Rambling Notes from Japan
Here are some blog posts that we hope will make you feel a part of things, and help you understand how to pray better for us and Japan. Please see our external blog in Blogger, if this page does not display correctly.
March 11 - Earthquake (1)
March 13, 2011 07:15
| Earthquake, Tohoku Earthquake
| Permalink
Some of you may have heard of the strong earthquake that occurred in Japan today (March 11) about 2:45pm our time. It was by far the strongest that we've had since coming to Japan, lasting several minutes, and chasing ourselves and the neighbors out into the street. The quake was centered in Sendai, more than 100 miles north us. Sendai has had its share of quakes in the last couple weeks.We are still
50-50 Day
February 22, 2011 10:26
| Missions, Reaching Japanese for Christ, Time
| Permalink
Only a mathematician could determine the exact day, but it's pretty close. It's 50-50 day. Having turned 41 last month, my life can probably be divided in half. The first half...God's preparation in my life for ministry in Japan. The second half...well, mostly made up of ministry in Japan. It was at the "tender" age of 20 1/2 in the summer of 1990 that I first stepped foot in Japan as a short-term
"Nice try, Kevin" file
February 9, 2011 01:10
| Chrysanthemums, Culture
| Permalink
This one goes into the "Nice try, Kevin" file. I just thought it was a nice-looking bunch of flowers in the storefront and, on the spur of the moment, decided Kaori deserved to enjoy them. Chrysanthemums, however, are usually seen at Buddhist altars along with incense sticks and food morsels for the dead. It's sort of like giving your beloved a grave marker for their birthday. This was a point that
Christmas Ham
January 20, 2011 02:18
| Chocolat, Devotional, Hamster, Pets
| Permalink
There's a good reason that Jesus chose "birds of the air" over "hamsters" when illustrating quiet dependence in his Sermon on the Mount. Hamsters don't fit the ideal. Our new pet, our "Christmas ham" is a fun addition to the family. Kaori said, "I need something fuzzy around this house (besides your unshaven face)." Justen said, "I think I need a pet." So, we needed to make this addition to our family.
Christmas rescue
December 23, 2010 12:58
| Christmas, Devotional, recycle
| Permalink
Overheard this past week in the Laverman house:Kevin: "Kaori, look at this great labelmaker I picked up for free."Kaori: "Where'd you get it?"Kevin: "It was just laying out on the garbage pile."Kaori: "Garbage pile?!"Kevin: "Someone just threw it away. I cleaned it up, put in fresh batteries, and it works fine! It even has a label cartridge in it. I wanted one like this."Kaori: "You picked it up? In
Small Thinking
December 8, 2010 10:09
| Culture, Culture Shock, Space
| Permalink
We're back in Japan. Which explains why I keep bumping into things. After 6 weeks of being conditioned to the wide open spaces of life in America, we are back to working with the inches of urban Tokyo. My mind hasn't totally re-calibrated itself to the new spatial realities of this environment. I keep bumping into things...again...and again. Thankfully no damage has been done to people or vehicles.
All this, but no octopus ice cream
October 29, 2010 08:37
| Culture Shock, Octopus, Re-entry shock
| Permalink
It hits me every time we return home. This time was not unique. Call it part of required re-entry shock. Coming back for 6 weeks of home assignment travel is landing in the land of a million choices.The day after we arrived here in New Jersey, we needed to stock the refrigerator with some essentials for living. So, off to the supermarket. What's the big deal? The big deal is that EVERYTHING is BIG.
Undokai
Welcome to fall in Japan. A season for school undokai, that is, athletic competitions. When I was invited to the undokai for the child of a church member, I anticipated something of a smallish scale. My experience with undokais had been 50~60 people or so gathered in a park to watch and cheer on their kids as they run relays, jump hoops, pull tug-a-war ropes, and so on. Imagine my surprise when the
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We serve with WorldVenture, an evangelical faith mission. Our sending/home church is Cornerstone Church of Lansing, Illinois.