Eric has just left several hours ago for an unexpected trip to Utah.  His Dad and Mom were vacationing in Bryce Canyon, and his Dad apparently fell down on the ice when going out to clean off the car.  He was medi-vacced to a larger hospital in Provo, Utah, where he is in Intensive Care right now.  He has been unconscious since he fell, and apparently suffered a brain hemorrhage and likely a stroke of some kind as well.

Eric’s brother Mark drove to be with his parents from L.A. and is there now;  his two other brothers and sister flew in from Hawaii;  Eric will arrive tomorrow to be with them all.  We heard that the doctors plan to do an EEG to see if there is brain activity or not;  the prognosis does not look very good.  I am praying for the Lord’s timing in all of this, and that Eric will have time with his Dad and be there if hard decisions need to be made.

This week is spring break for us in Japan, which is good in that we don’t have class responsibilities.  We are bummed that Eric will miss a special visit from our friend Scott Shaum, and of course not be able to hang out with our family while our kids are off school.  We have a special Easter outreach planned for Sunday (Eric was supposed to give the main message– that will need to change); and I will need to cancel several outings with some neighbor friends.

One thing I have found in many years of following Jesus is that He loves even in our hardest times to bring sweet comfort.  We first got the call about Eric’s dad at 5 am Sunday morning.  When Eric went downstairs a little later, he found an international package in our entryway that a neighbor must have dropped off the day before when we were out and we didn’t see it.  It was from Eric’s sister Mona– the family portraits that we had taken when we had spent time over New Year’s in Hawaii.  These were Mona and her husband John’s special Christmas gifts to all of us.  It took longer than expected to receive them because the photographers, as a gift to all of us, photoshopped Ian’s picture into the family portrait!  (We found out about Ian joining us at the tail end of our time in Hawaii).  This is a photo of the original portrait that showed up in our entranceway on Sunday:

Receiving these family pictures of Eric and his family — especially Eric’s Dad — has been sweet balm for us these past few days.  I am praying for this same balm to comfort Eric’s mom and siblings, especially.  I hold on to the promise of Psalm  :  “The Lord in His kindness shall meet me at every corner.”  (Psalm 59:10)

A highlight of our year is always the Asian Access spring retreat, held in the mountains near Nagano.   We were gone for 5 days full of retreaty things:  some great times of worship; informal fellowship; learning and talking around the Word and values of Asian Access; and about a foot of snow fun for our children and about 14 snow monkeys who came out to play.

For our children, there was a great childcare team — part of them members of a worship band called Entourage from Huntington College, IN.  I’m not sure who entertained who more– our girls or the team:

We were also so thankful for our friend Julia who came from L.A. to help with the youngest ones… she and Ian bonded quickly.

One highlight for us was a baby shower for Ian and two other babies also born this past year.  Ian, Joshua and M. were both adopted by their families from the same organization.  All three of them were born within six months of each other with their own unique birth stories in different parts of Japan.  But as God would arrange things, all three precious boys were adopted by Asian Access families.

While we were fostering Ian, I felt like God had a special plan for these three baby boys.  As Ian went off to Okinawa, I was a little saddened as I knew these three most likely would no longer have contact.  But Ian came back to us, and it was a great joy to celebrate the three of them together in Karuizawa.

Our friend Anne in Virginia made watercolor name plaques for all three boys.  (She does great work — check it out at http://www.magentabyanne.com — I’ve taken the last name out of the photo below).

We played a shower game that was actually really fun (great job, Wendi and Emi! Joe and Kawasaki Sensei– I’m accepting bribes to NOT put video footage on this blog); shared their stories, and had a special prayer time for each of them.

Getting the three little squiggling boys to somehow sit still for a photo was laughable.  Here’s a few of the many pictures (left to right: Ian, Joshua, M.):

I love the promise for adopted children of Psalm 27:10:  “If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.”  These three boys have been taken up  by families who adore them…and by the Lord who I believe will take these boys and use them for His Kingdom purposes.

The Lord in his sweetness has been giving me gentle, tangible lessons during this season of my life springing from the things I do every day.

I have to admit that part of me grieved when Ian returned to us as I realized that I wouldn’t have that extra free time I thought I would with Olivia starting school in April.  I wouldn’t have those free mornings to do extended Bible study;  writing;  getting caught up on the projects I have dreamed about the last few years.  Not once have I regretted the Lord’s bringing a fourth child into our lives;  but I have realized that I need to let go of some of my dreams for now, and perhaps for the future as well.

It was precisely as I was thinking about these things, and adjusting to the long-term notion of four children, that I came across a Brazilian theologian named Valdir Steuernagel.  I read some of his work on the theology of Mary, and was completely enthralled.  He writes this:

“For theology to have the taste of God’s things, and the smell of transcendence, it has to be born in the unexpected encounter that happens in the messy kitchen.  Wasn’t that so with Mary?”

Theology — messy kitchen — in the same sentence no less.  OVER HERE GOD!  Have I got the place for you to speak and to be doing some transcendent encounters!

I think in a very profound way Steurnagel’s survey of Mary’s life has hit home — my home.  God surprised Mary while she was, perhaps, scrubbing pots in a messy kitchen, wearing an apron.  He did not pull her out of her context nor tell her that He would wait until her life was devoid of everydayness.  Rather, he stepped into that world where she lived.  And He wants to step into our everyday worlds, and bring realness and bring truth and bring perspective that makes sense purely because it is in the midst of our everyday worlds.

These truths have brought more hope and fresh air into my world than the blossoming plums outside our window.  Really.  My life feels a bit insane at times.  And utterly mundane (how many loads of wash again did I hang out this week?  And fold?  And put away?).  But it also feels very sacred.  I have been practicing the task of looking for God in my everydayness.  Or allowing God to appear.  To speak.  To encourage me.  To rebuke me (“How’s that yelling working out for you, Sue?”).  To make, and to find beauty out of this life He has called me to.

So I will at times on this blog continue my apron theology thoughts… sharing what God is teaching me as we walk this life together.

Yesterday I read a wonderful Psalm as I started my morning that has never stood out for me before.  Psalm 131:1b, 2:
“I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother;  my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.”

My favorite times of day recently have been those few minutes after retrieving Ian from his naps.  When I pick him up,  he usually curls his arms around me, almost in an intentional embrace.  I walk down the stairs, treasuring his warmth and his cuddles and I plant little kisses on his cheek.  He is completely at rest, thoroughly trusting me to handle him with love and care.

So I’ve thought about this posture the past two days… it is one that the Father wants from me.  To choose to calm and quiet my soul;  to lean into my Father’s love;  to allow His quiet strength to carry me through the day.  Even when our three year old “cleans” our laptop using the water spray bottle.  Or our parakeet S’Mores dies (yesterday — we are still all very sad).  Or I am just tired.  I know that Jesus wants this apron-clad mom to even more lean into His very real and sufficient grace as He  meets with me in my everyday life.

(Below:  Ian sleeping with his Daddy tonight)

While we were back in New Jersey in 2008, we had a college friend from our missionary community, Allison, babysit for us while we led a small group.  She is an M.K. — her parents have been serving in Taiwan which is where she and her siblings grew up.

In January, her older sister Aimee was killed in a head-on collison while going to her elementary school teaching job.  It was so tragic.  Allison and her family of course are still reeling from the huge void in their lives.  So impossible to understand.  But even more impossible is her family’s response to the young man who drove the truck and killed Aimee.  Here is the latest update from the local newspaper.  It reminded me again this week of the impossible power of the Gospel to bring grace and freedom where the world says there should be anger and revenge.  Even in the little places in my life I know the Lord wants more and more grace.  A wonderful reminder.  Here’s the full article.

Driver charged in wreck that killed teacher

by Frank DeLoache  March 5, 2010

HUNTERSVILLE  – Prosecutors have charged an 18-year-old Vale man with misdemeanor death by vehicle in the head-on collision that killed a fourth-grade teacher at SouthLake Christian Academy in January.

The parents of Aimee Elisabeth Powell, 25, asked prosecutors not to charge Stephen Todd Richard, and the pastors of Uptown Church of Charlotte, where Powell was well known, say they hope to reach out to the teenager.

“It was Aimee’s parents’ intention – and the church’s – to reach out to Mr. Richard,” the Rev. Dave Kulp, assistant pastor at the Presbyterian church, said Monday, Feb. 22. “He has a lot on his plate. He has to live with this the rest of his life. But Aimee’s parents want this to be a story of grace and redemption.

“It was not really him who took Aimee. It was part of God’s greater plan, which we can’t understand, but it is what we believe. As her parents said, Mr. Richard didn’t wake up that morning knowing he wanted to kill their daughter. The church wants to give the same message. We don’t have a way to reach out to him, but we want him to know that God’s grace is bigger than this tragedy, and we are here if he wants to reach out to anybody close to her.”

Richard is charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle and driving left of center. Police say his Dodge truck struck Powell’s Pontiac Grand Am on N.C. 73, near Beatties Ford Road, Jan. 21 about 7:05 a.m., as Powell drove to her job at SouthLake Academy.

Huntersville Police Lt. Ken Richardson said the investigation found Richard at fault for the accident but did not find any other negligent factors. Richard was not speeding, using his cell phone or under the influence, Richardson said. That’s why he is charged with misdemeanors.

Because Richard sustained broken bones, officers issued him a citation for the charges at his home at 6962 Gene Baxter Lane in rural Lincoln County, Richardson said. They did not try to bring him to the Mecklenburg County Jail for booking.

A woman who identified herself as Richard’s mother said the teenager would have no comment on the charges.

Powell’s parents are career missionaries in Taiwan, where she grew up. She had only moved to the United States when she was 18. She graduated from Columbia International University in Columbia, S.C., with a degree in elementary education.

Kulp, the assistant pastor at Uptown Church, said church members, on behalf of Powell’s parents, tried to contact Richard while he was still at Presbyterian Hospital to let him know they bore him no ill will. But because of federal patient privacy laws, hospital officials said they couldn’t even relay a message. Powell’s parents also told police investigators they didn’t want to press charges, Kulp said, but authorities told them the gravity of the accident didn’t give them that option.

“We know he must be dealing with a lot of stuff,” Kulp said. “We wanted him to know, ‘If you want to talk to anybody, the church’s pastors would be glad to talk’ – for the simple reason of caring for him, not laying any blame.

“… In the middle of a tragic situation, Aimee’s parents and the church want to be able to show God’s grace. This is a great tragedy, but not one that exceeds God’s grace and forgiveness. God’s grace is much greater than any sin we can commit, even an unintended tragedy like this.”

Powell’s parents remain in the United States for now, though they intend to return to Taiwan, Kulp said. The church established a fund to help pay for the Powells to travel to Charlotte from Taiwan and to cover funeral expenses.

Powell had many friends at Uptown Church, and “I would just say there’s a lot of people struggling,” Kulp said. “But God’s grace is sufficient.”

Kulp said Powell’s parents and friends are basing their faith on Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

“Although we can’t fully understand how that applies in this case, we know that our God is all powerful and all good, and it is in Him that we trust,” Kulp said.

A special older friend from the Washington, D.C. area has encouraged me greatly over the years through her letters, prayers, and packages.  We have prayed for many years for C’s husband., H. to turn back to the Lord.  He has been very anti-Christian for many years, and has made life challenging for C.  This morning I found a letter from her in our mailbox that made me weep at the things that God can do… I wanted to share the story that she wrote.

“[My husband] H. just turned 73.  He has a brother in Seattle who is 13 years older than he — so he’s 86.  He has become a widower.  H. has tried to keep his family at great distance form us… My 2 children, S. & G., haven’t seen that branch of the family for 20- 30 years, at least.  But this 86 year old brother, apparently, called H. and said he heard that [our son] G. was a minister and he wanted to talk with him.  He did get ahold of Greg and told him he had huge regrets in his life (he was very abusive to his wife.  I know that, as she used to call me often and tell me about it unbeknownst to H.) G. talked with him by phone over several months’ time and sent him series of sermons on grace, mercy, forgiveness.  G. asked his church to pray.  Well, one day this lost uncle called G. and said for the first time in his life he understood the Gospel and he is now a Christian.  He copied the tapes for his two grown children who have never shown an interest in spiritual things.  (He even sent CDs of these sermons to my husband, H., but I saw them in a trash can).  I am still in a state of amazement at what the Lord has done.”

Look at how the Gospel can change the hardened heart of an 86 year old!  I am sure that her husband H. is next.  Jesus is so amazing to me.  There is no other relationship;  no other religion that has the POWER to move the hearts of even the most crusty like our Savior.

Don’t give up praying for the hardest person on your list.  As Ann Kiemel Anderson likes to say, “I love the word impossible.”

We  had a really busy week, with people over every day for different gatherings, parties, and classes. It’s funny, but sometimes, in the midst of living in Japan, we forget that we live in Japan.  This is our life;  we love it that God has called us here.  But in thinking about different events last week, there were little things here and there where we stop – maybe laugh – and remember, “Oh yeah!  We live in Japan!”  Here’s a few examples:

1)  Having a mom friend and her daughter over for lunch on Wednesday… Annie enjoyed playing with A-chan, and I loved getting to spend time with her mom, T.  When it was time for her to go and pick up her other daughter around 2:30, I started to say goodbye and then realized that she was planning to come back with her daughter and son.  The four of them stayed until dinner time, and all of our kids enjoyed the chance to play together.   I let go of my own agenda, and really enjoyed sharing about parenting as we enjoyed each other’s children.  She brought over a a new craze in Japan:  white chocolate-covered potato chips.  (These aren’t big in North America, or are they?)  Here’s T. and  her sweet children:

2)  Japanese Olympic coverage!  I need to write about this to help Eric vent his emotions.  He is vowing to boycott watching.  His main complaints?  a) Events that feature Japanese are covered from beginning to end without editing, including all the preliminary trials.  b) Yesterday on primetime Olympic coverage TV our whole family got into watching a speed skating in which it was clear that two of the Japanese players had a strong chance at winning.  We watched it up to the end, where the two Japanese skaters won the silver and bronze medals… and we realized that it was the race from a WEEK ago that they were replaying simply because Japanese won.  It’s interesting in watching — we asked our kids which country they would play for if they were in the Olympics.  Owen?  “Japan!”  Annie?  “America!”  We have enjoyed cheering for both countries, even if it has meant sometimes cheering for an event that we had already cheered for much earlier…

3)  Annie had her annual school play on Saturday.  She did a great job on her lines and the songs, as well as looking pretty cute as a horn-bearing yellow cat (she’s on the right)

One of our favorite parts of the play was the 4 boys who were toasting each other with large paper-made, foaming beer mugs.

They couldn’t help pretending to pour the beer on each other’s heads. We were almost beside ourselves.   Beer is such a Japanese norm in adult society that it wasn’t considered at all inappropriate to have these boys pretending to toast each other.  Definitely a Japan moment…

3.  Saturday night we had two families over for dinner.  Every few months our 3 families get together and it is an EVENT.  Yesterday afternoon the two men came over early for an English conversation lesson with Eric, and then the rest of their families came over for the evening.  They brought over their children’s pajamas, and after dinner in good Japanese fashion by groups all the kids took showers and baths together in our humble ofuro  (the girls took about  40 minutes each in their groups;  Owen and Shun were in and out in seven!)  Here they are after their baths enjoying some good old-fashioned Uno:

Meanwhile, in addition to enjoying a Mexican spread of fajitas, guacamole and chips; and ceviche, the adults all played Settlers of Catan.  It was our first time to have to teach it in Japanese –poor them!   But they were great learners and we had a really fun time.  You know that we are in Japan when Eric and I tried hard not to win (we were the hosts; we taught them the game!).  We actually could have won 2 rounds sooner but tried to wait it out, in vain, for one of the other couples to win.  When we won, it was with the promise of a rematch in the near future.  They were all very comfortable staying at our home until 11:30 at night!  Our kids, of course, were thrilled, and thought it was New Year’s Eve again.  Can’t wait for our next dinner/bathing/Settlers night with these fun friends!
4.  During the evening, Ian was held by the two fun husbands all night long. (Guess who wanted to be held all day on Sunday?)  They were loving on him, and one of them said, “He really reminds me of Tom Hanks!”  They all agreed.  (What do you think?  Maybe the nose?)

The next day at lunch, I was telling another Japanese friend, who said, “Oh, many Japanese think that all Americans look alike.”  We had to laugh.  It was a really good week–in Japan– enjoying life on life on life…

I’ve always thought that Japan never got Valentine’s day quite right.  There is the giving of chocolates and homemade sweets, but on February 14th it is only the GIRLS who buy the sweets for the BOYS.  Then, on March 14th, it is “White Day,” in which the boys/men return the favor with chocolates to the ones who initiated the previous month.  Don’t you think it should be the other way around?  These poor girls/women need to stick their necks out and be the initiators, without knowing if there is returned interest.  Then, even if there isn’t, the guy feels the need to buy and give her chocolates back.  Often it is called giri chocolate, or “obligation chocolate”.

Well, I personally know one guy who isn’t minding this tradition too much.  Our oldest, Owen, (7 years old), has raked it in this year!  Four of his female classmates had their moms drive them over to our home so they could give him a plethora of homemade cookies, chocolates, and boxes.

Owen will also have to be quite busy a month from now with some obligation chocolates…Our family, in preparation for this big day,  made a double batch of peanut butter blossoms yesterday to give to neighbors and family friends.  It’s been fun to surprise our friends with a more American-style Valentine tradition.

Today, our pastor gave a message about love — how the Father loves us.  And it brought to mind one of my favorite quotes of all times, written by J.I. Packer.  I think my sister Beth first shared this with me in college.  It touched me then;  it touches me still.  I share it on this day because it is about a love that is not dependent on cultural expectations, or obligation-types of love.  It is real – it is deep — it is a love that is infinitely more surprising than any unexpected Valentine cookies.  This is the real Valentine.

I am graven on the palms of His hands. I am never out of His mind. All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. I know Him, because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when His eye is off me, or His attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when His care falters.

This is a momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort–the sort of comfort that energizes. . . in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love, and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I am often disillusioned about myself, and quench His determination to bless me. . . He sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow-men do not see (and I am glad!), and that He sees more corruption in me than that which I see in myself (which, in all conscience, is enough). There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, He wants me as His friend, and desires to be my Friend, and has given His Son to die for me in order to realize this purpose. . . not merely that we know God, but that He knows us (J. I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 37).

There were a lot of reasons why the K. family would never have us over to their home for a meal:

1) they have a small apartment;  2) they’ve never had another family over to their home; (most Japanese typically do not entertain in their homes)  3) Mr. K. works crazy hours, 6 days a week as the owner/chef of a small restaurant in town as has little family time;  4) we have four children!  No one has families over for dinner with four children! (Okay- so that’s my fear.  I’m getting over it).

But they DID invite us over last Sunday.  And we had such a wonderful time.  A great spread:

There was a creative welcome sign hanging in their living room (our friends had to look up how to spell our names in English):

We’ve gotten to know the K. family through our children.  Their oldest daughter, Y., has been Owen’s special friend for the last three years.  We’ve written about their special friendship before.  Annie has become friends with their younger daughter, H., although they haven’t been in the same class yet (hopefully this coming April!).  They play together really nicely.  Both of their girls love taking care of Olivia and Ian, too.

I’ve had a chance to get to know the mom, Chi., and she’s come to a number of different events we’ve done.   We have been quite excited to find out that Ian will have a playmate — they are expecting a little boy in June.

The grandparents and Chi.’s sister came, as well as our friend Mary.  They all loved on Ian!

Here is the gang of us:

We’ve had a lot of  families over to our home for dinner over the years, and will continue to do so.  But it is always a special treat when our Japanese friends invite us into their home, their world.   We are given the chance to know them more, to show we care about the little details of their lives. It was interesting because just before everyone started eating, the sister stopped the digging-in process and said, “Wait!  We need to pray first!..”  She remembered being at our home before and this important custom for us.  So Eric prayed a blessing over this family, inviting the presence of Jesus into their home.  God is amazing — He can somehow take the clay pots of our family, and as we sup and play with these friends in their home, I do believe that He joins us there.  Jesus came to the K. family’s home for dinner.  His name might not have been written on a heart on the wall, but I know He was there, enjoying the time probably more than us.

One of the areas of study that I focused on during my seven-year stint of doctoral work was that of rituals.  It fascinated me;  I think my personal interest helped me get through the thousands of pages of anthropological ramblings that otherwise would have driven me crazy.

This past week we expereinced two rituals in our local Japanese church that are often such an assumed part of the Christian experience that we don’t think much about it.  The first was Ian’s baby dedication.  In all honesty, as his mom I did not go through the dedication feeling particularly movedl.  (A number of reasons:  the baptisms that followed were clearly the “main” event as we wanted them to be;  we had tons of visitors and I was overly concerned with making sure they were fine, there were enough seats, the mike got set up finally, Olivia picking her nose as the pastor said amen, etc.  We’ve also been spoiled in that with our other 3 children several of our  family members from the U.S. were able to present for their dedications.) But I loved it that Eric shared clearly God’s work in Ian’s and our lives that led to our adopting him.  Many were touched and I think we all realized in this public ceremony that God has indeed called Ian to us and has set him aside for His special purposes.

The second event, the baptisms, were very moving for me.  In part it was because of our special relationship with both Naoko and George.  We understood what this meant in their lives;  what this meant for their families.  But also, I have been doing a great Bible study with Naoko and another friend, and our study on baptism led me to think more deeply about this rite of initiation.

Being a missionary in Japan for a lot of years has allowed me to work with a lot of different churches.  Baptism here is taken much more seriously, in my opinion, than in most churches in the U.S., and is given greater preeminence.  But it can also be a point of dissension between various denominations, as well as between missionaries and the church leadership.  There are many different views of the “proper way” to baptize.

One common belief among many churches is that a person is not saved until they are baptized — this is what “marks” them and qualifies them to really be a Christian.  We also worked for several years with a church that took a new believer through a very intense discipleship program, usually lasting 1 -2 years, before that person was considered ready to be baptized.  The church we have been working with the past five years tries to immediately baptize new believers.  This church sprinkles with water;  many churches have a baptismal or baptize believers in a body of water (If it were up to me everyone would be baptized in a lake or ocean!  But alas, we are in a church right now that sprinkles)….

But what does it all MEAN?  I’ve been reading and thinking the past few weeks about the significance.  The week before the baptism in the study I was leading we read the famous Great Commission, Matthew 28:16-20.  In Jesus’ commission to the disciples before He left, baptism was the second of three commandments he gave.  J.I. Packer says, “The root reason for the practice of baptizing is to please Jesus Christ our Lord.”  It was under Jesus’ authority, and because of his example, practice, and commandment, that the church began the practice of baptism.

But what I’ve been thinking about the most is what baptism initiates one into.  Initiation means reception or entrance into a committed membership.  In choosing baptism, one is choosing to yoke oneself to Jesus, but also it is a walking through the doorway into the corporate Church of God.  Michael Green says “Baptism is inescapably corporate.  It brings you into the Christ in whom others are engrafted.”

I think this is what I watched happen on Sunday.  And eighty others, including the family and friends of these two new believers.  As the pastor sprinkled their heads with water, we watched them choose to identify themselves with the mighty name of Jesus, as well as a very small minority in this country.  The ceremony itself was in fact rather dry, but at its completion something very moving occurred:   they stood up, faced the congregation, and they were welcomed into the Church as we all sang to them a wonderful Japanese song, “You were born to be loved.”  There is a version here you can watch on YouTube:

This is something the Japanese church does really well — welcoming in new members.  Both George and Naoko stood there shamelessly crying.  Naoko shared that she didn’t cry like this at her own wedding.  Everyone there knew that they had just somehow mysteriously been inducted into something greater than themselves;  they had been incorporated into the church of Christ.  (Below:  George receiving a gift from the church;  Naoko being welcomed by the oldest member of the congregation).

Our church is not all that we want it to be (who’s is?) and there is much more we are hoping will happen.  But this day of initiation reminded me that God IS at work transforming lives and calling people into a movement that is much greater than any individual or small institution.  In obeying the commands of Jesus, a new world has opened for Naoko and George and I know they, and this precious church who Jesus died for,  will never be the same again.

I have to confess that I am among the ranks of those who wish we could boycott January.  I have been known to call him bad names before.  He often represents to me frozen digits, post-holiday letdowns and take-downs, and just the blues in general.

One thing that I’ve found that helps me — and maybe others who dislike this Month as well, is making or celebrating rituals!  Creating rituals that help us to remember, re-focus. I realized that this week has been a good one because we’ve had — or more importantly made — three events of celebration.

On Sunday night we had a double-birthday celebration for our friend Y. and her mom, Mrs. I.  They are our neighbors and our dear, dear friends.  Dessert request was blueberry pie — we all loved celebrating these two very special ladies in our life!

On Monday morning, Ian and I took the bullet train and went to Shizuoka.  We had to meet with Sarah, the director of the adoption agency, to begin the paperwork for his adoption process.  She and I each signed letters of agreement concerning the intent of our adoption, and we hankoed it (hanko is a Japanese name stamp; forgive my making it into a verb).  For those of you who’ve heard us talk so much about Sarah — here’s a picture of her with our newest!

Upon returning back to Sanda, Eric also signed both copies of the two letters, hankoed them, and we returned one of each copy to Sarah via mail.  It felt good to get this done.

When we got home, Owen also was excited that we had completed the first step.  (“Mommy, did you finish all the paperwork already?”  We didn’t explain that it will take a few more years, but we were all happy about this first step being completed).  He reminded me that we hadn’t had a kampai night yet to celebrate Ian’s coming to us (kampai is the Japanese word for cheers.)  As a family we try and celebrate big, and sometimes not-so-big, special events using special green plastic goblets that our friend Cathren had sent us.  It was a fun night of celebration with sparkling grape juice, dinner, and Beard Papa cream puffs.

Finally, on Thursday I teach a beginning ladies’ English class in our home every week.  Our friend Mary teaches the intermediate level in the next room, and then we have a combined chapel time/tea time.  About ten women are a part.  Thursday marked two years since I began the class, and it was also the day that we completed the first level text book.  It’s a big accomplishment for these ladies!  So we had a special graduation ceremony, complete with certificates.

As I passed out the diplomas, I shared how God had brought each of these different special women into our lives –we had to pass around the tissue box! We shared about chance encounters at the mall that led to a special friendship; a friendly face at the kid’s school; our older friend T. who found a flyer for our class on our neighbor’s kitchen floor covered in coffee and banana!  She salvaged it from the trash pile and came the next week, unable to speak a word of English.  Two years later, she received a special gift for being the most improved English student:

At the end of class, one of the members said, “Every time I come here  I feel the presence of God.”  That was the most wonderful thing anyone could have said .  That’s what it’s about and why we are here.  It was a simple but special celebration marked by God’s blessing and presence.

So, Mr. January– you won’t get the best of me yet!  Final January posting will be Rituals Part II…