Giving a helping hand

Last Sunday after a church visit in Sioux Falls, I got to join up with over 30 people from my home church to give a helping hand to children around the world. (This was after a great pork feed and pie auction to help the youth of the church I visited raise money for their missions trip this summer.)

We gathered in the former grocery store where my sister and I shopped during seminary to pack food. A man from Maple Grove, MN started an organization called Kids Against Hunger. He had several companies help him come up with a meal that can be served anywhere in the world with as much nutrition as possible in one package. It took several years to perfect the meal. Now there are packing stations all across the United States where people can go and pack healthy meals which will then be sent around the world. We were told that the 7,344 meals we packaged will be sent to Haiti.

This capped off a challenge from the missions committee at church to eat just rice and beans for one week in February and then use the money saved on food to donate to the organization. What a challenge!

In 2 hours around 30 people were able to package 7,344 meals! Amazing!

Here are a few pics from the afternoon...

We all got to wear the very fashionable hairnets and aprons! We had three assembly lines which included filling a bag with the four main ingredients, weighing the bags, sealing the bags, putting the bags into boxes, and decorating the boxes-done by the kids.


Filling the bags...


Weighing the bags...


Sealing the bags...


And, decorating boxes...


The whole group

Inside the Japan Room

So, in the last post I talked about the World Tour held in Michigan. I thought I'd take you inside the Japan room. The amazing thing is, the church in charge of the Japan room (as well as the ones in charge of the other countries) did all of the decorating. We just showed up and talked! Well, we did give some advice.

Upon entering Japan, the guests entered a Japanese living room. (We had planned to have them put on hospital booties over their shoes to simulate taking off shoes and putting on slippers like we do in Japan. However, after the first group, the groups were so big we didn't want to take time to do that.)
This is one of the little girls who passed out snacks to our guests.

From the living room we headed into the garden...


After listening to Carol and me our guests headed to the calligraphy/anime area. Two gals from the church dressed in beautiful kimonos had made up some anime coloring pages and had been practicing katakana so that they could write the kids' names in Japanese.


Then the guests were then treated to a martial arts demonstration...


And, finally, the guests sampled some delicious sushi!
(FYI: sushi does not equal raw fish!)


Very fun day!

Missions Fun

The weekend of the big football game I was in the Detroit, Michigan area. The NAB churches in the area work together to host a weekend of missions activities each year. This year was my 3rd time to attend (not 4th as I mistakenly said at the closing service) and each time has been a unique and great event. I am going to post pictures of activities because a picture is worth a thousand words!

I got to attend a school field trip to a saw mill and learn all about the life of lumberjacks.


The missionary guests posing for a picture after the Friday evening opening service which was preceded by an amazing meal.


Saturday's big event, the NAB world tour, Japan stop.


The "in-country" tour guides, Shan and Carol.
Each group that arrived had a tour guide traveling with them from Cameroon to Japan and finally to Nigeria. Then the missionaries were the in-country tour guides.


The Nigerian tour guides, Dave and Mary June Burgess.


The Cameroonian guides, Lori Hiller and Debi and Lance Rundus.


Saturday afternoon/evening was spent with the youth, bowling, eating pizza and sharing testimonies.
Sunday morning we each got to share at a different church in various capacities. Then Sunday late afternoon we had a closing service sharing prayer requests and teaching the children about our countries.
The weekend ended watching the big game:)

Love these churches' heart for missions! Thanks, y'all!

Winter Happenings

I have been doing a lot of traveling the past month. During that time my parents have also been remodeling the kitchen. Last week one section got done! Here is a picture of what it looks like...

They took off all of the cupboard doors, painted them, put on new knobs, took off countertops, ordered new ones as well as new appliances and painted the walls. Thankfully, the new microwave is here since we have been without since before Christmas. Today Mom is painting the closet door. They are waiting for a friend to help with the texturing of one wall and to help put in the long counter. Then the new stove and fridge will be installed. It is looking nice!



Saturday I was sitting in the computer room (my old bedroom) and noticed a hungry critter eating the red berries off the bush outside the window. Isn't it cool how God planned nature to take care of the animals even during the winter?!



Saturday night I was privileged to have dinner with 3 wonderful couples. The men in my dad's Wednesday noon Bible study decided to take their wives out for dinner, and included me, too. We were planning to go to Sioux Falls for dinner, however, the weather was terrible. Therefore, the couple who live in Sioux Falls did not get to join us. We had a great time, good food and conversation. The evening finished with us watching the SDSU/NDSU basketball game which went into double overtime.

Dad also surprised Mom and me with lovely flowers!

Just checking in

I don't have a lot to say right now-or maybe too much to say! So, I am just going to do my picture posting and move on. I have been traveling a lot this month. Church visits every Sunday and visits with many friends and family in between. It has been a good month, but a little exhausting, too.
Here are a few highlights...


Cousins in Kansas

More relatives in Oklahoma-it was a lot colder than usual OK weather!

BBQ with Becky in TX-I can't believe I used to babysit for her!

Catching up in Georgetown (TX)- one evening was not long enough!

What have you been up to?! Meeting up in Dallas with a childhood friend

Minnesota mini-reunion

I have seen LOTS of this-roads, snow, fog, even some rain-this month

Celebrations

Happy New Year!

Although this is the first post of the new year I wanted to post about Christmas. It was fun to be in the US this year for Christmas. I love Christmas in Japan-a little less commercialism, so many ministry opportunities, Silent Night in Japanese, making new traditions.

Some of the fun events of this year's Christmas in the U.S.: several excellent concerts, visiting with long-time friends, visiting with family, singing Silent Night in English (actually I just listen because I am crying as I think about singing it in Japanese), Christmas Eve service in a snowstorm, Christmas at my sister's place, skyping with family and friends around the world.

Christmas eve my parents and I took a chance in the lull of the blizzard and went to my sister's. We arrived just in time to carry in our stuff and brave the roads to the Christmas eve service. After church we made it home just as the interstates were being closed, had some delicious homemade pizza and put the lights on the tree.
The cats also like a lit up tree!

Christmas day was spent relaxing, making turkey, watching the snow, watching the kids across the street enjoy the snow, decorating the tree, and eating-Mom's rolls for breakfast and turkey, mashed potatoes, Shonda's yummy corn, and Jan's chocolate silk pie for dinner. The day was topped off with present opening and a Hallmark movie.
Getting ready to eat our Christmas dinner.
Fun around the tree.

Since the highways were still closed we spent another day of mostly the same, except for the presents!
A little look out back and the snow flying around.

I am thankful for a family who loves Jesus and enjoys celebrating His birth together. We had a wonderful, warm holiday in the midst of the snowstorm raging outside.

Recent events, Part 2

Next up in the December line-up of activities was cookie baking.

Grandma Joy and Andrew rolling out the dough.


Mixing up the gingerbread cookie dough.
(I promised not to publish the picture of their faces so they are getting their backsides posted instead:)


Decorating the cookies, a family event.


Laura's traditional Santa scene


We also dipped dried apricots and pretzels, which were equally as yummy!