an adventure

Last Sunday my adventure to the Philippines for our region's Homeschool Conference began. The day before we were leaving it snowed a ton in Tokyo, so the Brents decided we should leave extra early the next morning to be sure we would make it to the airport on time even if the roads were bad.. extra early meaning 4am!! So I rolled out of bed, they picked me up, and we went on our way. We were on our way only about 30 minutes when one of the kids got sick and threw up in the car! Great start, huh! But luckily we had left extra early, so even with the quick clean-up stop we made it to the airport with plenty of time. Only problem was.. when we tried to go through immigration we realized that I did not have the correct re-entry permit.. which means I could leave Japan, but I couldn't come back!! So we had to scramble to fill out paperwork and buy the correct permit and then run to catch our plane! Here are the kids on the plane:

After a smooth flight, we made it to Manila with all of our luggage. (Thank you, God!) We stayed one night in Manila, and the next day we headed for the retreat center where our conference would be, about 3 hours away by bus. I was trying to fall asleep listening to my iPod when our bus pulls over to the side of the road.. broken. At that point I was thinking, well I don't really have any place to be and I do have a Reese's in my purse.. and at least I will have a story to tell. So oh well. We all laughed as a truck came and towed our bus... to a junkyard in the middle of the jungle. With a shooting range next to it.


We waited there for almost 3 hours for a new bus to come. But really we didn't have much to complain about because although our bus would not drive, the air conditioning still worked! We were bored, but at least we were cool. And hey, the jungle junkyard did have a toilet hut and a snack hut. It's the little things...

Anyway finally another bus did arrive, and we even found a Burger King on our way to Caliraya. It took us awhile, but we eventually made it there:
I'm happy to say that the adventure part ended there. The rest of the trip was wonderfully uneventful. It was a great chance to relax and reflect on my time here in Japan so far and (of course) on my job as a homeschool teacher and how I can be better at it!

And as fun as it was, it was even more fun to come home to Trent :)

Thank you for praying over the trip! I am so glad to be home!

Another happy birthday!

Trent had his 22nd birthday this week also! Instead of cake, we celebrated with banana splits, yum :)

We also had a birthday party at TGIFriday's with some friends and coworkers!

It was a very happy birthday!

Lindsey leaves tomorrow for the Philippines for a homeschooling conference. Please pray for safety and for a meaningful experience. Thank you!!!

It's cold outside!

Winter has come full force to Tokyo this month! It is absolutely freezing, and we have even had a couple of days of snow! Actually today it's been snowing since we first woke up - beautiful!

This week is extra special for us because we are both having a birthday! Mine was Friday (Feb. 1), and Trent's is Monday (Feb. 4). We will both be 22! Above is a picture from my birthday with my supervisor Melanie and the cake she made for me.


Have we told y'all lately how thankful we are for you? Well, we are! Knowing that you think of us and pray for us regularly is a great encouragement to us. You're such a special part of our lives!!

Here are a couple of specific ways you can pray for us this month:
1. Please pray that God would daily renew our focus and vision for our time in Tokyo. Please pray that as we become more and more comfortable here, we don't become complacent or distracted, but that God would remind us daily of our purpose here.
2. Please pray for Y-san, T-san, and H-san- 3 new believers we're helping to disciple. Each of them is facing different challenges in their new faith, so please ask our Father to bless them with His strength, assurance of His abundant love for them, and perfect peace.



Finally, I heard this verse at a conference this weekend, and it was really special to me. It was a great reminder that no matter where I live, my Father is right here with me :)

If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits,
even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me.
-Psalm 139:9-10 (HCSB)