Monday, May 19, 2008

A real Update but no Pics

I put that heading just in case all you do is look at my pictures. . . might as well not waste your time ;)

Here we go. . .

So I'm going to start my business next year. I am hoping to seriously do some work while I'm here. I just did an engagement shoot this last weekend. I am praying that the Lord will show me what I need to do to prepare for this and what it will look like. I'm not sure if I will do it here or in America or in some other country in God's green earth. I'm open to anywhere. I feel like I'm not being a good steward of the talents and gifts God has given me. I don't think me teaching in Japan is bad but it's not the best. I know I'm suppose to be in japan and I was suppose to come here but I do want to be a photographer and I want to be a better steward with my loans. Loans are not freedom and I want to be truly free in every way.

Please, pray that the Lord will show me the best way to do my business. Also I have peace about a business partner. . .someone else who wants to start a photography business or who has similar vision for photography as I. I don't know. . . it was just something in my head when I thought of starting my business.

It was awesome because last Sunday when I spoke to my Bible study leader, Tess about it she said that I should start my business and that she'd pray for me. The same day my friend, Sara, who I photographed said the exact same thing after praying in small groups. She just looked at me and was like "You need to start your photo business. You could make a lot of money." ( I wanna add. . I didn't say one thing to her really about starting my business . . just that it was an idea . . and I said that ages ago. . . also I didn't tell her my need for money.) I then told her what was on my heart and she said she would pray for me and my business. Later the day my a girl at my church told me she saw my pics on line of Sara and Shinsuke and said that she really liked them. She asked if I had studied photography in college and I told her I had and that I'd like to start my business. She then said that I should and that she'd pray for me. All three of these women gave me soo much hope and made me excited. I then put in the prayer box a prayer request about starting my business and using the gifts God had given me. My pastor reads these before church. He usually just reads them and then prays but when he started he read my and was like. . . what a blessing the Lord has given this person to start a business. And he went off about how the Lord wants many people to start businesses and he prayed for more faith for me. He also told me (not directly because he didn't know it was me) that once I started my business to come and tell him. Hee hee hee ;) To be honest. . .I pray I can start it here in Japan somehow. I really love this church. Recently I've been kind of bummed about leaving already. I am connecting, bonding, pouring in and being poured into. Getting a vision for Japan and spreading God's love and opening the eyes of the Japanese here. Not that I don't wanna go where God leads me and to be in His will but I really do think that He's putting this into my heart. I want to keep growing, changing, and getting to know the Lord daily but I am truly desiring to grow in a church long term. I don't want to keep church hoping every so many years. I want to invest long term in a fellowship and family. And there are soo many lives here that don't know God who I want to see come to know the Lord. BUT I will go where He asks me to go. I knew that when I came here. I would follow Him.


So that is what is on my heart these days.

God is good and good things are from God. I'm soo thankful for Him. Truly.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Sara and Shinsuke

I had the pleasure of photographing my friend's, Sara, engagement pictures. Actually I'm friend with her and her fiancee, Shinsuke, too. Here are the pics.

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Saturday, May 3, 2008

Bowling with co-workers

Two days ago my school had a day off because it was the school's anniversary. A group of us from the school decided to get together for lunch and bowling. IT was a lot of fun. I didn't take any pics of the actual bowling but afterwards we just hung out in a dinner type place and some of them had icecream. Here are some of my coworkers.

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I am obviously on the left, in the center is Bobo (nick name) who is kind of the secretary, and the far right is Akiko who is the school counselor


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The far left is Tatsuya (not my exboyfriend) who is an English teacher, middle is Maya who is a PE teacher, and right is Mai who is a Special Eds teacher. All three of them are new teachers too.

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Again Maya, Mai, and I.

All of us younger people in the photos are new and are friends. After bowling Maya, Mai, and I went back to Mai's house and hung out and chatted till late into the evening. And we are hanging out again on Sunday. These two women are really great people. Really kind and kindred spirits. The older women are great too. Really sweet women and are amazing bowlers. Both of them got over 150 the second game we played. I got 106 the first game and the second came I was beat and got 80. hahahhahha. But granted I started to practice how to spin the bowling ball which is hard sooo. . . a lot of wasted frames. But I was the second lowest score. . .everyone else got like 120 or so too. Japanese are amazing bowlers.

Well, I will hopefully take more pictures later. It's a bit hard since to be honest. . .a lot of Japanese are shy around the camera once they are adults. Weird huh? That is why Tatsuya is covering his face. Booooo.

Love you all.