Humility of Moses

Most of us have heard of Moses - and there’s a reason for it. He’s kind of a big deal. In fact, I’d say he is one of the most important figures in the Old Testament. This story is the defining moment of the nation of Israel and set the stage for everything else that happens in their history leading up to the coming of Christ.

In many ways, Moses is like a hero to the Jews. Spokesperson and friend of The Almighty, God did signs and miracles through this man that they had never seen before. Moses was the one who led them out of slavery in Egypt, gave them the 10 Commandments and Jewish Law, took care of and guided them during their wanderings in the desert, and talked to God and interceded for them when they screwed up, ensuring that they made it all the way to the promised land in spite of their mistakes and lack of faith.

It’s a pretty epic story - way more than we were able to cover in one night. But definitely worth reading in its entirety. It’s kind of like an action movie - starts with the unlikely hero who has an identity crisis and goes on a journey of self-discovery before having a major showdown with his enemy. Lots of crazy effects and imagery - with the burning bush, The Nile river turning to blood, zillions of frogs and locusts popping up out of no where, columns of fire, parting the red sea so they could walk across on dry land... Great stuff. So I encourage you all to go home this week and read at least the first half of Exodus.

What we really focused on Monday night is who Moses was and what his relationship with God was like. That’s kind of what this summer series is about - looking at these heroes of the faith and figuring out what it is that made them great and figuring out how we can start to develop those awesome Godly characteristics in our own life.

In order to understand the story of Moses though, we have to go back in time and take a look at what was going on at the time of his birth. Any time you’re reading the Bible, it’s important to know the context.

The end of Genesis tells the story of a man named Joseph. You may have heard of him too - he had a pretty sweet technicolor coat. I’ll sum up his life real fast. He was one of 12 sons of Jacob, and first born son of Rachel - the wife that Jacob loved best. So even though he was kind of the runty younger brother, he was special to his father. Jacob gave him a special multi-colored cloak which basically signified that he was going to be heir of the family fortune. So he got a little cocky and his older brothers resented him. One day they beat him up, stole his coat, threw him in a pit and wanted to leave him there to die. But one brother stuck up for him and said, ‘Hey - instead of killing him let’s sell him into slavery instead.’ So they sold him to some to some passing traders, then spread some animal blood on his coat and took it back to Jacob saying they found it in the fields and that he must have been eaten by a wild animal.

Meanwhile, Joseph goes to Egypt and is a slave in the house of Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh’s guard. God is with him and he cleans up his act and becomes a wise and good worker. There are some twists and struggles to his story that you can read about on your own, but basically God helps him find favor with Pharaoh and raises him up to be second in command of all of Egypt.

There’s a famine coming and Joseph helps the Egyptians store up plenty of food so they won’t starve. But back home they’re not so fortunate. Jacob sends the brothers to Egypt to buy some grain from Pharaoh’s right hand man. So the brothers are unexpectedly reunited - AWKWARD! He messes with them a bit but finally reveals himself as their lost brother and forgives them for what they did because he knew that God was able to work through the situation to save his family from starvation. They bring dad out to reunite with his son, but he’s too old to travel home again so the whole family settles in Egypt under Joseph and Pharaoh’s protection. God blesses them - they multiply A LOT - and become a great nation of people there in Egypt. But they never lost the thought that this is not their home. Right before he dies, Joseph makes a prophesy to his brothers.

‘Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised an oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (Gen. 50:24)

Joseph died. Time passed, and at the start of Exodus a new Pharoah came to power who did not know Joseph. He noticed the Isaraelites had become numerous and prosperous, and feared that if an enemy attacked, they would join the other side and conquer Egypt. So we have this common theme throughout history - powerful nation realizes there are outsiders that outnumber them living in the land, and if they got it in their heads to do so, they could rise up and overthrow the government. So Pharaoh makes the Israelites into slaves and starts to treat them REALLY badly to keep them under control and show them who’s boss. But the more he oppresses the Israelites, the more they multiply. No matter how they might suffer, God was still blessing His people. So Pharaoh takes it a step further and orders that all of the Hebrew baby boys should be tossed into the Nile river to drown.

The people of God are suffering, their children are being slaughtered - and God decides to step in and start working for their freedom. Turning to Ch. 2 - a Hebrew family gives birth to a son. They try to hide him from the Egyptians for 3 months, but as he’s growing it gets more and more difficult, so in a last, desperate attempt to save his life, the mother puts the baby in a basket and sets him adrift - trusting that God will protect him and send him somewhere where he’ll be safe.

God didn’t just lead Moses to safe place - He was adopted into the royal family where he would have the best care and education in all of Egypt! Not only that - but as we saw in these verses, God even worked it out so that Moses’ poor Hebrew family could earn some money while nursing their own son!

This is a really cool characteristic of God that I wanted to share with you because it’s both true and powerful.

If you look at Ephesians 2:20-21 it says: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

God is able to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than we could EVER ask OR imagine according to His POWER. Basically, God is able to go way past even what we think is way over the top. Moses’ family just wanted their baby boy to survive. But what did God do? He made him a prince! AND the family got to reunite and take care of their baby boy for a while. AND they, as mere slaves, got PAID to do it! How awesome is our God?

The cool thing about studying these stories in the Bible is that they’re not just stories. They’re histories. Moses may no longer be alive - but God is. And He never changes. He still has that power today - and is willing and able to use it to answer YOUR prayers. There is no limit to His power. So don’t limit God by only praying for small, manageable things. As long as what you’re asking for is within God’s will and character, you are encouraged to DREAM BIG!

Moses hadn’t quite learned this lesson yet - but he soon would. Because the baby didn’t stay a baby. He grew up and God started to open his eyes to what was really going on in Egypt. Moses finally witnesses the suffering of his people and is so overcome with rage at the injustice that he kills a man (Ex 2:11-15).

At this point, Moses wasn’t perfect. He didn’t run immediately. I don’t think he was really convicted of his sin until he realized that he was between a rock and a hard place. He had essentially rejected his adopted family by murdering the slave driver, but his birth people knew exactly what he had done and wouldn’t accept it. So he runs for his life. This is a good example of how sin in your life doesn’t only harm your personal relationship with Christ but it hurts your witness as well. Thankfully our God is merciful and able to use ANYONE - even the sinner and the outsider - as long as they are willing to repent and obey.

At the end of ch. 2 you see that Moses moves to Midian, finds a new job as a shepherd, marries the daughter of a priest, has a son, and kind of settles into a new, comfortable life. But his people back in Egypt were still suffering, and the time had come to set them free. With the death of Pharaoh, the charges against Moses would have been dropped and he was now free to return to Egypt. So God stepped in and got his attention. He did it by speaking to him through a burning bush.

WATCH BURNING BUSH CLIP FROM PRINCE OF EGYPT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VTH5SWDFq4

In this clip we see one of Moses’ many great spiritual traits: HUMILITY

When God tells Moses that He is going to send him to Egypt to set the Israelites free, Moses answers “Who am I to lead these people?”

Here Moses is - cowering before the burning, holy presence of the Lord, knowing full well who he is - former member of the oppressive royal family, now an outcast, murderer, not particularly gifted as a speaker or leader. He feels weak and ashamed and TOTALLY unequal to this task.

But Moses had a pretty special relationship with God. He knew God intimately, and understood exactly where He stood, which is what it means to be humble. So even though Moses knows that he is speaking to the God of the universe, he still has the courage to speak up and share what is on his mind. At first, God tries to comfort him by saying in v 3:12: “I will be with you.” But as Moses keeps trying to back out, God gets kind of angry. And what does he say in 4:11-12? 11 The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

This isn’t about Moses’ ability, it’s about God’s power. There’s a verse in the New Testament that sums up this idea, and it’s going to be this week’s memory verse because this is an important truth that you should carry with you at all time.

2 Corinthians 12:9: ‘But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’

Not only can God use us IN SPITE OF our weaknesses, He can and often will use your WEAKNESS for His glory. The hard things we go through, or the traits we have that make us feel weak in the eyes of the world are often things that can help us relate to other lost and hurting people who need Jesus. Our so called “weaknesses” can build bridges to share the gospel. So never be afraid that God can’t use you in big ways because you’ve got this problem or have been through this thing. He can. He is able to do immeasurably more, remember?

Finally Moses starts to really consider going back to Egypt, and asks God who he should tell the Israelites sent him to them. God answers in Ch. 3:14-15:  “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”

As you were following along, did anyone notice that when God calls himself The LORD that ‘LORD’ is written in all caps? Capital LORD is what Biblical scholars call the Tetragrammaton. It’s the indescribable, unspeakable proper name of God - YHWH (Yahweh). The Israelites never spoke the name of the Lord out of reverence. One titles of God in the Jewish tradition is Ha Shem which literally means “The Name”. They had a lot of respect and humility when it came to addressing God.

But instead of just addressing himself to them as the Great Other, God also calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob which emphasizes His relationship to them. He’s reminding them of the covenant He made with their ancestors, and telling them that He hasn’t forgotten them. The promise is still in effect. He WILL rescue them and bring them into the promised land.

As you read through the rest of the story, you’ll see that it’s really a contrast between the humility of Moses and the stubborn pride of Pharaoh. Because the King of Egypt keeps hardening his heart and refuses to give in to God’s plan, God keeps sending plagues on the people. God says in Ex. 14:4 that all of these plagues and wonders were set up as a way for the people to see His power and to bring Glory to His name for the rest of time. He did it so we would understand who God is and what He is capable of - and that it would help us to have a right relationship with Him, even thousands of years later.

Keeping a proper perspective on who God is in relation to ourselves is not easy. So often we get wrapped up in our own lives and problems and suddenly our own importance and issues start to grow in our mind while God kind of shrinks into the background. Sometimes we have those big moments where God chooses to humble us and we fall flat on our faces before Him. But those moments might be a bit fewer and further between if we would work at knowing God better and having a more accurate view of Him and our relationship to Him at all times. One of the best ways I’ve found to do that is to set aside some time for reading about Him, focusing on who He is, and praising Him for it through song or prayer.

Here are a few names and traits of God to help you get started in your praise!

GOD IS:

Elohim - “Strong One” Sovereign God
El Shaddai - “God Almighty
El Olam: “The Everlasting God”
Jehovah Jireh: “The Lord Will Provide”
Jehovah Nissi: “The Lord is My Banner” - Rallying point, fights for His people, Victory!
Jehovah Shalom: “The Lord of Peace”
Adonai: Majesty
Abba Father
Alpha and Omega (beginning and end)
Bread of Life, Comforter, Counselor, Creator, Cornerstone, Deliverer, Friend, Head of the Body, High Priest, Holy One, Immanuel, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Light of the World, Lamb

Noah = RIGHTEOUS!!

I believe that big part of the reason we are drawn to epic stories (in the Bible, novels or movies) is because we are looking to be inspired. We're in search of a new hero - someone we aspire to be like. Someone who challenges us to be better than we are - to make our life count. That is why the Youth at the Chapel are spending this summer journeying through The Bible's Biggest Stories. We may have grown up singing songs and hearing the nursery rhyme version of Noah's Ark and Jonah and the Whale. But they are true stories that reveal how big and powerful and loving our God - Yahweh - is!

Week #1 we took a fresh look at Noah. (His story can be found in Genesis 6-9.) The story begins with God evaluating His creation and voicing His extreme disappointment with the wicked human race. It says in 6:11-12 that the earth was corrupt in God's sight and full of violence. The word corrupt has to do with the idea of being ruined or spoiled. In the beginning, God created the first man and woman in His own image, blessed them and saw that all He had made was excellent in every way. But when Adam and Eve chose to rebel and sinned, our perfect communion with God was shattered. The pain and evil that followed were NOT part of God's plan.

He was heartbroken, and regretted ever having created mankind. 'So the LORD said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created - and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground - for I regret that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD" (6:7-8).

We talked tonight about how Noah was a righteous man - blameless among the people of his time, and walked faithfully with God (6:9). He was singled out and scoffed at because he did the right thing. We live in a time where our culture considers it normal to engage in a lot of the behaviors that the people of Noah's time were experiencing. We deal with greed, jealousy, gossip, lust, etc. every day, and it can be hard to live righteously when others are not. But we see in this story that Noah's righteousness made a difference. Because Noah chose to do the right thing, mankind was given a second chance! And even if no one else noticed or appreciated what he was doing, God noticed - and that is all that matters. So we see that it is worth it to be different and do what it takes to please God.

To remember this, the students were given the following scripture memory verse:

"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." ~ 2 Timothy 2:22

The story goes on to tell of how God instructed Noah to build an ark and fill it with two of every kind of animal in preparation for a flood. This must have seemed like an impossible task, but Noah had faith and obeyed anyway. Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem impossible, or to take a risk when we cannot see what the future holds. But God always has a plan and is working to protect, bless and grow the people who love and trust Him.

Now we come to the good part of the story - the flood! There is some intense imagery in there about the springs of the great deep bursting forth and the floodgates of heaven being opened (7:11). Living here in Japan has given us unique insight into what that might have been like. We have witnessed first hand the destructive power of water. But even in the midst of this scary part of the story, there is some reassurance. In v. 16 it says that God shut them in. He protected Noah and his family, and sealed out the storm.

The awesome thing is that God continues to rescue and protect His people from the storms of this life. He also made a covenant with Noah never to try and wipe out mankind again. He knew that we hadn't changed - that our hearts are still wicked and that we would cause Him no end of hurt and disappointment. But He loves us and wants that relationship with us so bad that He was willing to give us no end of second chances.

This is the first taste of the love and redemption God exhibited when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. And when we act like Noah, placing our faith and hope in God, even when that's the total opposite of what everyone around us is doing, even when it doesn't make sense and we have no idea where He will take us, He forgives our sins and washes us white as snow - making us righteous because of our faith! When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, He will place His Holy Spirit within us to encourage, guide and strengthen us. Then He seals us shut - just as He shut the doors of the ark. So no matter how severe the storms we encounter on this earth, God will be there as our shelter and strength!

Praise the Lord that:

"Even when the rain falls,

Even when the flood starts rising,

Even when the storm comes,

I am washed by the water."

~ Needtobreathe

End of School BBQ

 It's the last week of school! I'd say this semester went quickly - but since the school here goes a full month beyond what I was used to in CO, I'm not sure that's true. At any rate, we wanted to celebrate. So, instead of having our normal youth group meeting at the chapel, we had a big BBQ at Kyle and Erika's house. They have a small 2 bedroom, 1 bath townhome like we do, but they have a MUCH larger backyard so we figured we could easily accommodate the full group. Much to our dismay, it started pouring rain right before it started.

The water didn't slow everyone down. Some students decided to head out and play tag or jump on the trampoline in the rain. But most of the 30 teenagers decided to stay inside and play video or boardgames. It was cramped and noisy, but the kids had a great time. I was entrenched in a game of Apples to Apples most of the night, so Erika took some pictures with my camera.

This was a great transition into our summer session. The group has really gelled over the last few months and so everyone had someone to hang out with. We welcomed the new seventh graders, as well as one new girl who has only been in Misawa for a couple of weeks. Her family was visiting the chapel on Sunday morning, heard me make the announcement about the BBQ and approached me afterward for directions! Thankfully, some of the girls immediately welcomed her into their circle and she left with some new friends! We have so many great kids. It's such a blessing. =^)

Looking forward to Monday night when we start our summer series called The Bible's Biggest Stories. I've been working hard over the last couple of weeks to start writing these talks based on the great stories of the Old Testament. We begin on Monday with Noah. Please pray for us as we try our best to balance fun activities with hard-hitting substance!

Brogan's 13th Birthday

 This past weekend I also volunteered to be a driver/photographer for the scavenger hunt at my friend Stephanie Retka's daughter Brogan's 13th birthday party. Brogan and many of her friends attend the youth group so I figured this would be a good opportunity to hang out with them. The team I was randomly assigned was made up of three seventh graders I was unfamiliar with, but that's ok. They seemed to have a good time.

This was a photo scavenger hunt around the base, and the students had to figure out how best to use their time so they could rack up as many points as possible. Some of the tasks they had to do were really funny. Below are a few examples.

 They had to get a free massage at the barber shop. Make letters with their bodies describing Brogan. (It says LUV if you can't tell.)

 Challenge a grade schooler to hopscotch, and take a bite of a stranger's lunch at the food court.

In the middle of the race, they took a break to play a game of dodgeball at the youth center. Below is a picture of Emerson taking out the birthday girl. Pretty epic shot!

 The team that won the dodgeball match got to leave the gym first, and then the others left in turn. Ours came in third in dodgeball and had enough time to get in a few final tasks:

 Above: a human static display. Below: WOOD!

 Finally, we met back up at the Retka's house to tally up our points, and eat pizza and cake. My team wasn't very competitive and didn't feel the need to run too much so we did not win. But that's ok - we had a great time. I was glad to help support Brogan on her special day!

Lupine Festival

 This past Saturday, I drove down to Towada City with my friends Lisa, Laurie and Kelli to see the huge fields of Lupine flowers at a flower farm. I'd been to the farm before, but it was so late in the season that the only thing blooming were the hydrangea bushes. This time, though, there were ALL KINDS of flowers - in HUGE numbers. It was a photographer's dream!

 Before we got to the lupine fields, we found a field full of bright purple irises. We couldn't help wandering out between the perfectly tended rows  of flowers and posing for a couple of shots. Purple is my favorite color so I was in flower heaven. =^)

 Finally, we made it over to the lupine fields. Lupine (for those of you like myself without the gift of a green thumb and know next to nothing about plants) is a tall, cylindrical flower that grows in all kinds of vibrant color combinations. Not only are these flowers very structural and interesting to look at individually, they make for a stunning wide shot.

What I couldn't get over in this place was how colorful it was! For some reason every "Japanese" garden I see in the States is very sculpted with somber and monochromatic greenery and a coy pond. But Japan is FULL of flowers in every color of the rainbow. Some flowers that are as big as my face! Too bad the world somehow misses out on this definitive part of Japanese culture.

 What a fantastic way to spend a morning. =^)

Transitions

One of the greatest blessings we've had during our time here in Misawa has been the couple's Bible Study we attend on Sunday nights. I love being involved in the base chapel, but I often feel it's a bit lacking in substance on Sunday mornings. This is our true fellowship group here - the people I most enjoy studying, praying, laughing and crying with.

It's been an interesting year for this Bible Study because most of the current members are in the 13th, our sister squadron. As a result, 80% of the men have been absent for the last 8 or 9 months. I'm sure there were more conversations rooted in spouse-centric stuff, and a lot more tears, than the few remaining dudes were entirely comfortable with. But they hung in there, and are now VERY thankful to have some more men in the house!

Just as we were enjoying saying hello again to many of our friends, we are entering PCS season and facing the prospect of them leaving. A couple of weeks ago, we said farewell to Ch. Rick and Renee Beyea, who have been such a joy and source of wisdom for us. Then this past Sunday we had to say good bye to Jeff and Jackie Schneider, who are some of the few remaining original members of this study from when it began a few years ago. In July and August we will have to say good bye to Mark and Mary Sletten who have done a fantastic job leading many of our discussions, Jim and Julie Ulrich who are some of the sweetest people I've ever met, and Trevor and Jenny Cichowski who always have great thoughts and food to share. =^(

I made sure to get a group photo before Rick and Renee left so we could remember the group as it was after a long period of bonding. I know we'll keep in touch with many of these people in the future!

BUT there is good news as well. We have a couple of solid Christians named Josh and Kristin who just joined our squadron (and our neighborhood!) who joined us for Bible Study on Sunday night. We figured it was a logical time to welcome new people since we FINALLY finished The Truth Project and are diving back into the Word with an investigation of Christian theology in the book of Romans. They fit right in and were so thankful, as we were, to find a group where they can really get fed and build strong friendships with other believers and plan to join the group for good! I am so glad that we'll have a little more Samurai representation! But more importantly, I'm glad that God is continuing to bless this group and keep it going in spite of our crazy, temporary lives. He is SO good.

3 Year Anniversary

 Tuesday, May 31st was our three year anniversary! Originally, we were planning to go out and celebrate on Monday since James was off of work for Memorial Day. But because that day needed to be set aside for the new guy we were sponsoring, we ended up celebrating at home on Tuesday night.

 I made a nice dinner and decorated the kitchen for the occasion. I even tried my hand at making chocolate-dipped strawberries. They turned out pretty well, if I do say so! I also took a leaf out of Lisa's book and put some sugar-coated strawberries on our glasses of sparkling cider for an added touch of elegance. I think James was impressed by the effort. But I wanted it to feel like a special night, even if we were just at home. He got on board and dressed up. It was fun!

He brought me back some fantastic anniversary gifts from his two week TDY to Hawaii. First was a necklace and bracelet carved out of Koa wood. Apparently that's what the Hawaiians used when making jewelery for royalty. The bracelet is inlaid with mother of pearl! He also bought the painting below. We're normally more photography fans when it comes to artwork, but I love it! Hopefully I'll get to visit Hawaii and see those sights for myself someday.

Sponsors

Does progress ever just stop you in your tracks?

It seems like just yesterday when we stepped off the Patriot Express and were greeted by a crowd of smiling strangers who had to take us under their wing and help us figure out our new life here in Japan. Now James and I are the experienced ones officially sponsoring and caring for some of these new Samurai warriors. Crazy.

James went through the B-Course in Phoenix with a single guy named Dan Toftness. His first assignment was to Kunsan AB in Korea. But now that his year there is up he's been assigned to our squadron! Squadron leadership usually ask around and have people sponsor their friends, so the new people feel comfortable asking questions, etc. So we volunteered to sponsor Dan.

Since he's a single guy, there wasn't as much for me to do when it came to preparing for Dan's arrival. Usually I would be corresponding with the wife/fiancee/girlfriend and answering all of the questions we ladies have when moving to a new place. But since that wasn't necessary I let James take care of everything until the night before Dan arrived. We went to the commissary and bought a bunch of groceries, etc. so we could stock his hotel room with goodies. That was one of the things that made us feel the most welcome and at-home when we arrived so I wanted to pay it forward. We may have spoiled him a bit, but I know Dan appreciated the thought. =^)

Then James and I joined several other people down at the AMC terminal early Monday morning to welcome him, as well as our first Lieutenant straight out of the B-Course since James and I arrived! Lt. Josh and Kristen Masopust are solid Christians who will be living one street over so I was particularly excited about welcoming them to our North Area family!! We escorted the new guys to their hotel, got them settled in, then took them around shopping for cell phones, cars and houses.

Later that day, James and I took Dan out for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants off base and had fun getting reacquainted. I was especially curious to hear his feelings about moving to northern Japan after the big earthquake and tsunami. He said he wasn't very concerned (his family worried more than he did.) He figured if the military thinks it's safe to have families up here, it wouldn't be a problem. But he'd never experienced an earthquake before so that would take a little getting used to. We had a few good shakers over the next couple of days to welcome him to the area. haha. He's pretty tough though and didn't seem to be too scared. (Or he just wouldn't admit it. ;^)

We've actually had several new people PCS in to our squadron over the last couple weeks so James and I decided to have them over for dinner on Friday night - to get know them better, and introduce them to the neighbors. I went a little over-board and sent out the invite to the entire squadron. It was AWESOME! We had at least 30 people crammed into our little apartment at one point. All eating, drinking and hanging out. I think the new people were a little overwhelmed but excited to have so many people turn out to welcome them in true Samurai fashion.

I love our squadron and enjoy doing anything I can to help our new recruits feel the same. We have such a tight-knit community and these new people are definitely going to be a great addition!

Memorial Day Exploration

I was determined to get out and see some of Japan over Memorial Day weekend. It's very rare when the guys are home and the weather is nice enough to go out and do some sight-seeing. So, even though James was still jet-lagged from his two week trip to Hawaii, he humored me with this little adventure.

We drove a couple hours north along Rte. 338 which hugs the eastern coast of the Shimokita Peninsula, then turned off onto some smaller roads so we could get all the way up to the tip of Cape Shiriyazaki. There is a big light house perched on some rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean up there, as well as some wild horses that roam around the point eating grass and patiently allowing tourists to take photos and pet them.

We were surprised how BIG the horses are. I guess they have to be pretty sturdy in order to withstand the cold and wind up there. I was excited to see the little baby horse pictured below. SO cute!

After we were finished looking at the horses, we drove southwest across "the hatchet", and took in the sights along Mutsu Bay on our way home. First we stopped for a few minutes to see the incredible fields of Nanohana flowers at Yokohama. These flowers were almost as tall as I am in places! The locals have turned it into a big maze, almost like a corn maze back in the States, where you can wander around and take photos. Normally they hold a huge festival when the Nanohana are blooming. But because of the earthquake and tsunami, it was a very quiet affair this year. I was fine with that because it meant there was a lot less traffic! A nice Japanese man took this photo for us:

After that, I introduced James to Shipwreck Beach. I've been there before, but this was his first time. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we were the only ones there so it was nice and quiet. We took a long walk down along the coast collecting polished sea glass (something we Misawa folk treasure and collect). Unfortunately, I did not find any antique glass floats. Maybe next time!! Then we took some pictures with the big, weathered boats that are beached there. Since it was right around our anniversary, we couldn't help but make them a little extra romantic! 0=^)

True Love Waits

May 15th was the banquet and ceremony celebrating the completion of the four week True Love Waits series we did for the youth group at the chapel. True Love Waits is an international program promoting sexual purity in young people. They've been wanting to do this for the students for a looong time, but only recently had enough volunteers to make it happen. We had some great conversations with them and I know they were excited about making this commitment. To honor it, we held a nice banquet at the club and then had a ring ceremony before friends and family in the chapel sanctuary.

We got each student a really nice gift: A pocket sized Bible,

a beautiful tiara for the girls and an antique-looking compass for the guys.

Some of our beautiful, themed decorations.

We had fun crowning each of our princesses.

(We talked a lot about how they are daughters of the King.)

During the ceremony, we had an incredible singer share his testimony

about how he went through True Love Waits as a student

and waited for marriage. He played the song he wrote for his future

wife while the students came up and signed their pledges.

Signing their pledges and receiving their rings.

Me with a couple of the girls I've been mentoring.

This night was a lot of work - almost like planning a wedding all over again. We had to figure out food, guest lists, flowers, music, programs, favors, dresses, etc. But it was worth it seeing their eyes light up, realizing what a special night this was. Hopefully this memory will help them keep this promise!