IHOPpin'

Yeah, so I obviously have not kept this blog as up to date as I should ...
but for the next month or so I will have another blog going to chronicle my time at IHOP-KC!!! Here be the link:

http://ihoppin.blogspot.com/

When that's all said and done, I will attempt to keep this blog current once again ...
heh heh

<3

Food Game Night!!

Oh dear me... It has been far too long since I last updated this thing! My bad!
Well, to start things off, we have been having a really great time on the DTS and thankfully it is not all work and no play!
A few weeks ago, the staff (myself included) decided to play a little food game with the students. We took 5 different kinds of Japanese food and made two good versions of it and one "poison" version. We then split into three teams, two student teams and one staff team, and had two guests judges (our staff member Bob's wife Sachiko and a ex-YWAMer named Nobuko). Then, we sent one person from each team up to eat the food. Nobody knew who was gonna get what and you had to eat everything on your plate while keeping a straight face. Then then teams and judges would all guess who they thought they person with the poison dish was. The more people you could fool, the more points you got. If you couldn't eat everything or you threw up, you lost points. It was a pretty close game, but thanks to yours truly (NOBODY thought I had the bad dish) my team won! Hooray! It was a great night and we even got to eat some of Nobuko's GOOD cooking after the game and got an etiquette lesson from Sachiko. And while my mouth was still full of the gross egg, seafood, hot mustard and vinegar taste of the Japanese "pudding" I had to eat, I was too close to throwing up to even eat any dinner! Haha!

PS - The picture to the left is that of our staff team as drawn by our resident artist Shige-kun. We call it Gacha-Us. Can you guess which one I am??

"Is it the real life? Is it just fantasy?"

So guess who I got to see?
Guess!!
ELINA!!! That's right! My dear Japanese sister whom I have missed oh so very much!
Since I am now living in Japan, we have been able to hang out together a couple of times and catch up a bit. Everyone I am living with really enjoyed being around her and has invited to come anytime! Yay! Some of the students as well as myself and Elina went to karaoke the other night and had a great time!
We danced a little, took some pictures and sang our hearts out! Two hours of pure singing enjoyment! Earlier in the day, we some pics in a saweet VERY Japanese style photobooth [where we could take pics and then draw on them and add various decorations]! Oh, I LOVE Japan! ^_^
There should be more exciting culture-y things on the way! Woot, woot~

DTS OWNS!!!

みんな!!!　　ごめん!!!

* * * * * * *

It's been so long since I have written! The entire last week we have been on a media fast that ended just today! ^_^

The DTS (Discipleship Training School) that I am staffing here in Tokyo officially started last week (although we just began lectures)! Hooray!
I am totally stoked about the group of students we have here. They are amazing, helpful, passionate, willing and other things as well. >_<
I am thoroughly looking forward to the next 5 months (however I have this little nagging feeling that God is gonna be working in me to and I am slightly more nervous about that)! Last week was orientation and now the real work has started! Woot!
I am super busy working on the kitchen (cause I am in charge of food) but all the students are super duper helpful so my workload is lighter! My days are gonna be pretty full from here on out - yay!

On a bit of a different note, the people featured in the pictures above^^ are a mix a staff and students. They are the people I am going to be living and working with for the next little bit of my life and I could not be more enthused!

Thanks for all your prayer and support! I will try and keep the updates more regular from now on!

Giant Twitch of DOOM!

So last night was a nightmare.
I have developed this thing called Restless Leg Syndrome (or something like it).
Basically, my leg(s) begin twitching so violently that it jerks my whole body so I cannot fall asleep. Unfortunately, I sleep on a bunk bed at the moment and the twitching kinda shakes the bed and wakes up my roommate.
I feel super bad about it, of course, but I can't help it! I haven't found anything that works to stop it...

Anyways, I hope you all stay safe and sound from the Giant Twitch of DOOM cause it totally sucks!!! ^_^

An Adventure in Silence?

I am nursing this idea.
Would I like to take an excursion through the realm of the quiet?
The truly peaceful quietness of thought?
Would I like to wander through the land of the calm?
The world of tender stillness?

Do I even like these words?
These ideas?
Do I even care?
Do care for the silence? About the silence?
Would I gain anything from this journey into the absence of noise?
Absence of distraction?
Would I hear things normally drowned out by sheer living?
Would I discover thoughts meant only for me?

Or... would I discover secrets of my soul?
Of my heart. Secrets my mind would rather keep hidden.
Will this silence disturb me? Delight me?
Would it be of no consequence or would it mean everything to me?

How would I go about attaining this silence? This hush?
This quiet, where can I find it?
Within my mind? Within my heart? In a mere room or location?
Must I search it out alone or hunt for it with others?

Is this even worth thinking about?
These questions, are they worth asking? Worth wondering about?
Worth pondering?

Maybe not, but I am and will.
Wonder. Ponder. Think.

And maybe, just maybe, I will be silent.

Snuggle Fest!

So today I got to ride the train during extreme rush hour. I have never been so squished in my life! ^_^
There was however, one bright spot on that little adventure.
There was a lovely younger gentleman (about my age) standing right in front of me and we were forced to stand quite, quite close. Fortunately, he was wearing a jacket with a rather large hood and I was able to snuggle right into it and close my eyes! It was so nice and warm! I did, however, almost nestle right into the poor kids neck, I was so comfy! :P
Usually I have a strong aversion to leaning on people in the train (as well as any physical contact with living things in general) but today, I was so tired and warm that I just went for it.
I might have to make this a regular thing!
Haha!

Anyways, all that to say that riding the train here is never boring and I am sure to have many more stories (albeit better, more interesting ones)!!!