A Needle in a Haystack

Have you ever been in a situation where only by an act of God could everything turn out okay? Well, Lew and I rang in the New Year with a new understanding of trusting Him in any and every situation. It all started when we stepped off the bus in Tokyo from visiting Sarah in Suwa. We said our good-byes as Sarah got on one subway line, and we got on another. our destination...a movie theatre. We had done research and figured the location and show times of a theatre in central Tokyo. The plan was to see a movie, eat some dinner, and drink some coffee before catching the 12:04 train and also last train to Haneda Airport where we planned to spend the last 4 hours before our plane departed for Okinawa. The evening started out just as planned including finding a locker at the train station that fit all of our bags so that we wouldn't have to carry them around with us for the evening. Who could have guessed that it would lead to one series of unfortunate events after another?

Robin Hood was not a great movie, but it was in English and, despite some violence, was entertaining enough. Afterwards we walked around the large "mall on steroids" as we so lovingly nicknamed the Rippongi Hills shopping area to find somewhere to eat. After wondering for a while, we chose a nice restaurant and ate some appetizer soup. By now it was about 10:45 pm. We got our Starbucks Coffee and were just about to sit down to enjoy it and continue our count of foreigners when Lew calmly asked if Ark remembered where she put the ticket needed to retrieve our bags from the locker at the station. After doing a pretty thorough analysis of our pockets and purses, we both realized with, with a slight feeling of dread, that we had lost the ticket. We fought the crowds of about 1 million back to the train station where we attempted to call the number indicated on the 'if lost or stolen" sign. After much trying, the language barrier was insurmountable. A nice man at the information desk helped us convey the message needed, and we were told it would be a few hours before someone could come and open the locker. Both of us needed to start praying...and praying we did.

Ark remembered seeing something fall out of Lew's jean's pocket while on an elevator, so we decided to retrace our steps to where perhaps the receipt had been lost. Inside the elevator, we found a movie ticket stub...but no locker receipt. We continued retracing our steps knowing full well that the possibility of finding a small slip of paper on the ground on New Year's Eve with millions of people swarming around was slim to none. It was like finding a needle in a haystack...literally. Still we kept praying as we resigned ourselves to sleeping in the train terminal while waiting for the people to come and open the locker door for us. Lew felt compelled to go one direction. We obeyed and began randomly kicking over small papers on the ground in hopes of a miracle. Well, Lew picked up a paper and examined it closely to realize that it was indeed our receipt. Both of us felt like rejoicing loudly and crying hysterically at the same time. Why do we doubt the Father? He is so good to get us out of binds. We went to the station, retrieved our baggage and made it on the very last train of the evening taking us to the airport. Both of us were relieved and blown away that we had indeed found a "needle in a haystack."

Well, if the story had ended there, we would have understood that God wanted to show us His hand faithfully and would have continued to rejoice throughout the evening. But, it turns out that the monorail to the airport shuts down earlier than expected and though we made our train from the theatre, we would have to wait until 3:50 am for the next one. A McDonalds close by advertised that it was open 24 hours, so we ventured off. Hey...4 hours in McDonalds couldn't be that bad. Unfortunately the rest of the million people in Tokyo had the grand idea of sitting in McDonalds while they waited off their hangovers. That wasn't the place for us. We gave in and opted to pay the money and take a cab to the airport. By now, we were seriously asking God what He wanted to teach us through this evening. We had been blessed to see Him miraculously provide what we needed to get on the last train, so what was it He wanted to teach us as we sat in a cab going to the airport? Ark wondered if she was to miraculously begin speaking to the cab driver in Japanese...but nothing like that happened. We thought we would finally be safe and comfortable in the airport and have 4 hours to think about God's lesson for the evening in a warm place.

Ok, once again...it didn't happen that way. The cabby dropped us off at our terminal and sped away. Pretty quickly, we realized that something was wrong when the automatic doors didn't open. Turns out the terminal closes at 9:45 pm and doesn't open again until 5 am. It was currently 1:30. I didn't know terminals closed. What we were to do now? Each carrying about 40 pounds, we decided we would try to find the International terminal...surely that one had to be open! We ended up at another terminal...on the other side of the airport as the International one. We saw a sign for a hotel at this terminal and went inside to find out how much it would cost to stay there for 3 hours. Turns out that you need reservations. So here I sit, yes, quite warm and safe, at 2:20 am in a little nook of a very closed terminal awaiting the 5 o'clock hour so we can check in, check our bags, and THEN get on an airplane to Okinawa. I must admit I'm still wondering what God wants to teach us through this. Why would He get us out of bind and show His miraculous power at the beginning of the evening, only to have us sleep in a deserted nook of an airline terminal? Don't really get it. But, I'm still rejoicing in the fact that God is so much bigger than anything I can think of! He knows the end of this story and will somehow use it for His glory. We hope that the first five hours of 2011 are not an indication of what the year will be like, and we apologize to our moms and are so grateful you didn't know we were wondering around Tokyo at 2 in the morning with nowhere to go.

UPDATE: It is now 2:00 pm and we are safely home! A night in a closed airport terminal, eating chocolate, and reading books takes a toll on a gal! I am ready to take a nap...or perhaps I'll just call it a night in a few hours. We are so blessed and thankful to be home in Okinawa where believe it or not...it's COLD here too. Oh well. Perhaps we will have to find a heated rug....

"Put the Duna on the Barbie"

Note: This entire post should be read with an Australian accent

After a lazy morning watching the snow fall, we decided to get rugged up* and brave the snow and cold. We took the bus and then the train to Matsumoto, where we walked around a castle and through the streets. We did not see any spooks** on our walkabout***. We ate a lot of food today at Starbucks and Mister Donut and a strange restaurant. Lew ate the strangest pizza she has ever eaten with scrambled eggs, ketchup, and ham. Ark ate the strangest pizza she's ever eaten with tuna, corn, mayo, and asparagus. After a train and taxi ride home, we were excited to get back to the heated rug and our dunas****.

Rather than practicing our Japanese today, we worked on our Australian accents as we hung out with Sarah's Australian friend Jordan.

*bundled up

**spies

***journey

****blanket

Tomorrow, we shall head to Tokyo and find some adventures to bring in the new year. We have to be at the airport bright and early for a 6:30 flight, and then, our vacation will have ended. But we're trying not to think about that. Good night, Mates.

Some things that I could get used to...

Here's a list of things that I could get used to in Suwa, Japan:

1. Heated rugs
2. Heated toilet seats
3. A gorgeous 360 degree view of snow-covered mountains
4. Good conversations in restaurants overlooking the lake
5. A great running path around the lake
6. Cheap transportation around the city
7. Large secondhand stores (even though none of the clothes fit)

We had a great day wandering around Suwa with Sarah. We saw a small local castle and the lake and went window shopping. The day was very relaxing, starting out bright and sunny and ending with smatterings of snow.

Up, Down, Around, Back, Walk, Switch, Eat...Then Repeat!

Seriously...that's exactly what we did all day! Traveling through Japan on a budget is easy. Usually it includes a walk or two, 4-5 trains, and at least a bus ride. It took us the same amount of time to go 150 kilometers in Japan as it would take to go from Flagstaff to LA in the states. So funny! We were troopers as we hoisted our packs on the luggage racks, took them off again, walked up the stairs, then back down the stairs, got on another train and hoisted our pack up on the luggage racks again. Yeah, we did it 4 times today before getting on the final bus. We are now sitting snuggly in our friend, Sarah's apartment enjoying her heated rug and rice crackers. Once again, not a whole lot to share today, but I hope you are continuing to enjoy the mainland saga. We will spend the rest of the week exploring this little town and surrounding areas before heading back to Tokyo and Okinawa on Friday!

Sushi, Red beans, Fish, and Mochi = Good Christmas dinner ingredients

Merry Christmas everyone!!! I hope that your day is very special with family and friends! My Christmas began slightly...earlier than anticipated. Since we were in charge of Christmas dinner I thought I would get up around 7, begin making food, take a shower, etc. etc. etc...well, I woke up on time and began my day. A while later I began to wonder why the sun wasn't coming up and why the clock on my computer just wasn't what it was supposed to be. I looked at the clock on the wall again and realized that it read 5, not 7am. It was an honest mistake...both numbers are on the sides of the 6, right? So needless to say I worked a bit and then took a nap. As it turned out, we had more time than expected as our friends from Tokyo didn't arrive here until close to noon.

Opening stockings, sitting and chatting, and sharing memories was a highlight! Lew created a lovely little children's book about an experience in cleaning our house for my Christmas present. I had a hard time reading it to our guests due to my laughter. I will treasure it always. Eating fish, sushi, red bean soup, and mochi were among the delicacies we ate for lunch. Cheesecake at Megumi Chalet was dessert. Mmmm! The day was topped off with singing on the giant Christmas tree one last time at Megumi Chalet. The walk back was so bitter cold. Have I mentioned that it is cold here? Like 17 degrees? Just in case I haven't...it's cold :)

As I've thought about the Christmas season and what God has been showing me, I find my thoughts slightly jumbled and my heart slightly distracted. I know that I am just where He wants me doing the things He's called me to do...but what exactly does He want me to know? This is something I will continue to ponder the next week of Christmas vacation!

Merry Christmas again!!!

Tokyo and Beyond

The stockings are hung by the fire with care...as well as everything we brought to wear!

So I would love to write and tell you about the exciting things I did today and how I love the cold and got to play in the fresh snow this afternoon...but I'm afraid I can say nothing of the sort. In fact, I can't say I did much of anything. Sitting by the heater catching up with friends and family while reading a book, eating snacks, and listening to Handel's Messiah was about all I did. At about 4:00 I realized I needed to get dressed if I was going to get to Megumi Chalet on time. I got home a bit ago and guess what? Sat right back in my chair by the heater! Sure is an amazing way to spend Christmas Eve if you ask me :) If our Internet holds up, you may actually get pictures of our adventures tonight!

Sorry if you are bored out of your mind after reading this post. Hey sometimes there is just nothing to report :)

A little resort town

I'm sitting here under our stockings hanging by the window, ready to be filled with Christmas goodies. In my Under Armour Cold Gear by the cozy heater than brings such warmth after standing in the bitter cold for a few hours. And enjoying popcorn, chocolate-covered raisins, and gingerbread cookies. It almost feels like Christmas with our fresh greens collected from the forest this afternoon and the Christmas lights hanging in the window. This little cabin in the forest is so quaint. It's small and cozy and perfect for a Christmas holiday.

Today was slightly more laid back in some ways, but my body is crying out for a day of being an introvert. Since it is Christmas break and one of the goals of any break is rest and rejuvenation, I'm actually going to listen to that plea and stay home most of tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed exploring Karuizawa today searching to waterfall and mountain lookouts- we did not find either, but had a pleasant winter walk anyway. It even snowed about 10 flakes :) It was a great day for sharing together and breaking bread together. It ended with singing Christmas carols on the Singing Christmas Tree at Megumi Chalet and passing out tracts to arriving visitors. Tonight I'm grateful for warmth and rest!

Thanks for reading! I'm really trying to give everyone something to read about. Until next time....

Ok, it's cold for reals!

Today was a bit more relaxed than the last few days. We leisurely got out of bed and mosied around getting ready to leave. We were blessed to be able to assist our friend, Ginna, in a few household tasks that needed to be completed before we could trek up the mountains to Kariuzawa! One highlight was getting to ride bikes to the grocery store. That was one of my dreams of living in another country. Perhaps it's just the romantic side of world travel...exploring busy streets by bike. Well, that dream was fulfilled. It was fun to buy groceries and carry them home in the little bike basket. My bike even had a little bell I got to ring. It's the little things in life!

I'm grateful for a short nap on the drive north. We were given a short tour both by car and by foot of the little mountain resort town of 40,000 people in the winter and 4 million in the summer. The little cabin in the forest where we are calling home is quite quaint and cozy. I'm pretty sure I could get used to living in a cabin in the woods. However, I'm a full-fledged island gal and that became quite clear when we stepped out of the car into the crisp coolness of the mountains. I'm sorry, that wasn't quite the right phraseology...the crisp freezingness would have been a better description, but I don't think that's a word. Let's just say it is quite cold here! We enjoyed a nice dinner with friends, including 3 new friends who accompanied us to Kariuzawa. We were blessed by one of the ladies who decided we needed to practice our Japanese and stopped talking to us in English. She was cute and offered to teach us Japanese if we would move to Tokyo.

The Christmas Illumination at Megumi Chalet Kariuzawa (MCK) is quite impressive. Tom worked very hard at programming Christmas lights to dance to music and designing the decorations. It really looks amazing. We had fun taking pictures, drinking hot chocolate and eating cake in the coffee shop and listening to a famous musical group. We came home slightly earlier tonight than we will the rest of the week. Tomorrow through Sunday night, Lew and I will be at MCK from 4:30-10:00 pm to hand out tracts, take pictures for people, sing on the human Christmas Tree, and just be the hands and feet of Christ. Please pray for many non-believers to come and leave knowing the true meaning of Christmas. Pray that we don't freeze in the process. I think I will need to put on a few more layers in order to not have the cold nip at my knees!

I'm blessed to be here at Kariuzawa for a few reasons, but one major one is how much this little town reminds me of Flagstaff. The landscape and intense cold are just a few aspects that remind me of home. How great a Creator who knew how much I would need to be reminded of home this Christmas.

Darkness....

My heart is so heavy today! It is a heaviness I can't quite explain. One that I haven't felt in a long while. Today Lew and I embarked on a Tokyo adventure. Using expert direction we ventured off to see the major sites by ourselves. We didn't get lost once and the only mishap we had was buying a ticket for the wrong subway line. Hey, it happens! Anyway, the reason for my heaviness is the millions and millions of people we saw on a pathway to eternal destruction! I don't remember it affecting me quite as much the last time around. Obviously it must have since I'm here again, but I suppose I have a fresh vision...a new urgency...or just a renewed burden for the Japanese people today.

Our self-guided tour took us to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office where from the 45th floor we could see much of Tokyo. As far as the eye could see the buildings had no end in sight. It was crazy! Next was a train ride to Meiji Shrine...a Shinto shrine where we witnessed the end of a wedding and myriads of people throwing their money into the shrine and praying to gods made by human hands. The question crossed my mind as I watched...what would it be like to pray to a god I didn't know? One who doesn't know me intimately because it didn't create me? One that does not share intimately in my life? It all seemed so...empty.

People watching is one of our joys and people watch we did...I think if I were counting I would have lost count around 1.5 million. Ok, an exaggeration, but not much of one. It was cold so we were enjoying a nice cup of Starbucks from a 2nd story building. At least 200 people would cross the street every 2 minutes. We were there for about 60 minutes so what is that...6,000 people total? Incredible! This was definitely the 'people-watcher's' dream location!

After my lunch of shrimp, clam, squid, and pork casserole (you think I'm joking don't you?), we headed to Asakusa Temple. The temple was much bigger than the Shinto shrine and is a Buddhist Temple where elaborate decorations, incense, and holy water are all part of the temple experience. Once again I watched people, under bondage worshipping Satan...I mean, who else would it be? There was one particular man who was well advanced in years and who obviously struggled walking slowly up the stairs to 'pay his dues' at the temple. My heart broke for him as the reality of eternity and his eternal destiny washed over me. I have thought and prayed for this particular man many times since then! There is still hope for him...as long as he has breath.

Our day ended at a brand new church that just started earlier this month. About 12 of us sang and worshipped together. Though a lot of our interaction was in pantomime and with the help of an interpreter, I enjoyed meeting with my brothers and sisters here in Tokyo. I had the honor of playing Christmas carols on the piano for their worship time (yes, I'm quite rusty after not playing for 7 months). God gave me a passage for this nation of Japan as I sat and tried to glean as much from a sermon in Japanese as I could: Isaiah 43:8 "Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, that are deaf, yet have ears." I suppose all of Isaiah 43 could apply, but this verse stuck out to me...the people of Japan have ears and they have eyes, yet they fail to hear and see the truth of Christ. My prayer is that God would redeem for Himself millions of Japanese people by opening their ears and eyes of understanding! I was slightly encouraged after church...yet still feel this heaviness. I would appreciate your prayers as He is in control of the salvation of all people. Would you continue to pray for an outpouring of His Spirit on this country?

Tomorrow...off to an even COLDER Kariuzawa! I've suffered without my coat the last few days because I wanted to use it to trick my mind into thinking I could stay 'warm' there. Not sure it will work...but I'm praying. And I'm also praying that the weatherman is wrong about no snow on Christmas. There is a 30% chance...but I'm praying for mucho snow to make Christmas white!

Around the World in a Day!

I'm sure you've done it! Probably more than once. Stuffed items into a box and pressed them down to make more room for something else? Well, I was 'in the box' today! Not literally of course, but I sure understand how those items on the bottom of the box feel as the other items press against them. My experience was called the "Tokyo Train System". I have never seen people enter an already overcrowded train and literally push the mobs of people already standing to make a millimeter more space to fit their feet in. Wow...it got better as I was on the 'bottom' of the box, or the other end of the train as people were pushing. I had a metal bar in my hip and a Japanese lady's hair in my face. If that wasn't bad enough, everytime the train stopped and people wanted to get off, there was a very intense shoving of people out of the way. Let's just say, I think my hip is permanently bruised from the beating it received. I had to ask myself how people do it everyday????

Tokyo DisneySea was a very interesting place. It was much different than the typical Disneyland. No princes or princesses walking around in big dresses with true love following them wherever they went. There was no "TomorrowLand" or "FantasyLand". Instead, we explored different countries of the world beginning in the center of the earth (ok, not a literal country, but definitely a futuristic one) and ending in South America. Italy, Egypt, and the underwater world were in between. I heard many languages, with Japanese accents of course, but languages just the same. To be honest, I would have to say that DisneySea lacks the magicalness of DisneyLand...but then perhaps that's just because I'm older and don't get the 'warm' feeling all over when I visit DisneyLand anymore. I am so glad that we were able to have the "Tokyo Disney Adventure" and doubly-blessed to get to go for free and have a young lady, Mana, accompany us! Thank you for your prayers. We had a great day!

Tomorrow...a shorter tour of famous sites in Tokyo!

"Baby It's Cold Outside"

Wow, it's cold! Actually, it's not that cold. We just felt like saying that because it feels more like Christmas when it's cold. So....we are now officially in Japan instead of in "Hawaii". Everywhere you go here in Tokyo you see people people people! And buildings buildings buildings! And trains trains trains! Instead of the normal tropical foliage surrounding us, there remains only a remnant of fall leaves on the trees while the rest lie comfortably on the ground. The chill in the air reminds us of Prescott in the winter. How blessed we are to be experiencing home-cooked meals and the warmth of a home with our missionary friends, Tom and Ginna. The guesthouse we have the privilege of occupying reminds Lew of days growing up in Ecquador. Overall, life is good!

To make life even better...we were given tickets to Tokyo DisneySea. Tomorrow we will embark on discovering the Disney of Tokyo. We have never heard of DisneySea before so it will be quite the adventure. Our cup runneth over!!

Oh, btw...did you know that traveling within Japan is extremely easy? We showed up at the airport, gave the ticket lady our receipt, and got on the plane. No ID was needed and no money paid to check bags. The security line...well, there was no line, we just walked through! We didn't even need to take our shoes off!!! Next time we will be smuggling contraband onto the plane :)...Just kidding! It made traveling the 1000 miles to Tokyo quite relaxing. So relaxing in fact, that Lew doesn't remember it. It's like she went to the airport and suddenly was in Tokyo! It does feel surreal to be off the island and somewhere else. What can we say? We've become full-fledged island gals!

Thank you for your continued prayers. We are excited to have some R&R in Tokyo, but are still actively looking for ways to minister while here. We will be spending tomorrow at DisneySea with a gal who has not yet received Christ, but is close. Pray for our conversations...and that she would see the righteousness of Christ shining through us!

Until next time....

Merry Christmas!

I'm not sure if anyone is actually reading this blog, but if you who are, "Merry Christmas"!

I've graded finals, papers, and projects; wrapped up quarter 2 and semester 1 of the school year; taken the kids on an ice skating outing; and cleaned my classroom, among many other activities. And all that says that Christmas break is finally (or is it already?) here, and I can forget about school for a while.

So what does the Nomadic Duo have planned for this break? Well, since we are "nomadic," we have decided that getting off the island for a while is a good idea. We are heading to Tokyo and the surrounding areas for the two weeks of break that we have. We will be helping with some Christmas outreaches and visiting friends, as well as doing some sight seeing.

I am looking forward to a time of refreshment as well as hoping to be an encouragement to those that we meet.

The verse that has been going through my mind lately is Psalm 37: 4, which says, "Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart." As I was thinking about what the desires of my heart are, I also was thinking about the Christmas carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," which refers to Jesus as the "Desire of nations" (see also Haggai 2:7). This Christmas, I'm delighting myself in the LORD daily because He HAS given me the Desire of my heart.