Just to let you know-- sorry we didn't write immediately-- we didn't even feel the large earthquake that hit northern Japan. Strangely, we felt a minor jolt the day before-- perhaps not too strange, since Japan gets 20% of the world's quakes.
Here's a news link: At Least 6 Dead in Major Japanese Quake
In a month when I had so much to write about, I didn't make a single post-- sorry! My excuse is simply, because of all the things happening, that I should have written about, just took so much of my time-- good excuse, eh? I don't think I'd do well as a news reporter-- I'd be fired!
The 'Five Sister' reunion was the biggest event-- with Aiko, Andi, baby Izumi and Erika staying for four weeks. For the last week, Angie and Naomi visited from Tokyo, and Izumi from Australia. Baby Izumi got to meet her namesake and was the center of attention, of course. The photos will be a later post.
Spring also sprang upon us-- after a heavy snowfall the last day of March-- bringing with it Japan's famous cherry blossom (sacura) season, with picnics under the blossoms. We also participated in an international festival and the local Children's day-- photos coming.
The nights are still cold, as we are at 1000 meters, but by Golden Week-- this week-- we're having some beautiful weather-- more photos!
Did I mention photos? Well, another big event, at least for me, was getting a new-- I mean, used-- camera, a Canon Powershot A540. I've gotten along with my cellphone or borrowed cameras for quite a few years now, so I'm very happy to have my 'story-telling' camera-- small enough to always carry with me.
There's more, but those are the highlights.
And to each one who contributed your prayers during this busy time-- a big... Thank you!
We're getting ready for a deluge of family members this month-- two daughters, a son-in-law and a granddaughter from Hungary, one daughter from Australia and two from Tokyo will be with us for varying times nearly all month.
Aiko, with her baby Izumi, husband Andi and sister Erica, will be coming from Hungary on Monday, then after a short visit here, they'll go to Tokyo with Sharon, then return with three more sisters in tow-- Naomi, Izumi (baby Izumi's namesake), and Angie-- for a week or so.
Clockwise from top-left:
Mom, Naomi, Angie, Izumi, Andrew, Andi, Aiko, Erica and friend, and baby Izumi.
It will be the first time that the five sisters have ever been all together at the same time, so we're really excited. I'll be posting more pics over the next weeks.
Here are some news we received from Hungary:
We will be training new missionaries, giving bible studies and conducting outreach at music festivals and universities. We are all very excited! God is already doing miracles with our NOMAD band-- including interviews on radio and television and their CD in being sold in shops throughout Hungary--- and a music video too.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=106188835
Sharon and I hope you have a very special day today and have a chance to participate in one of the many meaningful traditions that celebrate Jesus' victory over death for every person.
With so many images competing to represent this special day, I thought you might enjoy this article on the history and meaning of Easter-- as well as the many ways that Easter is celebrated around the world...
Found here:
I was surprised how early Easter Sunday is this year- March 23th in 2008- with good reason. The last time Easter was this early was in 1913 and the next time will be in 220 years- AD 2228.
The date of Easter Sunday is set by this formula:
The 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox
This approximation-- a compromise made centuries ago-- was meant to unite Christians who were celebrating Easter on various dates. However, Eastern Churches adopted a different formula-- making Easter Sunday April 27th this year. The Eastern and Western observances do fall on the same day in some years-- for example, 2010 and 2011 both fall on the same Sunday.
Does Easter come even earlier than March 23?
Well, the last one was on March 22, 1818 and the next one will be on March 22, 2285-- So, stick around!
Could you imagine what it would have been like for the disciple Thomas at the time of the first Easter? Well, here's an interesting account of what it may have been like:
http://activated.org/magazine/articles.php?id=90.11.172
or you can look over or even download a pdf file of the March Easter edition of Activated Magazine here:
No, White day, March 14th, is not a Ku Klux Klan holiday. In Japan, it follows a month after Valentine's day, when women give gifts to men, usually chocolates-- nice, huh? I really like chocolate!
However, now, on White Day, it's the men's turn. And, we have to consider the Japanese traditional saying: sanbai kaeshi 三倍返し "return triple". Ouch!
How did White Day originate?
Well, just as Valentine's day promotions of cards, flowers and chocolates popularized that holiday, apparently a 1965 candy company 'Marshmallow Day' campaign-- urging men to repay Valentine gifts with marshmallows-- has since expanded to “White Day”, with white chocolates, other candies or even jewelry or white clothing like handkerchiefs or lingerie.
photo: (c) tipserve.com
We've been snow-covered continually nearly all winter-- with temperatures hovering right around freezing in the day and well below at night-- of course colder in the surrounding mountains.
And that's just were we went two weeks ago. That's Andrew in the photo. He did quite well for his first attempt.
The skiing here is world-class-- impressive and beautiful, even to a non-skier like me. My big dare of the day was to sled halfway down one of the slopes-- the fastest I've ever gone on a sled!
Photos of the resort we went to:
http://www.kashimayari.net/album/index.html
Kashimayari English Home Page
http://www.kashimayari.net/eng/index.html
A few months ago I started formal Japanese studies-- a textbook, teacher and weekly classes-- after three years in Japan. This was a mistake-- not the studies, but the wait. The best way is to jump into learning a language as soon as you arrive-- as I did with Spanish and Chinese-- but I failed to do with Hindi-- during the five years I was in India-- and now, Japanese.
Trying to make up for my lack with a big push, I'm now past chapter three in my thirty-chapter Japanese textbook. I recently started carrying all my Japanese books with me everywhere to build up my muscles... well, not actually. The truth is that it's to help me to be less embarrassed when I have to face my teacher each week.
Besides avoiding humiliation, I've discovered that when I'm studying, people who would usually not speak to me, often do. On three successive train trips I've sat across from young persons on the train who asked how my studies were going and were glad to help as I struggled to read and pronounce my Japanese assignments.
An older couple joined one conversation-- first the wife, commenting in a mixture of English and Japanese-- and then her husband began making comments to her in Japanese like, 'How many of those 'ABC' things do they have in English?' 'Twenty-six', she told him. 'So few!' he responded, 'It must be difficult for them to learn ours.'
And it is! Forty-six phonetic characters duplicated in two sets-- one principal set and a second set mostly for foreign words and emphasis--like italics. There is also a third set which uses our 'ABC's to approximate the sounds of Japanese.
Besides these, there are thousands of ideographs, each one representing a word-- object, action etc. At the top of this post, the first two ideographs mean Japan, and the third, language.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_writing_system
And the grammar!-- If it wasn't for learning Chinese tones, I'd say for certain that Japanese was the more difficult of the two languages... but back to my conversations.
I gave the first person I met my email address on the back of a small flyer called, 'Professionals'. She seemed especially interested-- saying that she was studying to be an occupational therapist, and adding that her sister is handicapped.
I suggested that life's difficulties can help us to become kinder and more unselfish. I pointed her to the tract, which says that we all want to excel in whatever we do-- be professionals-- and, importantly, that with God's help, we can all be 'love professionals'.
I further explained, 'Kamisawa aidesu [God is Love]' and 'Anatao aiteshiteimasu [He loves you]'. I invited her to repeat a prayer, accepting God's love, forgiveness, His gift of eternal life-- and His power to be a 'love professional'-- which she did.
She then asked for my notebook and pen and wrote a few lines saying how glad she was to have met and had our conversation, and asked me to write her every day-- in Japanese-- so back to my studies! I'll keep you updated on my adventures in Japan and in Japanese-- Mata! [Later!]
Thank you-- each one who has had a part in contributing to the wonderful year we've just had. Family and friends--we are glad to have shared another year with you-- even if we're far apart, our hearts and prayers never are.
Each New Year is a tender thing, let's handle it with care.
Greet the year with praise and sing; commit our all in prayer.
Carefully seek His very best, put all our armor on.
Be prepared for every test, by seeking Him each dawn.
Set the pattern, get it right; it’s His plan to free us.
We’ll end the year with armor bright, by yielding self to Jesus.
New Year Candlelight Ceremony (part 3 of 3)
It's difficult to write about my hopes for the New Year. The past is, well, past-- known. However the future is unknown-- even fearsome...
“I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'”
--Minnie Louise Harkins 1875-1957
Why fear then?-- Perhaps I fear failure-- Failure to reach my goals or change as I would like-- failing myself, or others... which leads to what is, perhaps my greatest hope-- for faith and strength to trust along my path...
"So if by some still small voice, He calls me to paths I do not know,
I'll answer with my hand in His, 'I'll go where You want me to go!'" -- unknown
And my prayer?-- For faithfulness-- especially as I learn to depend more on prayer-- and simplicity and a yielded heart--leaving success or failure up to the Lord-- that I might hear...
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant... enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
--Matthew 25:21
And the year ahead?
I want to continue writing-- for this blog and for a second that I feel will develop out of the basic classes that I teach on the Bible. I also want to continue to add to my posted photos and to graduate from my cellphone camera to a 'real' camera.
A big desire is for our long-delayed family reunions-- for Sharon's five daughters-- who haven't been all together since they were wee little ones—and, if possible, for my scattered tribe of children and grandchildren-- and other family members, most of whom I haven't seen for eight or more years.
Finally, I'm hoping for major progress in studying Japanese and for all our work here in Japan.
Lord, Give us a good year, whatever comes-- lived to the fullest for You. Guide us and give us strength to help others find the freedom and joy that we have through knowing You. In Jesus' name, amen.
And thank you for your help-- and especially your faithful love and prayers!
Have a wonderful New Year!
Here's an interesting article called-- Climbing the New Year-- by Curtis Peter Van Gorder
Posts
