"I better see this on your blog" and voila!

EnJOYing the SETTERS from Psalm25 and Vimeo.

You make me smile...

Friday night: Yaya to Me, "You're not very tall are you?" and after thinking a bit continues, "Maybe when you are a Mommy you'll grow, cause my Mommy is tall." "Do you want to play with me?"
Today we had a scavanger hunt for the SETTERS. They dressed up and hid around Tama Center. That's right folks, the following pictures have indeed been taken in public.

Yasushi is waiting for the game to start.
Shanghai's kakuii (cool) shirt!
The Dream Team... I mean, I don't want to brag or anything but perhaps this team was made in scavanger hunt heaven. ha ha!
Sae, Shanghai, and Jo (Kie joined us later)
Our first "find" Lisa as a pregnant woman and Ariel as a street performer. Their challenge for us was to sing, "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys.
Mikey was dressed as a child. Instead of waiting for people to find him, he would RUN so that it was almost impossible to catch him.
"Mikey, didn't you hear me call out your name?" I asked.
"Yeah, but I just ignored you."

I'm sorry, just in case that first picture didn't give Mikey justice. He wore Abbie's backpack and hat... it was just crazy. His challenge was to play a game with him.
Of course, Rebekka and Chris gotta be thuggin'. I wouldn't accept anything less than the best California attitude from these two. :) They were hip hop dancing in Tama Center and their challenge was a "dance off".

Curt was a sports player and his challenge was to score a soccer goal against him.
Meaghan was a European tourist... oh, she looks lost.
Her challenge was that we had to perform, "I'm A Little Teapot" in front of people at Tama Center. (Obviously Shanghai didn't get the memo that the spout goes on the left side. ha ha;) !)

I missed a picture of Ken because I started getting this crazy notion that we could actually win... we were running around from person to person. Lawerence was our last SETTER to find. His challenge was to find something for his "soup" (he was a chef). I threw in a pack of gum and we were off for the finish line.

Mary
HERE YOU GO!!!! For all of you who have been waiting for a picture of my new roommate, here she is!!!! Drum roll for my dear AYANO EGASHIRA!!!!!

I would also like to tell you that at this very moment I am introducing my dear Ayano to "Footloose" the movie. That's right. I'm trying to refrain from teaching her the dance but we'll just see where this night leads...

Mikey waits to see what the verdict is for his game... three steps or ten?
Racing through Tama Center... Lawerence and Akio, Mikey and Tatsu, Mary and Kie

Despite their faces, I think Chris and Kay Kay enjoyed their day. Kayla had a full day of activities.
Like I said, Kayla had a full day of eating ice cream, dancing in Tama Center, and playing in the dirt.Ariel, Meaghan, and Jo enjoyed their day as well.

Leaving on the train... heading out to get some sushi before calling the day "quits"!

Ohhhhh, Kie and I had a full day. We are cho tired.

Summer Birthdays

I have had a couple birthdays that didn't get their "proper" props. So let me just take a second and say,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my big BROTHER JONAH!!!!!!!!

Thanks for being the steady one in our family. Thanks for pushing us to improve our minds and hearts for the Gospel. Thank you for sharing your life and love with me.

I totally respect and honor you, Jonah.

Jonah shares his birthday with my Grandpa Schupbach... who is closing in on 90. He won't be stopped. In fact this picture is titled, "Still swingin'" I have very genki (or lively) Grandparents. They are the life-givers and heroes of our family. I have so many good memories of my Grandpa. He will forever be "in the garage, working on a project" in my mind, coming in after a long day, smelling like sawdust and sweat. Sweet memories of his laughter, his love for God and his love for his wife and family.

Finally, today, my sweet sister-in-law Rochelle had her birthday. Rochelle is about 8 1/2 months pregnant (she's EVEN bigger than this picture, i saw her!!!) and about to give birth to my niece. Jordan and Rochelle's first.

One of my earliest memories of Rochelle was watching her play a gig in a coffeeshop. She has such a beautiful sultry voice that I love listening to. She not only has a soothing tone but a soothing heart. She can smooth over any situation. Go here to listen to Rochelle sing.

Rochelle, I love and miss you! Happy Birthday to my sister! (inlaw)

And finally, my cousin Josiah had a birthday. Sorry no pictures.

But Josiah has always been my little sidekick all through life. From the days I used to give him a "horsey ride" to the days of cruising Bloomington/Normal. I love you Josiah like a brother and really look forward to seeing you again. Happy Birthday!

AND FOR YOUR BIRTHDAYS!!!!!

A concert for the Schupbach music lovers... but since that is chotto muzikashi (a little difficult) i'll do the next best thing... post a good video.

I was introduced to Andy McKee via an ipod and was instantly hooked. I hope you enjoy his music. I love you all. Happy Birthday family!

Andy Mckee - Guitar - Drifting - www.candyrat.com

The guys were right, you can't fully appreciate Andy McKee's music until you watch him play.

Immanuel

Welcome to Nikko! Tokyo BEST plus SETTERS

Shinta, Meaghan, Rebekka, Mamo, and Yasushi


Where the three monkeys and "see no, hear no, speak no evil" came from...
Lisa, Ayumi, and Kie
Curt, Mikey, and Chris... although I'm pretty sure Chris is peeking.

Okay, I have to stop here and be honest... I did NOT take any of these super cool pictures. I owe these shots to Mikey Wang who was my photographer in Nikko (while I set up camp in Utsu). Wish I had this eye for things but naw, you'll have to get a hold of Mikey to see "how he does it." :)

look closely...

Meaghan and Saaya

Ayumi and Ariel
Then we loaded up...

literally and headed off to the campsite.
We had a firebuilding contest...

the nightsky was beautiful... oh, sweet stars how I miss you so.
Dinner and settling in for the night...

The next day we had a blast playing in the river...

we all washed our hair and "cleaned up"... here is Ariel doing the "flip" with her hair. What a cutie!
Ken went "spear fishing"... didn't catch a whole lot...

A great picture of Mark.... thanks Mikey for this one. I really think it captures my friend well.
But when the boys started building "holes" and trapping people in them (Swiss Family Robinson, anyone?) I knew it was time to leave. :)

So here is "my" stone memorial of the weekend... I call it, Immanuel or God With Us... which is my favorite thing to remember about God, that He is always with us.

True
Honorable
Just
Pure
Lovely
Commendable
Excellence
Worthy of Praise

i'm having troubles,
staying focused.
why is it that the harder
i look,
the fuzzier I see?
Satisfied at your feet,
not doing but being,
they told me it was
okay to be slightly
out of focus.

But I don't want that.
I want all of You
to have
all of me.
i hate this blurry
vision
or is it my heart that is blurry?

Hedged in, selfish love.
I will be called, "Mine!"
by You alone.
be selfish. be selfish.
Please be selfish.

Sometimes I Dream of Your Silly Face...

I'm far too tired to write anything deep tonight because I need to go to bed.

BUT!!!!!!

I had this conversation with Mikey and Lawerence about foreign languages... random but we talked about how I took ASL and how taking it for two years in high school led me to take more in college....
and that got me thinking. Whatever happened to the dream of becoming an interpretor for the Deaf. Granted, I would have needed MUCH MORE training, teaching, and practice... but I remember dreaming about a job using my ASL.

It occured to me that a lot of my dreams, hopes, and wishes have molded and changed themselves to fit the Joanna of now.

Here's the breakdown...
I have dreams.
I'm afraid to "tell" God those dreams because what if He tells me to do something else. (ugh, did I just admit to that... sin is ugh-lee!)
I call it the Shunnamite woman syndrome. Click here to recap.

But then when I pour out my heart... God always shows me His faithfulness. I remember crying nights on end about my desire to return to Japan... and now here I am. I walk around, in awe of how God has given me something I used to weep over. And I have other stories like my heart for Japan... other dreams God has changed away from me and towards Himself.
And even when my dreams change God does it in such a way that I fall "in love" with whatever He places before me.

More of You, Lord. May my dreams not be set on earthly things but on more of You.

On a totally different note: Mikey "stole" my camera today and captured some of our... cute (?) SETTERS.
I am enjoying them CHO much.

When I saw these "funny faces" I was laughing so hard... I hope my new friends brighten your day as well. And for those of you that know them already... iiiiiii na! You are so lucky to get more than 7 weeks with such wonderful people. They are definitely keeping me on my toes. :)

Chris

Curt

Mikey

Lawerence
Cute Meaghan!
Lisa, Meaghan, and Ariel...
The SETTERS are already having a blast with my Japanese friends... see how they've influenced them?
Masashi

Ty
Ayumi

Mamo
Kong
Saaya

Kie

(no worries SETTERS '06, I have kept you and our treasured memories in the happiest place in my heart. My love to you all.)

Before bed...

So I baked biscotti tonight... and i ate some which was SO delicious but now I want to go to bed but my tummy feels like I ate a seven course meal... so I am blogging while I am moving away from the "full feeling" while I am listening to Paul McCartney's new cd, "Memory Almost Full". Multi-task much?

My review? I like it. I think Paul is a talented musician. I am hooked on his hit, "Dance Tonight" which is also a commercial for Itunes. Anyway, it's great, interesting and thought-provoking. Dance Tonight is a fun, dancy tune with Paul on the mandolin. He included a little bio on the song and it was interesting to learn that he learned mandolin for this song. It started off as just "goofing around" and then next thing, he knew he had a hit on his hands. He said it was fun to learn because he felt like he was a teenager again, learning something new. :)

Anyway, I thought I would update you a bit on the latest happenings around Tokyo BEST.
Here are the new setters. They are CHO OMOSHIROI! Super interesting. I enjoy them very much already. This is going to be a great summer...

Mikey, Curt, Lisa, Ariel (in pink) Chris's head, Ken, and Meaghan...

We found a sign that conveys our deepest desires to "level up: unity!"
My dear friend Mary Elizabeth and Meaghan
So we played the "animal game" and Chris's animal was rafiki from Lion King. His "sign" for the game was the start of the Lion King theme song. I just saw Lion King onstage here in Tokyo. It was CHO OMOSHIRO (remember what that means?) and I loved every minute. I think I am definitely a live theatre vs. movie type of person. ANYWAY, Chris "one-upped" me and said he saw the Lion King on Broadway... along with Rent, Phantom of the Opera, and my beloved Wicked. Can you believe it? He saw Idina Menzel on Broadway... that's like the ultimate for live theatre... if you ask me. But I'm Wicked biased so don't ask me.
You should ask my cousin Leah, she would know all the jazz about this. :) Right Leah?
ANYWAY!!!! All this said, that started a huge conversation about Wicked and how it is in Tokyo and I think we will go. Probably for sure Mikey (who sang Les Mis to me~ great fun!) Chris, Mary and I... wooo I am excited!

Hey Ryan? Can I keep Ariel? Everyone says we look CHO alike. Do you think we could be twins? (P.S. in case you can't tell us apart, I have more ice cream on my lips. ha ha)
I took Meaghan and Ariel shopping in Shibuya... yeah, um, this is stylish, huh?
We are having lots of fun. There will be a lot of pictures to come as we move out of the slow orientation week and into activities galore. :) This weekend is shrines and sightseeing at Nikko along with camping in Utsunomiya. Hooray for being in the great outdoors.
Nature? Ready or not... here I come.

Link Much? This entry is all about the links!

There is a lot of exciting stuff going on here in Gurasu Toppu 303.

1. We got a roommate. After a year and a half of praying and waiting... God gave us AYANO! More pictures to come... she was in America for a year so it's been awhile since we have taken any photos with her.

2. Have you read "TIL WE HAVE FACES" by C.S. Lewis? It was Lewis's last novel and "many believe (as he did) that it is his most mature and masterful work of fiction, but it was never a popular success" (wikipedia). It's absolutely fabulous. I read it in a day or two because I just couldn't put it down and although I finished it a week ago I am still reflecting on the truths I pulled from it. It's about posessive love. It's really REALLY good and a quick read. You should add it to your summer list.



3. This summer I have a couple of "health" goals... one of them is not watching t.v. by myself, instead, I want to read more. If you are interested in philosophy but like me, just don't know where to start. I suggest the book, "Sophie's World" by Jostein Gaarder. It gives a general overview of the history of philosophy and it has wet my appetite to read more on philosophers from Socrates to Kant, etc. It's fictional so I don't even feel like I am learning... ha ha!



4. Also, if you read the quotes from a couple entries ago this is a repeat, but Mark Rood said to us last Sunday, "Everything you have will one day come to an end; it is going away. Every single thing is going. If you can acknowledge that we only have this for a season, then you can truly enjoy it."

Wow! Talk about hitting me in my very gut. I can't stop thinking about this. As I've been reflecting this I had a friend ask me, "Are you in Japan? Do you still love Japan?" and it made me think about how I've been so focused on Japan and so protective of Japan... like fearing the end of my term because if I'm not in Japan I may not know what to do. I think I've spent a lot of time focused on Japan and calling Japan "mine" that I am not allowing God to work on me and work on me being "His". Did you follow that?

It's like when Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:24) and how Jim Elliot coined the phrase in his own words, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

And this whole time I've thought that coming to Japan was giving up my life but little by little I can see how I replace one "life" with another.

I feel that God is saying to me, "Hold this loosely. Hold your time in Japan with an open hand. Don't have any passion besides me."

My time in Japan will come to an end, my 20's will come to an end, my beauty will fade physically, and my friendships will change and some will "end"... but if I can realize all that now, realize that seasons changing is a part of life, then and only then can I truly enjoy my life now. If I struggle to keep my time in Japan, my 20's, my beauty, and my friendships... I will find only myself the loser.

I wish I could portray this in a better way... i feel like I am just verbally processing without making much sense...hmm.

5. Thanks to Christine I'm learning so much about Biblical Feminity. I feel serious about providing a "safe place" for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I asked myself the other day, "Am I providing a place for people to be at peace? Or do I give them more to distract their minds and hearts?" So I am on a quest to learn about biblical man and womanhood. Anyway, Christine introduced me awhile ago to Girl Talk blog which is a blog by Carolyn Mahaney and her three daughters. Their article on modest dressing is intense but SO helpful. JK gave it to me four or so years ago and I've used it ever since. It's amazing.

BUT!!! The fun thing about this site is that they are committed to helping women not only learn about dressing modestly but setting them up with useful websites and clothing stores to dress more modestly.

6. Christa Taylor is my new favorite. I think it's going to be hard to get away from this website. :) I went crazy this morning looking at all the fun stuff (and so cheap) but I'll have to make a final decision. Just because it is "acceptable" clothing does not mean I should splurge... too much. :) Tee hee!!

7. Also, go here for the article on modest dressing from girl talk... they have a little disclaimer and more links for clothing. (CT was just my favorite)

8. Summer is here in Japan (rainy season has officially begun!) and it is hot. So I made a list of chill and fun music to cool down to during this summer. I hope you enjoy some of my music. Let me know if you have any questions about the artists. (it's on my sidebar, titled "Lazy Summer Day Soundtrack")

9. I think I need some intervention I've been spending time on wikipedia and I think i am addicted to learning, is that bad? basically i've replaced my addiction with a "good" one. ha ha Anyway, I thought this was cute, "A common belief is that when stressed, an octopus may begin to eat its own arms." awwww.... (and yes, I looked up octopi... I was curious after watching FINDING NEMO... anyway, that's not the point!)

10. Two more quotes before I depart, Chinese philosopher Tao Te Ching said, "knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom" and Aristotle, "Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference."

Sidenote: I really want to encourage you all through my blogging. I am going through 5 Aspects with my friends (staff) here and realizing more how I am created from a person (Eve from Adam) and created for people (relationally I am spurred on more so than alone time). It gets me so excited to think that I can live my life more purposefully FOR people. So that is my prayer. If I can learn anything to spur you all on so that we can walk this road together, let me know. I like my fun bloggings but I hope that I can take the focus off of me and direct you to the Source from which my joy comes from.

Just random prayer/thought.
Any comments... ideas...

Come on baby!

Has it been nine months yet? Sheesh, come baby come! Come out into the world. We are waiting for your sweet face.
I know you are being "fearfully and wonderfully made" and that your being "woven together in the depths of the earth" but sheesh!

You sure are taking your sweet little time.

My sweet sweet niece!

If you learn anything from your Auntie Jo, don't let it be my "fashionably late" habit. Although if I remember correctly, I made my *BIG DEBUT* before the scheduled time. Isn't that right, Mama? I was early.

Come baby come!

In the secret moments of life,

in the stillness of comfort.

May you meet your Creator,

Your Daddy.

Your Faithful Love.

May you come into this life,

filled with His presence and grace.

And may we learn

His presence and grace

from you.

We await your arrival and know

without a doubt,

that you will bring us joy and happiness.

So with that said, enjoy this time.

This peace,

this sleep.

But then,

come baby come!

The last time I talked to Jeremy and Alaina (yes, they are pregnant too, baby central in the Schupbach house~ woo hoo!!) I said, "i love you Jeremy. I love you Alaina."

And Jeremy replies, "What about Bump? Don't you love Bump?"

So to my two little bumps... about to come into the world soon (come baby come) and another due in November... may this time be a blessing between you and your Creator.

May you rest easy and gain a peace that will carry you into this life.

I cannot wait to sing to you, snuggle with you, and spoil you rotten. I love being an auntie.

Come babies come!

But for now, sleep on. In God's perfect timing you will bless me immensly with your sweet sweet exsistence.

We love you already.

Your family.

'Til We Have Faces

Food for thought...
Quotes from things I am learning, enjoying lately...

DORY: Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do.
MARLIN: I don't wanna know what you gotta do when life gets you down.
DORY[singing]: Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.

*Everything you have will one day come to an end; it is going away. Every single thing is going. If you can acknowledge that we only have this for a season, then you can truly enjoy it.* Mark Rood

"Soon Bardia was teaching me (Princess Orual) to ride on horseback as well as to fence with the sword. He used me, and talked to me, more and more like a man. And this both grieved and pleased me." Til We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis
This ties in to what I am learning through "Five Aspects of Woman" about how our curse as women we try to dominate our men (rule them). The author says, "I used to hear my father say, 'The woman will always try to take over, but she will not be happy if she succeeds.' There is a lot of truth to that. Women will try to push their men, but everybody is happier if the man plays the man, holds his ground, takes responsibility, and stays in the seat of leadership." Barbara K. Mouser

Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."

"Study of church history should increase our humility about who we are and what we believe. There is nothing that the modern church enjoys that is not a gift from previous generations of God's people." Mark A. Noll "Turning Points"

*And this is the confidence we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.* 1 John 5:14-15

1 Samuel 18:1-3~As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.~
Their hearts were knit!! It didn't matter who was King, for Jonathan, his heart was knit to David's so that he could not see where his interests ended and David's began. It pleased him just as much to see David king.~ Tonight's fellowship.

*Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of JOY and they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad... Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of JOY, bringing his sheaves with him.* Psalm 126:2-3,5-6

if tears could talk...

embrace the moment,

embracing each other,

there are certain things,

i shall never take for granted.

words can't express

what tears do justice.

we have seen life

and death.

joy and

sorrow.

you were the first one i called

when i was heartbroken

and weary,

helping to carry the load,

i couldn't carry alone.

turning me to Jesus,

and showing me how.

you inspire me

to push on

and persevere.

though the black and white

keys look strange

and the tune has changed a bit,

i am confident He will show you

what worship can look like.

and i believe you

worship with your life.

thankful to have you,

my musician,

my laughter,

my teacher,

my hero,

my leader,

my friend,

my father.

Joni's Gone Digital

Oh, oh! Jeremiah, you got some serious competition. :)
Oh to be a fly on the wall... but Joni going digital is the next best thing.
I found these pictures on her website and absolutely just had to share them... some of my favorite people, in their homes...

some of my new favorite pictures. Thanks Joni, for blessing me with a "sneak peek" into your life back in America. I love seeing these photos and seeing you all together.

Chilaxing in Cali... Yasushi and Cole... gosh, this makes me miss you all. :)

*In all my prayers, I thank my God for all of you...* Philippians 1:3
Blessed by you friends.

The beginning...

Welcome Back!

Hello everyone! This is Joanna. I've just returned from SIJ 2007 Orientation.

I have been crazy busy (three trips to the airport) but have enjoyed every moment. If you are here for pictures of Ariel (ahem, Ryan) then I have to apologize. I was unofficially the staff rep for SENDAI'S team because Ogawasan could not make it to the Orientation.

I learned so much from the Sendai team and from this year's SIJ team(minus CA who are coming mid-June). I had a ton of fun... here are some of the things I learned and some of the people I met.

The SIJ Program forming the Japanese flag... can you see it?I love sharing my life and the lessons God has taught me...

but I need to practice pubic speaking. With a small group it feels more "friend-like" but as soon as I get in front of a larger audience I get really nervous.

I love sharing from what God has taught me about serving others. I feel like I am learning so much about seeing the needs of others and meeting those needs... taking intiative and not waiting to be asked to do things. I only cried once... it was a big one but it was on a subject that is very near and dear to my heart, the Japanese staff.

It was great to see God touching my heart and by His grace, theirs as well. I prayed that I would learn more about serving than I could ever teach. Service is a passion of mine.

I used Philippians 2:3-11 and 1 Samuel 14:6-7 (What does it look like to serve someone heart and soul?) I like meeting new people. People bring me so much joy. Everyone's uniqueness and intricacy is a delight in my life.

Trevor Babcock (SENDAI) is a riot. He is one of the craziest people I know. Sendai's team was so full of life, laughter and spirit. God definitely had His hand in putting this team together.

Hannah Dorrell... one of my favorite people. Hannah has so much joy and beauty to share; when I am in her presence, even if we are goofing off, I still feel encouraged and refreshed by her presence.I first met Hannah 15 months ago at the Staff Conference. She and I instantly bonded and her lively family reminded me so much of mine. I insta-bonded with her and her younger siblings who I wished had been mine... younger siblings are great. I went and visited Hannah during Golden Week (a week of vacation for no reason) May 2006 and we've been friends ever since. It's been so much fun to watch her grow this past year or so.

She is an artist, a dreamer, a sister and a friend. She's a blessing.Hannah during morning bible study. Luke Chatelain (SENDAI)
Luke again... but this time he is wearing the "punishment" for being late.Jason (SENDAI) The one thing about this wig and it being the punishment for late-comers was that odd enough, the lively and crazy SENDAI team often was late but perhaps, not because they couldn't keep time but because the wig was too much fun.

Here Hannah shows us her stylish wig mullet and Trevor shows us his... unfortunately real mullet.

At the end of the time... Sendai hailed me as their leader and praised me for being ridiculous with them... who could keep up though? I am seriously out of the joke loop in America. (has anyone heard of the "awkard turtle"?) But they were nice to me and only called me old once... ha ha! Jeremiah, this picture is for you! Mark insisted that because I was being "glorified" I had to use my "glorified body" pose. I don't think I will ever live that one down. :( ha ha!Another lesson I learned was that when Mark gets an idea... just go with it.

Mark got an idea to trick the students into thinking we were having a strict Japanese practice day, where they had to march in lines, wear their t-shirts a certain way, bow to the staff who are older than them, etc. We took a lot of Japanese rules but then intensified them. It was hilarious. We called it: LEVEL UP, UNITY DAY!

The funny thing about this is that before we met the students Mark and I were brainstorming and a group of middle aged men walked by, wearing the exact same track suit, walking in pairs in a line... Japan enjoys their order. :)

Jennifer, Mary and Aileen are the "Color Bearers" or the girls who handed out headbands with the Japanese flag on them.

"This is the unified spirit," Mark said. "Level up?" he asked. "Unity!" They responded. (See Keith and Kyle forming a BIG "U" and Mark forming a little "U"...i couldn't stop laughing.

Ridiculous? I know. If you don't get these two pictures... it's okay. I didn't really explain them that well.

Basically we just wanted to show the students that sometimes you are asked to do things in Japan they won't understand "why" and perhaps they may not even want to do it because in America we value our individuality. That is not the case in Japan. In Japan, the nail that sticks out the farthest, gets pounded in the hardest...

The midterm staff (plus Kanako and Ruth Ann) got to share some stories and answer questions. It was a lot of fun and kind of sad to see us all up there together. Mary, Keith and I came together but we will all leave at different times... sort of sad already to think about. BUT I still have a year so no crying yet. :)

Another thing I learned this Orientation was... sometimes jet lag... is just unbeatable.
I saw this in Tokyo... what a sweet reminder that even in the midst of buildings and people, God is still painting His beauty in our midst. I remember struggling with the thought of never seeing stars again when I left the countryside and travelled to Tokyo. I was sad to think it would be two years or so before I saw them again.

Now everytime I see the stars... even if it's one or two... I remember that this is my "rainbow" of promise from God that He is always with me and never leaving me. This sunset made me realize that His beauty is everywhere, in every country, culture and people.
Nagaisan is the head Japanese staff in Shizuoka. From the first time I met him in 2003 I have had a place in my heart for him and his family. They are amazing people. One of the things I like best about Nagaisan is his ability to balance teaching and seriousness....
with humor. He is a great man.
I enjoyed watching the students come together and read God's word together...

The students enjoyed getting to see Japanese culture take place...
and even be a part of it. This is Andrew... a guy from KU... but he looks SO Japanese here. (Don't you love his pants?)
Welcome to Tokyo, Ariel and Meaghan!!

Amongst all the team photos being taken at the end... Mary and I start thinking... "Can we still perform the old cheerleading stunts we used to do?"
"Well, maybe try it this way."
"Remember? You gotta get low? I think... like this?? Right??"

"Did I put my foot here? And get up like this?" "NOPE!! Oops, that was wrong."
"Oh well... maybe it's true... maybe we are too old?"
"No way, JOSE!" The girls of 303 still got it! You can't call us old. We're rocking the house.