RATS. I PACKED THE OLD PHOTOS!

Now I won't be able to post them! Lemme see if I can hunt up pics elsewhere...there have got to be pictures about our trip to Canada years ago for Daddy's honorary graduation...Oh, here's one!

This year Joyce and I wanted to go back and visit with cousins that came out then. Our parents' generation have all passed away; and my sister Janice couldn't come this time; but Joyce came in her place. At first, we planned to stay with a relative of a friend (these are all former missionaries) who happened to live in the small town of Abbotsford, where we were visiting.

 

But just before the trip, another relative nearby had back injury requiring her care, so we asked our cousin Kim, who also lives in Abbotsford, to arrange other lodging for us. She found us a nice clubhouse-The photo is of a place actually across the street....

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The next day, we went to our cousin Paula's. Where are they looking?!?...and Joyce was able to show her furlough church presentation there...No! wrong picture! Those are boxers! Even Chloe (she is our one saved niece) can see that!.Well, maybe you appreciate the modern decor shown in the picture, anyway. That house used to stall horses, until Chloe's husband Kevin, a Royal Mounted Police with experience in building houses, built that home for Paula (Chloe's mom). Awesome job!

We had been looking forward to going to church that Sunday with Chloe and her family, since they are the only Christian family of our relatives in Canada. But we learned they were going on vacation.  God had healed my friend's relative's back to the point she was walking with a cane, and she invited us to come to her church that week, as well as stay for fellowship that afternoon--which we did. Meeting Aunt Marianne turned out to be the biggest blessing of my trip!

Those in the fellowship drove us home. I pack away photographs I'll need later; God sees to our needs before we are aware of them.  He is so different from us, isn't He? And aren't we ever glad He is?

JULY'S PICS

And here are a half dozen more from the last 2 weeks of the trip:

We found the old school!

Cows in our cousin Paula's yard?!

Uncle Masa showed us the old sugar mill shell

I was thrilled to see the swooping, nesting gulls

God sent natural AC showers

Joyce, Inouye Airport

When God opened up the way for us to go to the U.S. in July, I was a bit concerned, due to the side effect of my medicine which requires me to stay out of summer heat. But God kept it nice and breezy plus sent intermittent rainfall...and it was my sister Joyce who ended up with a high temperature the day before we returned to Japan. Mercifully tho', God made her fever break so she was feeling better the morning of the flight, and we were able to come home no problem.

Oh--the cowboy hat? Stacey Asato, who had enabled our two Japanese ladies to come on this trip, also paid for my sisters' horseback riding experience and gifted riding hats as souvenir. God always answers prayer plus gives a little extra! 

EMERGENCY: PLEASE PRAY FOR SAMUEL'S MOTHER

"He is my Samuel." she had told me as she drove me to the store. I had been down to Okinawa one of the weeks of visiting my sister Joyce, and one of the ladies in the church had taken me to the store to get necessary items. On the way, Yoneko told me of how her son Takashi was "her Samuel".

Yoneko, a medical nurse, was told she would never have a child. She, as Hannah in the Bible, told God she would give him to His service if He gave her a son. Yoneko's husband is an unbeliever. But to his amazement, she was given a child.

Yoneko is the one in the denim jumper in the front.

This child ended up becoming a Christian.  And, altho' he was a quiet boy, during my years in Okinawa, I saw him grow into a youth who unthinkingly, unhesitatingly followed what he felt was the voice of God. He first visited daily when my Dad was hospitalized then without human counsel, ended college studies to prepare to preach.

He is now the 33-yr-old pastor of our church; it is his wedding today; and Yoneko, given a beautiful voice, has been scheduled to do a solo in the program.

But Satan has not been sleeping. You heard my sister Joyce, who was in charge of the wedding music, had fever last week, and it got bad again after she got back to the island.

Yoneko also hasn't been feeling well the past few days. Would you pray our Mighty God give "our Samuel's mother" extra energy and focus to bring glory to His Name..(and perhaps her husband and "Samuel's father" to salvation)?

Meet Mami, the person who came into Takashi's life to be his helpmeet!

JUNE'S CORNY REPORT

It wouldn't be fair to not show you photos of my trip at all. I don't have time to sit down and sketch, but here are photos from those first two weeks in June:

6-16 Stacey's Photo Shoot

  

6-16 Brian's Log House

6-23 Singalong Strings

6-26 Janice and Grandkids

6-29 Joyce Interpreting

YUM!

I remember when I got married and my Japanese husband looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to eat corn on the cob with butter--you cut corn off the kernel and eat it with salt, everyone knows that! Well, when on our last day in Michigan, we were treated to a steakhouse that had CORN ON THE COB, I decided I had to eat it...yes, with butter melted all over it!

I'M OFF!

My long-awaited trip to the U.S. is finally underway. Here are sketches from the first few days.

It seemed a quiet lull aboard the Tokyo-Detroit flight was the perfect time to sketch the man across the aisle and a row in front who'd crossed his arms and nodded off to sleep for a little bit. With most of the cabin lights off, it was dark but light enough to sketch and of course perfect to do it without not being noticed. 

Altho' domestic flights do not give all passengers blankets, every seat on that long sky voyage received a fuzzy wrap, and I could see that man was lost in Slumberland. I just hoped he wouldn't lose his glasses.

The first place we stayed at was in Raleigh, NC, in the home of Stacy Asato, born and raised in Hawaii, instrumental in the two girls from Okinawa coming to the U.S. this year and fellowshipping in American churches; visiting Christian schools; seeing the Creation Museum. He has visited the Gushikawa Baptist Church before and encouraged one of the young ladies with a gift of an expensive ukulele; I caught them one afternoon at the living room keyboard: Stacey was teaching her how to play some more chords on the baritone ukulele.

I will be here for a few days, go to my sister Janice's about a week and see a friend from college days; then go up to Detroit and catch up with my other sister who is taking the girls with her to her supporting churches and the ark museum. After another week with her, the young ladies will head back to Japan, and Joyce and I will go up to Canada and Hawaii. My return to Japan will be July 15.

LOVE WITH ALL YOUR HEART

During that year, in art class, we learned a way to draw a pretty picture by covering a blank sheet of paper with patches of color, covering it with a layer of black crayon, then scratching out an outline with a bobby pin. To me, it was like magic, the way the design--mine was a flower--bloomed in full color.

We were to give our pictures to friends or people to whom we wanted to show our appreciation. I thought mine looked a little lopsided, so I cut off the extra and decided to give my card to the most popular girl in the class.

It seemed a waste to throw away the leftover paper, so I used it to make a little heart and gave it to Daddy. not  spending a lot of time on it.

When I happily handed my card to my classmate, she glanced at it and practically scowled, saying, "That's nice." I forgot she'd be getting so many cards that day. Daddy, however, seemed to really like what I made, returning a note: "That smiling heart saying, 'I love you Daddy' made me happier than you know. Thank you, Junie."

And my 3rd grade heart couldn't figure out why I felt so horrible when I read that. I will NEVER, ever, in the future, I told myself, give something just "good enough" to someone that already loves me and give something much better to someone else to gain that person's attention. That may be wordy, but I knew what I meant, because it hurt too much not to know.

THE BAGWORM

Most of us give thanks for food. But few thank God for the ability to eat that food.

The bagworm ("mino-mushi") hangs harmlessly from tree branches, its cocoon suspended by a strong thin line, encasing a future adult moth.

Altho' most people possess common knowledge that moths come from caterpillars; few are aware of what I just read: that the mature FEMALE bagworm lacks eyes, wings, functional legs and mouth parts, never leaves the bag and is mummified around several hundred eggs.

Sometimes I think the Creator was unjust to give me less than I should have: whether it be an imperfect personal appearance, less gifts, low I.Q, a dull personality, dysfunctional marriage/family, imperfect conditions with regard to society/education/finances..." It seems I pray and pray and pray things would change, but God just doesn't seem to hear," I whine. I wonder what that little wormie would think.

I WASN'T STUPID AFTER ALL

On our 1967 furlough, my sisters and I had an interesting experience at Washington Elementary School. The school had a policy of putting international students back one grade until they proved that the training they had received in their respective countries were equivalent to the education in the U.S.  So my older sister, a 5th grader, was put in the 4th grade class, I was put back from 3rd grade to 2nd grade, and my younger sister from 2nd into the 1st grade class.

It was apparent to Joyce's teacher that she, as talkative as she was, was bright enough to return to grade 5; the very next day found her back in her own grade level. My younger sister took a few days longer. An entire week went by however, and my teacher said nothing about transferring me back to 3rd grade. (This meant I felt the humiliation of being stuck in the same grade level as my younger sister who had now been moved back into the 2nd grade.)

"I'm stupid, aren't I?" I said to my Mom one day. My sisters had made it back to their original classes; but I hadn't. It couldn't be helped. I just didn't have what it took, I thought sadly. Mommy went to the school right away and talked with the principle. She came back with the report that it was just that June was so quiet she had been overlooked; it wasn't that she was scholastically lacking in any way. The next day found me back in the grade 3 class. I was overjoyed.

But there was a little hitch. I had missed the first part of 3rd grade teaching the basics of cursive handwriting (I hear it is no longer taught). "I'm not stupid," I told myself; "I should be able to do this." And not only did I learn cursive for the entire alphabet in one night, but I wrote out a story in cursive to show my teacher I would be able to keep up with class studies.

Later on in the year, for the "Young Authors" Competition, I submitted a short story about a cat that ended up representing the school. District representatives rode a special bus and went to the University of Michigan, where we divided up into rooms of 10 students and a few adult judges to read the compositions. The State winner was an 8th grader. I remember being glad to be chosen to represent the school. I wasn't stupid, after all. 

Sometimes we hear of "monster parents" who think their children can do no wrong and are real headaches to schools. But there are cases like this I want to thank God for letting Mommy go that day to talk to the principal.

JUST A PEBBLE

On the way to the park this afternoon, a boy was coming home from school, having a good time kicking a pebble on the pavement as he came.

When he saw me tho', he stopped kicking, and it died down to a tame walk.

I grinned, ran up to the rock left in the middle of the parking lot; kicked it sideways back to him. Altho' surprised at first, he resumed the stone-toeing.

Maybe it's "just a pebble"; but I think that little pebble helped make one little boy's day a little lighter. June--too many "little's". Oh yeah.

えっ？！

Here are a few more in both languages--I wasn't sure if I'd posted it in English or not. The idea came to me when it started sprinkling as I was going home after finishing up my pool-walk exercise.

"Oh-oh; looks like rain," I said, and almost berated myself for forgetting to bring my umbrella. It would make absolutely no sense to any sparrows watching if they knew I'd paid money to get wet for a good while before that!

公園で一大事。人が、プールから家に帰るとき、雨が降り始めると、ぬれないように傘をさしたそうだ。プールと同じ水なのに。もしかして、人間は代わりに別のものを使っているのでは？池・小川を流れているのは、水だよね、私たち、公園の鳥・虫・魚・動物たち、騙されていないよねと心配し始めている。やれやれ。

A (ping pong) RACKET IN CHURCH

Yesterday evening, my sisters and I made an unusual visit to the Gushikawa Baptist Church. The pastor, Takashi Nishino, is a semi-professional table tennis player, and, in the past, young hopefuls have been drawn to church by his encouragement in the sport. Tonight was a ping pong session, complete with an automatic serving machine (like batting machine, except for ping pong).

The junior higher there so reminded me of my son when he was on his school team in jr-sr hi, I had to speak to him. Before going home, Pastor Nishino said he was probably closest to the top of junior high ping pong players on the island. Please pray he will find himself drawn close to the King of Heaven.

Right. Ping Pong Rackets are often called "paddles".

EARLY BIRD off the mug

In the past, whenever I got back to Iwatsuki after a visit in Okinawa, I got knocked off balance with any problem Satan hit me with. I realized it wasn't so much because they were HUGE problems he was attacking me with but because I'd gotten so spiritually weak. Let me explain.

In my visits to the island, my days have always been filled with blessing and ministry; rich answered prayer and fruit from previous years of missionary work... It hit me for those special weeks, I forgot about scripture memory completely--I'd gotten so excited about what else God was doing, I couldn't think about anything else. The missionary--Christian worker in any way--has a tendency to want to meet others' needs and neglect one's own heart condition--when I read about this caution, I felt it would never happen to me--ha!

When I recognized what happened, I asked friends for prayer before making this trip, that it wouldn't happen again. God had to answer all their prayers for me--not only does He wake me early morning every day for date time with Himself; He also showed me a yummy warm beverage; He made sure one of the mugs here have birdies painted on it...some groggy mornings, the big black one seems to caw good morning.

The one in the CENTER! (I'm on the right...)

"That looks just like her," my sisters said of the drawing.

The new friend God showed me had a name that sounded like "SHE WON!" And I believe that's what He desires for each one of His daughters as we delight in His Word. After my first worship service in Okinawa, I met a person presently putting parts of scripture into the Okinawan dialect. Shee-wan, a believer from Hong Kong saved and trained in Canada, had come to the island--I didn't get the full story in one short visit--through God's working she is walking in part of His design.

We ended up talking in English...altho' we were in a Japanese church in Okinawa! Oh--can you see the miniature church bank and track rack that Scott Garner made (Nov. 30,'22 post) in the background? There has been so much happening--I'll just have to keep on drawing and writing.

I wanted to tell you about the bird...

Please continue to pray for us here in Okinawa. I'll be here until Feb. 5, when Janice and I will be leaving, she to return to the U.S., and I to return to Saitama.

I told you I wasn't feeling too well in the middle of the week and had a slight temperature. I'm better now, and yesterday went to the church ladies' meeting to share my testimony...but Janice (the one who I pictured collecting shells in Izena) had regurgitation problems the night before and had to stay home and rest...I'll put up a post without illustrating it today, because I want to tell you about the bird altho' I don't have time to draw anything.

For a while now, I've found myself on the road without my camera when I've caught sight of a bird--I never thought anything of it when I lived here, but I realize now: anywhere else in the world, its plumage is grayish brown, but only in Okinawa, it has blue-and-copper coloring.

Friday, to make a long story short, GOD SENT THAT BIRDIE TO OUR WINDOW! "Please don't go anywhere, Sweetie," I said, while I rushed to get out my camera and focused on it. It posed for me and seemed to stay until I was satisfied with the best shot, then flew away. So--I'll post the photo of the bird that came, ok?

The same Heavenly Father Who lines birdlings' nests is the One Who provides pillows for His children to lay their heads--how good it is to be His own.

WE WENT AGAIN FOR ONE DAY

Maybe we've had too much activity. I felt a little under the weather and had a bit of fever recently, had to spend some time in bed.

Fortunately, for most of the latter half of this week, God had arranged our schedule such that there were no pressing engagements. I've enjoyed being able to slow down and take time to sketch. Yesterday's drawing was from last week's stay on Izena island. Today's composite is of the following:

The Hotel Resort at which my sisters and I stayed for one day earlier this week; its scenic ocean view & watersport enthusiasts; Yellow Walking Iris in my sister Joyce's yard; and my sisters & I pictured in the center of the composition.

The Iso Hiyodori (blue rock thrush, May 16 post) at the center front, I will tell you more about tomorrow.

MORNING FOR DADDY...FINALLY

I'm writing from Okinawa. When my missionary father was hospitalized and my sister Joyce and I took turns watching him through the night, there was one morning the view from his window was exceptionally pretty.

It had been pitch black out the wee hours of the night and gotten gradually brighter. Corners of buildings and mounds of earth shone gray but seemed to shine like silver, and edges of clouds, shaded with darkest rose shone hues of shimmering pink and gold. The thought that kept drumming its way through my mind was: DADDY WILL BE IN HEAVEN SOON!

The first time Daddy came back to consciousness, he was disappointed not to be in heaven. We talked, saying if God wanted him Home, no power on earth could've kept him away; there must still be work God wanted him to do.

Well, some people came to meet Daddy in the hospital--the mother and daughter had been saved during my Dad's ministry in the village church he started years ago. This father found Christ and was in church yesterday morning.

THAT WAS MY DAD!

"Did you know a 'Roy Oshiro'?"

"That was my Dad!"

Several weeks ago, after worship service, during our online fellowship, I found out one of my more elderly friends actually knew my father when he first went out to Okinawa. Her father was on the board of the mission under which Daddy sailed in 1955!

My online friend was Gwen Penner. Her father, Lee Fosmark, was one of the Fosmark brothers who helped establish the Evangelical Free Churches of Canada, and he pastored in Coaldale and was on the board of the Canadian Japanese Mission (with director Margaret Ridgeway mentioned earlier). "Roy Oshiro" had been one of their first missionaries. They'd often wondered what had happened to him. Well, now she's met one of the daughters God gave him!

WAIT; LET ME GET A PIC!

When I visited Okinawa last year, my MK "brother" Brian was there with his wife, and I posted a handful of sketches this past Feb. of time spent with them. One of them was of a restaurant dinner his sister Sharon treated all the MK's to.

Well, their younger sister Brenda couldn't come to Okinawa earlier in the year, but she and Sharon came to Iwatsuki in Sept., and we spent a few wonderful hours together at an eatery near the train station.

I took pictures and e-mailed my sisters about it right away. This is a sketch made from the last photo taken before they went up the eki steps to go back home.

But I Wanted to Draw the Tree!

Several months ago, people walking through the park would've wondered about the artist earnestly sketching the tree branch, unaware that she was trying to draw the insect perched on the other side. But today? There was NO insect, no bird, no flower, no nothing...that artist really was a little funny!

Well, to tell you the truth, there was a gnarled tree with foliage growing out of some openings near the bottom....there was nothing stopped on its limbs; but something about its line and texture held me hostage, found me whipping out my sketching things and putting down on paper what I saw in front of me. When I got home, I told Kinya about the drawing I'd done that day, telling him probably anybody who saw me wondered why I would want to draw a silly tree (there were mallards and egrets in the pond!)

DANDELIONS FOR MIDORI

Does anybody remember the story "Flowers for Algernon"? Well, these Dandelions are for Midori. Oh. Sorry Midori. She's not a white mouse, not even an animal. But a good friend who likes dandelions, so I thought I'd send these to her. She wasn't the one that died, but her mom and dad passed away rather suddenly and unexpectedly last month.

Two years ago, I happened to make this hedgehog drawing for someone who had one for a pet, and I found out Midori liked dandelions. She told me she really liked the picture and then suggested adding floating dandelion seeds for atmosphere. Expensive, exotic, prize-winning flowers were not what she was interested in, Midori said, but simple flowers like dandelions. They seemed so common yet were quietly, surely, sweetly sharing life all over the place. Midori battled depression pretty regularly. But sometimes she said some really good things that made you think.

My drawing of the flower? I realize I goofed something royal when drawing the leaf; I should've drawn it attached to the stem at the ground growing UP. I wonder if that's another reason Midori likes the dandelion; because when you're down, you want to look up--well, sometimes, that's all you can do. Anyway, would you pray for my friend Midori who lost both her parents within a month's time?