Monday, January 17, 2005
PICTURE TIME (James's 15th Birthday, etc...)
Well, James was able to fix our digital camera, so I have some new pictures!
Alishea served the cake...
James invited seven friends from his discipleship group at church...
Some are computer geeks just like James...
One guy in the house was older than the others, can you tell who??? Yes! I *did* grow a beard over Christmas break. Take a look because its coming off this week.
The ladies had a discussion...
While a couple of friends took advantage of our TV to watch Manchester United vs. Liverpool. I personally enjoyed watching the Vikes trounce the Packers last week but when you have British and South African friends, soccer is a happy medium (much better than cricket or rugby).
Well, James was able to fix our digital camera, so I have some new pictures!
Alishea served the cake...
James invited seven friends from his discipleship group at church...
Some are computer geeks just like James...
One guy in the house was older than the others, can you tell who??? Yes! I *did* grow a beard over Christmas break. Take a look because its coming off this week.
The ladies had a discussion...
While a couple of friends took advantage of our TV to watch Manchester United vs. Liverpool. I personally enjoyed watching the Vikes trounce the Packers last week but when you have British and South African friends, soccer is a happy medium (much better than cricket or rugby).
Saturday, January 08, 2005
2004 was the best year of my life. I have grown personally in so many ways and also experienced being used by God more than ever before. I've prayed with several people to ask Jesus to be Lord of their lives and I am meeting with a group of guys weekly who want to be discipled and lead others to Jesus too. I also have the privilege of meeting regularly with and learning from several great men of God who constantly challenge me to improve and press in to bigger and better things.
In the last couple of months many, many things have happened. I completed my first semester of school, finishing 23 credit hours with high marks. I can really see God's hand in my life because I used to hate studying and now I am doing it more than full time and love it! Alishea participated in the school Christmas play, dancing and singing. She is very artistic and has decorated my office here with both abstract art and pictures of me. Speaking of art, I bought Satomi a pen-tablet for the computer for Christmas so she could try her hand at digital art. She enjoys that and created a beautiful New Year card - but unfortunately it was too late to mail it out.
James is still taking tennis lessons, now he has begun taking three lessons per week. I have commited to going with him on Mondays and taking lessons myself so we can play tennis together when we return to Japan. We had two lessons before the Christmas break and we'll start again in late January. Right now we are in a week of fasting and prayer and can't be athletic, although James is considering eating for one day so he can have a lesson :-)
We had our best family vacation ever when we a friend paid for us to spend two nights on Mindoro island. James and Alishea learned to snorkel in the best coral reef I have ever seen. We bought a small tuna off a passing fisherman's boat for about $5.00 and barbequed that. Satomi reserved about a quarter of it for sashimi of course. The next day we were invited to the owner's grandaughter's baptism party where we enjoyed a freshly killed pig, excellent beef, fresh fruit, etc... on the beach. The islanders really know how to cook! I really love how they use coconut milk, hot peppers, and the native fruits like pinapple, mangos and all the varieties of bananas in the dishes.
Our two-week Christmas / New Year break went by too quickly and now I am back in school. Again I have a heavy load of 18 credit hours (I took a three credit hour class during the fall break to lighten the load on Mondays). The classes I am taking this time are:
Church Planting
Theology
Ethno-Hermeneutics
Church Leadership Series
Cultural Anthropology
Discipleship Startegy
Theology, Cultural Anthropology and Ethno-Hermeneutics are very academic but I enjoy them a great deal because they apply to the ministry we will be doing as church-planters in Japan. The other 3 classes are very practical and involve a lot of ministry outside the classroom.
I'm really excited about 2005. I know this year will again be the best year ever. God is already lining things up for us to return to Japan. We received word over Christmas that there is a house available for us to live in rent-free as we go back. This will certainly help us get our feet on the ground as I need to raise more support in order to live and minister in the Tokyo area which is much more expensive than Manila.
In the last couple of months many, many things have happened. I completed my first semester of school, finishing 23 credit hours with high marks. I can really see God's hand in my life because I used to hate studying and now I am doing it more than full time and love it! Alishea participated in the school Christmas play, dancing and singing. She is very artistic and has decorated my office here with both abstract art and pictures of me. Speaking of art, I bought Satomi a pen-tablet for the computer for Christmas so she could try her hand at digital art. She enjoys that and created a beautiful New Year card - but unfortunately it was too late to mail it out.
James is still taking tennis lessons, now he has begun taking three lessons per week. I have commited to going with him on Mondays and taking lessons myself so we can play tennis together when we return to Japan. We had two lessons before the Christmas break and we'll start again in late January. Right now we are in a week of fasting and prayer and can't be athletic, although James is considering eating for one day so he can have a lesson :-)
We had our best family vacation ever when we a friend paid for us to spend two nights on Mindoro island. James and Alishea learned to snorkel in the best coral reef I have ever seen. We bought a small tuna off a passing fisherman's boat for about $5.00 and barbequed that. Satomi reserved about a quarter of it for sashimi of course. The next day we were invited to the owner's grandaughter's baptism party where we enjoyed a freshly killed pig, excellent beef, fresh fruit, etc... on the beach. The islanders really know how to cook! I really love how they use coconut milk, hot peppers, and the native fruits like pinapple, mangos and all the varieties of bananas in the dishes.
Our two-week Christmas / New Year break went by too quickly and now I am back in school. Again I have a heavy load of 18 credit hours (I took a three credit hour class during the fall break to lighten the load on Mondays). The classes I am taking this time are:
Church Planting
Theology
Ethno-Hermeneutics
Church Leadership Series
Cultural Anthropology
Discipleship Startegy
Theology, Cultural Anthropology and Ethno-Hermeneutics are very academic but I enjoy them a great deal because they apply to the ministry we will be doing as church-planters in Japan. The other 3 classes are very practical and involve a lot of ministry outside the classroom.
I'm really excited about 2005. I know this year will again be the best year ever. God is already lining things up for us to return to Japan. We received word over Christmas that there is a house available for us to live in rent-free as we go back. This will certainly help us get our feet on the ground as I need to raise more support in order to live and minister in the Tokyo area which is much more expensive than Manila.
