LaineyInJapan's Xanga

India Here I Come

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:23 GMT

I'm going to India today for my summer vacation. I planned an eleven day trip, but one day and one night is a layover in Hong Kong.

Why did I pick India? Many people have asked me and my answers have varied from "they have cheap jewelry" "India is cheap" "India is the second most populated country" "India has elephants" "the plane ticket was cheap" "Australia is winter now" "my friend from high school was indian".

I'm going with Daniel and Jacob, two missionaries here, because they are my friends and I need their protection.

So far some of the news stories the last month about india have been about bombings from Pakistani terrorists, a stampede at a temple, how India's economy is growing, and the push to put rats on the menu in India because there are a lot of poor people.

But I am excited. Daniel, Jacob and I prayed last night that God would direct our steps and use us in his work to bring the light of Jesus to India.

Please also pray for my safety and health :)

I'll be back September 1st!

Hanabi = Fireworks Party

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:52:52 GMT

I did a few fireworks parties this summer in Japan. Here are pictures from my last one on Koroen beach!

Misa is the girl on the left, then Ken, then Junko. Misa's my student and my friend! She is going to visit me in America sometime!

This is Jacob putting the fireworks in his mouth. Definately picture-worthy.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:44:56 GMT

On our last week before summer vacation, the missionaries here in Shukugawa went to a Brazilian meat restaurant, all you can eat meat. Really exciting for the texas boys.

Then we went to a water park because Japan summer is so so so hot. The water park was so/so fun because Japanese people are so low risk that they won't even make the pools deep in case anyone drowns. I have never been close to a Japanese pool that was a five footer... even the olympic pool at my old gym!

But the water slide was fun.

This is someone we ran into. He was Chinese.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:44:57 GMT

This is a lady from my church named Kimiko. She is so cool because she has three kids and always smiles. She is standing with her son, Kanji, who told his parents he wants to marry me :) (haha that makes one at least!) He is one of the cutest kids I have ever met.

this is a japan exclusive: blue pepsi!

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Sat, 31 May 2008 14:11:29 GMT

This is a picture of the people I work with, live with, play with, sing with, fight with, cry with, watch movies with, speak english with, etc.

Bottom Row: Left- Yoko Asano, Joni, Jacob, Lainey
Tom Row: Right- Rebecca, Daniel, Mike

Freedom

Sat, 31 May 2008 13:56:41 GMT

To: My Students! *and people at home in america reading this.
This is a summary of the Bible time lessons we have done from the Old Testament part of the Bible. For the last 3 weeks we have done Daniel 3, the story of three men in a difficult situation.
I used this in a message at the church and my friend, Shimada-san, translated it.
I hope you can understand the story better, and understand God better!
-Lainey

Daniel 3

In English there is a phrase “too hot too handle.” It means when you take something hot out of the oven and it is too hot to touch. We also use that phrase for situations that stressful! I’m going to tell you a true story of 3 men who were definitely in a situation “too hot to handle.”

Nebuchadnezzar was the powerful king of Babylon, who took the city of Jerusalem captive. The Jews were slaves, working for him to fulfill his dream of making a great kingdom for himself.

This king made a rule that when an orchestra of musical instruments started playing everyone had to bow down and worship a gold idol he had made. This idol was huge, 90 feet high and 9 feet wide.

He was trying to unify all people and religions under one belief. That sounds nice… unity. But there was a problem. Nebuchadnezzar had the wrong God: actually it was the opposite of God- a things of evil. We know that because God says God can’t be put into a physical form made by man. God is so amazing that no man-made thing can be good enough to replace him.

Other nations, who believed in more than one god, simply added this idol to their list of gods to be worshipped. The Jews, however, worshipped God alone. They could not be faithful to God and worship anyone or anything else.
The Jews could not just sit this one out. The king said whoever didn't worship this idol would be thrown into a fiery furnace of flames. Sounds so dramatic!

So the Jews decided to disobey God and listen to the king instead. It seemed like they were trapped with no freedom to do anything else. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Can you remember those names? Those are the heroes for the day. Only those three men said “no” to the king’s rule. Did they really understand that their options were the following: worship the idol or die. This furnace was not for cooking food!

The king mockingly asked them who would rescue them from this death sentence. Listen to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s response: “O, Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-17.

Wow, so confident! It’s like a little kid about to get beat up by a bully but, suddenly, the kid sees his bigger, stronger, older brother in the background and now feels free.

Let’s think about this scene for a minute, what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were seeing: thousands of people worshipping an idol, including their fellow countrymen, a burning furnace, and a powerful bully king. But they were seeing something else. With their hearts they were seeing an even-more powerful and loving God standing with them. And God deserved their loyalty and honor, no matter how difficult things got.

In life, God helps us to be free to make the right decisions. It is easy for people to live an outcome-based life. What I mean by this is that decisions are made based on this question “will this have a positive or negative outcome for me?” and not on obedience to what God wants for me.

God does have rules, like don’t give your heart away to a false god, because God is the highest. But I learned that God’s rules are not to keep us locked in a box but to break us out of it.

What is freedom? To me, freedom is…. a paycheck! (partial joke) But in it’s deepest meaning, freedom is release from all the fear, doubt, anger, that keeps my heart locked up. And it is release from all the wrong I have done in my actions and mind.

These three men knew that kind of inner freedom, so no amount of pressure from circumstances could shake them. Even when the king got so angry and tried to make the furnace as hot as he was feeling. He made it 7 times hotter then threw those three men inside. Do you know what happened to those three men? God saved them from death; not even a single hair was harmed on their head.

The king ordered the men to be released immediately. He recognized the power of the living God and made a decree that brought religious freedom to the entire Jewish community in Babylon.

God never guarantees us freedom from suffering, but he is always in control. What do you do when times get hard? I’m a runner, I try to leave it all behind. When I was a kid and my parents made me upset, I packed my pink suitcase and ran away to the back yard to be free. (Almost every day during some hard seasons.) I would try to make my own freedom but ended up alone and miserable.

The problem with running that that the things that God abundantly offers us in hard times: freedom, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc. is not something we can get anywhere other than God.

These men didn’t run. Although they looked trapped in a bad situation, at that moment, when they said no to the king, they were living in true freedom. Freedom is not compromising truth; Freedom is not living in fear.

For all of us, freedom can be found in giving our lives into God’s keeping. The natural condition of my heart is in a constant state of slavery, like those Jews in Babylon. Real slavery is wanting to change, but not being able to. Like when you want to do something good, or want to stop doing something bad, but you can’t.

God knows our situation: that we can’t save ourselves. So God gave people the choice to be free when he sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross and pay the penalty for the wrong things I have done. He lived a perfect life, so he was the perfect sacrifice. My freedom from sin cost a lot. But Jesus rose up three days later, free from the power of death.

Turn to Jesus, Confess disloyalty to him. Trust that Jesus paid for your disloyalty with his death on the cross.

In that relationship, freedom is also found in doing what God knows is best for me, instead of what I think is best for me. My biggest regrets in life have been ignoring what God tells me. But now I know God and I experience freedom through good times and bad times: even when I feel like I’ve made a mistake that I can’t recover from or have broken a relationship that can’t be put back together.

So, my message today is simple: Our slavery leads to death, but God makes you free. So get right with God and don’t quit him, because God will never quit you.

The freedom of choosing God is available through the saving act of Jesus on the cross.
The freedom to stay with him, drawing closer to him each day through good and bad times, is available to all of us.

Whatever is holding you back from God today is keeping you from true freedom.

Please come to Jesus to know that freedom!

Genesis 8

Sun, 11 May 2008 15:33:22 GMT

I have lived in Japan for 1 year and 8 months now. I don't try to measure success I have here because that's not so fun.

But there are some things I am proud of, and one of them are Bible studies. I like posting them on my weblog because I think they are a gift from God in that alone I can't come up with much that is meaningful but I know God guides me in teaching me what to write.

The missionaries take turns teaching Sunday school at church Sunday morning and when it is my turn I love writing it. So this is what I do on the weeks it is my turn:

Genesis 8:

What is the correct definition of the word “crisis” ?
a. A sudden stressful situation, like accidents and natural disasters.
b. An inner conflict, relating to things such as life purpose, direction, and spirituality.
c. A point in a story or drama when a conflict reaches its highest tension
Answer: all of the above

So basically, it can be an emergency situation, like “I’m bleeding.” Or it can be a slow, unraveling into a hard time that takes more than a band aid to heal.

Has anyone had a crisis before? I always hear: “if you aren’t in a crisis now, you are either just finishing one, or about to go in one.” But if we are going on the definition that a crisis is an unstable, difficult condition that can cause stress in your life, then crisis can happen all the time on many levels.

In any story, like in a book or movie, the crisis is the point of change. The outcome of the story depends on how the character reacts to the crisis. If I tell you my car broke down in the middle of the most busy highway in Washington
DC, your next question might be “What did you do?” Answer: panic.

If I get in a shipwreck I don’t worry about the actual accident, I worry about how to survive on the deserted island, what happens after the crisis.

Let’s do some situational brainstorming to talk about common responses to crisis that people have.

Starting with something small-scale: What if I fail an important exam? What reactions can people have when this happens? I’m going to read a list of possible reactions and the second time I read it I want you to raise your hand if you have ever responded to any small crisis in this way.
• Ignore it and tell yourself it’s not important,
• Get upset or angry at yourself, Get angry at the teacher for doing a bad job teaching you
• Hide the truth from people
• Give up and let it affect your future negatively
• Learn from it, reflect on it, and thank God

Moving to something larger-scale: What if a natural disaster happens, like the cyclone in Myanmar, or the Great Hanshin Earthquake. What do I do after it happens? (Ask people what they did after the earthquake).
• The hours immediately following it:
• One week after:
• One year after:

Something personal: What if you are in some sort of broken relationship with a person? What reactions can you have? [Get in groups of 2 or 3 and talk about reactions to crisis in relationship]

Let’s read about the time following the crisis in Noah’s life and how he reacted. Get into groups of 2 or 3. Read Genesis 7: 21- 8: 22 in your small groups out loud to each other.
What did Noah do after the storm in his life?
1. He waited for God’s leading to get off the boat. He could have left the boat, but maybe it would have been too early.
2. He built an altar and thanked God. He could have rushed off and started building his house. Instead he said thank you.

What do you do after crisis or storms in your life? What do I do? I’m a runner, I try to leave it all behind. When I was a kid and my parents made me upset, I packed a pink suitcase and ran away to the back yard. (Almost every day during some hard seasons.) And even now that I’m older I realize it is easier to try to forget the hard times than to re-live the hurt or guilt I feel. Some people I know do the opposite, and always re-live the crisis thinking about what they could do different and becoming stuck in that time.

I also notice that people find many ways to distract themselves. Maybe staying so busy there is no time to be alone with God and your own thoughts. It’s easy to move into worlds of distractions like entertainment or alcohol to forget pain.

Some people try to make crisis smaller: it’s not a big deal. How many times have you said, “I’m ok, it’s ok” when you know deep down things are not ok.

What was Noah’s view of God?
He knew God was not far off. He saw God’s judgment and mercy, but knew he was saved through God’s mercy toward him. The condition of his heart was right before God.

My response after the crisis depends on my view of God and the condition of my heart with God.
What if I think: “God is mean for doing this to me, he is so awful!” Then how will I respond after the crisis? (not so positive)

What if I think: “God is far off. He doesn’t even care this is happening.” Then how will I respond after the crisis? (not so positive)

But what if I have spent time before the crisis getting to know God, his true characteristics? What if I understand God to always have a plan, a plan to work for good and not to harm me? This is a powerful and kind God well-deserving of the worship we give him in the good times and bad times.

God made himself a promise after the flood to never destroy the earth again. People still sin today and that sin requires judgment: destruction from God. But now sin would be dealt with in a different way in the future, through the saving act of Jesus on the cross.

How many times has God saved me? God saved me from a destination of hell, a life separated from God. But each day God saves me from getting drawn into the evil of this world, like the evil in Noah’s day. God saves me from my own self-destruction tendencies when things get hard and I can’t help myself through the crisis.

***The opposite of crisis, is calm or peace. I can’t get that by myself, I can’t naturally generate a big, true and real peace inside. No matter how hard I try to move on, I will end up going backwards without the healing power of Jesus. The peace found in Christ is beyond understanding, but it is real, and I know this because I have experienced it. And Jesus is with me every minute, walking me through the time.

No one can deny this is a “stormy” world (stormy meaning a lot of different crisis). But Noah shows us a great pattern: Before the storm: preparation and faithfulness. Noah walked with God before the crisis. Then during the storm it was out of his control. And after the storm he connected with God with a heart of gratitude. So don’t wait until the crisis is out of your control to ask God for help. The time after crisis can be a new beginning in life; I would imagine Noah was a little excited about this new start.

Hopefully today you have gained some insight on who you are in the time spent after crisis. You can also think about who you are when your friend is in a crisis. There are lots of ways to help them, whether it is talking it through or sitting with them in silence like Job’s friends or praying for them. So that is what we are going to do the last couple minutes of our time together. Get with a person next to you, and pray for them whether this is a time of crisis or healing for them.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:23:29 GMT

I was reminded today of a pet peeve I have. If you love museums, I am not the best person to go with for the following reasons:
1. I like starting at the end of the exhibits and working backwards
2. I don’t like tour groups: being in one or being near one.
3. Children are forced to go to museums but they don’t like them.
4. Over-priced gift shops.
5. Museums love propaganda and I don’t (usually).
6. Guest books at museums
7. People taking pictures.

This last one brings me to the issue at hand. The most aggravating thing about museums: PEOPLE VIDEOTAPING THE EXHIBITS. They videotape the pictures, ALL the words on the walls, and even the videos playing on the screens. Yes, they videotape the videos playing. These people, apparently starved for information, are too busy videotaping to actually look at the exhibits with their naked eyes. If you want to respect the work people have done to prepare this for you, or the actual subject of the exhibit, then take your eyes out from viewfinder for a minute.

And answer me this: are they REALLY going to watch that video again? Are they going to spend hours reviewing the tape and re-living the experience they didn’t have to begin with? Or are they going to show their friends the video at the next charade night? If any of my friends tried to show me a 3-hour video of second-hand museum footage I don’t know if I could sit through it. I would just say: “I am pretty sure if I look at my alter-ego called google.com I can come up with some information as well.” What on earth do people do with that videotape?!

So I went the Hiroshima Peace Park and it was actually a really good experience for me. The A-bomb dome is an unexpectedly emotional sight. The site has pretty much remained in tact since 1945.

I saw an old weathered man standing with a sign advertising boat rides around the city so we took it. He did a great job explaining the geography of the city and pulling out before and after maps of the explosion. I couldn’t imagine reliving that every day so I gave him a tip after the ride, even though tipping is not done in Japan. I don’t understand how someone can live in a city known as the world’s first nuclear warfare victim. Who doesn’t think of BOMB when they think of Hiroshima? But I was surprised at how thriving and modern this city is. There are beautiful buildings, sports teams, Starbucks, Subways, etc. I guess when you think of New York City you don’t necessarily associate all of it with 9/11, but with Hiroshima 140,000 people died, compared to the 3,000 people of 9/11.

The museum did a good job of telling the history of Hiroshima. I was remembering the DC Holocaust museum with some of the shocking exhibits. . This one had a young boys skin and fingernails his mother had preserved after he died from the atomic bomb. There was also a slab of concrete that had preserved someone’s shadow when they were sitting on the ground and the bomb hit. August 6th, 1945. 8:15am.

I was interested in how they mobilized people in the recovery efforts. Children had to do rescue missions. But then longer term, how do you deal with the radiation? The research just wasn’t available for effects.

This picture fascinated me with the kids trying to earn money by shining shoes.

[Hmm, sort of makes me not so angry at the memorializing-hungry video-tapers who just want to understand the history of a tragic event ☺]

the link between two hearts

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:38:26 GMT

This weeks Bible study for my Japanese classes:

Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

Who is God?
GOD- father, creator of the world
JESUS- died for me, the way to God
HOLY SPIRIT- helps me

Three in one: like water in the liquid, ice, and gas state; same quality different parts

When speaking, why do people try to get their listeners to nod their head? Everyone wants to be understood. People try to give their souls to try to be understood in:
1. Marriage relationship (but feel disappointed) --> Social
2. Psychologist--> Mental
3. Priest --> Religious

Everyone wants to have their feelings understood: like joy, but especially pain and suffering.

Several years ago I was very sick and couldn't walk. Many doctors could not tell me what was wrong, they said it was something very small, like a virus, and nothing to worry about. Then I went to a doctor who knew the name of the sickness I had. He touched the parts that hurt and nodded his head. I knew he understood my pain and it was a feeling of relief.

God created us and we were made to be in a relationship with him. So only that will satisfy my deep need to be known. When we are saved, God gives us his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the link between my heart and God's heart. I know many words in English. But sometimes I don't have the right words when speaking my feelings, speaking from inside my heart. The Holy Spirit communicates my feelings to God, even my groaning. (groan= response to suffering). This is prayer- a direct telephone call to the throne of God through the Holy Spirit hotline.

Even though the world is not right and I am incomplete, this gives me a sense of peace. In America I was a very private and reserved person. I hid myself in different things. But when my heart was open to God, I began to change. My hope and freedom came when I was open to God. Through the Holy Spirit, I could understand God's heart and God's will for me. Also, I knew God could see me and know me.

God never intended man to get to God by his own efforts. It is all parts of the Trinity helping me.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:27:37 GMT

Hey folks! I'll be home in 18 days! I leave Japan on December 25th at 8am. And I arrive in America about the same time because of the time difference. So I get to have TWO christmas celebrations! one on United Airlines with the military men flying home for christmas and one in MARYLAND with my family!! Yay. So if you want to send me some presents to open on my first christmas on the airplane, then now is a good time to send a gift package for me :) hehe.

My address is:
Lainey-chan Holiday
7-12 Aioi-cho
Nishinomiya-shi
Hyogo-ken
Japan 662-0063

Just look at this angel!!!

But before I leave we are now in a flurry of Christmas activities here in Shukugawa, even though it is not so cold and the red and orange and yellow leaves are still on the trees. We have a Christmas pageant, a Christmas caroling night, a Christmas Minestroni outreach lunch, a Christmas kids party, a Christmas candlelight service, etc. Also, my students are now starting to take me out for "Bonenkai/Year end parties" so that is nice because I love free food. This week I am teaching the Sunday Bible study on Acts 18/19. And yes, we are still doing our usual 16 classes a week. Are the missionaries a tad overworked? Perhaps. But it's all for a good cause and I'm enjoying life as usual.