THEY WERE ALL WRONG

I took a walk with my sister Janice this morning. She noticed some strange-looking trees nearby. They had leaves covering the trunk, soft and feathering downwards, then spindly leaves at the top wildly pointing outward like afro hair, and a comb of leaves sticking in an arch-like formation across the very top like a rooster's crown. Trees aren't supposed to look like that, are they?

And don't thrushes know they're supposed to be gray-brown? The blue ones in Okinawa with rust-colored bodies must not know they're not supposed to look that colorful.

Speaking of color, what color are leaves? Usually green, right? Most of the ones on the island are green too, but I've seen quite a bit that are red or purple, and it's not autumn, when leaves are supposed to change color. Don't they have it wrong?

On the way home, we saw banana plants...it looked like the railing was being used for a support. But didn't they know they were supposed to be upset that they were being fenced in?

When I got home, Joyce showed me something from among Daddy's things. It shows the attitude of some people who realized their own church wasn't quite right either, but it didn't seem to bother them.

I guess if the Perfect God of Heaven could look down on His own who get it all wrong (sometimes even calling good things wrong), and beg us to bear with each other; if He'd love us enough to die for us; then couldn't we put up with each other and not break His heart any more?

Oh Lord, help us do so!

JUST SOME SILLY STUFF

Some want meaningful stuff when they read blog posts. This one won't teach anything; it's just some photos from Christmas, ok?

Kinya's Necktie, Junie's Antennas

Joycie's Antlers, Jannie's Rudolph Nose

Jannie's Gifts to Joycie

Saito Elves Assembling Joycie's Shelf

I just wondered if you might want to see some of what happened when the Saito family and the 3J's were together last week.

THEY CAME

Artists are told when they hit artist's block to do easy stuff or just scribble until something comes to you and you find yourself wanting to create. For part of our Christmas activities, my sister had craft activities that 5-year-olds were supposed to be able to do. But as I told you, the snowman I began working on...well, I took it home, and partly a result of watching an online "Painting Marathon", I felt an itch to do more painting and found myself adding to that sno dome.

Several minutes later, God brought a few people I really love to the Tengan home. My cousin Rumiko, who suddenly lost her husband then continued their work in Izena herself, came with Kuniko, the younger sister of her deceased husband. Rumiko, Takashi, his Kuniko, her sisters, and my sisters all grew up in Sunday School together, but of course we had no idea way back then we'd all be relatives one day! But God knew.

Kuniko had an engagement in mainland Japan she needed to go to, but Rumiko stayed to spend the night with us, and the next day, she came to Gushikawa Baptist Church with us. She was one of the grass roots church people with us (when she was still single, even before she went to Bible School!), one of the very few people alive today who know my first mom Kimiko. Looking at my photographs, I realized God had brought together my sister Janice across the Pacific Ocean, seasoned saints the Scot Garners, the young Christian couple, the Masahiro Kinas (newlyweds of a few weeks)!

In the afternoon, we drove Rumiko home. On the way, we saw a wall with an illustration of the Okinawan style bullfighting in which bulls lock horns (there is no human bullfighter) and PUSH each other. The match is a show of brute force. Isn't it a good thing the Potentate of the Universe didn't come to dare any of us to lock horns with Him?

He came...for a very different reason, didn't He.

NO BIGGY

2 Christmases ago, Jaime walked into the Gushikawa Baptist Church. God arranged him to move into the house practically nextdoor. The Gospel story he'd heard before had been running through his heart and mind...and God used Scot Garner to lead Jaime to salvation that very night.

For the church Christmas on Dec. 22, Jaime played two handbells for the handbell choir special music, and later that afternoon, it was apparent that the church people loved him as he went up front for his gift exchange. What was he going to get, everyone wondered.

Yes, Jaime stood in the back for the group picture at the end of the activities that day. But his quiet radiance and quick willingness to help let me know why I felt the group's warmth towards him.

Lord, let me be like that too, that by being there, it makes folks feel good, and people could always ask me to help, and get an easy reply. Sometimes I will do what I am asked, but I make a big deal out of it.

Jaime wouldn't do that.

RIGHT ON TIME

When Janice got on the island on the 18th, we knew the 5 weeks of her stay here would fly by, and it would be Jan. 21 right away--when she'd have to go back to the U.S. again. 

A nearby Okinawan pastor e-mailed, asking if we could come over for dinner on the 19th or 20th. We were a little surprised, not expecting him to treat her visit with that much importance--but he wanted to see her right away! Pastor Ishikawa had a hospitalized wife in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's--he was a terribly busy man--in no way had extra time to spend fellowshipping with us.

But he sounded like he really wanted to see us, so we went. And we had a wonderful time recalling  when we called him our older brother and he taught us Sunday School. We looked through some of his photo albums, chatted, sang with his guitar, prayed, took pictures.

In the course of the evening, something CLICKED. Ishikawa Sensei had been told Janice would be returning to the U.S. on the 21st; but it hadn't registered it was the 21st of JANUARY. So, he'd figured she was coming Dec. 18th and leaving on the 21st; she would have to be invited over for a meal on the 19th or 20th to make it on time!

He really did want you Jannie; only, if he'd gotten the timetable right, he might not have been in such a hurry! (But for some reason, it seems God thought it best you go to his house for fellowship now!) Beep beep! (Hey; what's that photo doing here? That's Rudolph the Reindeer, not the Road Runner!)

CHRISTMAS DAY

On the 24th, Janice made Minestrone and salad; on the 25th, Kinya made Tonjiru (Japanese hearty pork stew). OK, so neither are the "traditional Christmas dinner". But we had a great time, doing crafts while wearing party goods we'd chosen and unwrapped (without knowing what was inside). I forgot to get pictures, but we had a small birthday cake on which we had "Happy Birthday Jesus" written by the person at the Cake Shop (All the other cakes there were Christmas Cakes with Santa Claus, and Janice didn't want them!)

Of course, we had to open Christmas presents. I realized all mine were bought at the 100 yen shop (dollar store) then personalized by adding drawings or adding stickers bought at the Christian bookstore.

The Jan. 2025 page of the calendar to my sister, for example, had a beach sunset, so I drew a bobbing jellyfish in the waves, a memory Janice and I shared at the Izena beach in Jan. 2024.

After Christmas things were done, my sister Joyce asked for help in assembling a small shelf, and it was a thrill for me to see father and son working together on it. Kinya took off his bright red necktie because he felt it would get in the way, but I guess Keima had gotten used to his glittering golden cap by then and worked from the beginning to the end with it on, looking to me like an industrious Christmas elf!

My sisters and I went to the church candlelight service after that, and Jaime, the church member who found a bicycle for the Saito menfolk, came over afterwards to introduce himself. Kinya and Keima aren't usually the sociable type, but I think my sisters got them in an amiable mood, because they came to the door to say hello. Jaime probably doesn't realize how even that short moment was like the star on top of the Christmas tree for me, blinking out hope for the future.

Thank you Jaime. And God, please bless Jaime in a special way.

Oh--my choice of craft was a snowman snow globe, with blue, red, and white paint, and supposedly 5-yr-olds were supposed to be able to do it. But I got carried away and wanted to make it look 3D, left some areas uncolored for highlighting, mixed colors, or even decided to have the sun in the background when my hand slipped and got red paint outside the lines. Let's say it's the sunlight to make snowflakes glisten, not to make snow melt.

ENJOYING

My sisters Janice and Joyce invited everyone downstairs for the evening meal yesterday. It was soup and salad, desert, and then my son got Wii connected to the large monitor, where we had some time together. I was glad to see Kinya and Keima relaxed and smiling, having a good time.

I so much preferred this to a fancy meal at a French restaurant, I thought to myself. I mean, when anyone wanted seconds on the soup, we could feel free to go get more--the pot of soup was in the kitchen only a hop away. No one felt uncomfortable about squirting their own whipped cream on the dessert. And of course, whoever thought about having to dress up for the meal or feeling too proper to lounge on the sofa after the meal while chuckling at the person struggling with the Wii controller?

When the menfolk went home, I stayed behind in order to finish wrapping Christmas gifts, thinking, Jesus probably would've felt uncomfortable in a French restaurant too. Instead, He decided maybe He'd spend time with us everyday folk, eating our salads and soups.

GIFT EXCHANGE

"A Jump Rope? Seriously?" it would be an understatement to say when I opened my present at the church gift exchange, I was surprised to see the children's yellow vinyl cord with plastic handles and metal ball swivels. I suppose for an enthusiastic primary child, it might've looked different, but I was already 65--no longer thinking about keeping fit with this simple exercise apparatus.

But someone else actually wanted it (!), so I ended up having to choose another gift. As far as I was concerned, I ended up with the best gift of the day: a cute Winnie-the-Pooh mug with a matching shopping bag. That was more like it. I had little use for a jump rope, but a mug and bag were much more likely to be used!

There were 3 junior high girls at the Christmas activities.

I noticed one of them, Haruka, talking with the pastor's wife while up front for gift exchange. I could see by her gestures, she was explaining how they'd come in response to the Christmas fliers distributed to the home they happened to be staying nearby for a few days. But Haruka's two friends seemed to get rather nice gifts. I'm not an expert on teen's tastes, but Haruka didn't seem very enthusiastic about the loose leaf present she'd ended up with. 

I, who do much writing, go through writing material so fast, I can always use notebooks. So, when activities were ended, I asked Haruka if maybe she might not trade gifts with me? A junior higher would like a mug and matching bag more, I thought.

After all, I later thought, that "First Gift Exchange", I got to let go of a pretty bum deal--I had no use for shame, deceit, guilt, loneliness, death, either. And the "trade" was for unfailing Comradery, eternal Sonship, and satisfying Occupation of the Mind and Heart Forever. It cost Jesus much more than 100-300 yen tho', didn't it?

3 J'S CHURCH CHRISTMAS

Can't post it all (the unsaved spouses or people with difficult family situations that attended, the people who came as a result of invitational fliers); but will get something up.

The 3 J's went to the Church Christmas together, stayed for the Pot Luck and Gift Exchange. Joyce headed up the ukulele group, women's chorus, and handbell choir as well as led the congregation in singing "O Holy Night", for a Christmas special--it's in the Japanese hymnal!

And after Pot Luck, we had gift exchange. You were supposed to bring things costing 100-300 yen ($1-$3). Rules were such you could either choose a gift from the gift pile OR take a gift from among the ones that had already been chosen and opened, up to two take-aways per gift, and the person from whom the gift was taken had to choose another gift from the pile.

I think I ended up with the best gift of the three of us; a cute little mug with a matching cloth carrying bag. But it had been a long day by the time the afternoon was over, and I realized on the way home, in the car, I was so tired I wasn't talking much. When I got out, I almost forgot to take the bag of leftovers. And I tell you, it was among the juiciest of chickens I've ever had. Hey, that should've been another paragraph. See? I'm too sleepy to write right. Anyway, the 3 J's Christmas Church was a good one.

GOTTA GET TO THE AIRPORT...

Hurry, Joycie! Actually, I was going to post this on the night of the 18th, but I was so sleepy, I took the photos out of my camera then forgot where I put them and have been looking all over for them. Anyway, it's about the afternoon I wanted to hurry to the airport...

YATTO! Finally! My sister got here on Wed. afternoon. It may not sound like a big deal because I see my sisters quite often, but we thought about it, and well...ALL THREE OF US GETTING TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS...it's been 41 years!

The last time that happened was when we were all single and joined the mission board! After we got married and had families on opposite sides of the ocean, it was virtually impossible to get together. Now that our kids are grown, Joyce, June, and Janice are getting together again!

Sisters. You don't notice how special they are until you think you can't get together for 40 years!

Yeah! The same God that sent the Kawasemi on my walk back from the clinic Mon. and the Blue Rock Thrush after Christmas shopping yesterday sent my sisters and me together for Christmas this year too--He is Great and controls the universe yet so Kind!

No, this photo isn't touched up at all; if you live here a while, you get used to the blue thrushes and don't notice, but God really has endowed them with more light and color than other feathered friends.

MIXED MESSAGES

"I'm gonna see the doctor today," I explained and, and took out my camera. "What a pretty kitty. Can I take a picture of you?" The camera had a memory card this time, unlike two months ago!

There was a cat sitting atop a boulder right across the street from the clinic. I took off my glasses and hurriedly shut my eyes a long time, saying to the kitty, "Pleeze look at the camera for me?"

(I've heard closing your eyes, for cats, is like smiling for humans; and they're more likely to do what you want for them after they've seen you "smile" for them.

Then the cat gave me a funny expression that seemed to say, "Oh, I get it! You want to see the Doctor, not ME!" I realized then I'd given him mixed messages: I wanted to see the doctor; could I take photographs of him? No wonder the cat was confused.

Aren't you glad God never gets fed up with our gobblygook and knows exactly what we mean...er, rather, sometimes answers prayer wiser than our foolhardy requests? Parents often do that with children. 

JUST SEEDS

Rats. Either they got done with their practice too quickly, or I took too much time. I never got to the fourth person on the handbell before they disbursed, and they were only the simple initial line drawings, too.

My sister invited me to stay this afternoon to watch the ukulele team and handbell choir practice...and since there were two members missing this week so only four people, I could probably draw them, I thought--I whipped out my little sketchbook and began the handbells on the left. 

But before I got to the person on the far right, they'd finished practice, and when I looked up, She was already hurrying away for her evening work.

Maybe next time. The important thing is to keep drawing, even if you can't finish every once in a while. At least there were 3 people drawn...no June; you drew, period. Give yourself a pat on the back. Oh yeah.

The enemy will never let you know if you're making progress, just accuse you of not doing things right and hold you back from resolutely going forward for the Lord. So...is it okay if I show you some sketched ideas from the life of Joseph? 

My real reason for doing this: I know it might get me to finally finish them. Following posts will explain them in more detail, OK?