I started new blog on blogger. Please visit http://zoomzoominozark.blogspot.com/

This is the kind of dog I want to have someday. This is miniature american eskimo. They look like little stuffed animals. Soo Cute!!!

It’s been 6 months since we moved back to the States. The pace of our life here is much slower and has more time for us and less stress. We have been adjusting to the life here pretty well compared to the last time we moved back here in 2001.

I just wanted to tell you what is going on in our life…

1)We are starting to build our own home this fall. We have decided to build an apartment over a garage first and see if we can live without building a big house. That way we can save money and do other things we want to do such as visiting Japan.

2) Two weeks ago, we worked at the Japanese Festival in town as volunteers. 11 Japanese from Isesaki Japan, the city’s sister city, came to perform Noh musicals and be the representatives. We were assigned to be helpers and translators for them. Aaron did such a good job as a translator. I was so happy to see him working so hard at it. I also helped at the Japanese calligraphy section.

3) The staff that organized this festival liked my Japanese calligraphy and wanted to talk to me about having class for it at an Art center in town. I just went to have an interview with the director there and looks like I’m going to teach some classes in spring and summer. I’m excited about that.

4) We found our home church. We placed membership at Brookline Church of Christ. The people are so nice and very welcoming. It’s not a big congregation but growing fast. We thought we could contribute to their vision and grow here. We are happy about our decision and hope so does God.

5) I finished taking a Spanish course last month at a community college, and now I’m taking a Belly dance course! This is the first dance course I have taken and probably so for my mother in law and her sister (Aaron’s aunt) as well. I absolutely love it!!!! Our teacher, Zivah is a professional belly dancer in town, and she is so funny. She likes to make joke and be goofy. We have been learning to dance this particular choreography and there is a walk where you have to have an attitude and look really sexy. Zivah tells us “now let your diva come out and act really sassy!” I told Aaron’s mom that I couldn’t do that in front of my in-law. One session is 2 hours but it’s so much fun that you don’t even think about time. I’m thinking about taking Intermediate class after this. I didn’t know that dancing is this much fun!

6) Our chickens are growing good. When I come with their food, they come out of the coop and wait at the pin gate. They are so cute. And our guineas are now out of the pin and on their own. A stupid dog in our neighborhood killed 4 or 5 of our guineas so now we only have 6 of them. I hope they survive and eat lots of bugs in our huge land…

7) I’m going to be free from contacts and glasses soon! I saved money for LASIK surgery. According to the test I did at the clinic, I’m a good candidate. In a few weeks my life will change!! I hate wearing glasses or contacts and not being able to see without them limits what you can do. You can’t do LASIK during pregnancy or nursing so I decided to do it now before any of these things would happen to me. I can’t wait!

As far as Aaron’s job goes, he seems to like it so far. He does miss teaching though. We saw Colleen and her husband Ryan a few weeks ago. They live in UAE and Ryan is teaching English over there. Aaron enjoyed talking to him and I think that made him miss teaching even more… We are going to be tutors in an ESL school here in town so at least we could be in the teaching field.

人生ってホント「偶然」の出来事の重なりだけで成り立ってるなんて言えないって思う。
I don’t believe that everything happens in accident.

こうして歩んできた28年間を振り返ってみる。
別に誰かが作ったレールの上を私が歩んでいるだけってわけではないけれど、誰かが示したサインに従って、自分でそのサインの良し悪しを判断しながら進んできてる気はする。
As I look back the 28 years of my life, I don’t think God created the road for me to be right where I am now. However, I did walk my life by the signs ｔhat were laid down along the path and by me choosing one from the others.

あの高校に進学を決めたのは私。　あの友達に出会うことが出来た。　彼女を通して、教会を知った。　教会の人々を通して、唯一の神様を知った。　数々のサインを与えられ、そこから選び出した結論は神様に従って生きること。　それは紛れもなく私の決断。　

It was my decision to go to Tokiwa Girls’ high. Then God placed this girl who introduced me to the church. Through the people in church, I got to know Christ.

その決断にいたるまでにたくさんの人々が私に聖書を教えてくれた。　私の初めての先生はクリスティーナ。
彼女との出会いがなければ、十字架を背負う私はここにいなかったかもしれない。　そんな彼女も神様からのサイン。　彼女が日本にいたのはわずか1年間。　彼女は、私の洗礼式を見ずにアメリカに帰った。　でも彼女が植えた福音の種は間違いなく私の中で育ち、神様の家族になる日を迎えられた。　

Till I got to the point to be baptized, many people taught me Bible. My first EBC teacher was Christina. Without meeting her then, I may not even be a Christian now. God placed her in my life. She and her husband, Adam were at Mito only for a year. They went back to US without seeing me or many of their readers become Christians. But the seeds they had planted grew in our hearts and many of us made the right decisions.

彼女との出会いを、まだ罪の中にいた私に与えてくださった神様に感謝。 I thank God for placing her in my life when I was still lost.

そしてそんな彼女と数年ぶりに再会できたことに感謝。 Also I’m thankful for being able to see her again after so many years passed.

今では彼女と旦那さんのアダムには二人のかわいらしい子供たちもいる。　アダムには今回会えなかったけど、これからちょくちょく会えそうな感じ。　とってもうれしい

Now they are parents of two beautiful children. I didn’t get to see Adam this time but I hope God will give us chance to see each other again soon.

Christina, her children, her mom.

Another “Saikai” to Mark, Charity and Freedom. They stopped by in MO on the way home in Atlanta last Monday. Freedom got so big!! We were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY to see them. Love you guys!! Hope to see you soon.