2 February 2005

I know, I know -- I'm a loser, right? 

I haven't posted for all this time, and it's just stupid on my part. Sorry. 

But I've had a really great few weeks -- I really have -- and I've been busy with all kinds of miscellany -- which just for the record I should admit that I only spelled "miscellany" correctly because of spell-check. But anyway.

There are a few things I'll update you on, so hang tight while I bring you up-to-date on all the most exciting events from around the planet...

1) Our dear sister Vivien (who works in China at the Excel Farm drug rehabilitation project) had to return to the States in early January due to the death of her father (on January 11th). I regret that I didn't post this news earlier, but I'm sure she would appreciate your prayers for her family and also the work going on at Excel. This is an amazing but difficult program that gives drug addicts a new way of living -- but if you know China, then you understand what I mean when I say that I always feel like when she is gone, "anything can happen"... She's been away from the farm quite a bit recently, with holidays and her father's illness -- so on top of praying for her comfort in her loss, also pray things will remain stable and secure at the farm when she has other pressing matters.

2) I just recently found out that my dear friends Rich and Staci are now parents -- but unfortunately, it's not as easy as that. Staci gave birth to twins Scarlett and Sterling way back on November 15th -- but they were extremely premature.
  

Scarlett and Sterling

Rich and Staci w/ kids

A recent photo of Scarlett taking her first bottle

You can see from these photos that they were a tiny couple o' squidlets -- but thanks to God and modern medical science they are still fighting on. 

Now, I happen to KNOW that things are still very difficult, so I really want to ask you to pray for Rich and Staci, and of course little Scarlett and Sterling. As far as I know it is still too early to know what the future holds for these wee ones, and I'm sure Rich and Staci need lots of comfort and courage to face the continuing saga that is their new family. The stress and anxiety must be incredible -- so pray they'd have physical and emotional strength to keep getting on with getting on. For me, I keep praying for those first moments of each day, when they wake up -- that God will help them have hope and strength to get up and go face a new day of caring for their children. 

3) In other baby-birthin' news, my friends Bo and Alicia also just gave birth. Actually, I suspect ALICIA did most of the actual birthin', 'cause if I know Bo (and I do), then he probably just stood there and watched. "Ol' Slacker Bo" we used to call him, if that tells you anything. 

But no matter WHO did WHAT, they ended up with a pretty cute little whipper-snapper -- said they're gonna call her "Abigail"... 

(I think that's Bo's hand in that photo above, by the way -- though, he's using a new color of nail polish, so I almost didn't recognize him!)

. . .

Michelle Reis -- ah, dear Michelle! -- she's ONE of, if not THE, most beautiful women in Hong Kong. I mean, I know I'm a missionary and all, but ain't nothing wrong with pointing out that this is one handsome woman: 
  

I don't actually know anything about her, to be honest -- but I saw one of the most unusual and/or ironic quotes I have EVER heard recently, and it came from her, of all people. 

It was in an article talking about a movie she was in that featured a dog (it's famous in HK). Anyway, the article was going on about how she loved making the film, but said:

Unfortunately, the movie caused her to suffer for her art. Reis: "I'm always kissing or hugging a dog in that film. So, I ended up getting some kind of skin allergy. I have a dog at home. Not a big one, but a small one. I've had it for close to ten years so maybe I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me. I could probably eat that dog and not have a problem."

(Am I the only one who thinks that's funny coming from a resident of south China?)

. . .

In the "Photos I Can Bet You Never Would Have Expected To Actually Be Seeing" category, this shot from the South China Morning Post website -- of farmers in China pumping their pigs' stomachs with water so they'd weigh more at market:

Talk about your "deer in the headlights" shot.... 

. . .

And finally, I recently swiped this from The Holy Observer's site:

 
(thanks to John Hume for the link to that site -- hysterical!)
    

3 February 2005

Okay, everybody -- we gots ourselves a good old fashioned "Pastor Family Pandemic" going on here, what with the influenza and the sickness and the up-chucking and all. 

Please pray for Pastor Satoh and his whole family. Little Tabido has been sick off-and-on for more than a week, I'd say -- been to the HOSPITAL, he has... more than ONCE, I think... So he started it all, the little tyke... Then, big sister Fumika got it for a day or two in there... Now TODAY, Tsuruko (mom) has it -- and as of about 7:30pm tonight, Pastor Satoh himself was weebling and wobbling all over the church (but he didn't fall down, by the way). But anyway, he DID leave the church early to convalesce -- (that is, if "convalesce" means what I think it does).  

So pray for them ALL -- they need it tonight. 

You might also shoot up some prayers for me -- I've spent at least half my day today with various Satoh's -- Tsuruko, Tabido, and especially the Pastor -- practically been up to my EYEBALLS in Satoh's today. So after subjecting myself to E.I.E. (Extreme Influenza Exposure), I'm now pretty concerned about my OWN health. Feeling a bit dizzy, slightly feverish -- but I can NOT afford to get sick this week. So yeah, I'm not sick YET, but as long as you're prayin' for the Satoh family, might as well pray for me, too, right? 

(Hope it's not too selfish to ask that)...  

And finally, tonight, I want to mention (before I forget it) that Hannah, one of the teenagers in my Thursday night class, will be taking the big TOEFL exam next week (TOEFL = "Test Of English as a Foreign Language"). She is planning/dreaming of going to Bethel College this September, so scoring well on that test is a MUST. Hannah is the daughter of Pastor Matsumoto from Koza CP Church, and she was also one of Japan's representatives to the Youth Triennium this year -- I'm so happy to hear she wants to go to Bethel, but there are a few things that have to happen for that "dream" to become a reality. So if you are the type of person who actually PRAYS for these people I mention here, then add Hannah to your list for her exam next Saturday. 

5 February 2005

Quote from rapper The Game on MTV2.com:
   

"I'm so compelled and so compassionate when it comes to hip-hop now. I'm just now starting to develop a relationship, not only a relationship, but a love for hip-hop... Hip-hop is a way of life. Black people, white people, Asians, Indians, green, blue, purple, you name it. Hip-hop is the biggest influence on the human life to date, believe that."

. . .

I also want to point out that my comments from February 2nd (above) about my brother Bo (regarding his amazingly-cute daughter's birth) were meant for comedic effect, for those of you who didn't realize that (Bo).

So let's set the record straight. We never, EVER called him "Ol' Slacker Bo" (that he knows of) -- and furthermore, he has in fact NOT changed the color of nail polish he wears (that I know of). 

I apologize for any hurt I may have caused to anyone (Bo) and totally take it back. 

(Seriously).

11 February 2005

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

(that's supposedly the way to write the Cantonese "Lunar New Year" greeting using romanization)

But yet -- a happy lunar new year to you and yours... The day was actually on Wednesday, the 9th, so I'm a little late to send greetings like this... Oops.

2005: The Year of the Rooster! That just doesn't sound as fun as "year of the monkey" or dragon, or whatever -- but hey, some years you just get the rooster. 

I surely miss the holiday spirit in HK this time of year. It's so cool that in HK you basically get a holiday season from Christmas until the middle of February -- can't beat that!

Speaking of which, today is a holiday for us in Japan -- so while Friday is normally one of my busiest days of the week, today I get to "relax" and have some fun. I'll be meeting up later with a friend and going to Yokohama for a day of... well, I don't know, actually... but just walking around, seeing what there is to see, I suppose.

. . .

My prayer requests for today are as follows:

1) Pray for our International Fellowship at Sagamino Church on Sunday afternoons. We are having some recent 'shake-ups' in our leadership team -- nothing to talk about HERE, surely, and yet I feel like we could use your prayers for it. We will shortly be "losing" one of our main musicians and song leaders, so I don't think any of us know where that will lead. 

2) And I will also ask you Jesus-ified people to pray for me -- and the general sub-categories are "health" and "relationships"... That just about covers everything, right? ha ha... But no, just that I need to get and stay healthy as we gear up for my busiest and most ambitious undertakings yet in Japan. I wish to tread carefully in the coming months, and yet be bold and confident that we're going the right direction... Pray I'll let nothing interfere with the goal: to finish the race as one who runs to get the prize... 

(see what I did there? ...with the Bible and the quoting and all? ...very "missionary-esque," eh?)
   

14 February 2005

Happy Valentine's Day

... no, seriously... somebody... please... 
  
. . .

Well, I really had a full day's action today. 

It started with my Japanese lesson -- and it was a ringer. 

Let me set this up for you. You see, I currently have THREE people teaching me Japanese: Mrs. Suzuki, Mrs. Mori, and Kumiko. They are all so nice, and so friendly, and so willing to help a guy out. 

But of the three, I think it's "fair" to say that Mrs. Suzuki is the "professional" -- she's kind of like my "official" teacher -- we use a textbook, and I meet her every Monday at 9:30am sharp (the others I only meet here and there, and much more casually). Mrs. Suzuki really knows what she's doing, and she's already taught me so much. 

Well, the way it normally goes, see, is that I have the lesson with her on Monday, but I often don't do much studying on Friday, Saturday or Sunday -- those are my busiest days -- so I'm going in there early on Monday morning hoping to "coast" through on my studying from 3 days ago. And guess what? It often doesn't work so hot -- I just can't keep all that in my head so well, not after 3 days of little-to-no studying. 

And LAST week's lesson was really bad on this point. I had been working on some new vocabulary, some verbs, and they all sound almost exactly the same -- yoh-mee-masu, noh-mee-masu, mee-masu, oh-kee-masu, kee-kee-masu, kah-kee-masu -- on and on, dig? I just was having so much trouble, and I literally had to stop the lesson last Monday and tell her, "Mrs. Suzuki, I'm so sorry, I just haven't been able to get these words sorted out in my head yet" -- it was very embarrassing, and I felt like I was really letting her down in that lesson. 

So this week, I was gonna get SERIOUS, see? And I met with Kumiko on Friday for a lesson, and I met with Mrs. Mori on Saturday for a lesson, and so it was all "fresh" in my mind -- but I wasn't gonna let that make me cocky, see? I wanted to be EXTRA-sure I was ready this time, so I got up extra early this morning, got dressed, and spent an extra 30 minutes studying before I went to catch the train. 

Okay, and that's not all -- I got to the station near Mrs. Suzuki's house about 20 minutes early, too -- so I sat on a bench (in the freezing cold, mind you) and studied some MORE. I was like, "Dude, I am NOT gonna let you down, Mrs. Suzuki!!! I've really studied and I'm ready to go!!"

(cut to image of me sitting in Mrs. Suzuki's sun room)

"Glenn-san, kino wa doko ni ee-kee-mashitah kah?"

(silence from Glenn-san)

"Uh, Glenn-san, kyo wa nan-ji oh-kee-mashitah kah?"

(silence and sweating from Glenn-san)

"... uh.... Glenn-san... haw-maw-nee gobble-dee-gook blah-meh-noh blah-blah blah? Glenn-san, dare-to jabber-dee bling desu-kah? Booby-tee fragilisticah? Fran-gull-moh shminghy-too-bomb? Flinger-dee boop? Blah-dee-blah BLAH blah blah?!?!?"

(silence, profuse sweating, and ANGUISH from Glenn-san). . .

YEAH, no joke, dude -- it's like, she suddenly was saying complete and utter gibberish. I could understand almost NOTHING she was saying. 

And I'm trying to kind of make it funny the way I'm telling this, but the FACT is that I almost cried, dude. Seriously -- here I am, a 38-year-old guy, and I almost started to CRY in front of this lady, because I went in there thinking I was all ready to go, and I knew NOTHING. I had been working on all those verbs, but she was pulling out all the NOUNS... I had been working on objects, and she is pulling out places... It was almost as if she was doing exactly the lesson I had NOT studied for!! 

And really -- for a second there, I thought I was going to LOSE it -- and I looked the other way, and acted like I was having a minor "coughing fit"... and I basically tried to make out like THAT was why my "eyes were watering"... But inside, I was completely destroyed. 

It was very, very difficult...  

Okay, nevermind -- she was very kind, and very patient -- but she was obviously DISAPPOINTED, too -- and I left that lesson feeling defeated -- no, more than that -- I left feeling CRUSHED. I was so deflated. But I just pulled up my socks (figuratively) and said, "Thank you, God, for not letting me 'coast' by today, but giving me a CHALLENGE instead!" -- and I really meant it, too -- despite feeling about 1-inch tall...

So THEN, I head on back home -- dejected... feeling all stupid... no girl on Valentine's Day (again)... not "sad" but just dragging my feet -- but on the way to my house, walking past the church, Tsuruko jumps out the front door of the church, and says, "Glenn!!! Do you want to come in and have some chocolate cake?!? It's Valentine's Day and we're having chocolate cake!"

And suddenly, my life is back on track!!! It's funny how a big old fat piece of chocolate cake can do that for a guy... 

So I didn't even do the "Japanese" thing (which would be to act "reluctant" for a second before accepting the invitation) -- no, I just said, "I'm there!!!" and practically RAN into that church. My hand was already formed into a fist when they inserted the fork... I was SO glad to eat that cake, man... 

After THAT, Satoh asks me if I want to join them to the sushi place for lunch. I'm like, "Duh!"... and off we went. 

Now, since it's Valentine's Day, they had a "special" going at this particular restaurant -- I don't know what they REALLY called it (in Japanese), but I think I can say it was a "Janken Dessert Special" -- "janken" (in case you don't know) is what we call "Paper Rock Scissors" -- so the deal was, if you selected a dessert, the waitress would come around and "janken" with you -- if you beat her at janken ("paper, rock, scissors"), then you got the dessert for FREE. 

But you have to catch that it was a gimmick, dig? Yeah, it was for the kids, see, and so whenever a kid would order a dessert, the waitress would yell out, "Janken special!" and everyone working in the restaurant would all yell out, "Janken special!!" -- (if you know Japanese culture you'll know exactly what I'm talking about here with the shouting and the yelling) -- but they'd all yell out, and then the main waitress (the "hostess" I guess) would come over to the table. 

So how it would go down, is she would make all fun and games to the kids, right? And she'd be laughing and making a big show of it, and she'd say (like she was being all SLY), "Okay, little kiddie, what janken do you like?" -- (in other words, she was asking them, "Which one are you gonna do? Paper, rock, or scissors?")... And the kid would say, "Paper!" (for example) -- and then they'd janken, and of COURSE the lady would do "rock" -- just whatever would LOSE to "paper" -- get it? So if you see what I'm saying, they ALWAYS got the dessert for FREE, because she'd do whatever the kid could beat with their "favorite janken"... 

Okay -- stick with me, this is funny, I think... 

SO, little Fumika knows this is going on, and of course wants dessert. She grabs one from the conveyor belt, and the waitress takes the card and starts the yelling -- "Janken special!!" -- "Hi!! Janken special!!!" -- and here comes the hostess. So she asks Fumika, "What's your favorite janken?" and Fumika says, "Scissors!"... 

So, "One... Two... Three, JAN-KEN!!" -- and the lady holds out paper -- but Fumika did ROCK!!! (So the LADY won -- no free dessert!!)... ha ha ha... we all laughed... slight embarrassment all around... 

So she asks Fumika again, "No, really, now -- which janken do you like?" -- and Fumika says again, "Scissors"... 

"One... Two... Three, JAN-KEN!!!"

The same thing. The lady does paper, and Fumika does rock. 

Okay, laughter again, but by this time's it's starting to get tense, dig? Because this lady HAS to lose -- it kills the whole thing if she keeps beating the kid, you see? So they are like, "Look, kid, sorry -- SO sorry! -- just tell us which janken you like, okay? And then we'll play again"... and again the answer, "scissors"... but this time, the hostess is obviously thinking, "I'm not gonna be the one to take the rap for this one!" -- and she gets another waitress to come over, and makes HER do the janken with Fumika. 

"One... Two... Three, JAN-KEN!!"

Waitress = PAPER...  Fumika = ROCK... 

Dude, I was literally HURTING I was laughing so hard -- because those ladies were completely unable to figure out this kid. And finally they just gave up, and said what I assume was something like, "Oh, okay, well, you're good at janken little girl -- we'll let you win anyway" -- and I know it was SOMETHING like that because they just kind of threw up their hands and left... 

But it was very, very funny...

And after the waitresses left, and Fumika is already eating her dessert, Satoh and I are still talking about it, and he's helping me make sure I understood what happened, and we were STILL laughing about how FUNNY it was... But it really DID get a little tense there for a second... 

"Oh, it's funny," he says, "but I became sweating!"

And the end to the story, such as it is, is that they actually bought my lunch for me. So I've just been sitting here thinking how it started out to be a crappy day -- but in the end I got to have a big old piece of chocolate cake and lunch with the Satoh family.

And girl or no girl, that's a pretty cool Valentine's Day to me...
   

15 February 2005

I don't want to get all dopey on you, but you know what makes me smile? I mean, every single time? 

It's hearing the girl next door playing with her little baby. 

That's probably cheesy to say -- and if it gives you the idea that I'm, like, LISTENING to what they're doing, it's probably rude at best, and CREEPY at worst... 

Of course, I'm NOT "listening" -- I just HEAR it, see? I can't HELP but hear it... 

But when that girl (or "woman" I guess I should say) -- but when she is playing with her kid, and I hear them over there just having a blast... and that kid is just cooing and ahhing like some kind of Gerber baby or something... and then that girl lets out the most relaxed, happy laugh I've just about ever heard. More than a giggle, she really just LAUGHS -- she's having so much fun. And I'm trying to tell you that when I hear that girl laughing, looking in the face of her baby, it's like, you can FEEL her joy -- you totally can, dude. And it freaks me out that whenever I hear her laughing, I can't help it -- it makes me smile. 

I like that, man. It makes me feel all "circle of life" or something... 

. . .

1) Please pray for Queenie in HK -- she has her final TESOL (Teaching English) exam coming up.

2) Please pray for a missionary I know here in Japan named Rick Conrad -- he is in the States now as his mother is in poor health -- but his family is still here in Japan. I'm sure they could use some support, on the spiritual tip. 

3) Pray for me and Fernando from our International Worship -- he wants to get baptized this Easter, so I'm doing a sort of "confirmation" class type thingy with him starting tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to it, but I also feel a bit of responsibility, obviously, since I don't know yet where he's "coming from" in terms of his faith... (He and his wife are from Sri Lanka)... 

4) We are really working hard to come up with new plans and projects for the coming months -- pray we'll focus on the RIGHT things and not bother with the things that just "seem" right... Time is short, we need to know what God wants from us so as to not waste any time...  

5) I ask again (for the second time in a few days) that you pray for my health and relationships. No reason -- in particular -- just axing, okay?

23 February 2005

Prayer Request:
I just received word that my friend Pastor Satoh's father passed away last night. 

I'm sorry to say I don't know much about the situation at this point, but I surely ask you to pray for him and the family if you think about it. The funeral will be Friday @ 1pm at Sagamino Church.

27 February 2005

It honestly seems like all I have done today is EAT. 

After church this morning we had lunch (like always), today it was curry rice -- dude, they make a KILLER curry rice at Sagamino Church -- but the REAL kicker was they had CostCo cheesecake. 

Friend, I said they had cheesecake -- CHEESECAKE. 

(I ate TWO (small) pieces).

Then I went home for a quick check of e-mail, etc. -- okay, and a quick nap -- then I was back at church by 3pm to get ready for our international worship service at 4:30. 

After the worship we were treated to a special Brazilian dish provided by Renatta (who happens to be Brazilian, duh):
  
Now, that dish above (left) probably looks like rice in a bowl with black beans and cut-up pieces of a pig -- all in black juice. If it does, then that's because this is a VERY ACCURATE PHOTO. Just so you know. 

But don't turn your nose up, you ingrate -- it was GOOD, man. It really was. 

Oh, and we also had some Korean pancakes courtesy of Nakano-san -- and if they knew I was calling them "Korean pancakes" they might get mad at me, but it's just because I didn't hear the name of it -- anyway, it was so great! It had pieces of seafood and the dark streaks in the photo (below) are the seaweed. Just so you know. 

Okay -- and THEN I was off to the February meeting of Japan Presbytery which was already underway at Koza Church. We arrived as they began their dinner break... (sigh)... But I didn't eat, of course... (I did swipe some snacks for later, though -- just so you know)... 

But as an aside, just sitting here thinking about going to Presbytery, it makes me want to express how happy I am to be here in Japan. Dude, I am just so totally, completely happy to be here -- okay? I mean, I just love joining those guys for meetings and get-togethers -- I know I'm an outsider (language, culture, etc.), but I feel such strong emotions when I'm with those guys, such a strong desire to contribute to what's happening -- such a desire to join in, such an incredible pull to pour myself out for them. And that probably is completely STUPID to say that out loud -- even for an American, and Japanese already think Americans say too much... But man, I can't help it. It's what I feel, and I start feeling so incapable to do anything to help -- I feel like a complete DRAIN on resources and energy and time... But I sure am praying that I can give my life for the RIGHT things -- and being here NOW, and giving it what I have, is the right thing... 

Just so you know. 

. . .

Prayer-itization requestionators:
1) Satoh's father's funeral was Friday -- his passing was sudden and unexpected, so please keep praying for Satoh and his family.

2) My friend Manuel is off skiing with friends this weekend -- pray they are safe. 

. . .

And finally, here's a photo from Valentine's Day that I forgot to post -- it's our church's little angel, Kian... 

She is so cute I can't stand it. And she SINGS, dude -- like when we are singing in church, she just yells out at the top of her lungs -- it is so amazing. 

I just totally love that kid... 

28 February 2005

Sherri Luney (from my home church in the USA) is having surgery tomorrow on her neck for a herniated disc -- she will stay in hospital overnight, then have a SIX TO EIGHT WEEK recovery. 

Ouch.

(please pray for her and her husband/daughter)