Photos from the week

Yesterday was spent at church then the rest of the day recovering from the week. Today I've been going continuously since 6 and not had any decent length of time at the computer. Hence a photo blog.  Here are a few random photos from the last few days. 

This is one of the six trains I rode today. By far the least populated. Just to show you that by no means does every Tokyo train have passengers crammed onto it. This was at 9.30am heading away from the city. I crossed town to go to a mission prayer and fellowship day, it was crowded on the way in, like this on the way out. In fact this was the first time I sat after an hour travelling. 

Yesterday afternoon a couple of boys feeling bored. Both passionate about wrestling. The big one gave an impromptu wrestling clinic to his youngest brother, but it did deteriorate into a little, gentle rumble in the lounge. 

On the way home from the meet on Saturday we saw this interesting sign. With just a little thought it is understandable, but took our former-military driver aback for a moment. 

More about this photo tomorrow when I write about Saturday's tournament. This was the season finals. Our son waiting for his opponent in the gold/silver match. The lights were dimmed and it was quite the dramatic scene. 

Last Thursday I rode to the park again. Actually did a bit of a circuit and went 14.5km. I was rugged up because though the sun shone most of the time the temperature was closer to 5 than 10C! It was great to get out, though. 

Creamy corn and bacon soup recipe

I posted a photo of this on Facebook the other day and Jocelyn asked for the recipe, so here it is. It can be made in a slow cooker or on the stove top, I've done both.

1 small onion, finely diced

The bottom pot held curry pumpkin soup (dairy free)
which is also a delicious recipe.

bacon (3 rashers or more if you want), finely diced without rind
1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen or tinned)
400g canned creamed corn (or just pop corn kernels in food processor)
1 stock cube
2 teaspoons sweet chilli sauce
1¼ cups of water
You can add beans like kidney, garbanzo/chick pea if you wish.

Cheese sauce
2 cups milk, plus 2 tablespoons extra
2 tablespoons cornflour
90g grated cheese

Put all the ingredients except those for the cheese sauce in the slow cooker. Cook for about 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.

If you're making it on your stove top, allow to simmer for 15 minutes or longer before adding the cheese sauce.

Slow cooker: about and hour before the end of the cooking time, make cheese sauce and add it to the soup.

Cheese sauce method
Mix the cornflour with two tablespoons of milk to a paste. Place the rest of the milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Thicken with the cornflour paste, then mix in the grated cheese.

This makes enough for only one bowl of soup for the five of us (several of whom have been appetites). I double for seconds and leftovers.

Single parent hat is on

Good memories of Christmas with my
in-laws in 2014.

From today I have my single parent hat on for most of the next two weeks. David's flying to Australia this evening to spend time with his dad and family (see why here). He gets back next Thursday late and flies again next Sunday with the wrestling team to their international three-day meet in Korea. The latter has been planned for some time, the former only two days ago.

I don't like being a single parent. If you've read my blog for long you'll know that (see here), but admittedly it is getting easier as they get older.

But just like choosing to come back to Japan in obedience to our call even when my feelings weren't there yet last year, I choose to do this without protesting (though I may complain about my boys on occasion). I choose to be thankful for my husband who we love so much that he is greatly missed when he is away. And I pray he will be a blessing to his family and others he encounters while he's away. 

I also pray that he will have all the energy he needs. Just the journey there is arduous: two nights, three planes, three or more trains, and a 300+km car trip at the end.

I've also just rediscovered this song, I think I'll be playing it a few times in the coming days.

Disappointment doesn't have to get us down

I have a blogosphere friend who has been disappointed repeatedly about big things in the last couple of years. A lot of the disappointment has centred around children, family, and other people. She's been really knocked around. She has also been diagnosed with post natal depression.

I remember my first big failure. It was in my last year of my university degree and I failed a 7-week prac. placement. Wow, that really threw me. It came in the context of a number of other disappointments, including a fall from the heights of a short-term missions trip back into the reality of not-so-perfect church life in Australia.

Nevertheless the first time I realised that even things that seemed perfect and right, dreams that we'd held as young people, could change was when I discovered that the marriage of a very good friend and the husband of her youth were in serious trouble. I'm thankful to say that they've pulled through that difficult time, but for a long time we didn't know how this would turn out.

Since then I've recognised more clearly that life is full of disappointment. That we should almost expect it. We've seen other good friends have breakdowns, divorce, extra marital affairs, miscarriages. In our circles of friends, family, and mission colleagues there's been cancer, death, suicide, kids with disabilities, churches split, people walk away from God, missionaries who have to go home, etc. I'm shocked every time, especially when I see Christians behaving in ways that I would never have guessed they could. Now in my 40s I much more aware of how broken our world it and how many dreams fail.

It's easy to get very negative about it all, but there is one thing in life that doesn't disappoint and this article says it very well. It points out that even things that we really look forward to disappoint us, because they don't live up to our expectations in one way or another. And then we feel guilty because we're not happy in what we have and desire more. Or we disappoint ourselves despite our fervent vows that we'll do better next time when we mess up again.

But Paul says in Romans 5:3–6 that it is hope in the promises of God, in the promise of a sure eternity in heaven, that does not disappoint us. We hope, not in vain like we do for things on earth, but with certainty.

Here's a couple of other "hope" passages: 

"So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast" Heb 6:18, 19a, NASB.

"Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed" Isaiah 49:23b, NIV.

The other night I came across this verse in my regular Bible reading, I found it so rich in meaning. What a beautiful prayer.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15:13, NIV.

So, in the disappointments that come our way or well-up within us, let us remember that this isn't how God meant the world to be, this broken world isn't his ideal. That's all still to come in his good time.

Simple faith is all that is needed

This mural is on the wall at our mission's Japan headquarters.

The sermon we heard on Sunday was about the gospel. About people's responses to Jesus' good news. It looked at two Old Testament examples of simple faith, examples that Jesus himself retold in Luke 4:21-30. 

1. The poor widow who was provided with abundant oil in response to her obedient faith in what she was told to do by the prophet Elijah.1 Kings 17:8-14

2. Naaman, an army commander, who was healed of a skin disease by simply dipping in a river seven times as instructed by the prophet Elisha. 2 Kings 5:1-4

What particularly struck me was the quote at the end of the sermon, which I have in front of me because I get a copy of the script of the sermon in English. 

The same principle applies throughout the Christian life. When it comes to our education, our relationships, our calling, our ministry, our retirement, our future, we do not know what God has in store for us. But we take it on faith, trusting that he will keep his promise to protect and provide for us. God offers full salvation in Jesus, and anyone who believes in him will see everything that God has to offer. Can you believe it? If you can, you will see it. Phil Ryken, Luke, p186. 

So true. 

Death scares us because we know it could happen to someone we love. It's something we have no control over and can cause tremendous pain.

Unemployment scares us because we don't know how we'll supply our needs.

Mission scares us because there are so many unknowns. So little control that we can exert over where it might lead us.

Simple faith–the answer to so many of life's anxieties. 

Oh Lord, please forgive me for my fear, my lack of trust in you.

The unexpected

Good memories of time spent with Dad during our
home assignment year. So thankful!

February and early March was already looking crazy, with David and Callum going with the wrestling team to Korea from the 14th to 18th and me going to Bangkok from the 20th to the 28th, then away for a two-night ladies retreat a few days after I get back.

Then, over the last few days we've become aware that my father-in-law is terminally ill; cancer he had removed several years ago has returned in several places. We're not sure how long he has left, maybe months, or perhaps only weeks.

David's trying to decide when to go back to see his dad one last time. It's a hard decision. Thankfully lots of people are praying for us. 

I can't see us doing all this in our own strength (we're already tired from how crazy January has been). It's time to again lean into God's loving care.

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV 

Long johns

Have you ever worn long johns? I hadn't, not before I came to live in Japan. Now they are my daily companion throughout most of December  and usually into March.

You can see in the photo how I survive winter in a non-centrally heated and poorly insulated Japanese house. Layering! Two pairs of socks, ugg boots, two layers on my legs (the black is the long johns). My boys are bemused, but I don't care. I do what I've got to do.

My first encounter with long johns was a surprise. We were visiting a potential supporting church in Canberra, Australia during winter in 2000, this was before we'd left for Japan or even been given permission to go. We had a young toddler at the time and were only just keeping things together as we did this travelling circus called deputation. 

A lady I'd never met grabbed me after church and asked me if I had long johns. I'm from Queensland, I'm not sure if I'd even seen long johns before. She said, "Let me buy you some." What?!? 

A stranger buying me long underwear . . . it was out of my comfort zone. But at the time we had no regular income so I wasn't about to say no to someone willing to buy me something I supposed I might need if I was going to study Japanese in a city where they have snow on the ground for almost half a year.

So we walked to a nearby shop and she bought me my first pair of long johns. We landed in Sapporo in December that year where temperatures dipped well below zero at night and barely made it above zero during the day. I was so glad of that spontaneous gift (it must have been spontaneous, surely, I really can't remember much about it).

Recently I discovered Heat Tech, a brand of winter clothing developed in Japan by UniQlo, an affordable clothing store here. It's great: not bulky, feels stylish, great colours (I have a teal shirt that could be under or over-wear) and dries quickly (definitely an issue on a cold, wet winter's day). The long johns don't look like underwear at all, more like tights or leggings. This season I've also bought a couple of their shirts and I'm tempted to buy socks too, but I already have a lot of socks in my wardrobe, so I think I'll wait.

Here's a short article about Heat Tech (please note there is a little bit of language you might find offensive), about how it was developed and what it's made of.