A Quick Update

God is alive and well, and so are we.

Weather wise, it is not as hot as Paris, Texas, although the added humidity does bring it close most days. It’s a little oppressive and miserable out (those are technical terms, check out the amusing scale that WeatherSpark uses for humidity below)

It is the peak of summer here in Japan. We have gone through rainy season and it is a pain to dry things when it rains every day. The Japanese don’t have driers and rely on hanging everything outside to dry. It has taken some getting use to, but for the most part, I think we are figuring things out.

We have an addition to our family, Elora Irwin was born June 1st, and is healthy and well despite having two older siblings. An interesting thing, the Japanese do not use middle names, the use of the Chinese characters known as Kanji, make their names unique enough that they have no need for middle names. So if we tried to give her a middle name, it would have been combined with her first name when it was put into their system, and we would have had to get them separated through a family court process. So for now, she is simply, and beautifully: Elora Irwin.

Lincoln just had his 4th birthday last week, he is glad to be older. He got to enjoy it while we were on a drive around northern Japan. He enjoyed swimming in a Lake Inawashiro and getting some Paw Patrol toys we found at the local Costco. Lincoln said his favorite part about being 4 so far has been getting presents.

Ezra had a fun time on our trip also playing with Lincoln’s toys. I think she would have enjoyed the beach more if there weren’t biting flies. Both of them love to swim and be outside, which I am glad of, but it is difficult right now living in an apartment and sharing spaces with neighbors that we can barely communicate too. She tried a stint at a public kindergarten for about a month. She had a few good days, but mostly she had a hard time. She jumped the fence a couple of days, so I started staying with her to help her try to feel comfortable. Kindergarten is different than American Kindergarten, they are much more about socializing children than teaching them anything book-ish. So they do a lot of cooperative playing. It isn’t real structured. They have inside time, and then outside time, then back inside, and they help serve lunch, which I think was one of Ezra’s favorite activities, being a helper. Her other favorite activity was helping dig up the potatoes that the previous years students had planted. (Back home, she loved helping me in my garden.) She also made a few friends that we get to hangout with on occasion. They don’t speak English, most of the parents don’t either, but it is good encouragement for me to learn Japanese and “practice” my Japanese. Since pulling her from (the optional) kindergarten, we have been homeschooling, like we had originally intended, and she is thriving. Lincoln is younger and slower at picking up what we are teaching, but though at the time of learning he seems like he isn’t paying attention, he will later use it in play or tell us that the toy he’s playing with starts with a “b” sound.

Kara is taking over this little portion of herself. Hi there 🙂 These past few months have been a roller coaster of emotions and I can look back and see how God has been growing and shaping me, and I am thankful that He will continue to do so because man do I need to grow! I was just having a conversation with a dear friend about what God has been teaching me. In the past seven months of being here I’ve had to surrender control during my pregnant months as I was unable to do much of anything because I was miserably pregnant. After the birth of Elora, I’ve had to work on regaining control of my home and mom duties, which has been working on communication with Jed. You think you’ve come so far and then God shows you how selfish and mean you can be… I struggled for thankfully a short time with postpartum depression. That was scary at times and expected with the situation, but hit me out of the blue, about two months after Elora was born. I am in a good place now, normal, but aware that those emotions and hormones can come at anytime. Living here still doesn’t feel normal. I didn’t know I’d have such a hard time transitioning with my heart and brain. I was so excited to live in Japan, and am still in awe of it, but wrapping my mind around this being my home where we do the day to day things, the mundane things and are not just on vacation is still in progress. I think part of it is the uncertainty of how long we are here. I feel like I’m in limbo and not able to really embrace where I am.

I have noticed lately that I have become accustomed to where we are because I can walk in and out of the grocery store quickly, without being overwhelmed with language, knowing where things are and check out without a problem. Learning the language has been very slow for me, and my brain still reverts to Spanish on the things I don’t know, haha. I have resumed my weekly Japanese lessons with a sweet Japanese girl who plays the piano at the church we go to right down the street from where we live, Tsukuba Love of Christ. She is certified in teaching Japanese, but she volunteered to do this. I am very thankful for her. As well as lessons, simply being immersed in the language truly does help. You have to use what you’re learning and get past fumbling around. There’s a lot in my brain, but making it come out when needed is another matter. Jed amazes me with how much he has learned and can converse with people way more than me. Our neighbors are very kind and helpful. Apartment life is very different from what I’m used to and it has really forced us into relationships and having to speak to people because of the closeness that we physically have. I look forward to seeing how God uses these relationships for His glory.

Jed is taking over again…

I am picking up the language decently, talking briefly with the neighbors and the kindergarten on the phone. I believe the ultimate test of my Japanese is to order through the McDonald’s drive through, which is currently a daunting task, to not be able to point at pictures on a menu to communicate with them. The Lord has led us to another American missionary that has been here for the last 20 years, and I’m hoping to glean a little from him. He is a new bee keeper and I offered help, which he took and I was able to get into his bee hive, which are local Japanese bees, different than the Italians I am use to. I look forward to getting to know their family more, because of similar interests, because of kids with similar ages, because friends, that are also brothers and sisters in Christ, are so important in this world.

I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and continued support as we seek to introduce the Japanese people to Christ, our Lord and Savior. My wife and I both appreciate and love hearing friendly voices over the phone or to read an encouraging message. They are precious to us.

I pray for each and everyone of you. And I pray that you would grow nearer to God almighty, through his son, Jesus Christ, that died on a cross for our sins and transgressions. Cling to Him my friends. It’s the only way to survive this world.

I love you all. Please stay safe.