It was brought to my attention that there has been an error in our paper newsletter that went out (just last week!!). The paragraph in error reads as follows:

One of our big deci­sions was which cell group to attend because that is where we will be focus­ing a lot of our energy. After vis­it­ing a few, we prayed about it and decided to join this group. Pictured here we were some­how able to serve up lunch for a large group in our lit­tle kitchen/dining room! You can clearly see we are too big for any Japanese-sized home. At the end of February, our group will mul­ti­ply and we will host the “daugh­ter group” in our home! Eventually, the goal is that we will lead the group and raise up another leader and mul­ti­ply the group again [and again and again…]

“Pictured here we were some­how able to serve up lunch for a large group in our lit­tle kitchen/dining room! You can clearly see we are too big for any Japanese-sized home.” Is in reference to another photo. 

I have learned from this experience to:

-not write newsletters at night

-not proof them when distracted by little babies

As a result, to my dismay, I hereby forego any claim to being called a “technical” person. 

I have more thoughts on that, but they are for another time. 

#fail 

5:15am- I hear Rosalyn awake in her room.  After checking my mail and waiting some 10 minutes, I decide she’s not going back to sleep.  I put on my glasses and my sweater as it’s pretty cold, make a bottle and find her standing up, waiting for me.

6:55am- Rosalyn is finally tired out and back in bed.  I crawl back in my bed too!  5:15 is not my preferred wake-up time.

On my way to the City Hall [Trip 1]

10am- I’m doing laundry and the windows and patio doors are wide open!  It’s the warmest day since we’ve been here- climbing up to a high of about 65.  It felt absolutely glorious, especially since I was expecting rain, but it’s bright and sunny outside, which means clothes will dry quickly.

11:30am- Rosalyn is strapped into the carrier, and I’m not wearing her giant clip-on coat underneath my winter coat (and thereby looking like a walking bus), but only the carrier and a light jacket.  It’s wonderful!  I head down a 1/4 mile or so to the real estate office of our apartment building.  We were given a bike and when it get’s warmer, I’ll be getting one too.  We need to have stickers for our bike parking spot, similar to apartment car tags or stickers.  I go into the rather smoky office and explain fairly easily, receive the stickers and then am back on the road for other errands.

12:07pm- I’m at the information desk at the city hall (a place I’m spending way more time than I would have preferred).  I spent a few minutes comparing the kanji post-it note Rosalyn’s doctor gave me with the ones on the signs I’m seeing.  No luck.  Today’s goal is to get what’s called a “boushi-te-chou” for Rosalyn, which is like a medical records book for minors.  In Japan, you keep the medical records for children, so it’s always a surprise when foreigners come in to the doctor’s office and they don’t have one.  It really throws them off. They’re actually quite handy little things, and start at pregnancy and end who knows where.

The lady at the desk gives me the direction of the entrance for the area I need to go to, however she informs me that they are on break from 12pm-1pm.  And it’s 12:07.  Schnikies.  I’ve walked a good 15-20 minutes to get here and I’ll have to come back again, but- and here’s a good Japanese phrase for ya- “Shou-ga-nai”– oh well, it can’t be helped.

1:20pm- I’m finally making it back home after running into an old friend on the way home and going to the 100 yen store

City Hall

(dollar store equivalent).  Vicente needed more cards to make flash cards for study. It’s in the same building as a grocery store where I’ve found the cheapest diapers– Pampers actually.  I buy a box, and while holding bags, tie string around it and use the plastic handle provided to carry it home.  Now to make lunch– Vicente will be home from school shortly, so I need to get a move on it– he always comes home hungry.

3pm- Time for my Japanese lesson. Joe-a missionary who has been here 6.5 years and speaks very good Japanese, studies alternately with Vicente and I.  I kinda work at my own pace, and we review vocabulary and grammar I don’t know for the N3, which is a good level– it helps me to feel confident that I know something, but I can learn more too and be challenged.

4:20pm- My lesson is already over and Rosalyn is asleep, so I take the opportunity to head solo out to the city hall again, post haste to make it before they close at  5.

Raining on my way home from the City Hall

5:15pm- Whew.  Well, I thought I was going for a simple book.  But I have a bag of paperwork now, all kinds of awesome looking information… that I’m not entirely sure what it says.  I was also sent to the 9th floor to take care of Rosalyn’s vaccination schedule paperwork, and what gets done where (apparently some are done at different places and on certain days).  I think I understand everything, but I am going to take this bag to a friend’s house to check it over.  My daughter’s health is not something I want to guess on.

[Note: I hesitated about writing about vaccinations because it’s such a hot topic.  I’m sure you have strong opinions about it, and at the base of it, I’m sure that you are doing what you think is best for your child, whatever your decision.  However, whether you agree with me or not, that’s not what this blog is about.  Please do not leave comments or send me emails about vaccinations.  I appreciate your respect in this matter.  Thank you!]

6:00pm- Working on the Fuse newsletter that goes out weekly.  It’s one of my new responsibilities.  I don’t do much, just input info provided to me, and work a slight bit on design, but it still takes me a bit since I’m new.  But, we recently did our newly-formatted newsletter with this program, so it’s been another blessing to us.

8pm- Time for a break!  Vicente’s shaving his head, so Rosalyn and I chill out in my room and tune into the latest episode of

The pile of paperwork received today. At some point in the very near future, I will need to figure out what this all means!

Downton Abbey.  YAY!

10:30pm- Rosalyn is asleep after being showered, and now I get to wash bottles, get coffee ready for the next day and otherwise straighten up.

11:40pm- finishing this blog up and then I think I’m off to bed! Tomorrow’s a busier day.

Isn’t there a schoolhouse rock song that has to with some phrase the rhymes with multiplication?  And it’s not the one that talks about zero being my hero.  I’ve been wracking my brain the last couple of days, and the thing is- I’m not even sure there is a song like the one I’m thinking in my head…

Conjunction junction, what’s your function??

It doesn’t get any better than that.  Well, it does.  Because last night, we had our multiplication party!!  Our cell group’s vision/goal is to multiply out to 10 groups this year. Last night, we went from 1 to 2 groups.  Next, the two will become four.  And four, 8… you get the idea.

It’s all the thing about making disciples who make disciples who make… again, you got it.

Within cell group, there are one on one discipleships taking place with those who become believers and want to grow in their faith.  Of course, we want and really encourage everyone to be discipled.  The leaders also meet with their disciplers weekly for discipleship.  Hence, we do too.  But the point is, we want everyone to be drawing closer to God all the time and meeting with someone to help them grow into all the Lord (not the discipler) has for them.  And in this process, they learn that to be obedient to the command the Lord has, they need to be making disciples too.

Thus, we don’t grow our groups by the leaders winning everyone and doing all the work. We grow by everyone reaching toward the same vision.  Everyone being obedient to the command that the Lord gave us– which is a privilege, by the way.  And we do it because we love it, and there’s nothing better in life than following the Lord.  And when everyone is reaching people, that’s called multiplication friends.

You might argue with me (and I hope you don’t– I hope you can see the point)– “it’s not about numbers”.  Well, yes and no.  No, it’s not about having numbers so we can feel successful.  It’s not about numbers so that we can write reports that build ourselves up.  But it IS about numbers too.  It’s about many numbers hearing about Jesus.  It’s about many numbers who are being saved from hell and for life.  It’s about numbers who are obedient- not to us or our church or organization– but to Christ.  And with that– I’m all about multiplication and numbers.  But behind the numbers, solid faces.  Flocks that are being taken care of and well tended to.

So, please pray for us as we  will be hosting this multiplied cell group.  And please pray for us, that we can not only reach every single person within our grasp, but that we can take excellent care of the flock the Lord has seen fit to let us have influence over.

So I didn’t blog last week.  But I have an excuse!

[it’s ok, roll your eyes.  I’ve got a good one]

I went to the dentist last week.

[insert an understanding ahhhh from the audience]

I told you.  Anyway, I did indeed go to the dentist, which was not fun, and as per my usual, required an additional 3 shots of anesthesia (as I forewarned the incredulous dentist).  I’m sure you’re already tense just reading this, so we shall move on to other subjects, especially as I have to go back this week to finish up the job.

I did however, work on this wonderful new site that will hopefully make things easier for everyone.  And I am working on a new format for newsletters (!!) which will hopefully go out later this month.  I still have to play around with it to get it stellar looking.  And I communicated with my wonderful tax consultant about filing taxes for quite a complicated year (self-employment tax is killer #justsayin).

Pardon me if I sound a bit out of it today.  My daughter decided it was time to wake up at 3am and play. After waiting and praying that she would fall asleep (silly mom!), I found her standing up in her pack n play waiting for me.  Around 5am, she was finally asleep… in my bed.  I had plans to be awake at 7 for a Skype meeting.  Alas, I ended up rescheduling as I couldn’t Skype without either waking her up or leaving her unattended in our bed.  So, try try again tomorrow.

Vicente went on a weekend ski trip with Fuse (the church) while I chugged away at home.  I didn’t consider it particularly wise to swish down the hills with Rosalyn in the baby carrier.  It would have made for a great video, I suppose, but I’m pretty sure that type of thing would (or if not, should) get me arrested for child endangerment.  So I stuck to more domestic adventures.  I was able to meet up with my airplane friend and spend some quality time relationship building with her and her son, and then at my Japanese lesson on Saturday afternoon, I was able to share some of the miracles I had seen God do during my first mission trip to India.  It made an impact and lots of seeds were planted with my tutor, and so my partner who I usually do the lesson with (who was absent that day due to said ski trip) and I will be tag-teaming to continue watering those seeds.  Please pray for us!

Well, such was my busy week.  Come spring, I hope to get a bike with a baby seat (it’s way to cold to have wind blowing in her face during February and probably March too).  This will cut back some of the time that I spend walking to and from the store, bank, post office, etc.  In Japan, even a 30 second shortcut seems to make a difference.

Ok, so, this time around in Japan, life is a bit easier.  Of course, it’s a lot harder than before, now that I’m married and with a baby.  But, there are things that I’ve discovered that make life so much easier:

-Ergo Baby Carrier- a MILLION and a half thanks to the wonderful supporter who sent us a brand new Ergo baby carrier post haste.  My back, my hips, my neck, my head, my daughter thanks you.  Suddenly my horrid headaches are gone.  Rosalyn takes extended naps when we’re out without a neck ache at the end (I’d imagine anyhow, as her head liked to flop backward, which was adorable, but rather uncomfortable looking). We can go for hours and hours in this baby. [carrier]

-The IPhooooonnnneeeee [jazz hands]- Having never had a smart phone in the states, I didn’t know what I was missing.  Sure, I did just fine without it.  But here– I’ve used the map application many times already, trying to find hidden (I’m not kidding- Hidden) doctors offices, banks that I’ve had to go to, people’s houses…I can just walk and the little blue dot leads me on in a land with very few street names.  Of course, there are wonderful other features, but right now, I’m adoring the map.

-An Electric Toilet Seat- yes, the heated toilet seat I’ve been raving about.  So, when I switched apartments last time I was living in Japan, my apartment came without one.  Bad decision.  Japanese homes do not have central heating or air (sigh), so it gets quite chilly in the winters.  If you think a cold toilet seat in the morning is rough in the States, imagine one that is 50 degrees or so.  I hope this isn’t TMI for you.  Funny story though, Vicente and I were on our way home when I pointed out a good and affordable electronics store and suggested we go there to check out an ETS (tired of typing it out).  After making an educated guess that it would likely be on floor 7 (yup), we made it up to the house appliance section and low and behold, there they were.

Unfortunately, they were pretty expensive with all kinds of buttons and gadgets that I believe are French and squirt water.  We didn’t intend to use any of them.  We stood around for the longest time and finally a Japanese lady who spoke English pretty well came over.  I asked if the cheapest one had the heater and she said that it did.  I attempted to ask if we had to install the squirter and at some point, we both figured out that they do sell ones that are just heated.  When she showed it to me in the catalog, she said very loudly- This not clean your butt! I attempted to conceal my smirk and was exceedingly grateful not to be in a predominately English area.  We made our purchase, saved some money and are very pleased indeed.

-Google Chrome- page translation tools.  Proxy servers.  I love it.

-Amazon Japan!- Imagine that!?!  I can search also in English and even though the page info is in Japanese, it still is pretty helpful.  That and the stuff usually arrives in 2 days!  And I can often choose a delivery time!!! I might be getting spoiled.

-Water Pressure- ok, so this isn’t a purchase, but let’s just say that our shower works a bit like a power-washer.  I love it.  Vicente not so much, but I love it.

That concludes my list.  Don’t forget it’s wrong to covet.