Summer Fast: Post-Fast Follow up

At the end of my fast on Friday I decided to try to stay in ketosis (the fat burning state your body enters when it doesn't get dietary carbs to burn as fuel) for a few more days.  So I ate a little fruit but not much.  I mostly "snacked" throughout the day (slow and easy) on a vegetable soup I concocted, which was just a bunch of veggies cut up small and stewed for a long time with water and ginger and a squeeze of lemon juice.  It was actually so good, I made it again today.  Not eating carbs helps me to continue the fat/weight loss that the fast began.  I lost an addition. 0.6 lbs even after beginning to eat.  I ate a bit more today (Saturday) so I am curious what tomorrow will bring.

One thing that I enjoy about a longer term fast is that it changes your relationship with food.  It has been almost a week since I had any sort of "sweet treat" and I don't even mind.  Before, I was eating small candies and a dessert daily and feeling like I "needed" it.  Fasting helps to bust those bad habits that you get into.  And after working so hard, you aren't anxious to jump back into poor eating choices.  It works for a while at least :-).

FACTS:
4 days and 20 hours of no solid foods.
Two 24 hour periods (non-consecutive) of only water. (small amts. of juice on the other days)
6.6 lbs. lost in 6 days (so far)
I haven't had coffee since I began! (substituted green tea in the morning)

Summer Fast 2018

Living in Japan makes me much more active (walking and biking everywhere), and there are many grocery stores a short walk from our home in which we can buy fresh produce anytime we need it.  Because of this maintaining a healthy weight is a bit easier.  Still I believe in the health benefits of the fast and so I still try to do a longer term one every now and then.  I did one last June at this time too.  Up until now most of my longer term fasts have included daily  juice, coffee, broth... so more like a liquid fast not an absolute fast.

This year, I wanted to try a water fast, and this is a diary of how it went.  (Not quite as planned!)

Sunday 12:30 pm : Completed my final meal before beginning the fast.

Monday First Full Day: Hungry, but I've done this so many times I don't have too much trouble with the first day hunger.

Tuesday 2nd Full Day: Woke up and got the kids up for school.  When I went downstairs I was extremely nauseous and quite weak.  I laid on the couch while the kids got ready, and things didn't improve so I decided my blood sugar was causing the symptoms and drank a cup of juice.  I laid down and still felt so nauseous.  Finally texted Mark to come down and he had me sip another cup of juice. and I ate one tiny bite of banana, and about 3 small apple slides.  By 9:30 I was feeling much better, but decided to drink a couple of ounces of juice about 4 times that day, to ward of another episode.  I also drank a cup of broth mid-day to keep my sodium levels up.

Wednesday 3rd Full Day:  This was the best day of the fast, I felt good, didn't have much hunger and I didn't drink anything but one cup of green tea and water the entire day.

Thursday 4th Full Day: Today I wasn't feeling the greatest either so I decided to begin breaking my fast with juice and broth.  I will only drink juice and broth today... no solid food.

Friday 5th Full Day:  My plan is to drink some tea in the morning, followed by some juice.  After being up a couple of hours I have some fresh blueberries to eat.  A couple hours after that and I will eat a few more blueberries.  Every couple of hours I will eat some fruit.  I have made a vegetable soup and will drink the broth, and if all goes well I will eat the veggies late in the day.

Overall, I was surprised that I was so ill on the second day as that has never happened to me before.  I am guessing it is because I tried not to drink any juice.  I am glad that out of my 4 day fast at least one day was an absolute water fast.  Tomorrow I EAT!

I have done a lot of research on the health benefits of fasting and posted many links and articles in earlier blog posts.  For me the biggest benefit has been the strengthening of my immune system.  Actually I have had only one sick day off from school or work in the last 5 years, and it turns out I wasn't actually sick... I was just paranoid because two of my kids had the flu.

If you are interested here are a couple of good links to the research on the benefits of fasting.

A Harvard Study says fasting can lead to longer healthier life.

Intermittent Fasting May Have Profound Health Benefits.

More about Fasting Benefits

There are so many reasons to at least occasionally do a longer term fast (3 days minimum) and regularly use "intermittent fasting" as a healthy habit.  In this blog post, I will talk about the benefits I personally get when I fast, and about the proven health benefits for almost any healthy person.  Then at the end I will give a short update of my fasting experience this time around.

PERSONAL REASONS

1. Nutritional Reset.  Something about fasting gets me thinking about food.  In a good way.  It motivates me to make better food choices going forward.  I need to reset every so often as I find less than healthy habits tend to creep into my diet.  Fasting is also great for kicking the carb cravings to the curb.

2. Recognizing hunger is not a mandate.  We get hungry and we think we need food, STAT.  Truth is, most of us have plenty of food stored right in our bodies.  That's why if you don't feed your hunger immediately it goes away for a while.  This is your body using stored food to take care of the hunger temporarily.  The self-control required to fast successfully is a real confidence booster.  It feels good to know that I am not a slave to my appetite.

HEALTH REASONS

1. Weight Loss.  You can lose about a pound a day when you fast. Of course some of the weight loss is water weight and will come back quickly when you refeed.  However some of it is fat loss, and if you make better choices going forward it will stay lost forever.

2. Immune system benefits.  Just google "fasting and the immune system" to see the research.

3. A whole host of other health benefits...  you can use google to research this too...

• Decreased insulin levels
• Increased insulin sensitivity
• Decreased blood glucose levels
• Increased fat burning
• Decreased inflammation
• Increased cellular cleansing

Today is day 4 of my 5 days which I will end tomorrow at dinner with a salad or wait until Thursday morning depending on how I am feeling. 

What have I consumed during this fast?

I have mainly been drinking water but I did drink a cup of coffee with milk and 2 tsp. of sugar each morning, about 8 ounces of veggie/fruit juice at about hour 53... I was feeling sick in the night and I am guessing it was about the time my glycogen stores were depleted, but my body had not yet kicked fully into ketosis.  The juice did the trick and I was fine after that. I had another 4 ounces of the same juice yesterday before I rode my bike to a shopping center about 15-20 minutes from home.  Then today another 6 ounces of juice.  

How have I felt?

I have felt okay, but not super. I feel better if I stay busy and active, which I haven't done today.  :-(
The first two days are the most difficult for me as I am really hungry and get irritable.  I did not get headaches this time though.  I would say on average I have had slightly less energy, but some of that may be because now that school is out I have nothing I HAVE to do and I am enjoying the freedom to do nothing.

What's next?
Mark has done a 3 day fast along with me and we both plan to break it by eating low carb for a few days to extend the benefits of ketosis.  On Monday all bets are off as we are having a yummy BBQ with friends.  I do think that I will go back to intermittent fasting (at least one or two 24 hour periods a week) which I haven't done with regularity in quite a while.

Fasting for your health

While I do occasionally fast for spiritual purposes, this post is about fasting for weight loss and health.

About 6 years ago I was trying to lose about 10 pounds of baby weight and joined a gym.  While talking with a trainer I remember telling her I was willing to work out, but I didn't really want to change my diet.  (Carb addict!).  She looked at me and said losing weight is 80% diet.  That moment began my journey of figuring out how to control my weight whether or not I had the time to exercise.

As I was researching I came across a website about Intermittent Fasting and read the ebook called "Eat Stop Eat".  The basic idea was to fast for one or two 24 hour periods in a week.  I decided to give it a try, fasting from dinner to dinner two nights a week.  Over the course of a few weeks I dropped 5 of the 10 lbs I wanted to lose.  I ate any yummy food I wanted on EAT days and still lost weight.

Then some of my friends and I decided to do a 10 day juice fast.  Really, I did it to support them, and didn't believe when I started that I would actually stick with it.  Turns out I am the only one who finished.  It was amazing.  Over the next year and a half I did another 10 day juice fast, three 7 day juice fasts some 5 and 3 day juice fasts.   I blogged about this journey here.

Fasting has been proven to help regenerate the immune system.  And after that year of intense fasting, I rarely got sick for the next four years.  Then, this winter, I got my first cold in years.  So, I knew when summer hit it was time for another longer term fast.

I am currently on day 3 of 5 and in the fasting "sweet spot".  The first two days are rough.  As your body uses up its glycogen stores, hunger is strong, and headaches can be a problem.  But then around day 2 to 3 a switch occurs.  Your body enters a state called ketosis, where it burns your fat for fuel, and the hunger is not nearly as strong, and you get more energy.  Today I biked over an hour total even though I hadn't eaten anything since Friday at dinner.

I am sharing my journey because it has made me a healthier person.  I lost the 10 lbs. I wanted to, I got a stronger immune system, and many other health benefits too.  If you are interested in giving fasting for health a try, let me know, I will encourage you along the way.  And you should know that there are many many ways to incorporate fasting into your life.    (Intermittent fasting, alternate day fasting, eating within a daily window, longer term fasts, etc.)

They call me Mommy

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

Psalm 139:13-14

(This is a recycled Mother's day blog post that I wrote a few years ago, with minor edits.  Blessed to be "Mommy" to six individuals fearfully and wonderfully made. ) 

THE FIRSTBORN

Boo... beautiful, opinionated, and so very smart... I am so thankful that you made me "Mommy".

Lukie...  nurturing and sensitive from the start, you were BORN to be a big brother, even if you had to wait and pray for 12 years before it finally happened.

                                        

Nik Nak... you are truly a miracle baby.   2 miscarriages and 8 years of praying God would bless us with more children, you were the perfect answer in God's perfect timing.

Kay Kay.. Even though you are my biggest mommy challenge, I have a feeling some day I will look back and know that it was you that taught me the most about the Father's love for His children.

Jo Jo....  you are the most generous and resourceful human being I have ever known, and sometimes I can't believe how blessed I am that I get to be your mom.  

Nater... You are the boy God promised to us 10 years before you were born (Your story is a great one).  The biggest and best surprise of our lives, I truly cannot imagine our family without you... the stinking cuteness is too yummy for words.  "I love you and I like you".

Re-entering the Blogging World

I am a pretty horrible blogger since I started teaching, but my friend Wendy is one of the most faithful bloggers I know.  She rarely misses a day, and so she has inspired me to try to do a bit more blogging every now and then with this is a new blogging challenge called "Share your world," from Cee Neuner. 

Wendy says... "Apparently she posts a few questions each week, and all participants need do is answer them. It’s a cool way to get to know one another. The idea is to answer the questions without overthinking them and just have fun. Feel free to join in by copying the questions and then write your answers in a new post linking back to Cee’s original post." So that's what I am going to do for my first attempt to re-enter the blogging world.

When you're alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?

I have never been one to wear shoes around the house no matter where I have lived.  I prefer barefeet, but in winter socks are a must.  I have slippers, but rarely wear them.

What was your favourite food when you were a child? (I am resisting the temptation to correct my friends spelling of favorite.)

I was the pickiest eater ever.  I wouldn't touch a vegetable, not even corn or potatoes.  I have more memories of foods I didn't like than foods I did like.  But as far as I know, I have always liked Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches.  

Are you a listener or a talker?

I am pretty good at both actually. What I am not good at is small talk.  I get bored quite easily with shallow conversations.Favourite thing to (pick one): Photograph? Write? or Cook?

 I am not much of a photographer, but I like to write.  My favorite thing to write is opinion, persuasive, editorial type pieces.  I have written many letters to the editor of my local newspaper.  I have always enjoyed crafting a good argument.  Lately my husband has been doing 90% of all the cooking, but when I used to cook, I preferred making desserts, and breads.  I miss my breadmaker, and hope to get another one soon.

Optional bonus question:

What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for my amazing husband who turns 49 today.  He is truly one of the most selfless people I know.  He's amazing... and I get to do life with him. Blessed.

I am going to cheat and skip ahead to the week after next, I am looking forward to taking two personal days that I have scheduled.  I almost never take time off, but these were use or lose days, and I am looking forward to spending them however I please.

If you are interested in joining this blogging challenge –

just copy/paste the above questions into a new post and answer them. Then put the link for your post here: Cee’s Challenge.

Monument Stones

21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.”

This year in Bible I had the privilege of teaching my 6th graders some great biblical truths.  One of them was this story from Joshua.  After God brought the Israelites across the Jordan, Joshua instructed them on the importance of setting up memorials or monuments to the goodness and faithfulness of God in our lives.

6 years ago on a Friday night our lives changed in an instant.  Here is what I wrote the next day...  These pictures are our monument stones, our remembrance that God in his mercy saved our family
from heartache, injury and death.

Our God is Mighty to Save

Forgive me in advance if this post is hard to follow. Last night while I was taking my algebra test online the internet went out and a few minutes later, Boo (our oldest) called and said "Mom are you listening to the radio?" I said yeah we are trying to but it wasn't real clear. She said they are saying a tornado is in your area. I jumped up and grabbed Nik Nak, Luke got Kloe and Jordan and Mark handed me Baby Nathan and they brought the dining room table into the hallway. We huddled under it and heard the radio say that we had 2 minutes before it would be right in our area.

You never really think it will hit YOU. Luke wanted to look out the window for it and I told him he would never have time to get safe if he saw it coming. He listened to me for once and got under with us. Next thing we heard this low rumbling noise and Mark said "pressure" and he and Luke felt their ears pop. Luke yelled PRAY!. the house started to shake, we heard a loud explosion (later realized it was the roof coming off) and then we were in the air and in that 5 seconds we did not know if we would live or die. It was over so fast and the kids started screaming, we were all covered in insulation, the table was gone from over our heads and stuff from the kitchen was in my lap. Wall hangings were broken and in our laps, one was over Nik Nak's neck but there was no glass left in it to hurt her. The only way out was straight down the hallway and out a window. We climbed through glass and the broken window in our bare feet and stood in the rain for a bit. We could smell gas from the neighbors house. We decided to walk to our van and get in. The windshield was busted and glass all over the front seats. We climbed in the back while Mark went to see if he could help anyone else on our street.

Luke sat in the back and prayed with the kids and praised God over and over for his awesome power in keeping us safe. He actually got the kids to be almost happy, praising God and singing songs to Him. Our friend Mike Pendergrass got as close as he could and Katie came from the friends house. Mike took us all back to his house and we got the insulation cleaned off and there was NOT A SCRATCH on any of the younger kids!!! Mark and Luke have some minor cuts and I have a pretty nasty one on my ankle that should probably be stitched, but I don't care if it scars so I will probably just let it heal.

Mark said he went back and the front wall of our mobile home is in the yard. No roof over much of it. The only place we would have been okay was in the hall where we all were. Our God is MIGHTY TO SAVE.

Kloe girl kept crying "our hooooouse is broooooken". The kids are doing real well now... but only got about 6 hours of sleep. I only got an hour and a half. I am so incredibly thankful to our God for the miracle that He has done!! EACH ONE OF US IS SAFE!! I did not have to see one of my kids injured or die, and they did not have to see that either. Thank you LORD!!! I will post pictures when I can, you won't believe it. Not sure I believe it!! Thanks for your prayers, we will need it in the days and weeks to come!

Edited to attach a picture to this post... the first time I saw our house post tornado and realized exactly what we had been saved from!

May God Multiply our Loaves

Two years ago today, I was in Haiti with my sweet friend Mariah and a beautiful team of young women.   I really don't have the right words to describe this particular day, these special children.  Jehovah Jireh, I pray you are still multiplying loaves on behalf of these precious ones.

Riah and a very special baby girl.

December 19, 2013

Monday and Tuesday we visited an orphanage where about 20 children lived.  They did not have much, but they did have clean clothes, food to eat, and were obviously cared for by the woman who ran the orphanage.  Had we just visited this one place while we are in Haiti, I may not have called these children blessed.  But they are.

Today we went to an orphanage with 45 children of all ages.  Immediately we knew that this place was not like the first (where the kids were loved and well cared for).  The children were too thin, their clothing too dirty, their bedroom held 19 beds and I am certain they slept at least 2 to a bed.  Some beds had torn up sheets, some beds had none.

Our leader, Melanie, went to the market and bought some food supplies as we do for each orphanage that we visit. But by the time it was 3 pm the children still had not eaten a meal.  We had some bread and some peanut butter for our team's lunches and we calculated that it was enough for each child to have half a slice with a smear of peanut butter.  As I made the sandwiches others passed them out.  We got to the bottom of the peanut butter jar and we still needed two more slices, so we switched to jam.  When the jam was gone, the children asked for the jar.  They put their hands in and got out all they could, when they couldn't get any more with their hands they filled the jar with water to loosen the jam and drank it.  They were THAT desperate.  THAT hungry.

Earlier this morning it was my turn to share a devotion and I talked about how we don't have to have all the answers and we don't have to solve every problem.  God can take our "loaves and fishes" or insufficiency or weakness and make it into so much more.  I was speaking figuratively, but little did I know He would use our literal loaves today too.  Please pray that God multiplies our loaves even in their hungry little bellies.  Pray that the God of the universe would be sufficient to meet their needs because I (we) certainly am (are) not.

Coming Up for Air!

I knew life would be crazy and super busy once school started, but I thought I would update our blog before we had been here 7 weeks!  

Everyone seems to be settling in pretty well and adjusting to the new lifestyle.  Our new lifestyle includes a lot more exercise (biking and walking) and a lot less riding in cars.  (Maybe once a week!).  It also includes a lot less junk food and a lot more veggies.. YAY JAPAN!

Nathan is settled into an international preschool and seems to be enjoying himself.  He will start Japanese school in April.  Nikki started third grade at Japanese school and is enjoying all the preparations for "Undokai" or sports day coming up in October.  Undokai is a big deal in Japanese Elementary School.  Jordan and Kloe have settled in at CAJ, Jordan did well in his first Cross Country meet, and Kloe has joined the choir and is learning to play recorder.  Mark is spending his days studying Japanese at the local YWAM base, as well as shopping, cooking (quite well!!) and cleaning.  I would not survive without him.

We visited the church that meets at CAJ once, then we went to our old church in Ome another Sunday (it's too far to go to every Sunday).  Then we found the church we have decided to call home.  It's a church that meets in a house, and is pastored by a really sweet couple.  He is Japanese and she is American.  It's a good mix of foreigners and Japanese and everything is done in both languages right on the spot.  Which is GREAT for brushing up on our Japanese!

We experienced our first earthquake early last Saturday morning.  I jumped out of bed and ran for the kids because I was concerned that they would be freaked out.  Turns out it was the strongest earthquake in our area since the big earthquake in 2011.  It's the strongest one I have ever felt in all our time in Japan.  It was very short lasting thankfully, and had stopped by the time we got the kids out of bed.

Today we had an earthquake drill at school.  Those kids are experts at diving under their desks.  :-)  Nikki has a seat cushion for school that doubles as an emergency hat they put over their head in an earthquake.  Pretty ingenious.

Our house has turned out to be as big of a blessing as we thought.  I can walk to school in less than 5 minutes, which is good, because I am practically living there lately.  Nikki can walk to school in two minutes as well.  The river is nearby and the kids enjoyed playing there this summer.  It is lined with biking and running paths too.

I am LOVING my job.  My 6th grade homeroom consists of 7 girls and 5 boys and they are the BEST kids ever.  They still have a sweetness about them, and they are enthusiastic about learning the Bible with me.  It's so fun!  My math classes are larger and a little less personal.  I have finally learned all of my students names.  WE have many nationalities represented but what I didn't realize was how many Koreans we have.  I feel so bad as it has taken me a long time to get their names.  Wonjun, Songjun, Jinwoo, Yoonjin, Yonjoo, Jihye, Sungwon, Hyeonseo....  see what I mean?!!  

Why Japan? (A guest post from my husband)

As the Van Clan prepares to board a plane and move to Japan tomorrow, I'm sure some of you are thinking why are you going there? From the first year or two of our marriage, Renee' and I talked quite a bit about how we'd like to become missionaries after our time in the Air Force. However I honestly thought that would probably be to Kenya, like my mom and dad; but God thought differently:-) 

At this point I need to take you back to July 16, 2000. We were visiting a church pastored by some good friends of my mom and dad's, just weeks before the Air Force transferred us to Yokota Air Base, just outside Tokyo, Japan. In the middle of the sermon the pastor, Ivan, stopped preaching, looked at us and said that "God is preparing you for the mission field while you're in the AF. And after retirement from the AF, Uncle Sam will be paying you as missionaries." That impressed us so much we kept that Sunday's church bulletin where we wrote that down, and still have it to this day.

And you know what? God did prepare us to go back to Japan while we were there because of the Air Force! We spent seven years there (2000-2007) and God put a love in our hearts for the people of Japan that was inexplicable. We began to wonder if maybe that's where we would go back to someday, but were quite unsure of how we would go back and in what capacity. 

But God wasn't unsure, He had a plan! Last fall Renee' was hired as a teacher by Christian Academy in Japan. This is a Christian International school just 12 miles from where we were stationed with the Air Force. And as Pastor Ivan prophesied; the AF will help support us through my retirement pay as we serve God in Japan.

So over the course of the past few months; we prepared to move with our 4 kids to Higashi-kurume, a suburb of Tokyo. We have thrown stuff away, given it away and sold it until we can fit the possessions we need to take into 12 suitcases, 6 backpacks and a carry on in a pear tree;-)

Even though we had to get rid of the majority of our "stuff", we never gave it a second thought (ok, maybe I struggled a bit getting rid of my lifetime's collection of tools!) as it is just that; it's stuff, with no eternal value, stuff that could actually be a hindrance to following God's will. Plus there is such joy in knowing you are following God's call/plan, that it is worth any sacrifice! 

Although Japan is a modern first world country it is spiritually poor with less than 1% of the population considered Christian. Tokyo proper has a little over 13 million people, with the Tokyo metropolitan area having almost 38 million people. So, there is a HUGE mission field with 37 million people who don't know about Jesus Christ just in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area alone! 

And without Jesus Christ there is great hopelessness. Thanks to my awesome brother David McDaniel making a video       ( http://youtu.be/EAtvixTnIZE ) with the same title as this post (he used it first though:-); there are some figures I'd like to share. 11% of Japanese wish they'd never been born, 85% of young Japanese wonder why they exist. 

Japan has the sixth highest suicide rate in the world. Around 30,000 people a year take their own lives. That's 100 people a day, three every hour! Talk about a dark place in need of some hope! And thanks to Jesus Christ we have the answer for this hopelessness; so why shouldn't we go to Japan? In all of Japan there is only 1 missionary for every 56,000 Japanese. I hope that our going there will challenge many people to follow us and be a part of what God will do in the coming years:-)

We have heard and read so much of how many people feel that Japan is on the cusp of revival. And we are beyond ready to go to help usher that in! Every day I am so anxious to get there and see what God has in store for us in. And there is such joy and peace in knowing we are truly doing what God has called us to do.

So I leave you with one last quote from my friend David McDaniel. "Why Japan? The real question is, why not Japan?" Please pray for us as we leave tomorrow morning! Pray we continue to hear and follow God's leading; and pray that Japan will see revival like never before! 

   

Sent from my iPad

We have a Departure Date!

Yes, we took the plunge and purchased our airline tickets to Tokyo!!

I have to admit, dropping that much money at one time made me want to hyperventilate a little... I mean what if something goes wrong?  What if our visas don't come through?  What if aliens invade earth or there is a zombie apocalypse?  What if Jesus comes back before we leave?  Alright, I admit, if Jesus comes back I am not going to care about the money... but you get the idea.

So I summoned my courage and hit the "book" button.  And we got an AMAZINGLY GREAT DEAL.  Seriously, the tickets were about $350 PER ticket less than prices I have been seeing since the fall when I started tracking prices.  Multiply that times 6 folks and you have a huge chunk of change.  God's hand is in every detail, and we are thankful, and excited.  Anyone want to come to Tyson-Mghee at 6am on July 29 to say goodbye?

Please pray that there would be no hiccups or bumps in the road in regards to obtaining our visas!

Jehovah Jireh- OUR PROVIDER

I had to wait until it was a done deal to share this testimony, but I just love how God takes care of our every need, and in the process confirms that we are exactly where we are suppose to be, heading exactly where we are suppose to be heading!!  Here's the story...


A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a CAJ staff member that had connected with me via Facebook.  We were talking about housing and she was saying and I was wholeheartedly agreeing that it would be important to be CLOSE to the school.  Commuting by train every day would get expensive, and with Jordan in sports, he would have to figure out the Japanese system pretty quickly so that he could travel alone.  For a kid who struggles with language and reading this was weighing on me pretty heavily.  After speaking with my friend I messaged some of my prayer warrior friends who have been faithful to pray us through these last two extremely difficult months.   This is what I wrote:

"It's about time for the folks in Japan to be looking for a place for us to live. It is complicated by our large family, and Japanese houses are typically very tiny. We also really need to have a house close to the school so that we won't spend tons of money and time commuting. Would you guys join me in prayer that God will lead them to the "just right" place? I know it is silly, but I also worry that if it is too much of a commute or too far from the school, it will be hard on Jordan"

They immediately replied with encouragement and prayer...

"Thank You for Being Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. Thank You because when You called the Van Druffs to Japan, You already knew what home You have specifically Hand-Picked for them, where they'd live and who their neighbors would be etc. Now Father, Divinely lead those who are in charge of securing their home directly the one You picked. Amazingly, You can see it right now!;) Thank You for the doors You opened to ensure that their home would be in the perfect size for their big family and for working out the commuting situation and for already taking the finances involved in account."

"My faith is BIG for your house Renee….exactly what you need and right where y'all need to be! Daddy is not one to let details like this slip past Him grin emoticon This is soooo EXCITING!!!!!"

You all need friends like this!!  :-)  And guess what?  I am not even exaggerating when I say that just an hour or so after that prayer, my friend from CAJ sends me this message:

"I have a lead on a mission house that is one block from the school that "randomly" another teacher just told me about it as I entered school this morning. I just emailed XXXX and someone else about it."

Did you all catch that?  ONE BLOCK FROM THE SCHOOL!  Well, by the next morning, the person in charge of renting the house had already contacted Mark to see if we were interested!  To make a long story, not too much longer, it's big enough for us, it's in a perfect location, and the rent is reasonable!  Not only is it one block from where Jordan, Kloe and I will be going to school, there was another "little something" from the Lord as well.  As we checked out the house on Google Maps we noticed that the elementary school that I wanted Nikki and Nater to go to actually borders our new back yard.  Seriously, God just knocked our socks off on this one!!

"And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!"

Spiritual Warfare Part 2

I am finding it hard to come up with the words to begin this post.  At this moment I am in awe of God's love and care for us.  The last weeks since I wrote that first post about spiritual warfare have literally been some of the hardest of our lives.  Some things I can share, and some I cannot.  But what I can say is there were times when we were in great despair, and I don't use those words lightly.  We were utterly powerless to do anything to "fix" the situations and totally dependent on God to move TWO big mountains in particular.

One thing that happened, was just a crazy unbelievable mistake on my part.  So crazy, and so unlike me, that I told Mark this has to have happened so God can show up and show off.  That is the only explanation. The long and short of it is that I missed an important step in submitting my big EdTPA portfolio to Pearson and it has caused my scores to be delayed until a couple weeks after graduation.  The university told me that I would receive an incomplete in the class and I could not get my degree or graduate until August.  Since I need my degree to get my visa, and the whole process of getting the visa takes a couple of months, this was very bad news.   Somehow some way I had to graduate on May 9 and receive my degree.  God had to move this mountain.

Yesterday in church we had a guest speaker.  Ever have those days where you know God planned the message just for you?  Yesterday was that day.  The word was from 2 Kings 6-7 and the subject was from "Famine to Feast".  In short, there was a famine in Samaria, and things were really desperate.  So desperate that the people were eating goat heads and dove poop.  Along came the prophet Elisha and he says: 

HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD.  (Ch 7:1-2)

"In 24 hours everything is going to change"

There is a lot more to the story, but this is the most important part.  This is what I felt in my spirit God was saying to me.  Both Mark and I were in tears by the end of the message. Last night, one of the two mountains, (sorry to be so private, but just know it was HUGE, and we were desperate for a change, and that we had been praying for WEEKS for a breakthrough) that problem completely turned around in a matter of hours.  Like 180 degrees.  Total change.  Just as the Lord said.

Then this morning at 10:30  (24 hours from the start of church yesterday) I received an email.  I am going to graduate on May 9.  I will receive a "D" rather than an incomplete for the class in question.  Once my scores come in, they will recalculate my grade.  In the meantime, I have never been so happy to ruin my 4.0.  (And it is only temporary!)  Makes me wonder if God thought I needed a little dose of humility!  LOL.

In the process of fighting these battles, facing these obstacles, praying for miracles, I have learned so many things.

1)Never ask to be tested, but know this:  God uses every trial for good.  During the testing you will become more dependent on God than you ever were when all was right in your world.  And there is no better place to be than dependent on the One who has the power to move mountains.

2)We all need praying friends.  Friends who won't just SAY they are praying but will actually do it.  So many I could name that have been on their knees time, and time, and time again for our family over these last weeks.  They were our lifeline.

3)Take the time listen to people who are in the fire.  Look for them, seek them out and pray for them.  Then follow up with them.  Continue to lift them up until God brings them through.  I know for a fact that I will be more aware of people who need to be encouraged and carried to the Father in prayer.

4)Know that nothing is too difficult for God and that in 24 hours, everything can change.  Nothing can stop His plan for your life.  When God calls you to it, He will bring you through it.  Cliche perhaps, but true nonetheless.

Spiritual Warfare

If you have ever moved out in obedience to something God is calling you to do then you are no stranger to spiritual warfare.  I cannot tell you how many people I know who were living comfortable, care-free lives until they decided to enter the adoption process or become foster parents only to have all hell break loose.  In the 15 months of our own adoption journey we had several appliances break down, the stock-market crashed cutting our investments by more than half (the very investments that were to pay our adoption expenses!), and I had a miscarriage.  Spiritual warfare is real.

"For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." Ephesians 6:12

So I mentioned to Mark a few weeks ago that we should not be surprised if things start "happening".  God is calling us to Japan, and He has a purpose for us there.  There are powers of darkness and spiritual forces of evil that would work to hinder that purpose.  Therefore, it is no surprise that at the beginning of the year I felt led to make "Serenity" my focus word.  Or to put it in a way that is more my style "Hakuna Matata" NO PROBLEM.  Both vehicles starting to have issues when up until now they have run in perfect harmony with the universe? Hakuna matata!  Find out we might have trouble processing the visa in time if my TN licensing paperwork takes too long to come after graduation?  Hakuna Matata!  Hubby forgot to take the super duper stinky trash out before leaving for work?  Hakuna Matata!  Why are we able to say no problem?  Because we know how this ends!

The weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4

1. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
2. _____________________________________________________________________

The post above this point was written a month ago but never posted.  I didn't know then that we were about to face a much bigger battle than car trouble!  I think God had me write this so that today, when we are facing a discouraging family situation, I could look at it and remind myself.  "We know how this ends!"  As I have been contemplating our current spiritual battle, God gave me the following verses from Zechariah...

Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’” Zechariah 4:6-7

Please pray for God to move a mountain for the Van Clan... that it would become a level plain before us!

Feeling Gray by KBV

Sometimes my days feel so gray

Everything seems to be a mess

Nothing seems right

Mistake after mistake

Things get even harder

But that doesn’t mean I can’t change

Chorus:
Even though it hurts

Even though it’s hard

I’m going to try my very best

I need You, I need You

Lord I need You

No matter what it takes I need You

Sometimes I feel hurt

Sometimes it feels so hard

Not everything seems right

But I don’t think you or I should ever give up

Whatever our days feel like

God is always there

When trouble comes for you or me

Sometimes it feels like I just mess up every day

But God is with me

Sometimes my days feel so gray

Nothing seems to be right

Time is flying... and dragging!

It's February!  If all goes well we have five months before we leave for Japan.  Time is flying and dragging all at the same time!!

Some progress is being made toward our move...

1)We all have our passports!  All six of them.  Although we have 4 different expiration dates among the six passports!  Gonna have to pay attention to that in the future!

2)I have a general idea of what I will be teaching at CAJ, but things can change on that front.  Right now it looks like I will be in middle school.  Specifically 6th grade homeroom, math and Bible.  In addition to that I will likely be teaching one other core subject OR 8th grade math.  Anxiously waiting for the final say on that so I can start digging into curriculum maps and making plans! I did go ahead and buy a cheap teachers guide for the 6th grade math on Amazon.

3)We have sold and will keep selling our bigger furniture items.  We are know eating at a picnic table, having sold our dining table and chairs this week.  My "desk" is now a group of boxes stacked up.  I am surprised at how much we have sold and yet still have PLENTY of junk.  Too much stuff.  Seriously.  Even being minimalists has not saved us from collecting a bunch of things we have no need for.

Our new (old) dinner table

My "desk"

4)This month I realized that we will not be having any yard, garage, or junk sales to raise money because neither Mark and I can hold onto our unwanted/unnecessary junk that long!  Several carloads have already been taken to our local KARM (Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries) thrift shop.  We have always been minimalists, and having a good excuse to purge is fun for us.  :-)  I think we'd rather be blessed by donating it to a good cause than be blessed by the few dollars we could get for selling it.

So five months to go.  Seems like forever and yet I know it will be here soon!