Moving Day

After 30 months of traveling in a minivan on deputation, 7 months of living with family members and then one month of living with the Winters - On January 28, 2012 we moved into our very own apartment in Japan!!  It is 736 square feet of our own space!! 

After the first week in Japan Mike began looking for a place for us to rent on the internet.  He jokingly said - "I am going to rent the first place we see.  I don't care what it looks like.  If it has four walls and a roof, I am going to take it."  Now being the wife and mother, knowing that we had certain needs, I said, "No you will not!!!  We will look at as many places as we need to until we find the PERFECT PLACE!!!"  So the next morning, Mike heads out with Mike Winters to go talk to a realtor about a place to rent.  About two hours later, they call and say they found a place and wanted me to look at it.  I went with the attitude that it would be OK but not perfect.  It couldn't be, it was the first place we were looking at.

We arrived at a small apartment.  It was on the first floor.  It had three bedrooms.  It had a small yard.  It was across the street from a park.  It was a block from the church.  It was three blocks from two stores. They were not asking for any deposit.  They didn't even want Key Money {in Japan you have to put down at least a month of rent to get the keys to the apartment - on top of the depoist money.  This can all total about 6 months rent.}  They had promised to re-wallpaper the apartment (no extra cost).  They had promised to re-do the hardwood floors.  The apartment was perfect.  The apartment was an answer to my prayers.  We sent in the application and then we waited three weeks for them to finish what they had promised.

 Eli and Jonah very happy to be in there new room!!

 Rachal on her side of the room.

 Taken from the kitchen facing the livingroom.

(Alyssa, Rachal, Becky, Kayla)

 Noah's side of the room. 

(About an hour after moving in we found out

Noah is allergic to the flooring and had

to move to the room with hardwood floors)

 Mine and Mikes room

 Noah and Alyssa watching the men unload the new refrigerator.

 From the livingroom looking into the kitchen.

(Becky is translating my instructions to the oven)

 Moving in the new frig

 The shower and bath tub. 

 It's starting to look like a home!! 

 Noah and Ethan playing Lego's

(you can tell Noah is not feeling good)

 Rachal and Kayla working on Rachal's room.

 Jonah and Eli's beds and toys

 Rachal loves PINK!!!

 Jonah's bed

 Eli's bed

Noah's bed

So very blessed to have such a great place to live.  The next post will be a video tour of the apartment.  Thanks for all the prays and support.  We feel so loved!!



The day I did the same laundry - twice

A "normal" day for me here starts with me washing a load of laundry.  After the laundry has washed, I hang my laundry out to dry.  No dryer for me!!!  So rain or shine, snow or sleet, I hang out the laundry.  I have two poles right outside the patio door for hanging laundry on.  On rainy days I hang the laundry inside the house.  I hang them on curtain rods.  But no matter what the weather is I must hang my clothes to dry.

On this particular Tuesday I put all my laundry outside.  I was very thankful for the sun.  (funny thing is when you are in Japan, a good sunny day for drying laundry can make you very happy)  The two days before had been rainy and damp.  I was glad to be able to hang the laundry out.  About 30 minutes later I went to check and see how things were going.  It was windy this day too.  (Extra blessing - clothes dry faster)  My towels had blown off the pole and were in a mud puddle.  So this little go get'em girl said, "OK no big deal it's early.  I will re-wash them and try this again."  So in the house they came and back in the washer they went.  Then after the wash and rinse, I hung them BACK on the laundry poles.  This time I knew they would stay.  I was sure I had them secure.  So I head off to do my other chores around the house.  I come back an hour or so later and guess what??  My towels are in the mud - AGAIN!!!!  I don't know why, but I just burst into tears!! I was so upset.  I just kept saying, "I don't know how to be a Japanese housewife!  I only know how to be American.  What are we doing here?"  I was talking more to God than myself.  I was angry and upset and homesick.  I wanted to see a GE dryer so bad right then.  I would have given just about anything at that moment to see one. 

Later that afternoon, while I was cooking dinner, Jonah came in the apartment.  He was beaming and said, "Mom, I made a friend at the park.  We are talking!!"  He had met a girl around 8 yrs old.  She was not afraid of the American kids.  She was trying to talk to them.  My kids would write their name in Japanese in the sand and she would write her name.  She would laugh when the kids mispronounced words and she would correct them.  The kids were so happy to have made a friend!!  I have to admit I was humbled and convicted.  I may not know how to be a Japanese housewife but God can show me.  And I do know why we are here.  It's because of the Japanese people.  It's because of the little girl who became my kids first Japanese friend.  Her name is Yuma. 

This is my laundry hanging outside to dry

A week in Japan . . . and a lot has happened.

Warning - this post is very long and has lots of pictures.  Do not read while driving as you might fall asleep!! Thank you!!

Our first full week in Japan has come and gone and we are half way thru our second week.  A lot has happened and we have had a few first. 

• our first trip to a park
•  the first time I let the kids walk to the park alone {I was a little nervous, I have to admit}
•  my first time cooking a full Japaneses meal
•  our first trip to the doctor
•  we had the first church service
•  the buying of refrigerator and washer
•  the adventures of trying to communicate with the sales staff. {All we could say was "wait a minute please" in Japanese.  We were waiting for the Winters to meet us at the store.} 

A lot has happened and God has made himself known to us.  We have been blessed beyond measure. 

 The kids playing Wii

 Fitting all the kids in the car to go to the BIG park

 Another picture - trying to fit everyone face in the picture

 Nerf + Jungle Gym = Happy Boys

 Girls on the See Saw

 Jonah climbing at the park

 Eli in the "Rope Loop"

Jonah on the Zip Line at the park

 Kayla and Rachal folding flyer's about the Christian School.

Our First Sunday should probably be its own post but for the sake of time I will add the pictures and tell you about our day.

 Sunday at church

 The boys are making friends

{just now saw Mike's face - don't know what that is all about}

 Rachal and her friends

The girls table

 We went out to eat after church {as good Baptist do}

 as a time of fellowship and getting to know the Wyatts

 The boys table

 Some of the ladies from church

 Dinner time!!

 Men's table

 Ladies table

 Cooking my first Japanese meal.  It's tamago-yaki.

{which means - egg fried.  This is different than an American fried egg.}

Here it is the finished!!  Becky said I did very good for my first try!!!

I didn't have pictures from our first doctor appointment.  Rachal has the flu and at the time of this post Becky also does and Mike is on his way.  So please pray for us as we try to keep everyone else from getting sick. 



It's throw up day . . .

{a very wise preacher and friend explained this to us, and it is so perfect.  Other missionaries who have been in our shoes will understand what we mean}


The story of Jonah would be the one of the first missionary stories in the Bible.  God told Jonah to go to a land far away and take the gospel to them.  Jonah didn't really want to obey so he ran away, got on a ship and was swallowed by a whale.  While in the belly of the whale Jonah had a change of heart.  Jonah knew he should take the Gospel to these people.  It was hard in the belly of the whale, it was not always fun.  Jonah didn't always know what he was going to eat or how he would be taken care of.  God always provided for him, took care of him and showed him everything would be OK.  And then one day, it was throw up day!!  The day he would no longer be on deputation, I mean in the belly of the whale.  The day he would be ready to RUN to his new land and share the Gospel with these people. 

 Here is our story about Throw Up Day!!

Well we have made it safe and sound in Japan.  I have had several people asking for pictures and wanting to know how the kids did.  So here goes . . . .


We loaded the church van bright and early on Monday morning (5:30 am) to head to the airport.  After a tearful goodbye we checked our bags and headed off to security.  Everyone did great getting through security.  We found our gate and then found McDonald's!!!  Coffee for the grown ups and sausage biscuits for the kids.  Everyone was happy.  Now we load the plain and off we go to LA

 Mike and Rachal

 Eli gives a "thumbs up after take off"

Jonah and Noah happy to be in the air too!!

The flight to LA was only 3 hours.  Once in LA we had to switch from "Domestic Flights" to "International Flights"  So here we go with four kids, 6 carry on bags, 6 back packs and having no clue where to go.  We finally figured out that we had to leave the secure area, walk outside and over the the next building.  Then we had to go thru security again.  Mike was selected for "random screening" with the TSA.  This would be his second time in the last three flights to be pat down and searched.  I guess he just has "that face" that makes them want to search him. 

We finally find our gate and then stop for a snack.  The kids are still doing good and excited to board the "Big Plane".  Here are a few pictures from the plane ride.

 Jonah and Eli  watching movies

 Dinner and a movie with Noah and Rachal

 Dinner was grilled chicken, rice, noddles and rice crackers

(it was really good)

 Desert was Green Tea ice cream - YUM!!

 The boys slept . . . .

 Clouds

Tracking the flight . . . . almost there!!

After our 12 hour flight we finally landed in Tokyo.  The kids were so excited to see Japan.  We had two hours to get through Immigration, get our luggage through Customs, and check back in for our next flight to Fukuoka.  Here are more pictures . . . .

And here is my favorite picture. 

(It had to be retaken because of the tears and hugging.

 Not everyone made it in the retake.) 

When we came through the sliding doors we were welcomed to our new home by our new church family.