Rescuing Beauty

I just got an email from a friend wondering about books and bible studies on bibical femininity and it has sent me into a whirlwind of everything i have learned recently so I decided to blog (again).

Bill Sparks, who spoke this weekend, read us a letter written by a missionary woman, Karen Watson, who went to glorify God with her life and death in Iraq. You can find her entire letter but there were a few things that stood out to me.

"I wasn't called to a place.

I was called to Him.

To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected,

His glory was my reward, His glory is my reward.

Care more than some think is wise.

Risk more than some think is safe.

Dream more than some think is practical.

Expect more than some think is possible.

I was called not to comfort or success but to obedience.

There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him."

So I have had an interesting two weeks... perhaps two weeks, perhaps this entire year. It seems our entire staff was undergoing some sort of down time, recently, and we couldn't do anything but keep our eyes on Jesus. An email I received was somewhat "stabbing" and it sent me into a questioning period where I wondered if I was "too free" with my heart. I love my vulnerability and I love that I share with no fear. Someone once told me I jumped head first into friendships, and although it scares me I try to live a life where I am willing to jump in and try things out. People included. I love people and I love learning about people.

But this last year has just been an interesting year... full of joys, tears, laughter, sleepless nights, and praise-filled mornings...

So two weeks I wandered, can you give your heart and not get hurt?

And then God brought me into this week... into healing, into teaching, into deeper friendships with my friends, and then this conference.

At a time where I prayed God would save my heart from being hardened, God softly directs my path into a time of healing and compassion.

Here are the things I am learning: (this is 99% for women)

God has given us all a "talent" and He has created us to be the mistresses of this talent- to rule this talent. But because we are all fallen/sinful we deny this talent, waste it, hide it, abuse the privilege and deny ourselves in the process. However, because of Jesus, though we are able to believe and work towards our created existence- we do not have to stay fallen but are redeemed to once again rule our talent. *Five Aspects*

"I felt as though I was about to fill a space in the world that was meant for me and had long awaited me, a mold as it were, made for me alone..." *Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn*

"We've all been given two calls. The universal call is to get to know God and the personal individual call can be discovered through: preparation, design, opportunity, and timing." *Bill Sparks*

"Care more than some think is wise..." *Karen Watson*

"And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with boldness." *Acts4:29*

"The government said that if he could not make the shape of the cross with one cut (of paper), they would execute him. All night he lay in jail and prayed that God would be merciful to His people, that He would give his love and spirit to the people. And in the night, God showed him how to fold the paper and make one cut." Bingchan telling a story of a man in China.

"You say I belong to You, apart from the things I do. You say I belong to You. I'm in awe of why You do. I'm in awe of You." *lyrics Jadon Lavik*

"A Challenge to Women" from John Piper (again you can find the whole thing at the link)

1 That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.

2 That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.

3 That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.

4 That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching. That meditation on Biblical truth be the source of hope and faith. And that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.

5 That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God would open to you; and the power of faith and holiness would descend upon you; and your spiritual influence would increase at home and at church and in the world.

6 That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God undergirding all these spiritual processes, that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers and believers of these things.

7 That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific role, that you not fritter your time away on soaps or ladies magazines or aimless hobbies, any more than men should fritter theirs away on excessive sports or aimless diddling in the garage. That you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.

8 That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to Christ and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.

9 That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.

10 That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children who hope in the triumph of God, sharing with him the teaching and discipline of the children, and giving to the children that special nurturing touch and care that you are uniquely fitted to give.

11 That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world. That you not only pose the question: Career vs. full time mom? But that you ask as seriously: Full time career vs. freedom for ministry? ...And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or yuppie lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the family and advance the cause of Christ.

12 That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life's ministry in chapters.

13 That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might, and maximizing your joy in ministry to people's needs.

14 That in all your relationships with men you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the Biblical vision of manhood and womanhood...

15 That you see Biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for men and women in relation to each other not as arbitrary constraints on freedom but as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God's ideal of complementarity. That you not measure your potential by the few roles withheld but by the countless roles offered. That you turn off the TV and Radio and think about...

The awesome significance of motherhood

Complementing a man's life as his wife.

And finally, I am learning that life is beautiful. No one could have orchestrated my life and brought me to where I am, except the One who knew my name before I was born... I am excited to turn the page of this time and to see what God has for me. And while I have so much more to learn I am honored that God would consider me someone worth teaching. I am learning so much about being cautious with my heart and also giving my heart with freedom. When we dwell in Christ and our identity lies in Him, then we can not be swayed by the identities of this world (or even the cultures we laugh too loudly in. ;) ).

It is my greatest pleasure to continue sharing my heart with you all, and even though you may not have known I was going through this. I am glad you can see how His glory is being brought through my imperfection. May my imperefections, cultural blunders and "moments" always, always speak to His greatness.

He is worth everything.

*Surely godness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.* Psalm 23:6

Glamour Shots by Deb

Like any good get-together... this weekend was full of random pictures. If the Navigators ever needed models, they'd for sure use us, as you will soon see why...

Joni Poon, my dear friend, this is for you! I got to hang out with Chi for an entire day and it was BEAUTIFUL!! She has this amazing laugh that lights up the entire room... I am excited for this friendship~ although we talked about YOU almost the entire time. We found a fire truck on site and decided to take some random pictures...

Jo, Maren, and Mary

Stephen, Maren, Jo, Jean, Mary, and Ruth Ann

Tokyo Team; Jo, Mary, Mark and Stephen

A natural bond was formed during training between the three of us; and ever since, we have become each other's accountability partners, friends and family away from home.

Jo, Mary and Keith

Naoko and Jo

Mary and Jo

This picture is entitled "Beauty"...because this one is appropriately called, "Beast"~ tee hee hee!!

Encouraged

I came home, feeling this way.... smiling like Mai Mai. After a tiresome, busy and somewhat long weekend I feel SO refreshed and encouraged. How is that possible? It's the Body! I love getting together with people who love Jesus. So this weekend was positive. People could tell me, "I experienced that SAME thing when learning the language." or like Keith told me, "I was SO happy when you asked, 'is it ni, or de?'" Guess it's good to know you aren't alone in your struggles. I got to connect with some girls and we spent the weekend bonding... Mai Mai was my roommate and in my bible study. Shinsan is actually Korean Nav but he came over to Japan to help out in Fukuoka. He's extremely disciplined. I mean EXTREMELY disciplined. He told me the best way to learn Japanese is to get up at 6:30AM when my brain is the "ripest" for intaking information. Um, we shall see about that one...
Shin, Mai Mai, and Norio were all in my Bible study. We looked at John 17:1-5 and John 15:1-16. It was great to discuss what we thought God was teaching us and to hear prayers and the Word in Japanese. I continue to stand in awe of God and His timing... I was so discouraged about a week ago and the past four days have really spoken to my heart. Norio had a great time connecting with people and talking to some older Nav staff (and by older I mean, Mark. tee hee hee)
Meet Himeji! He's a student at Utsunomiya and hilarious. The language is a barrier between us but I know if we could understand each other we'd egg each other on. I sense in him a real confidence in the Word and wanting to share his life. He has a great sense of humor. He was also in my Bible Study.
Finally, Tom, the last member of the best bible study. :) Tom is finishing up his two years of language before starting a BEST club on a new campus. He translated our bible time for me. Arigatou Gozaimashita Tomsan! :)

It was such a fun weekend, full of laughter, learning, and connecting with one another. I got to spend good time with Mary, Mai Mai, Ruth Ann, and some other gals which was encouraging. Here are some pictures of our staff from this weekend...
Izumi and her fiance on the right, Norio on the far left

Mary's sister Jean takes in Japanese culture.


Bill Sparks from the Navigators "home team" came to visit us, do some staff care, and be our main speaker. He was AMAZING. It was so encouraging and just great to talk about the call in our lives. :) Seriously, guys! I've been freaking out on what I'm learning. I need to journal and process but I'll try to keep you updated on what's been going on. Whoa baby! I love when the God moves in and overwhelms you. (Kusudasan was a lot of fun this weekend. He is "the boss" of Japan Navs. and our main translator this weekend. It is always good to see him and spend time getting to know him.)

Okay, this picture is fine as your standard group picture but check out Mary, who is totally distracted in DEAD CENTER! I love this picture because she's losing control over the extremely adorable Fukuoka gals.
It was great to worship together as a large group. Students from Utsunomiya led the worship.
To give you a little bit of what I've been hearing from God... look up Karen Watson who was a missionary in Iraq.

Bill Sparks finished our time with a letter she had written to be opened only after her death. She was killed over there and the letter was opened. I was SO challenged in "giving my life" and in being obedient to Christ. I will include a future post of her letter at another time.

November 8th

I've had a lot on my mind. First, I would like to "do away" with all bad moods. I detest my bad moods.
I'm serious, hear me out~ I mean, who honestly likes a bad mood? But I bet there are people who do. And I'm not talking about people who do things like "lurking" (such a fun word to say~ who honestly lurks? ha ha) I'm talking about real life, every day people. I've met them. People who thrive on making other people miserable and people who enjoy snapping off their friends' heads or making others feel small. But I don't. I hate it. I feel like I am Dr. Jekyll and Joanna Hyde. Someone told me it's because I am "so in tune" with my emotions but if I am so "in tune" with my emotion shouldn't that make me more aware of others feelings?
But yet, I still do it.
Ugh! That's what I have to say.
Ugh!
I want every day to be a positive day for me. Even when I don't feel positive. I have so many blessings and friends and lessons learned and still to learn that I feel like I don't deserve a bad day.
Goal: to have fewer bad days and more good days. But HOW to do that, I have not quite figured out. Today was a beautiful day as my Tokyo team and I hung out and did some reflection. It was good for my heart not to be silenced anymore. On the way, I saw Mt. Fuji and it made me smile.

Here is a picture of a crowded train. This weekend I am going to Okutama to hang with Japanese people who love Jesus. I am excited. This is such a unique experience.

Tonight Mary is watching Narnia for the first time... she has never even read the books. Oh, I love the Pevensie children... I want to be Lucy when I grow young. ;) Also, NARNIA reminds me of when my high school performed it and Blaine Leslie was Mr. Beaver... in the background of a scene, he was pretending to eat a fish. He took one sniff of it, made a face as if it smelled bad and then tossed it off stage. I managed to catch it out of the corner of my eye but it made me laugh SO hard that the entire play stopped for about five minutes. Imagine that, Joanna losing all laughter control for a full five minutes. Not too hard to imagine, eh? I think Becky Brihn got that play on tape because she was Susan... so I need to ask her for it sometime. I was of course, Lucy.

Goal Two: locate tape of Narnia play and laugh at how silly Blaine was again.
Crowded trains can be stinky... not just for the fact that there are a ton of people sweating profusely and breathing the same air... but because this time, I was propped perfectly under Chris's armpit. Ha ha! This is no joke. I was practically holding the girl in front of me. Ugh! Crowded trains make me a teeny bit claustrophobic. Chris started to laugh a little hysterically which made me a little hysterical so I said, "Chris, knock it off" and I tilted my head up so I could catch some fresh air. Chris kept patting me on the head saying, "Kodomo gonna cry." which he thought was hilarious. Basically he was telling everyone around us that the child (me) was going to cry because i was being squished. Squished... another fun word to say.
I gave advice to a friend today... and it broke my heart and made me fightin' mad to write to her. Not because of her, but because I am passionate to fight for purity and everything wholesome in life. There is precious few things in life that are truly beautiful and pure still. It breaks my heart to hear about struggles and lies that happen in my beautiful friends' lives.

I gave advice to this friend that I don't deserve to give... I can only tell her how I didn't take people's advice and how I ended up wishing I had listened. If only you could make things CLEAR to people.

I don't say this often, because I believe things happen in our lives to make us who we are, and I don't believe in regret. Sorrow and mourning, yes. Regret? No! I don't want to live a life where I live in the past... where I live with guilt. I have enough guilt already that I must continue to focus on Jesus... but I will say this.

I wish I had fought more for the Beauty in my life and in my heart. I fear the lessons I've learned and continue to fight through will make me a fearsome creature, though. Fearsome for the Lord! Daily I feel I am becoming more passionate to save the Beauty in my friends and Lord willing, someday, my daughters. (spiritual ones too, Lord willing!) (p.s. this is Mayu at her university where I went to visit her and eat lunch with her)
Oh, Lord. Please help me to learn the lessons You so graciously give me over and over. I can be hard-hearted but I so desire to regain the Beauty You have given me and given my friends. Give us strength to fight for the Beauty You have made us.

Take Two

Here is a better recap of this weekend...

at our Friday night, Shaberanito we did "henna gaijin" stories with the Tokyo and Shizuoka BEST club. Henna Gaijin is "strange foreigner"... this was so much fun to perform and watch. Here is Asako, Kanako, and Shige acting out Pat Miron's story of having a "fatty" tattoo in an onsen. Tattoos are totally prohibited in the onsens because they are a sign of the mafia and they make other patrons really nervous. So instead of saying, "no mafia" they say, "no tattoos"... and so here is Pat (Shige) and Kanako as Pat gets into trouble. It was funny to watch and if you look closely at Shige's leg, they even drew the tattoo Pat had. Shizuoka BEST club member Atsushi and Aileen discuss 1 Corinthians 13's "Love"
At Minami-Osawa Koshi enjoys Starbucks and Mr. Donuts
Chris Ebbers takes a rest after shopping at the Outlet. He looks like he's trying to decide what to do next.
On Sunday Tokyo BEST said goodbye to Shizuoka BEST and headed off to Tsukuba for a "walking rally" which is like sightseeing or walking around a town, just to walk.

Here are Mamo and Mitsuru on the train on our way up.

I didn't get a lot of pictures from the area but it was BEAUTIFUL! Our friend, Tom, is going to open up a BEST club on Tsukuba campus in a year. It is a beautiful campus and reminds me of an American college campus. We walked around for probably a good four hours just taking in the beauty and the town. It's beautiful and so chill... we felt really relaxed in Tsukuba. Tom is currently is helping out with Utsunomiya BEST so he brought his friend, Himeji, who is a third year student. It was great to "mix" a little with Utsu BEST. (Two BEST clubs in ONE WEEKEND! Wow! It was fun to see our guys hanging out with other BEST members!!)
Mary checks out Tsukuba.

On the campus we played ultimate... Nate, from Lincoln, NE (here for two weeks) was the honorable "500" frisbee thrower.

Himeji, Mark and Tom (Tom's the one stretching) stretch for the frisbee. I think Mark caught this one...

On our way back to the train station we were given a mission... to take a picture. One person had to have their feet off the ground, another person had to act like a wild animal, one person had to be talking to a Japanese person (a passerbyer) and the last person had to be a bystander. Here is my team... Tom is the bystander, Mitsuru is getting eating by a lion (Mamo) so his feet are up in the air and he is calling out to a guy we asked to be a part of our picture.

We also went to a "tree museum" and the trees were great but the flowers (of course, I would say this) were better....

Shiz, Utsu, Tsukuba, and now?

Mary and I had the Shizuoka people over for the weekend. I am pretty sure they were here to see Chris but I took advantage of the situation and hosted friends for the weekend. Cooking is so much more fun when you can cook for people.
I hope you enjoy the weekend pictures. (p.s. I pooped out in the middle of this because I have to get some sleep... post more manana...tabun!)

Asachan and I taste the CREPES from Chuo festival.Shizuoka folks come to play! Woo Hoo!! Mary, Akio, Atsushi, Shige, and Keiko

kind of an ugly face but I think it's the funniest picture I've ever seen...

The girls of Shizuoka and Tokyo BEST (Kanako, Mary, Aileen (staff), Keiko and Jo)on the way to Tsukuba, Mark can make friends anywhere with anyone!Tsukuba was beautiful and sooo relaxing... more pictures to come.

Unoriginal but fun

Okay, I saw this on Em and Ange's blog and decided to do it because I can't sleep and I'm bored.

1. What time did you get up this morning? ew, um 7AM I think?
2. Diamonds or Pearls? diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? the Lake House (i'm a little behind here)
4. What is your favorite TV show? I don't watch t.v. but we have CSI on DVD... so CSI but Japanese t.v. is HILARIOUS!!!
5. What did you have for breakfast? oatmeal (instant) and coffee from Scooters (yeah Chris and Nate's arrival)
6. What is your middle name? Kay
7. What is your favorite Cuisine? Korean! Hooray for Jin Rood and kimchi... my family is going to wonder if I really went to Japan since I can make more Korean food than I can Japanese... or at least I think Japanese food should always have kimchi added to it. Seriously, what did I eat before Jin Rood's cooking?
8. What foods do you dislike? natto
9. What is your favorite potato chip? potato chips kind of gross me out but i used to LOVE dill pickle chips because they were soooo addicting... i can't remember the last time i had one...
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Soooo many. I'm kind of revisiting some classic Joanna music~ Copeland, Nickel Creek (did you hear they're taking a "break") Jack Johnson, ohhh yeah and Mitsuru made me a rocking Japanese mix. Rock on!
11. What kind of car do you drive? i don't have a car... and the more I'm in Japan, the more I realize I think I'll be okay without one. :) I think wherever I end up, I would like a red bike with a wicker basket. That way I can save on gas and payments won't keep me in America. Of course, if I live in Illinois, the winter will be cruel on my bike and my nose (i hate when my nose gets cold, don't you?) Soooo... red bike if God moves me somewhere nice. But that's a long time from now away.
12. Favorite Sandwich? Japan's Subway Ebi (shrimp) Avacado or America's Turkey Tom (no mayo, from Jimmy Johns)
13. What characteristics do you despise? Unforgiveness, lack of grace (i need a lot)
14. What are your favorite clothes? my GAP Jeans and a grey Hanes undershirt
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? California and Arizona
16. What color are your eyes? Green with brown around the pupil and little flecks of blue (my cousin Rikki told me that and it was a compliment that has stuck with me since)
17. Favorite brand of clothing? I'm not picky, gap jeans fit me the best, I like Japan's UNI QLO
18. Where would you want to retire? I'd love to move to move somewhere kind of crazy... keep on the move, go to a place somewhere, maybe a Japanese island and just grow old with the locals, working their gardens, loving them... who knows Japan, Africa, Canada, Illinois... I just want to continue learning about people and making people smile.
19. Favorite time of day? even though it's early, i love the mornings when I am the only one awake and the sun pours through my balcony window, i stumble into the kitchen, make a pot of coffee and curl up to read the Word or hang out in the sunshine in the quietness before anyone stirs. Sometimes I wake up just for that moment and then I go back to bed... ha ha!!
20. Where were you born? Rapid City, SD
21. What is your favorite sport to watch? right now? snowboarding half pipe...
24. Pepsi or Coke? um, coke i guess. diet
25. Cats or Dogs? Dogs
26. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Both, i cannot keep my eyes open for the life of me during the afternoon.
27. Pedicure or manicure? pedicure, i chew my nails (sorry but i do)
28. Do you prefer funny or mushy cards? neither, at this stage and season in my life, I just like cards that come in the snail mail. Anything besides advertising (we get a ton) and bills lights up my entire day.
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? I have exciting news but I can't share with anyone. Oh wait, I can tell you that I am skateboarding now. I decided it might help work my leg muscles to prepare me for snowboarding. And it's quicker to get to around... but let's just say I am learning... learning, learning, always learning.
30. What did you want to be when you were little? a singer in my family band. i always wanted my brothers to start a band and ask me to sing...
31. What do you have in your trunk right now? ha ha, why does that sound creepy? no car=no trunk
32. What is your best childhood memory? summertime with my brothers (when they didn't have school), Jonah taking me to the hospital gift store to get candy, Katie F. and dancing to the Beach Boys, parades in front of the house, dress-up (Katie, had thee best dresses) and having my hair brushed by my mother.
33. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? hostess, waitress, usher @ Hancher, head usher (oh yeah!!!), Barista at Java House, Superviser at JH, RA of Mayflower 8AB, intern staff 24/7, flower girl for BGI (groundskeeping~great job! I officially got the award for being the most distracting... ha ha!!), and now Nav staff.
34. Favorite Holiday? probably Christmas... but I have such HIGH expectations for Christmas that every year I am sadly disappointed. I can't help it but I always expect the same thing... everyone waking up SUPER early and opening our stockings, etc. One year I got mad at my brother's fiance (sorry Alaina) because she slept in and we couldn't open our gifts until she got up. I was like, "Aaaallllaina... do you want in this family or not?" ha ha!!! I can be somewhat of a Grinch, i guess. But it's all for a good cause. I just like the family traditions. I've given up the cookie making and decorating and the sleeping under the tree (although that's sad). Every year we used to sleep under the tree and then my brothers went and grew up. What a raw deal the youngest gets... we never fully grow up.
35. What is your favorite dessert? oh mygosh! Em, you got me HOOKED on strawberries and Cream Cheese Frosting but now I LOVE chocolate ice cream at the local conbini.
36. Favorite Summer getaway? the Grand Tetons... the boat we drove, Jonah eating Bubba's Beans, "What are Rocky Mountain Oysters, Dad?" OR OR OR MarkandRitaville (get it?) in Pensacola... the beautiful weather. Jordan trying to get me into Florabama. "So you're telling me that for $60 i can get a flute of champagne and a party hat? Even though New Years is in 11 minutes?" celebrating the new year on the beach, the five of us~ freezing our butts off and then Jonah on the pier.
37. Ever been to Africa? No, but I would love to go and visit my dear Mutinta.
38. Glasses or Contacts? contacts but actually both are okay
39. Ever been toilet papering? um, is Jamie K. reading this? the best toilet paper story is probably when we toilet papered Bruce High School during Homecoming Week. We thought we were being such bad kids. But no one ever caught us or said anything! Weak sauce. I wonder if I ever told my parents that?
40. Been in a car accident? yes
41. Favorite day of the week? Friday nights or the weekends
42. Favorite restaurant? the ketan sushi place on the strip, ohhh the sushi place in Shinjuku, the gouyza place near our apt., and the Roods house
43. Favorite flower? i don't know if I have a favorite. I love all flowers. I like crazy colors so maybe Gerber Daises right now are my favorite. But I love all flowers....
44. Favorite movies? Pride and Prejudice, Braveheart, Elizabethtown... too many more
45. Favorite Pastime? right now I am crocheting but I can't tell you who for cause that person might be reading... and that's another secret I can't share. tee hee hee!!
46. Favorite ice cream? my all-time favorites (in order~ hey, I don't take ice cream choices lightly!) Cake Batter with crushed graham crackers and sprinkles from Cold Stone, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk, and finally, C Square's (Chuo U) Maroon Ice Cream.
47. Favorite fast food restaurant? subway, jimmy john's
48. How many times did you fail your drivers test? none but wish me luck, I hear the Japanese test is a *beast* and I take it Dec/Jan.
49. From whom did you get your last email? JoPappa, the subject line says, "Hi from your Dad" and it's full of today's plans and encouragement from the Word. Rock on, JoNoPappa! I love you!
50. Sandals or tennis shoes? tennis shoes?? ew gross! My toes have to be free! i wore out my Crocs and my Tevas. I'm in the market for some new flip flops!
51. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? REI ~it would also be the QUICKEST maxing out. I could probably beeline straight to what I wanted.
52. If the speed limit is 60 what is the fastest you will drive? um, wait I have to remember... i think somewhere around 68~ real close but not quite 10 over.
53. Bedtime? Oh man, no clue. When I finally crash....
55. Last person you went to dinner with? mary and i had dinner tonight? but go out? Oh yeah, Mary, Aileen (shiz staff), Kanako and I went to subway in tama cen after onsen....
56. What are you listening to right now? My top 25 mix... right now? Anna Nalick
57. What is your favorite color? Blue or green
58. How many tattoos do you have? one but if you get a hold of EH can you convince him to draw me another. He escaped my pleading in Japan when he was here so I'm waiting...
60. What time did you finish this email? 11:47PM Japan time, 8:47AMCST

Half the fun

Click on video
This is your chance to join in on the rollercoaster fun. However, be forewarned that I consider screaming half the fun. Mary and I spent the day with Natsumi and Ayumi riding rollercoasters in downtown Tokyo. Cho tanoshikatta (it was a lot of fun)!!!

Click here for my daydreams

Seriously, how can I not get ahead of myself...
Colorado just got 5-20 inches of fresh snow... REI sent me their "winter gear" emailer....

ladies and gentleman, soon... or so very soon, it's going to be boarding season. Snowboarding season that is. I just checked out the REI womens snowboards for 2006-2007. Dream on, but oh, so much fun!

Mark and I are contemplating a BEST trip to Hokkaido the northernmost island where the snowboarding is said to be the best. We have a lot of snowboarders in our club and on our staff. So let the good times roll...
wandering what I daydream about after the last post? Click here for my daydreams. ha ha!!

Jezebel, Daydreams, Anemia

Okay, so I am having a random night of thoughts. I have about five blogs started in my mind as I process and sort through the post-it notes of my brain.
Don't forget to talk about your friend, says one.
Don't forget about reading James and being hugely convicted, says another.

Yet, I have chosen three that are the most fun and biggest of the post-it notes.

"I always thought it would be so daring to go into a Sunday School class and do a devotional called, "Why I admire Jezebel." Let me tell you why I admire Jezebel. She had zeal for her gods. She was decisive, purposeful, and comprehensively dedicated to her causes, She never faltered from the training of her youth. She had poise and perspective in the time of crisis. She knew her mind, made decisions, organized her domain to meet her purposes. She had long-term vision and persevered. All of these characteristics which are basic to the mistress of the domain aspect, Jezebel had in abundance. The probem was she had these characteristics going in the wrong direction." Five Aspects of a Woman; Mouser, Brenda

The Five Aspects study has hugely rocked my boat. I am only on the first aspect, second part but I am already wanting to embrace not only my own femininity but every woman in my presence, along with writing every man in my life and telling him, "I believe in you." I feel like God has prepared me throughout time for this study so that I would be ready to hear it and embrace what He is teaching me.

If you are not familiar with it, sorry I'm not explaining it thoroughly. It basically explains that there are Five Aspects from the Bible that are true of every woman throughout ALL of history. We are on the first aspect which is, "Mistress of the Domain". Along with each of these aspects then they are broken down into three categories; created (what we were to be), fallen (what we are), redeemed (what we are through Christ).

I am studying about the Domain aspect, the fallen portion and I have wanted to shout, "Amen!", cry over my sinfulness and ask to be humbled at the thought of what God has saved me from.

Sometimes I forget where I truly came from. I think, "Oh, look at me I've come so far." But I am reminded through this that it is not a "long time ago" that I dealt with sin but just a moment ago.

They did a short synaposis on Ruth also, and I am just so convicted by this quote, "Her name is synonymous with loyalty, faith, service, joy, and love. She is one of the last whom God has made first, a mother of Christ, and a blessing to the whole world." (pg. 44)

Whoa! Man, talk about an amazing study. After this, I randomly read through James and found this verse in chapter 3, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." Ahhhh.... I just to pray these things into my life and into the lives of the women I am blessed to know and minister with (and to). Can you imagine if we sought the Lord with such devotion that our names would become synonymous with loyalty, faith.... and if we asked the Lord to humble us in such a way that we would be opened to His wisdom which is first PURE and then peaceable, gently.... merciful... I am challenged to pray these things for my friends and for myself.

Woman, on their powerful relational level, can love and nurture the heart. But because we are sinful we also know where to "hit" to make it count. Why do you think girls are often so petty and angry in junior high and high school? And continuining on? We are sinful beings and we, unfortuntaly know where to hurt people the most, the heart~ because God has given us the key to unlocking and relating on that heart level.

Wow!! I just want to be a BIG SPONGE and soak this all up... while allowing God to speak into my own life.

Another thing I have been pondering is "daydreams"... do you think daydreams can be dangerous? I frequently have daydreams when I am walking home from campus... and I wonder (daydream, if you will) about how much of my life I spend in daydreams. Is it more necessary that I invest my mind and memorize scripture during this time or pray for people? Or are daydreams harmless?

I guess that somewhat depends on the daydreams, too, huh? Hmmm... just something to think about.

And finally, I have (successfully) diagnosed myself as being anemic. It all started when I cut my finger with a knife and didn't stop bleeding until the next morning. So I thought, hmmm I'm anemic and I was reminded by my brother, Jordan, that that is not anemia. And that my frequent dizzy spells are caused by my age range. Jordan says, "Over 50% of girls your age have a period of lightheadedness. Go get some multivitamins." So I decided I would shrug it off as a simple "period" of life and deal with it.

Then today, after a walk to my english play group (which I teach not attend~ ha ha) I was sitting with the kids and I stood up, way too quickly I guess because I almost passed out right then and there. It was my worst spell by far. I really almost toppled over onto my kids, which would have caused a widespread freaking out, giving them a chance to start screaming and running out of the class had I really fainted on top of one of them. However, I managed to stop the room from spinning. But now I am laying in bed, drinking my second HUGE glass of water (am I dehydrated?) before I go to bed. And I am feeling weak. Hmmm... multivitamins might not be enough. I may need a doctor.

Also, is anemia hereditary? Because then I know for sure I have it.

Anyway, if you are still reading this random post, I apologize. Must be my anemia getting the better of me.... now I will let you go, ponder the other four aspects of woman and I am off to search WebMD before I get a "you are not anemic" post from Jordan and then turning in to bed. Oh, yeah and my finger finally stopped bleeding but now it is red and hurts, so I am waiting for the gangrene to set in before I self-operate.

Ha ha! I am such a drama Queen. Can you tell I miss my mother giving me sympathy?

Nagano

Like I promised, here is a recap (via pictures) of Mary and my time in Nagano.
Also, like I promised. Many pictures of how beautiful it was there in the mountains.
This is how excited I was to see the leaves changing their colors! Wow!

So seeing, the trees changing their colors was as exciting as I thought and I really enjoyed the cooler mountain air. What a gift from God to be in Nagano. What a fun weekend Mary and I had with Norio and his family.

Norio took us to see this three layered temple. It's amazing and was made completely without nails. Crazy!

At one of the temples we visited, Mary, Norio and I drank from the cleansing water. It was from a hot spring nearby and so it tasted and smelled like boiled (or old) eggs. But it was good. It looks cold but it was hot. Hence, the origin, hot spring I guess I missed that part.

Norio is a BEST club member, who graduated last spring. He has a huge heart to know Jesus. And has written many essays/thoughts on Christ and his respect for Jesus. I am impressed with Norio's faith and his love for Jesus. Norio first respected Jesus as a man, which is something I am learning and want to learn how to do more so.

Norio's sister, in Japan siblings call each other by "brother" or "sister" so I called her "onechan" all weekend which means, "older sister". It's a pet name and more casual I think than using their names.

Ottosan (Father) is making some yummy rice ball dessert thingys. (that's not the technical name!) They are sooo good. I ate so much good food this weekend. Norio's Mama is an amazing cook and Japanese food is always a treat when you are in someone's home.

So random but awesome picture. I was in the back of the car when the windows were down so my hair was everywhere. So I like this picture caus it's just random and my hair looks crazy!

Norio's family has a huge garden (schupbachs, think like two or three times Grandma's old one). They sent us home with a TON of vegetables and rice from their field. They actually didn't grow rice this year, Norio told us. To which I replied in my "going-downhill" english, "Oh, so you gave your field rest?" ha ha!!

Mary loves the mountains and fall almost as much as me. tee hee hee! She's so cute.

No joke! This is how you grow mushrooms! They grow in these trunk holes. See the white dots? That's where mushrooms were already plucked. Cool huh? They have huge fields of these mushrooms growing under trees that are growing close together so that they field is shaded and cool.

Norio loves the mountain. Doesn't he totally look like Peter Pan?

a waterfall we passed by

Here we are, by the waterfall, Mary, Onechan, Onechan's fiance, Jo and Norio

Then Onechan an her fiance introduced us to "dombo" (sp?) it's sledding down a hill on cardboard. Yes, they actually have a name for it besides, "sledding with cardboard". It was SO much fun but we got so dirty. Here Mary tests out her cardboard.

Norio

AS if that wasn't a ton of fun, then they took us "mallet golfing" which the best way I can describe it is a combination between mini golf and croquet. You have this croquet like mallet but you hit like it is a mini golf course. EXCEPT it's longer than a mini golf course and the whole thing was in the woods. So we had this huge uphills and downhills and leaves and sticks interruptng our course. It was beautiful and so much fun.
Here is Onechan driving her first shot. We got to whack the ball pretty hard cause the course was long. So it was fun to take some hardshots.

Norio tries to sink his in the hole.

Such a beautiful weekend! Takashi (fiance), Onechan (her name is Misuzu), Mary, Norio, and Jo... don't I look really short here? I don't know why I look so short. Must be cause I'm next to Norio?? Ha ha!! Yay for Nagano and visiting Norio. It was an amazing weekend!