Wednesday, November 7, 2012

I have not published my political opinion, but this time I am.

It’s OK to cry.  After learning of the election results, my heart just ached, wondering how so many people could be duped into believing all the empty rhetoric.  What has happened to the land of my nativity? 

As I looked on the election maps state by state, I noticed all the democratic counties were along the West coast, the Northeast above Virginia, and around Illinois and among those individual states, just a handful of counties were actually democrat, where the majority of the state voted republican.  It was around the big population centers that the president got his biggest support.  Grassroots America did not vote for four more years of the same bad policies, but we will have to put up with it.  Here is an excellent post-election article.

http://patriotpost.us/alexander/15387/

It is not time to despair.  “To despair is to not believe God,” as quoted by Marilla in Anne of Green Gables.  This whole thing is because God planned it; perhaps as a judgment on Christians who are not being the salt of the earth.  It is time to double down and seek God and ask that He heal our land, as only He can do. 

Monday, November 5, 2012

We left Clinton about 9:00 and got to Dulles about 10:00 a.m.  Joe dropped us off and we headed into the airport.  An underground train has been built to take passengers from the main terminal to the one where you board your flight.  It is better than those big bus=type things they’ve had.

It was a full flight; 14 hours to Tokyo, but really a smooth one.  It was not easy to sleep, but I did doze some. 

                                  Somewhere over Alaska about 6 hours into flight

We arrived at Tokyo about 5:00 p.m. and had to catch our flight to Itami airport about 5:45, so we had to hurry through customs and get to the plane.  Somehow we three were not sitting in the same row, even though there were plenty of vacant seats.  Anyway, we landed OK at Itami, got the luggage and met Noseh-san who came to pick us up.  We got back to the house about 9:00 pm, and took showers and went straight to bed.  Unpacking on Monday.  Nice to be back, but the trip was too short, as always. 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

This morning Peter drove us over to Rosehill Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA, where Pastor Upshaw has been pastor for 43 years.  Henry taught the Bible Study hour and morning service.  The last time we were there was on deputation in 1989. This has been one of our most faithful churches.  After the service we were taken to an authentic Chinese restaurant, meaning the employees all spoke Chinese.  The food was really good, too. 

   

After lunch we headed toward Prince Frederick, MD., and the New Life Baptist Church where Pastor DiChiacchio has been for 10 years.  He and his family were at Independent 30 years ago when I joined there.  It was a full house of people (literally, they meet in a house); and our three sons were all there.  Henry preached. 

After services we headed back to Clinton in two cars.  We met at the IHop and Peter decided to go home having the need to get up early for work in the morning.  So Matthew and Joe and the rest of us had ‘dinner”.  Henry got blueberry pancakes, I had ice cream, Sara had a crepe and the boys had a full breakfast.  Then after that we all hugged and went back to the Gill’s house.  Joe is going to take us to the airport in the morning.