A day in the park

On Friday, Okisho had its annual "field trip" for students. Now, Japanese field trips are not like Western field trips - they are not designed to be educational. On the other hand, it is a day set aside specifically for the purpose of having fun and getting to know each other better. We took a trip up to Okinawa City Comprehensive Park, and had a blast together! From playing frisbee with Aaron-sensei and the elite-track kids, to having a rollerblade relay race with the 12th grade girls (I lost), to playing a gesture game with the 11th graders, it was a satisfying day. On top of that, I got to see some of my students from Bito in the morning before the field trip, and afterwards, on my way home. Sweet day!

Welcome to Okisho!

The Okisho English Department went out for dinner at a famous hotel restaurant. The food was SO good! You can tell the picture was taken after we ate, because I look fat! In the middle of the picture is the founder and headmaster of Okisho. His name is Masajiro Nashiro. His presence reminds me of Montgomery Burns from the Simpsons. I don't fear man, but this guy's got a lot of power! We had a great time together, and I felt really blessed to have gotten a free meal at a place I might never go again - it was high-class!

More good times @ karaoke

Sorry there are no pics of my partner in crime, Josh (see post from April 7th). Last Saturday marked the 3rd consecutive weekend of karaoke fun, all involving Josh and me in some way, with other people being thrown in the mix. Will we finish our April Saturdays with another session in a few days? Time will tell!

By the way, Josh and I made up a "game" for ourselves. We have to randomly enter a "song number" on the remote control without knowing what song we're putting in. Then we have to sing at least one minute of it. It was so fun! I scored a 73 on mine, he got a 71 on his. My "high score" of the night was a 91, on Meant to Live (by Switchfoot). Jon Foreman, look out!

The final transformation

I know I posted this about a couple of months ago, when I shaved my goatee for the sake of my job interview, but this time the transformation was slightly more radical. I also cut my hair. Here are before-after pics of me, let me know which "look" suits me better!

Missionaries coming out our ears

Over the past 2 weeks, we have had a lot of people come through Okinawa. For many of them, it was a first-time visit. For all of them, they are hoping it won't be the last! That includes us - we loved having them come and bless us with great messages, sweet worship, and wonderful fellowship. Those just sound like trite phrases that don't have much meaning to them (the words get used a lot in our midst, don't they?). But the truth is, I personally enjoyed getting to know all of you guys! I wish I could have been around all the time, gone all the places you went, and heard all the messages and worship. But thanks so much for blessing us, and blessing God, too!

Sambi Fest

After a weekend conference about worship, Calvary Chapel Ginowan capped it off with a worship "festival". It took place at the Ginowan Central Civic Center, and many different bands/individuals led worship. It was a really blessed night, and many people attended. Praise the Lord, for He is good!

Finished with TEFL!

Every Saturday for the past 6 months (roughly), I have been helping a friend of mine teach a course. Our students all hope to be teachers of English as a foreign language... some already are. We had an amazing group this session, and I had a blast teaching them every Saturday. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and so I bid this group farewell... though perhaps I will see them again at some school... it would be fun to teach alongside them! (In fact, I already have with one of them!)

Baptisms on Easter Sunday

This past Sunday, we had a Sonrise Service at Tropical Beach at 7am. Yeah, it's early... but I really think it was a blessed weekend, and God was smiling on us. It started raining on Saturday afternoon and did not let up until about an hour before our service. Then after service, it rained some more the rest of the day! God is good, isn't He? Anyways, 4 people got baptized after our service: Naoko and Kumiko (both of whom got saved last year), and Michael and Matt Davis (both of whom came out as Bible college students a couple of months ago). It was awesome! Please remember to pray for them, that they would remain faithful to the Lord. Those of you who have been baptized know that the first few months are spiritually the most difficult! By the way, baptisms were done by Pastor Tim Newell, Rob Vunder, and Daniel Sedota. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy...

Karaoke - the wannabe rock star's paradise

Two Saturdays in a row I got to go out for karaoke with some friends. I found someone who is about as passionate about it as I am: Josh Perry (to my right in the group pic). But only slightly behind us on the passion scale is 6'7" Nate. Wait, he's definitely more passionate - but we won't say anything about his singing ability *snicker*!

Good Friday - The Passion

On Friday, we did a movie showing of The Passion of the Christ. It was very well attended! The curry we ate beforehand was awesome, but I bet people came for the main feature. Here are a few pics of the pre-movie fellowship.

Passion Week - Days 1 & 2

Calvary Chapel Ginowan is having church services every night this week. This represents the final week of Jesus Christ's time on earth, and so we are doing messages every night on what Jesus did. It's been pretty cool so far - we're 2 nights in. Sunday night we talked about the Triumphal Entry, and last night we heard about Jesus clearing the temple. We also have missions teams from Virginia out here, so we've had many special guest speakers, too. Keep praying for the people of Okinawa, that many would come, learn about who Jesus is, and give their lives to Him!

For Damian

I've been told that I grow facial hair faster than most animals. Whether or not that is a compliment is up to the ears that receive it, I suppose. I usually smile when I hear comments like that. About a couple of years ago, a young man by the name of Damian Velarde told me that sometime, I should just grow a ring of hair around my lip. It would look so COOL, he said! Well, at last I obliged. Here are the pictures. Warning: Not for the faint of heart! Don't worry, Mom! I didn't go out in public like this!