Friday, June 25

Today we went up to Bowie, MD, and met the Schnegleburger family. Kara has been corresponding with Sara via the internet for a couple of years at least and they finally got to meet. We met at an Olive Garden Italian Restaurant.


 
Sara told her that we would be in Maryland starting May 11; she got the dates wrong as we did not get here until June 16^th. Anyway they were looking forward to meeting. Sara hardly said anything but eventually warmed up to it. Kara and Olivia, the younger sister, kept asking questions so she had to answer.

I think we spent a couple of hours at the restaurant. By the end Sara was asking if we could go to their house, but that was not do-able. We will continue to correspond via email. It is always nice to put a face to a name, especially after a long time. 



 

Thursday, June 24

Today we went to the local library and accessed the internet so got caught up on this blog. After that we went down to Costco and then to Lens Crafters where I got a "free" pair of bifocal soft contacts. Interesting. I can actually read with these things, but I am not sure about the long-term wear. One pair lasts for 30 days, but I would need to order a minimum of two boxes (right and left lenses) for about $160 which could actually last a year if I do not wear them daily. I found them comfortable, but the eyes seemed to dry out after a time and I had difficulty removing them. I will have to think about getting these new eyes.


 

 

Wednesday, June 23

Henry 
and
Pastor
D.





We went down to Prince Frederick MD for the evening service at New Life Baptist Church. Pastor DiChiacchio and his wife have been there for several years. The church is in a building program, now waiting on the county to approve the plans. Henry gave a testimony since they did not have a projector for the DVD. He fielded some questions then preached the sermon about A Cup of Cold Water. It was better the second time around.

 
The Bryant family is a member of this congregation. Henry taught the son and daughter, Gordon and Anna, many years ago. They are a fine Christian family who have taught their children right. Anna and her family live nearby; we hope to get to see her, time permitting. She is about to have her 12^th or 13^th child. It is always good to see people still serving God 25 years down the road.


 

Tuesday, June 22

We had a lunch date with Pastor King from Granite Baptist Church in Glen Burnie. We met him and his wife, son and daughter at the church, then drove over to a restaurant called The Grill. It was between the Chesapeake Urology Association on one side and the plastic surgery place on the other. Hmmm. Anyway, the food was really great; Henry had some Maryland crab soup.

 
Next summer, Pastor King, his son and daughter are planning to visit us in Japan in July. He and Henry made some preliminary plans for their time there. He wants to do a three-day VBS as well as visit Japanese sites. It sounds exciting, so we have some work to do.

 
After lunch, we called the Ed Ocker and he said it was OK for us to come over; they lived about an hour from where we were, near the Potomac River. When we got there we drove down a long driveway back to their home. It is set on rolling hills, right next to the main highway, but far enough away it was not a danger of vehicles having an accident in your front yard. Beautiful place. They have a three-year old cocker spaniel that is really cute and quiet. I don't think she barked at all inside the house. Sara took to her, of course, and the dog took to me. She crawled on my lap for some petting; dogs don't usually do that with me.

 
The Ocker's took us out to a buffet restaurant (the name escapes me now). During this entire time, Sara did not say anything, as much as Mr. Ocker tried to get her to talk. She finally said something at the restaurant about it being time to leave.

We drove back to their home to get our car, then we left there about 8:15 pm or so and took the Virginia route back to Clinton. We saw a huge thundercloud in the distance that was very colorful at dusk. When we got to the Gill house, it had rained there, so the yard got a nice watering. 

Monday, June 21

Henry and I had a doctor appointment at 10:15. It had been years, of course, since we had seen our family doctor, so he wanted us to have some screening tests like a colonoscopy, mammogram, bone scan and blood tests. The blood tests we had done since we did not eat breakfast that morning. But after calling the places for these tests and discovering the cost, I called Aetna Global to find out if they were even covered. They are not since there is no reason to have them. Preventive tests are not covered under our policy. So I called BIMI and found out the tests would not even be applied toward our deductible. In order to keep down the premium costs for the large group of missionaries around the world, it was decided not to cover screening or vaccinations. But, if the doctors found a diagnosis of some kind, then it would be covered, but in order to do that, a test would have to be done. If it was negative, we would pay out-of-pocket. The cost for the colonoscopy was $1,400 each, the mammogram was $315 and the bone scan was $225. Upon discovering that this would cost about $3,500, which we do not have and if we did, we could use it better elsewhere (like paying a college bill), we decided not to get this done. We went to our doctor's office and explained the situation, wrote a note about the cost, etc., and it will be put into our files accordingly.

 
This afternoon, Henry took Anna and Sara over to the library while I took the car and did an errand or two.

This  evening we went over to Peggy Elgin's for dinner with her and Barbara Jo.  Those two have not changed; wonderful Christian ladies who are faithfully serving God after their husband went to heaven before them.  It is always good to talk to people who are staying by the stuff.  Sara did not say much, but she did talk some. 

Sunday, June 20

We are over half-way finished with our time here and this is the only Sunday we will be at our home church. This morning there was a singing group from West Coast Baptist College; a men's quartet and they sang several songs which were really good. 

The guys all knew Peter and Teresa and one particularly said he appreciates Peter. Both work on the cleaning/maintenance staff at the school, Peter being the supervisor and apparently has taught those under him well. Dr. Rasmussen, a VP of the college, delivered the morning message. The notes I took:


The rest of your Christian life starts today.

Comparing our Heavenly and earthly fathers:

F aithful – Proverbs 20:6

A ttitude –

T emperate-

H oly Life – I Peter 1:16

E xcellence – Psalm 16:3

R everant – Ezekiel 14.


Honor our fathers with our life, time and living. I Cor. 6:20; Ex. 20:12. Be a servant.

 
Follow My Father

Holiness I Peter 1:16 – the light that casts out darkness. Can people tell I am different? How do I look and act?

Giving John 3:16 We are created in the image of God and should follow His steps.


 
We met Jim and Sharon Pitts who were in our home church years ago; they taught in the school the same time as Henry. We had lunch at Wendy's and just talked about all the folks we both knew from the 1980's; the Shuffields and Coons we have already met. Since Henry was preaching in the evening service, they decided to stay.

 
Henry played the piano for the first offering and then showed our presentation. I should put a copy of that up on the web someplace. He then preached from Exodus 3 on how God had a plan for Moses and Israel. In Ex. 3:4-7 after God calls Moses, he says, Here I am. Then God proceeds to tell him what is going to happen.

The main points:

1. God gives clear instruction in verses 7-10
   

He promised Abraham He would bring out the Israelites in Gen. 15:12-21

He showed Moses clearly by calling and signs. Ex. 3:1-15; 4:1-12

1. You will have peace and confidence about it and start doing it. The Israelites were overjoyed God heard their prayers and worshiped. Ex. 4:31. The people agreed with Moses and he went to tell Pharoah.
   
2. Opposition will surely come. Pharoah did not agree. Things got harder, not easier for Israel. The opposition, when it comes, is insurmountable. God uses the opposition for His own glory.
   
3. God will overcome the opposition if we persevere. Ex. 6:1-3
   

It has been nearly 19 years we have been in Japan; 21 since surrendering to missions. God has met the needs all along the way. There have been opposition, but God is faithful and since He has lead us in the past, He will lead us in the future. We have about seven weeks left here, then we will return. God is good, all the time.

Saturday, June 19

Henry went with Matthew this morning visiting the bus route, so I stayed here. This day I helped Mary clean up and organize her kitchen somewhat. At least a drawer and the plastic containers under the table got organized. She has done a wonderful job of cleaning the rest of the house and now needs to tackle the smaller spaces that are left. Having lived in Nigeria for many years, she has difficulty throwing anything away, so I am trying to remedy that little by little.
 
Saturday evening I prepared the gyudon dinner again; it was a big hit. Next time I will have to ask the butcher to shave the meat as it is easier to eat that way. This time I made the sauce using regular soy and adding sugar.
 
The Gills went to a local nursing home and held the weekly service there for the people. There is a lady named Mrs. Farmer that comes over here frequently. She is a widow and rather lonely I think, so she shows up at the door. Mary has asked her to unwind this big mess of yarn, so Mrs. Farmer just sits in an easy chair downstairs and rolls up balls of yarn and is happy when she gets one completed. She also help the Gills with the nursing home ministry.

Friday, June 18

This morning we left about 10:00 or so and went to Wal-Mart in search of a wireless because I have seemed to have lost mine, which means I cannot connect to the internet. Anyway, the store did not have one less than $50, so we left and headed for NJ to meet the McMillans. This is a couple that has supported us personally for at least 20 years. Eileen is third-generation Japanese. 

When we arrived, the Pastor of their church and his wife had been invited for lunch so we all met in the living room. Eileen's mom was also there, but since she is hard of hearing, really did not say much. We had a wonderful lunch and talked for a long time.


 
After lunch the Pastor had to leave. We then went into the living room and talked some more. Eileen got out a box of items from her parents and grandparents. This box is an amazing collection of a family's history. Her family members were Christians in Japan; one of her great-grandfathers donated land for the church in Japan. They were part of the samurai class, I believe. At least they were somewhat wealthy at that time.

When part of the family moved to California, they were fishermen. So when the US government rounded up Japanese living near the coast and hauled them off to the camps, her grandfather was one of the first since he had his own boat. She showed us a couple of bags with the family name Shindo and an assigned number. While the Nazis tattooed numbers on their prisoners, the Americans just assigned a number they had to wear all the times. They were provided with housing for each family; similar to barracks, and some bare necessities. Her grandfather took up carving and she had several small birds he had done while in the camp. There were many photos of family members for several generations.


 
Her mom returned to Japan a few years ago to meet her sister who was turning 100 I think. It was written up in the local paper where three elderly sisters had met for the occasion. The one in Japan died at 105 not too long ago, if I remember right. It is such a rich family history, it would be great if Eileen can compile all the info and pictures there into a book. Such a thing could be used to show Japanese that a family can live for God.


 
We left there about 4:00 pm and returned to Clinton about 8:00 pm. Mary had fixed pizza and Dave and Terry Long came over also. The Gills and Longs had served in Nigeria for a number of years but had to leave because of the deteriorating conditions there. We had a good time of fellowship.

Sara, Anna Mae Gill and Anna Long all are born within three weeks of each other back in 1998. So the two Anna's gave Sara a Webkins horse and a stamping package for presents. (Which reminds me, we still have to get her a gift!).

Matthew and Joe finally came over after 11:00 pm while some of the household had gone to bed. They stayed till about midnight after eating some pizza and soda. Another day draws to a close.

Thursday, June 17

This morning I reminded Henry about meeting someone in NJ while we are in the area. He checked the calendar and discovered that we are due at Bethesda Baptist Church in Pottstown, PA, for a meeting tonight. They had rescheduled their mid-week service so we could meet them. We have not met Pastor Wexler as the previous pastor had resigned a few years ago. The last time we were there was on deputation over 20 years ago and the church has supported us faithfully since then.

We left about 2:30 pm and the traffic around the Beltway was so backed up during the middle of the day, it was a wonder where all the cars were going. What would have been a three hour trip took four hours due to so many cars. Then we had to pay tolls. Not a problem as they are cheaper than the ones in Japan, but the lines were backed up. Anyway once we got through that mess, we went to Pottstown and the church through some windy country-like roads. The church is in a different location on the rise of a hill with several acres of nicely-cut grass all around.
 
During this evening's service, Henry played the piano, then showed the presentation, fielded questions and gave a testimony on God's provision while we have been on the field. Everyone was very friendly and happy to see us. I gave the smaller children a Japanese nickel, which they were thrilled to have.
 
As we left the church we saw fireflies all over the place so Henry and Sara got out the video camera and started shooting. Then we drove down to the hotel which was about 30 minutes from the church. A very comfortable Comfort Inn.

Wednesday, June 16

We left the Ferrells about mid-morning and headed for
Goldsboro, SC, a little south of there to meet Merry Sensing.  She is from Okinawa and we have corresponded with her for over 16 years.  We finally got to meet.  She works in a small interior decorating place called Anderson Interiors.   Merry holds Bible studies for some of the Japanese ladies in the area.   We have written her testimony in Japanese and distributed it in a tract.  She has been a blessing to us.  Her husband is former military and is not yet saved.

 After lunch we had to head to Virginia for a meeting in Woodbridge, south of DC and north of Fredericksburg. We got to the church about 6:30 pm due to traffic congestion through Richmond. After setting up the display and getting the presentation all arranged, services started. Henry showed the DVD, then answered some questions and then preached a short message. After the service we drove over to Clinton, MD.


 
Traffic. For all the years I have been in the DC area, the governments have still not gotten the roads right. There is always, always construction going on and traffic backups, even at 9:30 p.m. When we got across the expanded Wilson Bridge, traffic slowed down about a mile before our exit for not visable reason. Most distressing, but, then again, this is DC. Things do not change much here.


 
It was good to get back to our old stomping grounds. For the next couple of weeks we are staying with Ken and Mary and Anna Mae Gill right near our church.

Tuesday, June 15

About 10 a.m. we left the hotel and went to see where Stephen works. It is a new building in downtown Greenville. It is blue (my favorite color) and modern in design. The entrance has metal panels with holes in them that remind me of steel shelving. The building is literally a warehouse. The lobby had a monitor-type list of companies; most if not all, in the tech field. The interior walls are of a plastic that you can write on with a white-board marker. There are two floors with open ceilings. The Gnoso offices are in one corner of the top floor. We walked to the right and went to the first of the offices and met each of the employees. One of the rooms had a tennis table set up and on the wall were scores written. Nice, unique. The company is doing well after just three years in business.

 
We said goodbye to Stephen shortly thereafter, and headed up to NC. When we got into NC, I noticed that the median strips between the highways was nicely landscaped in places where overpasses were. The state has taken the time to plant tons of lilies in mostly yellow and orange along their highways, and have kept the grass cut. It is such a beautiful trip through there. Other states should take note. Anyway, we got to Farmville where we stayed with Woody and Deane Ferrell, now in their upper 80's. Mrs. Ferrell led me to the Lord back in 1975. Both have long since retired and are still active in their home church doing nursing home ministry. It was so good to see them. Mrs. Ferrell needs to have a heart valve replaced and is to see a specialist soon. Her skin is paper-thin and her arms are discolored from taking blood thinners she said. They insisted we stay the night which we did. We watched a baseball game between the Marlins and Texas. The husband of their granddaughter plays for Texas and is a good player; he scored the first on-base hit and the team eventually won the game. 

Monday, June 14

This van is a rolling advertisement for the US Marines.

This morning we left Lakeland and headed for South Carolina. We headed East toward I-95, passing through Orlando where there is Disney World, Sea World and various other entertainment places that have entrance fees upwards of $80 a person. We decided to skip all that.   

Here is a unique water tower in South Carolina.

 
We got up to Greenville and checked into a Best Western near the airport. Stephen met us, then we decided to go to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. We each got something different and shared. Sara wanted chicken fingers again, and the rest of us shared our steak and seafood. The pumpernickel bread was good as well as that onion flower they serve as an appetizer. Yumm


 
After dinner Steve took us over to where he lives with four or five other guys; we met two of them who were home. It was a bachelors' pad, but rather clean as those things go. Shortly thereafter we returned to the hotel, Henry and Stephen went out for a time together. Turns out they ended up at a book store and purchased a couple of them.

Sunday, June 13

We went to the morning church service at Calvary Baptist Church. We were met by two lovely ladies who took us inside and one took Sara to her class and another man showed us ur class. In the morning service, a guest speaker spoke about giving God's word to people around the world. He collects the quarters people give him and purchases Bibles in all languages. 
For the evening service we went with Rob and Mary to another local Baptist Church where Rob was making a presentation about Gideon International, of which he is a representative.  He told how his uncle in WWII was in a foxhole and was wondering if he had dug it deep enough. He took out a pocket NT and soon came to Christ. It was a Gideon Bible. His uncle went on to serve God faithfully for several decades as a pastor and preacher.


Rob related another true story of a man who was in a deep depression and was contemplating ending life in a hotel room. He found the Gideon Bible and also got right with God and has served Him since. One never knows how many people will be touched by Gideon Bibles.

Saturday, June 12

 
We decided to go to Tampa to a place called Mosi which is a hands-on science museum geared toward kids. It was quite interesting, actually. We first saw the butterfly room and learned that the monarchs only live two weeks. There were not that many butterflies about, though.

An example of how a tornado forms
 
Another section was on natural disasters where you could "experience" an earthquake, hurricane, wildfires and the like. I stood in the room for the earthquake. The floor shook; although realistic, it did not last long enough and nothing fell off the walls. I gave it an 8. Sara seemed to like it, but got bored after a couple of hours, so we headed home.

Friday, June 12

Sara is 12 today. That evening Chris and his family came over for dinner. They have two girls and a boy and they brought Sara a birthday balloon and cards. We had a special-order cake and ice cream. After dinner, the kids all played and jumped on each other, especially the youngest one. They were laughing and having a good time. Sara said later that she liked her cousins. Now we need to get her a belated gift. 

Later on June 10

This afternoon the Lynn's daughter, Misty, and her kids came over for dinner. I cooked a modified Japanese dish of gyudon; beef, onions, veges, over rice. They all seemed to like it. Must have been the teriyaki sauce. I miss Japanese food, really. After dinner we went outside and watched the kids swing while Henry and Rob played horseshoes. As dusk came and the bugs came out, we all went inside.

Thursday, June 10

This morning I called Lucette, a long-time internet quilting friend, and we decided it was a good day to visit the over in Lutz, Florida, about 45 minutes from Lakeland. After we tried to get the oil changed (it did not work), we went over in the early afternoon. Our GPS found the house with no problem.

When I got out of the car, AJ comes running to greet me with a big hug and saying, "It is good to meet you!" Lucette and I hugged and we all walked into the house. 


We met Mark at the door; Daniel and little Lydia all said hi and gave a hug. Their front room was stacked with items for a Saturday yard sale (wish I could go—I love yard sales, but really have no place to put any purchases). Anyway, AJ kept hugging me while going hither and yon talking up a storm. Henry brought in my computer case and I brought out the goodies for the kids. Each one got a Japanese five yen piece on a ribbon they could hook to a backpack or other ring. Lydia was given one of my pink Sakura Beanie Buddies; AJ got a Tshirt with kanji for love on it: 愛 ai and Daniel was given one with a crane on the front and the kanji 元気 genki, meaning lively. on the back. I gave Lucette the last of my yukata fabrics. I have others in Japan, but may need to acquire some more. 

Today was the first day of summer vacation and the kids were in hyper-mode. They started a summer unit-study on the 50 states. AJ is all excited about this. He finished first grade and he reads at a fourth or fifth grade level and is also able to do multiplication and write his own stories. He read me a short story he wrote that morning. It was actually well done and funny in some places. We may have a budding author in our midst.

Lydia is a little lady. Her room is typical girl, loaded with stuffed animals. She has many on her bed and she said that if one falls off at night, she can't sleep. We lined them all up on the wall so they should be safe for now. 


Daniel is big brother. He likes recess and history in school, like any 10-year-old. He is into collecting those silly bandz which are the current fad of that age group. These are different shaped rubber band bracelets the kids wear on their wrists and trade with each other.

http://www.sillybandz.com/
 

We left about 4:00 pm; it was a really good visit and so good to meet after all these years. 

Wednesday, June 9

The Leonards decided that Amanda could visit grandma who lives in Dade City, on our way to Lakeland. We left there about 9:00 am. Sara and Amanda played games, slept and had a good time there in the back seat. Georgia is a l-o-n-g state. We arrived at grandma's house about 6:15 pm and the four of us went to the Temple Baptist Church for the evening service. Pastor's wife and Roxanne are good friends. We were greeted by several friendly people, some of whom knew or worked with BIMI missionaries.
 

Pastor's message that night was on Barnabas starting in Acts 12. He sold everything he had and laid it at the apostles' feet. We all know how Paul was the first missionary to the gentiles, but it was Barnabas who nurtured him along at the beginning. It was also Barnabas who nurtured his nephew John Mark. When Peter was in prison, the church met at John Mark's home and prayed for Peter's release. When Peter shows up knocking at the door, everyone was surprised, and this probably had a positive impact on John Mark. We find later that when John Mark saw Paul and Barnabas casting out demons in chapter 15, it probably scared him so he went back home. Paul did not want Mark to accompany him on the next missionary trip although Barnabas did. It was here that two missionary teams were formed, Paul and Silas and Barnabas and Mark.

 
Barnabas means "son of consolation" and he was a nurturer, encourager and his ministry was to help people along in their Christian life. We find that in 2 Timothy 4, Paul said John Mark was profitable to the ministry. Barnabas helped bridge the rift between them. Mark was not a perfect servant, but became a much better one under the influence of Barnabas.


 

Tuesday, June 8

Today is BIMI's 50^th Anniversary celebration. We went over in the early afternoon and parked by the Lee Roberson Auditorium. Several displays were set up in this building as well as a book table. We headed up to the main building where Open House was from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. The lobby was packed with people. It was so good to see and meet many people we have known through the years. What is even better is to see people still serving God faithfully. Some of the home office staff were in motorized wheel chairs; Mr. Dwire was walking with difficulty with two canes. Several staff members are senior volunteers helping where they can. 

First floor hallway

 
We met the Gardners, Monteiths, Burchells and Fishers and saw the Harris family all from Japan. Who is minding the store? LOL.

Bob and Dan 
We went with Dr. Frazier to a BBQ restaurant for a hurried dinner as the evening service started at 6:30 pm. Good food, and we made it back in time.


There was a huge tent set up with some 600 chairs; the overflow was in the previously-mentioned auditorium where we opted to stay in the AC. The service was to be broadcast via live stream, but the video portion was not good so mostly we heard what was going on. Toward the end of the service, Dr. Snyder was installed as the new President, then a video presentation of the history of BIMI was played. It is amazing what God has done in the last 50 years through our mission. There are currently some 1000 missionaries in 100 nations around the world preaching the gospel to the lost and dying souls. Should the Lord tarry, let us continue to pray that BIMI remain as strong and true to God's word. He is good, all the time.


 

Monday, June 7

Henry left early with Tim and went to BIMI to help out where he could. After taking care of some needed errands, Sara, Amanda and I went over about 1:00 pm. I dropped off the girls to do whatever they were going to do, and I headed up to the main building. The first stop I made was to see Serena about an insurance question. As I was standing near the door ready to leave, Dr. Creed walks in and says to her, "Is she getting straightened out?" or something like that. Surprise! I did not expect Pastor to be there. It is always good to see him. Eventually I helped the ladies set up the dining room for the evening meal. There were several people coming and going whom I recognized.


The building and the grounds of BIMI have greatly improved since the first and only time we saw it back in the fall of 1995. At that time it was newly purchased, so everything was in need of fixing up. Today the grounds are beautifully landscaped; many buildings and homes have been added, the main building has been renovated and decorated beautifully. First class all the way.

 
Along about 5:00 or so Henry, the girls, and I head back to the house where I made dinner so Roxanne would not have to. Tim came in late. We stayed up and talked until past 11:30. Tuesday was going to be a very busy day.


 

Saturday, June 5

This morning we went over to my soon-to-meet-for-the-first-time friend Linda's house, which we could see from the parking lot. Linda has one of her young grandsons living with her, plus a small dog who likes to jump all over you, in a friendly way. Sara stayed outside to pet the dog and Henry and I went inside and we chatted for a time. Linda and I were to meet at Paducah two years ago, but I had decided at that time to skip the evening class I was going to take and did not get in touch with Linda and let her know. Some problem with cell phones. Anyway, she went and I was not there, but she was given a goodie bag by Eleanor Burns. Linda had saved it for me and it is loaded with lots of little things made by the Japanese company Clover. I will have fun putting those into a quilt someplace.

Linda and grandson Alexander
 
She brought out her love quilt that the IQ group had made for her many years ago and found the block I made. It is still a pretty quilt. Callie had done the quilting on her long-arm machine. 

 Quilt squares on the buildings

We wanted to go see the Christ Camp for the Blind which I think is less than 30 minutes from Berea, but when she called, Mike as in Lexington and would not be back until after 4:00 pm, so we are not able to see that; much as I would have liked to. Years ago I made 10 quilts for their campers, along with many other ladies from the IQ list.


 
So instead, Linda took us into "downtown" Berea where we saw some of the local crafters. The first was a lady that went to high school with Linda. She makes glass beads that are really beautiful and gave us a demonstration. On her wall is a posted sign: "Real Women do not have hot flashes, they have power surges" The name of her company is Hot Flashes.

 
We walked over to the next building and met a lady who told us about Berea's Sister City exchange with a city in Japan near Mt. Fuji. They have been doing that for 15-20 years.

Next we went over to the former railroad station and saw a demos of model trains. Rather spiffy.

 
Of course, there was a quilt shop across the street, so I went in and found some 90 inch wide fabric for $5 a yard, and some Dick and Jane alphabet for $7. A good find, if I do say so.


After this we ate lunch at the Cracker Barrel. Henry and I split a chicken roast dinner that was enough for two people. Sara had chicken fingers, her current favorite. It was delicious, as usual.

 
We parted about 2:00 pm and headed south to Chattanooga and arrived there about 6:00 pm at the Leonard's.

Sunday, June 6

This morning we went to Stanley Heights Baptist Church with the Leonard family. We met many people from BIMI there that we have not seen in many years. There were two families from Japan there also, as well as some of the people from BIMI HQ.

The Pastor had a time of Children's Worship with the kids from 4-11. He called all the kids down front and they sat on the steps of the platform. One brought a brightly wrapped box in which was an item that Pastor did not know. He took out the item, which was a ticket stub, and related it to the Bible. Sorry to say, I do not remember what he said. ;-(    Every week there is a different object in the box and the kids try to stump the Pastor, but so far have not. This was a new thing for me, but I can see how it would help young kids to relate to the pastor. So often children have their separate classes and do not get to know the Pastor through the preaching.


In the evening service a Japanese man gave his testimony of how he got saved years ago in Chattanooga as an exchange student. He went back to Japan and worked in a local Baptist church. He wants to start a new work there. He said that out of 1,000 people in Japan, only 4 claim to be Christian. Now, that is a sobering statistic. His wife sang in English and Japanese.

 
Then there was a church planter in Connecticut who preached the evening service. He is starting a church in a town that has no Baptist churches. They were able to purchase an abandoned building that used to be a bar. With the approval of the community, they can now start on the renovations. God is good.

Church planting is God's plan for the Great Commission. Go and preach the gospel, baptize believers as their first step of obedience; and teach them so they can in turn teach others. The process still works.


 

Friday, June 4

Today we left Dan and Charlene about 10:00 am on our way to the Creation Museum in Kentucky. We got there about noon. It was my second time to see it and there were many improvements since my first visit in 2008. There were many new inter-active things for the kids to do as well as some new exhibits in the Noah's Ark section and animals in the Adam and Eve section. The dinosaurs have also been moved around. We saw a couple of presentations in the planetarium which was really cool.

 
Outside the grounds have really grown up and many flowers and plants have been added, as well as a petting zoo. I fed the animals; Sara and Henry would not. That is a funny feeling—animal tongues on your palm. We will miss the sheep shearing on Saturday—that is always a spiffy thing to see.

 
Tonight we are in Berea, KY, at a hotel just down the street from another quilting friend I have not met. Saturday we will go up to Linda's house and finally meet since we missed each other two years ago in Paducah.

Thursday, June 3

During our travels across the USA, I have taken many photos of water towers advertising the city or area we were passing by. I do not remember water towers in Japan, although there may be some. I find it somewhat interesting to see these towers rising above the plains or the trees and the highway, letting the travelers know that this particular city or town exists. Here are some of the many landmarks I have photographed. 

Plainfield, Indiana, suburb of Indianapolis

 

 Witchita Falls, TX

 Chickaming Township, MI

 Hampshire, IL

Wednesday, June 2

Stephen came over about 9:00 am on his way back to Greenville. He stayed about an hour while he told Dan and Charlene how Grandpa  was doing. Friday he is to have a cardio test I think and another type of test. We hugged and said our goodbyes again. My son is so spiffy for stepping in and helping the Main's. They really appreciated him being there when needed and they really love the guy. I can see why.

 
Later that afternoon, Charlene, Sara and I went over again. Charlene went back to talk to her Dad while Sara and I sat in the kitchen and talked with Mrs. Main. She is one of eight children who grew up on a farm. She said that during the Depression, they did not know there was one because nothing changed on the farm. There are still 5 siblings living, the youngest being in their early 80's. Longevity.


Wednesday evening we went to church at the Thompson Road Baptist Church. Pastor was doing a Bible study on the Holy Spirit. He let Henry give a short testimony before the offering, then played the offertory.


Got an email from Stephen staying he got back safely and got his computer fixed.

Tuesday, June 1

Charlene, Sara and I decide to do some shopping since her Dad was doing better and since Stephen was going to take the grandparents to the doctor. When they got to the hospital and walked into the room, Stephen was asked who he was and he said, "I am the grandson." So they let him stay. They were there for tests and for a few hours awaiting results. Mr. Main was put on a heart monitor, and was improving a little.

 
Later in the afternoon, Henry, Sara and I went over to visit. We were supposed to play Dominoes, but ended up talking for a couple of hours or more. Mr. Main seemed to be doing better, but you could tell he was not doing well. His mind is still active, he is a little slow to respond or formulate a thought, but is still articulate. The doctor told him that when he feels lightheaded he is to sit down, even on the floor, until the feeling passes. I am surprised he is not on oxygen yet. Friday he is to go back for more tests and get the results of the heart monitor.


 
Stephen took Sara for a spin around the block in the new car. It gets over 30 mpg and rides quiet. I am jealous.

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6/1/2010, 8:48 AM

Monday, May 31

Today we traveled across Michigan down to Indianapolis. Nothing unusual except we ran into a couple of rainstorms. I was driving, so slowed to about 40 mph with the flashers going. We managed to go around the first storm only to come upon another one a few miles down the road. It is not a pleasant thing to attempt to drive when one cannot see out the window except for the taillight in front of you.

 
When we got about an hour from Indy, we called Stephen who was coming from the south side about 30 minutes ahead of us. So when we get to Dan and Charlene's house, Stephen is already there. He also has a new 2010 Honda Civic, blue in color. He bought it just after Easter and did not mention it to us. He said the other car died on his way to visit Indy around Easter, so he turned around and decided to get the new wheels.


He decided to spend the night at his adopted grandparents across town. Mr. Main is not doing well at all and is actually dying. He has shortness of breath and has passed out more than once, and is also retaining fluid but the doctors cannot find out why or where it is. Later Monday night, Charlene's mom calls and said that her Dad had passed out again for a couple of minutes. They decided to take him to the doctor on Tuesday. It was really good that Stephen was there to help, we were told many times later. Charlene decided not to go over and wait for the morning call from mom.

Sunday, May 30

We spent the day at the Evergreen Bible Baptist Church. Henry taught the young adult class and I gave my testimony to the ladies' class, which is one thing I have not done in literally years.

 
We were asked to teach Junior Church. There were about 20 kids up to 6^th grade plus three adults. First we sang Jesus Loves Me in Japanese and then taught them some Japanese words like 十字架　(Cross）イエス（Jesus） 立って（Stand）すわって （Sit)。Then he showed them where Japan was　by using the kids as a visual aid. A group of 8 represented the USA. One boy was Hawaii, four were Japan and a couple more were China and SE Asia. Then he told them about salvation and how to get saved. A couple of kids raised their hands at the invitation. It was something they probably won't forget anytime soon.


 
After church we had lunch at Pastor's house with his in-laws who are in their 80's and drive about an hour to come to church each Sunday.


 
During the evening service Henry showed our presentation then preached. 

After service we went to the Jenkins house for dessert. These people are long-time farmers and own hundreds of acres just down the road from the church. Mostly they grow potatoes. Henry talked to Mr. Jenkins about that process and found out that the fields they leave fallow every year are planted with rye then plowed under to get the nutrients into the soil. They also rotate their crop fields. These two folks are really lively; Mrs. Jenkins was always joking and talking like a young person. I hope I am as genki twenty years down the road.


 

Saturday, May 29

Saturday, May 29

 

Today is graduation day for Tommy, an exchange student from China who is staying with Pastor and his wife. He is 17 and speaks good English, having been totally immersed in it since last August. He is also a very interesting character. An only child, he lives with his parents in an apartment. A couple of things indicate a stark difference between China and the USA.

 

One is that Tommy had made a password for Pastor's computer with the date 1945 in it and they could not figure out what that was for. Tommy said everyone knows this important date—it is when China defeated Japan in World War II. Um, his information is all wrong since China did not defeat the Japanese; they left China after the USA defeated them.

 

The other is that one time they were watching the Sound of Music. When the song "I am 16 going on 17" was shown, Tommy said, "Where did that come from?" In the Chinese version, it is completely cut out since 16 year old girls are not allowed to marry; in fact young people are not to marry before they are 23. Tommy said, "That explains why Liesle had wet hair in the next scene. I always wondered about that." He also said that the movie ended after the wedding. China did not show the rest of the movie about why the Von Trappes left Nazi Germany.

 

The local school gave him a Certificate of Completion so he could have the experience of graduating from an American School. Apparently there are no ceremonies for this accomplishment in China.

 

 

5/29/2010, 8:35 AM