Out on the town

After the conference, a group of us headed out to the city. We were blessed to hook up with our good friends Joseph from Montebello and Chihiro and Pastor Chizuo.
The streets were packed with folks on the last night of Golden Week.
Joseph is not a shy guy. We saw this bear walking across the street. Our first reaction was "Glenn, where did you get that hat?" then we realized, "oh, it's not Glenn, this bear is smiling too much."

We got to hang with the boys from Iwakuni too! It was a fun time.

Calvary Chapel Japan Conference - Arrived

This year the conference was held at Yoyogi Olympic Park and it was awesome. We had a wonderful time studying through the book of Galatians. "Set Free to Serve" was our theme. Not only was it a good time in the Word but also in Worship and in Fellowship and breaking bread with the body of Christ.
This is Jack Bell from Calvary Chapel Kamakura.

Jim Stewart and his lovely wife, Lo came over from Kansas City to be our main guest speakers. They did a great job encouraging us in the faith and our calling to serve.
We met up with Stomer on our trip. He's plugged with Calvary Kokubunji now and Chizuo has him on the straight and narrow. We miss Yasutomo Juan Y Miyagi tons but were so grateful to hang with him for a few days.
Here's Jim, me, Mike and Glenn.
There's Travis from Tokorozawa. He was doing the English translation for us. Quite the comedian Travis is.
He made this sweet website by the way. www.calvaryjapan.com Hope you enjoy.

100 Yen Sushi Go Round

Takako was craving sushi so Masaru took us to this famous 100 yen sushi place in Shibuya. It was jam packed with people but we waited for our turn and taste of the famous 100 yen fish.
Normally Masaru is a moderate kind of eater. Nothing too crazy, except when it comes to sushi. He can chow down on a serious note with the best of the heavies when it comes to sushi.
This is one of the funner experiences of dining in Japan. The plates go round and round and you take what you want and let pass by what you don't. The coolest thing is that Glenn actually was game! The bad thing was I put my camera away and didn't get any documented proof of his visit. Don't worry he didn't eat any real sushi- cooked maguro, egg, shrimp and a fruit juice... I think that was his selections.
The chefs in the middle were busy all night making the fine delicacies of raw fish and rice.
We had a blast. You had to eat at least 7 plates worth or they would chop off your finger. Well, okay, I don't know what they would do but Glenn did 7 plates. (Yoko had to "donate" one to him) He offered to repay the favor at "All You Can Eat BBQ" next time.

Calvary Chapel Japan Conference -Our journey out

A small group of us set out on Sunday after service to travel up to Tokyo for the annual Calvary Japan Conference. At the airport, we ran into Calvary Naha's crew. It was good to see the brothers.

This year, the entire Naka family came up. It was a blessing to fellowship with them.
Please pray for them as they continue to serve in our Japanese ministry.
Pastor Masaru says I have no antenna. He is right. We are thankful that he were able to travel with him through the subways and streets of Tokyo. He is a great tour guide.
Look at all them people! It was the beginning of Golden Week here in Japan. The city of Shibuya was packed with people. Its always a neat place to visit but I am glad I don't live in the city.

saying goodbye is never easy

It's coming again. That time of the year when they begin to move. The military call it "PCS season" when Uncle Sam says your time is up and you gotta go. It's always bitter sweet. Last week we prayed for Ashley and the Prutch family. We already miss them big time.

We also prayed for Ed & Lauren, pictured here. Along the way, God blessed them with cute little Caden. We got to dedicate him a few weeks ago. It was wonderful.

Please pray for us and our hearts. A little peice of it breaks off each time a family moves on. We are grateful that God has allowed us to minister in such a wonderful place with wonderful people.

I look forward to that day, when there will be no more "good byes" or "sayonara's". As they said back in the day, "See you here or there or in the air!" Love you all.

Mark & Suwanee

How could I forget that God has brought us to one of the most beautiful places in all His creation? Today was one of those days that we were just blessed by dear friends and the incredible island God has called us to.
Pictured above is my beautiful bride on a secluded beach on the east side of Okinawa.
A very dear couple, Mark & Suwanee asked if they could renew their wedding vows here on the beach. They will be leaving us this summer and wanted to honor the Lord for their marriage and recommit to each other on the same island that they were married before they depart to the states. I was blessed by them and for them.
Mark is a military pilot and Suwanee is professional photographer. I think she would not be too happy since I got a picture with their eyes closed but they still look good.
You can check out her stuff (its pretty good compared to my shots):
www.suwaneephotography.typepad.com
- and -
http://www.suwaneephotography.com/


Look at this place! I know what you are thinking. How can we suffer for Jesus like this here?