Sushi Lovers

Re-adopted!

2012-01-08T22:47:00.003-05:00

Seven months ago, when I realized we were headed back to Japan as missionaries, I gave up both my "boys", Chibi (Japanese for tiny), and Spot. It was so hard to do! I've had dogs as long as I can remember. I've really missed them. Chibi was adopted out rather quickly to a retired pastor and his wife, but Spot, after 7 months, was still not chosen by anyone looking for a dog. Over the last weeks I started asking Dave if we could get him back. To make a long story short, my dear, dear husband said yes! We re-adopted Spot, and we're taking him with us to Japan! So Spot, the terrified dog who was about to be euthanized at the pound, is ours again and he's going to Japan! The re-called missionaries are going to Japan with their re-adopted dog!

Family pictures

2012-01-01T17:50:00.000-05:00

I asked my kids if we could please have our picture taken as a family since Dave and I are moving overseas. So Erin's brother, Phil, took these for us.

Christmas Fun with Family

2011-12-28T15:41:00.002-05:00

Thank you personalized with Smilebox

Dave Turns 60!

2011-12-13T16:24:00.002-05:00

This month Dave turned 60 years old, and it was quite a celebration. He was showered with many emails of congratulations (or condolences) and words of encouragement. Some dear friends came during the day and BALLOONED (is that a word?) our house while he was at work! Neil and Dale, thank you!

THEN, our kids drove 9 hours to surprise their dad for his birthday! They came on Friday and went back on Saturday, arriving home around 3 am! Thank you, Dave and Erin, for the best gift EVER!

Beautiful Fall Day Walk

2011-11-05T10:06:00.000-05:00

What a glorious day! The wonder of God's creation was on full display today as Barbara and I took a walk nearby.

Home Sweet Home

2011-10-29T21:24:00.000-05:00

It's almost 10:30pm. This is Barb writing for Dave, who is soaking in the tub and I think has fallen asleep! I know I can speak for him and all the team and say thank you for your prayers and for following them on this journey. May God receive all the glory! Sleep well, weary guys!

Japan Relief Trip - Day 8 - Thursday

2011-10-27T06:46:00.002-05:00

This morning we left our beloved Takayama cabin and made the trip back to Chiba in 7 hours and 40 minutes.

Front view of the cabin

A wildflower in our front yard

Lots of highway workers

More tsunami damaged vehicles

GPS not working anymore

On the highway. Look closely - he's plugged in!

A cemetery

All these next pics are of people we passed on the highway. Just a little fun on a long trip...

OK, enough of that! Here's a few more pix...

Japanese apartment buildings called danchi

You have to read and think quick

Red parts indicate where the traffic jams are at the moment

At the toll booth

Finally back in Chiba and ended the day with a visit to the "kaiten zushi" place - motorized revolving sushi counter

Sweet dreams, and see you tomorrow!

Japan Relief Trip - Day 7 Wednesday

2011-10-26T08:31:00.003-05:00

Today was our last day of work in Ishinomaki. It has been a great time of kingdom service.

The project leader was Jordan Foxwell, an MK who knew our children Dave and Erin back in CAJ (Christian Academy in Japan) days.

Each house crawl space has several inches of tsunami mud sediment that has to be removed by shovel and bagged for disposal.

Some bags of mud stacked outside

This is what Dave fell through, trying to carry too heavy a bag in a late afternoon darkened room when he was too tired.

But it's all worth it when a house comes together...

...and a family gets to move back in. This is the Abe family, a mother, daughter and grandchild. They were swept away in the tsunami and separated. The mother was able to swim to an unknown house and got into a second story window where she spent the night till the water subsided. The daughter became exhausted and lost sight of her daughter and was ready to give up when the daughter suddenly popped to the surface, and they too were able to get into a second floor window, and were all finally reunited. The mom is holding the family nameplate which is affixed to the entry gate. She is waiting to be able to attach it to their newly refurbished house. Thank you for your generous gifts which make all this possible!

Jim standing in the doorway of another house we worked on

This is a house dedication ceremony, the event we all wait for when songs of thanksgiving and prayers are offered to the Lord. The families don't seem to mind. This is another example of how the tsunami "washed" the gospel into homes we would never have had the opportunity to enter otherwise.

This is a place called Matsushima which translates as "Pine Island," a bit different from the Lake Murray place by the same name!

May there come a day when not one of the over 4,000 islands that comprise Japan has not heard the gospel of grace of our Lord. Thank you again for your prayers, money and love given to the dear people of Japan.

Tomorrow we head back to Chiba, a 5 to 9 hour trip, depending on traffic and how often we have to stop.

Japan Relief Trip - Day 6 - Tuesday

2011-10-25T07:02:00.002-05:00

Starting the day tearing out sheet rock, flooring and digging out tsunami mud

We tore out all the way to floor joists and then got down between the joists to shovel out tsunami mud

And of course we had to eat

The Samaritan's Purse truck - we worked through their office in Ishinomaki

They have done 60 houses out of 100

Obento lunches were delivered to us

Inside walls cleared of sheet rock

David and son Tim from Austin TX - the team we joined up with

My lunch

Lunch time!

The owner's god shelf intact - we respected her wishes

Wilson and Jim lunching in the van

Piles of trash sorted and bagged

Another Samaritan's Purse house - just met this team

Paul and I walked around to find people we had helped during our first trip back in April, and found 3 of the 4 home! It was a great reunion and good contact with them.

Paul with Chad, another guy on the Austin TX team

Stefan tearing out sheet rock

Evans cleaning up sheet rock, preparing for the new stuff

Floor coming up

Then Dave fell through the floor and hit two joists. He has five sore spots and is not looking forward to waking up tomorrow. Wait, let me rephrase that.

Paul took me to a nearby clinic where the doc and nurses seemed to have a great time fixing me up. We made them pose for a picture.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Japan Relief Trip - Day 5 - Monday

2011-10-24T07:05:00.000-05:00

Back to Ishinomaki, cleaning out houses and finishing Mr. Ishikawa's kitchen

Stefan and Evans tearing out sheet rock

Steve goes at it

Lots of police cars from different areas of Japan came to help

Almost strange to see a normal house

Almost finished!

Mr. Ishikawa's house

Ready for work

Portable propane tanks for cooking and soon for heating too

Portable generator for a laptop!

Dave and a happy Mr. Ishikawa with his new kitchen

Wilson and Mr. Ishikawa in front of new stuff! He barely escaped the tsunami, and his wife clung to the top of their refrigerator for nearly a day. Their dog was trapped inside the car for over a day but was rescued by a passerby. The new friend comes to see the dog ("Bonito") every week. Mr. Ishikawa was a fishing boat captain who would catch up to 1,000 tuna per trip.

Dave trying to explain to Mr. Ishikawa why he has no water

Wilson and Dave with the gas man who hooked up the gas table

Built in dishwasher, too

Jim & Mr. Ishikawa

The gas table comes to life

Japan Relief Trip - Day 4 (Sunday) Continued

2011-10-23T04:22:00.002-05:00

We worshiped today at Help Tohoku's refurbished house in the midst of the tsunami damage. Asako has spent 3 years in the US and came to help.

It was quite an unusual service, with people from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Africa

At the end of the message, Mr. Konno (to my left) a Japanese man, prayed to receive Christ! He had ridden his bicycle from Tokyo (!) The African man is a traveling evangelist, and his wife is German.

To say the people who brought Mr. Konno to the service were overjoyed is an understatement. The man on the left in the red shirt said he was an unbeliever, but wanted to think more about becoming a Christian first.

Please pray for your new brother in Christ, that he might be enfolded into a good fellowship of believers soon.

After church we went to a yaki niku restaurant where you cook your own meat at the table.

After we got home, we walked on the same beach Paul & I walked on back in April which was just 6 weeks after the tsunami. The cliff in the background is the same general view. This shows just how much has been cleaned up.

Japan Relief Trip - Day 4 - Sunday Sunrise

2011-10-22T18:14:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday morning around 6, with a beautiful sunrise

Paul is headed to preach at his dad's church about an hour away, the Gilberts are headed to the Evangelical Free Church in Sendai, and I will be preaching at the Help Tohoku HQ in Ishinomaki (in yesterday's pictures).

Happy Lord's Day to you all!

Japan Relief Trip - Day 3

2011-10-22T17:33:00.001-05:00

On the way to the work site, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants, 7-11

The dirt and gravel parking lot we used for the distribution

Setting up tents, generator and cooking stuff in the rain

Evans putting up the tent wall

Wilson, Jim and Dave on the way to help a man with installation of new kitchen set up

Out with the old (notice high water mark just above my head

The new stove, called a gas table

Jim working on plumbing, with limited tools

Almost done!

The Help Tohoku HQ onsite, right in the middle of the devastation. MTW is renting this facility as a base of operations.

The front of Help Tohoku, where much of your money went over our two trips

Evans and Steve after a long day's work

Paul's job was to hold the van door open :-)

Street view - people still live in these conditions

Even though many lives were uprooted, new life is springing forth!

Advertisement for children's meeting

They found a home center that had kerosene stoves at a great price, but it was two per customer. So all the missionaries lined up and bought them to hand out to needy families.

And of course the food -- you gotta eat, right?

Japan Relief Trip - Day 2

2011-10-21T08:33:00.000-05:00

It's Friday night. Our first full day was spent packing two vehicles, a van and a flatbed truck, and taking 9 hours for a 5 hour trip. We arrived at our staging area safely and ready for a good day's work tomorrow.

We started with a guy breakfast of toast, cereal, one pop-tart, and coffee

Good ole Kellogg's Frosted Flakes - taste good in Japanese, too

Steve scrambled up a dozen eggs. Wait, make that 10

Using the gas table burner in our little kitchen

The instant water heater over the kitchen sink

Took us awhile to get our bearings in the kitchen, but we did it

The entry way to our humble home in Chiba

Dave & Stefan outside waiting to pack up for the road trip

Steve & Stefan having close fellowship

Stefan found this guy outside our house this morning. This is a macro close-up, meaning I was less than 2 inches from him as I took it. His body was about an inch and a half long.

The entrance to Honda Chapel

The lush greenery was amazing

Dave when he found out the flatbed truck he was to drive was straight drive

Paul when HE found out the truck Dave was to drive was straight drive

Getting ready to head north for the 5 (or 9) hour trip

Just about ready

Stuck in traffic! We saw a lot of the back of Wilson's head

We stopped for lunch at a rest area with a wonderful noodle shop

Stefan very excited about Paul's lunch

Five of us had this fried pork cutlet with shredded cabbage, rice and soup lunch

Wilson expressing just a little too much joy over his

Heated seats, auto motion sensing flush, and...

...well, you figure out what the blue circle might mean

Standard post office box

Don't know if it's still true but I read once that Japan has one vending machine for every 22 people.

Well, we finally made it to our cabin at Takayama where Paul and I stayed last April. We will sleep here (pics to come) each night, doing different jobs and ministries as needed each day. Tomorrow sounds exciting - a coffee house time with a hot lunch served with opportunities to share with residents who have been coming each week since the tsunami hit on March 11. Then helping deliver or install some cabinets, and possibly some mud clean out work.

We do have limited wi-fi here at the cabin so I should be able to post regular updates. Thanks again for your prayers and love! My emergency root canal has given me really very little pain and soreness. We are all very tired and continuing to get over jet lag, but excited for all the Lord will do in us, through us, and even in spite of us.

Arrived Safely in Japan

2011-10-20T06:53:00.000-05:00

After a long exhausting trip we arrived safely and on time.

Leaving Columbia

Waiting to board in Atlanta. (Shoes are off!)

Job 38:22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail?"

On the train headed to Chiba

Finally set up with emails and Internet! Bur we won't have access after tonight for a long while!

Missionaries to Japan - Again

2011-10-01T20:37:00.002-05:00

It was a grueling week at Interview and Orientation at Mission to the World headquarters in Atlanta. Psychological tests, medical exams, support raising training, prayer times, devotions from wonderful godly MTW leaders, and even good home cooked food!

Thirty-nine new missionaries were approved for service to a number of countries around the world.

Met good friends, some new, some from before...

We are ready to go back to Japan!

Staff Retreat at Whitewater Center in Charlotte

2011-08-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

Beautiful place on a beautiful day

Is John's pose a wee bit troubling?

Clay scans one horizon...

...and then the other

The zip line launching tower

We made it through Mega-Zip!

Vicki's not-so-subtle plan to get the whole office for herself

Not us, but we were in rafts like these

The "Rooster Tail" where Dave drank a gallon or two

No problem, we qualify

Vicki & Danielle before Danielle made her go on the ropes course

Vicki and Danielle after the ropes course

And a video of the ropes course - -

Still Waiting for Irene

2011-08-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

And now, a picture of Irene!

At the Beach Just Before Irene

2011-08-23T20:23:00.003-05:00

A Wonderful Day at the Lake

2011-08-18T14:59:00.000-05:00

You're WHAT???!!!

2011-08-07T22:07:00.006-05:00

We told our church a few weeks ago that we believe that God is calling us BACK to Japan at age 59 and after being back in the States for 13 years! Some moments we look at each other incredulously and say "What are we doing!!????" But most times we have a childlike, peaceful, quiet KNOWING that we're just following our King...as has always been our desire. Our hearts are full and our minds race; remembering the past years in Japan...

...and our trip there last summer:

...and at the same time LOVING our family and church family here:

...yet not able to forget what we saw through Dave and Paul's trip after the earthquake and tsunami:

...and feeling a call, a desire to go back to those people who have suffered so much and who have blessed us and taught us and enriched our lives.

Lord, You have been our faithful Guide and Shepherd, Loving Father, Powerful Savior. We trust You for the future. You are the sure foundation for our times; the only foundation that cannot be shaken. Our lives are in Your strong, loving hands. By Your grace and enabling, we will follow You...gladly!

Tea Party for Japan

2011-07-02T10:13:00.004-05:00

Several days ago my good friend, Pat, sponsored

"A Tea Party for Japan" (日本のためのテイーパーテイー)

in her backyard.

Many ladies donated their homemade crafts and all ages came to "buy" the goods. All monies were sent directly to Japan to help with the relief work there. Young girls wrote notes to children in the devastated areas of Japan and enjoyed dressing dolls up in the beautiful clothes that Pat's mother made for her Barbie dolls when she was growing up. About $1500 was donated! It was a great day of fellowship and outreach to the people of Japan.

Fun with the kids and grandkids

2011-06-02T18:49:00.000-05:00

Panorama View of Onagawa

2011-04-26T21:03:00.003-05:00

This is 5 pictures stitched together to get a wide view of Onagawa. Click for a larger view. Notice the building a bit right of center has been toppled over by the tsunami. I'm standing in a hospital parking lot which was designated as a tsunami evacuation place, but the water came up even higher and swept away all those who had made it up here to what they thought was safety. The tsunami came through the inlet in the far distance and rose 100 feet high.

Tsunami Relief Trip to Sendai

2011-04-22T09:56:00.004-05:00

Tank from somewhere in a parking lot

Much of the tsunami damage was done as the water receded. There were three tsunamis and three receding floods.

Hard to identify everything

So much to be done

A car washed up the side of a hill

Cooking pot

This emergency alert system may have saved some lives before it was knocked down

A beach chair caught on the side of a hill

Unopened diapers

Sea freight containers washed up on beach

Hope he made it

Some days breakfast was a granola bar, sometimes cereal

Still cold enough to snow!

We linked up to a team from New City Fellowship in Chattanooga

Hard to imagine the power of a tsunami

T-shirts I bought in Lexington being offered during distribution in a parking lot

A refrigerator and other debris

The whole team after distribution

Notice people are living on the second floor. Lots of homes had electricity on 2nd floor but not first due to mud and debris.

There were piles of debris and appliances and clothes along each street, sometimes taller than me.

As things were swept along, odd collections were caught together.

As the water pressure built as the water rushed through, walls burst and debris poured through the holes.

We gave these boys a little Nerf football I bought at K-Mart in Lexington. They all were so grateful for everything and gladly received it. Many asked where we were from and couldn't believe our answers. One lady just had a puzzled look on her face and asked me, "Why would you come so far?" I told her we just wanted to help.

Paul Bishop from First Baptist in Lexington was invaluable due to his fluent Japanese (he was born in Japan as a missionary kid and planted a church just miles from where we worked) and because of his training as a counselor. People reported saying they were having a hard time distinguishing reality from dreams. We did a bit too - several team members said they dreamed there was an earthquake the night before, and there really was one. We had fairly strong aftershocks every night for the last few night we we were there.

One man said his family rushed upstairs when the alarm sounded but were sickened to find his cousin floating dead in the downstairs hallway at the bottom of the steps.

These logs showed up in this neighborhood from a lumber mill far away.

We have been able to revisit people over the weeks and see how they are doing. Here one of our team members is checking on this lady from a previous visit. She grabbed the hands of her children as the water swept them up. She lost her grip on her three year old daughter and she didn't make it. Kristi is comforting her as a mom herself, and she let us pray for her. Her five year old son who made it is visible in the doorway.

We cleaned all the debris out of the yard of one lady and she invited us in to see the downstairs. They were living upstairs. Here is the high water mark in the hall.

The power was on but all switch plates had been removed to check for shorts and debris.

This is the family that survived - husband was out at the time.

Note Volunteer tags taped to our legs. That's where they wanted them because as the day got warmer, upper layers came off.

There as a bad odor everywhere due to rotting mud and dead fish.

Ishinomaki was one of the hardest hit areas.

There were 5 cars caught here and piled up. Two have been removed. The family below had just run to their car and barely drove away in time. One lady said she and another lady were swept away and muddy water choked her. Her foot got caught on something and she couldn't float to the surface. Then a neighbor reached down and pulled her up by her collar.

We cleaned mud out of their front yard and washed the high water mark off the outside wall.

These are their neighbors who also escaped just in time.

Loading our flatbed with supplies.

Samaritan's Purse has had a great impact and given away volumes of supplies.

Ishinomaki Christ Church was flooded but has recovered enough to be a distribution center.They are planning to have Easter services.

People lined up for a total of 4 hours the day we arrived. We delivered our supplies and handed out food, water and Beanie Babies to those in line.

I was amazed to find two guys doing clean up work that I had known well from our early days in Japan with SEND International.

This little girl and her mother took us around for a tour of her hometown of Onagawa. The lady's mother narrowly escaped the tsunami as it swept in the pics below. She and 60 others scrambled up the hill in the background, built a fire and huddled in the snow all night. Due to the configuration of the valley, the water didn't recede much at all. They were rescued the next day.

The valley floor had no recognizable structures left, only cement foundations outlining where they had been.

Japanese Self Defense forces were all around

This tank floated in from somewhere

Self Defense forces surveying progress of debris removal

Mostly it was a matter of just bulldozing rubble into piles to be carted off, which could take years.

Children's toys at the church distribution center.

Our team spent the night at the church, but there was no heat and no hot water.

Romans 5:5 - This hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

We found an 81 year old man living in a tiny house behind the church. He escaped the 5 foot high tsunami but went right back to his house later, after everyone else moved away or went into the shelter set up nearby. He wouldn't leave, and slept in a damp bed and walked on muddy tatami mat floors. He ate cup noodle cooked on a portable gas burner. We cleaned everything out and made arrangements through the church to get new bedding and supplies.

At the church I ran into more friends from before, from a church in Otsuki City where good friends from CIU live. They were helping clean the house.

Here is Mr. Kimura in front of his freshly cleaned house. What a joy and privilege to help him in Jesus' name. Paul found a little shrine that had almost no damage and out of respect asked if he wanted to keep it. He said no it's okay we could throw it out. We told him Sunday was Easter and asked if he wanted to come to church. He said maybe.

Day 5 - Strategy Meeting and Grace City Church

2011-04-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

MTW Japan's latest church plant is Grace City Church in Ginza in the heart of Tokyo. Here is the entrance.

Concert after worship

The street in front of the church

______________________

We are heading north to the disaster area in a few minutes, Monday morning here. Will likely be unable to post for a few days.

Day 4 - Trip to Iwaki City

2011-04-16T19:56:00.002-05:00

Today we drove 4 hours into Iwaki City to serve food, give out toys, ball caps, SC T-shirts, beef jerky and try to minister to those who are suffering. This area didn't receive extensive damage but a number are displaced even though able to sleep in their homes.

One of our team prepares food at Honda Chapel before leaving.

List of things to take - gas burner, water, tea, kettles, tables, lights, etc.

Portable gas burner for cooking

Almost ready to depart

Our group, joined by a team that had just arrived from Chattanooga

The car I helped drive, full of team spirit!

Yes, that's kilometers per hour, not miles.

We worked through the ministry of Global Outreach Center, a church that is spearheading relief efforts. The bigger the group, the more shoes in the entry way.

Our group waiting at Global for our instructions

Outside Global's building - lots of groups coming through to help. These are some fire fighters from California and Nevada.

This is outside the building we served at. Not too much damage compared to other places, and no tsunami here. Had it only been earthquake and no tsunami anywhere the damage and loss of life would have been much less.

Setting up and cooking

Big urn for hot tea, stirring pot of sweet black and red bean "soup", a favorite dessert in Japan

The group next to us cooking the main course, a chicken stew I think. It sure smelled delicious!

An interested visitor

Cooking the dessert

Paul was able to meet up with friends from Iwaki from 14 years ago when he was a missionary here.

On the way there was another fairly strong earthquake while we were on the highway (this pic is from the first big one over a month ago). They closed the expressway and we had to get off and use side roads which delayed our arrival, but by God's grace we made it in time.

We continue to pray that as God shakes our world in mercy that many would
turn to him and receive forgiveness and grace.

I couldn't help but think of Steve Green's song based on Hebrews 11:10 -

I'm looking for the city with a true foundation
A home in the heavens not made by hands
Its designer and builder is the Lord of the ages
He prepared it for me
Before the world began

We ended with singing in the lobby of the building. I didn't take pictures or video of the people because it didn't seem appropriate, but they clapped after each song and really seemed to appreciate the food served for their souls, too.

Day 2

2011-04-15T03:41:00.003-05:00

Today was a work day around the home base at Honda Chapel. We will be going north tomorrow for a one day trip to Iwaki. Today we helped move some appliances from the missionary storage shed to a "new" rental house which the team leased for the many groups likely to be coming in the future. Then we built some storage shelves in a small building near the home base

This morning we were briefed on the work done so far and on future strategy. Pastor Takata has been doing a lot of the organizing work and is showing Paul some of the details.

My first time driving since coming back. We went to pick up materials for the shelving. I only turned on the wipers twice when trying to turn. Then Paul drove home - first time driving in Japan in 14 years! It did make us feel more useful going by ourselves and not taking up valuable staff members' time. They are so tired after such a long hard time in the earthquakes' aftermath. Many aftershocks but we haven't felt any yet.

Working on the shelving.

Done!

Japan Relief Trip

2011-04-14T05:36:00.003-05:00

Getting packed up. United Airlines waived fees on four bags each.

(Click images for larger view)

Pretty varied assortment of stuff!

Clay came to pray for us

Team mate Paul Bishop and good friend Shelley

Interviewed by Hannah Horne WIS-TV
Click here to watch.

Ready to depart Columbia

In Chicago O'Hare in plenty of time to connect

Catching up on stuff

Our plane

All Nippon Airways food

The stewardess took our picture

Sometimes only heaven's perspective makes sense of our paths

Never seen this before - Immigration almost deserted

We HAD to eat again

We are based at Honda Chapel in Chiba. Tohoku is the name of the larger area where the earthquake and tsunami hit.

Several pics of a Sunday School room taken over as headquarters

Bob Drews, MTW Chiba missionary, and team mate Paul Bishop

Paul and I will probably be here at the home base doing assigned tasks for a day or so and then go north to help directly with relief efforts. It is a 6-7 hour drive. The other three members of our team arrived here Tuesday and left at 3 this morning to drive up.

Need sleep! Barely running on jet lag fumes. Should be able to post tomorrow before going north.

Thanks again so much for your prayers!

See Paul's blog here.

Baptism, Christmas and Ice Storm

2011-01-11T21:03:00.002-05:00

Catching up on the blog since tomorrow is the third day of closings due to snow and ice!

Ella and Dave before the service in which Kate was baptized, Dec. 19, 2010

Beautiful stained glass windows

Both sets of grandparents were there!

Before the service

Kate, the guest of honor

Family row before service

Dave and I did a tile project in their new family room / man cave. To save money the hearth was unfinished so we finished it.

Done!

Another project was to install a GFI outlet in their bathroom. Previous owner was using the "fixture" on the left - an extension cord tacked to the wall with a sheet rock screw.

One night we drove through this huge light display. Probably 50+ displays.

Kate chewing on some kind of oversize toxic glowing pacifier

One night we went to B's house for dinner. Here's a macro of greenery on her porch in the snow.

Had a wonderful time, watched Charlie Brown's Christmas, had a delicious meal from B's kitchen, and opened stockings.

Ella was in a Christmas Eve presentation and candlelight service

Our Christmas Eve feast back at Dave & Rinny's

Trying to calm down and go to bed on Christmas Eve

Christmas morning (yes, it was snowing!)

Lucy, Ella and Baba decorated a gingerbread house

Lexington got 4-5 inches of snow followed by a coating of ice Jan. 9 that closed us down for 3 days

A New Dog

2010-11-23T22:55:00.002-05:00

After Conan died, I tried to keep our household to one dog...I really did...for a whole 2 weeks. Then I gave in and rescued a new little boy.

See Spot.

See Spot cuddle.

See Spot pose. Smile, Spot, Smile!

See Spot walk. Walk, Spot, walk!

See Spot hang around.

(By the way, Dave's parents' names were Dick and Jane!)

If you don't understand why this is funny, you're just not old enough!

Conan the Barbarian XIV

2010-10-27T18:10:00.000-05:00

After nine years of joy, we had to put Conan to sleep on Monday. We rescued him when he was three years old after his owner committed suicide. He was a purebred chihuahua, with papers and everything; that's how we know his full name of Conan the Barbarian XIV! He loved us and strangers well, jumping up into the lap of people he didn't even know. I would take him to the Assisted Living place in our town and he patiently let the folks there love on him and listened with me as they told their stories about their dogs they had to leave behind when they entered the home. He loved to ride in the car, sitting in my lap as I drove, hoping we'd go through a drive through. He loved his Mimi, my mom, and would perk up and jump around when I said "Wanna go see Mimi?" He was a power to be reckoned with when it came to meeting other dogs on walks, having no thought at all of being height-challenged. Conan was patient with the grandkids...almost always. He was petrified of thunderstorms, and love for my husband grew exponentially when I saw him pick up trembling Conan and walk him around the house, holding him and talking comfortingly. Thank You, Lord, for our Conan!

B-17 Comes to Columbia

2010-10-19T19:52:00.011-05:00

Through a generous gift I was able to fly on Aluminum Overcast, a B-17G Flying Fortress. It was amazing!

Some mementos for sale

Thankfully we didn't need this

Spark plugs for the Wright Cyclone engines

Waist gunner position

Ball turret in belly

.50 cal. ammo supply

In the bombardier's position. On the way to the target he was also a machine gunner.

Bombardier's chair

Enjoyed myself immensely

Lake Murray

Bomb bay control panel

Hydraulics for something

One of 4 bomb racks

Radio and other controls

A great experience thinking about all our brave veterans have done for us

.50 cal. waist gun mount, sight, ammo feed

The top hatch was open the whole time! We could stick out our heads and take pics. It was only a few degrees cooler than on the ground, but VERY breezy. This is a view facing rear.

Back on the ground, walking around the plane

Not as bad as some nose art

One of the pilots

Close-up of one of the Wright Cyclones

Side entry to the lower ball turret. The shortest smallest guys were used here. Note cramped orientation in diagram pic below.

Token artsy pic

Macro of brake line for main landing gear wheel. Simply amazing how much detail and how many exposed parts.

Here's video of the engines starting up. My camera's video isn't fast enough to catch the props spinning at higher speeds. They look like they are barely running but actually were a blur with a yellow circle at the tips.

More videos of takeoff, view out of the top hatch, walk through the bomb bay, flight deck and cockpit, and a "crawl through" to the nose bomb sight. I was very aware that these guys were in their early twenties and I am not.

Buckle Up

2010-10-18T20:34:00.001-05:00

You might want to be sure your subwoofer is on.

2010 South Carolina State Fair

2010-10-15T13:17:00.002-05:00

We took our almost-annual trip to the fair last night. It was raining when we got there, but cleared up and made for some nice cloud and sunset pictures. We did see the Krispy Kreme burgers but couldn't bring ourselves to try one.

Just after the rain

Some beautiful flowers I've never seen before

And of course the food...

Nice sunset

And rides and more food

Moooove along, nothing to see here

And lastly a bit of musical entertainment

My hubby the photographer

2010-09-17T21:25:00.003-05:00

Have I ever mentioned that my sweetie is great at taking pictures? Here's some of my favorites:

The End of Summer and Sabbatical

2010-08-27T21:54:00.000-05:00

WOW! WHAT A SUMMER!

- the church giving Dave a three-month-sabbatical

- an entire month spent in Japan:
   reconnecting with friends from 10-20 years ago
   serving the missionaries and the churches
   remembering and reliving some memories of that culture and people
- back home in the States:

having the privilege of worshipping the Lord at nine different churches

working on the yard and the house
reading

resting

thinking

planning
praying

talking together

going out to eat

being with family

and resting some more!

We are VERY GRATEFUL to the Lord and to Lexington Presbyterian Church for this wonderful gift!

Lots of good memories on both sides of the world:

meeting a lot of new brothers and sisters in the Lord

teaching Bible Studies

sharing at the church we planted with Pastor Yoshi 20 years ago

meeting some precious children

celebrating the 20th anniversary service of Seiseki Grace Christ Church

fixing and renovating

eating GREAT sushi

talking with missionaries

once again experiencing this unique culture of old...

...and new

going back to our old house and neighborhood...

and running into our neighbors from 20 years ago!

having sweet reunions

AND BACK HOME.....

relaxing with son David and his family at the lake

Playing in our pool

painting our bathroom VERY pink!

watching daddy and his girls

working on the honey-do list

playing with our grandchildren

boating on the lake with Erin and Kate

taking lots of pictures

getting to know our newest grandchild, Kate

feeding the goats

chilling out with the girls and Chibi

and resting.....

Japanese Christian Preschool

2010-07-22T19:55:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of some children at a Christian preschool singing a song about God. Pastor Han, shown in the video, is from Korea and part of the MTW Chiba team. He took us to see his church, Megumi no Mori, which means Forest of Grace. It is just down the road from the school, which is a ministry of the church.

Welcomed Home!

2010-07-15T06:20:00.003-05:00

What wonderful friends we have, on both sides of the world!

Yoji and his family got up early and drove us to the airport

Yoji's wife and son, and little girl due in September!

This trip was the first time for us on a Japanese air carrier and the service is just better!

Tried to sleep but couldn't, so took a picture of everyone watching their screens!

Ice crystals on the window at 35,000 feet and minus 59 degrees F

Sunrise somewhere over Alaska - A different perspective seeing clouds from above

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge."

Psalm 19:1-2

We were overwhelmed with the love of so many dear friends who came to welcome us home!

The 24 hours of travel and exhaustion were wiped out in a moment by such a wonderful greeting. The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and so is the love of friends in the Lord.

Dave giving the kids some Japanese coins, while waiting for the 4th bag (it got taken by another passenger). They found it and will deliver to us. Even lost luggage is a reminder of Jesus' words in John 18:9 to his Father: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

Time to Say Goodbye

2010-07-13T08:35:00.005-05:00

Our month in Japan is over; it went very fast for us. We're so grateful to the Lord and His people for giving us this great privilege of going back to Japan and serving the missionaries and Japanese believers and seekers here in Chiba and also in Nagoya.

We'll never forget all the experiences:
*reuniting with old friends and meeting many new friends
*seeing and hearing Japanese believers moved once again by the joy of the gospel
*remembering what it was like as new missionaries experiencing culture shock
*reliving the joy when we would have cultural successes in language and getting around
*loving hearing in Japanese The Lord's Prayer and the questions asked of someone when joining the church:

"Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is freely offered in the gospel?"

It's beautiful in any language!

神様に感謝します！そして、日本人のクリスチャンのお友達、宣教師たち、心をこめてありがとうございます！

We are thankful to God! Also, with all our hearts, we thank you, Japanese Christian friends and missionaries!

Video of "Before the Throne of God Above" in Japanese and English:

Finishing Up Work Projects

2010-07-13T01:14:00.004-05:00

Dave has been working on several projects and was able to install a new sink faucet, hang two new ceiling fans, replace rotting wood around an exterior door and replace an old storage shed.

The old shed

The old shed, in two piles, one metal and one wood, for proper disposal

New shed, made from a kit bought at Costco Japan (with English instructions!)

Rotting wood

Tearing out old wood with help from a summer intern (from Surfside Pres. in Palmetto Presbytery!)

Work in progress

New wood going in

Finished!

Rainy Season

2010-07-13T01:00:00.003-05:00

We had a heavy rain one morning and saw this outside

Our Last Sunday

2010-07-11T08:10:00.007-05:00

Today was our last Sunday here. Dave preached twice and Barbara sang twice, at Honda Chapel in the morning and at Makuhari Grace Church in the afternoon. What a privilege to share in worship with God's people!

At Honda Chapel:

Dave preaching with Mr. Horino translating

Video of preaching

Barbara giving testimony before special music

Barbara singing "Day By Day" in English and Japanese

Fellowship time after worship

At Makuhari Grace Church:

Fellowship time after worship

Barbara with Pastor's wife

CAJ & Shibuya

2010-07-08T20:41:00.001-05:00

CAJ is Christian Academy in Japan, where our children went during our years in Japan. We were able to visit with dear friends who live nearby and had a delightful time renewing our friendship. Then we went to a very trendy cool place called Shibuya Station in the heart of downtown Tokyo.

Stopped for gas at Eneos Dr. Drive on the way to the station

Full service attendant

127 yen per liter for regular comes to about $5.65 per gallon

View from the front of the train

Main entrance

On CAJ campus in front of gym

Classroom building

A black dragonfly but he wouldn't open his wings

On to our friends' house-- they have a beautiful Japanese garden including these bonsai trees

More of the garden

Close-up of bonsai

Hybiscus with ants getting nectar

We had such a good time with gracious hosts!

We were served delicious treats that just kept coming

We timed the day so that we arrived at Shibuya station after dark. The people, lights, colors and sounds are amazing.

There is a famous story in Japan about a faithful dog named Hachiko (Google it if you're interested!). We heard a new movie is being made about it in the States.

Barbara and Sherry outside Starbucks

Oops, how'd that get in here?

Video of crosswalk. Five streets converge and when it's time to cross, it is a few minutes of ordered chaos.

It was a long exhausting day! This is the last leg of our return train trip at about 10:30 p.m. when a very tired (and somewhat inebriated) businessman fell asleep on Sherry's shoulder.

Trip to Nagoya

2010-07-07T03:36:00.005-05:00

Our church supports the Newsomes in Nagoya so we went to visit them for the first time on Monday and Tuesday. We went on the bullet train, or Shinkansen. It was a great visit seeing their work (and participating in some classes and Bible studies).

From the bullet train window

A wind power turbine

More from the window at very high speed!

Shopping area inside Nagoya station

Huge camera and electronics store in Nagoya

Outside Nagoya station

Another shot outside Nagoya station

Nisshin Christ Church in Nagoya where Wayne and Amy serve

A Bible study where we shared

A neighbor of the Newsomes, with her chihuahua named Milk

Their other chihuahua's name is Cookie (yes, milk and cookie!)

Sorry, more food pictures! Dave enjoying miso ramen.

Barbara's lunch

Good stuff!

Help yourself to pickles

Ramen shop folks seemed to enjoy having us!

Buying bullet train tickets home

Cleaning crew waiting to go to work

The bullet train we rode

The "older" model on the left

Train tracks at Tokyo station

Lined up to board...

...and a video of the train coming into the station -

Worship at Oyumino Alive

2010-07-04T01:52:00.004-05:00

Barbara sang special music, and Dave preached, led in receiving new members, and administered the Lord's Supper.

Greeting time

Dave preaching with Mr. Horino translating

Lord's Supper

Benediction in Japanese and English

Pastor giving announcements after service

Children's Sunday School before worship

;

Hello dear ones, we miss you!

Walking Around Chiba Downtown

2010-07-02T08:36:00.001-05:00

Chiba City proper is a bustling metropolitan area of over a million people. We went today and walked around to get a feel for it.

On the way we saw this parking place which has a motorized lift

Just outside the train station

A street cleaner with white gloves and tongs for cigarette butts and other trash

One of the main crossing areas

View of street just before making drivers very upset

Chiba Monorail - train hangs from below the rail

Very interesting building with white hands and red fingernails embracing it. We have no idea of the significance, if any.

Canal of some sort with murky water

A Prius taxi

High rise apartment building

Owl-shaped building. Whoooo works here?

Taxi stand near train station

More Food

2010-07-01T18:31:00.001-05:00

You must be thinking all we do is eat, but here's another food outing. We went to a "yaki niku" restaurant where you cook your own meat at a grill built into the table. It was probably the best we have ever eaten!