Today will go down as one of the best days of my life...definitely one of the best in Japan so far.
Details will follow...

And I can tell you 'bout today...how I picked you up and everything changed

Has God ever revealed something to you in the most un-assuming place? Somewhere you didn’t expect it? I mean, it seems normal for Him to reveal something in the middle of church, but that rarely happens for me. Saturday night he did it through a precious 5 year old little girl named Reese. There was music being sung at the time, but I was hardly paying attention to the words I was saying. I was focused on Reese. The way she leaned on me and laughed…the way she tried so hard to sing along with the songs. I realized how much I missed being around kids. I’ve always been around them it seems, until I got to Japan. Of course I see them at church and on the street from time to time, but I haven’t really had an opportunity to really ‘bond’ with any of them because of the language barrier. Reese gave me that chance (because she is Japanese/Australian, therefore knows both languages—I’m so jealous), and in the process, she reminded me that I need kids in my life. (Now if you’re reading this thinking I’m referring to wanting my own children, I’m not.) God reminded me that I’ve always loved working with little kids and that I’m happiest when that is what I’m doing. I have no idea where this ‘revelation’ is going to lead me, but I’m thankful that God uses kids and that my heart wasn’t too hard that night to listen to His still small voice.


I’m sharing this with all of you, because I want you to hold me accountable. When God speaks, I want to obey and those of you that are closest to me can help me with that. Of course I’m very far away from you all, but you can still pray for me as I try and hash out all that God is showing me while I’m here in Japan. It seems that it takes getting me in a foreign land before I’ll listen to Him…I’m just glad He was able to drag me here.

Nikko 10.16.05

Last weekend we took a trip to Nikko. It is north of Tokyo. Nikko is known for the leaves changing in the fall, so we went to take a look. We stayed with our friend Yoko's brother-in-law. We really had a great time and the weather was perfect in the morning while we were hiking. It did rain a little in the afternoon, but at least we got the hike in before that.

Lauren and I could hardly contain our excitement as we got on the bullet train.


Remember to keep Japan clean...


We had to get up at 5:30 Sunday morning. We left the house at 6:30 and headed to the mountain. Of course we were exhausted and I didn't sleep well on the tatami mats, but that wasn't anything a little coffee wouldn't cure. The first thing we saw was the "man's body". Stop all the dirty thoughts--it was simply the name of this mountain we went to. Actually, the kanji stood for "man's body" but now I suppose I'll just get more questions asking what kanji is...
Here is a picture from the "man's body".


Yeah, we are all dorks.

I don't really remember the order we did all this stuff in, so I'm just going to tell you what it is and you can make up whatever order you want...

Here is the view of a lake with the leaves changing. It really was beautiful there.



We stopped and ate breakfast at this lake.


Ryuzu Falls



We hiked after seeing this and walked along the water.
Remember: Don't over the fence.





At the end of the hike, we were at a place that is said to be the site of a battle of the mountain gods. We decided we should reenact what may have happened that day when the gods of the mountain went to battle.



After the hike, we saw "god's bridge" or the emperor's bridge.



After that we went to a Shinto shrine, then a Buddhist temple. We saw the famous Nikko monkeys. (Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil)



Oh, and here is the invisible elephant. (Don't ask me-it was in the guidebook.)



There is also a famous "sleeping cat" in Nikko. We thought we were going to see the cat, but were actually going into a shrine. As we were walking into the Shrine, Lauren said, "Are we sure this is where the cat is, or did we come here to pray?"
Well, we did finally find the cat...and it wasn't real like we had come to believe. What a crock...why do these people talk about a cat that is carved on a wall??
Anyway, here is the stupid cat.



Here are a few more random pictures from the trip.


It's raining, it's pouring...(actually it wasn't raining that bad, but they get their umbrellas out at the first sign of a drop of rain)


A samurai guarding the Shinto shrine


And rule #1 is--wait, which one?

For the eyes of East Texans only...

Liz was talking about a guy from Arp (Texas) that she had dated. Lauren looked a little confused. Lauren thought Liz meant AARP and she wondered why Liz had dated a guy that old.

Ok well, I thought it was funny...

Chiba City

A few weeks ago, Lauren and I met this guy, Chad in Chiba City to hang out. He's from Canada and is also here teaching English. Lauren and I were just excited to go to Chiba City because they had this:



Of course we couldn't help but take a cheesy picture with our sandwiches...



After we ate, we met up with Chad and wandered around the city for a few hours. Here we are at 'the big tree'.



There is some story that goes along with it, but frankly it wasn't that interesting and I can't remember now. It was a rainy day, so we couldn't really do much. After we left Chad, we just shopped a little then headed home. Of course the best part of the day was just getting some TURKEY!

Tug-of-war

Here is some play-by-play action for your enjoyment.


Ok, you've got the rope wrapped around you like, 10 times. I think we're ready!


PULL!! PULL!!

The moment of defeat

NO!


We really lost...

**Sorry some of the pictures are blurry, but I had to really zoom in to get these shots.

Kayada Sports Festival 10.8.05

Ok ok--I'm WAY behind on updating here, but I have some pictures from the sports festival at my school several weeks ago. This was for my entire school and was held on a Saturday. It was a lot of fun to just watch the kids goof around and have fun. I talked to the mother of one of my students most of the time. She is Filipino and knew English, so of course, that helps.

The kids were in 3 groups: yellow, blue, and red. The first game was something I've never seen before. The point was to throw bean bags into a basket that was up in the air. I think a picture will help to explain...



After the kids did it, the 'adults' got a turn. I tried my best-really-but I didn't make a single one in the basket. Oh well...

After the basket toss, they did something even more interesting. The kids formed lines in a big group. Then, 2 guys with a very long pole ran towards the group. They had to jump when the pole got to them. Ok-another picture to explain...



After the pole jumping, there was a relay that I didn't quite understand. That is, of course, because I don't understand Japanese. Marian (the lady I sat with) did try and explain as much as she could though, and it was still fun to watch. At one point in the relay, they had to eat something without using their hands. This was the result:



Here is another kid, that is also known as the 'evil kid' at my school. He is seriously scary. I don't even like making eye contact with him during class.



I took 90 pictures (I know--extreme), so I'll just share a few more on here.

This is during the potato sack race.


Jumping rope


One of my favorite kids waving his team flag


This kid looks terrified!


How adorable is this boy?


This guy fell asleep sitting next to me. The Japanese can sleep ANYWHERE!


It was a good day, albeit a little long, but I enjoyed watching the kids. Oh, and all of you wondering why I don't know that many kid's names, it's simple. In class they go by their family names (last names), so it's really hard to know a kid's first name unless they tell it to me. They usually introduce themselves with their family name. Also, I have over 500 students, so there is no way I will learn all their names anytime soon, but I'm working on getting them down slowly, but surely...

I'll be the skirt around your hips...

Guys, if you want to win a girl's heart, write her a song like this one.

Have You Fallen on the Cornerstone
by Don Chaffer

Are you the chosen lady
Are you the one who walks in truth
And if my name was Boaz
Would your name be Ruth

Have you fallen on the cornerstone
Or is that rock gonna fall on you

Are you gonna take me down and play with me
Or do you have that holy fear
Is your need the kind that won’t be filled
Or can you just sit quietly here
Do you long for the ritual
Of communion on your lips
The bread and wine, the flesh and blood
Cause sometimes, girl, it drips
At a cost from a cross

Can you stomach all the everyday
Can you bear to walk at night
Will you open up your door to me
Before I take my flight
Honey, when you look for me,
You know there’s bound to be a fight
They’ll beat on you for asking ‘round
Those watchmen of the night

But, Darling, if you seek me,
It’s me that you’re gonna find
Honey, when you seek me
It’s me that you’re gonna find

Do you long for the ritual
Of communion on your lips
Cause, Honey, if you want me to
I’ll be the skirt around your hips

I love George Jones

Jenn: It's Monday here.
George: How come?

Here is an excerpt from an e-mail I got from George recently:
"So is it still a day ahead over there or do we ever catch up? Somebody told me that ya'll have longer months..."



How could I not love her?

Brothers are a gift from God

How could I not miss this?

What do you want to be?

Today in my ni-nensei class (8th graders) they were learning how to say “I want to be a (blah blah)” and “I want to (blah blah)” They had to write 2 sentences. For example, one kid wrote this:
1. I want to be a chef.
2. I want to cook delicious food.

Nice, right? Well, my favorite bad kid is in this class, Toshiaki. He wrote this:
1. I want to be a God.
2. I want to revive the dead people.

I definitely think he deserved some points for creativity. This is what teaching is all about, don’t you think?

Dedication

Lauren and I have been going to the city gym for a couple weeks now. We’re training for the race in December and also trying to make sure we can still fit in our pants we brought with us. Anyway, last night it was raining, but we had plans to go to the gym. We sucked it up and rode off on our bikes. Now that’s what I call dedication—riding your bike in the cold rain to go work out.

Speech Contest-FINALLY!! 10.3.05

For the entire month of September I had to stay after school to work with my speech contest students. So, it was with great relief that the day had finally come for them to give their speeches. Liz, Lauren, and I were all celebrating that speech contest practice had finally come to an end…at least I thought so. Since 2 of my girls were 1st place, I still have to practice with them for the next level of competition—sigh. However, I was really proud of all my kids. Most of them tried their best, and that’s all you can expect. (unless you’re Sato-sensei and expect beyond perfection—which isn’t possible!) Six of the kids I worked with got awards, so that was great. They were so happy. When it was over, two of my girls who didn’t win were crying. I almost lost it. I couldn’t take seeing these precious girls cry. I tried to cheer them up and tell them they did great, but of course they just think they must have screwed up since they didn’t get an award. Only 6 people out of 22 get awards, so obviously not everyone can win. Anyway, I eventually pulled myself together and the girls managed to stop crying for some pictures.

Here are some random pictures of me with my kids.

My Kayada girls


My Katsutadai boys-aren't they adorable?!


My Katsutadai girls

I got my philosophy

**Warning-if you are offended by curse words, don't read this post. Consider yourself warned.



John-this post is for you, since I know you're the only one that reads my blog that is interested in this topic.

Ben Folds in one word: Brilliant (Lauren-that was for you!)
Seriously-it is definitely one of my top 3 concerts of all time now. Few artists have the ability to make great records and entertain on stage. Ben Folds has it down perfectly. He's simply amazing on the piano.

So, here are a few things I learned at the Ben Folds concert.
1. I must marry a musician.
2. If I meet a guy that isn't a musician, refer to rule #1.

During the concert, Ben was singing one of Dr. Dre's songs entitled
'Bitches ain't shit'. This song is absolutely disgusting, however, we realized quickly that the Japanese people had no idea what was being said. The guy sitting next to Liz said, 'This is a cool song.' Liz laughed and said, 'No, this is a bad song!'
Later in the concert, the guy leaned over and told Liz that he though Ben Folds was cute. So, he was either confused with what word to use, or he really genuinely found Ben attractive. I guess we'll never know, but we do know that the area of Tokyo we were in, is known for its gay population. Hmm...
After the concert was over, I noticed several people had already gotten the posters I had noticed when we got there. I really wanted one so that was a little annoying, however, luck was with me...I spotted some posters taped to the doors. Now, the poster that was visible was some guy I had never heard of, but on the back was the Ben Folds poster for his Japan tour. Oh yes, I had to get one. I quickly made my way over and started pulling the poster off the door. I got it down and quickly tried to get away. Lauren wanted one too, so I pointed her to another door and she worked on getting herself one. Well, she got caught by a very angry worker-oops. I, however, made my way out the door with my newly acquired Ben Folds poster. Jenn was a happy girl. (Sorry Lauren!)
Here is a picture of the goods:


Anyhow, the evening was all in all a success and I had a great time. I will see Ben Folds in concert again for sure.
Here are a couple pictures from the event. Of course cameras were prohibited, so this was the best I could do with a camera hidden under my jacket.



A closer look...and yes, Ben was standing on top of the piano.



After we left the concert, we went to find a place to eat. We weren't really familiar with the Shinjuku area, so we just wandered around. We went down a random street and soon found out we had found our way to the 'gay area' we had been warned about. Ha...Lauren refused to hold my hand! geez...We quickly escorted ourselves out of there. Ok, it wasn't that quickly. We actually stood around for about 10 minutes just watching these guys walk around holding hands, but eventually our stomachs spoke up and reminded us that we were hungry. We ended up finding a decent place for burgers (Freshness Burger--isn't that a great name?) and then headed home.

Ni-Nensei Sports Festival 9.28.05

The day began with marching. Here is Kayada, my school. They were seriously the best marchers—way to go guys!



This was followed by some wise words (really I have no idea what was said since it was all in Japanese) from the mayor. A few other really important people spoke too. Here is the head honcho from the Board of Education addressing the students.



After that, everyone did stretches together-it was hilarious.



Even the teachers and board of education guys joined in.



Next came the dancing. Each school had a dance prepared. Some were better than others of course—it was pretty entertaining, even if it did get a little boring after seeing all eleven schools perform. Here are some random pictures from the dancing.

Here is Kayada:



Here is Ohwada's pyramid. (Ohwada is another jr. high) These kids climb all over each other.


Random picture of Yachiyodai Nishi, another junior high


After lunch there were typical track and field events. Here are my kids jump roping.



Lauren, Liz, and I basically used this time to socialize—surprising, huh? Really, the best part of sports festival was that we didn’t have school and got to be outside all day.
This is me with one of my favorite students (who also happens to be one of the bad kids at my school—go figure). His name is Toshiaki.



Here is me and Ken. He is the student teacher at my school.



Ok, that's enough of the picture overload...