The day we went on a really long walk . . . .

On Friday the school had a field trip day.  On facebook this is how I summed up the day.

"Today was a field trip. This was our day - walking, train, bus, walking, Kyushu Energy Center (power plant museum), lunch, walking, train, walking, Asahi Printing (news paper printing plant), walking, McDonald's ice cream!!! Today was a good day!!!"


Really our day was fun it just was a lot of walking.  I was one very tired momma at the end of the day.  So after a long hot bath and a good night of sleep I am feeling much better about our day of walking.  Here are some pictures from our day. 



Walking from the church to the train station

 Noah using a lever to lift 60 kg

 Mike, Rachal, Kayla and Jonah

looking in a mine shaft

 This is what they saw . . .

 Getting ready to watch a 3-D movie about fossil energy

 Life size replica of a Nuclear Reactor

 Jonah looking at how electricity helps a city run.

 Time for lunch . . . yummy!

 Mike is taking time to stop and smell the flowers.

 About to go into the Asahi Printing Plant.

One of the top three news papers in Japan

 The kids listening and taking notes on

 how the newspapers are printed.

 Newspapers

Reading the afternoon paper - hot off the press

 Packing up the papers to be sent to local delivery office.

(Hello!)

Walking to McDonald's the kids decide to take a short cut across the river. 

I took the long way - over the bridge.

It was a good day. 

Lots of things to see,

lots of leaning, and

LOTS of walking. 



Please be kind

I have been trying for several weeks to post this video to the blog.  I have tried everything and as a last resort I have now made a www.youtube.com account.  I will be posting more videos soon.  If you have something you would like to see let me know.  :)




To all my friends and family,

Here is a video I made this week.  I have had several questions about the grocery store and how much things cost.  So the kind person that I am, I decided to make a video.

A few things first . . . . .

1.  You can not make fun of me on the Internet.  In your homes - OK.  On facebook - not OK.  Among friends - OK.  In the comment section below - not OK. 

2.  It was very windy this day.  I am sorry about the noise.

3. As we go past the school you can see the cherry blossoms.  They are just now starting to bloom.  I will post pictures when they are in full bloom.

4.  I am trying to not get kicked out of the store.  So I am talking in low tones.  Might want to turn up the speakers.  Also because of the length of the video I had to speed it up in sections to make it shorter. 

5.  Please review #1!!  Only positive, happy things can be said!!!  And you must remember, before January it had been a very, very, very long time since I rode a bike!!

6.  Enjoy the video!!


http://youtu.be/E3VAnHLiHow

{PS- I am still learning about uploading videos.}

A wonderful place called school

So maybe you have wondered where I have been, why I have not updated the blog in a while.  Well for those of you who have wondered here goes . . . .

We had prayed and talked about starting a Christian school here in Japan.  We teamed up with the Winters family and began Agape International Christian School.  Our first day of school was April 6, 2012.  We have spent most of the month of April just trying to find a system that seems to work for all of us.  It has been rough the first few weeks, figuring out how to get everyone out the door at the same time, get breakfast made and cleaned up and of course get laundry washed and hung out all before 8:00 am.  But we have finally found a routine that is working and that means I can go back to updating the blog about our daily life here in Japan.  Below are some pictures from the Dedication Sunday service, the Get To Know You weekend camp and the first few days of school. 

 First day of school ~ listening intently to the rules

 Everyone is working hard

Eli with his Japanese backpack

 Dedication Sunday - Our first class at Agape

 Our Weekend at Camp

No matter where in the world you are the camp rules are always the same!!

Mike and the boys playing basketball

 Mr. Winters trying to ride a unicycle and the girls trying to walk on stilts.

 Minute to Win It game time

Jonah shaking the B-B's into the bottom bottle

 Rachal trying the stack 5 dice on a Popsicle stick

 Mike did it!!

 Picking up chap stick with chop sticks

 Our group was asked to help with lowering the flags in the evening.

 Grass sledding

Walking up the hill

 Noah and Jonah coming down the hill

 And what is camp without a campfire??

 And campfires mean S'mores!!  yummy!

 Mike helping Alyssa roast her marshmallow.

 Morning exercises at 7:00 am

 After breakfast we are off on a hike into the Bamboo forest

 Our group of kids

 Easter morning Bible lesson - Resurrection Eggs

Please pray for the students at the school.  Please pray for the parents as we try to teach the students.  Please pray for our school to be a light in this dark country.  We have one Japanese student and others that have shown an intrest. 

God was in the rain

Today was to be a picnic with my new friend.  We had planed to meet at a local park and have a picnic under the cherry blossoms.  We had planed for the kids to play on the play ground.  We had planed for the a few group pictures under the cherry blossoms.  We woke up this morning to rain and typhoon force winds.  We woke up to ruined plans of  playing in the park and pictures under the cherry blossoms. 

We decided to go to her house to have a picnic.  It turned out to be a good day.  We ate from our obentos, shared a snack and the kids played.  After a while the kids all moved into the playroom.  We began to talk about everyday stuff.  Then she asked me "What is Easter? Why is it celebration?"  The Lord has given me yet another opportunity to share the Gospel with her again.  For 45 minutes of uninterrupted quite, I was able to show her in the Bible about the cross.  I was able to share with her what Jesus did for her.  How he gave His life willingly for her.  I was able to show her about the Resurrection.  She was shocked to hear the Jesus "physically" was raised from the dead.  {she kept saying "physically? physically?"}   She had many questions again today. 

How old do you have to be to become a Christian? 

If I die will I go to heaven? 

What is sin? 

Why did Jesus take my punishment for sin? 

 She said her mother and father are Buddhist.  She told me, "I am still searching." 

So you see, God was in the rain.  At the park we might not have been able to talk uninterrupted.  Under the cherry blossoms the subject might not have come up about Easter.  I am thankful today for the rain!  She is looking forward to church on Sunday.  This will be her first Easter service and I am praying that maybe this Sunday will be the day she becomes a Christian.  The day she asks Jesus in her heart.  Please continue to pray with me for my friend.

Here are some pictures from our picnic at her house.

 Our obento (lunch box) filled with hot dogs, cucumber salad, and onigri (rice ball)

 About to eat lunch.  The kids are all ready to eat!!

 Rachal was a big help with the baby!

 The kids all enjoying the play room.

 Sweet girl

 Rachal with her new origami book mark.

 Group photo to remember our fun day!

All the kiddos!

God is good, all the time!

All the time, God is good!