Christmas Gift

This year, i haven't asked for anything really. I've gotten some really nice gifts though.

I've received candy, hand warmers for my pockets in Tokyo, a free jacket, socks, leg warmers, and some various other things.


But this year, i received something really special. I received a gift from someone really close.


This friend took me way up high on a hill, to the very top of an old Castle ruin. We gazed at God's beautiful creation all around us, captured some of the beauty with pictures, and watched the sun
go almost down all the way.













But then, there at the top of the castle ruins, in the Kings courts, i was given a promise backed up with a hear full of love, and asked a simple question, "will you marry me?"

On December the 10th, Eder proposed to me and gave me my Christmas present.



For those of you who were praying (and still are) for us, we really thank you. None of this has been an easy journey (so much learned and so much pride worked through), it's all been by God's tender hand leading us. We really just want to let you know we appreciate your prayers, and to tell you how much we need them. We are both just two people with many faults, following after the Lord because His redeeming work in our lives changed us. His love completely changed us forever.

I just wanted this post to be it's own special one, because it's a really amazing thing that God gave into my life. I don't deserve or expect for God to give me such great love and such a great gift to have in my life serving Him here, but i really am thankful. I hope this thing brings glory to Him, that it would encourage you somehow in your life, that it would make you see God's love more and more.

Stay tuned for more stories of the adventure God is taking me on :)


God bless you,


-'Manda

Break Begins

December: it never ceases to speed by with the utmost intensity. It's almost CHRISTMAS!!

Wow, as a kid, this NEVER happened. It was always an agonizing thing to wait for. And now i find myself thinking there isn't enough time to do everything.

Semester ends the 10th (today!), four students have already left, with a couple more leaving this weekend.

I can't believe how fast this semester sped up. Tommy even said it when we had a retreat up in Okuma, how it would speed by.

Well, here are the updates since the last time i posted (sorry for the absence...):

We have had several women's and men's breakfasts and a married couple's dinner, serving at different chapels, teaching, playing worship, and THANKSGIVING!!

We had two Thanksgiving meals here at the Cafe: one on the Japanese holiday, and one on the American holiday. It was cool to have both kinds of foods; two big turkeys, two hams, mashed potatoes, stuffing, all that good stuff. And then Sushi rolls, fried rice, and other assortments of Japanese foods. It was a really blessed time, mainly because people got saved.

There were some Japanese girls who came, one was just a friend who came first time with someone we knew. It was a really cool time.

Ministry at Kadena Chapel (Child care!) ends for the winter break, we have had some great times teaching these kids about Jesus and what the Word says. These kids are smart, and they are so precious and cool to hear talk.

the kids made different fruits that are supposed to be in our Christian lives (Fruit of the Spirit!)


This is Nathan. He is one of the coolest kids. "Hallelujah! The blood of Jesus Christ SAVES us!" He said that once. :)

We also went on a trip up to OKUMA!! We had a camping retreat for all the students and Bible interns. The past from the Calvary Chapel church in Fuchuu (mainland), Rich, came to teach for the retreat. it was a really, really blessed time. We got to trek all around the beautiful beaches and camp outside, have bonfires, and enjoy each others company. There was even a nice restaurant with cheap prices!

We studied through 2 Timothy, just learning to be faithful to God. It was refreshing, a lot of people really got ministered to by Jesus there. "God doesn't call us/ask us to be successful, but to be faithful."

We had graduation this past Sunday night; Fukiko graduated! She was the first student to graduate from this Bible college in a real Kimono! (The rest have been in Yukata, the summer version).

It was a really special time, her whole family flew in from Osaka to see her graduate. They are an open and loving family, so happy.

Just some random little pictures i took during the past month and a half:

the roof view to the left.

Panda Nikumon (steamed bread with meat inside!)

330 at night.

The rest was just giving finals, finishing up grading, cleaning dorms, saying good bye.

This time of the semester is always sad and happy. Happy that we get a break from the busy schedule, happy to visit people, and happy to spend more time together. But it is sad because people leave, people don't come back (sometimes), and a chapter ends. But its always something good. God is always doing good works, things end, but that means new things start.

Also, this past Monday, i took off to Tokyo for 3 weeks. I have the privilege of spending my Christmas with my two best friends: Amber and Rusty Spearman! I also get the privilege of being here when their first child is born. I have waited so long to see their children, to buy them cute things, and to watch them! She is due December 24th, but she might come sooner.

So currently i am in Tokorozawa! i don't have time at the moment, but i will be posting pictures soon. Pray that God keeps us safe, and that everyone back in Okinawa would stay safe too!

I've been praying that God keeps us all safe this break, that we would stay strong in Him, in His word and spending time with Him in personal prayer. If we walk away from that, we will fall, we will get weak, and we might compromise that witness we have for Him.

Stay with the Lord this winter break, stay close and keep on loving Him, keep on seeking Him.

Take extra time to just sit with Him and rejoice in who He is! He came to die for us, He put away our sin forever, so we can be with Him forever. Praise God!

More updates will come (from Tokorozawa!), along with photos and new stories.

God bless you,

-'Manda

Midterms: Over! Typhoon: colder weather!

Hello again, it's now almost the end of October (seems to be that i post at the end of the month a lot). It has begun to become more cool (not too cold yet though), and the weather has been a bit crazy recently. Okinawa has pretty crazy weather sometimes, Michigan was the same.

(this was a couple weeks ago, the sky is just grey right now)

We are having a typhoon at the moment, the wind is strong (dangerous coming down the stairs!) and cold, and the rain changes its direction frequently. I am currently wearing two jackets, pants, a scarf, and shoes. Goodbye sandals for a while.

Midterm week is over! All of the students worked extra hard, we even took off Adventure Mondays to allow for studying. Everyone did extremely well in both my classes, and used the beautiful creative minds God has given them. I had the students in my Missions class make Newsletters (pretending as if they were sending them from the Mission field), and many of the students got very creative.

For my ESL 1 class (English as a Second Language level 1) they had to memorize a Psalm, the first half of the Old Testament books (written), and turn in a project: their family tree. I told them to be creative and make it however they wanted. They were the funnest thing to read and grade. Here is a picture of them:

This one is Chala's.


and this one is Aya's.

Here are some other photos of "happenings" during this semester so far.

We took our semesterly trip to Yomitan to see the lighthouse at Cape Zampa and the cliffs.

a special monument to a man in the war (got to learn that Kanji!)

The wind was strong, Brevick almost blew away.

We stopped at the local university Ryukyu まつり(festival) and saw some break dancers perform. We also ate a lot of food (didn't get a shot of that), and visited the different things set up by the students (themed cafes, game rooms, animal exhibits, etc).

We got to have a tour of the airbase to see some of the gear and airplanes used for rescue missions. It was a survival tour! (Chala got to try on one of the parachutes, she was so small in it!)

Trying out one of the ground vehicles.

The Green foot and green mascot figure on their uniforms is an old theme. They told us that the huge helicopters used were called "green giants" because of their color, and from the imprint they left when they landed on the ground: it looked like the footprint of a giant.

Futenma had a Fear Factor Challenge night! I went to help out with some worship, and photograph the games. It was intense, they withstood bombardments of pillows, ice cold water, and octopus filled Jello. Props to all who participated.

Logan and Cole came along to help cook that hamburgers and hot dogs. It was a blessing to be able to have american food.

I had a super awesome class last week for ESL.

I taught the students what the idiom "you've got guts!" means.

my first rainbow in Okinawa.

One of the great wonders of God's creative hand.

This semester has been pretty busy, with lots of studying, lots of ministry, and lots of growing. Having so many people in our house it sometimes feels overwhelming to try and build relationships with them all. But God keeps on showing me how precious and valuable each one of them is, and how its worth the effort it takes.

It really stops becoming a burden when you stop trying to do it all with your own power.

Isaiah 40:31,
"But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

I feel a lot that i don't have enough to do it. I get weary, i want a long vacation sometimes to just rest and sleep, and not have to think. But i need to keep going, there is a work that has to be done, i can't faint yet.

But what do i do when i am going to faint? what do we do when we are not enough, and are going to fail soon?

Look up.

Psalm 121:1-8

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth,

and even forevermore."

God is always right there to help us. we just have to look.

God bless you, thanks for keeping up with the work God is using my life for.

-'manda