God's Hooded Blessings

Back.  Back home to Koriyama, and back to blogging.

My Dad had taken a fall while doing some carpentry work at home, cut his hand and bruised his knee, when we got the phone call on Aug. 14.  It seems Kinya, self-taught in carpentry, plumbing, electricity, gas, etc..., can do just about anything; so when I was asked if he might be able to finish up the work Daddy started, I answered in the affirmative with no hesitation whatsoever.

pic: Kinya doing his carpentry work.  This photo was given the Japanese title: Master Carpenter!

Basically, what he did was build a type of bulletin board around the tops of the windows to make areas where framed photographs could be displayed.  The larger ones probably started near the ceiling and came down the top third of the window.  At first, it looked to me a negative thing, it looked like the light was going to be shut out.

Hm; that is what the Heavenly Master Carpenter often does in our lives, isn't it?  He works in seemingly uncomfortable ways that "shut out" glaring distractions, actually helping us see more clearly in the shade the sweetness of our inheritance as Christians.  He would have us take our eyes off our daily circumstances and plaster them onto Who He Is and how He can work in our lives.

But the things Daddy wanted didn't actually shut out the light completely anyway; there was plenty of window under the "bulletin board hoods".

My favorite picture display was not one of these window hoods, but something Dad had put together in the living room:

pics: top shelf: Grampa & Grandma Oshiro, Daddy, Dad with Grampa & Grandma in Canada; bottom shelf: June-Joyce-Janice, Dad during the time he stayed with relatives in Okinawa, 3 J's-Mother-Dad.

There were also photos of Dad riding a water buffalo, of the first quonset-hut church buildings, of his certificates of completion of War emergency teacher's training, much, much more.  And I was able to look through old prayer letters--including one telling of the "Missionary Hit-and Run" incident they were accused of as well as read the actual Japanese newspaper article telling about it.  I think I could've easily stayed in Okinawa a week longer and spent time feasting on the files Daddy kept all these years, and I would not have been bored at all.

But good things always come to an end.  Dad's hand, which had been cut and was black, no longer needed bandaging by the last day of our stay.  Dad's knee had been bruised badly and had been stiff and painful before we came, but again, by our last day, although it was tender and weak, it had healed to the point he could move around, even drive.

pic: Dad drove to church Sunday (Aug. 22)!  I realized too late I should've gotten a photo right away and managed to snap this shot as he came around the parked car.  In the background is a blue sign with words from Matt. 11:28--this was the very verse Kinya was saved under!

Matt Starin, the present missionary pastor of the church, drove us to the airport the next day--it took less than an hour while a bus would've necessitated an hour and a half!  Thank you Matt!  After 2 and a half hours on the plane, a train ride to Tokyo and an overnight long-distance bus trip, we were back here in Koriyama.  And Nobby Tajima, the missionary pastor here, came to pick us up at 5 a.m. (no buses are running that early) and drove us home.  And thank you too, Tajima Sensei!

Ahh--it felt so good to be able to put up my feet again.  Thank You God, for the sweet visit down in Okinawa, for men of God willing to give their time and lives, and for simple blessings like being able to put up one's feet!