Christmas program pictures: K-4, Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade

This Friday is our school's annual elementary Christmas program, and it is Justin's last year in elementary school, so I've been reflecting a lot... and occasionally, I'm an emotional wreck about the fact that Justin is almost in Middle School, but we'll ignore that for now. ;)

There are many things I love about our school, but every year, I always say that the annual Christmas program is my favorite night of the year.  I love seeing our beautiful community of students share their talents in singing and acting.  And every year, I'm praying through most of the program that the words about our Savior's birth and the life Jesus offers will speak deeply to the hearts of everyone present.  I pray that our students will remember those words no matter how long they are at our school or where they go in life.

I remember the first Christmas program we attended at OCSI.  It was when Justin was 3 years old, so he wasn't a student yet.  Some friends of ours who worked at the school invited our family to attend, and our boys loved every minute of the program.  I remember praying that our boys could attend a school like this.  In ministry and missions, many things are not certain.  At that time, I didn't know if we could afford to send our boys to OCSI, and we never know how long we will live in a certain place.  But I distinctly remember praying that God would give our boys a good school community where they could grow in Him and develop deep friendships and relationships.

And God has answered that prayer.  That's such a simple sentence... God answered the prayer... but every time I think about it I'm overwhelmed with awe at God's faithfulness and blessings.  Justin will be performing on Friday night with friends he has had since preschool.  Many faces have changed, but a number have stayed, and that is such a precious gift. Many of his elementary school teachers are still here and involved in his life.

Our church and school community are marked by people constantly coming and going, and while we're so thankful to have been in this place for nearly 9 years now, sometimes it's not easy being the people who stay.  But this Friday night, we get to celebrate God's incredible goodness to us of continued memories and relationships in a very special place.

Well, it's been a long time since we posted anything on this blog... actually a very long time. :) Life is full, God is working and so faithful, the boys are growing, and the adventures never stop.  But we do want to stay in touch and share what God is doing in our family and Japan. So here is a very quick update of the last 1 1/2 years... Of course many more things have happened than what we will be able to share in this post, but these are just some highlights... just catching up. :)


We returned from Home Assignment in August 2016, and the boys immediately jumped into a new school year.  Noah was in Kindergarten and Justin in 3rd grade.  Last year, I (Julie) also served as the PTF (Parent Teacher Fellowship) Director for their school, and Brian is now serving on the school board. The boys had a wonderful year. We are so thankful for our school - we have deep friendships with people from so many countries, and it is such a blessing to serve in our school community.  



When we moved to Okinawa, Brian was so excited to be able to ride his bicycle again.  In the last few years he has started riding with a local team and will compete in his first race this November!  Justin and Noah have also fallen in love with cycling, so they love going on long rides with Brian.



In May we were very privileged to have a mission team from our alma mater, SNU (Southern Nazarene University),  come stay with us and minister together with us for 2 weeks.  They helped with Children's ministries at our church and assisted with English programs at daycares and a local public school.  We had an amazing time together and are so thankful for their service and new friendships!


Noah graduated from Kindergarten! We are so proud of the amazing boy he is - he brings such joy to to our family, and we love watching him learn and grow.


Then in June we returned to the Philippines! It was the first time the boys and I had been back in nearly 7 years!  The NYI convention had a regional site in Manila, and we got to help with the event.  Words cannot describe how wonderful it was to be back with our friends. We got to connect with old church friends, seminary friends, and NYI friends from around the Asia-Pacific region.  The APNYI Council also awarded Brian the Timothy Award for his years of serving young people on the Asia-Pacific region- he was incredibly surprised and honored.  The boys fell in love with the Philippines and keep asking when we get to go back again.  We are so thankful for this amazing time with friends and a refreshing time for us personally.





In July, Justin and I joined a group from our church and went to Hokkaido to help with a church camp.  We had an incredible time serving together with the Nazarene church in Asahikawa, and we hope to send a group every summer. Justin also participated in the camp, and we were so proud of him!  He was the only non-Japanese kid, and it was a great opportunity for him to practice his Japanese.  He loved it and keeps asking if he'll get to go back next year and reconnect with the friends he made. :)

In August, Brian climbed Mt. Fuji! He and a good friend had an amazing adventure together... I'll try to get him to write a post about it. ;)

And then it was time for a new school year... and this year, our back to school picture includes me! I'll write the whole story in another post, but God opened a door and I'm now working full-time as the Literacy Support teacher at OCSI.  I'm so happy to be back in the classroom and I love working with elementary and middle school students in their English language development. Noah is now in 1st grade and Justin is in 4th grade.  Time is going by so quickly, but we're so thankful for continued memories in the same communities.

We are still so thankful to be serving at Keystone Nazarene Church here in Okinawa.  Our church family is always changing because of US military moves and transitions, but God always provides friends that become family, and we are blessed to share life in Okinawa together. 
Thank you always for your prayers and support for our family! We also try to post updates on our facebook page, and most 'daily life' pictures can be found on my instagram. And hopefully it won't be so long between blog-posts in the near future. ;)

and we're ready to go!  That's right, it's time to leave in the morning for our 3 months of home assignment speaking in the states. The last few weeks have been filled with preparations, and while it's hard to leave home for 3 months, we are overwhelmed with the amazing ways that God works and the incredible people he has put in our lives.

The boys get to finish school a few weeks before their friends, but they love their friends and teachers so much, they don't even realize that it's a cool thing to miss some school. ;)

Every town in Japan has speaker systems that are in place for emergency broadcasts like tsunami warnings or other announcements... and they play music every day. :) Our town plays music at 7 am, 12 noon, and 5 pm every day.  At first, it's a little annoying, but then you get used to it.  It's funny how quickly things that are different, weird, special, or unique just become a normal part of our routine.  I love our neighborhood.  The houses are close together, but it's not too loud, it's nice for taking walks, it's very close to my favorite vegetable stand and convenience store, and our neighbors are incredibly nice.  But we don't know our neighbors very well.  Most are Japanese families, and because none of us have yards, we only see each other when we are walking to the store or if we happen to walk out the door at the same time.  I want to get to know my neighbors better.  But none of them speak English, and the conversations are pretty short when we're depending on my Japanese. ;)
So life goes on... we're busy with church responsibilities, school volunteering, Bible studies, swim lessons, meetings, etc., etc.  And before you know it, a few years have gone by, and I still don't know my neighbors very well. But I want to... and that's why I'm so thankful about the music that plays at 7 am each morning.  You see, each town plays a different song at the different times throughout the day.  Our town plays 'Greensleeves' at 7 am, or you might know it as 'What Child is This?'.  And every morning, it's my reminder to pray for my neighbors.  Because I want to get to know them more, but more importantly, I want them to know Jesus.  So I pray that God will give us opportunities to talk, and I pray that God will surround them with Christian friends who can show them His love and tell them about the life He offers in a way they can understand.  I want them to know that "This, this is Christ the King..." Our 7 am song has become like a spiritual discipline for me... a normal part of life, but a reminder to pause and pray. :)

(Please excuse the shaky video and low sound quality, but if you turn up the volume, you can hear our neighborhood morning song.)

We can't believe we're only 5 weeks away from our home assignment! Many friends have been asking where we'll be during our time in the states, so here is the schedule... and hopefully there won't be too many more changes. ;) Just a quick reminder, every 3 years we return to the US for 3 months as part of our missionary responsibilities... it's our opportunity to share what God is doing in Japan and how you can be a part.  It's a great time to see family and friends and brag on God. :) But of course we're not always able to see everyone we would like... so we're always thankful for social media that makes it easy to stay in touch.  Here is the schedule of where and when we will be speaking:

May 15 - Hope Springs Community Church- Loveland, CO
May 22 - New Braunfels Nazarene Church - New Braunfels, TX
May 25 - Houston Westside Church of the Nazarene - Katy, TX
June 5 - Community Fellowship Church of the Nazarene - Waco, TX
June 12 - Webster Groves Church of the Nazarene - Webster Groves, MO
June 13-17 - Missouri District Teen Camp
June 19 - Cornerstone Nazarene Church - Alexander, AR
June 20-21 - South Arkansas District NMI Convention - Little Rock, AR
June 26 (AM) - San Angelo First Church of the Nazarene - San Angelo, TX
June 26 (PM) - Odessa 1st Church of the Nazarene - Odessa, TX
June 27 - Cedar Park Hill Country  Nazarene - Cedar Park, TX
June 28 - Killeen 1st Church of the Nazarene - Killeen, TX
June 29 - Copperas Cove Church of the Nazarene - Cove, TX
June 30 - Conroe New Horizon - Conroe, TX
July 1 - Nacogdoches 1st Church of the Nazarene - Nacogdoches, TX
July 3 (AM) - Tezel Oaks Church of the Nazarene - San Antonio, TX
July 3 (PM) - New Life Christian Fellowship - San Antonio, TX
July 4-8 - South Texas District Children's Camp
July 9 - Baytown Church of the Nazarene - Baytown, TX
July 10 (AM) - Celebrate Life - Katy, TX
July 10 (PM) - Lake Houston Church of the Nazarene - Humble, TX
July 17 - Orlando United Church of the Nazarene - Orlando, FL
July 20 - Living Faith Church of the Nazarene - New Port Richey, FL
July 24 (AM) - Winter Haven 1st Church of the Nazarene - Winter Haven, FL
July 24 (PM) - Bartow, FL
July 31 - Tavares Church of the Nazarene - Tavares, FL
August 3 - Archer Church of the Nazarene - Archer, FL
August 7 - Jacksonville International Bible Church - Jacksonville, FL

We'd love to see you at one of these services or maybe at a stop inbetween. :)  Please be praying for us as we continue to prepare for our trip, and pray for the volunteer missionaries who will be serving in Okinawa while we are gone... more about that later. :) Hope to see you soon!  We're ready for an adventure. :)