We have been in Hawaii the past twelve days or so… most of the time in Oahu, with 3 days being spent on the Big Island– the home of the active Volcano!  More on that later.  In addition to time constraints, we have had some unexpected computer problems which has kept me from blogging more.  However, I wanted to share a blog entry with you that we wrote on a site that we have created for our Japanese friends to follow our trails… I was able to post a number of pictures of our time in Hawaii so far, so check it out, and I’ll hopefully get caught back up here next week when we get to L.A. and have better computer access…Click here.

 

We have much to write about our last few days, but there was one quick post I wanted to write.

Our last day in Japan, Eric was gone all day for the first-ever house church conference in Japan.  We were having house church at our home, but a number of people couldn’t attend, so it was a very small all women’s group.  That weekend our friend Megumi had stayed over in order to help me pack up.  Before house church, she took the kids to the park in order to let me be free to get things done.  She came back, and due to the heat and Annie getting dirty, she showered off herself and Annie.

This is how she came into the living room at the beginning of house church:

Our Japanese friends were SO surprised at the fancy way that Megumi wrapped her head towel, and Keiko proceeded to show Megumi the Japanese way of wrapping — a little less elegant looking.  We had fun laughing about the cultural difference… and then moved into an ice breaker and time of worship.

We joked that Megumi of course would never come dressed like this to a traditional church… but in this week’s slightly- unusual, very small setting, everyone enjoyed our casual family atmosphere.

At a very different level, Eric enjoyed the weekend house church conference.  It is truly an exciting, rising movement in Japan, and it was great for him to meet people from many backgrounds who are finding God at work through house churches.  We are thankful for all that God has taught us the last four years about house churches and building natural, deeper relationships as a way of sharing the reality of Jesus.

Yuck Yuck Yuck. There’s not a lot that I dislike more than saying goodbyes. It’s really one of the worse things about our job. I think Emily Dickinson got it right: Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need to know of hell. I so agree! Even though we are coming back next year, it is not easy to pick up and leave life that is in the midst of its busy flow.

Here are a few farewells from this past week.

Eric’s children’s class prepared some special thank yous and presents for him, and a party for all of us:

My friend Natsuko had a birthday party for her daughter Asana, but it was also a going-away party for Annie from some of her friends and their moms.  They gave us special gifts for each of the kids to use on the airplane rides!

Our house church came over on Saturday morning to help us with cleaning, and then to have a farewell party for us and birthday party for Eric.  We will miss them so!

Today was Owen’s last sports club after school.  His teacher is really wonderful, and I happened to catch the last five minutes in which he called Owen up to the front and in true Japanese style honored him…

And then tonight- another hard goodbye… our friend Megumi came to pick up Molly, our little Maltese.  We can’t take her with us on all of our travels, so several different friends will take care of her.  It was hard! – Hard! to say goodbye to her!  It doesn’t get easier.  

 

There is one goodbye that is particularly hard for us, because when we come back in 8 months, they will be gone, onto the next season of their lives in England.  Bobby and Claire, our dear friends over the past 3 years, have been family to us in many ways.  Last night we went to Outback Steakhouse for Eric’s birthday and to sort of say goodbye…

One of the things that I have always vowed as a missionary is to let my roots go deep – wherever we are, for whatever amount of time.  It is this very thing that causes so much joy in life, and yet the most pain.

Tomorrow, and the next five days, will each hold partings, and I know I will get teary-eyed again and again.  Thankfully, though, these farewells will be mixed with cleaning out a few more cupboards and packing up boxes and suitcases and the million mundane details that will help to steady us and propel us into the next stage of saying hellos, and goodbyes again.