Adam, while rubbing his eye, and proclaiming in an alarming tone: “Something’s in my eye! Something’s in my eye. Mommy!”
“What is it, honey?”
Adam: “It’s an eyeball!”
Turning Japanese May 29, 2008
Our precious daughter just requested miso soup for breakfast. And was overheard a few minutes later uttering the words, “I love seaweed!”
Weird, huh?
How about that? It worked… May 23, 2008
I have this problem. Maybe it’s common. maybe not. But when someone offends me, I have a really hard time just “letting it go.” Everything within me wants to hash it out with that person, verbally “deal” with it. Keith is always telling me I should just let things go. But to me, that’s always seemed like an elusive and ludicrous possibility. Easy for him to say, with HIS temperament, right?
So the other day, someone said something truly rude and condescending to me, and it had to do with a difference in childrearing choices, the most tender topic for any mother, I’d say. (I am an anti-gossiper and won’t tell you who or what it was, so don’t ask!) And even worse, it was someone who really should have known better than to make blanket statements like the one she made. Seriously. And it was someone who makes such condescending/patronizing “spiritual” comments to people fairly frequently, and doesn’t even know she does it, I’m pretty sure. Well, this time she did it to ME. And I really, really, really, really, really (understand?) wanted to give her a piece of my mind. Really. But for once in my life, I decided to try out this “let it go” thing. So I prayed a lot that first day (prayers similar to some of the psalmists’ prayers, mind you) and waited. And for the last couple days, every time I’ve felt irritated or angry at this person, I’ve prayed for her, and for myself–that God will help me to forgive her and see her with HIS eyes, not mine. And what do you know? I think it’s working. I’m no longer steaming from the ears at the thought of her, and in fact, I think I might be able to laugh about it in just a few days. Maybe.
I’m just a little surprised that this is working. Maybe I’ll try it again next time too.
And on a serious note, God is reminding me of two things the last couple days:
1) That I am supposed to be dead, as in dead to myself, alive in Christ. And dead people? They don’t get offended.
2) A person who cannot forgive has forgotten how great a debt God has forgiven them. And the debt He has forgiven me (both in the past and today) is pretty breathtaking. So do I really have an option on whether to forgive people or not? Even the really rude ones? Even the ones who should know better? I think not. After all, didn’t He just teach me this a couple months ago. It’s frequently ME that makes such comments, I’m sure. And Jesus did say to forgive others as I would want to be forgiven. So OKAY!
P.S. If you’re reading this, you’re NOT the offender! She doesn’t read my blog. 
The Cash Clan’s Journey to Japan May 18, 2008
This can be found on the page “Why Japan?” but I thought I’d post it here as well, for those who might not be good navigators. Enjoy!
Extreme Makeover: Lovey Edition May 18, 2008
Okay, so seriously, is there anyone out there whose kids love upon their loveys as much as mine? Claire’s blue bear: more like dingy greyish bear. Adam’s Munchy: I wouldn’t bury my nose in that stringy, lint-collector for $50. And “Buppo” (Ben’s Hippo): sadly emaciated and hopelessly stained. What can I say? There’s a lot of lovin’ going on in this house. I actually have to sneakily replace the stuffed animals about once a year and tell them that their beloveds got a makeover! (Really, I do that. My sense of humor is strange and not limited to adult interactions.) The reason for this blog? I’m currently bidding on a new hippo for Ben on ebay (and trying to remember the exact name of Adam’s Ty monkey).
T-shirts and F-bombs May 12, 2008
Our kids go to a wonderful Japanese pre-school that also happens to be a Christian school. Very few of the teachers can understand English though. So today Keith picked up Claire and Adam from school, and he was met by the after-school care provider, with a beaming smile on her face, and a VERY interesting T-shirt. Her T-shirt was in English, and it said, “F*ck Housework” (but without the asterisk!). Keith was part stunned and part amused, and said nothing. Now had it been me, I probably would have cracked up laughing!!!! This poor woman had NO idea what her shirt said, and she was wearing it around 3-6 year-olds all day long. Brings a whole new perspective to the arbitrary nature of curse words, I suppose. I mean, a Brit’s “bloody” means nothing at all obscene to an American. And an American’s F-bomb is apparently not so offensive to Japanese pre-school instructors. So what say you? What would Jesus do, people? Tattle on this lady or let it go? (My greatest concern is that Claire is now reading!!!!)
P.S. To my dear friend houseworkhater, this situation made me think of you. Can I buy you this t-shirt for your birthday, pretty please?? Oh, you can wear it to your new job!!
I may just be the luckiest housewife on earth May 12, 2008
Okay, or the laziest. It’s a toss-up. Take a looksie at what I got for Mother’s Day, to add to my 2 year-old and amazing iRoomba vaccuum cleaner. This one cleans (as in scrubs!) my hardwood and linoleum floors. Thanks family!!!
Amazing Grace Indeed May 6, 2008
Wow, it’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks. God has really been giving us a lot of opportunities to minister recently. We are so happy to be in this country!! He is really moving here.
A taste of what is turning out to be a fascinating week:
Saturday night our pastor called me to ask me to sing at church on Sunday morning. A member of our church finally talked his mother into coming to church for the first time in her life. From what I understood, this is a woman who has been very bitter against Christianity and against the Church (maybe because of how her son was changed by it!). And so for years, she would not come to church with her son, no matter how he pleaded. But he has been talking about the new Gospel-crooning American at church, and she wanted to hear for herself. But the deal was that if she came I had to sing. So Pastor Paul called me Saturday night with the decree. (No pressure or anything, right?) If I didn’t believe in the sovereignty of God in salvation, I might have been nervous about this! So I prayed and asked the Lord what I should sing. I mean, she probably wanted to hear some fancy gospel song, right? But the Lord said so clearly to me, AMAZING GRACE. Okay! So that’s what I sang. After the service, she comes up to me and tells me (through her son, who speaks English) that it is her favorite song. (I never would have guessed that from the little I’d heard about her!) I told her that I had prayed and asked God what I should sing for her, and that HE told me to sing Amazing Grace. And the woman starts weeping. Now I could only see her in that moment. But I couldn’t even see the historically hard-hearted woman. I saw a woman touched by God. And it was pretty awesome to be a little part of that. Thank you, Lord!!
Okay, so Monday morning I get a phone call from a troubled Japanese friend who recently got divorced from an abusive American husband, who has knowledge of the Gospel, but not yet a saving faith. I’ve been ministering to this woman off and on for several years. She kind of drifts in and out. But she called me very depressed Monday morning and asked if she can come over and talk. Of course! So she spent most of the day over here on Monday, and come to find out, she has recently gotten involved with this “house church” not too far from here. We had a nice day together, and I just tried to encourage her and point her to Him and to His Word. But Monday night, I started researching this “house church organization” she was into, only to discover that she is getting sucked into a cult. I called her both Monday night and this morning, like a friend running into a burning building to rescue a friend. But she sounded different even than when she had been here earlier that day. She was there at the compound, and had stayed the night over there, and was very eagerly justifying to me the things these people do (deviant sexual behavior mostly). When I suggested that she needed to leave there and get her kids out of there immediately, for their safety, she replied that if she left there, she would want to go kill herself. There was nothing I could say to save her from the burning building today. It was a rough day for me. I’m battling this burden and not letting it bog me down today. And so tonight, I am praying hard against this group–that God will bring them DOWN and save my friend from walking through this particular fire. Her name is Toyoko. Saints of God, would you please pray with me for her today?
