It's finally cold in Okinawa!!! And, it came early!
We are defenetely enjoying the cold weather, but we are also enjoying the fun events and people we get to visit during these months!
A couple quick updates too:
The Robb's left for mainland, to start a church plant and ministry in one of the areas that got hit by the tsunami. They drove up to Nago to teach for our morning Sunday service the week before they left. It was really good to see them before they left, we had a lot of fun hanging out at their house and doing ministry with them these past few years. It's sad to see them go, but happy and exciting that they are following God on a new adventure.
Please keep them in prayer! They are still looking for a place to rent of their own, and waiting to see where God will use them up there.
This past Saturday, we were invited to an interns dinner with the interns from the Bible college down in Ginowan. Satchiko-san is a lady from the Ginowan church, who always blesses us with amazing Japanese foods. We got to hang out and enjoy BBQ, inside (it rained when we got there). It was a really, really good night. We enjoyed everyone's company so much.
The men setting up the grill, as it started raining!
inside the cabin, so pretty.
Eder cooked the meat~
Anna Hebel!
Everyone who came.
And the delicious cake we enjoyed at the end of the evening!
And the most recent thing that happened, was our Japanese, one-day-early, Thanksgiving Celebration!!
We all carpooled with a few friends from Nago down to the Ginowan church, and celebrated Thanksgiving, a day early (it is a day off for Japanese, and happens to be the day before Thanksgiving!). It was so much fun, with so much good food and so many faces to see.
We were really blessed to be able to celebrate it in such a big way this year, and as our first time being married together.
Here are some pictures from it.
All dressed up and waiting to get picked up.
We had some extra time.
view on the drive down.
Pastor Tim telling the history of Thanksgiving, and giving a short message on what God did for us through Jesus on the cross, with Tom Cotton translating (His Japanese has gotten really good! Praise Jesus!). We have so much to be thankful for in our lives. God has given us so many good things.
Girl's winning the wish-bone competition!
The whole group.
Our friends/English students from Nago came! Sanae, Megumi, and Samantha (she goes to Ginowan, it was so great to see her too!).
Our friend, Mari (we met her at the local Drug11 store across from the school) just got back from getting married in the states! She will be moving actually up to Nago for a few months before heading to the states to be reunited with her hubby. Pray for her! Moving to a new place, being a new wife, and having a whole new culture and language in her life, she needs God's help and comfort. Pray for her also, because she wants to start reading the Bible, but has never read it before.
Just chilling together.
Natsuki, Airi, and Naoko-san (and Tomoki asleep). Amazing friends and sisters. ^_^
Michal!! I miss this girl a lot, she is always a blessing to be around. Pray for her studies, she is almost to highschool! She is growing up so fast and so beautifully.
We were also given a late wedding gift, from a family we became friends with in Korea. They continually give us blessings and many prayers, always sending a note or a gift when a group goes to Korea each semester. Such a blessing. Thank you Gloria and the whole Noh family!
We have events coming up, that we'd like to ask prayer for:
On the 10th of December, we are performing at a Christmas concert in the band Hakugaijin, and after having a Christmas party at the Newell's house/church (it's in their house).
We don't know how many people will come, but we hope many of our friends and students will come and share in the fun and get to hear about Jesus Christ.
On the 18th we are caroling with the other local Nago churches, at two different locations in the area. We have been working on songs together, it has been a lot of fun practicing together.
And for Christmas Eve, there will be another concert we are playing at, and on Christmas night, we want to have a Christmas movie marathon/hang out night with students.
So please pray for these events, for people to come, to be ministered to, to find out who Jesus is, and to have a fun time. Pray for us to be led by God's Spirit, and to love with His love.
'Tis the season to spread God's hope, as it always is.
God bless everyone who reads this blog, have a good Thanksgiving and Christmas with your family and friends.
