A Deluge

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:

Our work here in Budapest, Hungary began nearly five years ago with five missionaries and their children. We grew until we were nearly thirty living and working together for Jesus with a multitude of projects-- so many people and projects that our team recently opened another center, closer to the center of Budapest, to fulfill the vision the Lord has given us for reaching the youth-- the world's future.

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

http://www.nomadband.hu/

Easter Sunday

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:

The Easter Celebration: What does it really mean?

Easter so Early!

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:

http://activated.org/magazine/details.php?id=90

White Day

No, White day, March 14^th, 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

Nagano Skiing

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

Intensive Study-- Intensified Experience

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!]

Happy New Year!

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.

(c) tipserve.com 1994

Hope and Prayer for New Year 2008

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

New Year's Eve 2007 Thanksgiving

Photo: Aiko lights her New Year Candle (Fukuoka, Japan 2004)

(New Year Candlelight Ceremony- part 2 of 3)

Before the New Year, here's a recounting of what I'm thankful to have done or learned in the year since arriving in the beautiful mountainous central prefecture of Nagano. The links are to posts from the past eight months.

Communicating with you...

Over the years I published at least a hundred newsletters about my adventures and ministries-- in Mexico, five years in India, and then the U.S. where, eleven years ago, I started emailing newsletters, as we headed first to China, and then Japan.

With my ever expanding band of children and grandchildren and friends now on five continents -- all with varying degrees and angles of interest-- I've found it difficult to say all I wanted to some, without boring the rest.

Blogging has helped. I can now post whatever happens, interests me or I care to share for the interest or benefit of friends or family-- and they can view or read what interests them. Now I spend less time agonizing over what to leave out-- leaving more time to—communicate!

And I've really enjoyed the increased personal e-mails, photos, calls and web-cam meetings we've had this year- quality person to person communication-- Thanks for calling and writing!

...and Fun with Friends

This year, usually with Andrew-- and often his friend Leina, who is also ten years-old-- I've found time to enjoy mountain-climbing, hiking, bike rides in the countryside, my first trip to Tokyo, and taking many photos. And, since we missed our (sniff) Fukuoka friends from the southern island of Kyushu-- Andrew and I hitchhiked to visit them in August.

Simplifying...

I've made progress this year in learning to focus on priorities – meaning not just being lead by what I find in front of my nose each morning-- like this quotation that I adapted and adopted for myself:

'Get up each morning and set your heart-- not on what you have to accomplish in your own energies-- but set your heart on eternity, and nothing else will matter-- and nothing will be able to defeat you.'

...and Prayer

When I think of all I want to do myself and see done for others-- and remember to measure the task and my own strength against the power of heaven-- then I think of prayer.

I've found a new, distinct focus for prayer in my life. Rather than an 'add-on' to my others activities, it's becoming a major part of my life in its own right-- and the more I pray, the more I want to pray.

And there is so my to pray for-- from my newest grandchildren-- Izumi in Hungary and Kevin in California-- to the 'gettin' grow'd up' ones in Texas and Zambia. For my mom and dad, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews-- and you!

It's no wonder grandparents are often known for their prayers-- they finally realize the limits of their human resources and begin to lean on the divine.

Lumangwe Falls in Zambia

My daughter, Amy-- in Zambia with her husband and six children-- sent me this note. They live in in a remote-- and beautiful-- area and she had an opportunity to enjoy it that I want to pass on to you.

(from Amy) I wasn't looking forward to my birthday at first, but then I was invited to go with some friends-- who are in Zambia as volunteers-- to see two of the amazing waterfalls in our area.

The following day two of the same girls came over and cooked me an Indian dinner while my kids baked me a chocolate cake with orange butter frosting.

The waterfalls are about 2 1/2 hours away from us-- the last hour is a dirt road. At one point we hit some wet mud and slid out of control for a bit before the driver was able to pull us out of it. Very scary! We also hit some large potholes and, since I was in the back of the four-wheel drive, I hit the roof a of couple times. Definitely a new experience-- since I am so short, my head rarely hits anything.

(If you want to see a photo and read the details of where she is about to tell us about, you can look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumangwe_Falls)

The falls were absolutely breathtaking. It really puts life and its problems in perspective. Like I said, I hadn't been looking forward to this birthday, not because of a number or anything-- I think it was more that I was just worn out and needed some time to myself and my brain latched on my birthday.

When I thought there was nothing to do for my birthday, I got a bit depressed-- but then the falls trip opened up. Standing there looking at the vastness of the waterfall, being drenched by the mist, it was all so awe-inspiring and reminded me that the same One who made these incredible sights was the One who was looking after every detail of my life. Who was I to grumble, worry, or get worked up?

I am amazed that more people don't visit the falls up here but the roads aren't paved for the last hour and there really aren't facilities around it to make staying here a possibility. Such a shame. On the other hand, it was so nice looking at a marvel of nature not surrounded by tourists and signs absolving whomever of any liability-- no gift shops, etc. I wish the whole world knew about these falls and, at the same time, I wish I could keep them all to myself.

There are two falls close to each other. We went to the first one and after looking at it from the top we climbed down the gully to the bottom of the falls so we could swim. I hadn't brought a swimming suit since I rarely go swimming-- preferring to read at the water's edge. But since this was a big day for me I decided to go for it all the way and swam in some of my clothes.

My kids were horrified when I got home. First of all, they were disappointed that they missed out on seeing me in the water because they are always begging me to swim and second, because they couldn't believe I swam in anything but a regulation swim suit.

After swimming for a few minutes we drove down to the second waterfall. In order to see this one we had to follow an overgrown path. I use the word 'path' in the loosest of terms-- We had to push our way between tall grass and thorny vines, climb over and under fallen tree trunks, and navigate slippery slopes. A couple of times we couldn't tell where the path was and had to guess.

Then, all of a sudden the path opened up and we were standing on this bluff looking at this amazing waterfall. The mist was blowing over us and the water was rushing down. It felt like perhaps we were the first ones ever to see this sight.

I got quite the workout that day-- climbing down and back up the first gully and then navigating the second path. As I was working my way back to the vehicle I was thinking how the memories of this day would last me a lifetime and my muscles would remember it for at least a week.

Thank you for the birthday greetings! It made me feel so loved to open my e-mail and see them there.

Amy

You can see more of Amy's family's work or write her at these addresses:

http://www.missionaryfamily.com/

missionaryfamily@gmail.com