Smells that take you Home

Smells are an interesting thing. They are a catalyst to memories either sweet or bitter. I never really remember which smells will immediately take my mind back to a place or time until they wash over me or go floating by on the air. Smells immediately trigger emotions. Sometimes this is a refreshing escape and other times, scratches the surface of pain or sadness. Or, makes you recognize that what was once present in your life is momentarily or indefinitly absent.

I am in a place far away from the smells that are familiar to me. I have never noticed how removed I am from such familiarities until today as I was walking to the bathroom. In Japan, it is rare that you find hand towels in the public bathrooms. So unless you want to wipe your hands on your pants or wait until it dries, you have to carry your own hand towel around. So, in an effort to fit in a little better, I try to remember my hand towel. However, I often forget. Except for today....I remembered. As I grabbed my towel and dabbed it across my slightly sticky, sweaty face (Japanese don't get as hot as westerners so the AC isn't set quite as low and it is always humid here.) I was suprised by a familiar smell....downy fabric softner (this brand of fabric softener isn't as familiar here as it is in the states. So, finding some is a small accomplishment). Instantly, the fragrance made me feel comfortable, it made me feel familiar. In Japan, I am constantly aware that I am different. This isn't too terrible of a thing, it's just that it is always there. So, I was immediately thankful to have a smell that was an old companion. This land is full of unfamiliar smells....foods...air...insides of shops...everything it seems.

Although I was momentarily able to escape, I became aware of the familiarity that was missing here. Friends, family, language, stores, knowing where to go, how to cook, and the list goes on. This is just a part of the process. This is just a part of where the Lord has us. But, I am thankful for the days/moments when smells remind me of things that used to be part of my daily life. So, I was thankful that today, on my way to the bathroom, familiarity suprised me and took me home.

The Beauty of Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom)

Cherry Blossoms in Ueno park along with the thousand of people.
Sakura (Cherry Blossom) with a Pagoda in the Background.
A close up of the blossom.
When I enter Heaven, I hope to see the beautiful Sakura there.
The Japanese love the Cherry Blossoms. The Sakura bloom in the Spring and sadly, their glory only lasts about a week. (I wish they could last a month or more.) There is even a group that "chase" the bloom of the cherry blossom. They start in the south and then work their way to the north. The Japanese come out by the millions to see these trees in various parks around the country. They put tarps down and have picnics under the tent of blossoms. You can't see it in the pictures but people are squeezed in close underneath the trees. Here they laugh, drink, and relax. Which is rare for the Japanese. I may be silly, but I see this Sakura season as the Lord giving grace and mercy to these people. I see the blossoming of the trees as the Lord's deep love for these people who don't know Him. He calls them out to sit beneath His creation and to give them a time of rest. He showers them with beauty and beckons them. He is the True Giver who mercifully gives even if those who receive the gift don't acknowledge Him.

To the Japanese, the Sakura are a strong symbol of the breath of a life against time. Meaning, once we bloom we are only here for a short while to make it beautiful. I love this analogy. It is another way that the Lord teaches His lessons through His creation. He uses the grape vine, the fig tree, the mountains, the valleys, the deserts, and on and on to teach us about His character and His nature. I pray that the Japanese's hearts would be captured by the beauty of God in His world and that they would see that it is the Lord who has made all these things. They do appreciate nature and creation but they turn and give thanks to false gods. I pray the Lord would rip through this deception and instead they would worship Jesus for the beauty of His world. Please pray with me for this. Amen!

Back in the swing of things....sort of.

We are back in Japan! I am thankful to be here and I am excited/nervous/scared about becoming a teacher all over again. For some people, it seems, teaching comes really easy. I have many friends who are teachers and they seem to do it with so much confidence and ease. I'm really afraid I am just going to suck. They, whoever "they" is, say that you need confidence. Where can I find that? and how much does it cost? because I am all out.

I know that it will all be ok. I know that in my head but it doesn't keep the rest of me from freaking out just a little bit. I know that the Lord will sustain me and give me wisdom but I am just going to have to walk through all of the awkward newness to understand that in my heart; For the Truth to spill and saturated me until I am in peace along with Him. Underneath it all, I am excited.

Things have gone a lot smoother this time around and we arrived just in time to see the Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) pop out. They are so beautiful. Think "Last Samurai" and you will have a glimpse of that tree. Jason and I are looking forward to going into Tokyo tomorrow to take some pictures of the trees. The weather here is really nice right now. It's a perfect temperature and it's not very humid. Which is nice because come summer I drip like a water faucet. The Japanese carry around hand towels to wipe the sweat off their faces and backs of their necks. However, the women don't wipe....they pat.

I appreciate Japan. I am very glad we are here.

The Makings of A Good Almond Bar

There is something I would like to share with yall. It is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, Michelle for Almond Bars. It is simple in all aspects. My husband and I LOVE them and, if you give it a try, I hope you will too.

Almond Bars

1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 1/2 sticks of Butter (softened)
2 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 tsp. Almond extract

Spread into greased 9X9 pan. Sprinkle generously with sugar before baking. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until light brown.

ENJOY!

A Few Picks of Our Travels

We have been to a lot of places since we have been back to the states. Just the other day we counted how many states we had been to in the past two months. We have been to: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. This brings our grand total to ten states in just 60 days. Now, I know some people can easily surpass us with how much they may travel for business or many other reasons but we are quite shocked by it. We are tired but grateful for our time. So, to commemorate some of our travels I have included some of our pictures from the trip.

A sunset in Iowa in December.

Before we made it to Jason's family Christmas in Nebraska, we headed into Branson to visit many of our friends. The first pic is of me with the amazing, Angela Dube and the second is with the fantastic, Kati Burkdoll.

We had a great time with Jason's family at Christmas. Here is Teresa, Jason's sister, playing with our niece, Samantha. Samantha belongs to Colleen and Erik. Colleen is Jason's second oldest sister.

Some more of the Kuiper family making some Christmas memories.

After Christmas at the Kuiper family we went skiing with my family in Red River, New Mexico. It was soo much fun to be with the Marcum family. Jason and I learned how to snowboard and there was a lot falling as well as aches and pains. The picture below on the left is of Kelly, my sister and her boyfriend, Logan. Logan was a great teacher. On the right is a picture of Jason and me acting like snowboard pros....yeah right.

We were able to be in Boyd for my youngest sister, Sarah's, 16th birthday party. I got a picture of the cake and not much else. Sorry, sis. :( I think i just really liked the candles. hehe.

Jason and I got to visit Memorial Stadium. Home to my husband's favorite team, the Nebraska Huskers. Here we are posing in the Heisman Trophy room with our best Heisman stance we could muster up. The bottom left picture is of us standing inside of Memorial Stadium and the bottom left is the outside of the arena. I felt a little like a cheater..you know, going and looking at all that Husker paraphanalia. I'm a Red Raider at heart but I did it to support my husband. However, I did sing the Matador's song inside my head from time to time. I guess it was my weird little way of proving my loyalty. Silly.

After our trip in Nebraska we journeyed further north to Wisconsin. Here we are with Nate, Jason's cousin, and Nate's wife, Summer in a local coffee shop. They taught us how to play cribbage which is now our favorite game. Also, on this particular day it was -40 degrees outside. I don't think I have been in that cold of weather in my life. Phew. After Eau Claire, Wisconsin we went to Milwaukee to visit Jason's sister, Colleen and her family. We had so much fun playing with our niece, Clara in the snow.

We have had such a great time and it isn't over yet. We are in Texas now and I plan on taking more pictures of our time here. I will post those next.

The Count Down Begins

Today is February 20, 2008 and we leave for Japan on March 19^th. It’s hard to believe it is now less than a month before we take off for Tokyo for the second time. This time when we go back to Japan we will be living about 50 minutes closer to Tokyo which puts Tokyo only about a 15 minute train ride away.

We will be teaching conversational English at an all girls Christian school. The school has about 1,000 Junior and Senior High students. We have already visited the school and we are looking forward to getting to know the students.

We are also excited to see our friends in Japan again. We have just recently committed to going on an adventure to India in August with several of our friends. I am looking forward to the adventure and getting to experience another culture. We also have hopes to explore some of China, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, or Thailand. It would be great to visit all of these countries but even just two would be wonderful.

I feel more comfortable about going to Japan this time around. The first time I was really nervous but this time I am super excited. I believe it has something to do with knowing what we are getting ourselves into this go-around.

2008 Hopes

Many of my friends have a "to do" List for their lives. On this list my friends put things that they hope to do one day no matter how big or small. These lists include such things as running half-marathons, going rock climbing and milking cows. So, I began to think about starting a list that is similar. Instead of a life to do list I would like to create a "to do" list to be accomplished in one year. Here it goes....

• Learn how to speak Japanese enough to have a small conversation
• Run a half-marathon
• Memorize 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John

Ok....so maybe this list isn't that long. If you have any suggestions or have done fun things that you think I should try please give me a comment and let me know. I am taking suggestions.
Love to you all!