Walking in the Light

Snow in Okinawa!

2012-01-09T00:31:00.000+09:00

So last Saturday we all enjoyed playing in the snow. No, it does not snow here, but our local shopping center decided to rent a snow making machine and let the kids slide and make snow people and enjoy the cold white stuff. It was really warm too, like 65 degrees F, so most people were dressed in shorts and flip-flops which made a nice contrast to the snow. The girls had an absolute

Book Review: Extraordinary by John Bevere

2012-01-04T10:55:00.000+09:00

This book doesn't quite live up to its title. While Extraordinary makes many excellent points, there are also a couple that I disagree with. The title, Extraordinary, refers to the kind of life that God would have us to live. Too many people focus only on what happens here and now with little thought of what happens afterwards. Too many Christians focus only on what happens afterwards

Year in Review 2011

2011-12-31T22:37:00.000+09:00

Here's a little video we put together of our main events this year:

Free Album Download

2011-12-26T12:51:00.000+09:00

We're not too familiar with Josh Garrels-- actually, I've never heard of him. Apparently, he is an award winning Christian Music Artist. He felt that God wanted him to give away his latest album, so he did! If you're interested, here is the link for the free download: http://joshgarrels.bandcamp.com/ And hey, Merry Christmas, from us and Josh!

Christmas Blessings!

2011-12-25T21:33:00.001+09:00

Merry Christmas to our friends and family around the world. We had a (mostly) quiet Christmas at home with family. Debe's mom and two sisters came over Saturday night and mom stayed for Sunday. We had a nice church service and a yummy lunch. We feel very blessed this year and pray that you have too! Some images:

Christmas Caroling

2011-12-24T08:29:00.001+09:00

Our school has a tradition of going Christmas caroling around some local shops in the community. While optional, many staff, students and parents showed up. We had enough participants that we made two groups. In addition to singing, we also handed out candycanes attached to tracts. Both groups planned to end up finishing up at Jusco (its like a Walmart). Afterwards, we got

Christmas Program

2011-12-24T08:07:00.000+09:00

Our school had its annual Christmas Program on Friday. Both Emi and Mika were in it, but so far no video of them has surfaced. It is usually just for elementary students, but this year they allowed a few select older students perform. It was kind of neat to see the high schoolers be a part of this. They really worked hard and well with the younger students, so hopefully this will become

Book Review: Don’t Check your Brains at the Door, by Josh McDowell & Bob Hostetler

2011-12-23T21:04:00.000+09:00

I recently received “Don’t check your brains at the door” by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler. This book is geared towards teenage students who, of course, have lots of questions. The book is arranged into six sections; each one answering common misconceptions or “Myths.” There are answers to myths about God, Jesus, The Bible, The Resurrection, Christianity, and Life. The answers are

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-06T09:25:00.000+09:00

Our school had a fundraiser. They wanted to raise money to support a boy in the Philippines. They have done this in an interesting way for several years now; they let the students here make gingerbread houses. They only charge 500 yen each, so it is affordable and they raise enough to support the boy. The 11th graders put this on as their Service Project this year; it was nice to see them

Mika's Prize

2011-12-01T09:30:00.000+09:00

Mika won a prize for finishing the walkathon (actually it was just half of it). She really impressed us with her dedication and commitment to finish. Thanks also to grandma for setting a brisk pace!

Now That's Service!

2011-11-20T07:31:00.001+09:00

Yesterday was planned to be a simple quiet day spent in our local area. We ran a few errands, and then returned to a car that would not start. No, it was not the battery, but the starter. As our van is 18 years old, finding parts for it is not easy. One other problem: We needed it fixed before Wednesday as we were going camping over the Thanksgiving break. I rejected the first garage's

Walkathon

2011-11-16T00:45:00.000+09:00

Well last Saturday was the walkathon. A nice 17 km walk from the school to Zampa Point and back. Emi with a classmate Of course, that is a bit far for our girls (Emi is 6 and Mika 4). However, the younger kids were allowed to take a bus halfway and walk back to the school. I expected to hear complaints and grumbling, but surprise, surprise the girls really enjoyed it! In fact, they are

Walkathon

2011-10-29T23:00:00.000+09:00

It is time for the annual OCSI Walkathon. This is our school's biggest fundraiser of the year. It is a 17 kilometer walk from the school all the way to Cape Zampa. The funds go to improve the school. Last year we built a new kitchen. The year before we were able to put projectors into each classroom. This year's goal? A/C! Some rooms are already air conditioned, but some classes (like

Sweet Potato Digging

2011-10-21T22:53:00.000+09:00

Our school goes on an annual Sweet Potato Dig. It is only for Kindergarten through 2nd grade, but both Emi and Mika got to go. There were several varieties of sweet potatoes, including the Okinawan Beniimo. They all had a great time, as we did eating them later!

GO Ministries

2011-09-09T23:13:00.001+09:00

We are now partnered with GO! Ministries, who serves as our Mission Agency. They will provide us with encouragement, accountability, prayer support and will accept donations on our behalf.We would appreciate greatly your prayer or financial support.Prayer goes to God...Financial gifts can go through GO! Ministries, that way you get the tax deductible receipt.Donations to GO! Ministries on

OCSI

2011-08-26T00:07:00.000+09:00

Well we have been settling in our new place in Yomitan (pics coming soon!) and have been quite busy getting ready for the new school year. Much has happened, but without internet it has been difficult to post. To sum up though, God has been so, so good to us. We arrived with a few suitcases, but had no transportation, no furniture and no place to live. We knew that we were where God led us,

The Blessing by John Trent and Gary Smalley (Book Review)

2011-08-19T21:45:00.000+09:00

We do not usually think of “blessing” someone as anything more than an impulsive gesture of goodwill or perhaps when they sneeze. However, John Trent and Gary Smalley lay out in this book many reasons—both practical and spiritual, why we ought to intentionally bless our children. Drawing heavily from biblical passages where Patriarchs blessed their children, the authors lay out the reasons

Eder and Amanda Diaz

2011-07-25T16:42:00.000+09:00

Eder and Amanda had their Okinawan Wedding Reception last night There was a lot of food and entertainment. Good times; and congrats to the happy couple!

2011-07-18T10:10:00.000+09:00

"Hakugaijin", a band from our church played yesterday. There was this Christian concert in Uruma City with about 8 different groups performing. It was neat since it was free, but it was also very visible right off the street in an open stage. Hakugaijin Mika with her "Baba" The famous "Gushiken Family Band"-- they mix traditional Okinawan melodies and

Summer Matsuri

2011-07-15T08:34:00.003+09:00

In the Summer there ae many "Matsuris", or festivals. It is fun to dress up in traditional Yukata (summer kimono) and enjoy the food, games and sometimes fireworks. This was held at the aptly named Sunset Beach.

Provision

2011-07-14T14:45:00.002+09:00

It is amazing how God provides exactly what you need, when you need it. We arrived back in Okinawa two weeks ago with little more than the "clothes on our back." Needs? Oh, yeah, there were plenty of needs. We had no furniture, no vehicle, no nothing. Like I said, it was amazing to see God work to meet EACH and EVERY need. We now have enough furnishings to fill an apartment and even a van

Daddy Dates by Greg Wright (Book Review)

2011-07-11T14:41:00.000+09:00

As a father of two daughters, I thought that this book might be helpful. After all, this book claims to help you “raise a confident woman-to-be, show your daughter what it feels like to be treated with love, respect, and true interest by a man who loves her.” This of course is vital later on when she will choose her life partner. I found this book to be humorous and insightful. Greg Wright

GO! Ministries

2011-07-05T09:49:00.000+09:00

We will now be under GO! Ministries, who will serve as our Mission Agency. They will provide us with encouragement, accountability, prayer support and will accept donations on our behalf. We would appreciate greatly your prayer or financial support. Prayer goes to God... Financial gifts can go through GO! Ministries, that way you get the tax deductible receipt. Donations to GO! Ministries on

Last Days in Portugal

2011-06-24T10:19:00.000+09:00

As we near our departure date we are trying to experience as much of Portugal as we can (dependent upon time and finances, of course). We wanted to take in "One Last Castle" before leaving; well, really it is more of a Palace. This is the Quinta Regalius -- complete with turrets, caves and underground passages:

Washington: A Legacy of Leadership, by Paul Vickery and Stephen Mansfield

2011-06-18T00:31:00.001+09:00

George Washington was a man that exemplified leadership. He is remembered for being “first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Furthermore, he was a man of character, perseverance, and faith. Leaders today would do well to imitate him. This book was interesting because it begins not with Washington the leader, but with Washington the boy. As Washington grows in

The Final Summit, by Andy Andrews

2011-06-14T07:42:00.000+09:00

The Final Summit, by Andy Andrews is a sequel to The Traveler's Gift. I do not normally spend my time reading fiction, however, this book is a little different. The main character, David Ponder, meets and interacts with historical people (known as “Travelers”). As a history teacher, I felt drawn to the idea of famous characters of history coming to life to help out. These characters include

Book Review: Max on Life, by Max Lucado

2011-06-14T06:39:00.000+09:00

Max Lucado’s latest book is entitled, “Max on Life: answers and insights to your most important questions.” While I am not a big Lucado fan, I thought this one sounded intriguing. After all, in over 25 years of ministry, Lucado must have heard thousands of questions. This book promised to speak “on topics ranging from hope to hurt, from home to the hereafter. Max writes about the role of

Okinawa

2011-06-11T17:31:00.003+09:00

Most have already heard this, but we have made the decision to return back to Okinawa, Japan. As much as we like Portugal-- and there is a lot to like here, we have felt led by God to return to Oki. We will both still be in Christian Education (at OCSI) and are looking forward to seeing friends and family that we already know, as well as the new folks we will meet. We fly in at the end of

Emi Graduates

2011-06-04T16:16:00.001+09:00

Yesterday was Emi's graduation. I'm not sure why some schools have a graduation from Kindergarten, but I guess it is a milestone. Emi also received an award for "Super Reader"; no surprise there as she loves to read books (like mother, like daughter!). We are more happy with the other award though: being a "True Friend". Emi really does try to befriend everyone. Congrats to Emi!

First Tooth

2011-05-06T06:03:00.001+09:00

Emi finally lost her tooth. It is her first time, so she was very excited. She has been waiting and waiting, as most of her classmates have already lost theirs. Guess our little girl is getting older...

Futebol

2011-05-02T06:42:00.002+09:00

Couldn't live in Europe and not take in a soccer, uh, I mean, Football game at least once. So when a friend invited me along I jumped at the chance! The Sporting Football Club dates back to like 1906, so they have a long, proud history here. So how was it? Well, it is much more exciting in person than on TV. Sporting was a much better team than their opponent, Portimonense. Their passes

Colombo Mall

2011-04-28T05:59:00.001+09:00

We checked out Portugal's largest mall: the Colombo Mall in Lisbon. It's 3 levels and over 400 shops. It's so big, it even has an indoor roller coaster and even a bowling alley... The girls went for something more tame -- a carousel.

Spring Break

2011-04-26T15:32:00.000+09:00

It is Spring Break this week, so we decided to see some local things: We happened upon this cool park, Which had ice cream for the girls, And ice coffee for the parents (it is not at all common to find iced coffee here),

Feliz Pascoa!

2011-04-25T17:51:00.002+09:00

That is, Happy Passover (Easter)! We have been enjoying a couple of Portuguese Easter traditions. Easter Bread If you are familiar with Portuguese Sweet Bread, this is almost the same (it is not quite as sweet). The Cross on top has an obvious meaning. Inside, is the "sursprise": There is an egg inside. The egg being a symbol of New Life. As I understand it, the egg is

Lisbon Zoo

2011-04-23T06:15:00.001+09:00

Emi and Mika's Kindergarten class went to the Lisbon Zoo. Debe's 1st and 2nd grade class tagged along, so they were able to go together. They had some "hands on" exhibits: I have to say, this looks a lot nicer than the zoos in Japan, which are much smaller with lots of cement. Emi's favorite animal? The "Dragon"; Komodo Dragon, that is

Father's Day in Portugal

2011-03-22T06:29:00.000+09:00

Last Saturday was Father's Day here. Emi surprised me with a special breakfast. As it was a Saturday, and some lovely warm Spring weather we went out to enjoy it. Emi and Mika both made cards and Giraffe Pen Holders. Thank you girls, but I'm still expecting something on the American Father's Day in June!

Mika's Song

2011-03-13T04:23:00.000+09:00

Mika seems to have a double dose of the "Shy gene"; she normally will not speak to people if she can help it. She is getting better in person, but still will not speak on the phone (or Skype). Therefore, people do not believe us when we inform them that she is actually quite loud at home! Here is a small sample:

Love & Respect, by Emerson Eggerichs

2011-02-19T21:31:00.002+09:00

Women have a need to be loved; men have a need to receive respect. This is the basic message of Love ＆ Respect, by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. Drawing upon his almost 30 of pastoring and counseling, as well as the Bible, Eggerichs paints a picture of how many married couples approach their marriage. When the wife perceives “unloving actions”, she reacts in ways that will be perceived as “

Experiencing... Blackaby

2011-02-07T05:40:00.001+09:00

Last weekend at church we had a special speaker: Dr. Blackaby. No, not Henry, the famous author, but this was his son, Tom. We put together a special worship team (which is why I don't have any pictures). We had a full house and everything was translated into Portuguese, so we were all blessed.It was a good, timely message on Luke 9 about how we make or have our own plans, but fail to

International Day

2011-02-04T03:37:00.000+09:00

About once a month we have a special day at school. For January, we had "International Day". To attend our school you must hold a foreign passport, so we have students representing about 20 different countries. Students were invited to bring something from their country: clothing, an interesting item or a snack). The students seemed to enjoy it and many participated. I guess they like to

Scenes from Lisbon

2011-01-23T17:31:00.003+09:00

Here's a few shots from Lisbon: Scene from Alice in Wonderland was on the Subway Wall. It IS the Year of the Rabbit... They Have these Trams throughout much of the city. Some of the architecture. "Hello Kitty" must be everywhere! The cappucino is Debe's, not Mika's.

Huge Mosquito

2011-01-18T17:30:00.000+09:00

This guy got into our house recently. Not surprising as they do not use screens on the windows here. It was a little unexpected as it is January, but the weather has been pretty warm lately (50s-60s).

Finally made it

2011-01-15T16:55:00.001+09:00

Debe's Dad sent us a package, which just arrived. He sent it early enough, but due to some Post Office problems, it got delayed. Anyway, thank you so much; we all enjoyed it immensely!

Book Review: Voices of the Faithful by Beth Moore

2011-01-11T06:45:00.000+09:00

This book is a "366 day devotional of inspiring stories from the front lines of faith"; that is missionaries and other Christian workers from around the world. As missions is one of my passions, as well as my occupation, it sounded like an interesting read. This book is divided into twelve topics: one for each month. Beth Moore writes an introduction for each month, which is followed by each

Christmas Village

2011-01-03T19:20:00.002+09:00

Having some time off from teaching, we took the kids up to Obidos. Obidos is a village inside of castle walls. Pretty cool. This time of year, they set up everything for Christmas. Emi really wants to see snow (it was her birthday "wish", actually). Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) it is not cold enough to snow where we live-- to see snow we would need to go up into the

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T08:42:00.000+09:00

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you found time in your busy schedule to remember the reason for the season.

Guitar Blessing!

2010-12-24T08:35:00.001+09:00

So most of you know that I was not able to bring my guitar to Portugal. I have certainly missed playing and worshipping with it. Recently our pastor here decided to purchase a guitar for the church. This means I will once again be able to play and even lead worship once a month. Total blessing, but pray for my fingers as I haven't played in six months!

Snowman...sort of

2010-12-23T18:07:00.000+09:00

Europe has been hit with lots of snow lately, which has resulted in airports closing, people stranded and general chaos. Being in Southern Europe, we have missed most of that. Although it does snow in Northern Portugal, we do not get any here. Unless, of course, you let the fridge go too long without a defrosting! Perhaps we'll get the chance to go up north to see some real snow...

Emi Turns 6

2010-12-18T17:10:00.002+09:00

Emi celebrated her 6th birthday today! We went downtown to see Christmas decorations and get some dessert.

Christmas Program

2010-12-12T09:39:00.003+09:00

Our school's Christmas Program was Friday night. Although it was a lot of work, I think everyone had a good time. More importantly, they definitely heard about the true reasons for celebrating Christmas. Emi and Mika's Kindergarten class had a fun presentation. They were singing in English, Japanese, Greek and Portuguese.

Takako's Visit

2010-12-10T08:00:00.002+09:00

Our good friend Takako came for a visit! The girls were so excited to eat such yummy Japanese food again (as we all were). It was so good to have long talks with such a wise, spiritual woman of God. We have been much encouraged!

Book Review: On this Day in Christian History, by Robert J. Morgan

2010-12-03T08:09:00.000+09:00

On this day in Christian History by Robert J Morgan is a book with an interesting approach. Each day of the year you can read about an important event in Christian history. Naturally, the book is arranged by date, with one page for each day. While this would not be an appropriate replacement for daily Bible study, it does give some fascinating episodes in Christian history. Morgan chooses some

Christmas Countdown

2010-12-01T19:31:00.000+09:00

Well, we've done this for the past couple years; we like to countdown the days of December as we approach Christmas. We try to keep the focus on Christ, so we will read a Bible verse each day and talk about one of the many symbols of the season. This was a cool display at the local mall: it is the town of Bethlehem. At the top of the village is the manger. Not sure how often you get to see

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T19:07:00.000+09:00

What are you thankful for? Most people spend the majority of their time complaining about what they don't have. We ought to, especially as Christians, focus more on the many blessings that we do have. If you have a place to sleep and food to eat, then you have more than 75% of the world. If you can freely worship God, you are more blessed than the 3 billion people who cannot. If you for certain

Anyone Thirsty?

2010-11-22T06:49:00.002+09:00

One of the, uh, joys of living in a foreign land is figuring out the language. As we are both ministering so much at the school, we have really appreciated the grocery delivery service. You put your order in online and for a modest fee they bring it to your door. As we do not have a vehicle, the fee (about $3.50) is cheaper than the taxi would cost, so it makes sense. However, in my rush to

Our friends from Romania

2010-11-22T06:48:00.000+09:00

A couple that attend our church hail from Romania. Robert drives one of the buses for the school, while Christina is a hair dresser. We talked her into coming over for lunch and cutting the girls hair. We were definitely blessed by the fellowship! And the girls were much more comfortable at home. Thanks Christina!

Chestnut Day

2010-11-18T07:00:00.001+09:00

If you are not familiar with "Chestnut Day", well perhaps you aren't Portuguese. It is a day to honor not only chestnuts, but "Saint Martin." As the story/legend goes, Martin was riding along in the rain and came across a beggar getting drenched. He gave the beggar his own tunic and rode off. Miraculously, the sun came out. What this has to do with chestnuts, I have no idea. On November 11,

Pumpkin Prayer

2010-11-06T20:12:00.000+09:00

We are not into celebrating Halloween. It has become a day focused on the macabre and dwelling on darkness is not something we feel we should do. However, we do enjoy this time of year, especially the foods. We were pleased to find pumpkins available (they are green in Japan). We also came across this neat "Pumpkin Prayer":