Sunday, June 24, 2012

Breakfast with the Crawfords


6-24-12

Wow it's been an eventful week!
Started a new house on Tuesday, and are making good progress – gotten most of all of the floors in and should be able to start drywalling tomorrow. Yes!

Thrusday was a day of fasting and prayer for the local pastors. And well..... it maybe wasn't the greatest idea. We discovered that fasting while working construction in a warm humid climate just don't mesh well. I was shaking so bad in the afternoon that Justin made me sit down and take a break, while Simon was laying on the floor in the other room because he stood up to fast and got dizzy. So yeah – we did make it till the end of the day – but we probably won't be doing that again anytime soon.


On Friday we got to meet our homeowners for the first time. The minute the wife stepped through the door she totally lost it – and kept crying until they left (which was quite some time later). She was just overwhelmed by memories, but also so grateful for the work that we were doing. We learned a little about them and their family – And I guess they have two daughters but one who has been in the hospital for some time ( she is home now) but has basically been mentally unstable since the tsunami. Interesting thing is though that the minute that they walked in the house I could feel the Lord telling me that I really needed to pray for them – like REALLY strongly. And before they left I got to– really for the wife and the daughter. And after that the wife kept looking at me and bowing and saying thank you over and over – it seems like it meant the world to her. So that was really cool. Please keep them in prayer – especially since they informed us that they do 'honor their ancestors' but the don't have a religion – and they seem soft and open to us. Please pray that we will get to see them more and for their salvation.
After that we worked for a short time and then our crew along with Steve's crew were all treated to lunch by 'Yankee'-san, the second homeowner that Justin worked with when he came over. He took us all out to a super nice place where we had soba and tempura. So good!

Yesterday (saturday) we worked for half a day. Took our morning break at 'Yankee'-san's to see how his house is coming along, and visit. And while we were there (unfortunately we had no interpreter this whole time...) they were showing us pictures of their daughter and stuff and then they start going back and forth – him and his wife – and then next thing I know they want me to stand up and they're trying to figure out how tall I am – so they measure me with this stick and leave the room and I'm super confused and Nigel and Justin are just laughing and telling me 'they're seeing how deep they need to dig the hole'. Anyways – they returned a minute later with a beautiful blue yukata – a summer kimono – which they had me try on then gave to me as a gift. Yeah – I felt quite honored since I'd only met them like 2 days ago.....
After that we came back to base grabbed some stuff and Becca and Lesley, and left for Marumori (Katie the cook's home) for the weekend. Got lost on the way there but eventually made it. It was SUPER gorgeous! Closer to the mountains – and we went to a park with a river and waterfall and sat there for a good couple of hours – it was soooo refreshing and relaxing.
For dinner we ate with Katie and Faith and their mom, then went to Naomi's house where we hung out with her family till late in the night – it felt kind of like a night back home – with like 15 people in one little house. It was fun. Went to bed totally exhausted.

This morning we had breakfast with Naomi's family – felt like I was back at home again...lol.
Then went with them to church in Sendai, where I was once again talked to about teaching or interning at the Kindergarden that they have there and it looks like they want me to come and just talk with some of the people there (supervisors and stuff) on Saturday, and see what sort of opportunities they have for me..... kinda strange...
I've never really asked around about the school but everywhere I go people keep trying to get me to either look at it or apply or something – I feel like I'm being scouted out. So anyways we'll see.
Guess we'll see what the Lord has for me.

Back at base now – waiting for my clothes to be done in the dryer and then take a cake out for Rebekah. Thinking I could seriously use a nap right about now.....

Hope you all are doing well! And thank you to everyone who has email me in the last week or so – I love getting updates from home – and I regret that I can't get back to everyone like I want to!
I'm SO busy - as perhaps you can tell?! And this isn't everything - just the major events of the week.....
So please forgive my lack of communication. *bows apologetically* 

Until next time - live long and prosper!





Tuesday, June 12, 2012

6-12-12


6-12-12

Hmm.... were to begin.

We finished the house we were working on yesterday (two days later then we had hoped), and have started working on the next one – which is quite a bit smaller – and we have already insulated most of the floors and have sheeted three of them all ready – Ceilings are next! ^_^
The really cool thing though was that on friday last week, talking with the home owner we discovered that he had a daughter (he had never mentioned her before), but I guess that sometime over the last week she had come to the house and had been overwhelmed by the memories and had cried and she really didn't want to come back. I really really wanted to meet her – and the Lord is so good answering even the unspoken prayers of the heart. The next day we got to meet her – She had asked her dad to bring her so that she could meet us and thank us for our work – and she was all smiles! It was so incredible just to see her there. She wasn't able to stay long but I got to prayer for her before she left. So it was really awesome!

The team from Hawaii will be leaving tomorrow morning after breakfast. And we will be getting a group of new volunteers next Wednesday – and it sounds like some familiar faces for me!
It also sounds like our little team might be breaking up as both Justin and Hide will need to be crew leads – sad.

As far as ways to pray...
Please please keep the safety of all the staff and volunteers in your prayers!
We have had more accidents in the last month then I think we like to recount....
3 vans in the ditch, 2 twisted ankles, and a cracked rib – to mention a few....

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!






Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Wonders of His Love


6-5-12

Wow. I can hardly believe that it's already been three weeks!
And yet in the same way I feel like I've been here forever. So strange.

I do apologize for not updating this as much as I'd like to. I'd like to post everyday but by the end of the day I have very little energy left for such things.... :P

Anyways – Work is going as wonderful as always – As I keep telling everyone here: “Everyday has the potential to be the best day of your life.” And pretty much as long I keep that perspective myself the good times keep rolling. We are nearing the end of our house – hoping to have it done by Friday (if not before).

Our little construction team (Justin, Hide, and I) decided to try and read through the new testament this summer – So we switch off reading a chapter every morning when we get to the job site and then sometimes on the drive back. We have become quite the crew....
We've stopped taking our afternoon break simply because we don't care if we have one (well maybe Hide does...). And justify everything we do by saying that it's not considered being a workaholic if you love what you are doing. (it was kind of interesting though – on Sunday the sermon was on being a workaholic.... I got to sit by Rio who translated the whole thing for me. So nice.) We also like to give cans of coffee or whatever we have on hand to the guys in the toll booths. Anyways.....

Kenji left for home on Sunday. I guess I didn't realize he was leaving so soon and didn't get to say goodbye. Kinda sad – but I hear that he may be back later this summer before he heads to the states to start seminary.

It's pretty crazy the way people are in and out of here all the time. We got a new translator last week (to replace Kenji) and I've talked with her some – she's absolutely awesome. And then yesterday we got another japanese guy (I'm not sure if he is an official translator or not...) but he worked with our crew for a day along with Lesley. It was really neat though because on the drive out to the work site he and I ware talking and he was asking how I became a christian and such, and then at lunch he asked Justin and Lesley the same question, then he shared his story with us. He had been an alcoholic and about 5 years ago the first Teen Challenge in Japan was started, down in Okinawa. He was the very first person to apply. And through completing the Teen Challenge program he came to Christ.
It was so neat to hear everyones stories, and the great vastness of the love of God just hit me. His love and grace are so incredibly far reaching. He can save and free someone like me just as easily as he can save an alcoholic or anyone else. His power is not restricted by our circumstance.
It was just incredible. So I spent the entire rest of the day singing every song about the love of God that I could think of. Yeah.... God is so awesome.

Anyhow. We just got a bunch of volunteers again tonight (more Hawaiians), and Justin as picking up another group from North Carolina at the airport tomorrow night. Funfun!

Well – That's about it I guess. It's so awesome to see the Lord working everyday here and daily living in His presence. Thank you to all who are praying for Japan and the work that is going on here.
Hontoni Arigato Gozaimasu!