The trials of this life

{written some weeks ago)

In Bible study last week I heard a horrible story of a church planter becoming sucked into a cult, and his brave wife enduring years "on the outside" without him.

In Bible study this week I heard of sorrow upon sorrow in just one woman's extended family.

While having dinner with new friends, we were asked to please pray for one's pre-teen grandson who had part of his foot excised after a brown recluse spider bit him at Bible camp.

And after lunch Jim said, "We need to pray for ----.  I told his father-in-law that we would."   And then Jim told me about trial upon trial, both physical, emotional and spiritual in this one man's life (which may soon be ending).

All these trials of this life bring to mind Laura Story's award-winning song, "Blessings:"

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise

What do YOU do with YOUR snack bags?

The cousins were visiting, and like a good aunt, I went to the pool with all the girl cousins and their moms.  And the time came when everyone wanted a snack, so we moseyed on over to the concession stand, placed our orders, and sat at the tables designated for eating. 

We sipped our slurpees, ate our big soft pretzels with cheese sauce, popped gobstoppers into our mouths, drank our drinks, and I ate my bag of baked Lay's potato chips. 

When the last chip was eaten, I calmly folded my bag many times until I had made this:

And then I realized, "Hmm. I've never seen anyone in America do this."  It's second-nature to me to do it with wrappers, like the ones crackers come in at restaurants. 

You can take the girl out of Japan, but you can't take Japan out of the girl. 

Marriage Advice

Recently I've been reading a blog about cross-cultural life, written by an adult TCK who has five adult TCKs of her own.

One day last week, the post was not about living cross-culturally, but about their 28th wedding anniversary.  [Oh! Maybe it was about living cross-culturally! Isn't that what marriage is?!]

The whole post is worth reading, but I especially liked her marriage advice:

Marriage strikes me as a balance of comfort and challenge – to marry that person who is as comforting as warm socks on a cold day and as challenging as a fencing rival is not often the advice that people are given – but it’s my advice.

Thankful for my warm socks / fencing rival! 

Commissioning

We started attending our new church regularly in mid-March.  We've missed some Sundays because we were out of town.  But even with missing some, in four months' time we've seen a host of people commissioned to visit (and serve on) the mission field.

One man has gone as a chef to a summer camp.  A team to Germany. A team to India. A team to NYC. A team to Idaho.  A pastor to Africa. A pastor to Russia. (And we've missed some, not just because we were gone, but because they were commissioned in the first service.)

Wednesday night prayer meeting (the 7:00 hour, not to be confused with the 6.30-7 PM one) focuses on Kingdom growth (the 6.30 one focuses on praying for salvation of specific individuals).  Every week, we've heard a report from one, or sometimes two, people.  A local inner-city ministry, a teacher in Africa, an intern with Wycliffe, a short-term team preparing to go, and on the list goes.

And in our Sunday School class we've had three mission reports.

There is not room on the front of our refrigerator to put all the prayer cards we have accumulated.

1000 Gifts, Vol. 4, #34

351.  Jim's invitation to walk around the block twice last night

352.  thanks to Jim, my scroll has finally found its new home (albeit in a room VERY different from its old home)

353.  re-reading Patricia St.John's autobiography

354.  a not-too-bad day of getting the house in shape for company

355.  another walk this morning (this time two miles) with said company

356.  3 1/2 hours home alone to do much of the food prep for tomorrow's dinner for 17

357.  making the rolls a day in advance, so I have another day to try to make rolls that aren't hockey pucks

358.  the aloe plant that lives in my kitchen, for when I burnt my palm on the oven rack

359.  the conveniences of life - plentiful freezer space, a dishwasher that I use liberally when we have guests :), and food I don't have to make from scratch at times like this

360.  more than anything, that the Lord is my portion

Roundup of Articles of Interest

Last night we had supper with a family in our church.  As we were getting to know each other, they asked how we met.   As we paused, and mentioned that there's a story there, the husband said, "Well, it wasn't on eHarmony."  And we smiled, and said, "Yes, it was!"

If you've ever wanted to know more about eHarmony, you might be interested in the fourth article in this list of links. 


I found the others interesting as well.  If you only have time to read one, the GPS story gets across a good point about Bible study.

Read on!




Home Group Leader's Monthly Guide
Have you ever struggled with corralling the prayer time in your small group?


Recalculating: How Study Bibles can Limit Bible Study


First steps of an exciting microbusiness getting started in Ishinomaki
 

And an interesting and wise article: "What do you think of eHarmony?"
(There are some thoughtful responses in the comments as well.)

With This Ring, I Thee Wed

This ring I give you, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.

This is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding.  And it is front and center on this photo display box.

Ironically, I see the photo of my Farmer's ring more than I see the ring itself.  

Farmers around here don't wear their wedding rings much.  

At first, that was a huge shock for me (think: "unmet expectations").

But, as I've put my cross-cultural observation skills to work, my "studies" have definitely proven that it's rare to see any farmer's ring.

I'd much rather my Farmer keep his arm than keep his ring on his finger. 

And so I'll content myself with looking at the picture.  

     And with remembering that the ring is only a symbol.  

          And knowing that, though my Farmer may not wear his ring, by God's grace, that doesn't affect the fact that he gives me his constant faith and abiding love.

1000 Gifts, Vol, 4, #33 ~ Surviving the Marathon Week

341.  a pastor's wife who opens her home to women for a half-day of prayer

342.  spontaneous lunch with a new friend (& Moe's $5 Mondays!)

343.  some tricky logistics working out amazingly well

344.  one clean room in our home

345.  an evening of sweet fellowship with some senior saints we see twice a year

346.  more progress toward completing our home study

347.  refreshing lunch with a friend

348.  a friend initiating accountability ~ and being of practical help in that area

349.  a safe trip (driving - aack!) to Chicago-area

350.  meeting the fiancee of a (first) cousin (once removed)

This meal is brought to you by ...

I hope you weren't expecting me to say, "by the Pork Producers of America."

Today's lunch was brought to us by More-with-Less, my couldn't-do-without cookbook.

We ate Vietnam Fried Rice, Stir-Fry Zucchini (the note in my cookbook says 5/19/08 with Nolls - I remember that evening!), Cole Slaw, and Basic Fruit Gelatin (a staple in our household, I long ago gave up on purchasing boxes of Jell-o). 

I've had this cookbook for 16 years.  For three years, it was used by others, as I was called away to this side of the Pacific, while my belongings remained on the other side of the Pacific.  (Thanks, RD, for living with my stuff in your closet for a year before we'd ever met!)

It's sort of fun now to use my cookbook, and find notes or splatter marks or paperclips left by others.

How many times in the House of Six ('95-'96) did I make Tuna Turnovers on my weekly night to cook?  And then there was our Friday night tradition of Oatmeal Cake during the '96-'97 school year, carefully watching the broiler in the I family's oven so that the coconut topping would not burn.  (And we were slowly using down the supply of oatmeal in the under-stairs closet, from a Foreign Buyers' Club order).  Baked lentils with cheese was another staple that year, well-loved by a housemate who was an MK from Africa.    

Freezer vegetable soup was my first foray into freezer cooking and brings back memories of chaperoning a ski trip to Nojiri.   Next to the recipe for Whole Wheat Orange Bread, I have written, "Try Yaoko grocery store for whole wheat flour."  Refrigerator Bran Muffins brings back memories of two weeks at Tak. :)

By far, the most splattered and referred to page in the book is p. 118, "Basic White Sauce."  In the days before cream of whatever soup was readily available in Japan, that is how I made casseroles.  In the years since, I have never adapted to buying the cans and routinely whip up a pan of "cream of whatever soup." 

Although I use my share of online recipes, there's something comforting about flipping through my dog-eared copy of More-with-Less and remembering the housemates, grocery stores (LaPia, anyone?), ovens (the BEST were the built-in convection ovens in both the Minami Oyumino and Daizenno-cho rental houses), and mealtimes brought to me by More-with-Less.

What is your dog-eared, go-to, or just memory-laden cookbook?

10-4 (July)

I'm linking up with Abby at Akers of Love.  You can read more 10-4 posts here.

1. What's your favorite free thing to do with your family?

walk through town

2. What project in your house are you wanting to get finished or...ahem....start?

finish organizing the library, go through some unpacked boxes of mine

3. What are your top 3 favorite phone/iPad apps?

I am a technological dinosaur.

4. What is your favorite post from last month? {June}

June Brides

5. What is your go-to fast food restaurant?  ps...I never spell resturaunt  correctly.

Culver's (strawberry fields salad) or McD's (southwest grilled chicken salad)

6. What clothing style do you love?  Find a picture on-line that describes the clothing style you like best.

The fact that I'm having trouble answering this could be part of the problem. :)  Basic tees, basic shorts or capris.  My winter "uniform" includes these.

7. What attribute of God are you clinging to most these days?

He is trust-worthy, completely trust-worthy, come what may.

8. When you think of junior high, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?

Awkward.

9. What is your favorite summer dessert?

We usually just have fresh fruit, but for 4th of July I made this, and if I could eat unlimited calories without any consequences, I'd make it often!

10. What is your favorite picture from last month? {June}

The only pictures I posted last month were in my 10-4 post, but they're still my favorites - of a favorite spot - a village near a lake.

What works in Japan?

In our adventure of continuing to get to know people in our new church, we sat around a dinner table with others, one of whom is on the missions team. 

"You were in Japan? What were you doing there? You were on a church planting team? Oh, tell me what works in Japan.  What did you find that works?"

I'm afraid my answer might have seemed abrupt.

"The Holy Spirit."

Thankfully, that did not end our conversation, but only opened it up further and we went on to discuss how missions has changed me, what a church can do to really support missionaries and help them (and their kids) re-enter well, the unique and lifelong effects of being a TCK, missions support, short-term teams, and more!

But back to the Holy Spirit. :)  He is indeed what works!  Sure, we may use various strategies, but they all involve some combination of God's Word and God's people, and never work without God's Spirit.

If we start our dialogue, assuming that it's the Spirit that works, but never mentioning it, there's a chance that we'll stop assuming that it's the Spirit that works, or newcomers to the conversation might not know our assumptions and the next generation will not hold the same assumption. 

I'm all for clarifying our assumptions.  What's an assumption you think we overlook?

1000 Gifts, Vol. 4, #32

331.  a pastor who prays pastorally

332.  a pastor who is not afraid to speak the truth

333.  a Sunday evening walk through town

334.  temps dropping from a high of 105* Saturday to a high of only 87* on Sunday

335.  family time over the 4th

336.  book suggestions

337.  seeing the Body of Christ circle around a member in need - two instances this week

338.  making plans for a tea party

339.  finding a photo we needed but didn't even know existed

340.  looking ahead to this week with a mixture of trepidation (it looks too full), joy (a shower!), drudgery (can you say "annual appointment?"), duty (too far behind on book-keeping), uncertainty (where will I get my TB skin test and, more importantly, WHEN do I have two time slots, 48 hours apart, to go to as-of-yet-unknown location?), but overall, with anticipation of how we'll see God present in our days

Embracing Failure

In an attempt to learn and grow, even if I fail, I'm trying to look at failure as a success (i.e., at least I tried something outside my norm).  How's that for spin?!

Two recent failures that come to mind:

Buying cinnamon sweet potato crackers

Buying salt and vinegar flavored almonds

Not recommended. 

Have you had any recent failures?

Where is my country?

On this American 4th of July, while I still try to figure out how to be patriotic in this fleeting world, I'll pass on some reminders I've had recently of my true home.

After the Peterson Farm Brothers' homemade video, "I'm Farming and I Grow It," went viral last week, I was impressed that they said on FOX News that not only do we forget that our food and clothing comes from farms, but we forget that our every breath comes from God.

A little internet sleuthing about who they are and their faith brought me to several music videos of hymns, including "I'll Fly Away:"



(You can find more of these types of videos here.)

Longtime missionary mom bringing her son back to the States to start college (and not just any college, the USAFA) writes here that:

Coming back to America can be alienating.

She goes on to detail the events that led to the fact that her son may be licensed to fly an airplane before he can legally drive a car in the USA, and appropriately shares Hebrews 11.13:

having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

To appease those who wonder if I'm still patriotic, enjoy this from Greg Peterson:




For another person's take on the God and country division, read this.

It happened on a Sunday in February

One Sunday in February, a relative invited her to church.  The pastor preached, and, as he did every week, in his sermon he explained the need to believe in Christ for salvation.  Right there in her pew, she prayed in faith.

One Sunday in June, four months later, she gave her simple testimony, and the pastor smiled, affirmed her simple trust in God's saving power, and tipped her back in the water, as he quoted:

having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God...

Two others were baptized that morning.

One lady had been studying the Word of God in depth for eleven years since coming to this church.

Another came from a Catholic tradition, and when she later returned to her pew, her graying husband reached his arm behind their 9-year-old (?) son and patted her on the back. 

The details of their stories were different, but the Story was the same.  Someone(s) cared for them and invited them to a place where they could hear the Word of God.  Time passed ... either a few moments or a number of years.  They placed their faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Their lives were made new!