沖縄から

 「やっと」と言うべき？「ただいま」と言った方がいい？

２９日の午前中大宮のホテルを出発し、リムジンバスで羽田空港まで行きました。乗客は私たち斎藤家３人と、あと一人。台風のため、多くの旅行は欠航になって、空港行きの人は、この様に少なくなったと思う。

掲示板とにらめっこしながらチェックイン。だけど、那覇ゆき便はOK。

そして、気が付いたら、那覇空港到着！ついてから、日本本土に台風で大変なことになっているときいたけれど、なんだか、神様が抜け穴を作ってくれたような気がして、すごく感謝。

Posting From A YOOSTOOBEE Room

I'm glad I scheduled posts to be put up automatically, because I certainly didn't have time for these... you'll see!

The morning of the 29th, my husband and son came to get me at the Omiya hotel, and we took the limousine bus to the Haneda airport. There were only 4 of us on the bus! Most travelers had suspended vacation plans due to flights out being cancelled due to increment weather, so few were making the trip to the airport.

I buckled in for the bus ride tho', and got in some Z's. On the way, I noticed a birdie trying to make a flight through typhoon-threatening skies and wanted to give it a silent cheer. I wonder where it was headed. The God Who cares for us is caring for this bird too, surely could care for its safety.

At the airport, altho' the airline staff seemed to go about merely doing their jobs, display boards announced delays, changes, flight cancellations. We checked our luggage; went through security; boarded our plane; and waited. Yes, it did seem like we took a long time waiting to be cleared for takeoff, but our pilot must've made up for lost time in the air.

Because we seem to have gotten into Okinawa on time. After retrieving our things at baggage claims and heading out the door, we found we were greeted by not only my sister and a friend I had grown up with, but the next day, when I was cleaning out one of the small rooms my stepmother used as her study, 

I was even greeted by a little gecko--did I tell you those things are my friends, since they eat the mosquitos for me? When my Dad was in the hospital, we had a talk, and I'd told him I didn't want inheritance money, just his books. He told me I could have his study. That's where I'm writing this post from. When his 3 girls went to college, Daddy put up a sign on our door: "Yoostoobee Room", saying it Used to be the girls'. I wonder if I should name this "Yoostoobee Daddy's Room". 

PLAYGROUND PRINCESS

June 26 in Minneapolis (I'm sorry this post is WAY out of place), I went with my sister Janice to babysit her grandchildren Elias and Thea. The evening included a romp out to a nearby park. When the activity was announced, the older brother changed into his playclothes right away, but the younger sister wouldn't put on her scrubbies.

"You're going to get all dirty!" he told her, but she insisted. No wonder; she wanted to play Princess. You can't be a princess in scrubbies.

1 Princess Thea Sliding next

2 Did you get me?

3 Sis, did you call? I'll come rescue you!

4 Her brother keeps her safe from

5 Dreaded flash-breathing Grannys prowling nearby

Forgot to mention: just before my visit, blue-eyed Elim was born. Isn't he adorable? Our courageous Prince Elias will have to work harder to protect his loved ones now!

LAST FEW HOURS

This was part of an e-mail to my sister yesterday:

The gas man was supposed to come turn off our gas at 5, and we were supposed to go to Omiya at 6:30, but it was 5:30 and he wasn't here. I asked Kinya if he wasn't coming after all, and he said he'd said he'd be late. I'd hoped we could be early and maybe stop by and say hello to my friends at the park. I could go now, he said, just be back by 6:30. I'd been hoping he'd say that and had been wiping myself down with a Gatsby sheet, making it cool, rushed off to the park--God kept it amazingly cool today!

There, I said out loud--and I didn't really care if people around me thought I was looney for talking to the animals because I was going to be moving anyway--I was moving, going to Omiya tonight so had to say goodbye, would not be coming to the park anymore.

And Jannie, call me crazy, but I think the animals responded and came out! I'm attaching photos of Snorkel the turtle, Speckles the carp,

Alabaster the egret, and Peter the Kawasemi, but there were much more. The crow, GBH, various dragonflies, spider, sparrows and pond skimmers were out, and probably the mosquitos, altho' I never see them. But I had to hurry because I had to go back home by 6:30. And altho' I usually don't take photographs of the Kawasemi--and he knows that--this past month, I've asked if I could take pictures to remember him by, and he seems to pose for me. He did so today too.

--

When I got home, Kinya brought me out here to Omiya. First, we ate at a Mcdonalds, then we checked in at a really. nice hotel he'd found for me--one of those that has security elevators you have to put the card key up on a panel to operate, and you put the key in the pocket in the wall at the door to turn on the room lights.

But the first thing I did when I got to the room was find out if they had Wi-Fi then get MCC prayer meeting. Of course I was late--they started 7:30, and it was already 8:30--but they were still going strong, so I got to ask the Japanese group for prayer as we went down to Okinawa, then switch to the English-speaking breakout group. Did I tell you the head deacon of that church is the grandchild of the chairman of the mission committee that was part of Daddy's ordaining committee, also prayed for his ordination service? We were done with everything by 10:00.

I took a nice hot shower in the hotel's nice little bathroom...ahhh. But then I didn't think you'd be that interested in seeing a photo of just the bed, so I took a picture of the hotel's complimentary bottle of water, which I use to take my medicine. And in packing, our house wall clocks got taken down, and I learned to keep looking at the cellphone for the time, so Goya-Boy, the mascot you gave me, takes his responsibility seriously to remind me to take my medicine every time the cell alarm rings!

Tomorrow morning, Kinya and Keima are supposed to come around 10 AM and call my cell. I need to check out by 11 (they cannot come up on the elevator, since I have the key!) I will go down, and we will bum around the stores and probably eat at Mac again, take our limousine bus at 1 for Haneda. Our flight doesn't leave until the P.M., and people are worried typhoon might make the flight cancel. We shall see. Either which way, I need to have my quiet time and get some shut eye and be all purtiful by tomorrow's tyfoon, yes?

EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

Missionaries move all the time, so I should be used to it, right? Why then, does it seem like Kinya knows what he's doing, and I'm the one forgetting everything?

When my comb broke but I needed to part my hair, I didn't want to bother Kinya with it, so I snuck to the kitchen drawer and found...a chopstick to do the part of a rattail comb!

But when I went to take down my curtain, I realized I had to call Kinya; I had thrown the chairs away so couldn't reach the rods! These things are too high! I'm glad Kinya's tall. (Tall for a Japanese, that is.)

The mattress is ready to be taken out, and this whole place is bare. I'm all packed; will be staying at a hotel tonight. The AC and various things will be disconnected tonight. everything will be locked up tomorrow, when we'll get on our flight down to Okinawa!

Rain is forecasted for Thursday evening, and that's when we're supposed to be in the air. Turbulence? Please pray now for our flight. Almost there!

STILL IN IWATSUKI

The hatchling with the red shell had been photographed earlier in the month, wanting to be sure to get on the blog before June and her family went down to Okinawa, but it was already the last day!

"That's okay sweetie. I'll put you up here, okay?" It blinked for me a few times. Onto the post then...

   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

"What do: a Journal, Lab Results, & a Key have in common?"

Well, when I got to the U.S. and began writing in my journal, I realized I had only a few pages left and would run out way before I got back home. You want me to go the tail end of the trip without journaling, that's fine with me, I prayed.. But a few days later, my sister Joyce, completely unaware of the situation, asked if I could use a spiral notebook journal with elastic placeholder and pen.  Could I? Wasn't this God's smiling provision?

Joyce was with me when the U.S. endocrinologist said he'd send written support of use of medication--I wanted this so badly--after seeing the Japanese clinic's test results for my thyroid. Yet, a few weeks later, when Japanese clinicians refused to release test results, I wondered if I needed to trust God more, not try to ensure my own safety, and put it all back in His Hands. Imagine my surprise this past doctor's visit when results of thyroid bloodwork the past 13 years had been printed out to be given me--another wink from God?

That afternoon, we had a visit from our landlord. When I got back from my U.S. trip, and decided to move, we tried repeatedly to contact the landlord but couldn't reach him. In the end, we thought we would pay the final bills, turn everything off, and mail him the keys. But he contacted us several days ago and came so we could have a nice talk. He'd been gone a while and will be on another trip the day we leave, but we were able to see him today. It felt like God was smiling again, giving us much better closure than what we had foreseen.

A notebook, test results, a landlord? All things that had been out of my hands...then God handed back to me--what an Amazing Father!

DOWN THE LAST STRETCH

Last night, I looked at the kitchen floor, and the center of it was covered--Kinya said it would be the last day we could put out non-burnable trash before we left for Okinawa, so all our kitchenware, cleaning equipment...well, even burnables that happened to have metal rods ended up here. 

Not everything in that picture was thrown away. See that pretty white bag and the black bag behind it? 

That's how we gave away this morning: much new, unopened supplies (spaghetti, soy sauce, soap, paper towel, tissues, etc) and an electric kettle to a Bible School student who lives nearby.

Today is also the day the washing machine and fridge get picked up. So, you can see we're looking ready to go!

Two more days--please pray God help us take care of little things at the end too, like meals, rest, health. Thank you for your prayers these past weeks especially.

SMILING SCRAWLS

Altho' we've been packing like crazy; appliances have been dying, the furniture has pretty much disappeared; the hangings have come off the walls; and I haven't had time to do any drawing, I realized something while looking at my desk the other day. (This post was written when I still had my desk!)

The beautiful, large calendar with the tiny white board next to it with the scripture memory work on it are no longer there. I decided to make do with a desk calendar...but now that white board looks huge! And altho' before, next to my serious drawing, this was "just scribbling", now, it is the ONLY drawing I have--if white board markers could smile, I think they would be doing so now.

We human beings may be no more than "just scrawls" to a Creator God, but He attached an importance to us such that His Son DIED for us. Isn't that...SMILABLE?

TREATED TO A TRIP

I wanted, one last time before going down to Okinawa...no, not to see my Buddhist friend again, but I wanted to visit the church I've been fellowshipping with since 2016. I would need to travel 2-hours to get there (that's why I do it mostly online). With my medical condition, and the record heat the past few weeks, it looked very unlikely I could go, but friends--especially those at the Musashino Christ Chapel prayer meeting and the after-worship fellowship group--prayed.

Recent typhoons yanked temperatures down to just terribly hot, not intolerably torpid. Today, with the faithful support of my interceding comrades, I made the trip.

I was able to see, among other friends at MCC, Izumi. When I went there the first time in 2016, I didn't know where the church was and didn't know anybody there so gave myself plenty of leeway to find it. But Izumi was there cleaning over an hour early so let me in the otherwise dark building. Had she not been there, I would've had to wait outside. I gave Izumi a drawing that included a fountain, attaching the words. "all my springs are in YOU." ("Izumi", in Japanese, means fountain, or spring.)

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Yumi, I'd told her 3 years ago, I appreciated her artistic talent (she has a doctorate in art history) because I consider myself "creative", altho' I can't draw. Anyone can draw, she'd told me then. You just have to practice. I didn't want to believe her, but I decided to give it a try. And I haven't stopped drawing since. I handed Yumi one of my most recent drawings, thanking her for helping one of God's children enjoy His gifts to the fullest.

Yes, the person I'm pictured with above is Yumi. She teaches up in northern Japan during the school year but can come down to MCC for the summer. Isn't she a pretty, young-looking professor?

Richard is married to Masako, Dave is married to Ayumi.

I forgot to mention: there are many interracial, intercultural marriages at MCC. Even of the 4 ladies eating lunch together, Beth, Carolyn, and June have Japanese last names. Prayer meetings are usually done in both languages first, and then we split up into smaller English and Japanese "rooms". You can pray in either language in the first session because people coming are usually bilingual and understand both.

By the end of the visit, I had given away over a dozen more sketches with little messages on the back. Then alas, it was time to go home.

Why is it that the ride back seemed quicker? It was probably at least 3 degrees hotter, too...Anyway Father, Thank You for the delightful treat.

MIKA (Mai kah) of ABBOTSFORD

This is the last of the "pet posts." Two kitties, two doggies. This one held my gaze. When Joyce and my cousin Kim went out shopping, doggy Mika came up to the sofa and just LOOKED at me with those eyes...I could've melted! Oh, but onto the post!

We went to another cousin Paula's the next day...Mika, are there really COWS grazing in the yard? But Paula's not into raising steer, is she? Mika had already jumped out of the car and was in the field running around. Paula explained herself some people who did raise cows paid her to graze them. They made money on the beef, she was paid for the grazing, and everybody was happy.

"Even the cows get their tummies full, and visiting doggies get to run around and have fun," added Mika as she came running back, panting. Those eyes seemed to be asking, "Aren't I a good reporter?"

How could you not love a dog wanting to please you so much? Yes sweetheart--bless you--Mika happily bounded back out to the yard again.

Isn't that the way God is with us, I mused. He can't help but love us and praises us for wanting to please Him no matter what kind of a job we do...and blesses us repeatedly that we would be encouraged to keep serving Him with gladness.

HALLS AND POOLS

I didn't know why, walking to the park early yesterday morning, the Lord impressed on my mind to turn left early and to take pictures of places I had not been to for years. The neighborhood city hall? Heated swimming pool? But I knew better than argue so I did. I almost laughed when I looked at the photos I had taken, because they were mostly reflections of the glass. I went onto the park, where it made more sense to enjoy my time taking pictures of critters there...right?

To the Park early morning...               Heron at Step Creek

Until my cellphone rang today. It was my Buddhist friend, asking if she could possibly see me once more before I went down to Okinawa. Had not our omniscient God been in charge, I probably would've automatically replied that I was sorry; with the summer heat, I couldn't get out. Instead, the first words out of my mouth were: "Could you get to the Honmaru City Hall? It's only 3 mins' walk from my house, and it's air conditioned; WE COULD MEET AND TALK THERE!"

Honmaru City Hall                     Honmaru Swimming Pool

God knew some sort of high school speech contest was going on at the City Hall, so it was rather noisy, with someone always shuffling down the corridor. We moved to the building across the hall--the heated swimming pool--where there were chairs and a table in a quiet lunch room. There, we were able to talk completely undisturbed 4-7:30.

Pool Photo, 2012

Oh--the last photo? The first one with only the reflection in the glass doesn't show you a thing, so I did want to post one showing the inside of the building where it was taken, altho' that pic was...wow, was that 12 years ago already? I'm glad God never changes. He STILL keeps nudging me on the back (and He knows my initial response will be, "You're kidding, right?")  But at least almost 60 years of being His child, I've stopped arguing with Him.