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!)

WHILE WALKING AROUND TENGAN

The papaya tree? Yes, many have them growing in the back yard. Even with the Typhoon wind and rain, the papaya seems ok. It was a cool and exceptionally windy day today too, and my sister Joyce invited me to come along and hand out church Christmas fliers.

Nearby was a church member's home. Joyce had given her a gift from a U.S. Christian bookstore. It was a fitting gift, she said, as she'd spent hours on her garden. I wondered how much care God spent with us, painstakingly trying to make us creations of beauty to glorify Him

I prayed God would anoint the work of our hands and was reminded I was in Okinawa as a low-flying plane passed overhead. And as I continued going from house to house with the red sheets of paper, I noticed on the rooftop a rock thrush, blue-rust only in Okinawa.

Oh--my camera was out of juice; I'd forgotten to charge up before I left the house today. The flowers in Okinawa look so robust! I had to take a photo of the bloom in front of my unsaved cousin Kazue's house 3 mins.' from our home--I hope our church member neighbor keeps up her gardening if her blooms turn out anything like this! And as a bonus, God showed me one of the last homes had some papayas for sale too. Some industrious person was going to be not only fruitful, but profitable too.