These photos are from earlier in the month. I was at the hospital all week with Kristy and we had Glenn teach. He did a great job encouraging the body from Acts 2:42 and led us in a time of communion. God has gifted Glenn in teaching. Glenn, his wife Farah and their family are such a huge blessing to all of us here. Please pray for them as they continue to serve Jesus here on Okinawa.
We had an unusual visitor at our door on Monday. A Buddhist Monk came by asking for donations. "Silver and gold, have I none, but in the name of Jesus of Nazareth..." I tried to engage in conversation with him but he politely declined. He allowed me to take a picture of him (check out his sandals). It was a real reminder for us to pray and continue to share the true hope and love of Jesus Christ to the Okinawans. This is from Wikipedia: 84% of Japanese people profess to believe both Shinto (the indigenous religion of Japan) and Buddhism. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism from China have significantly influenced Japanese beliefs and mythology. Religion in Japan tends to be syncretic in nature, and this results in a variety of practices such as parents and children celebrating Shinto rituals, students praying before exams, couples holding a wedding at a Christian church and funerals being held at Buddhist temples. A minority (0.7%) profess to Christianity and other religions (4.7%) like shamanism, Islam, and Hinduism. Since the mid-19th century, numerous religious sects (shinshūkyō) have emerged.
The Women's ministry hosted a dinner fellowship at the Macaroni Grill this past week. It was so neat to see the response of the church as 75 ladies gathered together for a great time in the Lord, for fellowship, fun, for good food and guest speaker Miyako Shavers encouraged the ladies in living in faith. The women will be starting a new study in the book of Esther this Friday.
Nehemiah turned 3 yrs old yesterday. He's been so "hammy" lately (gets this from his mom)- he just cracks us up. The funniest is that we were praying for Baby Ben and getting him ready to be the "big brother" - we'd ask him, "Are you ready for Benjamin to come?" His response- "Who's Benjamin?"Nehemiah sends a "shout out" to all his friends and the 3 other horsemen - Jonah, Christian & Micah.
Whachya! (as Cisco would say) God totally blessed us with our 4th child! We have been so humbled by everyone's love and support- thank you all for your love for us! "Big Ben" (Benjamin Andrew) was the attention getter at the hospital weighing in at 4538 grams (1o lbs.). Sumo wrestler recruiters were there giving me their business cards for the little guy - just joking. Seriously, he's a great baby and the kids are so excited.
Don't forget to pray for Tamiko and Gen. They left Okinawa two weeks ago for Austria! They have joined the Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe's "Vision for Life" program. Please pray for them as they grow in and serve the Lord for the next 3 months! We miss you both very much! Look at silly Vanessa in the back - you too funny.
Look how cute! Baby Luke Steven (Ricky) Gaines was born last month to proud papa Steve and mama, Tiffany and big brother, Christian. The Gaines family is very special to us and God has blessed the church with a great Jr. High ministry leader. Pray for Steve as he feels the call of God into the mission field and full time ministry. If you feel led, you can write a little note to say "congrats".
The Herrera Family moved this month. We will miss them very much but also we know that God has great things in store for our dear brother and his wonderful family. We had a going away potluck for them and in all the excitement, I didn't get a picture of their family. The Salcido's are enjoying the good food we got to share. Please visit the Herrera blogspot by clicking the link on the right. God bless you Herrera's!
All through September, the OFGF folks are hosting Christian Life & Witness classes in conjunction with the Festival taking place in November. On Monday nights, the class has a youth emphasis. Since we serve as the Youth Chair, we hosted a BBQ for all the students for the first night. It was great! Thank you Matt, Yasutomo and Glenn for cooking! Please pray for the students' participation in the upcoming Festival!
It was Rebekah's first day of 1st grade (end of August- sorry for the late posting). This is her second year at OCSI. It's so weird to think when we first arrived on Okinawa, Rebekah was only a few months old. She's getting so big now.
We had a blast this year with our Arctic Edge VBS. Thank you to everyone who selflessly gave of their time, talents, and treasure to make this a success for God's kids! Thank you again to the CC Iwakuni team that came down to participate and help out. We will be posting more pictures on our church site picture album. Check www.calvaryokinawa.com for the photo album link in a few days!
Here's the crew from CC Iwakuni. They came down to hang with us and join in the VBS fun. We were blessed by their visit and helping out. Missing is the shepherd of the flock, Mike Silva. He was kind enough to send down his wife Sonya & family. God is doing great things in Iwakuni. Please continue to pray for the Silva family and their growing flock!
Anna Silva is in town. She brought her mom, Sonya and 13 other wonderful people from Calvary Iwakuni! What a blessing that they all came down to Okinawa to help out and be a special part of the ministry here. Bekah and Anna are best buds - their smiles say it all.
Every Saturday morning, the men gather for a time of prayer, fellowship, breakfast and the Word of God. This Saturday, we had a good group of guys come out for Men's Breakfast. Damian, Derek, and Matt led us in worship and Derek Forbes did a good job, encouraging and challenging the men in the scriptures.
I was told for the first time in 14 years, there are 3 typhoons in our area at the same time! Whoa... if they combined would it be the Super-Duper Typhoon? There is one south-west of us, one to the north and one to the south-east. The south-east one is suppose to hit us pretty good. We are in TC-3 right now. Even with storms around us, God is always in control. If things go as tracked, we will be in TC-1e on Wednesday night/ Thursday morning. This is interesting because we had originally planned our week-long VBS for this week, but God led us to push it back one week! What wonderful providence He has. Pray for Mike & CC Iwakuni, they're suppose to bring a team of 14 down to Okinawa to help! I'm excited to see what God will do!
On Friday, the Barrios Family stopped in at church. David, who gave his life to Jesus this past Easter has grown leaps and bounds in the Lord. Today is their 5th Year Anniversary, so they wanted to renew their wedding vows before the Lord. It was such a blessing. Glenn led us in a time of worship.. yup, Glenn... and then we shared from John 2, where Jesus was invited to a wedding and performed a miracle. Anytime we invite Jesus into our lives, the wonderful and miraculous takes place as it has in the Barrios Family. An d just like the comment of the head waiter... Jesus saves the best for last! The best is yet to come for David, Liz and their wonderful family!
These photos are from earlier in the month. I was at the hospital all week with Kristy and we had Glenn teach. He did a great job encouraging the body from Acts 2:42 and led us in a time of communion. God has gifted Glenn in teaching. Glenn, his wife Farah and their family are such a huge blessing to all of us here. Please pray for them as they continue to serve Jesus here on Okinawa.
We had an unusual visitor at our door on Monday. A Buddhist Monk came by asking for donations. "Silver and gold, have I none, but in the name of Jesus of Nazareth..." I tried to engage in conversation with him but he politely declined. He allowed me to take a picture of him (check out his sandals). It was a real reminder for us to pray and continue to share the true hope and love of Jesus Christ to the Okinawans. 
The Women's ministry hosted a dinner fellowship at the Macaroni Grill this past week. It was so neat to see the response of the church as 75 ladies gathered together for a great time in the Lord, for fellowship, fun, for good food and guest speaker Miyako Shavers encouraged the ladies in living in faith. The women will be starting a new study in the book of Esther this Friday.
Whachya! (as Cisco would say) God totally blessed us with our 4th child! We have been so humbled by everyone's love and support- thank you all for your love for us! "Big Ben" (Benjamin Andrew) was the attention getter at the hospital weighing in at 4538 grams (1o lbs.). Sumo wrestler recruiters were there giving me their business cards for the little guy - just joking. Seriously, he's a great baby and the kids are so excited.
Don't forget to pray for Tamiko and Gen. They left Okinawa two weeks ago for Austria! They have joined the Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe's "Vision for Life" program. Please pray for them as they grow in and serve the Lord for the next 3 months! We miss you both very much! Look at silly Vanessa in the back - you too funny.
August 22nd, we celebrated Rebekah's 6 yr. birthday. She has grown up so fast. God has truly blessed us with a great daughter who loves to worship and to color and to read her bible. Happy Birthday Bekah!
Here David and Yasutomo try to squeeze a few extra bucks out of a gal... just kidding... David's been practicing his Nihongo and looks to Yasutomo to make sure he said the right thing. 
While all the boys worked hard, the girls just sat around. Just kidding again. Sandra and Liz take a much deserved break from all the action.
We were able to hold another rummage sale for the Velarde Family as they continue to prepare for Italy. Thank you everyone for your donations and time to help. The Velarde's will be moving to Italy at the beginning of next year as missionaries. Please pray for Damian as he transitions out of the Navy and for the whole family. They will remain in Okinawa with us through December, then we'll be sending them out to in faith to great things for a great God.
Look how cute! Baby Luke Steven (Ricky) Gaines was born last month to proud papa Steve and mama, Tiffany and big brother, Christian. The Gaines family is very special to us and God has blessed the church with a great Jr. High ministry leader. Pray for Steve as he feels the call of God into the mission field and full time ministry. If you feel led, you can write a little note to say "congrats". 
All through September, the OFGF folks are hosting Christian Life & Witness classes in conjunction with the Festival taking place in November. On Monday nights, the class has a youth emphasis. Since we serve as the Youth Chair, we hosted a BBQ for all the students for the first night. It was great! Thank you Matt, Yasutomo and Glenn for cooking! Please pray for the students' participation in the upcoming Festival!
It was Rebekah's first day of 1st grade (end of August- sorry for the late posting). This is her second year at OCSI. It's so weird to think when we first arrived on Okinawa, Rebekah was only a few months old. She's getting so big now.
We had a blast this year with our Arctic Edge VBS. Thank you to everyone who selflessly gave of their time, talents, and treasure to make this a success for God's kids! Thank you again to the CC Iwakuni team that came down to participate and help out. We will be posting more pictures on our church site picture album. Check www.calvaryokinawa.com for the photo album link in a few days! 
Glenn & Farah were our main teachers. They taught at "Big Bear Lodge". Here Glenn shares the story of Saul's conversion to the 5th & 6th grade group.
Maria, Sonya, Jen and Arika smile as they keep a safe distance from water fun of the kids.
Mr. Matt has the craziest games. Today the kids raced each other in sitting on water balloons.
The Toma family's back and Joseph joined the VBS fun today. He's showing you his ice glacier craft he made.
Here's the crew of 1st & 2nd graders making their crafts. Each day, Cindy & Shari prepare a different craft for each grade group. God has blessed us with great help!
Here's the crew from CC Iwakuni. They came down to hang with us and join in the VBS fun. We were blessed by their visit and helping out. Missing is the shepherd of the flock, Mike Silva. He was kind enough to send down his wife Sonya & family. God is doing great things in Iwakuni. Please continue to pray for the Silva family and their growing flock!
Anna Silva is in town. She brought her mom, Sonya and 13 other wonderful people from Calvary Iwakuni! What a blessing that they all came down to Okinawa to help out and be a special part of the ministry here. Bekah and Anna are best buds - their smiles say it all.
Every Saturday morning, the men gather for a time of prayer, fellowship, breakfast and the Word of God. This Saturday, we had a good group of guys come out for Men's Breakfast. Damian, Derek, and Matt led us in worship and Derek Forbes did a good job, encouraging and challenging the men in the scriptures.
I was told for the first time in 14 years, there are 3 typhoons in our area at the same time! Whoa... if they combined would it be the Super-Duper Typhoon? There is one south-west of us, one to the north and one to the south-east. The south-east one is suppose to hit us pretty good. We are in TC-3 right now. 
For all the folks that came out on our first missions trip to Okinawa (way back in the day)... the "Fire Show" guy is alive and well! He's still doing his same tricks and has a few new ones too. After the outreach, we stopped and watched him for a bit. It reminded me of our first outreach here with Pule, Farah, Jen, Will, Tom, Richard, and the Whittier boys.
Early Sunday evening, we gathered at American Village-Mihama for a street outreach. The weather was perfect and God blessed us with a stage and great turn out. We were able to handout over 1000 tracts! Please pray for the "seeds" that were sown in the lives of many Okinawan and Americans.
On Friday, the Barrios Family stopped in at church. David, who gave his life to Jesus this past Easter has grown leaps and bounds in the Lord. Today is their 5th Year Anniversary, so they wanted to renew their wedding vows before the Lord. It was such a blessing. Glenn led us in a time of worship.. yup, Glenn... and then we shared from John 2, where Jesus was invited to a wedding and performed a miracle. Anytime we invite Jesus into our lives, the wonderful and miraculous takes place as it has in the Barrios Family. An d just like the comment of the head waiter... Jesus saves the best for last! The best is yet to come for David, Liz and their wonderful family!