Home Learnin'

Traveling with Baby

2015-01-01T22:19:00.004+09:00

As requested by a friend, here's some travel tips for traveling with a baby. I've only traveled with our son once across the ocean and back, so I recruited my good friend Carrie who's done the flight many times with her daughter.
I can't add too much else to what she has here, since I went to her for advice when I traveled!
I hope this is beneficial for you.

Elizabeth:
Baby wearing was a must for me. Being able to be hands-free and also give my son comfort and stability was so great. You can't wear baby in the carrier during the flight, but running around the airport and not having to lug a stroller nor worry about gate checking it was so helpful.

If you're going to have a layover, bring a blanket for baby to nap on in the airport. I wish I would have thought of that on the journey out, but coming back, having that was a help. On the journey out, I just wiped down a seat with a wet wipe until I thought it was clean enough to lay my baby on it.

Airport security will generally let you bring baby food, formula, or breast milk without any trouble. A few of our jars of baby food were over the size limit, but they just screened them and let us take them on through. Best to check with the TSA before flying, though.

Carrie:

In general I love traveling. I have always enjoyed the adventure of seeing new places, meeting new people or returning to the people I love, and making memories. I still love these things about traveling but becoming a mommy added many challenges that have made the adventure of traveling well... to speak on the positive side of things, even more of an adventure! Whether it's the change in time zones, sitting/waiting for long periods of time, visiting places that are not baby proof traveling has now become an exhausting process to get the destination and adjust there. However there are some things I have learned that have made the transition a bit more smooth. Here are a few tips to keep in mind and apply to your upcoming journeys. 1. As far as jet lag, keep your expectations low and know that your child will adjust in 4-7 days. I would get so frustrated the first three or four nights that my baby and I couldn't sleep. But after my first two trips across the pacific ocean even though I was exhausted I expected that it would take a time and so I wasn't as frustrated. 2. When flying, nurse or give a bottle or sippy cup when taking off and landing to prevent pressure and pain in your child's ears. 3. Bring a bag of healthy snacks and things for your toddler to do to keep them busy. Include a pair of big headphones if they are interested in watching in-flight movies. The ones on the plane don't fit kids. 4.Bring a pack n play. 5. Make lots of memories and enjoy adventure.

Hello new year!

2014-01-06T23:23:00.000+09:00

Hi friends! So, apparently this has become my twice a year blog, since I haven't posted anything since May of last year. Hrm. So sorry! I'm terrible at this.

Ok, here we are in 2014, also soon to be known as Heisei 26 (if you use a Japanese calendar, which we do. We even know our birthdays in Japanese, including the Japanese year! Aren't you proud?)

Last year (2013)'s highlights, whipping on by.

January: returned from visiting our families in the States for 2 weeks.
February: celebrated Carl's last year in his 20's. And called Ai No Kesshin to begin a new journey in our family. Gave speeches for the first time in Japanese for our Japanese class.
March: finished a school year at our schools and visited a ninja museum with friends,
April: celebrated Easter at church and then under the most gorgeous cherry blossoms we've ever seen.
May: visited a U.S. consulate for the first time. played lots of ultimate frisbee with church, and visited a most breathtaking rose garden, and I joined an international ladies' Bible study.
June: rainy season! started packing up our tiny apartment.
July: moved into a new apartment and got many answers to prayers all in the same week.
August: Carl started a new job in a new company and school. I had a fun Ladies' Craft day that we hope continues as a regular event.
September: visited a candle festival in Nara Park for the second year.
October: visited Shizuoka and Tokyo, met with Ai No Kesshin, and met up with friends we haven't seen in 2 years!
November: had a massive Thanksgiving party at church.
December: took a 5-day vacation to some small islands in Okinawa for our five year anniversary! What a gift from the Lord.

There it is! It was a very busy, fun year, but most of all, it was a year filled with the Lord's faithfulness and lessons.
Church has been growing and growing! Lots of new faces, TONS of new kids in both Kids Chapel and Hope Kids. Carl's been put in charge of sound and technology which makes him very happy. :)

I have another children's book out, which is so much fun! Check it out: here . And I'm working on another. Follow me on Facebook!

Carl's been in lots of Magic the Gathering tournaments and he even attended a Grand Prix in Kyoto. He's a very happy nerd. :)

That's our year in a quick summary! Come on by sometime! :)

Hisashiburi

2013-05-05T21:44:00.001+09:00

ひさしぶり　Hisashiburi: basically "long time no see" in Japanese. Yep, I just realized this hasn't been updated since, oh, December. My friend Christin (hi!) said she read my blog religiously while she was deployed, which made me realize I haven't written forever!

I'm so terrible at keeping in touch with people. No excuses, just my own laziness.

So, news.
Husband's job ended in February, and is resuming next week. His company is a temp agency that contracts out English teachers to high schools in Osaka. And by English teachers, I mean, native English speakers who help teach conversational English. It's a 10 month contract, but last year with all the time off the company scheduled for him, he worked only about 6 months. However, praise God, his hours and schedule have increased! Neither of us are feeling like this is going to be a long-term job--just a stand in until God brings a better one along. Ideally, he'd love to teach at the local Christian school.

I'm still at the kindergarten and still loving it. What's not to love about kindergarteners? I actually got to move up with my class from last school year (school years here start in April, and school runs year round.), so I'm with my same kiddoes and LOVING them.
Highlights include,

"Elizabeth, what's our morning meeting activity today?"

Hearing the boys talk about "Octopus Prime" (for those of you who don't watch Transformers, that should be "Optimus Prime."

Giving the kids magnifying glasses and watching them scurry around the playground looking for bugs.

"Elizabeth, can you find us a good bug, please?"

We've been wanting to move for a while now; this apartment we're in is literally one room. No lie. It's like a hotel room. It's been good to us and good for us, but we're ready for a home home. A friend found a possible apartment for us! We need to go check it out first, and oh yeah, have about $2,000 up front. And then get out of this lease without hassle, but yeah, maybe $400 there. Uffda.

And our little secret: we're working on adopting a Japanese baby! Couldn't be happier. I'll post later about IF and adoption and thoughts and feelings. But this is in the works. Slowly. Probably much more slowly than any pregnancy and labor. But it's going to be worth it. So worth it. Adoption is gospel! It's love! As I read in a quote, and ten thousand apologies to the author, because I cannot remember who said it, "We don't adopt because we are the rescuers. We adopt because we are the rescued." This is the Father's heart! Theology at work. More later.

Church is lovely and so family. Husband plays guitar for worship and runs tech and sound. I'm helping with Kids Chapel and Kids Time twice a month, and I am back home. We're making friends, putting down roots, and getting fed. May Jesus be glorified here in Japan! This country is drowning in its own loneliness. My prayer is that God will raise up more workers for this field. That He will bring people committed to long-term relationships, because that is what it's going to take. Gospel is relationship, is family, is adoption. Living out the gospel day to day. That's what it's going to take.

Will you come visit us? Come see our life here. Come see God's kingdom here. Come see one of the most beautiful places on earth. Come and see.

thanks

2012-12-01T19:16:00.002+09:00

a gift grateful
989. a homeful of friends for Thanksgiving

three gifts only in Christ
990. mercy, mercy, and more mercy
991. grace to be patient
992. His presence

three gifts humble
993. knowing that each day I'm dependent on His grace to be patient
994. Husband's love
995. a one-room home

three gifts ugly-beautiful
996. dying leaves
997. cold mornings
998. a messy home

three gifts preparing
999. Xmas practice with the kindergarteners
1000. moments to prepare them for life--like, don't bite your friends
1001. preparing church with homemade snowflakes

a gift handmade, held, happy
1002. K's surprising gift of a dragonfly
1003. more meds from the otolaryngologist
1004. worshipping together with old and new friends

three gifts in community
1005. making snowflakes with ladies at church
1006. lunch together after service
1007. prayers

three gifts red
1008. Fuji apples
1009. peanut butter jar
1010. the mountain ablaze behind us

three gifts astonishing
1011. a day to rest and sleep
1012. surprises from Husband
1013. hope

it's already the end of november? what?

2012-11-21T21:05:00.002+09:00

three gifts at noon
959. lunch each day with 19 little kindergarteners
960. homemade lunches every day
961. playtime afterwards

three gifts behind a door
962. cool air
963. fresh laundry
964. sunrises over the hills

three gifts silent
965. 6am mornings
966. 10pm sleeps
967. mornings to myself to do housework before school

three gifts golden
968. sunrises out the balcony
969. autumn leaves
970. november bamboo

three gifts hard eucharisteos
971. everyone is pregnant but me
972. dumping money into loans, but at least they are getting paid
973. waiting on the Lord for Christmas

three gifts of laughter
974. inside jokes with Kumi
975. silliness with the kids
976. being goofy with Husband

a gift made, shared, passed on
977. Carl's hagiyaki for hosting
978. bread and sandwiches at church
979. invitation to Xmas at church

three gifts autumn
980. day trip to Kyoto
981. no snow for us yet!
982. kotatsu!

three gifts of tradition
983. canned pumpkin found in specialty stores!
984. turkey ordered
985. thankful heart

three gifts family
986. skype with Mama
987. Aunt Cheryl's homegoing
988. love from in-laws

november blessings

2012-11-11T08:51:00.002+09:00

a gift gathered, given, good
935. K's wee offering of a piece of soft grass
936. stickers--that's all you really want in kindergarten
937. good conversations with friends

three gifts acorn-small
938. counting acorns with R.
939. enough coins for train fare
940. NOT losing my nose stud for a record two weeks

three gifts government
941. freedoms that yet cling on
942. overseasvoter foundation
943. oddly enough, the healthcare here in Japan

three gifts from your window
944. misty fall mornings
945. sun rises over the hills
946. bird songs

a gift sweet, salty, sipped
947. warm mochi
948. cheeseburger pretzel pieces
949. Starbucks with co-workers

three gifts harvest
950. canned pumpkin!
951. fall apples
952. red leaves

three gifts found in Bible reading
953.the Lord's prayer every Sunday with Japanese believers
954. Prov. 31 woman
955. reality

three gifts of remembrance
956. Grandpa
957. friends' heaven babies
958. the fact that we can remember

A Sonnet of the Sea (Fear pt. 3)

2012-11-04T00:42:00.004+09:00

Sonnet of the Sea

(c) Elizabeth O'Brien 2011

Alone on shore, I’ve oft been here before;

I come with prayer “let now begin the end.”

O’er pow’ring will draws me, I heed the roar,

And with the silence, life, the waves do rend.

My life, my heart are mine no more for chained

Am I, and free I’m not. ‘Twas I who gave

Pow’r to the sea, in turn control was feigned.

I thought if grasped and kept my life I’d save.

But by and by dark sea has poured in me

Til what was mine is not, but now belong

To what I fear. So shall I face this sea

Demand my freedom back, repent this wrong.

Cast off these chains, the Truth my soul redeem

And Truth, its light, be ever more my theme.

Well, hello again! (Fear pt.2)

2012-11-04T00:41:00.003+09:00

It was Saturday night. We were at Hope Chapel's English service, and a friend of a friend was giving a short testimony before the message began. She shared eloquently about her journey of faith with the Lord and how He was guiding her from mistrust to trust. Her story was so familiar to me. Not trusting God? Oh yeah, been there. Wait....am there?

As she spoke, the Holy Spirit was gently speaking to my own heart, reminding me of my lack of faith so often, of how He'd led me through lessons of learning to trust and not be afraid, running me through a mental slideshow of last spring. And I sat there thinking, "yep, yep, boy you sure have done a lot of work on my heart, yep." And instantly, He spoke again.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for His correction, how inordinately painful and at the same time utterly sweet His voice is. It makes me cringe and bloom all at the same time. Why did He have to bring that up? Discover that flaw? Turn the light on that hidden closet? And then it gets cleaned, uprooted, disinfected, and He gets the glory.

So as I was listening to Sarah speak, as the Lord was reminding me of where He's brought me from with my own fears, His swift word was, "You still have fears and I'm not done yet." This journey of walking out of fear is a long process and I'm so far from over.

And this "new" fear that He's brought to light? That quickly turned my, "yep, you've brought me pretty far, haven't you, Lord," to "oh crud, this isn't over yet"? Turning 30 next year and still not having children.
I was dreading, absolutely dreading, turning 29 this year because it's so close to 30. And for some reason, being 30 and not being able to have kids is just a gut-twisting thought for me. I didn't even realize how much this was affecting me until the Lord pointed it out in church. And then Mike's message was about the promises of God and what God does NOT promise us--such as happiness or results to prayers in our lifetime. But He does promise joy. And His own faithfulness.

It seems like everyone I know and love is having children these days, but there's still no answer to our prayer for sons and daughters of our own. Living life without kids is a different kind of fear. I don't know how to explain it, and I don't think one can understand it without being in this position. But it's fear, and in my case, I've camped on it so long that it's unbelief too. Honestly, I don't know if God will give us biological or adopted children before I'm 30, or ever. My belief is not resting on having my prayers answered my way, but rather on a Father who hears, who knows, and who will do whatever brings Him the most glory and us the most good.

I'm scared of losing the desire for kids, I'm scared of growing so content that I don't notice this empty hole, that I don't grieve. But at the same time, I want the Lord's peace. Uffda. Obviously, there is so much work to be done. I have to be honest and say I'm still scared about it all. But now that I know I'm scared about this infertility and all the emotional stuff that comes with it, I can stare at this new fear because my Savior holds my hand.

I am afraid of sharks (Fear pt. 1)

2012-11-04T00:21:00.000+09:00

I am afraid of sharks. I don’t know when that fear began, and for a girl growing up in the land-locked Midwest, it actually sounds silly. My sisters used to open up a page in National Geographic of an up-close shark and shove it in my face, laughing as I screamed. I couldn’t get away from the page fast enough. I learned pretty quickly to only riffle the corners of any nature magazine after that and skip any pages that looked like they were photos of underwater.

Whenever I was asked what I am afraid of, “sharks” was always at the top of the list. When we went to Florida for my senior year of high school, I only went out up to my calves because I’d heard sharks can attack at waist-deep water. When my friend and I swam in the indoor pool at our Minnesota college, we talked about how we both were scared there may be a shark in the pool, and freaked ourselves out so much that we had to get out of the pool.

I wouldn’t say I’m a paranoid or phobic person, but I do have my other fears. My husband could probably list every one because he’s had to calm me down on more than one occasion when a bat flew over head, a midnight thunderstorm kept me sobbing under my pillow, a hairy spider decided to share the shower with me, or nightmares of an angry father woke me crying in the night.

However, it wasn’t until we moved to Japan in 2010 until I realized how tightly fear had me, like a python squeezing its prey. Little by little, as life unfolded here and as we understood the spiritual atmosphere better, I began to add things to my list. And then I began habits that I thought would keep me safe from these things. Close the curtains as quickly as possible in case something outside is watching me, run past the neighbor’s house after dark instead of walking because they have a shrine in their garden, have a plan in case we get invited to a temple.

But deep in my soul I knew I was just piling fear on top of fear and it wasn’t healthy. I knew in my head that it was wrong to be afraid of these things, but my heart said that I had to keep my rituals and keep these fears because if I wasn’t afraid, then what would prevent these horrible things from happening? I never felt safe as a child from the things I was afraid of, so I learned that no one but me would keep me safe. My dad’s idea of getting over a fear was to strip any hint of safety away, such as a pillow or blanket to hide under during a summer storm, and make us face it. When I woke with nightmares in the middle of night, I was more of a nuisance than anything. Once when I was about twelve years old, I was climbing a small bluff at a park near our house with my family, and I got stuck. I couldn’t get up or down, and when I moved, I started to slide. Terrified, I cried for my dad to come get me and help me, but he just stood at the bottom and said, “You’re fine. Just do it.” I sobbed the whole way down as I finally figured out how to descend, and when I got to the ground again and my dad saw my fear he said, “Oh, I didn’t think you were really serious.” One year when we as a family camped along the North Shore in Minnesota, we traveled up to Shovel Point, which is a few hundred feet above the Lake. I’ve always hated heights, so as we hiked higher and higher, I got dizzier and dizzier. My dad, deciding that it was time I stopped being afraid of heights, walked me over to where I could see down the cliff and over the lake and told me that if I didn’t open my eyes, I would get punished.

I layered all these memories up, one on top of the other, and each one reinforced the thought that if I didn’t protect myself, nobody was going to. Being married freed me up a little because then I did have someone to hold me during a storm, but even my darling couldn’t make the storm stop or the bats leave, or the nightmares end. Nobody was going to keep me safe but me, and I was doing a pretty bad job of it. I was afraid of being afraid.

One night, shortly after we moved to the seaside town of Hagi, Japan, Carl and I took a late night walk down to the beach. Carl wanted to take off his shoes and walk in the water. I begged him not to because there might be jellyfish and sharks. In fact, I argued with him and told him I wasn’t going in. He stopped and turned to me and said in a voice that was both firm and laced with hurt, “Don’t you trust me to take care of you? I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” I realized that I really didn’t trust him to take care of me, and I tried to wiggle around the question. Being a highly intuitive husband, he read me like the pop-up book that I am, and persisted with his question. We went round and round as I tried to explain that I couldn’t go in the water because all these dangerous things might happen. He explained with all the stern love of a husband that I was trying to control the situation because of my fear and not trusting in him or God. God was the one in charge of our safety and nothing bad could happen without Him allowing it. And if He wanted something bad to happen, nothing we could do could stop that. But anything that happened would be for our best and God’s glory. I never did go into the water that night, but the whole way home I couldn’t stop thinking about what Carl said. I started to realize how bound by fear I was and what my control was telling God.

If I say I’m a Christian, a Christ-follower, that I believe the Word and I worship God as Almighty, and yet by holding tightly onto my rituals and even my fear itself, I’m telling God that I’ve got to take care of me because He obviously can’t, something is very wrong with my theology. Either God IS big and strong enough to protect me or He isn’t. Either He IS doing all things for my good and His glory or He isn’t. If the Bible is true, then He is. If the Bible isn’t true, then He isn’t, and I need to reevaluate even calling myself a Christian. But since I unshakably believe, with every cell in my body and every breath in my lungs that God is who He says He is, then what needs a good looking at is my warped understanding of how life works. I heard the pain and frustration in my own husband’s voice when he said, “Don’t you trust me?”—how much more do I cause my Creator and Father grief when He has to say to me, “Don’t you trust me?”

After this seaside epiphany, my eyes started to open to all the ways that God was taking my fears, exposing them to light, and then crumpling them up in His hands saying, “They must go.” At first they were little things like nightmares and thunderstorms. Then He pried my hands off things like infertility and the possibility of life without children. But I fought Him every step of the way. It’s comfortable to hold onto fear—it’s what I know, and for some twisted reason, I feel safer in my fear than I think I do without it. But God, being God, was ramping up to something big, something I couldn’t get away from. The seaside moment was only the first in a set of Him cracking my shell.

The second was on a Monday when Carl, I, and two friends were out on a day trip. (Carl by this time had moved to another city about eight hours away, and I was living here in Hagi for another two or three months while I finished up my job. He came back for a weekend to say goodbye to our coworker as she moved to America.) On the way home from our trip, we stopped at a rest stop that had a grocery store in it. The odd thing about this grocery store is that it has a small shark tank in it. It’s small, but it had three sharks in it this time. Before, there were only one or two who looked more or less dead. This time there were three very active, young sharks. I watched in horror as one gyrated vertically, bored? Hungry? Another swam in circles, round and round, never stopping. The third, the biggest of them all, lay at the bottom, gills flapping slowly. I forced myself to stare at it, and found that I was staring it in the eye. I couldn’t look away. I was face to face with the object I feared the most, and it and I were looking at each other eye to eye. It wasn’t the blank stare of a dead fish—this shark was watching me as much as I was watching him. I felt repulsion and curiosity, fear and bravery all at the same time. I hated it. But it was just a creature, watching me, in a very small tank, and it couldn’t break out. Nor was it big enough to do any damage to anyone. I don’t know how many minutes passed as the shark and I watched each other. Then, it slid away around the tank and I broke out of my hypnosis. I felt a little pride and a little bit of “oh my gosh, what just happened?” as I realized I stared down a shark. My worst enemy, and I stood there without running away.

A few weeks later, I had a really nasty incident at work. My boss accused me of something that I definitely did not do and she said some very hurtful things. Ever since we began working at her school, she’s reminded me of my dad in many ways, so I’ve tried to tiptoe around her, avoiding any confrontation or conflict. However, with this sucker punch, I couldn’t avoid trouble any longer. My coworkers understood that my boss had crossed the line and advised me to try to make peace with her, as far as it was possible with me. They said the best thing to do would be to meet with her one on one. I had no idea how she’d take my message, and so for four days, I couldn’t eat properly, I slept fitfully, my stomach was in sour knots, and I felt distracted to the point of being afraid for my sanity. I planned for the worst. An image began to form in my mind. My boss was my shark. Only this time, I was the one in a safe cage, with shark armor on. She was the one ramming herself into the iron bars of the cage, injuring herself. There was blood in the water, but it wasn’t mine, it was hers. But the more she rammed, the more she bled, and the more she bled, the more ferocious she became. As the time for my meeting with her grew closer, I dived into the Psalms, reading passages about safety and deliverance over and over. My friend and coworker at the time prayed with me, and I called Carl and asked him to pray over me. As they prayed, my heart became steadier. At 4:00, I walked down to school, found my boss who was in a good mood, and sat down with her to share my heart. At the end, she was very taken aback but appreciative, and while there was no resolution to the issue, I was able to return home with a new lightness. I felt kilos lighter, and I thanked the Lord for taking care of me while I faced the shark.

As new fears came up regarding work and my interactions with my boss, as daily worries about finances spring up like weeds, and as I grieve each month with an empty body, I know I have so far to go in this faith journey. But I’m learning where to go in Scriptures to pray violent prayers of desperate pleading with the Lord. I’m learning to hear the Holy Spirit remind me of what God has done in the past. And I’m remembering that to trust Jesus means to let Him be in charge of my security. I’m nowhere near being done being afraid, but I’m learning how to be brave when I’m scared. Knowing that even if He lets all hell break loose, Jesus will be with me. He was in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; He shut the mouths of the lions for Daniel; and He pulled Peter immediately out of the water when he sank. He’ll take care of me. “With my God, I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall.” And with my God, I can face a shark.

here comes November

2012-11-03T20:42:00.000+09:00

three gifts eaten
926. stuffed peppers
927. birthday chocolate
928. Starbucks decaf and sugar-free muffin

three gifts worn
929. leg warmers
930. soft plaid shawl
931. Husband's plaid shirt for pjs

three gifts that start with N
932. Natasha
933. November thanks
934. New mornings

last days of the 10th month

2012-11-03T20:01:00.001+09:00

three gifts in Christ
914. assurance of the hope that we have
915. His immutability
916. peace in knowing He is the Way, Truth, and Life

three gifts on time
917. morning trains
918. Japanese class
919. good mornings from students

three gifts overjoyed
920. bringing Husband to work for a day
921. a Saturday off=sleeping in, pjs, cartoons, breakfast on bed
922. understanding more and more conversation

three gifts hallowed
923. fellowship with friends
924. watching their godly parenting
925. Husband and my marriage

sunshine

2012-10-27T21:26:00.001+09:00

three gifts enjoying
905. crockpot applesauce
906. banana bread
907. cool nights mean warm pajamas

three gifts extravagant
908. a spring season of life in this gorgeous autumn
909. intellectual Christianity
910. my Husband's love

a gift humbling, honoring, happy
911. sermons on once-a-month Saturdays
912. being asked to help with new children's ministry programs
913. sunny mornings

october warmth

2012-10-24T20:06:00.000+09:00

three hard eucharisteos
870. trusting the Lord with money to visit the States
871. not knowing when or why
872. student loans

three gifts of change
873. changing seasons
874. new ministry involvement
875. change in independence

a gift small, smaller, smallest
876. peach tea bags
877. stickers from students
878. high-end chocolates from friends

three gifts read
879. Isaiah
880. Genesis
881. American church history in Total Truth

three gifts said
882. "I just want to say you are a good teacher," Y, age 5.
883. "I always notice you," Husband
884. "Happy birthday"

three gifts re-read
885. student notes
886. husband texts
887. facebook messages

three gifts burning
888. rice straw in the fields
889. heart convictions
890. old thoughts

three gifts ugly-beautiful
891. still the IF
892. still the hardships of language and culture
893. still the small apartment

a gift shared, saved, surrendered
894. nabe dinner with friends
895. a wee bit of funds
896. the wait again

three gifts unexpected
897. birthday bread
898. birthday emails
899. birthday loves

three gifts unconventional
890. Japanese, Kenyans, Ghanaians, Americans all worshipping together
891. a Sunday School mixed in Japanese and English
892. carrots in nabe

three gifts undervalued
893. rest
894. alone time
895. Quiet Time

a gift silent, still, strong
896. a morning climb in the country
897. october air
898. ikomayama

three gifts begun
899. Holy Spirit getting rid of fears
900. language studies in earnest
901. antibiotics!

three gifts accomplished
902. laundry today
903. a run after long weeks
904. apples found and acquired for halloween this weekend

happy october

2012-10-09T17:00:00.000+09:00

three gifts orange
843. orange lid of our multivitamins
844. Husband's orange gamer shirt--he's comfortable and i'm happy
845. tumeric!

three gifts falling
846. numbers of students who are absent with sickness
847. students' temperatures
848. outside temps mean long sleeves and cool nights

a gift caught, let go, mid-way
849. sister's news
850. emptiness again
851. friend's loss and grief but pointing to HIM

three gifts reaped
852. a "you are a good teacher" from my boss
853. Husband taking care of me while i'm sick
854. hugs from my sweetest kinders

three gifts returned
855. the little grammar corrections that my students make means the lessons are sticking!
856. food swaps with kumi
857. about $80 returned from overpaying insurance

three gifts redeemed
858. pain from last spring
859. a childhood gone awry
860. life

a gift baked, stirred, eaten
861. a chocolate roll shared with Husband
862. fall soup
863. kumi's fig sauce

three gifts prayed for
864. peace
865. wisdom
866. a life companion--He's been mine for almost 4 years now

three gifts praised for
867. warm sunny days yet
868. salaries to cover bills
869. Husband is healthy

Otsukimi

2012-09-30T20:54:00.001+09:00

three gifts flourishing
828. the cosmos and mini morning glories on my walk to work each morning
829. relationships at school
830. life here, now

a gift unexpected, uneven, unpopular
831. an extra 15 minutes on my time card
832. learning to balance and fit in on a moving, crowded train
833. sickness, but it comes with a night off from study

three gifts shy
834. tiny 3-year olds who now like to sit in my lap in the after-school class
835. Husband muscling through shyness to play his guitar in front of church and friends
836. shy students who stand in front of class to read the weather

three gifts shelved
837. shrimp gumbo and pasta salad for the week
838. loads of fresh veggies crammed in the fridge
839. children's picture books here and at school

three gifts shining
840. K's face as he told me about the morning shining in his garden
841. the morning WAS shining
842. the mosquito repellent light

where did September go?

2012-09-25T16:21:00.001+09:00

three gifts in His word
786. Psalm 91 when night frights hit
787. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection...scary stuff, but needed
788. total truth

a gift scented, scrawled, started
789. Husband liked my rose soap :)
790. a three-year-old student's hand-scribbled note
791. being able to start dinner for my Honey before he comes home from work

three gifts drawn
792. the freedom my students experience in drawing and coloring
793. excellent children's books illustrations that ignite imaginations
794. ideas for my books

three gifts paired
795. Kumi and i--we're a good teacher team
796. my school and i
797. my Honey and i

three gifts shared
798. morning devotions with my Honey
799. trials and their lessons learned
800. dinner and games with good friends

three gifts ugly-beautiful
801. still no little 'uns--but instead opportunities for work and ministry
802. gaining a little weight means we have food on the table!
803. language frustrations are really motivations

a gift fixed, folded, freckled
804. mosquito problem at night--solved!
805. clean laundry this afternoon
806. no freckles in Japan! :) but my sweet student's twinkling eyes

three gifts in conversation
807. unity with Husband
808. shared understanding with my co-teacher
809. compliment from my boss

three gifts in salvation
810. so many sisters in Christ at work!
811. security in knowing i am His
812. a unified worldview

three gifts in information
813. teaching students about mosquitoes
814. their reminders about grammar to each other
815. Total Truth's eye-openers!

a gift rattling, receding, reclaiming
816. a washing machine full
817. heat of the summer fading
818. joy in living life again

three gifts quiet
819. a Room to myself for a couple hours today
820. good sleeping weather, this fall
821. a quiet train ride home

three gifts funny
822. "please may I tickle you, just a little tickle?"--age 5
823. looking up from a lesson and seeing my most girly girls making zombie eyes at me
824. watching The Avengers with Husband and getting the jokes

three gifts finished
825. laundry for today
826. a rare cup of coffee and bread
827. a work day

FAQ's (or Those Crazy People)

2012-09-23T13:48:00.002+09:00

I must confess, I'm a little emotional as I write this, so my language may be more passionate than usual. I'm choosing to write this as a blog post rather than an email because I want folks to want to read a "massive missive" to read it, rather than inundate email inboxes with a weighty email that may or may not be intimidatingly long.

We've hit the two-year mark here in Japan, and with that came a great many questions and misunderstandings, so I wanted to write to explain and, I hope, clear the air about why we're here and not there, and what our plan is.
A fair warning to those who are not of the same faith, I will be using a lot of "Christianese," and while overuse of them has diluted their current meaning, I do mean what I say and am using this vocabulary to be as precise as I can be.

1. Why are did you go to Japan in the first place?

When we were dating, Carl said to me, "Just so you know, I plan on going to Japan someday, and if we get married, I'll be asking you to come with me." I replied, "That's fine. I've always wanted to live overseas and have felt called to missions ever since I was 9 years old." So, we would talk about it once in a while as we dated, got engaged, and then really started exploring the idea once we got married. However, we realized that to do so would put a lot of life events on hold and/or make them really difficult: having children, paying off school debts, getting our Master's degrees. We got so frustrated that we gave up and started making plans to settle in Toccoa, GA. Then one day, Carl's sister told us about a job opening in Japan that she was pursuing but wasn't really sure about. She told us we should apply, and after she decided to wait on going, we applied and were accepted within a month. Within 3 months, we had sold half of our possessions, boxed up the rest, said hurried goodbyes to friends and family, and bought one plane ticket here. Yes, one. We couldn't afford for both of us to go, so we desperately begged God for the money and asked friends to help, and graciously, within a week, Carl was able to join me here. From the very start, we committed this to prayer and surrendered it to God, asking that if at any point, He wanted us to stop, we would know that and we'd drop all proceedings. We constantly prayed about it, and every step of the way, He made possible for us to initially get here.

We didn't come here to make money, to pay off school debts, or to get a financial base, although that was a hopeful benefit. I actually left a job market (education) where I could have been making twice what I'm making here. It's never been about a job or about the money. From the beginning, we've come here because God said, "Come." On the surface, yes, we came because of a job offer, and we stay because we have jobs, but a job is physically what makes it possible to keep a work visa and live here. Plain and simple, we're here because of God.

2. Why are you still there?
We haven't left because God hasn't said, "Go back." We're here because we're called to live here--to do life and to engage culture and people. We're here to learn and to grow and to serve. We call ourselves tentmaking missionaries, but we're not missionaries in the traditional sense of the word. We're here to serve, day by day, and to do what God has for us in this moment. We're not with a missions agency although we fully recognize the benefits of being under such an organization. We actually explored that very thoroughly, but every step of the way, God closed doors. We explored and tried church planting by starting up an English service in Hagi, Yamaguchi as we felt led to do, but then God moved us out of there. We don't have "a calling" like you'll hear from career missionaries who stand before you in church on furlough. Our calling is this: God said, "Come to Japan," and He hasn't said, "Go back," yet. We're called to interact with and minister to the people we encounter day by day. We're burdened for Japan, yes. Just as we're burdened for the States. We see the need in Japan, and we see the need in the U.S. We're just living life and holding this time with open hands, constantly seeking God's will and the next step.

3. When are you coming home?
Home is here for now. Home is Japan. We're totally at peace being here--we're totally content. Our first priority is to Christ, and then to our family which is us--Carl and Elizabeth O'Brien and any future children the Lord may bless us with. We've never intended for this separation from our friends and family elsewhere to be hurtful in anyway. As a dear friend commented last night on Skype, it's not as though we would leave our families, friends, familiar culture and language and just lark about in a difficult environment because we are on a whim.
Having said that, we have no idea when we'll relocate back to the States. It could be next week, next year, next decade. We don't know. We're always asking God to show us what to do, and as yet, we're here.

4. What about your family/friends?
Oh my goodness, it's so hard being away from family and friends. We miss all of you so much and realize that you're not able to share in our lives or us in yours like anyone wants. We know this is painful--for us and for you. But we're joyful that we live in this modern age where blogs, facebook, emails, and Skype make it possible to stay close. So please, drop us an email, pester us for a Skype date, send us a link to your newsy family blog. And keep reading this blog, checking out our photos, and don't give up on a relationship with us. We hold you all as precious friends and family. And you're welcome to come visit ANYTIME. :) We love nothing more than showing our Japan to friends.

5. What are your long-term plans?
Well, that's an interesting question. We don't know, honestly. We are just taking this one day at a time. Other than that, we don't know what the future holds. We want to have a great big family, either biologically or through adoption, but the Lord hasn't seen fit to let that happen yet. We'd love to get our Master's degrees, but we're still paying off that good ol' NWC student debt. :)

6. What are you doing now?
At present, Carl is an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in a high school in Osaka, and I am a kindergarten teacher in an international preschool. We're taking Japanese language classes, getting involved in both the English and the Japanese church here, and generally trying to learn culture, make friends, and navigate life. We live in a teeny tiny one room (not one bedroom--one ROOM) apartment in a city of about 150,000, but very near the big cities of Nara, Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. Life is exciting! We HOPE to come back to MN and GA for Christmas, so if we're able to, we'd love to connect with you, but time is limited, and our families come first, so please don't be hurt if we can't see all of you.

I hope, hope, hope, this helps with the confusion and misunderstanding and hurt that has been expressed by many people about us being here.
Bottom line: we're here because of God, and we haven't left because of God. We've always expressed the possibility of us staying here beyond two years, and we've always tried to make it clear that we've sought the Lord, are seeking the Lord, and will seek the Lord in all things regarding our stay here. Just because you don't hear "missionary talk" from us doesn't mean we are here for purely secular or selfish reasons. There should be no sacred-secular split in the Christian life--all matters should be devoted to God and therefore sacred. We're here because of Christ and for no other reason.

Please, please, please drop either of us an email if you have further concerns or questions about this particular issue, or if you just are curious about Japan in general. We love talking about life here. :)
We love you all and want so much for your blessing and release. We miss you and we know that you miss us, and that's a good thing! :)

September busy-ness

2012-09-11T20:20:00.002+09:00

three miracles
750. Husband's love
751. waking up each morning
752. salvation

three gifts summer
753. shorts still
754. last of the summer fruits and veggies
755. cool A/C

three gifts cut
756. worksheets for my kids
757. cut pink striped fabric for a skirt
758. lessons learned from an old dress that didn't work out

three gifts yellow
759. 6am sunshine
760. my yellow shirt from Courtney that makes me think of her each time i wear it
761. almost-ripe rice

a gift cool, warm, sun-soaked
762. after a sweaty walk from the station, the cool of the Room
763. Husband hands
764. laundry!

three gifts autumn
765. harvested rice
766. cool rain
767. anticipation of autumn events

three gifts growing
768. J's lost tooth and class discussions on why we lose teeth
769. one more student added to my class
770. our vocabulary!

three gifts given
771. help translating a map
772. free Japanese lessons
773. new earrings from Husband

a gift made, masked, marveled
774. a homemade skirt that i'll actually wear!
775. a mistaken trip that helps me remember how to get there next time
776. Total Truth

three gifts framed
777. whimsy from the Hagi house
778. photos of family shared with a friend
779. the pastor's art at church

three gifts moving
780. tickles and wrestles with students
781. walks with Husband
782. runs with prayer

three hard eucharisteos
783. money barely to cover bills this month
784. no money for a U.S. trip yet
785. no babes

sweet

2012-08-30T16:46:00.001+09:00

three gifts in the morning
708. birdsongs
709. clear walk to the train station and sun on the tracks and my skin
710. breakfast with Husband

a gift red, read, written
711. red roses from Husband
712. Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek
713. hand-written note from my MiL

three gifts in church
714. praising together in English and Japanese
715. a friend reaching out
716. smiles and family

three gifts of serving
717. washing scraped knees of my kinders
718. putting big lunch bites on their forks
719. learning how to discipline in love

a gift straight, curve, turn
720. gorgeous evening walk down some new roads
721. rise and fall of mountains
722. a running route from one station to another

three gifts in light
723. late evening sunsets out our back door
724. light on almost-golden rice
725. glowing hills

three gifts old
726. The Little Engine That Could
727. old handkerchiefs repurposed into a handbag for school
728. old smokey restaurants run by old folks that still serve delicious food

three gifts moving
729. a run
730. the punctual trains
731. wiggly, giggly kinders

three gifts fragile
732. sweet 4-year-old hands
733. status and white hung up to dry
734. the cicada wing found on the playground

a gift sewn, cut, buttoned
735. my favorite Target dress still together
736. cutting fabric for a bag
737. Husband's work shirts that smell of him

three gifts new
738. new rain
739. fresh bakery bread
740. new life in a friend's womb

three gifts long awaited
741. this job
742. these students
743. these coworkers

a gift one, two, three
744. Husband and his patient love
745. Mike and Carrie and Magic games and Guillotine games
746. three sweet treats this week (even though I shouldn't)

three gifts very small
747. silly student whispers
748. a stamp on a postcard
749. a sweet rose floating in water

catching up

2012-08-30T07:44:00.000+09:00

three gifts half-hidden
692. a wee little frog hiding in the dark, jumping across my path
693. half-hidden pain reminds me of what He brought me through and did for me
694. half-hidden mess of living means we're here

three gifts in green
695. green-going-gold rice fields
696. dark summer mountains
698. driving through woods feels like GA

a gift in a ring, curve, sphere
699. my kinders noticing my engagement and wedding ring and being able to tell them of Husband
700. sweet baby cheeks and legs on Sakura-chan
701. this sphere of earth coming alive to my kinders

three gifts ugly-beautiful
702. tiny grey apartment means we have home
703. his mess of cords and cards means he's happy
704. a week off of running means more times with him

three gifts of family
705. emailing my mama from my keitai
706. waking up to emails from my sister
707. kitty photos tagged for me

Happy August

2012-08-11T21:55:00.002+09:00

three gifts white
659. massive summer clouds, power
660. lilies growing along rusted train tracks
661. clean white bedsheets

three gifts eaten
662. summer peaches
663. American snacks from the import store
664. nachos with homemade salsa

a gift at 10am, 1pm, 10pm
665. singing with my kinders
666. playtime
667. good honest sleep after a full day's work

three gifts sitting
668. a foot massage from Husband
669. holding hands while sitting and watching TV together
670. sitting on the floor, playing with my kinders

a gift outside, inside, upside down
671. sunflowers
672. my own classroom again
673. clean dishes drying on the counter

three gifts in water
674. skirt-shaped flowers--surprise from Husband!
675. a new water filter
676. the swift river full of fish and ducks along my run

three gifts in His word
677. oh praises from Psalms
678. He must increase, I must decrease
679. Abraham

three gifts in summer
680. summer tan
681. summer nashi
682. summer Obon holiday! A week off--luxury!

a gift hole, whole, half
683. a hole of childlessness, temporarily patched with 20 kinders
684. wholeness in teaching again
685. half an income this month--it's more than we first expected

three hard eucharisteos
686. friends in trials
687. family in stress
688. we far away

three gifts metal
689. my own apartment key
690. so many earrings as gifts from so many friends
691. a non-moldy water bottle

Ghibli Life

2012-07-31T19:54:00.000+09:00

three gifts of endings
638. healing from 2 years of damage
639. believing i'm a teacher again
640. thawing

three gifts fresh
641. summer peaches
642. a meal with 7 veggies
643. avocados with sriracha and salt

a gift on vacation, home, relaxation
644. sleeping next to my Honey
645. a home set up here in The Room
646. getting sick because that means i'm winding down

three gifts of beginnings
647. new children
648. new job
649. new church

three gifts together
650. taking walks together in the neighborhood, sunsets on rice fields
651. discovering new treats
652. devotions

three gifts heard
653. sermons in English
654. worshipping together in Japanese and English
655. frogs' and birds' songs

three gifts difficult
656. half income for a while because trusting Jesus is that much sweeter
657. low language skills because it means i can learn more
658. tiny apartment because it's just right for the two of us.

new-s

2012-07-24T21:05:00.002+09:00

three gifts baked
620. baguette from the bakery
621. English muffins and peanut butter for breakfast
622. toasted cereal that reminds us of the States

a gift in light, dark, shadow
623. waking up with the first light
624. sharing secret fears and hopes in bed after dark
625. evening walk in the new neighborhood

three gifts of story
626. lessons learned from Adam and Eve
627. Tess of the D'Ubervilles on a train
628. talking about our story here

three gifts understated
629. weekly trash pickup
630. A/C that works
631. green plants for the home

a gift high, low, far away
632. rain and sunshine
633. a wee frog
634. an email from the sister in law

three gifts of sand
635. sandy outdoor play area at school
636. sand book in the morning, then sand in S.'s shoes--vocabulary connection made?
637. sand still in the adhesive in my Bible from Mexico/Texas 8 years ago.

i'm home

2012-07-18T19:01:00.001+09:00

a gift in faith, family, freedom
575. Asami's prayers for a child for us
576. gifts from our Hagi church family
577. freedom to advertise for the Ayatsukas' concert around the city

a gift in red, white, blue
578. a new dress!
579. new white sandals
580. blue skies on Sunday

three gifts of persistence
581. persistence in waiting until the end
582. Husband's persistence in providing for his family of two
583. persistence of our friends who don't give up on us

three gifts of enthusiasm
584. new replacements' creativity
585. boost of energy to be exited for my new job
586. housecleaning joy

a gift of challenge, conflict, change
587. last day of work--long day, but last
588. not being able to say goodbye and getting slighted for that, but it meant peace at last
589. here we go--new life

three gifts water
590. the sea below Kasayama--seen with friends
591. sharing drinks from a shop with new friends
592. last shower in the old house

a gift of rhythm, rhyme, reason
593. being able to send money back to the US, just like every month--God is faithful
594. a student's husband's haiku
595. reasons for leaving--some clear and some not yet

three gifts in weakness
596. tears and tiredness
597. God shines always
598. in doubt, truth remains truth

three gifts in jars
599. Kikumi-san's marmalade
600. fridge with food
601. new grocery store with glorious food

a gift of life, growth, decline
602. *i'm* alive again
603. dead plants made way for greener live ones
604. older family members are lovely

three gifts curled
605. Sakura-chan's sweet baby curls
606. ribbons on student gifts
607. a new belt in a neighborhood store, and a conversation to go with it

three gifts yellow
608. lots and lots of hot sun!
609. neighbor's house garden
610. yellow t-shirt that's comfy

three gifts hanging down
611. drying laundry
612. airing futons
613. purse hanging from a hook left by Lyd

three gifts learned
614. new recipe for eggplant and tofu
615. valuable info about the new job
616. discovering the neighborhood and city

three gifts musical
617. songs in church mixed English and Japanese
618. big video game music from a content Husband
619. frogs at night

so close

2012-07-03T00:09:00.000+09:00

three gifts loved
569. the most brilliant sunset over the sea and hill
570. tea and Bible study with friends
571. sweet Psalms

three gifts read
572. the story my Honey wrote for me
573. texts from him
574. grace in Romans