Hi! Remember me?
Goodness, how the time has gotten away from me.

I got new glasses!!!!!  (My friend "Newman" said they're Sally Jesse Raphael glasses.) lol

I've actually been working on a blog entry for nearly 2 months now, but the content of it has been a little difficult for me to process.  (When I post it, you will understand why.)  Just tonight, though, I've decided maybe it isn't necessary to make everything that happens in [my] life fit into a succinct and easily-read format with a beginning, middle, and end and laced with artsy photos and metaphor.  Sometimes life just IS, and I should give myself permission to just BE.

I promise to provide you all with a THOROUGH update very, very soon.  In the meantime, please feel free to "like" my RheAnn in Japan Facebook page which I update regularly with "mini-blogs" and information. :)

I would also like to request that you add me to any e-mail lists or blogs YOU may have!  This could be your church newsletter, something creative, something personal...ANYTHING!  Just as you like to know what's going on with me, I am interested in knowing what is going on with you! :)  My e-mail address is rheann.in.japan@gmail.com .

At the new year, I made a resolution to write a blog every 2 weeks.  I planned to write a blog about how I planned to blog. ;)  I even got an app for my iPhone (Momento, I highly recommend it) that I thought would simplify this process by allowing me to collect notes, photos, and highlights of my life in Japan in one place, so that I could sift through them--every 2 weeks--and include them in a blog entry.  Needless to say... This is not at all what happened!!  Haha!  I am writing in my "iJournal" regularly, but failing to finish the sequence by posting here.  (Sorry!!)  I really think it has to do with feeling "blocked" by the important topic I mentioned before.  Things are going to change, I can FEEL it! ;)

Innnnn the mean time, allow me to share with you a few gems from my iJournal from the past several weeks.  Ok?

December 11, 2010 (Saturday)
"Wow!! What a rush to perform for 50 kids!!! That was AWESOME!!  The busiest weekend of the year is off to a GREAT start!!" (I performed the Japanese children's story "Urashima Taro" at the Christmas party at Kibogaoka Church.  I hope to make storytelling a part of my ongoing ministry.)




This life-sized sea turtle (made for me by the artist Seiji Yonehara) was featured in my telling of "Urashima Taro," the story of a young man who loves the sea and is kind to animals...


December 12, 2010 (Sunday)
"Finished the Advent craft workshop!!  It was AWESOME (but I'm officially EXHAUSTED.) ;)" (With materials donated by some generous folks back in the US --whom I cannot thank enough--I was able to lead a workshop for all ages!  We were expecting 6 people the morning of the event and hosted 18 instead!!  We made advent wreaths, spicy orange and whole walnut decorations, bird feeder ornaments, and Christmas cards at Ichikawa's first ever "Make your Christmas Red and GREEN" event.  Three children from the neighborhood have been coming back to the church each week!) :)

Everyone poses with the "peace sign" in Japan.  ...I added my own "flair." ;) (This was at the green Advent workshop. This is Yusuke who helped me set up.)

December 17, 2010 (Friday)
"After stopping by the sale at the natural market and making deviled eggs, I went to Asahi for my class.  The SURPRISED me.  Instead of their assigned topics, they did Christmas presentations based on gifts they got for me!!!"  (The class at Asahi is "Japanese Culture in English," and the women do presentations on various topics every two weeks.  This was very touching!)

I got presents!!!! (These are from my sister. Each individually wrapped item had a sweet little note attached to it!) :)

December 19, 2010 ("Christmas Sunday")
"I'm at church.  Boutta give my speech!!!  I'd hoped to be hit by a car and not have to do this!! ;)"  (I've never really had a whole CONVERSATION in Japanese, yet on this day, I gave a speech--my testimony--in Japanese before the entire congregation at Sagamino Church!!!  Five of my ten Sagamino students were present that day.  I did it for them.)

Here's to the ladies who lunch! ;) (This was the Christmas lunch at Sagamino...AFTER my speech!)

Mistletoe!!  (I spent Christmas with a church member's family in Tokyo.)

January 2, 2011 (Sunday)
"Winter vacation (so far) = tour of Buddhist temples, gazing at turtles, eating over-priced tofu, and staying at Akira Kurosawa's favorite ryokan.  I love Kyoto!" (My friends and I took a 2 night, 3 day vacation to the Kyoto area.  It was the best vacation of my adult life.  ....I am not exaggerating.)

The Site of Reversible Destiny:  This is an amazing art experience near Ogaki city. If you ever have a chance to go here, I hope you will. It changed my life!!

January 9, 2011 (Sunday)
"Saw a blind guy walk into a post at Ebina station.  It awakened worry and humor in me all at once.
Mostly humor.  ....(Thanks, Grandma.)"  (I am one of those people who involuntarily laughs when someone gets hurt BEFORE checking on him or her.  I know this is off-putting to some, but it's a characteristic I actually embrace.  My mother does this sometimes, and her mother ALWAYS did this.  ...Mom says this trait goes back for generations!!  Ha!!) :)

January 11, 2011 (Tuesday)
"My students fought to sit beside me today.  (Maybe I loved that...just a little.) ;)"  (At our first class of the new year, the kids in my class at Ebina Church wanted to sit beside me during the "Squeeze Game"--a simple vocabulary review we do at the end of most classes.  Each person in the circle says a word they learned that day then says, "Squeeze!" and squeezes the hand of the person next to them to indicate their turn.  ...This is loosely based on "the circle prayers" I love so much.) :)

This is a puppy that one of the children is working on. We are making relief sculptures!

January 28, 2011 (Friday)
"Just ran into a big group of boys who attended my performance last month and they got sooo excited to see me.  They practiced speaking to me in English.  One boy asked, 'How are youuuuuuu?!' I said, 'Onaka suita (I'm hungry.)' This was apparently hilarious. ;)"  (I so rarely speak in Japanese because I'm really not very good at it! But any time I say even the simplest thing, I get HUGE reactions...like the time I answered "Hai" when my name was called at the Presbytery meeting.  Everyone found that one little word so adorable.  Hahaha!) :)

February 3, 2011 (Thursday)
"Sometimes something happens (something small) and my day is transformed into 'the best day of my life.'
But if someone asked me, 'What was the best day of your life?' I'd likely neglect to tell them about having 2 delicious enchiladas and margaritas for the first time in a year.  ...Nevertheless, today was awesome.
...PLUS, this morning when I passed the elementary school, I smelled rolls--the school cafeteria kind, with all the extra flour on top; the kind I loved to dig the soft center out of with my finger..."  (It's the little things.)




My student Shoko knitted this beautiful scarf for me after I showed her a photo of the beautiful scarf that was stolen last year in Memphis!!  How cool is she??


February 10, 2011 (Thursday)
"Just watched a lady in an apron step out of the back door of a coffee house and scatter food scraps to a flock of waiting pigeons, then saw another woman give a homemade rice ball to a homeless man by the station only moments later.  These are not things I often see in Japan, and I feel BLESSED to have been a witness."

We got our first real snow here this week.  This was along the river between Asahi Church and Tsurugamine Station.

And that pretty much brings us up to date.
I'm currently trying to get my house ready for something really, really special.
...MY SISTER'S COMING FROM THE U.S.!!!!  I can't wait for her visit!!  I miss her so, so much!

I think we will have a lot of fun!  ...Plus I'm hosting "Flat Katie" during that time for my old youth leader's niece, so the *three* of will be taking many, many photos!!  Yay!!

Now.
I have publicly announced my New Year's resolution to blog every 2 weeks...and...I'm gonna go ahead and say it started on the Chinese New Year, February 3, so...I'm right on track!! ;)

One final note:  If you pledged to support my work here in Japan, THANK YOU!  I hope you're doing a better job of managing your commitment than I have done with my blogging. ;)  If you aren't yet a supporter but would like to be, let me know!!  There is info on the right-hand side of this website.  (You will find a link to my "RheAnn in Japan" Facebook page here as well.)  I appreciate --and NEED--all of your prayers and gifts.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.