ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Hey everybody,

As you know, me and Eder were in the process of getting ready to be married. Well, a midst lots of planning and traveling, i didn't have the chance to post during that time.

And now, me and Eder have a combined blog, which you can go to here:

www.stepinthewater.blogspot.com

We only have a couple posts up, but its what God has started since returning to Okinawa.
I want to make posts of our wedding, or atleast post a link to share photos. So if you have not already seen photos people have taken posted on Facebook, then please wait and when we get our photos back from the photographer, we will post a link on our new blog.

So please follow our new blog, me and Eder will probably be closing these blogs down in a little while, and just posting on the new one.

Thanks for praying, and thank you for following us as we follow God.
-'manda

Past weeks~

A much needed update!

So, here are the things that have happened since i last posted:

We had MIDTERMS! The students did great, everyone studied very hard and didn't get too stressed out.

We took the students and youth to the small Island Tonaki Jima (Jima means island) for a 4 day youth retreat camp. It was a BLAST! We set up 7 tents (most people we've ever brought there, we bring the population up by over 20%, only 400 people live there), and one main tent to eat our food and have our studies under. We had afterglow bon fires, marshmellow time, hot cocoa and cookies. We had a total of about 6 teachings, all from the interns or bible college students. It was a very blessed time, God spoke to everyone in a really special way. The camp theme was "Search My Heart" out of Psalm 139. "Search me, o God, and know my heart, try me, and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Interns, students, and youth were all spoken to. And God gave us AMAZING weather the whole time, it never rained, and the sun came out every day (wind was a little cold, but people still swam).

After coming back, we jumped right back into classes. There are only 5 weeks left of school! Everyone is preparing for finals, and finishing up their ministries at the different churches this month.

We've also been sending supplies or sending people to help out in mainland with the relief efforts. CCOkinawa and some from CCGinowan have already gone, helping with the churches out there (CCTokorozawa etc.). Keep on praying for Japan, they got hit with more earthquakes in the past week, even one this morning.
Pray for this to be Japan's turning point, God is calling out to them strongly. They need Him as their hope.

We also have the worship conference "Worship in Hard Times" that we are hosting here at the church coming up. It will be a three day conference, with teachers coming from all over Japan.
It's cool, because the theme was picked out before the disasters hit mainland. It's something we need to learn about, because it's hard to worship in hard times.

The Guam missions team is also heading out tomorrow (Wednesday), so please pray for Tommy and the College students who are heading out. A team of 12 students will be heading out there, first to mainland to stop in Tokyo and do a one day conference there (worship conference) and then head out to Guam to do a longer one there, and minister at the church.

Easter is also coming up, we are doing a breakfast and one easter service on sunday (normally we do a sunrise service), and possibly a children's outreach at the park later that day.
Then, it's finals! It is going by so fast, really only less than 4 weeks until semester closes.

It's exciting to see the things God is stirring in the students hearts. I've talked with a few who are really feeling called back here to Japan, even Okinawa. I hope to see many faces back here again.

Times flies, and it's almost our wedding time. We are very busy with work schedules here at the school and other responsibilities. Sometimes it's hard to find time to plan for the wedding, but it keeps getting provided for. So many people have offered to help and are pitching in to either make things, plan things, or even buy some things. It's such a huge blessing, i know not everyone gets this much help when they plan their wedding.

Thank you everyone who reads this, your a real blessing to us. We are excited to get to share in celebration with you soon!

God bless you all,

-'Manda

Pictures!

(From the previous post)

Me and Allie (my mom, me, and allie outside Justco!)

My mom at Araha beach. (first picture of me and eder on my new camera)

Me and my sister being cool. (we took my mom to mcdonalds - because it tastes better here and has Shaka Shaka chiken!)

Okinawa~

This drink (a tea) had catnip in it. (Eder's fruit roll-up tongue tattoo)

I bought a new air freshener for the room. (pictures from ESL class)

My ESL2 students! Chala! Aya!

The random mystery bag in the cafe. (last day of MELT class at the university)

Women's Breakfast group ^_^ (me and Natsuki chilling after Wednesday night Bible study)

Last of the Sakura blossoms

Pictures from our engagement photo day~

My Tanuki (raccoon) slippers from Eder.

It started in a flash!

We have now ended our 5th week of the semester.
Times flies!!

Well, here are some updates on what has happened since i last posted:

(Pictures will be in the following post)


Me and Eder have started planning our wedding, making preperations to head back to the states, making phone calls with families, deciding what things are needed and have to get done Japan-side. God has really blessed us, He has given us so much favor, and a lot of the work and planning is being done for us. We really are excited and so blessed.

My sister flew in for this semester, along with a surprise gift: my Mom!!!
It worked out that my mom could fly to Okinawa cheaply, and so she hopped on the plane with my sister and stayed for a week. It was a shock! I was completely surprised!

We had a blast, showing her around the island, introducing her to all the people we know out here, showing her how we have been living for the past 2 years. It was amazing.
It was a complete blessing, it was really good to see her again.

Then semester started, and we are full with students once again! We have a really awesome crew this semester (like every semester!), everyone is so unique and interesting, a lot of different stories and backgrounds.
I haven't gotten a lot of pictures of everyone yet, but i hope to soon. They are so cool to watch and listen to.

I am only teaching one class this semester, ESL 2, with my two students from last semester: Chala and Aya! I LOVE teaching them, they are the most precious women ever. God really blesses me through them.

I tag-team the women's Discipleship study/class with Tamiko (she teaches the Japanese students), but it doesn't really feel like a class. It's been really good studying for this class though, God has really been speaking (to me for sure) to us a lot about prayer through it.

We go through a book written by Chuck Smith on prayer, called "Effective Prayer Life", and i really see it coming true.

Other than that, the rest is pretty much the normal thing; ministries around the island, English/Japanese classes, cooking, grading.
But, by only the second week in, and I had already seen God do an amazing thing. He completely hears prayers, He hears MY prayers, and answers them. He acts.
I was praying for God to act, for God to provide and come through. And He did. God never lets us down, He's good on His word.
We always know God can do things, but we don't often trust Him to do it. I find myself re-evaluating my relationship with God a lot more recently. I see that there are a lot of things that i believe, but i don't trust in, there are a lot of things that i know are true, but i don't really step out and test it.
Not talking about testing God, but proving His promises sure and true.

God has been challenging me in my prayer time. He really encouraged me with James 5, it talks about Elijah praying for the rain to stop, and it did for 3 years or so.
Just a normal man like Elijah prayed fervently/earnestly and the rain stopped.
What about me? If i pray will God really do something so crazy like stop the weather?
God showed me He does. And He will.

We recently got blessed heading out to King Kong Yakiniku, after helping out CCOkinawa with their belated Valentines couple dinner. We did kids for them, VBS style! There were so many kids, that it needed to be split up into groups and different rooms and activities. The night went really smooth, the Lord blessed us as we helped.

We also headed to the beach for the first time this year, the students loved it. A lot of them even go into the water ! (it was really warm that day, some of the students from colder climates couldn't believe how warm it was, and it wasn't even summer heat yet - pray for them!).

This weekend, i got asked to sing at a couple from our church's wedding. Me and Pastor Tim (up in Nago) are providing background music for their reception.

The songs we have been practicing have really been speaking to my heart recently.

One of the songs talks about all the great things we have in Jesus, how He made us holy and chosen by His grace and love, and that He gave our life purpose when it had none, and filled us with a treasure that never fades. It's really refreshing in the heart and soul to remember what Jesus did for us.

"Come Jesus come".

Keep us in your prayers, we want to serve God faithfully, we want to live pleasing to Him, and to live like Jesus: loving others. "Walk in love towards others."

-'Manda

New Visa!

The Lord supplies all i need in my life. God always has provided everything single thing i have needed to do the things He has called me to do. He has always filled every single need in the right time.

This time, the Lord provided a visa extension. I prayed, and I asked for a 3 year visa renewal, and we went to pick it up today after lunch. I was asking to be satisfied with whatever God provided, because I know He would provide what was needed.

I went up to the desk, and the worker started giving me instructions on the expiration and things, and then i saw it; a stamp for a 3 YEAR VISA.

GASP!!!

Praise the Lord! He is so good, It's so cool, i am so filled up with happy excitement today!

God will do something continually amazing in my life, and for 3 years it will be in Okinawa.

Praise the Lord, He is our provider, we don't have a thing to worry about (this was one of the first big things i have not worried about beforehand, it's VERY refreshing to the heart and soul to rest in Jesus knowing He will provide whatever my needs are).

I have the best God ever, He is so amazing ^_^

-'manda

End of 2010, and on into 2011!

It's 2011!

So much has happened in the past year, it literally flew by!

I will recap on some of the things i got to do since my last post, and highlight a bit of my year.

Well, the semester ended, and i got engaged, and then i left for mainland Japan, Tokyo - to the city of Tokorozawa to spend my Christmas and New Years with the Spearmans.

While i was there, i had the opportunity to lead worship for the Calvary Chapel there, make sweet decorations for the kids Christmas game party, cook, fellowship, and see my best friend's first child be born.

'

Staying with Amber and Rusty was amazing, i was so blessed to see them both again. It had been far too long.

We didn't do a whole lot, not a normal site-seeing trip, but that's okay; i wanted hang out time more.

Cute "Maid Cafe" or cake shop (i forget the name).

This is what i got: caramel Mousse, with apple inside.

even cute with a bite out of it~

Sunshine City. (underground mall)

Namja Town!

Icecream City! they have a TON of different ice cream shops (all different brands)

cream cheese ice cream.

Akihabara, the electronic city.

I don't know what this place was, but i liked the sign for it.

One of the stations we got off at.

Edo Period Museum.

only in Japan will there be a parking lot for your bicycle.

Super space tube to enter the museum.

Rusty riding the person carrying thing.

Waving to my adoring fans~

Some of the miniatures.

Kabuki play display. (Check out her heels!)

House layout for the house style at the end/after Edo period.

sweet house i wished i owned..(wasn't real though)

Poster for one of the first trains in Mainland.

A display underfoot.

Waiting for the train home.

The day after Christmas, (really the night of Christmas day), Adelle Kaede Spearman was born, 5 am. She is the most beautiful child i've ever seen. I know i'm slightly biased, but she really is beautiful. Each day she looked more and more like a cute little girl (looked like a tiny old man at first ha!).

We got to celibrate our own Christmas before the baby came, and our mom's even sent out packages from the states for us. Thank you Mom and Fay, we really enjoyed opening so many gifts! The tree looked like it had a fort wall built around it.

After Amber got back from the midwife's house (such a nice place! i wish i had more pictures of it, it was so nice), i had about a week left to spend with them.

We didn't know how it would work out with me staying in their house, and having a new born baby at home. It worked out just fine though~

It was a really amazing experience to see this child come to be and then start to grow. She totally enjoyed her first bath at home (was practically swimming around in the mini blow up bath tub).

I can't really put my time there into words, but it was: blessed, refreshing, precious, eye-opening, joyful, and something else that i am failing to find the English word for (maybe that means my Japanese is growing!).

Well, after i left (on the 6th), I flew back in to Okinawa, and Eder picked me up and we got dinner at the shopping center in Naha city. We exchanged our Christmas gifts to each other in the car, which had flowers, Tanuki slippers (Japanese raccoon), and a wrapped gift with a beautiful scarf and sweet bag!

Eder LOVED the gift i brought him: starbucks coffee thermas/cup, with inter-changable inside. I decorated it with purikura pictures and drawings, and some old notes we wrote eachother. It was a winner~

So, now i'm back, and preparing for the Ruiz family to return to island, new students to come, and preparing for classes. It looks like this semester will be a small one for the girl's D-house, only 4 students (compared to the 8 last semester). Our house will only have 6 girls in it, instead of 10. But the guys have a LOT coming, we have to shuffle around where some of the interns are living. We are excited for who will be here this semester, getting to know new faces and characters.

Here's some pictures from being back:

Me and Eder, reunited.

The flowers he brought me at the airport~

sunflowers are my favorite...

We got invited to Sachiko-san's cottage/cabin to eat Japanese style bbq!

the view.

being cool~

And some of my favorite Okinawan clouds~

Teaching the kids on Tuesdays on Kadena started again, it will continue through the year. It was fun to see all the kids again, they were suprised that i was back! (one kid thought i was staying forever in Tokyo or something haha).

It's interesting, God's been speaking a lot of different things to me in these past two months. I learned a lot being in Tokyo over the holidays, God just spoke a lot of different things to me in my personal time with Him.

Being back here, things have been moving fast, and a lot of things are changing.

Me and Eder have been praying about our wedding dates and plans, and they have shifted. I won't post anything yet, until things are finalized. But God is really speaking clearly on things, and we are learning to take steps of faith and obey immedietly, instead of waiting and being unsure of our trust in God.

It's kind of scary, but really cool at the same time. I have moments when i want to float away in the fast, gushing torrents of all the things that need to be done, but i always get a strong grip in my hand, pulling me back to reality: Jesus won't leave me. ever. I can do this in Him with His help.

This morning i read in Jeremiah, (i just finished Isaiah), and God told him two times, reminding him 3 times total i believe, that He would be WITH him, to deliver him. He told him "don't be afraid." God wants us to know He is right there, don't fear, He isn't jut going to watch us drown right in front of Him, He is with us to deliver us, to help us.

So that was encouraging~ thank You Jesus.

God bless you all, i have to finish studying for kid lessons. I will post again when my sister arrives, and then more when semester starts.

-'manda