Friday, November 28, 2008

All Dressed and Ready to Go!

We planned a Tonaki Jima trip for this Friday through Monday. We got up at 5am, packed the van with everything we needed and on the way to the port we found out that the Ferry going to Tonaki Jima was cancelled due to bad seas. We had to turn around and go home. There was a total of 28 going. Please keep us in your prayers, we are scheduled to try again tomorrow.

One Sore Dude!


We had a blast playing football Thursday morning, but Daniel was so sore the next day. It was so funny. We had to show you on video. He could barely walk inside the house. He said that every muscle in his body was sore. We hope that you like this funny video.

CCGinowan Thanksgiving Fellowship



Thursday evening we had a huge spread at the church. We invited family and friends to come together and eat a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The event went from 4pm until 11pm. It was filled with games, music, food and fellowship. Around 10:30pm we started to flash the lights so people would begin to make their way home. But even when we dimmed the lights, they kept on fellowship, it was amazing! There were people everywhere, upstairs, downstairs and in the Koinonia Cafe. God is so good!

Ginowan Glory


This is a short video of our Football Game on Thanksgiving Morning. Rob is seen here leading the team to a Quarterback Sweep into the end zone. The morning was a lot of fun and the guys were all blessed. Please click on the video above.

Boyz of Ginowan (Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl)



We gathered on the Field of Camp Foster to play our annual Turkey Bowl Thanksgiving Morning. It was a cold day, but incredibly nice. We battled it out with CCOkinawa, and in the end, they prevailed, CCGinowan 3, CCOkinawa 4. It was a blessed time. There was only one injury, Pastor Tom pulled his hamstring muscle and he was done for the day. Praise the Lord there were not serious injuries.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Wednesday Night Kids Club


The Kids Club did this short video for Thanksgiving. They shared on what they are thankful for this holiday season. Because we previewed this on Wednesday night, Hannah subtitled it in Japanese for the Nijonjin people as well as in English for the Americajin. We hope that you like it. Please click on the video above.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Pastor Tim and Ayu's 3rd Wedding Anniversary! Can you believe it, three years already. So fast! Everyone is so blessed for this couple. I have only one question; Has anyone ever seen them have an argument. I know that there is no such thing as the "perfect couple" but they are pretty close to it. God bless you Tim and Ayu, Happy Anniversary! For the rest of us, please leave a blessed greeting below.

They're Having a Baby!

Praise the Lord! Regina is expecting their second child. We are so excited for them! Claire's prayers are answered! She has been praying for a brother or sister for some time now. Please keep the Dean Clan in your prayers. That the Lord will bless Regina with a safe, pleasant pregnancy

Thanksgiving Wednesday Night Service

We had a great service this Wednesday night as we shared in the Word and then gave people the opportunity to give thanks to the Lord for all that He did this past year. Hannah came and shared with us a video from the Mid week Kids Club. Then she played a Bible game. It was a blessing to hear from everyone as they gave thanks to our Heavenly Father.

Derek from BGEA


Many of you know Derek Forbes. He is on staff with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He has been living in Taiwan for the last year preparing for the Franklin Graham Festival in Taipei. He is back on Okinawa for a short time, then he will be heading to California for his wedding. We were blessed to have him at the Bible College to speak at our Lectures in Ministry class. He did an excellent job! Thank you again Derek for blessing all of the students.

Break Out the Games!


The Phipps are here! Glenn, Farah and the kids came over Tuesday night for dinner. It was a blessing having them over, it has been way too long since the last time they were here. Their kids are getting so big! Check out the serious determination on the face of Caleb, Glenn's oldest son. He is just like his pops, intense into the game. It was a blessed night.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Japanese Day Care - Pre-school

"Ai no mori" (Forest of Love Daycare), Asa attends this Japanese Daycare three times a week. He is barely getting use to it, but he is have a fun time. As Hannah says "all the little girls chase him around, and he gets mad". It is a blessing that he is able to attend this school in Japanese. He will become a Nijongo speaker in no time.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Pastor Tim's "Daddy Shower"











Today we celebrated Tim's "Daddy Shower". It was a lot of fun. We gathered at the Church Monday evening, and we played some games. First, we gave Tim some items to wear, then we played this game with diapers. Afterwards there was a sippy cup game and finally, "Diaper Surprise", you get the idea. Afterwards Pastor Tim was blindfolded and we took him to Big Dip ice cream shop near Mihama. The workers kept laughing and laughing as the guys came in with diapers on their head. They all began to laugh as they realized what it was all about. The same happened as we blindfolded Tim and took him to Starbucks. Everyone got a real "kick" out of what we were doing. But in all seriousness, we are so blessed for Tim and Ayu, their life is about to change so dramatically. Please continue to pray for them as their bundle of joy will be arriving soon.

2008 Chaplain's Ball




Sunday Night Chaplain Owens invited us to the Chaplain's Ball located on Camp Kinser. The honored guest was Admiral Burk (top picture) who is the Chief of Chaplains in D.C. The middle left picture is Sgt. Major, Pastor Tom, Chaplain Owens and the Camp Commander on Foster. In the lower picture we have Joanna, Melinda Morton and Mara Owens. It was a blessed night!

Happy Anniversary!

November 24th is Amber and Rusty's 6 month Anniversary! Praise the Lord! They are doing really well here in Okinawa. The semester is coming to an end soon and they will both return to the United States. But do not worry, they are coming back in January. Rusty will be completing his 4th semester here and Amber will continue to teach at the Bible College. After that, it looks like the Lord is opening huge door for them here in Japan. Please keep them in your prayers.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Keisho Stepping Out in Faith

Brother Keisho is stepping out as he has been giving anouncements on Sunday morning in Japanese. He is a funny guy. He throws in some funny Japanese sayings, everyone who knows Japanese laugh but us Gaijin (foreigners) don't get them. They lose their punch when it is translated into english. Now we know how the Japanese feel when we say English jokes. Keisho is a real blessing.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Soba Saturday



The Okinawan Gals came to the Koinonia Cafe and cooked us some tasty Okinawan Soba. We hope that you like the video. Please click on it above.

It's Coming Together!


The painting is coming along great! Rob did a lot of work today, working long into the evening. We ran out of beige paint, so we will have to wait a few days to finish. There is still a lot of work ahead, but we are taking it, one day at a time.

An Incredible Dinner!




Satsukosan and Atsukosan love the Bible College Students so much that they came and cooked us dinner. Today they made Okinawan Soba and Tempura vegatables! The dinner was incredible! They worked so hard, and did such a great job! They both said that they love the kitchen at the Koinonia Cafe. Double click on the pictures to get a better look.

The Fans came in

Ceiling fans are so expensive in Japan, so we ordered some online. Praise the Lord they came in safely. They are really beautiful with remote controls. We are still waiting for the 4 foot down rods that should arrive any day now. Please keep them in your prayers too for a safe arrival. When they arrive we are ready to start the installation.

The Painting Boyz

Ira, Josh, Abraham, Daniel, Rob and the boyz all helped out today in the painting of the New Sanctuary. Everything is really coming together! They did such an excellent job! Thanks a lot guys, you are all such a blessing.

Ayu Watch!


We are all guessing that Ayu is going to have this baby in the next few days. The doctor said that everything is ready to go. Praise the Lord! Please keep this couple in your prayers. This morning, Ayu walked all the way to the Koinonia Cafe, she is staying in shape. God bless you Tim and Ayu, we love all three of you!

Men's Pancake Breakfast



The Guys in Ginowan City gathered for a Pancake breakfast at the Koinoinia Cafe this Saturday morning. It was a real blessing, everyone chowed down! We were blessed with good worship and David taught the message as Andrew did a great job at translating into Japanese. We look forward to more get togethers like this in the future.

Friday, November 21, 2008

My English Lunch Time (M.E.L.T.)

pictures by Josh Dean

It has been a long time since we have put up an article about MELT. What is MELT? I am glad that you asked. At Ryukyu University we help at an outreach, teach an english lunchtime class. It is every Thursday at 12 noon. Last week Amber led the class because Pastor Tim was in Tokyo at the Pastor's Conference. It is a great way to get to know Japanese College Students. The Bible College Students have a blast assisting in this College Outreach.

Sprawling



In Okinawa most all building are made with concrete and rebarb. They are strong so they can withstand Typhoon's. Well down stairs in the Sanctuary there were two places where the rebarb began to rust (sprawl) and as a result of the rust growing, it breaks the outer concrete. We broke off the loose concrete and filed down the rusted rebarb, applied special antirust material and then put special concete in the area. It came out great! I always wanted to know how to do this kind of work. Usually you have to call a contractor to do the work. Through connections, we now know where to get this kind of material and do the work ourselves. Praise the Lord!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Happy Birthday Tokito!


Today is Tokito's Birthday, and we celebrated it CCBC style. Keli'i baked him a yummy chocolate cake with Strawberry shortcake topping. It was delicious! Tokito is a real blessing and a true servant of God, we are all blessed here in Ginowan with this great brother. Please leave him a birthday greeting below.