GREERS OF THE RISING SUN

If I actually blogged, this blog might have gone viral.

2011-07-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a long time. Jay pointed out that the less we blog, the more we actually have to be blogging about. It's true. In the past few months, I have experienced a lot of things that I could have written some pretty sweet blog posts about. Nevertheless, all of the happenings have left me with less time to sit in front of my computer. To name a few, we had a devastating natural disaster in our country that claimed the lives of over 15 thousand people + destroyed a nuclear power plant that sent the whole country into fear of nuclear meltdown and radioactive contamination. Shortly thereafter, I gave birth to a second son. And then Jay's hometown was destroyed by an enormous tornado. We have had a lot of visitors from America, and we are now in the "calm before the storm" as we prepare to move to Osaka in a few weeks.
A lot has gone on. Some joyous things and some painfully tragic things. God is good through it all. We continue to serve Him and pray that he will lead us through his Spirit to bring many people to know his incredible love and salvation.

Earthquake/Tsunami Report

2011-03-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I'm sorry that I haven't kept up on the blog. With all of the events happening here, it's been a little challenging for me to keep up with everything. Jay is on a trip to the tsunami zone as I write this, so there will be a lot of updates about what is happening with him and his team. Jay is posting on Twitter (Jay_Greer), and I am posting on Facebook. If you don't have facebook and would like to hear what is happening through email, please let me know and I can send you email updates. Thanks for understanding!

Osaka Church Plant

2011-03-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

As you may already know, we are moving to Osaka this fall with the intention of planting a church the following winter. We are very excited for the next step in our ministry. We would love for you to know all about it so please click here for the details. Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Street Live!

2011-03-07T03:57:00.000-08:00

We want to get the word out about Mustard Seed Christian Church in whatever way possible! In Japan, a concert is called a "Live." Lately, our church band has been playing music outside in various places in the city-what we call a "street live." Two weeks ago, Hiroshi, Andy, and I played in the busy downtown district called "Sakae." It was really cold, but fun nonetheless.

Taisei and Naoya brave the cold to support us at the "Street Live" and pass out church invitations.

Street Live in Sakae, Nagoya

Thankfully, it has warmed up a little in the past few days, so we had another "Street Live" last Saturday in a courtyard outside of a high-traffic train station. A lot of people stopped to listen and seemed to really enjoy themselves! I'm sure that many of them have never heard Christian songs, let alone Christian songs being sung in Japanese by a bunch of foreigners! Some of our "groupies," (aka: churchgoers and members) passed out church invitations and talked with people who passed by. My friend, Yuuca, and her son have come to the past two "street live" events and Rowen and Masato (Yuuca's son) dance their little hearts out. It's pretty awesome. We are looking forward to Spring coming and we hope to have a lot more outdoor outreach events as it warms up!

Unforgettable

2011-01-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

Part 1: THE PLAY-BY-PLAY
(not all of you will be interested in these details. I totally understand. Just skip to "part 2" below. But don't read "part 1" unless you are going to read "part 2" as well.)

We set off for the hospital on Wednesday morning. We live only about 15 minutes away from one of the largest and best hospitals in our area of Japan, so we took the stroller and our suitcase and enjoyed the cool air as we walked to what would be our temporary residence for 3 days. After turning in some paperwork, Rowen had some initial tests (chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, and a health check from the pediatrician) before they approved him to be admitted for his operation. He was such a brave boy through all of it!

Rowen during the electrocardiogram

We got settled into our room after the tests were done. Rowen promptly discovered the nurse call button and the emergency staff call button, and sent several kind hospital workers running to the rescue. At one point during the middle of the first night, a nurse made an attempt at covering the buttons with a cut up paper cup and some medical tape, but Rowen still managed to push it while I pretended to be sleeping (you know, the "hey, look, mom's sleeping...all the cool kids are sleeping...you should be sleeping too" strategy). He eventually lost interest. Phew.

The room was very small. There were four beds per room and each unit had a small tv, a chest to store clothes, a folding chair, and a rolling table. The space between the bed and the chest/tv stand was about 3 feet--just enough space to wedge in my rented cot. I only used it for half of the first night. I ended up sleeping with Rowen in his crib for the rest of our stay. He may be small, but he's a feisty bed-hog.

Our room-not sure the picture can accurately portray the size. Basically, what you see pictured here is the entire area.

Jay had to leave in the evening. We said goodnight to him and I was hoping that Rowen would be ready for bed shortly thereafter. He'd had tests all day and never had a quiet, dark place to lay down to nap, so he crashed on my lap for a total of 20 minutes in the afternoon. I thought he'd be really tired by bed time. I was mistaken. We waited around for them to shut off the lights in our room at 9:00. The door to our 4 person hospital room had to stay open all night. So we could not only hear the others in our room, but we also could hear children in neighboring rooms and nurses rolling their carts down the hall. With the sounds of a children's ward filling his ears, an exciting metal crib to bang on, curtains to shake, and emergency call buttons to push, Rowen had absolutely no desire to sleep.

The nurse told me that I could take him to the play room to try to get him to sleep, so that we wouldn't disturb the other patients in our room. My back was aching, my stomach sour from all the convenience store food I'd consumed, and my head throbbing, and I actually fell asleep before Rowen did--but I had pinned him against the wall on a futon mat in the playroom, and eventually he fell asleep as well. I think he went to sleep around 11:30 pm. Whoa.
I carried him to his crib and he slept until 8 am. I didn't sleep much because of all of the beeping IV machines, the nurse checking on our neighbor every hour, and because of my paranoia for the morning. I kept imagining Rowen waking up and, as he does every single morning, signing that he wants to eat and have a drink. The nurse woke me up at 3 am to tell me "No more food from now on." Then she came at 5:30 to tell me that he had 30 minutes until he couldn't have any water. She recommended that I wake him up to give him a drink because otherwise he'd cry all morning until his surgery. I tried to wake him up, but amazingly, it was as difficult to wake him up as it had been to get him to go to sleep. So I gave up and just prayed that he'd sleep in and that I could keep his mind off of drinking and eating until they called him in for his surgery.

As it so often happens, the things I'd been so anxious about--things that kept me from sleep--didn't happen like I'd expected. Rowen woke up cheerfully and we had a good time playing in the play room while our neighbors ate their breakfasts. He didn't even think about eating or drinking. We got called in for the surgery and put him in his kimono robe, and carried him to the operation area. The doctors and nurses were very kind. We got to see his tiny mask that they were going to use for his anesthesia.
I'd cried several times thinking about the moment that was about to happen--handing him over to the doctors for them to carry him into the surgery room. I knew he would be scared. He would be confused. I wished that we'd be able to go in with him until he fell asleep. But when we handed him over to the kind nurse, even though he was crying, I felt at peace. It was so different than I expected. God is so good.

Jay and Rowen right before we left him with the doctors to take him into the operating room. He was such a brave boy! And he looked cute in his kimono. It had a doggy embroidered on it.
Rowen immediately after the surgery.

Jay and I waited until we heard our little guy's cry an hour and a half later. The doctors came and told us that the surgery had gone well. It was difficult to remove the hernia sac (I'm sure there is a more technical term) so it took longer than they expected, but everything went well.

Rowen was very agitated as he was coming out of surgery. I thought he would just be really doped up and sleepy, but he was crying hard and we had a little trouble calming him down. He wanted to be held, so the doctor let me carry him back to the room from the operating area. He also kept asking for a drink. It broke my heart to not be able to give him a drink for 3 hours after the surgery. They said it was dangerous for him to drink right then, even though his mouth was visibly dry and his throat was all scratchy and hoarse. I think his throat really hurt from the tube that was inserted during the operation. Finally, he fell asleep and when he woke up he was able to have some water. We all felt so much better after that!
Here we are snuggling after the surgery. He was doing so much better after a little rest and some water! He hated the IV and after he somehow managed to get his hand out of the binding, the nurse taped it a little excessively. It took them forever to get the IV off later that day because there was so much tape!
Lots of resting and a good nap with daddy made a big difference!

By dinner time, they said that he could eat some normal food. He'd done a good job with keeping down the water and yogurt we gave him during the afternoon. He was very hungry when they brought the dinner trolley around and he devoured his rice and pineapple. He had a little apple as well ("boe poe" or "apple" was his first post-op word). He was acting much more himself that evening and he really loved the presents that his buddy Brigette brought for him! We watched a few episodes of Curious George, and then went to bed.

We slept much better that night and he was feeling good in the morning. His incision looks really clean and though he has a bit of swelling and bruising, I think he's doing really well. The doctor approved him to go home, so we were able to return to our home before noon that day. I cried a lot of tears as we left the hospital. One of the reasons I cried was because of thankfulness for Japanese National Insurance. They handed me the bill and it was 1400 yen. That's about 17 dollars. For everything. The rental of my cot that I didn't even sleep on cost more than all of Rowen's surgery, X-rays, electrocardiogram, doctors visits, anesthesia, food, room, everything. I just looked online and a similar inpatient operation in America costs 23 grand. Thank you, Japan, for taking care of your peeps. So, that's not the only reason I cried, just for the record. If you want to read about the other reason I cried (and I hope you do) please read what I wrote below. I know it doesn't have pictures, but I feel like it's important.

Part 2: FROM MY HEART
So, I just gave you the play by play. But what I really want to remember from our time at the hospital is not the details of the surgery. It is the way my heart felt the first time I passed by the little boy sitting in his hospital crib--not much older than Rowen--his hair thinning to near baldness as a result of the ongoing treatment for his sickness. Or how I felt when I talked to the mom who was worried about her one-month-old because she had not been allowed to have any milk for what was going on four days. Because of the particular operation her baby had received, she could only be fed through IV until she recovered more fully. Her baby had cried through the night because it wanted to nurse. Meanwhile, the poor sweet mother is sitting beside the crib trying to pump milk to keep up her milk supply and wishing she could just pick up her hungry baby girl and let her find comfort and nourishment at her breast. And I thought it was heartbreaking that Rowen couldn't drink for only a few hours.

My heart ached for the moms who had been there with their infants for 6 months or longer. One woman lived an hour and a half away from the hospital and her mother was taking care of her older son and her infant, the twin brother of the 2 month old baby she held in her arms while I talked to her. One of the twins had been born with a heart defect so she had been with him at the hospital since the twins were born-not being able to see her other baby and older son except for every once in a while.
Another mom excitedly told me that they would finally get to go home next week, after 6 months of living in the tiny cramped space of the hospital. Her baby had to have several surgeries to repair problems that he'd had since birth. She pulled out a photo album to show me pictures of her older son, whom was just a month older than Rowen. She was so excited to finally be home--her family being together for the first time since her baby had been born.

Jay had bought some little toys that we took around to the kids before we went home. All of the mothers were kind and seemed so upbeat even though their situations were difficult. Many of them had made the tiny space "home" because they had been there for so long. I thought about how much they probably wanted to go home, but also feared that when they finally were able to go home, their child wouldn't be going home with them.

Being there opened my eyes so much. When Jay described the little children he saw sleeping on the dirty sidewalk when he was in Bangkok, my heart was broken. When I saw these darling children with terrible illnesses in the hospital, my heart was broken. The commonality with both of these instances is that until I came face-to-face with them, I never thought about them as reality. But this is reality.

This world is visibly wounded by sin. In the world that God originally created, there were no babies with feeding tubes. No 2-year-old boys that were losing their hair because of cancer. No inguinal hernias either, I suppose. But, thank God, we have hope even though sometimes things seem quite hopeless. This place won't always stay tainted. And we can trust God that no matter what sadness we experience during our lifetime, God is with us and he is good. He will make all things new.

I left the hospital feeling so blessed that Rowen is healthy. I have so much to be thankful for. And in the past 24 hours, I have had an overflowing heart as I watch Rowen playing, dancing, and saying "oooowww" (I think he's a bit sore still). I gave him so many kisses today. And I held on to him extra tight, even after I caught him putting my eyeshadow brush up his nostril.

I have been haunted by our time in the hospital. As I was laying Rowen down last night, I thought about those same moms who were putting their little ones to bed to the lullaby of beeping IVs and nurses' carts rolling down the corridor. I can't forget. I refuse to forget.

They need encouragement and they need to hear the hope of Christ. I intend to do whatever I can to make that happen. For those of you who have stuck with this blog post to the end, I implore you to join me. We can't forget.

Rowen's Hernia Surgery

2011-01-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Rowen is in the hospital for a scheduled operation. He checked in today (Wednesday), the surgery is tomorrow and he will check out on Friday. This is an out-patient suregry in America but in Japan they are more cautious and he and Caitlin will stay two nights. By rule, men are not allowed to stay with the children over night.

Today we checked him in and got settled into his room. He shares a room with two Japanese girls who look to be in elementary school. The children's ward where he is staying is filled with many long term patients who have made the hospital home. We really hope to bring some encouragement and love to the other patients and their families.

We also had several tests done to make sure he is healthy and ready for surgery. We had a consultation with the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. They were both very kind and we feel Rowen is in good hands. In other news, Rowen's monkey is quite healthy.

2010 Church Report.

2011-01-07T05:31:00.001-08:00

For those of you interested in a detailed report on the first year of Mustard Seed Christian Church, please click here.

Christmas Vacation

2010-12-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

Jay had a little time off after the Christmas Event at church, so our family did a few fun things, but mostly rested.

Last week, we went to the zoo in Nagoya. Jay and I had been wanting to take Rowen for a long time, but the zoo is closed on Monday, which is our day off. So with Rowen's new winter wear packed (thanks Granny and Grandpa Vallely), we braved the cold and headed to see the animals.

Rowen likes monkeys and says "ooh ooh aah aaah" whenever he sees a monkey or hears the word "monkey."
He also has some awesome monkey pajamas that he loves (consistently cries when I take them off of him).

But when we got to the zoo, I think he was confused by the real animal. Maybe he didn't understand that a monkey was a real living thing. We kept asking him "Rowen, what does the monkey say?" He would just stare at them without responding. Finally, I think he started to understand that animals are more than just pictures in books.

This is my favorite picture from the zoo:

Rowen like the penguins the most (just like his dad). We finished off our outing with a trip to McDonalds, and then went home for a long nap!

MSCC Christmas Event

2010-12-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

Well, my apologies for neglecting our blog! We've been really busy this month so I'm going to do a few posts about recent activities.
One of the biggest things that happened this month was our annual Christmas Event at church.
This is a really important event for our church because while Japan celebrates Christmas, most people here don't know anything about the true reason for the holiday. Japan's marketing industry had turned it into a romantic holiday--it's the #1 day for marriage proposals (leaving those without significant others to feel just as depressed as they would on Valentine's Day). With the lights and gifts and small parties where friends eat "Christmas cake" together, Japan has managed to import plenty of the superficial aspects of Christmas without anyone knowing about what happened in Bethlehem that incredible night so many years ago. Our goal with the Christmas Event is to help people understand what is really behind Christmas and to inform them of the great news of Jesus.

My friend Yuuka took some beautiful pictures, so I snagged them off of her facebook album so that you all could see them.

When you see this, you probably immediately know what it is (at least I hope so, since I was in charge of building it). But with the "Japanese Christmas," there are no nativity scenes--no concept of a manger, a stable, etc. So I had the pleasure of building this manger to use as a prop for the sermon. My friend and I went shopping for the supplies--she was a huge help because I had no idea where to buy straw in Japan! I hammered it together in Rowen's room-he was also a huge help, as you can surely imagine.

We had 83 people in attendance! That is almost double what we had last year at our Christmas Event. We are so grateful to God for the many people that joined us! The service consisted of worship time/Christmas carol singing, a Christmas message, and fellowship with a lot of Christmas foods and hot drinks.

Some of our church members and friends brought delicious treats to add to the reception.

Brigette taught the children's lesson. There were around 18 kids there! The room was so small, but I think the kids enjoyed themselves, nonetheless. The above picture shows Brigette explaining how the light came into the world on Christmas day!

Thanks to everyone who attended! Merry Christmas!

It's a Boy!

2010-11-24T17:26:00.000-08:00

Remember how I knew it was boy? Well it is! Yay!

(Pay no attention to the post below.)

Shibata Clinic

2010-11-01T19:49:00.001-07:00

Rowen loves playing at the play room at my maternity clinic. Have I blogged about this place yet? IT'S SUCH A BLESSING! The clinic where I plan to have the new baby is a great family-oriented clinic. There's a fun little play room connected to the waiting area, so Rowen plays his heart out while we wait to see the doctor. All the people that work there are very kind and I like the doctor.

One morning, we had to wait for 3 hours because the doctor was delivering 2 babies in a row (one of which had to be transferred to a bigger hospital by ambulance because it had a problem), but when he came into the room to do my ultrasound, he was perfectly calm and kind and professional. He took plenty of time on the ultrasound so we could see the baby, and then he gave me a cupie doll that was the size of our little baby as a present for "a safe delivery." I couldn't believe how composed he was. After a stressful morning like he'd had, I would have just said, "I am going home!! That was too crazy!" It made me feel really good about this clinic. When the baby is born, Jay and Rowen will both be allowed to visit me in my room, and they can even stay there if they want to. The clinic also has a Labor-Deliver-Recovery room (you stay in the same room for the whole deal) which is rare in this country. The baby can room in with me too. These are all things that I didn't have when Rowen was born and it made my hospital stay somewhat traumatic (if I haven't already told you, you can ask me for the story of when Rowen was born sometime).

The only downside is that they don't do epidurals. I was really hoping to have an epidural this time, but I like this clinic so much that I'm going to do it naturally again. We continue to pray that God will keep my body strong through this pregnancy so that there will be no bed-rest or any other complications

Thoughts from a young mother in a foreign metropolis

2010-11-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life in the city can be overwhelming. Especially when your constant companion is a 18 month old-energetic-endlessly curious-little boy named Rowen. Coming from rural America, it has been an adjustment to say the least! When you plan to go somewhere, first you have to consider how you will get there-if you go by train or subway, you have to plan ahead and figure out where all of the elevator exits to the station are located in order to use the stroller. This can require a lot of extra walking and time because each station usually only has 1 elevator exit. Sometimes we drive when Jay (the family chauffeur) is available, but then you have to figure out where the pay parking lots are located, how much it will cost for the amount of time you'll be out, and whether it will be more economical to just take the train. If we drive somewhere, we can usually plan on stress levels being high due to the complexity of the roads here. There are very few roads with names-instead, intersections are given names. There are many narrow roads, winding mazes of one-way-streets, and toll expressways that you might not be able to get off of until you are half way to China.

I was going through a season of feeling sad for Rowen because he might not ever have a yard to play in. His childhood will look incredibly different than mine, or Jay's, or any average American kid. But he is creating his own childhood, and I've realized that just because it's different than what I experienced, doesn't mean that he's missing out. He has had many opportunities already that have been a lot of fun and uniquely urban.

We often go to play at the park. I usually meet several moms there, but 2 in particular have become good friends and have invited us to other play groups. It's a challenge for me to learn about play groups and other opportunities for Rowen due to my poor Japanese level, so I am so grateful for these kind mothers who have invited us to join them!

I wrote a post about this earlier, but I have been taking Rowen to a preschool play group that meets about 3 times a month. It's great for both of us! I can meet other moms and practice Japanese, learn Japanese kid songs, and have more clarity about the culture of being a mom in Japan. Rowen gets exposure to other kids and also loves playing with the toys there. I hope he's picking up a lot of language too. He isn't very verbal yet, so I hope that whenever he does start speaking, he'll have a lot of Japanese logged in his brain. He is very good at communicating with sign language, so that helps me to be able to care for his needs.

Rowen at the play group

After a recent season of discontent and homesickness, I am so grateful for what God is doing in my life. I am focusing on all of the positive things about city life (seriously, there are so many cool things about living in the city!). I am trying to be more proactive--taking initiative and looking for opportunities to teach Rowen and give him good experiences as an urban kid rather than letting each day slam into me like a tsunami of culture shock and regret that his life will be void of many of the pleasurable things from my own childhood. And most importantly, I am praying praying praying asking and wanting for God to be my true sense of joy and fulfillment. He is already all that I need. I mustn't forget that.

New Baby!

2010-09-24T00:48:00.000-07:00

We've announced this other places but wanted to make it official by giving you a picture of our second baby. This is her at 8 weeks. Yes, it's too early to determine the sex of the child however I'm quite certain this is a girl. Trust me on this one.

The baby is expected April 26th and Caitlin, Rowen and I are very excited. Please pray for a healthy pregnancy.

It's a beautiful day in the neighb... eh... Anime Festival?

2010-09-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Last month, I left the house to run an errand on a Saturday afternoon. One person in a costume is not out of place here but after seeing my forth person dressed like a comic book character I knew something was up. Turns out it was the day of the largest anime festival in the world. Where does that event take place? Within a 6 minute walk from my house, of coarse.

Everyone who dresses up, plans on getting their picture taken. They walk about 20 feet at a time between requests to strike a pose. Here are some of my favorites.

Wrestling Club

2010-09-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I joined the Chikusa Wrestling Club. (That's the CWC for you out-of-towners.) It's a club for ages 3 to 49. Some are there to learn and others, like myself, just enjoy the sport. I was elated to find this club because this is the only sport in which I have even a mild proficiency.

The club is ran by a wonderful coach who has the cauliflower ears to bear testimony to his experience. He as well as the rest of the guys have been very welcoming. They are excited to have their first American member. I am the third foreigner to join the club in its twelve years of existence after one Iranian and one Swede.

We meet every Saturday night and I am really enjoying the guys, the workout, and the competition.

Welcome to our world

2010-08-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and teammate, Erin, gave birth to her third son tonight! I talked to her a little after 8:00 pm and she was having contractions 10 minutes apart. They planned to head to the hospital as the contractions got closer together, but we were all completely shocked when we received the news that the little guy had been born at 10:03. I'm glad they got to the hospital in time! I'm thanking God that Erin and "little Mike" are doing well and that the delivery was fast. I haven't talked to her yet and I am sure she's getting some rest now.

Congratulations Mike and Erin!

New Meeting Place

2010-07-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

After being full or over capacity for several weeks in a row, we were able to find a new meeting place for the church. This past week especially accentuated the need when we had 48 people in a venue with 36 chairs.

Thankfully, we were able to make a deal with a nearby dance studio to begin meeting in their building on August 1st. We have a lot of work to do to prepare for the new venue and a lot of equipment to buy. If you are able to help purchase this equipment, please donate here.

Thanks for al the prayers!

Pollywogs

2010-07-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Rowen and I walked to a friend's house yesterday so that he could play and swim with his little pal, "Hana-chan" (pronounced "ha [as in 'ha ha ha'] nah"). These pictures are kinda lousy cause I took them with my cellphone camera, but nevertheless, hopefully you can see some of cuteness. They played inside for a while and Rowen loved playing with some of Hana's toys. He climbed right onto this little car and Hana pushed him around from behind.

After they played inside, they splashed around in the pool outside. It is brutally hot here, so the chilly hose-water felt great! Shin (pronounced "Sheen") also came over to swim. He's a month older than Rowen and Hana.
A little about Japanese names:

"Chan" is a suffix placed after girls' name (and sometimes baby boys too). So that's why we call Rowen's friend "Hana chan."

"Kun:" When boys are a little older, their names are followed by "kun." So, Rowen is often called "Row chan" or "Rowen kun." His name is pretty hard for Japanese people to pronounce, so it sounds a little like Lo-en, or Rolen.

***

I'm thrilled that Rowen has made some friends lately and I hope that his brain is absorbing all of the Japanese being spoken around him! I feel blessed by people's kindness toward us, even though we are different!

Sunset from our window

2010-07-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in Nagoya, it can be difficult to see beyond the concrete and city lights.

However, God's hand was clearly seen a few nights ago as we looked at his artwork on the sky.

TANABATA 七夕

2010-07-05T18:26:00.001-07:00

Last week, I met a friend at the park near our house. She has a cute little girl that is the same age as Rowen. We played together for a little while, and at one point, I picked up the woman's daughter. She was completely shocked that her daughter would allow me to hold her because usually she doesn't want anyone but her mom to hold her. I was so happy!

Anyway, my new friend asked if I had a play group or anything like that, and I said "no." She invited me to come to a nearby preschool for a play group on July 2nd. I was so thrilled. So a few days ago, I packed up Rowen in the stroller and walked about 30 minutes to the preschool.

It was such a neat place and there were a lot of little cuties for Rowen to play with. He stood out, of course, with his blonde hair. We were the only gaijin (foreigners) there. Nevertheless, we both had a great time and are looking forward to joining them again on July 15th.

On July 7th, Japan will celebrate TANABATA festival. Each year, kids make paper crafts and tie them to a bamboo branch. So at the play group, we made these festive branch ornaments (actually, all of the moms hurriedly make the craft while keeping one eye on their rambunctious toddlers running amuck in the room).

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures at the preschool (like I said, I was busy trying to make the craft and keep Rowen from injuring himself or anyone else). But here's a picture of him and his TANABATA craft at home.

Tanabata (Star Festival) is a Japanese festival, but it originated from Chinese folklore. If you are interested, you can check out this article on the festival: TANABATA

My Box

2010-06-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

This is my box. It's an old box. It's the audio-visual equipment box for the church plant. I like my box.

Many people tell me to get rid of my box. These people don't understand loyalty. (They may also have a few things to learn about tightness of the church's budget.) My box is like an old friend. If your friend aged poorly, could no longer hold his or her shape and needed to be held together by plastic ties, would you just throw out your friend? Noooo! Me and my box are BFF for life/until I find a new one.

Pool Party

2010-06-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

I know this kiddy-pool nearly breaches the line between pool and bucket. Nevertheless, Rowen loves it. He loves any situation that facilitates splashing while yelling.

What I find really amusing about this funny little pool party is that the 1,000's of people living nearby or passing along have no idea what Caitlin and Rowen are up to. We live in a 14 story building with 176 units. Walking by this building covered in balconies, one would probably be surprised to learn there's a 13-month-old American boy in a miniature Winne the Pooh pool having the time of his life. There's a lot going on in the city.

Hats off to Caitlin for being a great urban mom.

1 year checkup

2010-05-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

Rowen needed his 3rd DTaP vaccination so I took him to the children's clinic for his shot and his one year checkup (sidenote: i can't believe that in 2 days, my baby boy will be 1 year old!!!!).

He disliked it all very much. The first time he had a shot, he didn't cry at all. This time, the doctor looked in his ears and he screamed the whole time. Then he continued to cry for several minutes as the doctor checked his organs and gave him the shot. After a good 10 second-or-so squeal following the shot, he calmed down and was a sweet little guy again.I feel relieved to have the shot over with. If you read this in the next few days, please be praying for us as we travel. Rowen has been having diarrhea a lot lately and I don't know why. I also went to a friend's house yesterday and her baby has the stomach flu. I really hope i don't get it too. So this all makes me quite nervous about our flight. Please pray that God will keep us healthy and strong for a VERY LONG day of travel and a busy visit in the USA.

Rowen's Stats:

29.72 inches long
20.98 pounds (with diaper)

Today

2010-05-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Today I was packing for our trip and Rowen was playing in his room. He started whining a little so I peeked my head into his room to check on him and this is what I found:

I have no idea how he did this. He was frustrated because he couldn't get out!

Context for Contextualizing

2010-04-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

I want to do something unique for this blog. This post is aimed slightly more at those in ministry. I don't mean that you need to stop reading if your paycheck doesn't have a church name on it, I simply mean that this is a little more aimed at Christians who have a missional approach to their lives. (Hopefully that's all Christians.)

This past week I had another chance to preach at our church in Japan. I was to preach from Matthew 25 about Christians following Jesus' example in loving and caring for the lowly in society. It was a great topic to receive.

I came to the point in my preparation where I needed to ask myself questions about the context in which I was to give this sermon.
"What about this topic resonates with Japanese people?"
"What in this text might be new to our church audience?"
"What resistance to this topic might I find in my audience?"
To properly reflect on these questions, I needed to get out of my office. I needed to engage culture and reflect upon the people around me. The only question was: where? Where could I go to contextualize this message?

We had just been at a cherry blossom festival but that didn't quite work. The festivals are great but everyone is in "festival mode." It's a special time of celebration, so it doesn't quite provide the opportunity for peering into everyday life.

I decided to go to a nearby ramen shop for lunch. These small restaurants are packed with hungry, hurried costumers. Most of them are in either business suits or construction uniforms. There are usually very few women present. Those women who are present also wear business suits. Ordering is done either though a vending machine that prints you a ticket or done on you way to your seat. Steaming bowls of noodles, meat, seaweed, and bamboo shoots are served to costumers within a few minutes of their arrival. This place was perfect. As these people feverishly slurp down bowls of Chinese noodles before returning to their offices for another 5 to 6 hours of work, they reveal Japan in a way that is totally unguarded. These are no festival faces. These are faces of the raw, exhausting daily grind, and these faces brought me new insight into how my context might react to Jesus' challenging message.

I wonder what your Ramen shop might be. Where are the people in your context unguarded? Is it at Wal-Mart? Is it on the bus? Is it in the backyard? The school parking lot while they wait for their kids? Wherever it might be, let's find those places that reflect our culture's DNA and use them to reflect on how we might most effectively present the gospel in those contexts.

Kimono

2010-03-26T05:14:00.000-07:00

In Japan, it's always a treat to see someone wearing traditional clothing. Very few people wear Kimonos on a regular basis, but for special occasions such as graduations, coming of age ceremonies, and weddings, Japanese women wear kimonos.

Dressing in a Kimono is an art form in itself. It is such and intricate process with many layers and special ways of tying all the pieces. In fact, traditionally, after a kimono was worn, it was taken off, disassembled (all the stitches removed so that it was in pieces), and then carefully washed. It would then be re-sewn for the next use.

Nowadays, after wearing a kimono, it must be folded in a very precise manner so that it doesn't get damaged in storage. I had the opportunity to watch a teacher of mine fold her kimono and it took her a LONG time! Quite the ordeal. But all the effort that goes into wearing a kimono pays off with the beautiful result. I really don't think that there is any clothing that is quite as lovely as a kimono.

A few of our friends graduated this month and we had the opportunity to see them adorned in their beautiful graduation kimonos.

Banana Bread

2010-03-22T04:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we started a Bible study at our house. We meet every Tuesday and some of the new Christians from our church attend. So far it's been really awesome (and I'm sure we'll write a post with more details about it soon). But anyway, on the night of the first meeting, I made some banana bread for everyone. My friend loved it, so she asked if I would teach her how to make it. The next week, she and one of her other friends (whom I hadn't previously met) came over to our house and we made banana bread together. It was a lot of fun so I wanted to share some pictures.

Here's the recipe in Japanese and English!

Enjoying the finished product!

The First Baptism at Mustard Seed Christian Church

2010-02-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

Something we have been praying for and working towards for a long time happened last Sunday. The new church had its first baptism. A woman became a Christian after attending church regularly for four weeks. She is the lady mentioned two posts earlier who did Caitlin's eyelashes. Because she had become friends with Caitlin, she wanted Caitlin to do the baptism.
The baptism was done in our bathtub, so everyone packed into our tiny bathroom to see it. After the baptism, we had communion and then hung out and had pizza. It was a great day with the church! God is good.

Help from Brothers in the City

2010-01-30T23:35:00.000-08:00

This bouquet arrived at the bar where we hold services just after we finished our first service. I was sure that the flower delivery man was mistaken but he read the card to me, "Mustard Seed Christian Church" he said. We then saw that His Call Church had sent this elaborate bouquet to our church in order to congratulate us and encourage us.
This is a beautiful display of partnership between two churches in the same city. Historically, churches in Japan have had trouble working together and not viewing other churches as competition. The relationship we've had with His Call has been totally the opposite. I am so thankfully that we can work together with our Christian brothers in Nagoya.

Wink Wink

2010-01-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

Last week at church, I was chatting with a woman who has been regularly attending and she said that she just started a new job at a Salon. I asked if she cut hair, and she said "no, I do eyelashes." So, being a very un-glamourous mildly "granola-ish" Arizonan, the concept of "doing eyelashes" was quite foreign to me. When I think of fake eyelashes, the things that come to mind are things like Halloween, 60's movie stars, and the Dollar Store.

The eyelashes that K- San applies are not your Dollar Shop eyelashes (at the salon they cost $130). They are actually called "eyelash extensions" and last for around 2 weeks. She glues individual fake eyelashes to your real eyelashes and it takes 2 hours to apply them.

She said that she is still training and she wanted some models to practice on for free! So, thinking that it would be a fun new experience, I said "Sure! I'd love to be a 'model'!"

So last night I went to her house and had a lot of fun. She has a little salon room in her house, so I just lay on a massage table and she taped down my bottom lashes and then began gluing the fake eyelashes to my upper lashes. She lives with her daughter (7) at her parent's house, so her mother and daughter played with Rowen for the 2 hours while I got "glammed-up."

We talked the entire time about a variety of subjects: Jesus, Japanese culture, family, her life, my life... it was a lot of fun and I know her a lot better now. She said that this week her mom is going to come to church as well!

So, as of last night, not only do I have some pretty luscious lashes, but I also have a new friend.

New MSGF Address!

2010-01-19T16:16:00.001-08:00

We wanted to let you know that Mustard Seed Global Fellowship has a new mailing address:

MUSTARD SEED GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP
PO BOX 1375
JOPLIN, MO 64802

The post office has been informed of this change, and they should be forwarding mail, but some donors have had checks returned to them. We are sincerely sorry if you have had anything returned to you.

This new address is for MSGF's new home office in Joplin, MO. Please send any donations or other mail to this address. Should you have any questions, please feel free to call the home office phone number:

417-712-MSGF (6743) Or you can email info@msgf.com

The First Few Services

2010-01-17T23:06:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I appologize that it has been a while since our last blog post. Obviously, some pretty monumental things have happened in the last month. Mustard Seed Christian Church has now had three services. In our last E-update and on Facebook we discussed the first service and posted a lot of pictures from the event. I want to use this blog post to show you a few pictures that are not on the church website or facebook and tell you a little about the work so far.Every week begins with me parking our car on the road you see in this picture at 8:00am. Next, everything needed for the church service is unloaded from the car. We then spend the next 3 hours preparing for the service. Caitlin and the band warm up while the rest of us straighten chairs, decorate, set up the kids room, and get the visual system in order.While Caitlin and the band are leading worship and Mike is preaching, Megan, Brigette and I run the kids class. I usually give the lesson. Here's Brayden and Reo in Noah's ark.After the service we have a hang out time that has been fantastic every week. Here's Caitlin and Rowen chatting with our drummer, Reo, his wife, Saori and their two kids.We feel a great sense of accomplishment having launched a church in Japan. However, there is still a great deal of work ahead of us as the real work of ministry and evangelism begins. We are so excited to see what God will do at Mustard Seed Christian Church.

Tomorrow!

2009-12-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone... Caitlin here. Just wanted to write a post real quick for those of you who frequent our blog. Tomorrow, that's right, TOMORROW is our first service. It's at 11 am, Sunday morning. So for those of you in America, please be praying throughout Saturday evening. We've had some sickness within the team, and right now I feel a little tickle in my through so please pray that we will all feel great tomorrow and that things would go smoothly, and most of all, that God would be glorified! We're so excited and anxious to see how it will go! If you haven't been to our website yet, check it out: http://www.mustardseednagoya.com/

Thanks everybody!

Christmas Music in the Park

2009-12-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Caitlin, Erin, Jared and Andy packed up their instruments and went to the park for a Christmas jam session. While they sang some Christmas songs, the rest of us passed out invites to our Christmas church service. The event was a success.

This park is very close to the church location and many of the people who stopped to enjoy the music live in this same area. Everyone was nice seemed to like the guitar-violin-harmonica-djembe combination. We'll probably do this again because it was such a success and so much fun.

Rowen and the Monkey

2009-12-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful Japanese teacher, Kondo Sensei, gave Rowen this monkey toy when he was born. It's body is a big spring, and when you squeeze it's head it makes a loud monkey call. It's pretty awesome. Well up til recently, Rowen was too little to play with it. Now he loves it! I hung it over his car seat so he can reach up and grab the monkey's leg. Sorry that the video quality is poor, I recorded it from my cell phone.

On our way to Okazaki this week, he played with it for a long time, and then it got quiet. When we looked back, he had fallen asleep but he was still tightly clutching the monkey's leg. Like I said, he really loves this little monkey :)
This is unrelated to the monkey, but the other day, Jay and I went out to do some Christmas shopping (I didn't find anything, so to my dear family: expect to not receive anything until after Christmas). While we were shopping around, Rowen fell asleep in the stroller. I thought he looked perdy darn cute so I thought I'd share the picture with you all.

Pan-YA!

2009-11-24T22:52:00.000-08:00

Well, one of the many things I love about living in our area is this little bakery ("panya" in Japanese) near our house. A young married couple runs it and so it's been fun to get to know them little by little when I pop in to buy some of their amazing bread. They are really nice, artsy, and just straight-up cool cats. It's a tiny, narrow little store on the corner of a building near our apartment. They sell sourdough rolls that make my heart sing.the baker brushing butter on croissants

they have European-style bread as well as Japanese curry bread and matcha (green tea) rolls

Children's Depression and Suicide a Worsening Problem

2009-11-22T04:55:00.000-08:00

This is a news article I came across today. I disagree with Ueki's statement. A parents' unconditional love is important, of course, but the greatest need is, and will always be, JESUS.

-caitlin

Here is an excerpt, presented by Shukan Asahi (Nov 27), from the suicide note left by an 11-year-old boy: “All I can think of is death. I realize that once you die it’s all over; still, if there is a next life I’d like to come back as an animal like [my pet dog], who doesn’t cause anyone any trouble and even when he does weird things, nobody pays any attention. I’m sorry I couldn’t be better than I was. Goodbye.”

Japan’s suicide rate is notoriously high. For the past decade it’s been above 30,000 a year. Overwhelmingly, suicide is an adult phenomenon—but not exclusively, and the clinical depression that generally underlies it, Shukan Asahi finds, is steadily trickling down the age scale. Hokkaido University professor Kenzo Denda, author of a book on children’s depression, has published research showing that one elementary school child in 12 suffers from the condition. Among junior high school students the rate is one in four.

To psychologist Rie Ueki, that sounds like an understatement. The problem is worse, she says, than a standardized survey can show.

Ueki had treated “A-kun,” the 11-year-old suicide, and knew his family. Both his parents were lawyers, the very personifications of success. Dinner-table talk was of “winners” and “losers.” A-kun, listening quietly, knew what was expected of him. Measured against such standards, how could he help doubting himself? He feigned strength and happiness, but often his defenses broke down. Trivial slights would overwhelm him. A friend refusing to share his gum with him could plunge him into a sulk that lasted a day and a half.

The parents at last sought medical help, and Ueki diagnosed clinical depression. To her, A-kun would confess the inner turmoil he tried to keep hidden from his parents. “I’ve been suffering since grade one,” he said. “Why was I born?”

National Police Agency statistics cited by Shukan Asahi show nine children committed suicide in Japan last year. It’s not a shockingly high number, but, says Ueki, “I meet children in hospitals who, even if they haven’t actually killed themselves, seem on the very brink of it—if they kill themselves tomorrow, it wouldn’t surprise me. A-kun was not a special case.”

The obvious question is, what drives such young children to such extremes of despair? There’s no easy answer, Shukan Asahi hears from specialists. Children, unlike adults, can’t articulate their deeper feelings. Sometimes they express themselves through violence, deviant sexual behavior, shoplifting—but these acts don’t “look like” depression, and even doctors don’t always get the message.

Ueki’s hypothesis is that a child’s depression invariably indicates something seriously off kilter in the family. There are various signs—the obsession with “winning” and “losing” in the case of A-kun’s family, for instance. Children aware of parents’ extramarital affairs are also at risk, as are, of course, children of parents suffering from depression and stress themselves.

“What children need above all,” says Ueki, “is their parents’ unconditional love. A child who is loved does not become depressed. But nowadays many parents complain of being unable to love their children, to take pleasure in them. These days, it seems more difficult than ever to give children a normal upbringing.”

Japan's Secretary General Bashes Christianity

2009-11-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you heard that last week Ichiro Ozawa called Christianity an "exclusive and self righteous religion." You can find more of his statement here. Rather than attacking his statement (which would be too easy), I'd rather talk about the positive effects of this statement on the Japanese people:

Increased Curiosity Level - For many Japanese people this will make them ask "What makes Christianity so bad? What is it Christians actually believe?"
A New Segue to the Gospel - Now that this very public statement has been made, people want to talk about it. Christians can now use this news story to tell people how Christianity is in fact the only religion that admits that self righteousness is impossible and therefore rejoices in the grace of God.
Affinity with Some - Not everyone loves Ichiro Ozawa. Not everyone loves the government. Christianity will gain a lot of fans now that it has gotten under then skin of Ozawa.
Distinction from Buddhism - There are too many people who would like to say that all religions are the same or that Buddha and Jesus shared notes. Ozawa makes a clear distintion between the two. Though he means this distinction for bad, it is actually good because Many people (especially young people) are less than pleased with Buddhism. During Buddhism's heyday in Japan, the Empire committed countless social atrocities. Most people are not pleased with the current emotional and spiritual status of Japan so a little distance is appreciated.
On top of all that, I find the statement very motivating!

As for the exclusivity of Christianity... Ozawa, our first church service is on the 20th of December at 11:00am. For more information go to our church website at www.mustardseednagoya.com.

Context 4/4: Apartment アパート

2009-10-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

This is our apartment building. It is huge! This a great place to live. We are truly blessed to be able to live in a place like this. We have met a few of our neighbors and some other people living in our area. We look forward to meeting more and more people around here. There is certainly no shortage of people. That is one of the reasons we like this place so much. It is right in the heart of the city and even the building itself packed full of people.

We feel very led to this place and pray that we are able to be the aroma of Christ in this area.(This shot of Caitlin and Rowen was taken from our front door.)

For those of you waiting for cute apartment pictures--that's Caitlin's department. Keep your eye on facebook!

Context 3/4: Tsurumai 鶴舞

2009-09-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

The nearest station to us is called Tsurumai (tsue-rue-my). It is about a 5 minute walk from our apartment. The station has both a subway line and a train line so we are able to move about the city by public transit with great ease. The Tsurumai area has a nice mix of residential and entertainment areas. We are a short walk from most anything we could need.Tsurumai Park is probably the most popular attraction in the area. This park is one of the largest in the city and has sports fields, walking paths, ponds, gardens, amphitheatres, and playgrounds. During cherry blossom season thousands will flock to this park to sit under the cherry blossoms and picnic. We greatly enjoy strolling over the busy intersection, going to the park and taking in some nature and local fun.

We hope to meet a lot of people in this area and build good relationships with the people in our neighborhood.

Context 2/4: Naka Ward 中区

2009-09-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Nagoya is made up of 16 wards. Our ward is called "Naka" (nah-kuh). "Naka" means middle. So we literally live in "middle ward." Our ward truly contains the major hubs of government, commerce, economy and entertainment. There is also a rather famous semi red light district located in the main shopping section of the city, Sakae. Naka is also the most densely populated part of the city.

Being located in the middle of the city addresses one of our key objectives: plant a church in an urban environment.

Context 1/4: Nagoya 名古屋

2009-09-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is the first part of a four part series on our context. We will start by talking about the city in which we live. Then we will talk about our ward, then our station area, and finally our apartment.
The city in which we now live and minister in is called Nagoya (nah-go-yah). This is the third largest city Japan the the 22nd largest city in the world--beating out Beijing, Chicago, and London. Nagoya is home to the world's largest train station by floor area. Nagoya features several professional sports teams (Dragons and Grampus) and hosts a sumo tournament once every year. The city lies between Tokyo and Osaka and has thus been a major city in Japan's trade route for hundreds of years.

Spiritually, this city is like the rest of Japan; 0.5% Christian. None of the noteworthy churches of Japan are located in Nagoya however there are a few churches in Nagoya of a couple hundred people. Most people we come into contact with have never heard about Jesus.

This is our city. We hope to see a vibrant church planted and thriving in this place. Pray for that!

APARTMENT!!

2009-09-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! This is Caitlin from AZ just writing to share our exciting news... we have an apartment! Jay got to Japan on the evening of Sept. 2nd, and he has already found us a new place! It sounds great--it's in one of the most densely populated areas of Nagoya and it's in walking distance from 2 subway stations. The ground floor of the building is a grocery store, so we're hoping that we'll be able to meet a lot of people through shopping there. I am getting really excited to get back there! Jay will begin moving in on the 13th. We really believe that God orchestrated this because it went pretty smoothly. We appreciate everyone's prayers. We'll post pictures of our new home soon. In the meantime, here's a picture of Rowen in AZ. Jay made a journal for me with pictures and prayer topics for the 17 days we'll be apart. This page of the journal was to help Rowen feel like his daddy isn't too far away.

Wrapping Up

2009-08-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! We have not been very good about blogging lately. It's just hard to blog about life in Japan when you're in the States. However, I will be returning to Japan in two weeks! Caitlin will return in one month. Before she and Rowen arrive I hope to have found an apartment and moved us in. Pray for that!

This is a picture of my cousins (Drew and Lane), brother (Levi) and our babies (Rowen, Ella, Canon and Sonora). We just had a very relaxing and very fun time together at the lake. It has been good to see family over this past two months!

In AZ

2009-06-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

We made it back to the States for our 2 month visit. Jay already visited one church, CCV in Peoria, and had a great experience. We will visit three more churches while we are here. We'll also continue Rowen Tour '09. Thanks for your prayers!

Home Again

2009-06-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your prayers. I'm home now. So, here's what happened. Turns out that the antibiotics I took for the urinary tract infection actually got rid of the infection. The pain I was feeling was a result of 2 other problems... most likely unrelated to the UTI and unrelated to each other. The pain in my back is a kidney stone. It's crazy that it started hurting (decided to start moving from my kidney toward my bladder) on the drive to the hospital. It was excruciatingly painful for a few hours, and since then it has not hurt bad. It is not yet in my bladder though, so I think I might have some more pain ahead of me. I'm just hoping it will pass before next Thursday, when I have to get on a US-bound airplane.
I also had pain in my lower abdomen. Apparently, there was something remaining in my uterus from the pregnancy. I didn't really understand what was happening at the time, but the doctor put an ultrasound on my stomach to guide his tools, and he somehow removed or loosened whatever it was... so I guess it's taken care of now. This was all happening while the kidney stone was moving (it was not pleasant, I can tell you that much).
Thank you all for your prayers. I'm going back to the hospital on tues. for a checkup and an Xray. Hopefully I will have already passed the stone. After that, I hope I can stay away from the hospital for a while!

Caitlin in the Hospital

2009-06-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

"I can't stay away from this place." That is what Caitlin said through tears today as she was once again admitted to the hospital in Nagoya. Here's the story...
Wednesday:
1 Month check up for Rowen and Caitlin. Rowen = chubby, healthy, jaundice free. Caitlin = bladder infection. She was given a round of antibiotics to finish today (Monday).

Sunday:
After feeling better for a few days, Caitlin woke up feeling awful with severe pain in her abdomen and blood in her urine. This was her condition when the infection was bad--before the antibiotics almost cured her.

Monday:
Caitlin wakes up feeling bad again. I had already canceled my class and we hopped in the car to go to Nagoya to the hospital. On the drive, she has pain in her abdomen and in her back on the left side. The pain was second only to child birth she said. When we got to see the doctor he thought that the infection had spread to her kidneys. However, the pain was only on one side and was not accompanied by a fever. Usually kidney infection brings a fever. They admitted her and told her that the baby was not allowed in her room at all. Since I would then be taking care of the baby 24-7, that would mean that neither of us would be allowed to see her at all. Keep in mind Caitlin is Rowen's food source. Then exams, a last feeding, consultations, ect.
A few minutes later they find a single room and tell us that from 3-7pm we can come and see her. Therefore, I am currently full time Dad. After leaving the hospital I went to Rachel's house to drop off a load of stuff we had had in our car this whole time and I received a crash coarse in bottled preparation--formula and breast milk both--boo-ya. Rowen drank like a champ. That boy loves to drink! I will be commuting everyday from Okazaki with Rowen to hang out with Caitlin for four hours. The rest of the time I will be packing our house for the move and feeding and caring for Rowen.
Around 5:45, a urologist came in and told us his guess: Caitlin still has a bladder infection and perhaps a kidney stone which traveled from her kidney to her bladder today on the drive. Thus the one-sided pain and the lack of a fever.

Tomorrow:
A cat scan is scheduled to see if she in fact has a kidney stone.

That's what's happening. Pray for us to be in good spirits. This has been a hard year medically. So pray that we are able to maintain a good witness as we demonstrate the peace of Christ.

We're Coming to America

2009-06-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, last week our plans changed and we are now flying to the US at the end of this month. We are heading to America one month early to meet with a church and attend their missions weekend. Therefore, we are frantically packing up our house and gathering the paperwork needed to leave and re-enter Japan. This picture was taken in Osaka while we were on our way to file for Rowen's passport. Pray that the passport comes before we head to Arizona on the 25th!
In our next E-Update we will include an itinerary of our time in America. We left for Japan a year and a half ago. Since we left we've each had two birthdays, learned a new language, watched America go through a recession, watched Barak go from Senator to President, missed two Superbowls, saw the Olympics from Asia, made a host of new friends, and had a baby.

Two Healthy Babies

2009-05-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

After Rowen was born early on the 13th, Harper Parsons was born late on the 22nd. Both babies are home and healthy while both moms are recovering well. This picture show Caitlin holding Rachel's baby, Harper, and Rachel holding Rowen.We continue to have lots of Japanese friends come and visit Rowen. This is Fumi San in our house holding a foreign baby for the first time. She is a friend that Caitlin met at the mall. Caitlin liked Fumi's skirt and Fumi liked Caitlin's scarf. So now they are friends.

Rowen Update

2009-05-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of Japanese friends congratulate us on Rowen's birth. One of our teachers, Kondo Sensei, came to visit us in the hospital. She brought us a present that some of our teachers had pooled money together to buy. She also made a card that all the teachers signed with well wishes.
Recently, Rowen developed a case of jaundice and we were not able to take him home on Saturday as was expected. However, if everything goes as expected, we should be able to take him home on Monday.
For treatments, Rowen has been lying under this UV light for most of the day. He also has to wear these "sunglasses" to keep the light out of his eyes. We are hoping to be able to take him home on Monday. For now, Caitlin is still staying at the hospital to feed Rowen and I am able to hold him twice a day for an hour at a time. Other than the jaundice, he is doing very well.

Some Rowen Videos

2009-05-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

This is Rowen's hospital in the heart of Nagoya. You can hear all the Japanese visitors looking at the other babies. They said he was average size for a Japanese baby at 6.5 pounds.

This is Rowen in his hospital crib during one of our visiting times. He is very hungry in this video, thus the activity and whimpering.
Thanks for all the encouraging comments. Caitlin is recovering and we should be out of the hospital and on our way home on Saturday. We're excited to bring him to our house.

Rowen Charley Greer

2009-05-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy was born on May 13th at 9:44 in the morning Japan time. Caitlin's water broke the night before at 11:30 and we then drove to the hospital which is one hour away. Caitlin was pushing hard after a night without sleep for over 2 hours without an epidural. She is very tough!

Rowen was weighed at 6.7 pounds, and measured 19.5 inches long. His eyes are open and he is looking around without much crying. We are so happy to have a healthy baby boy.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday, we attended His Call Church in Nagoya. His Call Church is a Japanese church that is run by two dynamic Japanese pastors. Hosoe Sensei is the Lead Pastor. You can see him speaking on Easter here. Hosoe is passionate about seeing Japan come to Jesus. He is about 40 years old, married and has two children. Hideki Sensei is the Associate Pastor and he helps lead and organize the worship service. He and his family are seen here.The service was wonderful. Hosoe preached on the resurrection that needs to take place in our own hearts and minds. There were about 45 people in attendance including service leaders and children. We are excited about the strong relationship we are developing with this church and we were thrilled to worship with our Japanese brothers and sisters on Resurrection Sunday.

Mustard Seedlings

2009-04-01T03:03:00.000-07:00

Today the girls on the team gave me a little baby shower. We went to lunch at an Italian restaurant and they gave me some really neat things for the baby including a pack of diapers, some shoes and socks, wipes, and "What to Expect, The First Year." I felt so blessed. We decided that we needed a photo with the MSGF 2009 babies, or as Rob Tomko called them, the "Mustard Seedlings." So here we are. Rachel with daughter-in-belly, Nelson Chase, Cooper Ackerman, and me with the Greerling.

Kevin, Debbie, and Ethan come to Japan

2009-03-27T02:42:00.000-07:00

Jay's parents and brother, Ethan, came for a visit this week. Jay had a break from tutoring, so it was great timing and we were all able to really enjoy the time together. It was so encouraging to see them and we had a lot of fun. We mostly stayed close to home, but we were able to take them to Nagoya and show them the city where we will be ministering after we return from furlough. Debbie accompanied me to a doctor appointment and was able to meet my wonderful doctor and see the ultrasound of our baby. We also went to a Nagoya Grampus soccer game (quite entertaining because the fans sing songs non-stop throughout the entire game), visited the local castle, ate sushi, and were able to do a little cherry blossom viewing. Many evenings were spent at home playing cards and laughing. They headed home this morning, so as I write this, they are probably sitting in the plane high above the ocean. We are so grateful that they were able to come all the way across the world to visit.

The Suicide Problem Continues

2009-03-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

CNN recently did this story. It's very well done and sheds light on a problem in Japan.

Bible Comics for a Comic Book Nation

2009-02-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

I have never been a fan of Manga--the print form of Japanese cartoons or "anime." However, it is huge over here. People of all ages read Manga and become highly engrossed in lengthy series' of manga books.

Therefore a Christian publishing company decided to put together a series of Manga books based on the Bible. The first book was entitled Manga Messiah and tells a harmonized version of the life of Jesus. Next they published it's sequel, "Metamorphosis" which covered the book of Acts. Later, they released, "Mutiny" which covers the Creation account up through the Exodus. To read portions of Manga Messiah online in English click here.

These books are proving helpful in reaching out to people of all ages in a nation that has become accustomed to reading stories in this medium. Mike's tutor, a man in his 40's, read Manga Messiah and found it very intriguing. Let's hope these books continue to bear fruit in Japan.

26 and a half week pregnancy update

2009-02-18T05:42:00.000-08:00

I am free! Thank you so much for praying. I truly believe that God has healed me. I rarely have contractions now and my cervix is in a better condition than ever! The doctor has said it is safe for me to walk around now and do things around the house. The baby is doing great and growing normally. Here's a picture of his profile (the dark circle on the right is his eye and he is looking up).
We can't thank you all enough for your prayers. God has been so faithful and has answered them!

Oh Dear.

2009-02-18T05:29:00.000-08:00

I saw this at the pharmacy today.
It is a diet pill.
I hope that we can clear up some of the confusion about Jesus in Japan.

Beautiful Trash

2009-01-28T06:54:00.000-08:00

You may have heard about the complex trash system in Japan. Everything has to be washed and sorted in order to throw it away. Here's a little sampling of the process:

You can see a pringles can, toothpaste tube, and a milk carton. Everything has a specific bin (we have 7 in our kitchen). There is burnable trash, non-burnable trash, plastic recyclables, paper recyclables, plastic PET bottles, milk cartons, glass, aluminum... at first it was a headache, but now it seems natural to sort everything. Isn't our trash beautiful?

IT'S A BOY!

2009-01-24T03:51:00.001-08:00

I had another appointment this week and we got good news! Not only did we find out that we're having a BOY, but we also found out that from here on out, if our baby is born prematurely, it has a chance of survival. In America, they say that the baby has a chance at life after 24 weeks, but in Japan it is 22 weeks. In 2 days, I will be 23 weeks along. So, we're feeling better and better with each day that passes. God has really been answering prayers! Also, the doctor said that once I reach 30 weeks, I might get to go off of bed rest. I think it will be a "trial" time to see how my body reacts. If I continue to have a lot of contractions, then I might have to rest again, but I might be able to increase my activity. I think that this is because contractions are more normal at that point of pregnancy, and it might not mean that I'm at risk for pre-term labor.

I've been feeling really good lately. I think that receiving the good news from the doctor has helped me not only feel more relaxed about the baby's condition, but it's also helped me to feel better physically. Once again, thank you all for your prayers!

SINGING ROADS - TAKE A MUSICAL TRIP IN JAPAN

2009-01-21T06:42:00.001-08:00

20 Week Report

2009-01-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture my mom took while they were here (I think I was 19 weeks along).

After feeling pretty bad for a few days, I was really looking forward to seeing the doctor. I had my bags packed, thinking that I was going to be admitted, but thankfully, we got better news than we expected. Everything is looking stable for now, but the main concern is that I continue to have a lot of contractions. The doctor said that because my cervix hasn't thinned in the past few weeks, that it's most likely that I don't have "incompetent cervix." That is really good news. She also told me that because of the contractions, the baby could still come too early, so she wants me to take the anti-contraction medication more often and continue to bed-rest. The baby is doing well and we were hoping to find out if it is a boy or girl, but she said we have to wait for 2 more weeks. We'll hopefully find out at my next appointment on Jan 21. Thanks everyone for all your prayers!

Pregnancy Update

2009-01-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone-thanks for all your prayers!

We enjoyed a wonderful visit from my parents this week. It was great to be together with them after not seeing them for a year. Since I'm not very mobile, we spent most of the time hanging out at our apartment--laughing and talking. It was such a blessing to have them here.

I wanted to give you all a quick update on the pregnancy. I saw the doctor on the 24th and it was a good appointment. Usually, I feel sad when I leave my appointments due to all the bleak news, but I felt really encouraged after this one. I continue to feel really happy about my doctor-what a blessing! I'd been concerned that I would have to be admitted to the hospital while my parents were here, but thankfully that didn't happen. The doctor said that because my cervix had not thinned any more since my last appointment, they wouldn't be doing the operation to stitch it shut. However, if it thins in the future, I will most likely be hospitalized again. I continue to have contractions (not normal/not good), but I have medicine to control them and it really helps to just lay still.

There was a previous concern about the umbilical cord, so it was a relief when the doctor told me it looked normal. My placenta is still too low, but it's not covering the cervix. The doctor hopes it will continue to move up in future weeks.

The baby is doing fine and growing normally. It's kicking around as I write this and I feel blessed that it's healthy for now!

Please continue to pray. I'm almost 20 weeks along, which is the most crucial time according to my doctor. There is still a chance that I might suddenly go into labor, so please pray with us that the baby will stay inside until it will be able to survive in the outside world!

Thanksgiving Party

2008-12-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

After a lot of preparation and prayers, our Thanksgiving Party actually happened! It was a wonderful gathering where we were able to share a traditional Thanksgiving feast with our Japanese friends (15 Japanese friends attended). Andy did a speech in Japanese before we all ate and he explained a little about the first Thanksgiving, and thanked all of our friends for helping us adjust to life in this new land (much like the Pilgrims and Native Americans :). We were all thrilled with the turn-out, and our friends had a good time. Here are some pictures to show you what happened:

Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without a paper fold-out turkey.

Pajama Preparation in the early morning hours: Parson kids mashing up some sweet potatoes.

Here's Owen giving the turkey a sniff (and you can see Parsons baby #3 in the background)

The table setting
Our Feast: We had a TON of food. It was delicious!
This cute little rascal (Sterling Chase) was ready to eat some turkey
And little Erina was mostly excited about the rolls
Ackerman boys looking spiffy
Luke Chase: expert turkey carver
Megumi Sensei (the girls' private tutor) and her daughter, Hinako
The feast
Luke and Kacie's neighbors. They are a really sweet little family!
The "Kid Table"
Outside looking in
We had 6 pies... can you see the excitement on our friends' faces?

Everyone wrote things they were thankful for on the paper cut-outs on the window

We have much to be thankful for! Thank you God for blessing us with great friends here in Japan!

Back at Home

2008-12-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for your prayers! I am back at home now, and very happy to be here. The doctors said I would be at the hospital for "several weeks" but praise God--it only ended up being 5 days. I've been resting a lot at home and Jay has been really wonderful. He's taking care of all my chores so I can take it easy. I am going to the doctor again soon, and I hope to find out more about what the future holds. I'm not sure if I will have to be on bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy. I sure hope not!
This picture is from yesterday. I've been living in my pajamas, but yesterday I actually got out of the house. When I put on my real clothes, I realized that I have a little belly now. We went to our team prayer meeting, then Jay took me to the new mall because I haven't been able to see it yet. He pushed me around in a wheel chair and gave me a tour of all the new stores, and we had dinner and ice cream. It was a great day!

Caitlin in the Hospital

2008-12-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Two days ago (Sunday) around 1:00pm as we were preparing for a big Thanksgiving party with a ton of Japanese guests (which was a hit by the way), Caitlin noticed that she had been bleeding a little bit. She is currently in her 15th week of the pregnancy and did not expect any complications. Immediately, she took a nap and I started trying to contact our doctor. Our doctor is affiliated with a private clinic that has been great thus far. However, we tried for hours yesterday to contact him to no avail. I was told 3 times he would call me back by such and such a time but we never heard from him. Our Japanese friend told us this is the weakness of a private clinic as opposed to a hospital. Our friend called a hospital that night and was told it would be best for Caitlin to just rest.

The next morning (Yesterday/Monday) when she had not stopped her minor bleeding I contacted our clinic again. Another doctor told me it would be best for me to take her to a nearby hospital. We had been in Nagoya at the Parsons this whole time because that's where the party and the clinic are located. Therefore, we went to the hospital that is about an 8 minute walk from the Parsons. The hospital rushed her to a doctor and the doctor performed an ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed that the baby was completely healthy but Caitlin's cervix had been weakening. This gave the doctor some concern and he decided to have her admitted. He told us that this creates a risk for an extremely premature birth and he wanted her to be put on bed rest immediately.

She was checked into a single room that I can stay in if I choose and the nurses and doctors are extremely kind. She was given an IV drip of antibiotics and they ran some other tests. They also informed us that Caitlin will have to stay at the hospital for a least 1 week. The doctor who speaks good English will be back from her vacation tomorrow and we will get a better explanation of what's really going on. Today, a doctor with very nervous English has been doing his best to explain everything. What he most recently told us is that the test should reveal whether or not Caitlin has a strong enough cervix for the rest of her pregnancy. If her cervix is too weak they will perform a surgery soon to sew it closed. We just learned from Caitlin's mom that her Grandma had this similar condition.

As of right now, the Parsons are being of tremendous help and Caitlin and I are of relatively high spirits. We are praying for the baby, for Caitlin, for peace, and be able to witness to the hospital staff through our trust in God. One minute after Caitlin and I prayed this earlier, the doctor came in and asked us if we were Christians and we got to tell him we were missionaries. He told us he is not a Christian but went to a Catholic High School. I asked him if he was a Buddhist and he said, "No, maybe not... probably not."

I know you will keep us in your prayers without me even asking. We love you all and will update you as things progress.

"Ku-ri-su-ma-su."

2008-11-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

Without any recognition of Thanksgiving in Japan, once the Halloween decorations came down the Christmas decorations went up. It has been amazing to walk around the mall (seen above) and other shops in Japan and observe the surge of Christmas/Winter celebration. We did not expect the country to turn into a winter wonderland over night. At Starbucks (below) they introduced their line of Christmas drinks, decorated the whole store and started playing Christmas music all the time. Last time I was there, "The First Noel" was playing. The song was sung in English though, so it only served as a charming melody for most customers.

It's interesting to observe that what Americans call, "the Christmas spirit" is not hard to manufacture. Just throw up some decorations, have a Christmas sale, bring out a gingerbread espresso and Japan is already observing Christmas as fervently as most Americans. However, in this country where only 0.7% of the population has ever professed Christ, the meaning and significance of Christmas is lost here... just like in America.

This brings up an interesting opportunity we have here. We are able to be on the ground floor of Christmas traditions for Christians in Japan. Any churches we plant will be without longstanding Christmas traditions and the new Christians in those churches will be looking to us asking, "So how do Christians celebrate Christmas?" What if you got to answer that question and show people how Christmas should really be celebrated? If you could strip away all the cultural baggage of the American traditions that shroud the reality of God being made into flesh, how would you then celebrate? For this post, I would like to hear your answers. Please leave a comment answering, "If I could start from scratch and create Christmas traditions that honor the incarnation of Christ, I would ______." I'd love hear back from you.

New Greer

2008-10-27T03:06:00.000-07:00

This is the 9 week version of the newest Greer. Caitlin is now 10 weeks along and is eager to be through this first trimester. We are very excited and in a little bit of disbelief.

We found an excellent doctor in Nagoya who speaks English. We will do everything from the first appointment through the birth all at his clinic. The Japanese way of having babies is a little different from the American way. For instance, Caitlin is supposed to gain only 17 pounds total and the doctor is very strict. Overall, the health care thus far has been fantastic.

This baby should arrive on May 25th and will visit America a few months later.

Passion: Tokyo

2008-10-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

This past Monday Passion held a one night event in Tokyo. Passion is an organization that does conferences for 18-25 year olds. Louis Giglio spoke at the event and Chris Tomblin, Matt Redman, and David Crowder led worship. Three weeks before the event, they had only sold 600 of the 2,000 tickets and Tokyo was already the smallest event on the world tour. However, God brought in a full house and the place was packed the night of the event.

I can say that seeing Japanese people sing songs to God was one of the most moving things I've ever experienced. There were to songs in Japanese and the rest was in English with Japanese translation on the PowerPoint. The sermon was translated by our new friend Katsumi. We servd as volunteers for the event. All in all it was a good experience.

This is some of us at a volunteer meeting.

Visit from the Dewelts

2008-10-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Chris and Carol Dewelt came for a week long visit. Chris is one of our advisory board members. He came for a week of meetings. All the family units got a chance to meet with the Dewelts and fellowship with them. We also had team training and missionary health sessions with the entire team at once. It was very encouraging and extremely helpful.

Here we are having some fun in a park after a team meeting.

Nagoya at Night

2008-09-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

Our language school quarter came to an end last Friday. The break to follow has been MUCH needed. Jay and I were both pretty wiped out by the end of the quarter, so we went on a mini-vacation and it was wonderful and relaxing. We spent a night in Nagoya. What you see in this picture really describes the mini-vacation, because the majority of the time, we sat at the hotel window and looked out upon what you see in this photo. We talked, read, thought about the vastness of the work needing to be done in cities like Nagoya and Tokyo, and mostly, we had a true Sabbath.

And the rains came down and the floods came up

2008-09-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

Back in August, we had quite the thunderstorm here in Okazaki. I've never experienced such torrential rain. However, for the majority of the storm I was unconscious, snoozing away on the futon. Jay, who has a harder time sleeping, was being disturbed by the obscenely loud thunder.
The next morning, we got up and started getting ready for school as usual. I decided to head out for a jog, and when I approached the pond where I jog, I found that the sidewalk was gone.

In fact, if I would have walked down and tried to stand on the sidewalk, the water would have been up to my neck. So I chose a different route, then returned home to finish getting ready for school. Just as we were about to head out the door, we got a call that school had been canceled because many of the trains had stopped due to flooding and landslides. We found out the seriousness of the situation from Taichi, who skyped us from Canada. "Are you guys okay??" He asked. "Yeah, we're fine, but last night it rained really hard," we responded somewhat cluelessly. Apparently, he had heard from the news and from his mom that many houses were flooded and a few people in our town had died from the flooding. Because of the language barrier, we were oblivious. However, later we found reports on BBC and CNN about our little town here in Japan. During the storm, they recorded that it rained 5.7 inches/hour. The government issued an evacuation for 140,000 households (though I don't think many people actually left) Thankfully, our house was fine, although some of the people who work out our school had serious damages to their property.

This fella washed up from the flood. He scared me half to death when I saw him while jogging.

oh japanese.

2008-09-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Just had to write about this ridiculous Japanese moment.

It was our VERY PREGNANT teacher's last day of work before maternity leave. Since we had our car at school that day, i wanted to ask her if we could give her a ride to the station. So I said:

"Ishyoni, umarimasenka?" she replied with the Japanese version of "Huh!?? and then some laughing." So i tried again, realizing I had used the wrong word:

"Ishyoni, undoshimasenka?" Unfortunately, this question had a similar response.

I finally said in Enlish (she understands English very well): "Can we give you a ride to the station?"

I later realized that what I had asked her was: "Together, would you like to give birth?" then, my second try was, "Would you like to go exercise together?"

Oh dear. Two of the worst things to invite a 8 month pregnant woman to do.

I'm sure she'll be laughing about that for a while.

Pre-Canada Taichi Time

2008-08-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Most of you (including Taichi) have seen pictures on our blog of Taichi in the past. He is our friend who speaks incredible English because he spent 2 years in Canada as an exchange student in High School. He just left for college in Canada. But before he left we had him over for Dinner. Caitlin made Mexican food, or as Taichi calls it, "Mexipan."

His Mom was also kind enough to make dinner for Caitlin and I as well as Tony and Andy. Taichi's Mom is an amazing cook! This night she made California roles, lettuce wraps, gyoza (pot stickers), and some awesome chicken that I can't remember the name of.

We also had a great time hanging out on Taichi's balcony. Part of Okazaki can be seen from Taichi's balcony. Okazaki has 370,000 people living in it but it is considered a very small city in Japan. Japanese people can't believe how quiet and small it is. I find that interesting because Okazaki is bigger than Colorado Springs and almost the same size as Minneapolis. Japanese just have a different definition of a big city.

Taichi is studying away in Canada and we will miss him. He remains in our prayers. Taichi, どぞお元気で！(Best of luck!)

Festival and Greers

2008-08-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

Recently there was a festival at Nagoya Castle. The Castle is

7 stories high and the grounds were lit by over 2,000 lanterns. Outside the castle there were people dressed like samurais. Every now and then, the samurais would stand in formation and shoot their guns. If you looked at them wrong they would draw their swords and give you the stare down.

Inside the

Castle they had a

museum and

a lookout point. You could overlook Nagoya from there. This picture was taken inside the castle of Coco, Rachel, my Aunt Suzanne, and Caitlin. Pictured below is my Aunt Suzanne again with my Uncle Scott. They are Rachel's Parents and came for a visit. It was great to see them and watch Scott interact with Japanese people.

Little Trouble in Big Tokyo

2008-07-25T00:09:00.000-07:00

The story you're about to read is over a month old. It has taken that long for me to adjust to the idea of publishing my stupidity on the internet.

On the Defazio's last day in Japan we took them to tour Tokyo. The trip was delightful and we had a blast with Michael and Beth. However, I (Jay Magellan Greer) was in charge of the trip's logistics.

The trip began with a time crunch. I improvised and parked

our car in a closer parking lot I had never used before when boarding a train. We got on our

first train and realized it was the wrong train. It was headed to the right place at half the speed.

We arrived at the next station in time to see our bullet train, which we would ride all the way to Tokyo, pull away and head to Tokyo. This cost us about an hour. Once in Tokyo, all was grand. We had a great time and began the trip home around 9:30.

Unfortunately, this would turn out to be 2 minutes too late. We arrived at Toyohashi station in time to see the last train to Okazaki (home) blink off the departures screen. It was now 11:30pm and we were a 20 minute train ride away from home with no way to get there. The buses had stopped running long ago and a taxi would have taken over an hour and cost over $100. We were stuck in Toyohashi.

We set out to find a hotel. We were the last costumers of the night as we checked in as the hotel closed. We woke up 5 hours later and hopped an early train home. Upon arrival i

n Okazaki around 7:30am we found that our car was locked in the experimental parking lot until 9:00am, which is when school starts. With little choice, we walked home in a slight drizzle. Once at home we showered and hopped on our bikes to head off for a full day of language school.

As miserable as it sounds, by the time we were going to bed in the hotel we were laughing and thanking God for all the things we take for granted. The moral of the story is best wrapped up in some Cassville wisdom from our friend Duane Latta, "Life's what happens while we're making plans." It was true in Cassville and it's true in Tokyo as well.

(This is a picture of us making the most of the situation in the robes they give you in every hotel in Japan.)

FRUIT.

2008-07-15T02:34:00.000-07:00

All you Americans better enjoy your fruit.

I am going to take you on a tour of the fruit section at a normal Japanese grocery store.

Mixed fruit basket: 2 apples, small bundle of grapes, 1 mango, 1 cantaloupe, 1 small pineapple

Approximately $92.00 USD

Box of "cuties" or "clementines"

Apx. $35.00

2 Specialty Mangos:

$92.00

1 small Cantaloupe:

$23.00

Ridiculous.

This fruit is especially expensive because it's packaged to be a gift. Thankfully, there are some cheaper options. Bananas aren't too bad. I bought 3 peaches the other day and they cost about $5.50. A small cluster of grapes, or small package of cherries is usually around $5-6. 1 lime costs $2.00. Yikes. Most of the fruit is brought to Japan from California, Arizona, and Mexico. Very little fruit is grown here; therefore, it's very pricey.

...twelve little girls in two straight lines, they left the house at half past nine...

2008-07-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

Though this looks like a reality version of a Madeline book, this is how all the children travel to school. They wear matching hats and are escorted by a few adults. Each child has a sturdy backpack that is specially made to help protect them if they are ever hit by a car. I've heard that the backpacks cost a few hundred dollars! Anyway, they all march up the streets with their matching hats and backpacks, and it's pretty cute.

bagels and basketball: an American tradition?

2008-07-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this event. Neither could I resist sharing it via blog. One night, we decided to pick up bagel sandwiches for dinner while at the mall. Bagels are hard to find here; therefore, they're a special treat. On our way to the bagel shop, we noticed (and were completely shocked) that they were showing a NBA finals game in the lobby area. So we picked up bagels, got Dr. Pepper and pretzels from the shall import shop, and parked ourselves in front of the game--thus becoming the perfect stereotypical American. We decided we were the equivalent if we were at a mall in the U.S. and saw an Asian couple watching Karate on t.v. while eating food-court orange chicken with chopsticks.

The HONDA LIFE.

2008-07-12T09:43:00.001-07:00

I just realized that we have not posted pictures of our little car. It's a "K-car" which means it runs on a motorcycle engine and only seats four people. It's really convenient to have a car, as Okazaki doesn't have much for public transportation and a huge percentage of the population drives cars. It also rains a lot and biking in the rain is dangerous and not always pleasurable. Okazaki has the most automobiles per capita in all of the country. Our car gets really good gas mileage and because it's a K-car, the inspection fees are much cheaper than a regular car. As you can see from the picture, it's very small, and the steering wheel is on the Right (also known by Americans as the "wrong") side. We still sometimes try to get in the car on the passenger side. Making the switch was easier than we though though! The hardest part was using the blinker. It's on the right hand side of the steering wheel, and until recently, every time we went to make a turn, we activated the windshield wipers.

The Mad Scientist, Dr. Bronner, made it all the way to Okazaki

2008-07-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm happy to share that our beloved hippie soap is in Japan. A bit pricey though, so I just took a photo instead of purchasing it. This little set is about 25 dollars. Way to go Dr. Bronner, you are an international success!

American Style BBQ

2008-06-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from an American style barbecue we just had. Our Japanese friends requested an American style barbecue with burgers.Andy and Tony made the burgers, Caitlin made the pasta salad, and others brought chips and desserts. We all brought our own drinks. This means that the Japanese people brought beer... lots of beer! They love beer! However, the Japanese don't drink to be tough and they never drink and drive. If you have even one beer, it's against the law to drive or even ride a bicycle.The night before the BBQ, I assembled this yard game that has several crass names in English. I think it's Japanese name will be "ku-tsu shi-ta go-lu-fu" or "sock golf." Nothing says "American BBQ" like yard games!

Class Party

2008-06-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

Recently our language class had a party over the lunch period. Everyone was told to bring a food from their country. We had American, South Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese food. The Americans (Caitlin and I) came with soft pretzels and guacamole and chips. They were both thing the other students and teachers had never tried.
In the top picture you can see me (Jay) sitting between two of our teachers. The gentleman on my right is Yokozawa Sensei and he is the head of our language program. We were on our best behavior. However, I don't think he cared for me dropping my chopsticks or my guacamole.

Dinner at Taichi's house

2008-05-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had dinner at Taichi's house. His mom made wonderful food. There is a certain style of sushi that is "do it yourself," so she had trays of all sorts of delicious ingredients that we rolled up into our own sushi wraps: eel, beef, crab, tuna, and raw tuna, as well as vegetables, lemon juice, soy sauce, and wasabi. It was not only delicious, but also fun. It's a real blessing to have them as friends!

One of the highlights of the evening is that we finally tried the dreaded "NATO." Nato is made from soybeans that are fermented. I don't know what else goes into making this strange substance, but it is known as "stinky beans." It's extremely stringy and sticky, but has little clumps of soybeans in it too. It's really hard to describe. The most appropriate adjective to use is "putrid." Smells like decaying cow manure or possibly something worse. Nonetheless, Japanese people love it and a large part of the population eats it everyday for breakfast.

Here is the evidence that we tried it:

It didn't taste as bad as I thought it would (however, I put a lot of other stuff in my sushi roll with it and I don't know if I could actually taste it). Jay, on the other hand, found it hard to choke down. He was a good sport though. Taichi had a good time taking photos of our faces.

Well, thought the Nato was interesting, the meal was amazing. Here's Jay and Taichi eating dessert.

jay pays a utility video... IN JAPAN!

2008-05-24T21:30:00.001-07:00

Here's an interesting monthly ritual. This is me paying a utility bill in Japan. You can actually pay your bills at any convenience store. They scan a bar code on the bill and you then pay the clerk. 7-11 is real close to our apartment, so that's where I pay mine.

2008-05-17T00:10:00.000-07:00

Our New ApartmentThis is the entryway.

2008-05-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

This is my (caitlin) desk. its usually cluttered but i cleaned it for the photo.

Jay's desk, on the other hand, is always immaculate.

Here's the kitchen (the office is through the door on the left, and the living room is through the door to the right).

2008-05-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

Here's the kitchen from a different angle: behind the curtain is our elaborate trash sorting system. We have to sort things into: unburnable trash, burnable trash, metal cans, glass bottles, cardboard, pet bottles, regular plastic bottles, paper recyclables, plastic recyclables, large beverage bottles, and milk cartons. From the above picture, the bathroom us just to the right. You step up into this area with the sink and washing machine. The door to the left is the toilet room and just to the right is the shower room. We've hung a green tablecloth up to serve as a curtain between the kitchen and this bathroom area.

2008-05-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Living Room

We bought the couches at a used furniture store for really cheap. The TV belongs to the school (came with the apartment). I covered one of the walls with fabric because it was ugly. Everything was really white... we needed some color!

the finale of this post is our bedroom. it's really boring. you can see our futon rolled up on the bottom right. The floor is traditional tatami mat... the smell good and are made of some kind of reed material that is woven tightly together.

Thank God for skype

2008-05-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

God is good and we know He wants us here... but that doesn't mean we don't miss our family still! So we are so thankful for the technology to be able to talk to them! Here I am chatting with my mom.

Language School Pictures

2008-05-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is the outside of one of our school buildings

One of our teachers... she was surprised by this picture :)

Nick: taking care of some business at yamasa's student office

Jay making sure his name tag is just right.

This is the lobby of our language school. Behind Jay is a shrine to the family that started the school. I think their ashes are in that case.

Studying Hard

2008-05-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from a day at school. Japanese is brutally hard to learn, but thankfully, our teachers make it pretty fun!

Okazaki Shinto Shrine

2008-04-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Near Okazaki Castle, there is an authentic Shinto Shrine. While we there taking these pictures and some video, a man came and gave an offering and said a traditional prayer. It is amazing to see that so many people (in a very advanced society) are still held captive by a hollow religion.

This picture of a Shinto Shrine standard. There is some sort of running water at every shrine. This is used for purification.This is a random ancestral shrine. When I asked my barber what he thought about Christianity he told me, "We pray to our ancesters." That is what he thinks about Christianity.

Sakura Festival

2008-04-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

In early April, the Sakura (cherry trees) bloom. This is one of the biggest events of the year in Japan. They even have a word for looking at cherry blossoms, "o-ha-na-mi."

During the end of the Sakura season, every town has a big festival. In Okazaki (our town) the festival is at a big park next to Okazaki Castle. As the petals are falling all around you, there is music, dancing, food, and a lot of partying.

The picture below is of a big crowd after a choreographed dance. It was kinda cool but also a little strange. We thought, "where did so many people learn the same dance?" It was pretty interesting.

TOKYO TRIP

2008-04-01T19:05:00.001-07:00

This weekend, we went to the biggest city in the world. It was good to see where we'll be living in about a year, but it also gave us new perspective on the task before us. There are so many people in Tokyo, and so little have heard about the God that saves.This is at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo. It is a temple to a woman "bodhisattva" named Canon. Yes, she is who all of our cameras are named after. The temple was crowded with people who came to bow and offer money in order to receive good fortune.
I'm not sure what this is about, but people would offer incense into this bowl of fire and then rub the smoke all over their heads.

Exploring the City

2008-04-01T18:48:00.001-07:00

This is Shibuya, the busiest intersection in Tokyo. To see an interesting video that shows this crazy intersection, click here.
This city is OVERWHELMING!
Jay is happy. He found Dr. Pepper (please excuse the weird anime picture on the can) in a vending machine, and bought a Snickers bar. 2 of his very favorite things.

Shinjuku Park in Tokyo

2008-04-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

Our friend Yukie took us to this amazing park. Spring is so beautiful in Japan. Many Japanese people take a whole day to "Ohanami," or "go cherry-blossom viewing." The park was bustling with people happy to be outside. They sit on the grass and have picnics and the children play joyfully. Many people take pictures or draw sketches of the beautiful "Sakura" trees.The cherry blossoms come in a variety of shades. There are white trees, light pink trees, and dark pink trees. Its amazing to see God's creativity. He made such a beautiful creation. It makes me excited for heaven because everything will be restored and we will experience God's beauty on a whole different level.
In the park, it was easy to forget that we were in the middle of the largest city in the world.

Capsule Hotel

2008-04-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

This was quite an experience: we spent our first night in a capsule hotel. It was somewhat comical to walk in and see a bunch of Japanese men sitting around smoking in their turquoise hotel-issued pajamas & slippers. We payed $30 per person into a vending machine, then the guy at the counter gave us a key to a locker. In the locker, we found a set of these pajamas (as Jay is modeling below) and a towel. Then we went up to our assigned floors (women and men were separated) and found our capsules.
Here's what my capsule room looked like. I had to climb up the little ladder and get into my capsule.
Looking into my bed. It felt like I was sleeping in an over-sized microwave. Every capsule comes with a TV, radio, alarm clock, and light dimmer. The TV is the box in the upper left-hand corner. The rest of the stuff is built into the wall and there is a tiny shelf. You crawl in, pull down the curtain, and go to sleep.
Here's a picture I took once I was laying down in the capsule.

Mukade

2008-03-25T01:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I (Caitlin) went to the doctor. I have some sort of strange bite on my leg that has been itching and hurting, so I decided to get it checked out. A really nice woman from the school (Yumi) went along and translated, as the nurses and doctor didn't speak English. I got some medicine and hope it will clear up soon, but I still am not sure what bit me. While in the waiting room, Yumi, Erin, and I had a conversation about the bugs and creatures they have here. Apparently, the giant brown spiders we've seen in our houses are harmless. Yumi has seen some the size of her hand. The only disturbing thing about these spiders, according to Yumi, is that if you have one, you know that you actually have two. They mate for life, so if they are in your house, get rid of them or you'll have babies. Then she hit us with this terrible news: during the rainy season (May-August) we'll be meeting the Japanese Mukade. This is a dangerous centipede that will most likely find its way into our house. The bites are bad and you have to go to the doctor right away. Yumi said that you can't smash them because they won't die. She said that she's tried cutting them in half with scissors, but then the two pieces just run in opposite directions and it can still bite you. So, now she catches it with chopsticks and pours boiling water over it until it dies. I looked online, and saw that another common way of getting rid of a Mukade is to catch it (once again with chopsticks) and put it in a cup of oil. I am worried, cause I'm not good enough at chopsticks to catch a fast-moving vicious centipede; however, they supposedly run toward people instead of away. Maybe that will make the catching process easier (and the possibility of being bitten higher). Come May, I'm going to keep kitchen tongs strapped to my belt.

GREERS OF THE RISING SUN

If I actually blogged, this blog might have gone viral.

Earthquake/Tsunami Report

Osaka Church Plant

Street Live!

Unforgettable

Rowen's Hernia Surgery

2010 Church Report.

Christmas Vacation

MSCC Christmas Event

It's a Boy!

Shibata Clinic

Thoughts from a young mother in a foreign metropolis

New Baby!

It's a beautiful day in the neighb... eh... Anime Festival?

Wrestling Club

Welcome to our world

New Meeting Place

Pollywogs

Sunset from our window

TANABATA 七夕

My Box

Pool Party

1 year checkup

Today

Context for Contextualizing

Kimono

Banana Bread

The First Baptism at Mustard Seed Christian Church

Help from Brothers in the City

*Wink Wink*

New MSGF Address!

The First Few Services

Tomorrow!

Christmas Music in the Park

Rowen and the Monkey

Pan-YA!

Children's Depression and Suicide a Worsening Problem

Japan's Secretary General Bashes Christianity

Context 4/4: Apartment アパート

Context 3/4: Tsurumai 鶴舞

Context 2/4: Naka Ward 中区

Context 1/4: Nagoya 名古屋

APARTMENT!!

Wrapping Up

In AZ

Home Again

Caitlin in the Hospital

We're Coming to America

Two Healthy Babies

Rowen Update

Some Rowen Videos

Rowen Charley Greer

Easter Sunday

Mustard Seedlings

Kevin, Debbie, and Ethan come to Japan

The Suicide Problem Continues

Bible Comics for a Comic Book Nation

26 and a half week pregnancy update

Oh Dear.

Beautiful Trash

IT'S A BOY!

SINGING ROADS - TAKE A MUSICAL TRIP IN JAPAN

20 Week Report

Pregnancy Update

Thanksgiving Party

Back at Home

Caitlin in the Hospital

"Ku-ri-su-ma-su."

New Greer

Passion: Tokyo

Visit from the Dewelts

Nagoya at Night

And the rains came down and the floods came up

oh japanese.

Pre-Canada Taichi Time

Festival and Greers

Little Trouble in Big Tokyo

FRUIT.

...twelve little girls in two straight lines, they left the house at half past nine...

Wink Wink