Return

Saturday the 14th, we returned to Kobe.   We stopped at one rest place for lunch and found these things:

Another fancy ladies' room.

For the little boys.

Lunch--tempura shrimp  udon  and in the Sara's was  kitsune udon.

The bakery had these peach muffins--yummy.

Mikan (tangerine) bread--looked orange and shaped like one. 

These are apple breads.

A super duper motorbike, one of a group at the rest stop.

Off there on the left is what is supposed to look like the flashing lights of a police car.  I doubt it makes people slow down, though. 

Valentine's Banquet

The banquet was held at the church.  The teen girls served.  The meal took about 70 minutes to eat--some six courses, all elegantly done.  Hats off to the young ladies that put this together and took turns watching the little kids. 

Tomatoes, basil and cheese first course

The salad course

Tomato soup

The main course--pasta and chicken cort-on-bleu with asparagus

Dessert

 

 

 

 

 There were some games and then Henry gave a short speech.  It was a fun evening for everyone.

To Iwakuni 岩国

 Henry was asked to speak at a Valentine's Banquet at the military church in Iwakuni (it means rock country--and the hills around that area are loaded with rocks).  Anyway, we traveled there on the 12th.
 

Friday the pastor took us to a tourist attraction that's rather popular.
Mostly it was souvenirs and outdoor eating under the trees.  However, very Japanese. 

Dozens of carp flags flying in the wind.  These are also used during Boys' Festival in May.

The ducks were searching for eats in the pond.

A lady beat on the drum announcing something.

This restaurant was in front of a beautiful waterfall.

The menu--fried chicken.

Ebisu statue which I think was the theme of this place.

 Then there was the ladies' restroom.  So elegant with heated toilet seats and automatic flushing.  

That's a baby changing table.

Kiji 2015

Recently a resident Japanese pheasant has made his appearance.  This time he was in the field outside the kitchen window just sitting pretty as you please; some 10 minutes which is very unusual.  Looked like it was sleeping.  Then the next day he was perched on the side of the slope and puffing himself up a bit.  He is really a beautiful bird with his red face, dark green chest and blue feathers down the long tail.

It moved to the hill eventually, then went up into the woods. 

Computer Tote

 I was asked to make this tote for a friend.  She provided this lovely brocade-type cloth from Senegal.  It about 9 inches wide, so I had to sew two lengths together then fashion the bag.  I added the pocket on front, no charge :-).  It's enclosed with a magnet flap.  The handles are sturdy woven cotton, triple stitched in place. The lining is a black/white knit piece I had, just waiting for a new home.  Finally, the side and bottom were stitched closed with home-made black bias tape.

Celebration Quilt

The pattern is called Celebration from the FabShopHop of 2012.  This top is not finished yet and I'll add another blue border all around, then send it out to have it quilted. 

This is a closeup of the side borders which are made of six rows of 3.5" squares.  The top and bottom have just two rows in the yellow and blue as the pattern was long enough, but not wide enough. 

http://www.fabshophop.com/

2015 Dawns

January 1st started out nice and sunny with snow forecast in the afternoon.  Nah, we thought, it's too nice outside.  However, along about 3:00 pm, the snow started coming down fast and furious, blowing horizontally.   It lasted a couple of hours and amounted to about a couple of centimeters, all powder, so on the 2nd it was really easy to sweep the deck and stairs.  

Now at 4:00 p.m. on the second,  it is snowing furiously again.  At this rate we could be snowed in in no time-- nah, not likely.

Sara decided she wanted her hair cut again today, two years after the last time.  I cut 12 inches and we will donate it again to Locks of Love that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.

She is holding the cut hair just below the white rubber band, though it looks still attached.  

Every New Year I take a photo of all the scrap fabrics I've saved to throw away--pieces that are too small to use or I just don't want to see anymore.  This batch filled a 30 litre garbage bag. There comes a time when quilting that fabric pieces can be too small to use...

The Gillespie Family

 We had the privilege of having the Gillespie family from Ohio visit Japan during the first two weeks of December.  They were here two years ago; however, the two oldest of nine children were not able to come this time because of college. There are two girls and seven boys, and all of them play stringed instruments, and third son plays the penny whistle. 

Here the sons are playing a classical Christmas song while the daughter is playing the piano off screen.  The youngest is seven and is seated playing the cello.  This was performed at a nursing home near our church where two of our members are now residents.

Here the family is at our church on a Tuesday night singing in Japanese, accompanied on guitar.   There were a total of 49 people in this special service with  about 30 visitors, many for the first time.  PTL.

A trio of Christmas hymns ending with Hark the Herald  Angels Sing

This photo is the family all dressed in red singing at the Kansai Bible School annual Christmas program on December 5th. 

  Everyone is playing Pachelbel's Canon in G, with piano,  It's become one of my new favorite pieces of classical music.

This is another nursing home near our church.  The last photo is the family sitting with the residents, who really got a big kick out of it.

The family performed at least three nursing homes and several churches while here.  It is such a blessing to see this family serving God with their talents and willing to travel half-way around the world to share the gospel in song with the Japanese.  May God continue to bless the Gillespie Family.

Machi-san gets baptised

Machi recently got saved and has been taking new believer's Bible studies.  When Henry told her at a recent lesson about baptism, she said she wanted to do that right away.  So he showed her our baptismal pool and we then prepared to do it the following Sunday.

Explaining that baptism is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Please pray for her spiritual growth and for regular church attendance.  Her job sometimes does not permit coming on Sunday.