August and September - Life in Okinawa

AUGUST HAPPENINGS

August was quite a busy month. I’m constantly learning so much about myself, and about what it means to give myself away for God. I’m so blessed to be able to share these things with you!

Driver’s License: Last newsletter, I was telling you about the stress of getting the Japanese driver’s license. Thank you for praying for me. As of August 9th, I successfully passed the driving test. It was my third try and I felt much more peace before going to do the third time. I did the whole thing flawlessly and when I got to the end, I heard the instructor say the happy slogan “please get out of the car.” This means that you passed, IF you look out the window before you open the door for a last safety check. I was so happy that I looked three times over my shoulder and out the window before I opened the door. Then he announced, “You passed!” I was so happy! My friend who was taking the test with me went right after me and she passed too! Phew! Such a stressful event, but so glad I went through it and God taught me many things through the experience. 

Tokashiki Adventure Camp: From August 5-8, I attended and helped out at a summer camp put on by 2 churches on the island. I was a counselor for 8 great girls, all who attend OCSI. The camp was for 1-12th graders. We worshipped together and had times of studying the Word, we went to the beach, did crafts and games, and had a great time being on the beautiful island of Tokashiki (an hour ferry ride from Okinawa island). I had a blast, and even as a counselor and felt very relaxed and refreshed after camp. 

NEW SCHOOL YEAR! 2013-2014: As of August 12th, we teachers returned to work for Orientation. Compared to last year where I had 3 weeks to get classroom ready, this year, I only had 1 week. Yet, it was refreshing because I actually felt like I kind of knew what I was doing this year. August 19th - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I wasn’t even nervous! AND my students are absolutely wonderful! They are so sweet and loving and pure. They love to sing, and are just a joy to have! Such a difference from the crew I had last year! I am so blessed and cannot stop praising God for this group of students He has given me. I know it will be an incredible year and I’m excited for all the learning to take place. Please continue to pray for me as I teach them. All but 2 or 3 of the student come from non-Christian families. I also have a family who is devout Hindu. Pray I can show Christ to these students as I love them this school year. 

Iejima Mission Trip: Once again, on August 31st, a team of 4 teachers and 2 high school students headed to Iejima for our monthly Mission Trip. Our last month must have been a great hit because we had students waiting for us when we got there 30 minutes before the English club was about to start! We had a great English time and shared of the Noah’s Arc story with about 14 elementary students. We then fellowshipped with the church members discussing what it means to be a church. On our way back, we, teachers, were discussing the trip and decided that it would be better if we invite more OCSI high school students to come with us on the trip, because the students on the island feel more comfortable talking to them instead of adults and more relationships can be built - because essentially that is the whole reason why we go! So pray for us as we move in that direction. 

SEPTEMBER HAPPENINGS

September completely flew by! Looking back on this month has made me not want to waste even one moment of any day! I am so blessed being used by God on this island of Okinawa!

Teaching First Grade: Every day, I am blown away by the students God has given me this year. They are an incredible group of students who love to sing, love to learn, are hard workers, and are growing daily. Bible seems to be there favorite time of the day, especially when a student exclaims “When are you going to tell us more about Abraham? Because, I love God!” My prayer is that through this year, the first grade students will learn how much God loves them and this seed planted in their heart will sprout in them and also reach to their family and friends. 

This year, since it is my second year of teaching, I seem to be constantly reflecting and comparing last year to this year. Since it was my first year, I felt like I was just surviving, week by week, day by day, getting lesson plans ready, being ready for the day. This year though, I can devote more time to helping individual students. I am not as tired in the evenings, since I don’t have to come home from school and work all evening getting ready for the next day. I feel like this year is a refreshing year. I am so grateful to have had my first year teaching at OCSI and I am glad that is was a tough year. Now, I can be used by God even more here in Okinawa, and I am even more excited for the next years of teaching. 

Other Events: We went for our monthly Iejima Mission Trip on September 21st. It was a rainy, stormy day, but a group of 4 of us teachers went. Only about 6 elementary students and 3 middle school students showed up for the English time. We then fellowshipped with the church members. One of the members, an 85 year old grandma, was in the hospital for some complications so we surprised her and visited her. It was a blessing to me, to see a Japanese lady so full faith in God, that I think I was more blessed by visiting her then she was of us!

I was invited to join the Walkathon committee at school. OCSI does an annual walkathon to raise money for different school advancements. I have been put in charge of the “kick-off” a whole school assembly to advertise and get the students excited for the Walkathon. Pray for me as I glorify God in this way. 

I have also been blessed recently with the gift of music. I have had the opportunity to play piano for the church I have been attending here on the island now for a few months. I even picked up a guitar and started playing around on that too. I even composed a song to go with a Bible verse for my students to sing. 

I have also started baking and cooking a lot lately. We had a bread machine left by the previous tenants but during the summer, it broke, so now, we were unable to make homemade bread.... until someone reminded me that people actually made bread by hand for years! So I started attempting it and have successfully made several loaves of bread from scratch. 

First attempt at homemade bread!

A Veggie Stromboli made with Sesame Dressing and a variety of veggies and Whole Wheat Dough
MMMM Good!

Blessings to you all. I’m grateful for the love and support from you. As the seasons change, I hope you will remember that God never changes. 

Driver's License - Take 2

The Japanese Driver's License is one of the most difficult process' of living in Japan - regardless if you are a foreigner or not. If you are Japanese, you cannot drive until you are 18 and pay thousands of dollars to go to driving school and pass the test. For foreigners, the process involves "changing" the driver's license over to a Japanese one. This takes about 5 different steps.

1. Have your license translated into Japanese. 
2. Gather materials and submit it to driver's license place for an appointment. 
3. Take the written test. 
4. Take the driving test. 
5. Repeat number 4 until you get your license.  

The last daunting step is the driving test. This is not a test to see your skill of driving - they already know you can drive because you have a license. This is a "safety" test - to see if you can safely maneuver a car.

So I talked to everyone I knew to see what I needed to do to pass this test. I compiled it all and nervously took the test last week - FAIL. The instructor told me a few things I needed to do differently. One thing that would really help would be to go to driving school for one session and have the instructor there, practice with you to show you what you need to do to pass the test. BUT Japan just got out for summer break so to make the process even more difficult, it would be hard to get an appointment. But miraculously, (and the generous lady at the driving school) got me and two other ladies from OCSI in for Thursday. The school was really helpful. (I also got to sit through it three times - once as a student, twice to translate)

SO TODAY: I was ready, I was so ready. I was nervous, of course, but I wanted this over with and done.

I was number three in line. I got in, was executing everything well, including the two most difficult, the z curve and the s curve (a really narrow area in the shape of a z and s) right after I got past the s curve I was at a stop sign. I was told to turn LEFT. So as I got ready to turn I RAN OVER THE CURB!!! 

That is an automatic failure. I think the instructor was really bummed as well. He said I did everything perfectly. (In my defense, one thing you have to do is hug the line of which ever-way you are turning, so I WAS DOING THAT! Except I hugged it too much and so... yeah...) He said that if I had stopped while on the curb and back-up I would have been fine, but unfortunately I didn't feel that I was on the curb until I was rolling off of it. Bummer bummer bummer! I was so bummed. But with a smile on my face, I thanked the instructor and bade him goodbye until next week when I come back and try it again.

All before the test, I kept repeating two Bible verses in my head, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thankgiving, present your request to God. And the God of peace which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus." And BOY was I anxious! Phew but each time I said that verse, I felt a little calmer knowing that God is right there beside me.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your way acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight."Before I fell asleep last night I was joking with myself about how the paths straight in this verse were the z-curve and the s-curve and that God would bring me through it. I think I had made those two obsticles my primere focue instead of the whole driving test. Once I got through those, I thought I was in the clear. The rest of the course was going to be a piece of cake. It was like God saying "don't take your eyes off of me, I'm still the one getting you through this." *Bump into curb* 

It's like I was Peter in the water. Maybe there was a big wave and Peter kept his eyes on Jesus the whole time, and then maybe it got a little calmer and he thought, "oh I can do this now" and let his eyes off, which made him fall.

Lord may I never keep my eyes off of you. May they be constantly focused on you, through the hard and through the easy, through the storm and through the calm.

Blessings,
Sarah

June - Life in Okinawa

Okinawa has burst forth into summer with high humidity and hot summer days. I’m praying that God will continue to work in my heart like a flame as I serve Him in Okinawa. 

Last day of school!

End of School Year: School ended for the 2012-2013 school year on June 12th. I was excited for a break but also verysad to be leaving my students. My only was that I had done everything I could to show Christ to them this school year. For the last day of school, we decided to clean our room, have an awards ceremony, and go to the park for lunch and playing. I was hoping that all my students could make it, but unfortunately because of illness and early departures for summer, I was missing about 6 of my students. We still had a very relaxing day enjoying each other’s company for the last time this school year. I sure will miss these students as they hold a dear place in my heart. I am also looking forward to next school so I can iron our any kinks I had this school year and fix anything that didn’t work. 

My beautiful sister's wedding!

Wedding: After I cleaned my classroom and checked out for the summer, I hopped on a plane to head back to the States to attend my sister’s wedding. I landed in Knoxville for a night before flying the next day to Florida. My bags didn’t make it on my flight to Knoxville, but importantly, I had my bridesmaid dress in my backpack with me, just in case! Thankfully later the next day, my bags arrived. I had a wonderful week with my family enjoy the last few days until my sister got married. We drove up to Tennessee a few days before the wedding and had the wedding at a beautiful cabin in the Great Smokey Mountains. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and even though it rained partly through the ceremony, it continued right on when we moved it inside. Now I have a great new brother-in-law and blessed to spend a week with my family.

Summer School: I flew back into Okinawa on the night before summer school started. I was a little out of it the first day of summer school, but I am well rested up now. I teach Monday-Friday from 8:30-11:30. I have a great group of students about to go into 3rd grade. I’m enjoying the new perspective that comes from teaching students that are a different age then my own students. In the afternoons, my roommate and I have been exploring all over Okinawa. We are also in the process of moving one floor up into a 2 bedroom apartment. I’m excited to see what else the summer will hold. 

June was a blur, but I’m praying God will give me great new opportunities to serve him and that I can make the most of every moment given to me. 

Sending warm blessings to you all during this summer season, Sarah

July - Life in Okinawa

July had been a relaxing month where I had been able to wind down from the last school year, enjoy some time in God’s beautiful Okinawa with wonderful friends, and keep busy serving God in every way I can. 

 Summer School: After my sister’s wedding last month, I had to rush back to teach summer school. I was not looking forward to teaching again right after I just finished with the school year but, God is good, and he allowed me to have enjoyable five weeks of summer school. I had a total of 14 students for most of the summer school. We did science experiments, acted out reader’s theaters, and “tried” to make ice cream but failed. I think the students all enjoyed themselves too!

Beautiful island of Ie

Ie-jima VBS: For our monthly trips to the island of Ie, the other ladies who usually go with me were out of the country to I was put in charge. For the summer time, God gave me a vision to do a mini VBS with the children there at the island. I struggled with what theme to do with kids who had no idea what-so-ever about God. I finally came up with the theme “God made me special.” I recruited some other teachers and some middle school and high school kids from OCSI and we all headed out to the island on Thursday July 25th. There was 6 of us total. I was nervous about how many kids we would have. It was kind of a last minute thing AND I also didn’t have enough supplies for 50 kids! Amazingly, God brought us 14 kids! I started out by teaching a little bit about how God created them all very special, then we taught them body parts in English and played games with the body parts. After that, we made a craft of decorating a picture frame. We also had a snack where we made a face out of different foods. I had a lot of fun and I think the kids did too. Now, we leave it up to God to grow the seed planted in these kids.

Making the picture frames

The finished pose. 

Driver’s License: One obstacle in the way of most foreigners living in Japan is the Japanese drivers license. I had been driving all last year on my International Driving Permit which is good for one year (mine expires August 1st). But when that expires, all foreigners must go through the process of acquiring a Japanese license. Since we already have a US license, we have to switch it over to the Japanese license by taking a driving test to test your safety.  The course is relatively easy, but the testers are extremely picky. It is quite normal to take the diving test 5 times or more and fail it every time. Last Friday was my first try and failed, this coming Friday will be my second try. Please pray that I will pass it soon.

 I pray that August will bring you many opportunities to tell others how special they are in God’s sight.

Blessings to you all,

Breathtaking sunset (cannot even close to capturing it on a camera)

Sarah

Caves

In the village that I live in Okinawa - there are two very well known caves. One cave is called Shimukugama, the other Chibichirigama. One cave is known as the happy cave, the other is the sad cave.

I had visited Shimukugama a few times earlier in the year. After I bought my bicycle, I rode around looking for it and unknowingly rode right past it. You go down a small path with tall grass on either. In my imagination, it looked exactly that way 60 years ago during World War 2. During WW2 approximately 1000 villagers hid inside that cave as the US Army landed in Okinawa. An Okinawan who had recently returned from Hawaii told the 1000 people hiding in the cave that the Americans will not kill you and that it is safe to come out. Because of those words, all 1000 people's lives were spared.

The view from the outside

The view out from the inside

Just a short way down the road lies another cave - the chibichirigama. I had been searching for this one for a few times but finally stumbled upon it today. This cave is known as the sad cave and is off limits to go inside. In this cave approximately 120 hid during the war. When they realized that the US soldiers were outside the cave, many of the people decided it was better to kill themselves instead of surrender, as they were taught by the Japanese Imperial Army. They used poison and set fire to futon inside the cave. Around 84 people died in that cave and more than half of those were children. 

 The entrance to the cave with the story of what happened in the cave and origami cranes. 

A shrine set up to remember the victim. 

2 caves - 2 different stories.  Both stories of fear and war. 

We need peace. We need Christ. 

One of those days

Today was one of those days where I was so glad that tomorrow is a new day... It was a frustrating day where I was trying to figure out how to teach something to my students even though it was my first time through. The name: Student-Led Conference. Anyways, not to make myself angry again, the short story is, now I know how to do it differently next year. Instead, I wanted to share a few funny stories of my students from the last few weeks:

1. Bad Breath
One morning, I was talking to one of my students (let's call him M) and he had ranking stinking, I mean for real, bad breath. It kind of smelled like one of those coffee breaths. I just left it at that and continued to listen to him. My students soon all went to Art which is conveniently right next to my classroom. Towards the end of art, I hear a loud crying from the Art room and immediately knew it was M's voice. I walked over there and asked him what's wrong and he said, "J told me I have bad breath! *bursts into tears again*." Well, let's just say I tried not to laugh hard and tried to console him with, 'just ignore what he says, stay away from him etc. Later I asked M if he drinks coffee, all the while hoping he doesn't because I mean, he's in first grade! He said no and asked me why I asked that. I said, "oh, no reason!" :)

2. Hairy Legs
Today was one of those mornings where I was tired, didn't have much time in the shower and it was warm outside which all equals one thing: Unshaven legs and capri pants. My hair is light anways so even a few day's rough is barely noticable. Well today, as I was helping a boy with an assignment, his hand accidentally slipped and swiped my leg, which he then cried "Ow!" oops... guess I should have shaved so I didn't hurt the kid with my poky leg hair!!! 

3. Coach
My favorite quote of all time is from a student who after seeing me direct my class in the hallways exclaims, "Ms. Turner, you're like a coach, a coach of all these kids!" Yes, you are exactly right, somedays I do feel like a coach of all 20 kids and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Stories like this make me excited that tomorrow definitely is a new day! :)