Hiking in Arkansas

I wish I could have joined Jason and Rex on their trip to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas. From the pictures, it looks beautiful, and like a welcome break from the city. Perhaps Jason will share more (perhaps a 'sermon'!) in another post...but here's just a glimpse of God's handiwork.

United...the friendly skies

Tonight I have renewed hope in the airline industry and in particular with United Airlines. Let's just say that prior to this evening, my dealings with United (particulary on long haul flights and dealing with them as a Travel Agent) have been less than desirable. Of course, we're all entitled to our own opinions, but unfortunately, a bad first experience is hard to forget. I'm all about second chances though. We purchased tickes on United to Australia this summer, and after tonight, I am almost positive that my future experiences with UA will be much more pleasant than in the past.

WHY this had to be done in the first place is far too complex for a blog entry...but in brief it had to do with the recent naturalization process and change of status/documents. Tonight, a very kind lady at the United Airlines ticketing desk in Memphis performed her part of a miracle. She changed the name on my ticket from Nicole Maree Lewis, to Nicole Maree Whaley. For those of your who work in the travel industry, you can appreciate what a miracle this is! And she did it for free. Yeah for United.

And tomorrow I will apply for my US passport. After we get back I will change the Australian passport. One day soon, I will be ALL Whaley and will never have to worry about how to issue my tickets again!




Thank you United!

Whose blog is this anyway?

My sincere apologies to my faithful 'lay' readers. While I was out the other day with a friend, my husband (without adult supervision) infiltrated our blog. Our blog has been theologically tainted!!! Now, I know that our blog title is 'JASON and Nicole', but you can probably tell that so far I, Nicole, have been the blogger...blogging about...well....stuff. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy thinking about spiritual things, and think that theology is important. But really, Dear, a sermon? On the blog??? I know this post was probably a welcome change for all you grad school students. But fear not, ladies, I'm back with my 'stuff'....

29 Years

Yesterday I celebrated my 29th birthday. I love birthdays and hope I will continue to love them even as the number increases. It was a busy day. Jason preached out at Kirby Pines Retirement home early in the morning, and then we enjoyed worship time at Park Avenue. We spent the afternoon at a work picnic in Arlington. Our manager has just moved into a 100 year old home out there and we all wanted to check it out as well as be able to spend time together out of the office. It was a great time. The house is gorgeous. Jason played horseshoes with Reese, while I sat on a swing on the porch sipping sweet tea. This 'southern lifelstyle' could really grow on me! We wrapped up the evening with a 3 person birthday celebrating with friends from Park Avenue.

I am thankful for my life. For my family, friends, experiences, health, and the blessings of my job. I am thankful that God loves me. I pray that the rest of the years of my life will be a testimony to His love and grace and mercy.

Good thing I'm a Christian

You scored as Christianity. Your views are most similar to those of Christianity. Do more research on Christianity and possibly consider being baptized and accepting Jesus, if you aren't already Christian. Christianity is the second of the Abrahamic faiths; it follows Judaism and is followed by Islam. It differs in its belief of Jesus, as not a prophet nor historical figure, but as God in human form. The Holy Trinity is the concept that God takes three forms: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost (sometimes called Holy Spirit). Jesus taught the idea of instead of seeking revenge, one should love his or her neighbors and enemies. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to save humankind and forgive people's sins. Christianity 79% Judaism 50% Paganism 42% Islam 42% Hinduism 38% Buddhism 33% Satanism 21% agnosticism 17% atheism 4% Which religion is the right one for you? (new version) created with QuizFarm.com

In reality, it is not simply my philosophical leanings that make me a Christian. God wants all of me, not just my doctrinal positions.

It is interesting, though, how our doctrinal positions affect the whole offering we bring to God. Doctrinal misunderstandings often lead to moral confusion. Many gods lead to disunity. Nationalistic Christian philosophy marginalizes people of other races and religions. And separation of "the spiritual" from "the physical" leads to greed, adultery, and over-eating. The Corinthians, for example, were way off in their doctrine of the resurrection (cf. chapter 15). They didn't believe Jesus was raised bodily, nor that they would be. Paul gets pretty excited about the fact that their conclusion would lead to grim consequences that I have summarized: 1) the 500+ people claiming to witness Christ's resurrected body are the most immoral and successful liars in all history, 2) sin and death are permanent, and 3) there is no hope in an afterlife even if you think somehow the soul is immortal. (15:1-19) In other words, if no resurrection, then faith is futile.

But Paul assures the Corinthians that Christ has actually been raised from the dead and that his resurrection is directly connected to their own fate! (15:20)

There are really only three significant points in history: 1) Creation, 2) Christ's Cross/Resurrection, and 3) The destruction of all Christ's enemies, including death, and the general resurrection of all who belong to Christ. (15:20-26)

Christ will hand the Kingdom over to God the Father who will then be "all in all". (15:24, 27-28)

I believe that this doctrinal position would have affected the whole offering that the Corinthians would bring to God. First of all, they may have realized that even without holding an accurate doctrinal stance on the most basic Christian teaching (i.e., the resurrection), God and his agent, Paul, recognized them as saints with all the rest whose Lord is Jesus Christ! Why?Because they "were called into the fellowship of God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:1-9). So, thankfully, I don't need to be rebaptized now that reading the Bible has shifted my "afterlife" paradigm.

Second, God has also shifted my "beforedeath" paradigm. God wants to redeem our entire existence--body, spirit, psyche, mind, heart, vocation, vacation, time, possessions, money . . . We, like the Corinthians, like to think in terms of a physical/spiritual dichotomy. We don't think God needs to redeem our destructive physical habits and attractions because we think our bodies aren't eternal anyway. But the use of our possessions affects our "treasure in heaven", so the use of our bodies and minds, etc. will also affect whether we remain to be people who belong to Christ and therefore have the hope of being raised imperishable (15:52).

Third, Christ showed that he can deal with death by destroying it. Death is clearly a tragedy. But Christ will destroy death in the end. So, since we are between the two most important point in history (Christ's resurrection and our own), we can feel free to mourn over loss. But we also long to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling (2 Cor 5:2) while we wait for the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23) and the new heavens and earth where righteousness is at home (2 Peter 3:13).

It's a good thing to be a Christian, but it requires everything, including our bodies.

Posted by Jason

A visit from Stephen

We love it when Jason's brother, Stephen comes to visit us from Abilene. He brings us out of our 'Amish' life! We see movies, eat at Red Lobster, Cold Stone and enjoy being together. He is good company and makes us laugh a lot. We're thankful he likes road trips and is happy to endure the 10 or so hours it takes to get to Memphis from Abilene.

H.O.O.D Garage Sale

Saturday was the first event for a new organization called H.O.O.D, which stands for Harding Organization for On-Campus Development. We're thankful especially for Chris and Danielle Shrock's initiative in getting this off the ground...and for their drive to make the Garage sale a success. It was a fun time working together with our neighbors.

We we blessed with so many donations for the sale (thanks to our donators!)...and with perfect Garage sale weather.




I think it was a great success for our first time. The proceeds will be used items benefitting on campus residents. Maybe a covered bicycle rack...laundry room upgrades...etc etc...

Most importantly the HOOD brings together on-campus residents here at HUGSR and gives us a deeper sense of community.

There's a number of one and two bedroom apartments, and townhouses available. Come join the H.O.O.D!

'Jya Ne' not 'Sayonara'

On Friday night, we said goodbye to the Kaneda family. Jason took them to the airport on Saturday morning. We enjoyed a relaxing meal together at El Porton's Mexican restaurant. Tomoka was well behaved, happy and a good entertainer for us. She was styling' with her sunnies...





She held our hand and wanted to sit on my lap. She instructed Jason on his driving...'Green - GO!' and 'Red - STOP!'. Perhaps we succeeded after all in making her bilingual in just three weeks! When we all hugged goodbye, Tomoka directed the hugs...She said, 'Next Daddy hug Jason...next Mommy hug Nicole'. It was hilarious!

We have already heard from them that they arrived safely in Nagoya. Katsuyuki is already back at work and we hope that all three of them get rested and back to Japan-time quickly.

We believe we will see them again. Perhaps in Japan next time. We would like to do a tour of Japan between the US and Australia when we finally head that way. We have many friends we'd like to reconnect with. (Yes - Campbells - Hitachi is definltey on the list!)

It is not easy to send friends off to the other side of the world. I appreciate our families who have allowed us to leave them. And I am thankful for email and internet and weblogs that allow us to keep in touch the way we do. To the Kanedas we didn't say 'Goodbye or Sayonara'...just 'Jya-ne or See you later!'

Certified and Naturalized

Um...I wonder if this is legal?

Jason and Tomo-chan

Backing up to before we left for California, we were able to enjoy more quality time with the Kanedas. They came over for Sunday lunch. It was nice enough to eat and play outside.

After visiting us on Saturday evening, Akiko and Katsuyuki let Tomoka watch the video they had taken at our house that night. Much to our delight, her parents reported that Tomoka said over and over again, 'I want to play with Jason and Nicole'. How sweet she is!

Tomo-chan is always so shy with Jason at first. But once she gets comfortable, she's 'all-about-Jason'. She runs after him and every trick or game he plays is followed with a 'mou ikkai yatte' ('do it again!') from Tomo.

What a blessing she is to us!

Reflections

A little more news from our California trip. We really enjoyed our time at Pepperdine. We saw friends from around the world who we had not seen in years. Some we had last seen four years ago, others seven years ago.

For those of you who have been to the Pepperdine campus, you know the beauty I talk about. It is literally carved into a cliff. To quote one man, 'you have to be a mountain goat to get around'. He is right. Don't forget anything from your dorm, or leave something down in the main auditorium!

Our dorm room had a sweeping view of the Pacific ocean, and the campus is covered with trees, plants and flowers which are common in Australia. It was so wonderful to walk outside and breathe the sea air and smell familiar smells, like eucalyptus. For many reasons, I feel closer to home (Australian home) in LA...after all it is just 14 hours over that ocean.



One time we flew into LA and from our plane (while still flying) we could see a Qantas jet about to land. It is always a little strange to see the red-kangaroo-tailed planes there knowing they have just delivered hundreds of Aussies to the US that morning, or will be taking many home in the evening. I certainly don't feel homesick these days, and I am so happy to call America home at this time, but there's just something about those familiar sights, sounds and smells from down under.

Speaking of that part of the world - we gathered with several on Thursday evening at an 'Asia Pacific Missions Interest' meeting. It was exciting to visit, share and pray with others who feel a burden to the continued spread of the Good News in this part of the world.



And it would be a shame not to mention the culinary delights of a place like Malibu. We enjoyed some fantastic seafood. King crab legs (I have not had crab like this in so long...mmmm), shrimp, great fish.... For those of you who might think I am a petite and controlled eater, you would be shocked to see how I can pack away the seafood. It shocked my husband the first time he saw me effortlessly eat an entire crab in Hokkaido, Japan. But he sure can pack it away, too:



Ok...let's be fair...we split this 6 ways. But this was a SINGLE serving of chocolate cake! Unbelievable!

Proud to be an American

May 1st was a special day for our family. I was sworn in as an American Citizen along with 203 others in a Naturalization Ceremony in downtown Memphis. I was honoured by the presence of several friends - thanks Justin, Larry Arick, Natalie and Shawn, and of course my dear husband (without whom this would not have been possible...you know the whole marriage thing...)

Celebrations began on Sunday at the Blands who had plannned a surprise party for me. It was so awesome to be honoured like that. They went all out with red, white and blue decorations from the mailbox and all throughout their home and everyone even wore red, white and blue colours! 'Bland Sundays' have become such a highlight of our time in Memphis. Thanks, friends!






Back to the actual day...it was a really neat ceremony, complete with the Navy band to provide music which stirred the heart! The guest speaker, who was also being naturalized was from Brisbane, Australia, so that was an unexpected treat.

It is certainly a blessing and an honour to be an American Citizen. Of course, it does mean that I can no longer use the line, 'Sir, I'm not an American' on corporate clients who are irritated that I don't know how to spell Roanoke, or know which state it is in... I'll have to come up with some other excuse now.

My naturalization certificate had a little glitch though - it did not get signed by the director of Homeland Security. So I had to make two extra trips to their office to get that taken care of...that is always a treat! It is all taken care of though. Most of our pictures turned out a little dark - here's one though of me at the ceremony.

Oh say can you see....the new American among us....

Greetings from Malibu, California

We're greatly enjoying the Pepperdine Lectures. What more could you ask for - we're on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, enjoying classes and speakers, singing and fellowshipping. We've reconnected with folks from Japan, Australia and from thoughout the US. We've also been acquainted with new friends from all over this country and the world. I can't help but dream a little of just how wonderful heaven will be.

The lectures will be over tonight and we will head to Marina del Ray to stay with Glen, Charla and Sienna Brown. These are friends I've known from Wynnum congregation, Griffith University and Ochanomizu congegation in Tokyo. I wonder if they've caught on that I'm following them yet?

Here's some pictures of people and places.....


What a view!



Jason and Tadayoshi Aikawa from Tokyo, Japan



Yukikazu's father Shiro Obata was honoured at this years lectures for his years of Christian service in Ochanomizu and Haruna, Japan



Here we are with Yukikazu Obata - preacher at Mito congregation, Ibaraki, Japan

Catching you up...

It will take several posts to fill you in on whats been going on. I wanted to take a minute to share with you an exciting Aussie Mission Team development. Jon, Sara and baby Grizzle will be joining us on our survey trip in July to Wollongong, NSW. The Grizzles have been dialoguing with us about Australia and joining in on our team meetings and devotionals and planning for a couple of months now. Last week they committed to coming with us to survey Wollongong! We thank God for this progress. While the Grizzles are not committed yet to our team, we praise God for their desire to serve God and to consider being partners with us in ministry to Australia. We will miss little Nina, who will enjoy about 10 days with grandparents while her Mom, Dad and newborn brother (due June 15th) will be down under.



Please remember the Grizzles in your prayers - especially for the arrival of a healthy son.

Another team blessing has been the opportunity to meet some extended family members. We enjoyed time with Shawn's Mom and brother, Jake. Of course we always enjoy time with Kendra's sister, Jane. I know she is a blessing to the Griffiths...she is a model Aunt! I'm thankful for these opportunities which bring another dimension to our team relationships.

Happy Little Vegemite

On my way to work today, I decided to stop in at World Market - a new (6 months ago) store to the Memphis area. It's basically in the same parking lot as my office and I was running a few minutes early. As I drove by there this morning, the thought crossed my mind that they just might have Vegemite. As I mentioned on a previous post...I have been in search of Vegemite for the last week but had pretty much resolved to waiting until our visit in July.

I searched the aisles of imported food and came across TIM TAMS, Cadbury Flakes, Time Outs, Curly Wurlys and other Cadbury Gems. Ahh...the mouth waters. Alas, no Vegemite. On my way out, the store clerk asked if I found everything I needed. (she could probably tell by my face that I did not!) I asked her if they stocked Vegemite. I expected a blank, 'never heard of it' stare. Instead she said, 'oh yeah, right this way'. She led me to the 'Product of AustRIA' aisle (go figure...Australia..Austria...) and lo and behold...there sat my Vegemite.

She knew I was happy. Trying not to be too giddy, I politely told her how she had made my day, and went on and paid my $2.99 plus tax for the goods.

I'm still pretty pumped about my find. It's very timely - since today is ANZAC day and all, and since I've had about all the peanut butter and honey, and jelly on toast that I can handle for some time. And to think it's been right there all this time.

'Australians all let us rejoice....' Memphis has Vegemite!

Reunion

It has been such a joy to be reunited with Katsuyuki, Akiko and Tomoka. Even though Akiko told us that Tomoka could say our names and identify us from a picture...my heart was filled with an unexpected joy and warmth when I heard her say 'Niko' and 'Jason doko?'...'Where's Jason?' It was the sweetest thing. She is now 2 1/2 and can speak and in full sentences - in Japanese - and it makes our interactions with her so full and rich.

Of course we greatly enjoy her Mum and Dad, too. They are strong people - they went through some trials while living in the US but persevered through each of them with a happy disposition. We look forward to our time together over the next few weeks. And hope we can visit them in Okazaki some time soon.

Good Morning!

We're both feeling much better...in spite of not being able to get my hands on any Vegemite. Thanks to my kind friends in Japan who offered to order and send me some, though!

It is a really stormy morning here in Memphis. One benefit of being sick and having slept alot, is that this morning I woke up and bounced out of bed...not my usual morning ritual...let's just say I am not really a morning person. But with so much sleep under my belt, I was glad to get up this morning. I was also helped by a morning call from Jason's family.

This weekend our friends from Japan, the Kanedas arrive. I had their arrival one week too soon... Saturday morning is HUGSR's annual 5k Run for the Son. If you're in Memphis, join us at 7:30am for registration for an 8am run. Jason will be 31 this weekend....

That's about it for 'news'. Just checking in...
Be blessed!

In search of comfort...

Last night I (Nicole) came down with a terrible stomach bug. I honestly don't think I've ever gotten sick this fast before. Jason took good care of me throughout the night as I moved between the bedroom and living room trying to get comfortable. This morning I called the office saying I would not work today. Their response was 'Are you pregnant?' I assured them that since I had fever and an aching body that this was indeed just a nasty bug! Besides, I would hope that this was not 'morning sickness'....if THIS is what morning sickness is like...then I am up for adopting!

As a child, whenever I was sick, I would eat Vegemite on toast or crackers. It has grown to be such a comfort food and as I began to get my wits about me this afternoon, I could not think of anything else. So...I went on a mission to Wild Oats only to find out that they no longer carry Vegemite. I'm very devastated....all I want is a little comfort...and I can't get it.... I had to settle for some soup from McAlisters deli..... Please feel very sorry for me! And if you have Vegemite on hand...give me a call.

Naturalization

We're pleased to announce that the final stage of my Naturalization process(Justin - please note 'proper US spelling for naturaliZation), is just around the corner. We received 'orders' for me to appear Downtown Memphis on May 1st for my Oath Ceremony. On this day I will officially become a citizen of the United States of America. I will have the priviledge of being a Dual Citizen of Australia and the US.



We started our file in Tokyo, Japan back in 2002. Overall - our dealings with the Embassies, Consulates, INS and now the department of Homeland Security have been very pleasant and smooth. There were occassional setbacks and frustrations but God provided us with endurance, patience and funds to get this taken care of.

If you would like to witness a Naturalization Oath Ceremony (really...how often does a chance like this come up???)...let me know...I'd be honoured for you to be there. (And yes...Justin...I spelled honoUred 'Aussie style' - just for you - and in honour of my roots!)

Visitors from Japan...coming soon

Our friends from Aichi, Japan will be back in Memphis is just a few days! We met them while they were here on a research grant at UT. We studied the Bible together and developed a wonderful friendship. We can't wait to see how they are doing - especially their daughter, Tomoka. Tomoka was born while the Kaneda family lived in Memphis. We were priviledged to baby sit Tomoka on a number of occasions. Her Mom and Dad even allowed her to spend the night with us. She is one of the sweetest little girls we have ever known. Jason says she is his favourite. I remember the first time Tomoka ever really laughed. We had just finished a meal together; Jason was singing her name to the tune of a well known Japanese folk song and she thought it was the funniest thing ever. She busted out in fits of laughter over and over again until it became a game. I think it surprised both her and her parents to hear her laugh like that. I don't think I will ever forget that.

I wonder if she will remember 'Jason and Nicole'? Her parents have been showing her our picture and said she can say our names. That will be sweet to hear! They have asked that we make her bilingual during their three week visit (one of which we will be in California). We'll have to get busy on that....good think my degree is in Linguistics. Surely that will help.



Some other special people are arriving from Japan just before them. Jared and Jenny have been on a freight liner for about 10 days. They are scheduled to hit Los Angeles some time tomorrow. We can't wait to hear that they have arrived safely. What an experience to cross the Pacific this way - and they have done this twice! They plan to come our way some time in May or June. Jason and Jared are yet to meet. I can't wait for them to get to know each other and for Jenny and I to get reaquainted. Jenny is like a sister to me. Talking, tea, knitting, laughing...these and more are well overdue.

Thank you God for the blessing of friendship.