Sad News

My sister-in-law, Danielle, and her husband, Chris, have been trying to have a baby for a couple years now. They have a beautiful 3 1/2 year old daughter but wanted to add another little one to the family. After at least a year on baby making meds, she finally got pregnant! We found out after we got back from Japan. Everyone was very excited, especially Karen (my mother-in-law).

This past weekend, Danielle wasn't feeling very well and went to the doctor. They found out it was a tubal baby. So yesterday she had surgery to remove the baby. :o(

So I would like to ask that everyone remember Chris and Danielle in your prayers. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through this.

Thanks!

Too busy or just lazy?

So it has been a couple weeks... ok maybe like 3 or 4, since I last blogged. It just seems like I've been so busy! Or is it too lazy? I never knew how much time and effort it takes to keep up with a house and I don't even have kids, school hasn't started yet, and I only work part time!! Jake was telling me today, that it seems like all we do is work on house stuff... water the lawn, do the dishes, mow the grass, do the laundry, do the dishes, vacuum, do the dishes... we have a very shallow sink so we end up having to do the dishes almost every other day! When we do have a spare minutes, it just feels so good just to veg out on the couch. Ha ha. How does a house owner keep up with everything?!?

Although I will confess, I have picked up an extra hobby (on top of all the other million things we are doing and having to take care of... I will fill everyone in on our family situation also). Beautiful Rachel Varney and I have been garage saling it (yea, probably not a word I know) this past weekend for some furniture. We've decided to go into business together. Or at least a trial run of selling some artsy-fartsy things we're putting together. Rach is working on painting a kids room set and I am doing some smaller things. I am almost done with my first project, mosaicing an end table, here is what it looks like so far. I ran out of grout today, so I need to pick up so more and I need to finish painting the legs white. What do you think?

So other than getting paint and tile all over our carpet, Jake and I have been dealing with my family problems. Usually when you think of family, I assume you think visiting them, talking, hanging out... whatever. Us... we have to deal. And It has been frustrating! I will spare everyone the details because this post could go on FOREVER.

So basically my parents are very irresponsible... funny for people who are are in their 50's and 60's, hu? They have always struggled with their finances. They basically spend more then they make... much more. Plus, my brother (25 y/o) still lives and home, mooches, and takes advantage of their leniency towards him (basically he spends their money without them knowing or them doing anything). Anyway, their situation came down to us having to pay their electric bill for them (yea, like we have any money) so my dad, who's health is very poor, could have electricity and AC. (Side note: my dad had a triple heart bypass surgery about 10 years ago, so the doctors think that some of his problems right now are due to heart failure, plus he has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and Alzheimer's. It is very sad to see. He takes medicine for just about all these things and so it makes him very dizzy. He takes about 3 steps and falls. It is hard to watch your parents deteriorate so quickly right in front of you.)

So, with their finances and my dad's health problems you would think that alone would be rough. Well, it is. However, it is much harder because of the fact that both my brother and mother are very mean people. With my brother... it is because he is very dysfunctional and well so is my mother. But I just don't understand my mom. She will yell at my dad for forgetting things, putting things in the wrong place, being slow, etc. Does she not understand what is going on?!?!

For the past year and a half Jake has watched me cry late at night because I've been so stressed and worried about my parents and their whole situation. I try not to get too emotional or involved, but it is hard... especially when I've been told "we need you... we can't do this without you... please help us..."

Jake finally drew the line this past week... and I am not allowed to be involved. Jake has been meeting with them the past couple of days... going over the bills, helping to set up a budget, making a plan for the future. Man, what an amazing husband I have, hu?!? And let me tell you... it has been such a big relief not to worry about whats going to happen. Granted, it will take a long time before they will get out of debt again but at least it is a start. Actually, we figure that they will end up living with us just to save money and make it every month. In January their lease is up, so that is when we are thinking that is going to happen. Oh joy... :o/ Please pray for us!!

To end on a lighter note... Jake and I celebrated out 2 year anniversary last week! We did it by pulling weeds in the yard! Ha ha! And we went out to eat later that night.

Home Sweet Home

After a long....long time being on a couple of planes and hanging out in airports, WE ARE HOME!

Our flight from Tokyo to Atlanta was about 13 hours long. I had a hard time sleeping... like normally on planes... but Jake had several nice naps. By the time we got to Atlanta, went through immigration, customs, rechecked our bags, and changed terminals... we missed our flight! So, we were put on standby for the next flight... 3 hours later!

Delta was obviously having problems that day because there were 45 people on standby for our one flight from their missed connections. Our flight was also then delayed. So we hung out in the airport a little longer. I ended up passing out for a little while on the floor next to the check in counter!

Oh it was a long day! But, after almost 24 hours of traveling and waiting in airports, we are finally home.

I will say, it is interesting being in this house. Tonight will be my first night sleeping here. It is funny because all of our stuff is familiar, but this place isn't. And then there are boxes everywhere!! I will update the blog with pictures of our house later.

Thanks for keeping up with us during our time in Japan!

NOT the end...

So today is Monday and we are packing up our suitcases and cleaning up the church building. It is a bitter sweet time. We have so many great memories here in Japan and I know all of us will cherish them forever. We`ve met many amazing people and they`ve made an impact on our lives. Hopefully we as well have changed their lives in some way.

Sunday was a difficult day. We said goodbye to many church members during the potluck after church. The team got up and spoke a few words about our experience in Japan. The church then gave us each a beautiful mug with our name painted on the side in Japanese.

After church, we had our Bon Voyage party. Many of our readers who don`t normally come, did. That was very exciting. All of my favorites were there and I was really excited to see them all again. Tanis, Tyler and I put on our Ukatas (it looks like a Kimono but is for the summer time, since Kimonos are very heavy and hot) for the occasion. We had a great time playing games and just talking.



After the party was the after party... Oh I mean, we had dinner at the McLains after our goodbyes at the party. We hung out and ate some very missed Mexican food. Chips and queso...Mmmmm. It rained on us for a little while, but some people didn`t seem to care much, they just hung out on the back porch. Oh and don`t ask me what Mike is wearing... Ha ha.
All of my readers invited Jake and I to back to Japan. I told them that someday we would be back, whether on LST or just for vacation. We love Japan so much, we couldn`t image not ever coming back. Then many of my older women friends told me that when I come back, bring my little baby! We just can`t get away from the pressure! Ha ha.
Then Kiyomi told me there is a Japanese saying that if you met a person twice, randomly, it has to happen a third time... for good luck or something like that. So, when she left after the party instead of saying "goodbye", we said "see you later". I pray that, if I don`t see her on earth again, one day I will see her in heaven.

Yuko

Mai

Kumiko and her son Riyota

Makoto

Kiyomi

Vacation Bible School

For the past couple of years, Taga church has been doing a VBS program. This year, the LST team helped out by doing the Bible story skits. Since the theme of VBS was service, we did the story of Miriam helping her mother with baby Moses. Then in the afternoon we did the story of the good Samaritan. The skits were very kid friendly. After the team did the skit, the kids had the opportunity to do it themselves. Here are a couple of pictures:


Here is a video of the kids acting out the baby Moses story. It isn`t quite as entertaining as all the silly stuff we did, but it is definitely very cute. The woman talking in Japanese in the background is the narrator.

In the afternoon we had some extra time at the end, so we sang some kids songs. Hey, Bible Hour, VBS, and/or Kid`s Time people, do you recognize it?? :o)

Aren`t these kids so cute?!?

VBS was a blast and the kids loved it too! Hopefully it made an impact on the kids and gave them good memories of church. And hopefully the parents were impressed too.

Thank you to Woodland West Church of Christ for supporting VBS!

Earthquake!!!

We just had an earthquake here in Hitachi at a magnitude of 5.0!
Earthquakes aren`t a rare thing around here, so when it started we didn`t think much of it. Then it really started to shake and some of the pots and pans feel in the kitchen.
Everyone is safe and nothing else happened, but it was a pretty cool experience.
Here is the website for earthquakes in Japan, check it out!
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/

Surfing

No, not the net but in the actual ocean!

Sammy, Tanis, Tyler and I got up this morning at 5:45am to go surfing! One of the church members at Taga church owns a surf shop, so he kindly let us use some wet suits and boards! We had such a great time! Sammy did really well and got up on several big waves. The rest of us probably need a little more practice. :o)

It was a beautiful day this morning. It was a little on the humid side, but once we jumped in the water it felt great! Also, we had the sun shining brightly on us... you must remember that the sun rises over the ocean here! (In Oregon, the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean) Plus, the sun rises here at about 4am, so by 6am it feels like and looks like noon!

We only were able to be out there for about 2 hours, since today from 10am-3pm we have VBS! It is going to be a loooong day! I am already sleepy! But several cups of coffee and maybe a coke will do the trick! I will walk down the street to one of the many vending machines on the street corners.

Right now, I only have this one picture of us in the wet suits, more pictures of surfing and VBS to come!

Last day of classes

It is Thursday and our last day of classes. We are all very sad to say goodbye to our new good friends, but I know many of us are ready to go home. Jake and I have a new house to come home to...and unpack. :o) But even with the that, it is still hard to leave our new "home" in Japan.

Yesterday we had a fun day. In the morning we were blessed because it was pool day at the kindergarten! The PE teacher comes and teaches the kids how to hold their breath and blow bubbles. These Japanese kids are absolutely the cutest!

Here is a video... I hope it works. The kids walk around the pool quacking like ducks:

Also, Sammy and Tanis read with a married couple. They have absolutely spoiled them, and us, with gifts. We've gotten Japanese fans, hankerchiefs, sweet snacks, and many more things. So we decided to invite them to lunch with us yesterday. We made spagetti with marinara sauce and an alfredo sauce. It was delish! But the best part was after dinner. They had brought Nato with them!

Now, Nato is an interesting Japanese food item. It is very popular in the prefecture we are in, Ibaraki. Many people eat it and claim it`s health benifits...protien. Anywho, Nato is fermented soybeans. Mmmm...yummy. (NOT) They prepared it by adding soy sauce and mustard. When you try to eat it, with chopsticks of course, it is very stringy and gooey.

I was pretty fortunate though, because when everyone started trying it, Kiyomi my reader came! So I had to go start my reading session. Yay for me! However, later that day one of my other readers, Miho, brought me her favorite snack... Nato flavored waffers. I haven`t tried them yet... anyone want one? I will bring them home for everyone to try! :o)