Whispering wheat!

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The beauty of the fall captures me every year!

The outdoors!

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Jill and I are scheduled to head out tomorrow — into the great outdoors.  Each year we try to get those “fall” pictures that show the turning of the leaves.  Over past years our success could fill a small art gallery!  Award quality.  We’ll see what we come up with tomorrow.

So, I ventured outside tonight to see what I could see.  Didn’t have to go far.  Just out onto the veranda (or is that entry way, or do you call it front steps . . . ?).  There a sight to behold confronted my wearied eyes.  Steam rising from ashphalt pavement.  Workers who don’t have enough of the “smokey” tar, they light up with cigarettes as well — or maybe they get addicted to tar??

The work is hard, but in the end our street will have less holes (I really wasn’t sure we had any until they dug out whole sections of the street — then we all had fun driving the obstacle course).  When I say the work is hard, I am not referring to personal experience.  I’m referring to the vicarious experience of watching others push rakes and shovel ashphalt.  Always a much easier experience — I just had to have nourishment after watching (a bit of chocolate never hurt anyone)!!

Two countries — many similarities

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Japan and Canada are not that different.

OK — one is an island, the other stretches for miles surrounded on three sides by water.

But in other ways we are similar.  Perhaps it is the last few decades that are bringing us together.

The pressure of the job is tremendous.  And now, in Japan, the “company” cannot be counted on to give security.  Youth are not always looking for a career when they graduate — a MacDonald’s job is fine (their parents still have to support them).  Hope is a commodity not easily assimilated into daily life.

Japan is not a poor country.  Citizens love to travel.  But money does not overcome loneliness.  The bonds of family loyalty are being stretched.

As I have listened to, interacted with, and shared life together with Don and Carol Love and their family, I’m surprised at how Japan, their adopted country, mirrors a number of Canadian quandries.  As they spoke of religion, the civil society was exposed.  We too live in  a country where we have relative stability.  And yet the veneer of civility could easily be stripped away.  There is little foundation for love of neighbours or family loyalty.  The secular person refers back to religion to appease powers and gods.  Only Christianity brings a reason for love that is based in forgiveness and a loving God.

As our societies continue to collapse, the true distinctiveness of Christianity will be exposed.  Not without opposition.  Not without defiance.  But the contrast will grow more evident.

A weekend from Japan

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Don and Carol Love arrived this evening.  As missionaries from Japan, they brought with them various curios (a visual display of the culture of Japan – I think that would be the more politically correct way to describe it – the word “curios” has this imperialistic sense to it!).

As if curios aren’t enough, they opened up a laptop computer (Gateway) and on it was the Japanese version of Windows.  Now, I don’t read Japanese, but I know how Windows works.  So, as Carol navigated through the various tabs and windows, I’m looking at squiggles.  Nothing that I can connect the graphics to, at all!

Reminds me of the first few days of reading Hebrew (at least Greek looked somewhat familiar).  As I looked at Hebrew, and realized you read it backwards (or do we read things backward, and they are reading things forward), I wondered if I would ever understand the language.  8 months later I had a rudimentary grasp and years later I can still pick up an Old Testament (Stuttgartensia is the one I use, for you afficianados of language) and read the basic text, with a lexicon in hand.

Tomorrow we get further instruction on Japan at an 8:00 breakfast, and we will take the family (they have four children) to the Goose Festival parade.  In the afternoon we will talk a bit about a possible short term trip to Japan.  On Sunday will be more exposure to Japan, along with a potluck.  When all is said, and done, I’m looking forward to a greater understanding of Japanese culture and of how we can be a part of entering into that land with the good news that Jesus brings.