home -- I mean, you still see some stuff in stores, with the jack-o-lantern, ghost, witch motif, but the truth is that most people here really have no idea what the "holiday" is about. . . well, I guess when you really think about it, do we? It was a lot of fun to enjoy it with my kids, though, and especially to see them trek over to the pastor's house next door, and try to remember what they needed to say to get the candy! ;-)
On November 3rd, a "bus-load" (literally, they rented a micro-bus for the 20 of them) of people came to visit from Hirano church in Osaka. That's the church where the Kurokawas used to pastor. It was really neat to see people again (recognized a lot of faces, at least!) We went to a park nearby for a while in the afternoon (this is a huge "trampoline" play area), and the two jr. high students were my elementary students when I was teaching at that church. It was so cool to see them again! (Shuhei, boy on left, and Shio, girl on right, and Moe, my sister!)
The next day, I took a day trip with some students to Nara, a city pretty close to Osaka, and about 2 1/2 hours from here. It was a really great day! Two of the students planned out the whole day for my 2 Tuesday night classes.
Nara is famous for its deer -- and if you've been here before, you'll know that the deer pretty much rule the city. Kids run away screaming sometimes because they come right up, trying to get attention, but mostly food!

In front of the "Todaiji" -- people can put incense sticks into the ashes here -- I think it is part of a "purification" process before entering the temple.
"Todaiji" is the home of the largest Buddha statue in Japan (which, I found out on this trip, has to be clarified as the largest Buddha made by pouring metal, in this case bronze, into a mould. The eyes alone are 3 1/2 feet wide each!) The building was also amazing -- almost 200 feet wide and 160 tall -- it was made without using any nails, all pieced together by wood. Lunch was at a noodle shop, a famous one apparently -- Japanese people seem to love that sort of stuff! It was really good, though, and interesting to watch how they made everything -- there was a huge pot of boiling noodles, which they took out as people ordered and drained in a big bamboo sieve. (Sorry these pictures aren't rotated. :-s)

On our walk. . . I just love these kinds of traditional sights -- this was looking into the gateway of a temple (?) area.
At another temple in Nara -- once again, famous for housing both the oldest wooden structure in Japan, and the largest, 5-storied, pagoda. This is our whole group -- in the back, L-R, Junko, Kohey, Kazuko and front, Kimie and Kenji.
A view from one of the buildings on the grounds here. . . what a different world!

It worked!

Do you see it?! (the cranberry sauce) FYI, craisins, cranberry juice, a bit of sugar and water works pretty well. (Thanks for your encouragement Elaine -- I was about to can the whole idea!) And, the great part is that most people seemed to genuinely enjoy it too (so much for "payback" for the Japanese foods I don't like, but I was happy! :-)

Everyone came around 6, and there was still a bit of "preparation" to do before supper -- make the stuffing, potatoes, apple pie and "decorations" -- ok, does anyone remember how to fold those "fan style" napkins?? I remember doing it all the time, ok a few times, with those cloth napkins at restaurants, but I seem to have forgotten -- maybe fabric napkins are the key. . .?!
So, my students and I had a lot of fun together -- especially for me, watching them eat everything, mostly for the first time. There were 7 students, and the pastor's wife also joined us.
Yesterday in the kids' class we decorated cookies -- we've been talking about body parts, so they got to make the eyes, mouth, tummy, and whatever other little decorations they wanted to put on. I told them the white stuff was "glue", and one of them looked at me a little worried, like he wouldn't be able to eat it afterwards!
Their works of art! When I told the girl on the left that they were supposed to add the body parts, she decided to make hers a girl. . . I guess they're all body parts, eh?


Pumpkin pie -- I think we were all full before this point already. . . but looks can be deceiving. They may be "smaller" (in general) than us, but everyone had both a slice of pumpkin and apple pie (complete with whip cream and ice cream).
During supper we were talking about taking pictures, and I asked about where the "peace" or "victory" sign came from (I've heard that it started after the war?!), and no-one really knew. They asked if we did it, and I said only when we were trying to imitate Japanese people -- so, this is for all of you -- the "token Japanese shot" ;-)

Autumn -- Time for Festivals

Some lanterns at the shrine~
Each of the 8 floats used for the Koromo festival belong to the communities near downtown Toyota. They are all about 200-300 years old, and pulled on long ropes by people from the community.
Young men ride on the very top, shouting, blasting a trumpet and throwing paper like confetti out over the float, and along the street. The kids have a great time playing with the confetti all over!
All of the floats gathered in front of the station, took a little tour around the area, and then returned to their neighbourhoods. A traditional festival, with a bit of modernization (mowhawks), perhaps?!
Kimie is one of my students, and she is such a sweetheart. She often invites me out to places to experience Japanese culture and does a great job of explaining what's going on. Another great part of the day was I found out about this little restaurant. . . they serve shaved ice drizzled with syrup (we had lemon milk, which was actually supposed to be in the picture! :-s), and these desserts that are like a pancake with red or white sweet bean paste inside. . . fresh and hot, they are absolutely delicious! Definitely going to be back!!

just a little exploring!

Here is the newest member of my "family" out here. . . pretty cute, eh? Yeah, we're getting to be good friends already -- still working on names (any inspirations?) So, this is where we've been to lately. . .
It's called "Hirato bashi" (Hirato bridge), and there is a really neat pathway near the river, lined with baby bamboo trees -- I love the bamboo here!
This is the scene I fell in love with when I was driving over the bridge with some students (on our way to eat the river fish that I posted about a while back). . . I love the rocks, trees, and the river winding through.


So, for one afternoon, this was my little "sanctuary", a spot on the rocks with my feet in the water, hearing it rushing past me. . .

rice harvest. . .

living out in the "country" definitely has its benefits -- ie, having rice paddies within walking distance where I can see the seasons progressing. . . September and early October is when the rice ripens,
and is ready for harvesting. They do have tractors (small-scale ones) here for harvesting, but a lot of the rice paddies near here have been passed down through the family, so they're still cut and hung to dry by hand.
These flowers often grow alongside the rice paddies around harvest time.

Near my house -- I thought it was interesting how they even used the space under the billboard for hanging rice and I like the contrast with the houses in the background!

happy thanksgiving!

Although Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here (most people are not sure if or how it's different from Halloween -- just think pumpkins!) So, it gives a good opportunity for discussion in class. . . and me a whole week to prepare "what I'm thankful for" for reporting on Thanksgiving at home! ;-) I have 2 this year -- I'm thankful for the "small things" -- a note, a smile, a conversation, something that encourages my heart, and brings just a little more meaning to the day-to-day. Secondly, for second chances, praise God that He welcomes back the prodigal and the ungrateful, when they come to their senses. I am so thankful!

This past Saturday, I had the fun of going to Hikaru's sports festival again. The kids practice so much for this special day, and Chiharu told me that Hikaru was just flying high all morning before the event. . . They perform different races, dances, throwing bean bags into a net (along with their grandparents), racing in giant pants (with their mom or dad, or "fill-in" -- I went in with a girl from my English class!), adult tug of war and relay.
Just a little regroup for team spirit -- go green!

So, after the morning festival, we had a wedding -- the first ever in our church!! The couple started coming to our church at the start of this year, his family and siblings are also attending now. It was really exciting to see such a committed Christian couple get married, not as common here! I think things went pretty well (including my first shot at playing the "Bridal March" - "here comes the bride. . ." That's the most I've practice in a long time!! ;-)
That's right -- Happy Wedding. . . I really think they could care less about whether it's "real English" or not -- it's so funny how they just insert these little phrases into conversation / shop signs. . . (Isn't Moe sweet?!)
Just had to put this one in. . . any takers?!

Sunday "at home". . .

So, thanks to all of you who have been in on this little journey with me. . . a desire for connections to happen between English students and those in the church. This past Sunday was the start of what I pray will be an important part of that. Do you ever feel like something that you've waited for, and maybe wondered if you shouldn't have "done something about it sooner" was, of course, right in God's timing? I can't say that it was really anything in particular, but I really feel like God has been preparing some people's hearts for just this opportunity. . . not the least of which is mine!
We spent time just visiting and making introductions over snack food (I have to admit I didn't mind having the excuse to make something for that either!), and then just scratched the surface in exploring who God is, and how He has revealed Himself to us through the Bible. I was overwhelmed by the support of those in the church, and the 4 women who came seemed excited to have been there, and to share a bit about their stories. There were 3 students who came (and one girl's mom), so it was neat to see Christians and non-Christians there talking and learning together. I really desired to leave them with the fact that coming "home" to Jesus is something in which there is no fear, it is a learning to trust in the One who wants to walk beside us through all of life (both here and in eternity).
Please continue to pray for hearts to be challenged, me to submit to and follow God's leading and a sensitivity and wisdom in knowing how to involve those in the church with this group. . . in ways that they and I will grow and be encouraged to know Jesus more and more. . . and more. . .

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us,

that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.

May the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.

May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You.

Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God will bless us.

God will bless us,

and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.

-psalm 67-

aren't they sweet?!

Ok, so I can't even count the number of times (practically) I've tried to upload these pictures onto my blog but, yay, they are finally here. . . hallelujah!
So, these are my cuties here, like my brothers and sister (yeah, with a bit of a "generation gap" since I could be their mom! :-s) Moe (4) with her masterpiece -- I drew, she coloured, with a bit of improv. . . This is my house / yard in Canada (did you recognize it mom and dad?), and the improv bit is Moe adding ocean on the top right. Yeah, I told her that the ocean is not that close to my house, but then decided that it would be a fun modification (if only you could do it that easily in "real life"!)
Hikaru (6) and I. . . Hikaru is a really creative kid -- the other day I was over there, and he was crafting a rocket out of a plastic water bottle. He also loves drawing / looking at flags of different countries, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's already surpassed me general geographic knowledge!
With Chiharu (I'll refrain from including the age), Hikaru and little Wataru -- he's figured out how to get onto his stomach from his back, but not the other way yet, and you can get him pretty excited with peek-a-boo, no need to hide, just turn your head!
Me and the kids. . . you can't beat family!
The September cooking class. . . cheese ball, shiskabobs and coconut cream pudding. We had a great time, and they are really getting the hang of the fact that it is laid back (ie. no levelling off measuring cups with knives!) It's so much fun to have others to cook and eat with too. . . :-)

that's so cool!

Just wanted to share about something neat that happened on Thursday (I tried to post on that day, but was having problems). So, I wasn't particularly looking forward to the evening classes since the students have been coming really sporadically and sometimes not at all on Thursday nights. . . I was wondering how it would go, hoping people would come. Anyways, the first class had 2 students -- one was a "regular", the other I had met the week before since she is now checking out classes, trying to find one that's at her level. So, after class, we were talking about how Jesus came as a light to the world. The new girl, Yuka, started asking a bunch of questions, like "what did people do before Jesus came?" and "if God was a human how could he save us?" So, we talked for a while, the other girl left, and we kept talking for an hour and a half after that. . . Turns out that Yuka's mom is a Christian, and has memories of going to church as a kid. Although she believes in God, believing and knowing God as a friend is still a difficult concept. She is really searching, though. . . for something that is real (not just something with the "right" or "easy" answers). Obviously the fact that there were no students that came to the second class was part of God's plan for tonight. . . please pray that God will keep softening Yuka's heart, and that we will have many more good talks (maybe even as members of the same "family"!) What an encouraging night!
By the way, we also had "Let's Cook!" again today (last Thursday) -- cheese ball and crackers, shiskabobs, and coconut custard pudding. . . and a lot of good laughs and conversation around the table! (I haven't been able to get any pictures on for a few days, but will post them when I can. . .!)

potluck. . . by bike!

Ok, so I've mentioned about my Bible study group on Wendesday nights before. . . We actually have a potluck together every week as well. I usually bring something really simple -- ie. fruit or cookies, and sometimes nothing at all, so I decided I should at least make one good meal to bring in exchange for the amazing suppers I have eaten every Wednesday over the past year (seriously, I don't only go for the Bible study! ;-) So, I did lasagne -- borrowed a Pyrex portable carrying case from the Hieberts' house, and braved the 20 minute bike to the station (seriously, I was close to losing that thing / control of my bike several times). All turned out well, with just a few stained towels at the other end. . . and the best part is that I can now enjoy "guilt-free" eating again for at least another few months! ;-)

So, the rice paddies are in the midst of being harvested here -- there are quite a few in my area, within a 5 or 10 minute walk. Most of the ones close by are owned by individual families, who grow the rice as a hobby, or because they have inherited family land.
A picture of Wataru and I a couple of weeks ago. . . (My friend Chiharu's little guy) Gotta love the mowhawk he has going on -- how cute! :-)

"Ladies Luncheon" at Karis' place last Friday. . . Yes, we are going to have to make this more than a "one-time" thing!! These are all women from the church - clockwise from me is the pastor's wife, Kumiko, with Wataru, a Korean woman, Mrs. Pyon with her daughter Iean (means the peace of Jesus -- neat, eh?), Chiharu and her daughter Moe, Mrs. Takekawa and Mrs. Inoue -- the two older women are sooo hilarious! I love them!
The youth event this past Saturday -- Taro, Kousuke, me and Yohei. . . never a dull moment with Sudoku at hand!
And, this is the picture from the link I sent for the car. . . keep in mind that mine is used and doesn't quite look exactly like the picture, but it's still cute (I think. . . still living in faith that I'm actually getting it sometime soon. . .!)