I have mentioned that Noa has named her favorite baby doll “baby Selah” after our friends, Liz and Yuya’s new baby. Selah Kaye Kuwahara was born in November and is just as cute as can be. I wanted to post a photo of her preciousness. Isn’t she perfect??
We are so thankful for her life and the family she has been born into. Yuya and Liz are a fabulous couple who have such a heart for seeing God’s kingdom grow here in Japan. They are already great parents and Selah is so blessed to have them for her mom and dad.
And we are so blessed to have them as friends. I especially, am so thankful for God placing Liz in my life and the friendship and accountability and companionship that He has provided through her. Even though we may not live in Japan together for much longer, I pray that God keeps us close and continues to bless both of us through this friendship in years to come. And I am so glad that we get to be moms together now.
Noa, who is obsessed with both baby Selahs, is also really enjoying be a mom with us. After I took the above picture, Noa wanted the doll baby Selah in on the photo shoot too. Here is the picture she had me take of her doll:
(yes, i just took up precious internet space to post a photo of a doll… I did it for Noa, who takes great pride in her baby 
I have been meaning to post this for a while but just haven’t gotten around to it. We had a blast celebrating Christmas here in Japan and it was so exciting to see the ways that God was working. He is so good. Here are some photos and highlights from the season:
Translation Appreciation Dinner
The school threw a dinner to show appreciation for the many people who translated an Astronomy textbook for the elementary classes. It has been wonderful for all the elementary kids (in both the English and Japanese tracks) to get to take this class together this year. We are so thankful for the many people who used their time and gifts to make it possible. It was a festive night of celebrating, and even getting to hear a talk by a visiting professor of Astronomy. We had a great time helping to prepare and serve the dinner, as well as enjoying the festive atmosphere with friends.
Elementary Kids’ Christmas Party
We really had fun one Friday after school, having all the elementary students over for a Christmas party. We are so thankful that God has not only called these children’s parents into ministry here in Japan, but that he has called each one them too. Eric really enjoys getting to teach these kids, and the girls and I always have a great time when we get to hang out too. Noa LOVES going to the school over lunch break. We actually watched the movie (the Polar Express) in Japanese since most of the kids are bilingual or trilingual anyway. It was such a fun afternoon.
Toke Kids’ Christmas Party
It was so fun to help our friends, the Nagata’s throw a Christmas party one Sunday morning for the kids in their neighborhood. We sang, played games, made crafts, they heard the Christmas story, and Santa Clause even showed up again this year (but Eric made me promise not to post photos of that part).
Sumodon Christmas Party
We had a great time at the Sumodon (our Church’s young adults group) Christmas party. Me and several friends made homemade pizza for the evening and had a ton of fun getting ready. The party was a blast and we met so many new people, many who came to the church building for the first time.
Other fun stuff
We had our last Moms’ and Kids’ club of the year and I was so encouraged to realize what a great community of moms we have who come regularly. I am so excited for our meetings in this new year. This is Noa with her friend Mirai whose mom helps to run Moms’ and Kids’.Noa calls him “Rai Rai” and they are good friends.
My friend Chizuka teaches hip hop dance classes and her students had their first recital on the 23rd. It was so exciting to finally get to watch these kids who we pray for together and to see them dancing their little hearts out to worship music. I am so excited that they have Chizuka in their lives and I can’t wait to see how the Lord continues to use her gifts and love for kids for His kingdom here in Japan.
I got to visit with my dear childhood friend, Sayaka, and her mom on the 26th. She is an airline stewardess so we don’t get to see eachother often, but it was such a treat to get together for coffee at my mom’s on the 26th.
And some Sister Sweetness (for good measure):
How sweet is this photo of Noa and three precious friends at the CCSI sports day?!? It was such a great day of fun and fellowship and community building. Eric planned the whole day and did a great job! I hope to put up more photos of this day in early October later. I’m a little behind.
Eric and I had the opportunity to attend Passion Tokyo (also in October). It was a great evening of worship and encouragement. Highlights included worshiping and hearing a message in English. We went with a group of other missionaries and Japanese friends, and it was soooo encouraging to see how many people were there, filling the C.C. Lemon Hall. I was so refreshed in my walk with Jesus, convicted of my often lukewarm response to the Gospel, and I was burdened for the lost in this land in a new way. It was an added bonus that T.G.I.F. was only a few blocks away and we could have “American” size burgers. It was a very special night. 
Noa and Martha have been growing so much in their little friendship. One thing that has been especially sweet recently is that Noa wants to “match Martha” everyday. She just loves it and gets sad when they don’t match. I have done some pretty good convincing and told her that when they are both in pants, or both have pink on their clothes, or (if I’m really desperate) are both in diapers, they ARE matching. For now, it seems to work on the days that we can’t come up with some “pair look” (as the Japanese say) clothes. I can’t blame her, though. I, myself, LOVE it when they match and pull it off as often as possible.
I’ve mentioned before about our babysitting swap with the Pfeils. Here is one such night when we “played house” with a family of five. It is always such fun for us to have the free dates and for the kids to be together on these nights. We really enjoy our little arrangement.
A few weekends ago we enjoyed going onto Campus for their annual festival. It was such fun and a wonderful day as a family and with our friends. Noa experienced many first, including her first cotton candy and chocolate-covered banana. Both are treats she will gladly partake of again, given the chance.
Our neighbor’s daughter has the sweetest twin girls who are right in between Martha and Noa’s ages. We so enjoy it when the come to their grandma’s house because we can see them too!
Eric had a great time with these three good friends camping a few weekends ago. It was great male-bonding, apparently, and a good chance to be out in our beautiful autumn weather. He loved it and I hope he’ll take me and the girls sometime soon…well, if it doesn’t get too cold around here!
While they did their thing, me and the girls had a girls’ sleepover with Chizuka. It was a great time for us ladies. Here is Noa and Chi-chan showing off their Hello Kitty tattoos (sent by cousin Liam for Noa’s birthday).
The girls have had some big milestones recently. Martha is learning her shapes.
Noa is learning to drum
They both still love to read their books
Yikes. Last week as we were leaving church we discovered our tire was flat. All of us girls really enjoyed watching Eric fix it and get us back on the road. Noa was particularly interested. Future mechanic? Maybe.
And I’ll leave you with this photo of our youngest, totally entranced by the Gospel music at our college ministry Livehouse event last week.
Hope you’re having a great week. God bless!
Oh my goodness. Noa just interrupted my breakfast by yelling, “Kawaii! Kawaii! Martha Kawaii!”
Kawaii means cute in Japanese. Noa hears that word too many times a day (and don’t you ever tell her I agree completely with all the people who call her kawaii… we don’t want her to get a big head or anything
Anyway, that was a little humorous diversion for me this morning and I wanted to share it. I’m glad Noa thinks her sister is so cute.
Eric shared in our prayer requests that the church plant we’ve been attending, in the next town over from ours, has just rented a building after meeting in a home for the last six years. How exciting is that?!?! It has been thrilling this last month and a half as the members of this body have seen years of prayers and hope and waiting on God’s timing come to fruition.
While it has been awesome to worship together in the Tomita’s home, in recent months there have been some space issues. Also, as a cultural thing, Japanese are not as comfortable coming into a stranger’s home as they are to a meeting place. So, we are hoping this will be a more comfortable location for seekers and friends/family of church members to come.
In the last several weeks there has been a buzz of excitement among Christ’s body in Toke. Members have stayed for hours after worship to talk and plan and pray together. People have met to pray at the new building, and work on it, or plan for new ministries. It is an exciting time for these faithful saints, who are the only church in this town of 15,000 people. I am so excited as we physically move to a new building, and also, I pray, move closer to Christ and further out in reaching the people of Toke for his kingdom.
I am particularly excited to partner with two other dear women in this body to start a moms and kids’ club. As a stay-at-home mom myself I know how important it is to get out of the house to be with other moms, and for my kids to be with other kids. I am praying that this group, which will meet twice a month at first, will become a community for moms and place to talk deeply about the joys and struggles of parenting. I pray that there will be many opportunities to share with these women the great hope for them and their families found in Christ. I pray that as they come for a big ‘ol play day, they will leave having seen Christ.
Would you praise the Lord with us for this great blessing of a new place of worship and work? Would you also pray with us for His Word to go out from this place into the homes and lives of the lost? Pray that his people would continue to trust God to lead, guide, and provide for this church? Pray for the many new programs and ministries that are starting now with a new place, that many would step foot into Toke Chapel and encounter Christ (most for the first time in their lives!). Pray for our first Moms and Kids’ on the 25th of this month. I will post a little bit more about this later
Thank you for your prayers and, through them, your very real partnership in the Gospel here in Japan.
First worship service at Toke Chapel on November 2, 2008
A Little Lady Bug and a Bumble Bee
Last week, for Isaac’s birthday, we had a costume party.
Noa and Martha were bugs. Really cute little bugs!
Sarah Pfeil, cake decorator extraordinaire, let me help her make this fabulous ramen cake. It’s not ramen, it’s cake, but it sure looks like ramen, huh?
One of our favorite things about “Uncle Isaac” is his “idol status” with the young ladies here in Japan. Especially these young ladies:
(His status was elevated even further when he let them help him blow out the candles)
All of the characters (minus princesses and bugs and train-conductor-baby-Calvin who had already gone to bed) who came out to celebrate Isaac. Happy 27th Birthday!
