Having spent 6 years in Tokyo and 4 years in Yokohama teaching English, Bill and I have been greatly impacted by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Our friends were not as affected as the people in Sendai (to the north). We were taken by surprise when we saw the news because we had just received emails from a couple saying they were coming to Oklahoma to visit us in June. Also, a teacher at my former school had just written about the graduations which are planned throughout Japan in March. The new school year begins in April when the cherry blossoms grace the country. As devastated as Japan is at the moment, the Christians have not lost their faith in God. God's children know that death is not the worst thing that can happen, and as long as we are on this earth He has a purpose for us. The hope that lives within us is very powerful! As our pastor preached this morning....we choose whether to build "stepping stones" to God, or to build "stumbling blocks".
Saturday, Janice drove Noel and Mark to Shawnee. They brought Mom to our house for dinner in the evening. The day was so beautiful that we chose to eat outside on the screened patio. After dinner, Jason and Shelly brought their 3 beautiful children over to visit with us. Macyn is 8 months old now and snuggled under my chin. Jace and Kylee are so well behaved and both made straight 'A's in school. I asked Jace if it was those Greenwalt genes. He smiled and simply said, "Yes!"
Keri called. She had a great time in California! She said it was 80 degrees and hard to go back to Chicago weather. She loved speaking at Cal Baptist University and spending time with family. Isaiah traveled well to California, and Sofia and Selah were fine with Daddy while she was gone
This morning I sang, "In His Time" . Bill played a trumpet descant while I accompanied myself on the piano. People loved it because they know the song so well. After the service, we had a chili, salad and dessert dinner to raise money for Harmony's family. Harmony is the 6 years old granddaughter of our pastor. She has a cancerous tumor behind her lungs and it is inoperable at this time. Harmony's mother has had to quit her job to be with her daughter. I was so happy to see a container being filled with $20 bills. Our Bible Study class lessons have been about keeping our faith while navigating the maze of life. There were 14 this morning, and two people told me that they are planning to join our class. We laugh a lot and often break into song. Today, we started singing, "This World Is Not My Home". It was fun!
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