new blog

Since I never use this blog anymore, I will direct all my incredibly dedicated readers (just kidding, I know no one ever reads this) to my current blog: a turkish delight

Looking ahead

So I haven't blogged in ... forever. My apologies. I get busy. You know, with school, with church, with my friends, with life!

So I'm going to Turkey this summer...maybe I'll write about my experiences and you can read them, just like you read about Japan last summer. I'll be there for 5 weeks, learning about the culture, studying Turkish language and history. It's going to be a great, enriching, educational, culturally expanding time. I'm so excited. 81 days until I leave. :)

<---So I'll be going there...maybe I'll take my picture in front of it and post it up here. Maybe. :)

So I'm looking ahead to Turkey. Also looking ahead to graduation. Not just for the graduating side of things...but the triplets are coming up for it and my sister and my nephew, and my grandpa and his wife. So it's gonna be like a weeklong party with everyone here! I'm so excited, I just can't wait!

Japan Update 5

Six days left in the land of the rising sun...can't believe the summer has gone by so fast! The past couple of weeks have been spent doing "mountain evangelism" as Pastor Heath says...we've been canvassing Japanese neighborhoods, putting tracts in every mailbox, getting the Word out. Though the heat has been intense and the mountain roads and driveways sometimes steep, the Lord has been good. So far no fruit, but we are doing our job in planiting the seed. I know God will water and give the increase in His timing. I'm praying for five Japanese families. Join with me! The need is so great. I stand on the mountain top and almost feel like I'm on top of the world. But then I look down and in the distance see the sea...there are sailors out there that need to hear. I look a little closer and see the shoreline, the harbor, the city begins it's busy hustle, not realizing the One they search for is found in the stillness. There's not much land between the sea and the mountain top. But there's a whole lot of souls. The houses spring up in terraces to conserve space. A yard of any size is considered a luxury. Most houses almost touch their neighbors. The architecture of the landscape is amazingly beautiful. But it also reflects the generations-old dedication to a false religion giving out false hope. Prayers flutter in the breeze at the gateway to the Temples and rotten food and forgotten coins litter the "god shelves" by the side of the street. Students dressed alike in the same white blouses and blue pleated skirts crowd the narrow streets. Little children play by the side of the road, their old, bent, worn-out "obasans" keeping diligent watch from under a sun umbrella. A sailor and his family pass by, oblivious to the same need. One of salvation. One of love. One of hope. Japan may be a 1st world country. She may be a leader in technology and car production. She may be the neediest country in the world. Oh that my heart would not turn away from the distant outcry of the lost. Souls in danger must hear the glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people. Oh that my heart would be so broken.

Japan Update 4

We've been back in Sasebo since Saturday. The mainland was in the middle of the crux of rainy season when we returned. It poured the first two days we were back, and showers (heavy showers, I might add) after that. Today, thankfully there was no rain, and only a little this evening. There is a typhoon headed our way, though, so be praying!
Tract distribution went well on Tuesday. The rain held off until the afternoon, so our morning was not disturbed. Madelyn and Luke were my constant companions, though Luke was more interested in stepping on the baby frog than putting tracts in mailboxes. We were in an older neighborhood where the houses just sort of "sprung up" wherever they wanted. There is no rhyme or reason to the placement of houses or roads. It was a little confusing, but we got the job done.
Church tonight was a blessing. Kimberly (one of the kids in the church) and I played a violin-flute duet for the offertory. Kimberly's family is leaving on Saturday, so it was fun to do it together before they leave. Pastor preached out of Ps. 18 on "Who is YOUR God?" Our time of prayer afterward was sweet.

Japan Update 3

I am now into my second day of Field Conference in Okinawa. First a rundown of camp:The first week I had nine girls ages 12 through 17. They were a lot of fun. The second week I had five girls ages 9-12. Also a lot of fun. But I was sick most of the week. :( not so fun. Tuesday I had a pretty killer migraine again and I was nauseated the entire day, so I went to bed before the evening service and one of the other girls took my girls. Wednesday was a lot better, but still not a hundred percent. One of my girls, Hannah, kept saying *Miss Ali, I'm praying for you that you will feel better so you can be hyper with us!* :) She's cute. So I was feeling much better on Thursday and had a good time with them. They left Friday morning, and after a while of cleaning the camp, the camp staff went to the aquarium. It was pretty neat. We saw this sorry dolphin show, with a song that had bad words in it (although, I did not catch the bad words...one of the other girls that had known the song earlier in life was listening for them and noted that they played the unedited version of the song...) It was fun.Then we came back to camp and watched a movie (National Treasure) to which I fell asleep several times...and then we got up early Saturday to go Snorkling. It was SOOOO fun! At first it was hard to get the hang of it, but once Dan explained how to do it, it wasn't so bad! I found a starfish, and he stung my hand when I picked him up. But he:s dead now, so we're good. Joel found some really great shells and Dan picked up a bunch for whoever wanted them. The other girls found a ton of cowrie shells, but I only got one...I tried to pick up two others but the tide was coming in and it would knock me off balance as I was trying to get it. When we first got to the beach, we found this little black puppy that Alicia named Freckles and Amanda named Diamond all by herself. (The puppy was all by herself, not Amanda naming her.) Anyway, we begged Dan to take her with us but he said no. So she was waiting for us when we got back to the truck about four hours later, and we renamed her Snorkle with the nickname Snorkie and again begged Dan to let us bring her home but he held fast and wouldn:t let us. We gave her the last cheese crackers we had and left her at the beach, calling Dan a puppy killer and other such names. It was very emotional for us. ;) I taught Kierstyn, Ty and Cody SS on Sunday morning...well, Cody is only 9 months old, so I held him and fed him while I taught Ty and Kierstyn. It was so much fun. We sang and then I told the story of the little boy's lunch of 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. I found some flannel graph in the closet, but no little boy and no lunch, so we pretended with an old guy. Then we made lunch boxes and lunches like the little boy out of paper...We went to Maranatha Sunday night for church, so I got to see a bunch of my campers again. That was fun. Afterward we went out for supper on base, and the WC girls were flirtin' with the GIs again! I tell ya what...Monday was the first day of Field conference. Lots of fun. Today (Tuesday) we went to the peace park with the Harris girls...so much fun. Jessica and I were bonding being nerds together. I:ll have to upload a picture later. Well, it is super late and I have to get to bed.

Japan Update 2

Last Monday four teens from Lighthouse and I flew to Okinawa, Japan, for camp. I counseled nine girls (the entire blue team!) and we had a great time. I was sick the first day and threw up as the plane touched down, but after that I recovered and we had a good week of camp. Jim Ogle was the speaker and the Lord really worked in hearts. It was so neat to see the change in the kids from Monday throughout the week. One guy really seemed to change, Josh. He's about fourteen; he was the biggest camper on my team. By the middle of the week, he was making the other guys let the girls go first and just being a gentleman in general...hmm, I think some of the guys at school could take lessons! Anyway at the end of the week we had a bonfire and some testimonies and he gave a really sweet one. One of my girls also gave a testimony. She was so sweet and a blessing to have in the cabin. The Lord really worked in her heart.I'm loving Okinawa...swimming in the ocean, getting that tan! Once the rain finally stopped, the sun came out and we bonded! :) I'm kind of surprized that I haven't peeled...I think the burn is just going to turn to a tan! Yeah!Today after church (no evening service; we had an afternoon service instead), we went shopping at China Pete's...but I got no china! Some of the other girls got loads, but I just got an Okinawa banner. It's really cool. Then we went to this jade shop and I got a freshwater pearl ring (that fits!), two jade rings and a pair of freshwater pearl earrings...and also some little jade donut things that can be used for making jewelry. All of it was the real deal and I paid twelve dollars! Wow. The other girls all got some necklaces and other stuff too, but I didn't. Then we went to the 100\ store...love that store! Way better than the dollar store! I got a ton of stuff...and I'm slowly beginning to feel the haichu fetish hit. They're pretty good! (Chewy candy...flavored all different kinds).So I brought my flute to Japan and I think I'll return to the States having played it once...My last Sunday in Sasebo the Callahans (missionaries up north) were in town, and the oldest two are really musical, Nathan plays piano, Heather sings, and I played for a song she sang in church, and Nathan and I played the offertory...and haven't broken it out since. I was playing piano for the singing at camp this past week, and I forgot to bring my flute to church this morning...Kierstyn and Ty are playing silly with some strange glasses and fake teeth. They are so funny!

I made it to Japan!

So I finally made it to Japan! I missed my first flight out...so I stayed in WI an extra day, and my mom drove me to Chicago the next day. The flight to Japan was approximately 12 hours and 3 minutes long. The flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka was about an hour and a half, and I had a 5 hour layover in Tokyo.I spent the first two nights with Pete and Jean Heath, the missionaries I'm working with here. On Sunday, I jumped right in to play piano, as the church's pianist is in the States for the summer. They were glad to here some "live" music! So I played an impromptu offertory during the morning service as well as a prelude and congregational singing, and then I practiced up a song that I've played before for the Sunday evening offertory.Monday I packed a bag and came to Eric and Maran's house. Eric was a single guy in our church when I lived in Japan ten years ago. Since then he got married and had a kid, so I am staying with them for a week. Maran and Nathan are coming to the States in the next month, and Eric will be joining them as soon as he gets his orders.Today several families of the church started distributing Japanese gospel tracts in several neighborhoods. The church is doing a tract blitz all summer, trying to get a tract in each home in the area surrounding the church. The little kids were excited to help pass the tracts out, and I made a new friend, Luke. He is three, and I would open the mail box and he would put the tract in. Japanese mailboxes are not like ones you find in America. Most of the time, the mailbox is built into the outer stone gate that surrounds the house. It's a rectangle about six inches high and a foot wide. Sometimes they will have a flap at the top where the mail goes in, sometimes it is open; and there is a "catching box" on the other side of the fence that will have a cover so the mail won't get wet. On the mailbox is also a doorbell and intercom system to call to the house.After we blitzed two small neighborhoods it was time to eat, so we all went to CoCo Curry and had a good Japanese meal. I was so full after the Chicken Cutlet Curry!

More pictures of my buddy!

William decorating his face with birthday cake. He wasn't asleep...just had his eyes closed.William opening birthday presents...the lion's mane tickled his face!
We went to the Madison Zoo where we saw this cutout for a baby polar bear, so I held William up to the hole. He was the littlest polar bear, cuz he couldn't even reach standing on the stool behind it.
I think William wanted to ride the buffalo in this area...but maybe he just liked the feel of the rough twine on his fingers.

Delayed

So the Lord didn't want me to leave on the seventh! I got the MKE airport at about 8:45am Thursday morning, checked in, and waited to board my plane. We boarded and started for the runway, but the tower in Chicago wouldn't let us takeoff yet because of the wind. So we waited for 45 minutes and then found out it would be another hour and a half. So I deboarded the plane and started talking to this family of three that were also traveling to Tokyo, so I was listening in on their questions to the ticket agent. They were headed ultimately to Thailand, so I had to speak with another agent to get my situation figured out. So she got me on a different flight, leaving Chicago Friday just after noon. So I will be getting in at my final destination around 10:00 Saturday (Japan time).

Summer Plans

The Lord has given me the amazing opportunity to return to Japan for the summer. I'll be working with Pete and Jean Heath in Sasebo, Japan. I also get to go accompany the teens to camp where I'll stay for two weeks to counsel. The next week is FIELD CONFERENCE so I'm staying for that too!
I'm so excited!

Friends!

I had a great time at my church down in LA during last summer. The people were great, and they threw a party after our last service there...so I got to bond with Allyson and Mason, my buddies!

I LOVE CAMP!!!

So, since I never put any pictures up, now that the pictures are working, I am going to finally post about camp...
Jon Cover and I got to be pretty tight! He's so awesome! He was actually in my brother's cabin as a camper last year, but I remember him coming to visit Allen once last year too. But then he counseled some weeks and did opstaff some weeks this year... What a fun guy to be my brother!The only thing...he would always pop my space bubble on purpose, and then laugh at me!

Ben Shuler--my hero for a day! He saved my life by killing two BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS that were making their residence in MY windows! The first one was pretty big, and he sprayed it with bleach then decapitated it's head. The second one...he just got rid of I think by way of pliers...

some pictures finally...but they are old ones...

Sorry, no pictures yet of the "guy magnet" car... :)
So, four exams are done so far, and only four more to go! Whew, glad to get half them over on the first day! I'm ready to be done--especially since I didn't study for any of the others yet!!!
I really miss seeing the triplets...but my nephew is coming to visit on Saturday-yay!!! I can't wait.

my new "chic" car

Nope, it's not a guy car, Ben! It's a very cool, very red, very difficult to get in and out kind of sports car. My dad's jealous. Actually, so is my brother. Hey, it's quite a step up from my old "Ruby" rust bucket. But hey, it's pretty cool, driving around in a candy apple red Camaro! So it's not really my car, but for the time being, it's driven primarily by Alyssa! My dad bought it, so when I leave the house, it reverts to him, but I'd say it's a little unsensible for deputation anyway, so that's okay. I guess it's okay to drive...the brake is super sensitive though, and I think I freaked my mom out when we driving to school this morning because I tapped the breaks a bit to hard...a couple of times in a row. But the girl I babysit, Kirstie, she thought it was "way totally cool." Matt thought so too, but not in so many words.
Okay, so what's up with my car needing to be stick shift? Every guy I've talked to about, as soon as I tell them what kind of car it is, automatically asks if it's a stick shift and when I tell him no, it's like instant depression or something. Still scratching my head on that one.
I'll see if I can get a picture to upload on here...I've been having some troubles with that...but first I'll have to take a picture of it...
Cheerio!

Matt. 7:7-11

"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you...how much more does your Father in Heaven give good gifts to them that ask him?"

God, as my caring Father, loves to give me good things. Perhaps this is comparable to Ps. 84:11 that says, "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
Of course, it doesn't say that He will alays give me what I want, when I want it. I must be asking for the right thing. If my heart is in tune with God's then we will be on the same wavelength in the asking-receiving department.

I'm so glad God knows exactly what is good for me, and that He delights in giving what is good for me to me!

Psalm 18:28-30

For it is you who light my lamp; the lORD my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shielf for all those who take refuge in him.

The other day in my devotions, the Lord really blessed my heart with these three verses. I was kind of getting discouraged, and I was looking through the Psalms because I knew it's packed full of stuff about my God and that's always uplifting.
Here's what I learned/was reminded of:
*It is God Who lights my lamp/candle. I need not fear the dark or the dark times of life; He is my Light, showing the way and providing comfort.
*He enlightens my darkness. In those dark times of deep water, I must rest in the Lord; in the midst of that, He is my Light. His presence casts out darkness.
*By Him I can run against a troop. Though the odds may be stacked against me, I can go up against anything in the power of my God! I can do nothing outside Him, but once I resort in HIm, I can run against a troop!
*By Him I can leap over a wall. When an "impossible" circumstance blocks my way, when I am overwhelmed, when I'm bogged down in defeat, I CAN rise above the temporal circumstances and finish the race. Notice it doesn't say He will tear the wall down, or make a way around it. I can conquer nothing in my own strength, but "by the LORD by God I can leap over a wall," no matter how insurmountable it seems. It is through His strength that He enables me to overcome difficulties, trials, and temptations.
*This God--Who enables me and lights my way--His way is perfect. "Perfect"--blameless, good, righteous...Thought I don't understand the darkness, the troop rising against me, or the wall in the middle of my path, I rest in the fact that His way is perfect. There is only good for me--He will be righteous toward me.
*His word proves true--or is tried (refined). When I look around me and discouragement begins to settle in, I must remember the word of the Lord--what has He promised me? what is His character like?
*He is a Shield for all those who take refuge in Him. He is a shield, a "buckler," my strong tower. A shield protects a warrior in battle. In the midst of heartache and hurt, He is my Protector/Protection. This promise is for ALL who place their trust--dependence--on Him. "Who take refuge"--this is active voice--I must take refuge, because He won't force me to run to Him.
He will provide refuge if I choose to partake of it.
Thank You, my holy, sovereign Lord!

It's Through the Blood

While I was at camp, I was really moved by the music we sang during the services. The spirit of the staff was really focused on the cross and it was really sweet to dwell on. While driving somewhere, probably to church, my friend that was driving had a CD with a song that he really liked on it, so we searched and searched for the right song and we finally found it. Here it is.

When I think of Heaven, and all the sights I'll see:
The walls of jasper, gates of pearl, the clear and golden street.
Why should I be present? Why should I enter in?
After all the sinful living, and the wicked one I've been.

In the presence of Jehovah, as I stand before the throne,
The accuser of the brethren starts to read the things I've done
As I hear the awful charges, the question fills my mind:
Why should I not be put in Hell to suffer for all time?

It's through the blood, that's all I have to cling;
It's through the blood that Jesus shed for me.
Not by works of my own righteousness,
For filthy rags are they.
But because of that old rugged tree,
Hanging on dark Calvary,
That is my only plea;
It's through the blood!

When I'm walking through a valley, and I feel there's no way out.
When the winds of sorrow threaten me, and they turn my world around.
That's when I look to Jesus and the price He paid for me;
I can lift my hands in praise to Him and shout the victory!

It's through the blood, that's all I have to cling;
It's through the blood that Jesus shed for me.
Not by works of my own righteousness,
For filthy rags are they.
But because of that old rugged tree,
Hanging on dark Calvary,
That is my only plea;
It's through the blood!

Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow!
No other fount I know! It's through the blood.
It's through the blood.

You can listen to it here: http://www.victoriousvalleyhomes.com/wm/throughtheblood.wma

Well, I've tried to put pictures up from camp, but it hasn't worked yet. Maybe now it will...
Anyway, camp was great. I had a blast. I was able to see about 5 of my campers saved and one from a different cabin. That was totally awesome! I still keep in touch with some of them. This little girl from my church in LA wrote me a letter today. It was really cute, addressed to "Miss Alyssa" or should she have said "Missa Lyssa!" "Because it rhymes! Get it? Missa Lyssa! It rhymes!" This is all said in a deep Southern accent. Soo cute on a ten year old.
Well, the Lord did a lot of construction on my heart this summer. He saw fit to take my sister through a dark valley mid-summer. She had a stroke one Sunday morning in July and was in the hospital for about a week and a half. That week I actually didn't have campers, but I didn't get to go up to NC and see her. The Lord was working though. I've always kind of felt bad because I never really had to trust Him for anything big. I mean, my school bill is paid off, and you always hear of people who have no idea how they are going to make it, but the Lord works and they come back semester after semester. Well, the valleys in life teach trust, and He works all things together for good. The spirit at camp was so encouraging, and it was not uncommon for fellow staff members to ask me how my sister was doing, or for them to stop what they were doing to pray with me. Amen!
Well, I don't like long blogs, so I'll split it up!

My cute little nephew!

Okay, here's some pictures of the cutest little kid on the planet! His name is William James Fortenberry. He was born on Tuesday, May 9, 2006, weighing in at 8 lbs., 12 oz., measuring 22 inches long. Pretty big baby for such a little mommy! (Those of you who don't know my sister, she is smaller than I am!)
These were all taken during his first week. The last picture was at the hospital; that's Jessica holding him.
This will be my last blog for probably the summer, becuase I'm working at camp. I'll get it back up and running when I get home in August.
Enjoy the pictures!

Starfish!

I think the title says it all...

This is me holding my "Starfish Kid," AJ Dolittle. AJ and I bonded in the nursery at Faith Baptist Church when I was a student at Northland. He is the cutest little kid. When it was wintertime, his mommy bundled him up in a snowsuit that was almost too small for him (I think it used to be his big brother's suit) to keep him warm. It was blue and red and yellow, and when you zipped it all the way up, he couldn't even roll around on the floor. It had the squishy stuff for padding, and all he could do was simply exist on the floor until someone took pity on the poor child and picked him up. I thought he looked like a starfish, all bundled up, because his hands and feet stuck out (it was a footy-suit) and the hat part kind of had a cone-head look to it. So there's my SF buddy!