(-: Just had to say it :-)
Every day more!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Just because :-)
Every year in August, Nagano City hosts a huge festival on the streets
in the main downtown area between the train station and the temple.
We joined some friends and went to wander and watch the festivities.
in the main downtown area between the train station and the temple.
We joined some friends and went to wander and watch the festivities.
The shop where Ian works is right in the middle of it all so we popped by to say 'Hi' .
And since there are so few times when I get a picture with him I couldn't resist including it here...
...just because!
Isn't he a cutie!
Bible Story Sausage Cookout 2010
The 10th of August we were back at the small riverside park for this years Bible Story and sausage cookout.
72 people joined in this year and we even had a few Dads come along with Mom and the kids this year!
It was great to see them join the activity, especially on a week day morning!
72 people joined in this year and we even had a few Dads come along with Mom and the kids this year!
It was great to see them join the activity, especially on a week day morning!
God blessed us with wonderful weather for the event
and as usual John starts out with some English activities to get thier attention and get things started.
The story this year was 'Jonah and the Whale'.
John read the story - bit by bit - in English,
followed by Pastor Kitamura reading the related verses in Japanese from the Bible.
Then Naoko would tell it for the kids using the awesome props she and her husband created from their family print shop.
After the Bible story the kids played a few games to work up their appetites while John got the sausages done on the grill.
Every year we have sausage dogs and tuna noodle salad and every year we hear how good the food and fun the story time were.
God IS good!
Annual Kids/Moms Cooking Class
On August 5th, the day after returning from watching Zack's team take third place honors in Okinawa, we led the annual cooking class for elementary kids and their Moms at the local community center where John teaches every Thursday afternoon.
As has been the case every year we had a full house!
You can see,
they're very serious about thier cooking
with all their aprons and head covers ;-)
The menu this year was grilled cheese sandwiches, potato chip salad and fruit cocktail cake.
Everyone had lots of fun preparing the meal and more eating it!
Yes.. it was HOT in that room and John's shirt shows it!!!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
August 2010 news from Nagano
Blessings Dear Loved Ones & Prayer Partners!
We hope and pray that the heat you are all experiencing this summer is coming from the love of His Son that is burning deep inside of you! A fire that won’t go out! Please help spread those flames to all you meet each day.
We told you last month that as we were finishing the newsletter we were off to watch Zack compete with his classmates in the National Tournament. We have wonderful news to report…Zack and his team finished in the TOP FOUR of all the teams in the country. They lost in the semi-final game to the eventual National Champions. They played a total of 5 games and Zack averaged 26 points and 19.5 rebounds per game. Now you might say, the Japanese are too short…so easy for him, but Zack plays center and in all but one game he was 4 to 6 inches shorter than the other teams center. The boys, and the coaches goal has always been to reach the top 8 in the tournament, but have never gotten past the top 16 round and then reached it only once. In the top 16 round this year, their 3rd game, Zack got hurt in the 2nd quarter with about 2 and ½ minutes to go. He pulled one of the ligaments in his left knee and tore the muscle in his upper thigh. He came out of the game and his team quickly gave up 12 points to the other team. At half time one of the mothers (luckily a professional masseuse) gave him a massage that really helped. He played all the second half even though he was limping badly, and ended with 30 points and 22 rebounds! He said he never felt the pain, but was only worried about making their goal. His heart was so big. The tournament is continuous with no rest days, so that night and next morning more massage and off they went for the top 8 games against one of the top teams in the country. The boys played great and Zack was able to rest the last 5 minutes of the game as they had built up a huge lead. He ended with 38 points and 25 rebounds. The next morning was the game to decide who would play in the national finals. The boys were so excited and got off to a great start. At about the 3 minute mark Zack took a knee in the left thigh that was where the torn muscle was. The hit took him down, and was very difficult for him to get up. He told the coach he was OK, but you could see that he could hardly walk. He played the entire 40 minutes of the game. The opposing center is a large boy (6’9) from Senegal in Africa and is a very strong player. Because going into this game Zack had been averaging 30 points, every time he touched the ball 3 players converged on him. With his weak left leg he was unable to spin or move, so his offense was limited to only 13 points, but even barely able to walk, he still struggled for 19 REBOUNDS!!!! His team couldn’t over come the overall size and speed of the other team and lost the game, but not without a great fight! We are so proud of all the boys and their efforts, but of course of our baby! He is now considered one of the top 5 players in the COUNTRY!!!!! We can’t be more proud and thank-you all for your prayers and support for him and all of us.
A wonderful benefit of his achievements is that during the tournament Kim and I were interviewed by one of the National Sports Newspapers and our picture and story about our work as missionaries was told. So even though you may think that Zack’s basketball has no spiritual purpose, God can use anything and everything to help us bring Him honor and glory.
Our mini VBS outing was a HUGE success! On Tuesday morning August 10th we met outside at a local park to tell the story about Jonah. We had SEVENTY TWO people show up! All of the children were accompanied by either a mother and in several instances by father’s, too. Of the 72 people, that attended, only 8 are Christians!!!! So praise God that so many would come out in the heat of the summer to learn more about the wonderful love that God has for each of us. All of the members are either our students or Mako’s. If you remember, Mako is our friend from Singapore that first came to join us in our Tuesday morning Bible Study, then joined our Sunday English service, got baptized and now share’s God’s love where ever she can. We do 4 parties a year together, with 3 (Christmas, Easter and mini VBS) with Christian messages, at Christmas we put on the Christmas play, Easter we use the ‘Resurrection’ egg kits to tell the story and during the mini VBS we choose a different story each year. Our last party is only for fun and to build up the trust and friendship of both the students and the parents at Halloween. In all 4 parties we do the main events in the morning followed by a lunch we either cook or provide. We ask that you continually pray for all the people that attend these events, and all of our students, that His Spirit will talk to them and help to open their eyes to the wonderful gift of love that God has for each one of them.
On September 5th we will be hosting the Korean Gospel Singing Group, Ongijyani for our afternoon service. This will be the 5th time they have come to our church. The group is made up of about 10 Korean’s that volunteer to come to Japan to share their love for the Lord. They will be in the country for about 1 month. The group in Korea has about 250 members that practice constantly and different groups travel all over the world singing and praising God. They are so wonderful. We look forward to them coming each year and ask for your prayers that the time that they are in the country they can touch many, many hearts and God’s Spirit will open up the hearts and minds of many people during their trip.
Kim and I are both staying busy reaching out to as many people as we can each day, and God continually gives us new avenues to explore. We ask that you continually pray for our strength to continue and His Spirit will become alive in all we do.
Bo’s father went to be with the Lord the end of July. We thank you all for your prayers and support for Bo, his father and their families. We also want to especially thank those in New Albany that either visited the funeral home or attended the funeral. Bo thought only about 20 people would show up for the visitation, but well over 100 people came to pay their respects. It really touched not only his, but also Heather’s heart. So a special thanks from us to all of you that helped in their time of need.
By His grace, God continues to equip us for each individual challenge and opportunity that He presents. Your prayers and support are necessary to our being here. We ask you to pray with and for us that we always strive to walk before God, wherever that may be, and be used as instruments of His love in all we do. Should God ask any of you to partner with us in our outreach for Him, please send any love offerings to: Bethlehem United Methodist Church, for Baranski John Alan Mission Fund, c/o Becky Wack, 1003 Rowan Cove, New Albany, Ms. 38652.
We hold you each in our hearts and prayers with praise and thanksgiving.
In His love & walking before Him, the Baranski Bunch
We hope and pray that the heat you are all experiencing this summer is coming from the love of His Son that is burning deep inside of you! A fire that won’t go out! Please help spread those flames to all you meet each day.
We told you last month that as we were finishing the newsletter we were off to watch Zack compete with his classmates in the National Tournament. We have wonderful news to report…Zack and his team finished in the TOP FOUR of all the teams in the country. They lost in the semi-final game to the eventual National Champions. They played a total of 5 games and Zack averaged 26 points and 19.5 rebounds per game. Now you might say, the Japanese are too short…so easy for him, but Zack plays center and in all but one game he was 4 to 6 inches shorter than the other teams center. The boys, and the coaches goal has always been to reach the top 8 in the tournament, but have never gotten past the top 16 round and then reached it only once. In the top 16 round this year, their 3rd game, Zack got hurt in the 2nd quarter with about 2 and ½ minutes to go. He pulled one of the ligaments in his left knee and tore the muscle in his upper thigh. He came out of the game and his team quickly gave up 12 points to the other team. At half time one of the mothers (luckily a professional masseuse) gave him a massage that really helped. He played all the second half even though he was limping badly, and ended with 30 points and 22 rebounds! He said he never felt the pain, but was only worried about making their goal. His heart was so big. The tournament is continuous with no rest days, so that night and next morning more massage and off they went for the top 8 games against one of the top teams in the country. The boys played great and Zack was able to rest the last 5 minutes of the game as they had built up a huge lead. He ended with 38 points and 25 rebounds. The next morning was the game to decide who would play in the national finals. The boys were so excited and got off to a great start. At about the 3 minute mark Zack took a knee in the left thigh that was where the torn muscle was. The hit took him down, and was very difficult for him to get up. He told the coach he was OK, but you could see that he could hardly walk. He played the entire 40 minutes of the game. The opposing center is a large boy (6’9) from Senegal in Africa and is a very strong player. Because going into this game Zack had been averaging 30 points, every time he touched the ball 3 players converged on him. With his weak left leg he was unable to spin or move, so his offense was limited to only 13 points, but even barely able to walk, he still struggled for 19 REBOUNDS!!!! His team couldn’t over come the overall size and speed of the other team and lost the game, but not without a great fight! We are so proud of all the boys and their efforts, but of course of our baby! He is now considered one of the top 5 players in the COUNTRY!!!!! We can’t be more proud and thank-you all for your prayers and support for him and all of us.
A wonderful benefit of his achievements is that during the tournament Kim and I were interviewed by one of the National Sports Newspapers and our picture and story about our work as missionaries was told. So even though you may think that Zack’s basketball has no spiritual purpose, God can use anything and everything to help us bring Him honor and glory.
Our mini VBS outing was a HUGE success! On Tuesday morning August 10th we met outside at a local park to tell the story about Jonah. We had SEVENTY TWO people show up! All of the children were accompanied by either a mother and in several instances by father’s, too. Of the 72 people, that attended, only 8 are Christians!!!! So praise God that so many would come out in the heat of the summer to learn more about the wonderful love that God has for each of us. All of the members are either our students or Mako’s. If you remember, Mako is our friend from Singapore that first came to join us in our Tuesday morning Bible Study, then joined our Sunday English service, got baptized and now share’s God’s love where ever she can. We do 4 parties a year together, with 3 (Christmas, Easter and mini VBS) with Christian messages, at Christmas we put on the Christmas play, Easter we use the ‘Resurrection’ egg kits to tell the story and during the mini VBS we choose a different story each year. Our last party is only for fun and to build up the trust and friendship of both the students and the parents at Halloween. In all 4 parties we do the main events in the morning followed by a lunch we either cook or provide. We ask that you continually pray for all the people that attend these events, and all of our students, that His Spirit will talk to them and help to open their eyes to the wonderful gift of love that God has for each one of them.
On September 5th we will be hosting the Korean Gospel Singing Group, Ongijyani for our afternoon service. This will be the 5th time they have come to our church. The group is made up of about 10 Korean’s that volunteer to come to Japan to share their love for the Lord. They will be in the country for about 1 month. The group in Korea has about 250 members that practice constantly and different groups travel all over the world singing and praising God. They are so wonderful. We look forward to them coming each year and ask for your prayers that the time that they are in the country they can touch many, many hearts and God’s Spirit will open up the hearts and minds of many people during their trip.
Kim and I are both staying busy reaching out to as many people as we can each day, and God continually gives us new avenues to explore. We ask that you continually pray for our strength to continue and His Spirit will become alive in all we do.
Bo’s father went to be with the Lord the end of July. We thank you all for your prayers and support for Bo, his father and their families. We also want to especially thank those in New Albany that either visited the funeral home or attended the funeral. Bo thought only about 20 people would show up for the visitation, but well over 100 people came to pay their respects. It really touched not only his, but also Heather’s heart. So a special thanks from us to all of you that helped in their time of need.
By His grace, God continues to equip us for each individual challenge and opportunity that He presents. Your prayers and support are necessary to our being here. We ask you to pray with and for us that we always strive to walk before God, wherever that may be, and be used as instruments of His love in all we do. Should God ask any of you to partner with us in our outreach for Him, please send any love offerings to: Bethlehem United Methodist Church, for Baranski John Alan Mission Fund, c/o Becky Wack, 1003 Rowan Cove, New Albany, Ms. 38652.
We hold you each in our hearts and prayers with praise and thanksgiving.
In His love & walking before Him, the Baranski Bunch
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
What a TRIP!!!!!! BEST 4 in ALL Japan high school basketball!
YES!!!!
The Tokai Third boys basketball team went to the Okinawa Inter High Tournament as Nagano prefectures best and came home as one of the BEST 4 in ALL Japan!!!! Beaten only by the national champion team at the tournament.
WAY TO GO GUYS!!!!!!!
A celebratory hug with the assistant coach after winning to make the top 8.
A tad nervous maybe as they prepare for the starting team introductions before the semi final game.
...Though their faces don't reflect it...
they REALLY WERE HAPPY
with their Best 4 medals hanging around their necks!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Okinawa!!!
Hi folks!!
Yes, I do realize that every post I make begins with..."I'm soooo far behind..."
I've concluded that behind is preferable to non-existent ;-}
Zack and the Tokai 3 team left early this morning for Okinawa and the All Japan Summer tournament. They'll have practice games today, tomorrow and Wednesday, and the opening ceremony. Their first game is the afternoon of the 29th....GO TOKAI 3!!!!!!
John and I ...and a swarm of others from all across Japan, will converge on Okinawa the 28th to cheer on our respective teams. We would ask for your prayers for safe travel, good health and games without injury. Obviously, every team goes with big hopes and dreams. We pray that they play to the best of their ability, have fun, and be proud of their accomplishments.
We hear the daytime and nighttime temps in Okinawa are basically the same -- HOT!! We're hoping the gyms there - unlike here - are condition controllable!
Here's to believing we'll return from the tournament with great memories and happy news to share with you!!
Ian will remain in Nagano for work and watch over the house and the dogs while we're away. He's planning a little BBQ for friends so we pray that goes well and the neighbors don't have any grumps.
Most of you have heard of Bo's Dad's cancer and it is in the final stages. He's suffering greatly and of course it's so very hard on the family to witness. Please pray for God's peace, strength and comfort for each of them as they go through this and for the healing in the days to come.
Take care and drink lots of water!!!! It's HOT out there!
Yes, I do realize that every post I make begins with..."I'm soooo far behind..."
I've concluded that behind is preferable to non-existent ;-}
Zack and the Tokai 3 team left early this morning for Okinawa and the All Japan Summer tournament. They'll have practice games today, tomorrow and Wednesday, and the opening ceremony. Their first game is the afternoon of the 29th....GO TOKAI 3!!!!!!
John and I ...and a swarm of others from all across Japan, will converge on Okinawa the 28th to cheer on our respective teams. We would ask for your prayers for safe travel, good health and games without injury. Obviously, every team goes with big hopes and dreams. We pray that they play to the best of their ability, have fun, and be proud of their accomplishments.
We hear the daytime and nighttime temps in Okinawa are basically the same -- HOT!! We're hoping the gyms there - unlike here - are condition controllable!
Here's to believing we'll return from the tournament with great memories and happy news to share with you!!
Ian will remain in Nagano for work and watch over the house and the dogs while we're away. He's planning a little BBQ for friends so we pray that goes well and the neighbors don't have any grumps.
Most of you have heard of Bo's Dad's cancer and it is in the final stages. He's suffering greatly and of course it's so very hard on the family to witness. Please pray for God's peace, strength and comfort for each of them as they go through this and for the healing in the days to come.
Take care and drink lots of water!!!! It's HOT out there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)