Living in Ishikawa

Well, we are officially Ishikawa-ites!

Actually, we live in Uruma City, in the area of Ishikawa.
Ishikawa used to be its very own city, but as years went by, and the population decreased, and the bills mounted...well they decided to merge with two other smaller cities and now (since 2005) is the newly created Uruma City.

But everyone still calls it Ishikawa.

Well, no pics for a while (we no longer have internet at home), but we will definitely keep y'all updated.

For now, it is nice to be home!

Prayer Request

Well we have been praying for God's leading about moving up north. We have felt Him guiding us to relocate in Ishikawa.

Ishikawa is kind of inaka, meaning rural. They are known for their bullfights and pig farms.

It is an area that does not have much of a gospel outreach either.

Our prayer is that God will open the doors for us to be a light in this area. We are praying to be able to start a bilingual Bible Study soon. The apartment we hope to move into is large enough for a small Bible Study and there is lots of parking.

Please join us in praying for the Ishikawa, Okinawa area!

Baby Box

Recently the first "Baby Box" opened in Japan (in Kumamoto).

What is a Baby Box, you ask? Well, sadly, it is a place for people to put their unwanted babies. I guess they have a similar system in Germany, from which this was modeled.

Is this a good or bad thing? I feel torn: on the one hand, it may be a positive alternate to having an abortion or abandonment. On the other hand, will this encourage people to "discard" their children?

Well, abandoned or not, God loves all children. As Jesus put it, "...it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." (Matthew 18:14)

A Vote for Change?

Well the big news today is that they voted to allow amendments to the Constitution. Japan's Constitution, in place since WW2 has never been changed.

Primarily, they want to allow for a Japanese Military, which is currently not allowed. Of course, they get around this by calling it a "Self Defense Force" (SDF), instead of the Military.

I guess they feel it is time to update the Constitution to deal with the threat of North Korea. And many people in the U.S. feel the same way about America's Constitution -- that it is a "Living Document" and needs to be changed and updated from time to time.

Well thank God that we, as Christians, have a document that never changes, never needs to updated or amended. God's Word is...well, God's Word. And His Word doesn't change despite the attempts of man.

Go!

God will often say "Go". Think of Abraham, Moses, Jonah, the disciples. They were all given that instruction.

God does not necessarily give you all the details of what you are supposed to do when you get there, however.

A good example of this is in Acts 9:6. Here we have Paul, recently converted, being told by God to: "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

Notice the three action words:
"Arise": nothing happens until we get up and decide to go.
"Go": When we follow God's leading and step out (in faith), that is when we will get to where He wants us.
"Will be told": God will give us the next instruction after we follow the first one.

Until we get up and get going, God will not lead us to the next stage.

This was from this morning's service. It spoke to us as we are stepping out to relocate. We are not sure exactly where or when or what will happen when we get there...but we feel strongly that we are to get up and go. Please keep us in prayer!

Children's Day

Happy Children's Day!

Actually, this whole week is a holiday known as "Golden Week" -- Gold as in a great opportunity to relax or travel, and Gold in the sense that much money will be spent. May 5 used be called "Boy's Day" (and still is by many), but it was kind of unfair; Girl's Day (March 3) was not a day off from work, while Boy's Day was.

Anyway, we did not travel or relax too much as we still had other classes to teach. We did, however, sneak away for a few hours...

We went to the Outlet Mall and they had this train.



Emi gets excited about riding the train all the up until it is time to actually get on the train. Then she kind of freaks out. But once we are seated with tambourine in hand, she is fine.



Japan has the coolest parks. This one is across from the Outlet Mall.

Thought for the Week

Sometimes God says "No."

Have you ever wondered why it is that God sometimes answers prayer different from how you would have answered it?

In Japan, there is a car inspection every two years.
Now this is not like the U.S., where 20 or 30 bucks will get you a sticker. No, this inspection can cost $1000 or more.

We bought our old car in March, 2005, so it was time to get it inspected. However, God saw fit to have our daughter Mika be born at the same time.
Plus, Dan's job ends in March, so he was out of work for a month.

Do you see the drama building?

We did not have much money after paying out for Mika's birth.
Plus, to pass inspection we would need new tires and brakes.

So, my thought and my prayer was, "Lord, give me the money so I can fix up this old car." But God had something else in mind; He didn't give us the money.

I believe this was God's timing and by His design.

He put us in a situation where we needed to turn to Him and depend on Him. Had I the extra money, I would have fixed up that old car.

Instead, God provided for us in a different way, with a different car.
And I still do not understand why a women I never met before would not only give us her car (at no charge), but also offer to pay for the inspection ($1100).

I think that sometimes we are willing to settle for things and our prayers reflect that attitude; (Lord, fix my job/relationship/or whatever).

Perhaps God doesn't want to "fix up" the old things in our life. Sometimes, He wants to move us to another job or situation.
Sometimes He is trying to bless us with something better than a patched up old car.

Rather than settling for what we think is best, let us trust that God knows what is best for us and receive what He wants to give us.

Not only is this car "roomier", but it has A/C, just in time for the summer heat!

God is good!