SURPRISE!!! The Van Clan is going to have a new addition in November. Yep. We're pregnant. (mostly me!) I thought Mark might need CPR when I first told him, but thankfully, he has recovered quite nicely. Needless to say we are shocked, since Katie and Luke are almost 12 and 10. It will be like starting over completely, buying maternity clothes, baby gear, baby toys, etc. etc. What an adventure!

At the end of April our family will take a mission trip to Puerto Vallarta Mexico for the Festival of Life. You can read about the festivals here... http://www.horizonsd.org/festival_of_life.html

Wow, I just realized I haven't been here for a while. Tonight I was surfing the net (which I also haven't done in a while) and I came across a really good article by Ravi Zacharias.... http://www.gospelcom.net/rzim/publications/jttran.php?jtcode=JT04WRZ

Another test... Mark and I both did it. He hated it, I think it's fun! Anyway I am an...


free enneagram test


Mark is a

free enneagram test

God has been teaching me about weakness. I hate to admit mine! I don't like feeling vulnerable or out of control. But the Word says God's strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9) In our Tuesday night bible study we are studying in the book of Joshua. In chapter 5, just after the Israelites crossed the Jordan and just before they go into Jericho, God commands all the men to be circumcised. They are to cut away the flesh, making them weak and vulnerable. But after they do, God gives them a great victory! God doesn't want our victory to come from our flesh (our own strength or ability). Instead when we admit we are weak, vulnerable and helpless, then He can and will be our strength, and He will also get the glory in the victory.

A YWAM (Youth With A Mission) team from Switzerland has been staying at our church for the last week. Some are Japanese, some Korean, and some American... not a Swiss in the bunch! We have been having a great time cleaning, painting, and cleaning some more, getting the church ready for our Thanksgving Outreach this Sunday. One of the reasons these teams do outreaches is to learn to serve. So I started thinking about the best way I could help this team learn to serve. I was reminded of Jesus on the night before His betrayel as He washed the feet of His disciples. (John 13) In verse 15 Jesus said "For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you." I realized Jesus taught his disciples about service, by serving them. I also realized I cannot just say to the YWAM team, "You are here to serve, so serve". Instead, I need to follow the example that Jesus set, and teach them about serving, by being a servant.

One of the mom's who came to our Children's Festival with her children, also came to church this morning. She just happened to be playing in a nearby park when one of the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) kids gave her a flyer inviting her to the festival. She was excited because she is a Christian and she was looking for a church closer to her home. I was chatting with her this morning and I asked her how she became a Christian. It turns out she became a Christian 3 years ago, when she attended a drama that we were doing at our old church. Sometimes we do an outreach and we don't get to immediately see fruit from it, but there is always fruit. I was so blessed and encouraged that God brought Naoko into my life 3 years later and gave me the opportunity to see fruit from that ministry.

Today we went to a fall festival at a preschool (Japanese word is yochien) at a church near the base. Katie's dance group performed 2 songs. On the occasions that I have met Japanese people with any Christian knowledge at all, it is usually because they had a connection to one of these "Christian based" preschools, or some other Christian private school.

I am having way too much fun! Took my first ever inkblot test and did you know that my "subconcious mind is driven most by LOVE". I suppose that is a good thing... Oh and my emotional IQ is 125 (almost exactly the same is my real IQ). I can't believe I took an inkblot test... it's like having a shrink in my computer.. HAH!

I found this website that has all kinds of personality and intelligence tests. So far I've learned that I am ESTP (Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving) and only 6% of the population is like me! (That's a relief!)I am good at written communication, I'm a visionary mathematician (whatever that means!) and I have a knack for knowing when things "aren't quite right". Anyway, they have a test for everything, check it out! www.emode.com and click on premium tests. (It's free)

Yesterday we held in our hands the official paper that says we are staying in Japan until Aug. of 2007!! This is a huge answer to prayer.

Tonight at church we had the first Annual Grace Christian Fellowship Kids Harvest Festival. It was a smashing sucess. I don't know how many kids came (TONS and TONS) including about a dozen girls that I met through the soccer outreach that we did in June. It was great fun to see them all again. I invited them to my Sunday School class but their soccer practices are on Sundays. I am praying for more opportunities to reach these girls!!

I feel like continuing the glasses analogy... I've noticed after 5 days with my glasses that surfing the internet, working on the computer, or reading my small print Bible is quite uncomfortable without them. It is the same when the Holy Spirit changes you, you can't go back to your old way of seeing things... or if you try, you find it is quite uncomfortable. Over the past year or so, the Holy Spirit has changed my way of thinking about many, many things and I know I will never be the same; I can never go back to where I was before, and moreover, I wouldn't want to! (However, I wouldn't mind at all, going back to my younger years when I could see just fine without these pesky glasses!)

Tomorrow Katie and Luke go on a school field trip, called an "ensoku" in Japanese. Tomorrow morning, all the Japanese mom's will be getting up much earlier to prepare cute little lunch boxes for their children called "O bento". But, this mom, will get up 5 or 10 minutes early and make a ham sandwich for Katie and PB and J for Luke! I won't win any o bento contests, but I will get my beauty rest. (and I need all I can get) :-)

I'm almost 33. Last week, I found out that I need glasses. I have to admit that even when the eye Dr. told me, I wasn't convinced. I was pretty sure that I could see just fine. Even as I went to pick up the glasses I really didn't think they would do much for me. But, much to my surprise, I can't believe how clear everything looks to me now. And doesn't this happen to us spiritually too? We are going along just fine, thinking we are seeing pretty well, when the Holy Spirit decides it's time to clear up our vision a bit. Gently show us this sin, or that selfish habit. When it happens to me, I wonder, how it is that, what is so clear to me now, I never even saw before. Thank you Lord for clearer vision, physically and spiritually!!

My Pastor wrote a poem this week.

I have got a secret.
I'm not the man I seem to be.
When my strength has reached its limit,
That is when He strengthens me.

When my wisdom is confounded,
Shipwrecked, lost at sea,
From greater depths I hear Him,
Calling "Follow me."

When my love can last no longer,
His love takes control.
When my faith is weak and faltering,
His faithfulness is all.

When I've lost all hope of man's approval,
That is when I truly see
The reason for my hope of glory,
Is Jesus Christ in me.


I love this poem, the truth is if there was a window looking into my heart this is what you would see. So many times and in so many different situations in the past couple of weeks, I have come to the end of myself. The end of my strength, the end of my wisdom, the end of my love, the end of my faith. Isn't it wonderful to realize there is no end to God's strength, God's wisdom, God's love, and God's faithfulness? I am so incredibly thankful that my "hope of glory" does not depend on me!

Katie and Luke have been back in school for a week now, they seem to be enjoying themselves. Katie has two friends that are twins named Shiori and Kotomi and when she first started school 2 years ago she was only slightly taller than them. I was looking the other day and I noticed that she now has several inches on them. I can't believe how grown up our little 11 year old is getting.

We just finished a busy but fun week. The Koreans that stayed at our church were a real blessing. They passed out a couple thousand papers telling about our church, visited the handicapped school in Ome, and put on a wonderful Korean Food Festival at our church. I didn't know kimchee Pizza could taste so good!

It is good to be back in Japan! We had a great time in the states, but it is always nice to be HOME.

Today Mark, a friend from church, Katie and Luke climbed Mt. Fuji. It took them nearly 7 hours to reach the top and Katie threw up twice along the way. She didn't give up though and was determined to make it. What a trooper!

This weekend is our church summer retreat in the Mts. and next week we have a Korean team of 26 people staying at the church all week. Never a dull moment!