Still no ‘Certificate of Eligabilty’……. Still nothing!

It is feeling very frustrating and stressful… but all I can do is ask God to bring it here to us in His time and in His way, and for His glory.

Hopefully it comes this week though or we might have to change our departure dates for Japan… and we’ve booked with Jetstar… not so easy to do. But oh well.

More positive news though – on Sunday Ben and I spoke at the presbyterian church here in Devonport – they were so lovely and accepting as we shared about our call to Japan and what we hoped to do as missionaries over there. It was really good to feel welcomed into their church. They had a choir do an item to – which was fantastic and very impressive.

We’ve been doing the final pack… seeing how much we can cram into the suitcases.. we’re moving our of the granny flat this weekend so we can spend our last 3 weeks staying with family and cramming in as much quality time with them as we can before we have to leave them ( … and also in Melbourne with the visa stuff.

We also got sent some pictures of the outside of our house in Japan. It’s actually bigger looking then I expected… but slightly more dirty looking! It could do with a nice coat of paint… good thing Ben and I have steady painting arms!

Downstairs is the kitchen/lounge area, and a bathroom.

Upstairs is three rooms. 2 x 6 Tatami mat room and 1 x 3 mat room.

We are trying to translate what the Japanese says on the awning…. something Jesus Christ is as far as we have got though! (the house belongs to the Kusatsu church, and perhaps was once the office or church? There is also another sign outside it too, but not shown in this photo)

And it also looks like there might be a heater/air conditioner system of sorts! we can only hope!

My birthday was great fun – cradle mountain was absolutely fantastic! It rained the day before we were going, and the day after, but my birthday was a beautiful day, clear skies with snow capped mountains!

My sisters friend, Calletso from Botswana came with us and it was the first time she had seen snow! It would have been nice to be able to touch it as well, but unless we wanted to climb up the ‘hill’ for 3 hours we weren’t going to even get close!

Here’s a few pics!

VISA PROBLEMS – our certificate of eligibility STILL has not come for Japan – so although we are supposed to leave Australia in 4 weeks time, we haven’t even applied for our visa! We had planned to go to Melbourne on the 5^th august with the certificate to do all that – but it’s not looking very likely at the moment – we are praying for God to bring in an amazing miracle! Sometimes my faith seems so small and weak as I ask God for big things.

The past 2 weeks have been so busy! I have been working in the church office as our normal administrator is on holidays…

I am constantly amazed at how many hungry, homeless people there are in Tasmania. This week alone my heart has been broken twice as people have come into the office who are desperate for food, who have absolutely nothing, and they are so embarrassed to ask for help – isn’t this what the church is there for!… I feel so helpless, so humbled… I want to do so much more for them than give them a bag of frozen casseroles… I sit in the office after they have gone and just cry out to God for their salvation – that they may meet the true ‘sustainer of life’ in every sense.

Ben and I went to Hobart for a few days as well… we loaded up Dad’s Ute with our boxes and items to send off on the boat to Japan. We ended up with 5 very heavy boxes, my guitar, and a beautiful fold up sassafras table that was a gift from bens family. It didn’t seem very much really. Most of the boxes are full of clothes and shoes – Ben is to tall to but anything in Japan so we have tried to prepare him for the next three years with enough stuff! I hope everything arrives safely. They said it should get there about the same time as we do – about 4 weeks. We were able to stay in a nice hotel on the river, and have lovely meals and look at some art galleries. Breakfast was amazing, the biggest buffet hot breakfast I have ever seen! We definitely got our monies worth! Hehe. We tried out the pool for like 4 minutes! It was cold! Still it is July in Tassie… but it was supposed to be a heated one..

I have been doing some paintings as well, for some friends and family. This has been an interesting time for me, I find it different to paint something for someone else – I am never satisfied with what I do and it never seems good enough! – but when I paint for myself, the pressure is off and things seem to come out more freely. Still, I have really enjoyed doing the paintings – and It was just another way that the Lord is providing money for us to live off.

Here’s a picture of one set of paintings for a friends bedroom.

Anyway, better go – At the moment Ben is writing a talk for tomorrow mornings Mens Breakfast at church – he will be sharing about being a man in Japan and what it is like for Japanese men.. they are also raising money to buy ben a bike like they did for my sewing machine!!

The countdown is really beginning… life is definitely about to change BIG time!

Here’s some photo’s from a ‘Girls Night with Jess’ that the missions committee at my sending church put on for me to raise money to buy me a new sewing machine for when I get to Japan. It was so lovely and I felt very special. 70 women came… I was able to share some of my testimony and a little bit about Japan… then we did lots of Japanese crafts – there was origami, sushi making, japanese paper dolls, card making, beading and japanese quilting. And then an amazing and fattening supper! There is a photo of my mentor Jen teaching origami, Me teaching Japanese doll making, and Ben’s sushi table with ladies learning how to cook sushi.

This week is my birthday – 23! and my sister is over from Sydney.. so i think we are going to go to Cradle Mountain for a visit and maybe do the dove lake track…(will post photos if we go – please no rain!)… It will be the last time for ages that Ben and I can go there.. and we hope there will be some snow as well! it is one of the most beautiful places in Tasmania – in my opinion )

Last night Ben and I went out for some Japanese food… we have found this fantastic restaurant in Launceston that has great food… great atmosphere, and it plays J-Pop (so we can sit and listen and try to recognize some Japanese words that we know!)

Whenever we go there I just want to be in Japan so much! Still – 7 weeks now… and we will be there… sitting in Japanese restaurants… eating authentic food and listening to authentic music.. for real