Woolery Wanderings

2011 Newsletter

2012-01-03T19:12:00.001+08:00

So, I actually managed to get a newsletter out for 2011... our email contact list is horribly out of date, so I'm also posting it here. Hope you enjoy... and sorry if you're getting this twice! :)

Happy New Year!

Every year when December comes, I start thinking aboutgetting family pictures taken and sending out beautiful Christmas cards… obviouslythis hasn’t happened yet, so this year I’m sending greetings through a NewYear’s newsletter… and I'm not even late because Japan celebrates the new yearfor almost an entire week. It isalso a Japanese tradition to send cards for the New Year, not Christmas, so youcould also say I’m just adapting to the culture. J Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy NewYear! I can’t believe 2011is over. As usual, I have a goalto be a better communicator this year (this is a goal every year), so here’s abrief re-cap of what our family has been up to lately…

This was our 2^nd year living in Okinawa, Japan,and serving as the pastor of Keystone Nazarene Church. We continue to fall more in love withJapan every day, and it’s so exciting to see how God is working in the lives ofour church members and challenging us personally as we learn and grow. Since a large portion of our church isU.S. military, we lose about 1/3 of the congregation every year. We’re getting used to this, and ithelps us cherish the time, however limited, we have with the families Godbrings to our church. We are also greatly blessed with international friendsand missionaries who are here on a more permanent basis, so we’re very thankfulfor those relationships.

Brian was able to travel to Sendai, Japan, twice this yearto assist with tsunami relief. These were life-changing experiences for him and our church members, andif I can ever get him to slow down, I’ll have him write a longer blog about histime there. :) Brian is still serving as theAsia-Pacific youth coordinator for the Nazarene church, and this was anabnormally busy year for his NYI responsibilities. With meetings in El Paso, Nazarene Youth Congress inKentucky, a regional conference in Manila, and the 3^rd Waveconference in Thailand (that’s where he is now), he’s been building up hisfrequent flyer miles…. all on different airlines. ;) But seriously, he still very much enjoys his work with youthleaders and somehow balances all his responsibilities while continuing to makeprogress in his Japanese language studies.

Justin turned three in January 2011, and Noah celebrated hisfirst birthday last June. Bothboys are full of energy and amaze us every day with their creativity andimagination. Justin is quiteobsessed with cars, trucks, and really any form of transportation. He also loves to read books and spendtime with friends. Noah loves tofollow Justin around and do whatever his older brother is doing. :) He has a quieter personality thanJustin, but he is quite fearless and adventurous, which keeps us on our toes.It is such a joy to see how much they love each other and are learning to playtogether….. most of the time. A definite highlight of the year was getting tosee their grandparents and other extended family on a short trip to the stateslast summer. We’re thankful for family who forgives us for keeping theirgrandchildren and nephews halfway across the world. :)

And, I guess that leaves me (Julie). Well I’ve been busy trying to keep up with the rest of thefamily. :) This last year I was blessedto teach an adult English class at a local language school, and I was electedto the board at Okinawa Christian School International. It’s very easy to stay busy with onlychurch responsibilities and language study, but it’s a blessing to also beinvolved in organizations and relationships outside our church family. It’s definitely been a challenging yearas I continue to transition to life with two young children on top of otherresponsibilities, but God is so faithful in the strength and grace he providesdaily.

There are so many more stories I would love to share of howGod is working in our lives and in the lives of our friends, but this isalready longer than I expected. Asusual, I hope to be a better communicator through our blog this year, so pleasecheck for updates and keep me accountable!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do any of this without theamazing network of prayer partners God had blessed us with. Please continue to pray for us as weseek God’s guidance in every area of our lives. And let us know how we can pray for you! We will be in the states for homeassignment in April, May, and June 2013. Please let us know if your church would be interested in having us speak.

We love you and pray you will be amazed by our great God in2012!

-Brian, Julie, Justin, and Noah

God answers prayers...

2012-01-02T08:17:00.003+08:00

Just saw this update!

"All 4 Nazarenes who have been missing at sea for almost 48 hours have been found alive and safe!
Praise God Who is the sustainer of our life! Thank you for praying!"

I'm sure they have an amazing story to tell... how great is our God! Thank you for praying!!!

Please PRAY!

2012-01-01T20:51:00.002+08:00

Hey friends,
Brian is now in Bangkok, Thailand for the 3rd Wave Conference (Global conference for Nazarene youth leaders). Some of our participants from Papua New Guinea were trying to get to the conference, and we just found out the following news... please pray for our friends!

"Urgent prayer is requested for four Nazarenes from Papua New Guinea who are missing en route to the NYI sponsored "Third Wave" gathering in Bangkok, Thailand.
The four young man and at least three others were last seen departing Aitape, a small town on the North coast of PNG, at 11:30 AM on Saturday, local time. They were traveling in rough seas in a 23' fiberglass boat with a 40 HP outboard motor. They were to have arrived at their destination by 4 or 5 PM on Saturday but have not been heard from. They are now more than 24 hours overdue.
The PNG Defense force will launch a Search and Rescue at first light tomorrow (Monday) morning, coordinating East out of Vanimo. Please join us in praying for the safety of these four young men as well as the other passengers and crew."

I'll keep you updated as soon as I hear anything... thanks for your prayers!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-21T07:49:00.002+08:00

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/O4iTjrVxlJfb7Lwh

Every year I have wonderful intentions of getting family pictures taken and sending out Christmas cards... you know, before Christmas, but it just never seems to happen. So this year, I'm aiming for a New Year's newsletter... we'll see how it goes. ;) In the meantime, please click on the link above and enjoy this Christmas greeting from the Woolery family! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T19:18:00.001+08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch yesterday with the students from my English class and a dear family from our church. It was such a blessing to have my students share a special day with us in our home... we are so thankful for all our friends around the world who have become family.

We also finished our "Thanksgiving Tree" yesterday, so here's the final list of all the things we were thankful for this last month. We had so much fun doing this together every day at breakfast... I'm excited to make this a tradition every November. :)

Woolery Thanksgiving Tree 2011

(in no particular order)

Thank you God for...

music

the Bible

singing and dancing

clouds

Legos

playgrounds

Daddy

our oven, washer, and dryer

the cars on the road

Brian

family days

grandparents

cars

our family

hearing us

your peace that surpasses understanding

rain

our beds

old friends and new friends

your peace

macaroni and cheese from Ms. EmiLou

our bathroom

opportunities to serve

trees and branches

talking cars

our Thanksgiving tree

gifts of food

our food

candy and costumes

our 2 little pumpkins

coffee

books

sunshine

oatmeal

sleep

Julie

Noah and Justin

the leaves on our Thanksgiving tree

dessert

snacks

trains

Giraffe and Lamb

holidays

Now, it's time to decorate for Christmas! :)

Giving Thanks

2011-11-11T20:14:00.001+08:00

November is a month to celebrate Thanksgiving, and this year we are trying to be good representatives of our passport country by not decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving... please understand this is very difficult for us. After living in the Philippines, I feel like all our Christmas decorations should have been up for at least a month now (Christmas decorations hit the malls in September in Manila!). And even here in Japan, all the stores transition from Halloween to Christmas promptly on November 1. We're also not used to celebrating Thanksgiving on the actual day... in the Philippines, we celebrated on the weekend, because the actual holiday was just a normal work day....but since most of our congregation here gets to celebrate on the actual day, we're slowing getting back in the correct mindset. ;) But, I recently read a book that encouraged me to cherish this special time of year even more...

If you haven't read this, I HIGHLY recommend it... it's the story of how a woman's life was changed by intentionally and habitually thanking God, every day, throughout the day, for all the big and little things in her life. I haven't started my "One thousand gifts of thanks" journals yet, but our family is starting a new tradition this year, thanks to this book and my recent obsession with pinterest.com. :)

Justin calls this our "Thanksgiving Tree." Every morning at breakfast we write one or two things we want to thank God for that day and hang them on the tree.... this is how it looks so far!

It's been so great starting every day with this, and it's so much fun to see how Justin has embraced it and looks forward to it every morning... I'm really impressed that he's also trying to remember what has already been written down so he can think of something new every morning. We're also really looking forward to Thanksgiving day this year. Since the English class I teach normally meets on Thursdays, we are just going to have class at our house and practice English conversation as we eat a Thanksgiving meal! Some wonderful friends from our church are going to help us get the food and share in our time together. The six Japanese ladies in my class are so excited to experience this holiday, most for the first time, and I am so excited for them to be in our home, meet Brian and the boys, and share our family's traditions as we give thanks to God for who He is and what He has done in our lives... please pray for our time together, and pray that I remember how to cook traditional Thanksgiving dishes. :) What do you thank God for today?

The amazing Justin SUPERHERO

2011-11-11T13:26:00.001+08:00

Not a bad way to spend a Friday afternoon....

Godstops

2011-10-07T12:52:00.003+08:00

Right now our ladies Bible Study is reading Believing God by Beth Moore. One of the greatest things about this study is the section at the end of each day's homework assignment entitled, "Godstops". It's a time for you to reflect at the end of the day where you have seen God working in and around your life. It's a great practice to build the habit of seeing things through God's eyes... that even in the normal routines of life, God is active, and amazingly, he invites us to join Him in His work.

We've only been doing this study for a month, and of course, God is showing up and doing amazing things! Over the last few days, I have been amazed at the many opportunities God continues to give our family in our place of ministry here in Okinawa. Of course, leading an international congregation is more than a full-time job, but we've always seen that as only part of the reason we're here. We live in Japan and are striving to learn Japanese and build relationships with the Japanese people God puts in our lives. Japan is very different than Guam or the Philippines; it takes much longer to meet people and build relationships, and it can take a lifetime to learn the ins and outs of Japanese culture... but our God is so much bigger than these things! He continues to provide us with opportunities and friendships that don't fit the norm, and daily, He is overwhelming us with His guidance and grace. Here are just a few examples:

*The pictures you see are the daughters and nieces of the wonderful Japanese family who lives next door to us. They have given us such a warm welcome to Okinawa and are always so eager to help us learn how to live in Japan. Even though we saw them frequently, a few months ago, Nami-san asked me if they could come to our house twice a week to work on English and Japanese language skills with our children... not only did God put us next to this family, but they asked if we could have more time together in our home! Please pray that as we continue to share life together, they would see Jesus in our family and seek to know Him.

*As we looked at language schools when we first arrived, we were overwhelmed by the cost. Brian studied on his own for a while, and I was able to take a 3-month conversational class at a local language school, but it was just too expensive to continue. A year ago one of our church members introduced us to a Japanese minister who offers Japanese language classes and gives a discount to missionaries. Brian and I are now both taking classes from him, and the other day I realized that the money I make teaching English every month is the exact amount we need to pay for our own language lessons!

*Our Japanese teacher's nephew has been living in Okinawa the last year to study English intensively before he starts college in mainland Japan. He asked Brian to tutor him, and they have been meeting together every week for the past 6 months. Sho doesn't know much about the gospel, so together they have been studying the Bible as a way to practice his writing and conversation skills. God continues to use this time each week to draw Sho closer to Himself as he learns more about Jesus and what it means to follow Him. Please pray for Sho as he continues to search!

*Just last night our Japanese teacher introduced me to 2 college students who just returned from going to school in California for a year. They are not believers but have previously studied the Bible as a way to learn English. Since they don't want to lose their English skills, they will now be coming over to our house once a week so we can study the Bible together in English. Please pray for Ryoko-san and Erina-san as we get to know each other and talk about the difference God can make in their lives!

There are so many more stories, but I will save some of them for Brian to tell you about. :) Honestly, at times in the last few months I felt like I was in a fog and just going through the motions of life with no real meaning... but as I look back, I know people were praying for me and praying for us to keep going and keep trusting God... thank you so much for your prayers! We are partners together as we seek how God can use us right now in Okinawa. Again, God is doing so many amazing things, and we are humbled that He asks us to join Him. Please keep praying for all our friendships and interactions!

Psalm 146

¹ Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul! ²I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³ Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
⁴When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;

⁸ the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

¹⁰ The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!

Sometimes you just need to get away...

2011-10-07T11:06:00.003+08:00

We were so blessed to visit family in the states this summer, but it was a pretty hectic time, so we never had a chance for the four of us to just relax. It's been super busy the last couple months and we were all feeling pretty tired and drained. So, my wonderful husband (yes, I'm going to brag just a little) recently informed me that for the last couple years he has been saving all his coins at the end of every day and then changing them to cash every few months. I had no idea he was doing this... I just figured he eventually spent them. :) Anyways, he saved enough money for our family to get away for a couple days, and last weekend it happened! We found a good local rate at a hotel about 30 minutes away, and we had a wonderful 48 hours together of just us, relaxing, sleeping, exploring... just what the doctor ordered. :) Even though it was cloudy, we still got in some beach and pool time... here are a few pics of our handsome boys enjoying God's blessings...

God is doing so many amazing things in and around us... maybe I'll actually post 2 blogs in a day and tell you more! I am so thankful for these wonderful boys and my incredible husband... God's blessings are overwhelming!

Typhoon days...

2011-08-05T21:26:00.004+08:00

Well, it's typhoon season once again, and we're in the middle of a typhoon right now... literally. :) After 8 years of living on islands in the Pacific Ocean, we're pretty used to typhoons coming and going, and now that we're in a developed country where there's not much destruction at all, we kind of look forward to typhoon days... think of it as our equivalent of a snow day. :) So right now Typhoon Muifa is still slowly moving past Okinawa... as in we've been in the middle of this typhoon for 24 hours, and the winds seem to be getting stronger tonight... it will eventually move on, but here are a few pics of how we've been spending our time...
Brian and Justin have spent hours building airplanes, airports, towers, etc. with duplos (Legos for younger children) and then they eventually let Noah destroy them. :)

making pictures of trains with stamps

playing Brian's new X-plane game

watching movies

During a lull in the wind this afternoon, Brian and Justin decided to enjoy the wet weather and get rid of some energy on our back porch...

Noah wanted to join them SO desperately :)

and tonight we even watched a movie while we ate our snack-y supper.... :)
So even though we've been a little stir-crazy at times, we're really enjoying all this time at home together... but we do want to leave the house again someday... happy typhoon day! :)

Children's Fellowship with Urasoe Church of the Nazarene

2011-08-05T21:05:00.006+08:00

Last weekend one of the Japanese Nazarene churches on Okinawa invited us to be part of a summer children's fellowship... So about 20 of our kids, youth, and parents went to their church and enjoyed an amazing evening of fellowship and making new friends!

Urasoe Church of the Nazarene

This is Tomoyosei-sensei, the pastor of the church.
We began the service by singing songs in Japanese and English, and then Brian gave a message.

After the service, we played a game where the kids started to get to know each other.... and for the rest of the evening the new Japanese/American friends were inseparable!

making a craft together...
Justin was so excited to be part of all the big kid activities. :)
And then it was bbq time - oishii!!!!

After dinner they played one more game, and it was so great! The kids were blindfolded and given a bat... similar to a pinata, but they were hitting a watermelon in a plastic bag on the ground... when the watermelon finally broke, everybody got to eat it... so fun! :)

We had such a great time making new friends, learning about cultures, and worshiping together, even though few spoke the same language... how great is our God!

Deep in the heart of Texas :)

2011-08-05T20:10:00.011+08:00

We had such a great time with friends and family on our short trip to Texas! Things were very busy with Brian at NYC the first week and then relatives coming to visit, but it was so good to just relax and be with family. Our first visitor was my dear friend from college, Lynette, and her beautiful daughter, Morgan!
We spent our few days together talking, shopping, playing at the park, and lots more talking, of course. It was so fun to watch our kids play together and become fast friends!

riding the train at the park!

Brian also got to reconnect with friends at NYC (Nazarene Youth Congress)...

another wonderful friend from college, Josh!

He and Acy, our good friend from East Timor, represented the Asia-Pacific region.

A surprise reunion with Uncle LeBron :)

always fun times with other NYI leaders from around the world :)

AND he got to hang out with our friends from Asia-Pacific!

He had a great time, but he was very happy to meet up with us again in Texas.... and then the relatives started coming. :) We were so blessed to see Brian's parents, his brother, Justin, my sister, Jessica, and her boyfriend, Andy! So, what did we do with them? Well, Noah spent most of the trip being held by adoring family members....

And Justin almost never stopped moving... He was so ecstatic to have a yard to play in, new things to explore, and endless new friends to play with...

He learned how cool and fun Uncle Justin is...

And he got to build a bird feeder for Grandma Jill with Papa Dwayne!

He had a blast with Aunt Jessie....

playing games....

reading books...

and throwing rocks in the river!

Justin and Noah also got to meet Jonah, the adorable son of my childhood friend, Marcy... As I look back through the pictures of them together, there are none of them looking at the camera... they just had too much fun playing!
We love being with family... thanks so much for coming down to Texas to see us, but now it's your turn to come to Japan! :)

Catching up

2011-07-01T06:16:00.002+08:00

Yes, it's been a busy last couple months in the Woolery household... We had a wonderful Easter celebration with our church family, survived our church secretary being gone for a month of vacation, Justin finished his first year of pre-school (and is already asking to go back... he keeps saying, "Mom, summer vacation is finished now"), Ladies Bible Study is on a break for the summer, we taught a 6-week marriage enrichment class together, celebrated Noah's first birthday, and tonight Brian will get back from spending a week in Northern Japan assisting with tsunami relief.
So, what's next? Well, this weekend, we will do laundry and pack!!! That's right, vacation starts on Monday! Well, kind of.... we will be flying to our passport country on Monday. Then on Tuesday Brian will fly from Texas to Kentucky for 5 days at Nazarene Youth Congress. Since he was already crossing the ocean, the boys and I decided to tag along and spend a couple weeks with family. So, we will only be in Texas for about 2 1/2 weeks, but we are very much looking forward to relaxing, hanging out with family, free babysitting by the grandparents, and eating lots of Mexican food and Mom's cooking... without gaining any weight. ;)
Of course, we won't be able to really see anybody outside the south Texas area, but we'll be back in 2013 for deputation, and we hope to reconnect with many friends across the country at that time. Please continue to keep us in your prayers... we are in great need of a vacation right now, so pray that our bodies, spirits, and minds will be refreshed in the Texas sun as our boys get to know their extended family just a little more.
It's hard to believe we left the states for Guam eight years ago this month... I still feel like I just graduated from college a year ago. ;) Yet I am constantly in awe of how God has led us, blessed us more than we could ever dream, and continues to change us as we learn more every day how to follow Him and show others His love. And since we'll be on vacation, I WILL MAKE Brian write about his trip to Sendai... he has been the only foreigner in a group of Japanese pastors, so he's thrilled at the conversation practice he's had this last week (by the way, he's excelling in his conversational skills, but he would never tell you), and I think he's falling in love with Japanese bath houses, but I'll have him tell you.... :)
See you on the other side of the ocean!

Happy 1st Birthday, Noah!!!

2011-06-23T12:56:00.012+08:00

That's right! I can't believe it's already been one year since Noah was born. To celebrate his special day, we invited a few friends over for birthday cake. Here are some pictures from the day...

We decided a Noah's Ark theme would be fun... so Noah got to wear this cool giraffe outfit.
It's party time!!! :)

It's wonderful having friends who are incredibly talented, creative, and eager to help! My amazing friend, Loralee, designed the invitations and favors for the party. I was in shock when she first came up with this design - SO incredible! :)

Another artistic friend, Shannon, made the cakes for the party... her cakes are wonderful because they always look amazing AND are delicious. The filling on this larger cake was a rainbow of icing - yum!

And on Noah's smash cake, Shannon copied the design from the invitation!

We added a few simple decorations....
And a few things sitting around to keep little hands busy.

Since we were just doing cake, we had a variety of fun drinks available...

And when our friends left, they took home this party favor. I saved Noah's baby food jars and filled them with M&M's and skittles... Loralee designed the label, of course. :)

Everyone was very excited about the cake...

especially Noah!

Then it was time for presents...
Noah had many helpers!

He is learning to love reading... just like his brother. :)

one of the most exciting presents... American snacks!!! ;)

Justin was very excited help Noah open his presents... and play with them. ;)

Happy Birthday, Noah! We love you and are so blessed to have you in our family!!!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts..."

2011-04-15T07:33:00.003+08:00

In our women's Bible study at church, we studied the book of Isaiah the last few months, and, as usual, God's timing was perfect. He used so many things in Isaiah to challenge, correct, and encourage me in my relationship with Him. A few weeks ago, I was catching up on a friend's blog and through a whirlwind of thoughts, I was instantly overwhelmed by God's grace and provision... so I must share!

But first, rewind back a few years... I was a sociology major in college. I loved my classes but I never knew exactly what I wanted to do with my degree. Way before we went to Guam, I always thought it would be fun to do graduate studies in child development or child psychology, but nothing ever happened beyond those initial thoughts. After college Brian and I married and God led us to Guam... with no jobs, house, car, etc... but of course God provided everything we needed right away! Within one month of arriving I was working as a social worker for The Salvation Army... and I LOVED it. I could talk forever about that, but let's just say it was perfect for me in so many ways, and God used those 3 years with the Salvation Army to mold me and use my passions in ways I never thought I would be able to.

Then we felt God calling us to graduate school in the Philippines... for Brian. :) Well, long story short, in order for us to stay on campus, I also had to take classes... and I couldn't justify taking classes for 3 years and not getting a degree, so I too studied for a Master's degree. Let's just say I wasn't too happy about this. ;) I don't like to admit it, but I was pretty upset about someone telling me what to do in such a big way... and they didn't have any degrees that really matched with my undergraduate in sociology or the work I had been doing in Guam. But we felt we needed to live on campus, and I was halfheartedly interested in the religious education degree APNTS offered, since I had been involved in various forms of adult education in Guam, so I started the program.

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVED living in the Philippines, I LOVED our life there, and I still miss it very much... but I wasn't always happy about being in school. I just didn't feel the need to go back to school at that point in my life and the degree I completed wasn't really what I ever wanted to study. However, I never felt God leading me to do something else... and trust me, God and I talked a LOT during my time at APNTS. ;) But when we first arrived, a few people started mentioning the possibility of teaching English as a second language. I had never thought of that before, but it sounded interesting and God opened doors for that opportunity... and I loved it! Being able to teach part-time while I was in school really saved me from going crazy in my little "how dare you tell me what to do" temper tantrum. I loved my students, I loved what we got to do together in class.. it was simply wonderful. :)

When I was about a year away from graduating, the school announced they were launching a new degree program... in holistic child development. Woah, that was what I had always been interested in, but I was too far into my program to change anything at that point. So I was really proud of the school for doing this and excited for the people who started, but I always felt a twinge of regret whenever it was discussed... "Why didn't they have this program when we came?" kept swirling around in my head... but I felt I just had to push through and finish what I had started.

So I finished my thesis, graduated, and then it was time to look to the future. As we began praying with our leaders about where God would lead us next, we talked about a few countries in Southeast Asia... and our discussions about those countries normally centered around the possibility of working with women and children, things similar to what I had done in Guam. Of course, I was thrilled and instantly felt at peace, that this was where God was leading us. But then God surprised everyone... soon after we began these discussions, a very unique Nazarene church in Okinawa, Japan needed a pastor... within 2 weeks we flew to Japan to interview... and the day we returned to Manila, the church formally asked us to come serve as their pastor.

Everyone involved knew this was where God was calling our family. So even though it was to a developed country, which was quite a culture shock, we knew God has amazing plans for us here in Japan... and we were so excited. So we came, and I was pregnant... it's quite difficult to adjust to new life when you're pregnant - just take my word for it and try to never make such a big life change when you're huge and emotional. ;) So, our first 6 months here I was pregnant, then I had a newborn... again, it's a little difficult to really find your routine in a new place. But as Noah's first few months flew by, I started earnestly seeking God's direction about what I should do and how I should spend my time in our new country and new role. It's incredibly easy to make myself busy, but God has been teaching me the importance of seeking what He has for me, more than just filling my schedule so I can say it's filled.

I felt God clearly leading me to focus on studying Japanese... so I started looking for classes that would fit in my schedule with a baby and a toddler at home, and unfortunately it wasn't easy to find. There were plenty of options at night, but that just wouldn't work right now... so I kept inquiring and waited and waited and waited. Finally after about 5 months I received word that a conversation class would be starting. It worked with my schedule and I couldn't wait to begin. I had already met the director of the language school and taken a few private lessons with her last fall. But when she emailed me about the group class starting, she also asked if I would be interested in teaching an English class at their language school. Wow, I hadn't even been looking for that, but I knew I really missed teaching... and this was something that could work with my current life responsibilities. So we prayed about it, worked out all the details, and I can't describe how wonderful it has been to be back in the classroom, even though it's only an hour a week, and begin to get to know 4 amazing Japanese ladies who are quickly becoming friends.

So now, back to why I'm writing this incredibly long blog... a couple weeks ago I was catching up on a friend's blog, and it was an update of things happening through the holistic child development program at APNTS. Without even thinking about it, I immediately felt that same twinge of regret... if only they had had this program when we started... I would have loved doing this. And then the grace of God overwhelmed me... I had just returned from teaching English to 4 incredible Japanese ladies, and I would have never had that opportunity if I hadn't gotten the religious education degree...God led us to Japan, where English teaching is an amazing way to get to know Japanese people, and there are so many opportunities. My mind was filled with the provision and goodness of God - I had no idea why I was studying those things, and I don't know how He will use them in the future, but He is using them now. As always, He is giving me abundant life - so much better than I could ask or imagine!

That week in our Isaiah study we read these verses:
"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters....
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;....
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:1a, 2-3a, 8-9

Wow, the words come, listen, satisfy, live... they just jumped out at me and took on a whole new meaning. I didn't always have the best attitude, but I am so thankful God gives us grace to hear His voice, even when we don't deserve it. So please pray for me as I continue to meet with these ladies to practice English conversation. Pray for our Japanese studies and that God would continue to provide us with opportunities to make new friends and practice what we're learning. And pray that we would seek God's direction in everything, listen to His voice, and follow where He leads. If you made it to the end of this post, thanks for listening to me ramble... and pray that God continues to show us where and how He is working in Japan. :)

Oh Happy Day!

2011-04-14T08:13:00.003+08:00

Justin has spring break this week, so we have been intensely focusing on potty training... and the saying on these incredibly cool underwear (Japanese clothes with English phrases are simply awesome - no other way to describe it) describes our theme this week... believable courage, fighting chance... we believed it could happen, it took courage, it was a fighting chance, and we have been fighting... but we now have a very happy potty-trained boy... with very happy parents. :)
I think this happy boy thinks he will get M&M's every time he correctly uses the toilet for the rest of his life... but we'll deal with that later.
Noah is also a lot happier lately... he FINALLY cut his first tooth and now that he's crawling, he's able to get into many more things he's not supposed to, therefore he is incredibly happy. :)
LOTS of happiness at the Woolery house this week.... ;)

Changing seasons.... hopefully?

2011-04-12T08:40:00.004+08:00

When you talk to most foreigners that live in Okinawa, typically something about the weather will come up in conversation... the island is loved, but the humidity is hard for most to deal with.... except us. We are used to high heat and humidity year round... we used to joke that when it got below 70 degrees Farenheit (21 degrees Celsius), we were freezing... and we really were. It NEVER gets very cool in Guam or Manila, and our bodies had adjusted and were quite happy with our year-round humidity. But even though Okinawa is an island, it is much farther north than the Philippines, and we have definite seasons here. So while it has been fun to have "cold" weather (it gets to 50/10 C here... and we were freezing) for the last few months, we are SO ready for warm... HOT weather. :) I've been hesitant to change the clothes in the boys' drawers... what if I switch the long pants for shorts and then it gets cold again? ;) But we've been having beautiful, but not hot yet, weather for the past few weeks, so I think we're on our way back to comfortable. :) Here's the view from our balcony this morning... we are looking forward to the summer and LOTS of time in the ocean! Have a great day!

You can't really see it in these pictures, but the ocean is SO blue and SO inviting today.... thank you God for islands. :)

Funny guys

2011-04-09T19:07:00.004+08:00

Is it possible to eat too many bananas? I think Noah is out to test this theory... he LOVES bananas... really, really loves them. He has gone through phases of eating other foods, but his current phase is that anything that goes in his mouth, besides milk and snacks, must be bananas. I stressed out about this for about a week and then decided there are much worse things that could be happening... So he has oatmeal with banana for breakfast, yogurt with banana for lunch, and then I feed him rice and vegetables for dinner... so he holds each bite in his mouth until I also give him a bite of banana, and then he swallows with a smile. :)

And this funny guy just wanted his picture taken... he gets it from his father... ;)

He may be a picky eater, but I think we have a climber on our hands....

Afternoon adventure

2011-04-08T20:22:00.004+08:00

A couple days ago the boys and I were on a walk in our neighborhood and we discovered a hidden treasure! So today we went back with Brian and our camera... here's what we found. :)

This is a large intersection a few blocks from our apartment...
And this is a side road with a large sidewalk...
It's mostly apartment and office buildings...
until you happen to turn your head, and suddenly...
this is what you see!!! Think of small streets or alleys between rows of apartment buildings, but these happen to be landscaped with a brook, bridges, benches, and beautiful trees and plants ... solely for the purpose of enjoying the outdoors. Isn't Japan wonderful? :) I don't think I'll ever cease to be amazed at the attention given to detail and the importance of aesthetics in our new home... here are a few more pics of what we saw today...

looking for fish in the water :)

Some residents add their own flower pots to the section their home is in (see above picture).

And even when you cross the street, it keeps going...

So much to explore! :)

simply beautiful!

We love Japan!

Growing boys

2011-04-08T19:42:00.005+08:00

Yes, our boys are growing...every day they both learn new things and develop in new ways... here's a short update. :)

About a month ago, Noah started moving around a little more on his own...

and he started learning how fun it is to explore new things...

fast forward to today... he is crawling EVERYWHERE and is always anxious to see what Justin is up to. :)

such a handsome boy!

He has gained his older brother's love for cars... mainly because they're fun to chew on...

On to the next challenge....
success! Another chewing toy. :)

He's constantly watching Justin...
and following him around...
much to Justin's delight....
not really... notice how Justin keeps moving his books away from Noah?

the inevitable.... :)

But overall our growing boys are having tons of fun living life together...

Accountability time....

2011-03-31T12:21:00.003+08:00

Yes, that's right... I am asking you to keep me accountable... a scary, but good thing. :) As you may or may not now, we are currently in the season of Lent in the church calendar, and wow, God is using this time to teach me so many things... way more than I ever imagined! One thing God has been talking to me a lot about lately is how I use my time... or more correctly, how I sometimes waste time. I don't normally waste large amounts of time, but I started thinking about all the little 5 minute periods of wasted time... for example, doing nothing on facebook for 5 minutes... and how I could be using that time for more productive and fulfilling things... like blogging, uploading pictures of our growing boys, even perhaps taking a short video of boy #2, and so many others. But most importantly, I need to spend time telling our amazing family and friends about the incredible things God is doing! It's not enough to just get little tidbits here and there, or when we see you (maybe) once every couple years to just say things are great, and God is good... no, we have the wonderful invention of the internet, and I need to use it for communication. :)
So, I am asking you today to keep me accountable... I am making a personal commitment to spend less time scanning the newsfeed page on facebook and more time blogging and directly communicating with people. I'm always thinking of things to blog, so now you will actually hear those thoughts, too. :) So, expect more blogs soon! And, I don't like blogs without pictures, but my next task is to download recent pictures from the camera... so I leave with an oldie but a goodie. :) This was taken about 6 months after we moved to Manila... pre-baby days, pre-lots of things days... it's so amazing to think how God has changed us and blessed in the last 5 years since this was taken! Love you all, and you WILL be hearing from me soon. :)

Pray for Japan

2011-03-12T08:49:00.003+08:00

So, I'm sure you've heard about and seen reports of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck mainland Japan yesterday, and I want to let you know that we are fine. :) Okinawa is a separate island, and we are about 950 miles south of Tokyo. We also frequently feel small earthquakes, but we haven't had any recently, and we experienced no effects from the tsunami. Thank you so much for all your prayers and concern! Our God is amazing in how He provides us with family all around the world who love and care for us.

But it is so important to remain in prayer for our friends and church family in mainland Japan. We have heard from or spoken to many of our close friends in the Tokyo area, and they are all okay... some had to spend the night away from home, but things seem to be returning to normal today. However, we have a Nazarene church in Sendai, one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami, and as far as we know, no one been able to contact our pastor there yet. Please remember Abe-sensei (Sendai Nazarene church pastor) and his family in your prayers. In this picture, he is standing next to Brian... this was taken a few months ago at a Nazarene Youth gathering on Okinawa.

I remember driving through Manila the day after the horrific flooding in September 2009, and what stands out in my memory is the hopelessness on people's faces. That's all I can think of as I watch the continuous news coverage of the incredible devastation in northern Japan right now. Less than 1 % of the Japanese population are believers, and suicide rates are very high all over the country. Please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters on the mainland as they help others through this tragedy and point them to hope and peace that is only found in Christ. Pray for the Japanese people, that they will turn to Jesus in the midst of this confusing and troubling time. While we were not directly affected on Okinawa, all our Japanese friends and acquaintances have relatives and friends on the mainland; pray for us that we can also point our friends to Christ as they are concerned about what is happening in their country.

As I was praying for all these things this morning, I was reminded of God's promises in the book of Isaiah. We are studying Isaiah right now in our ladies Bible Study at church, and one of the main themes that continues to stand out to me is the importance of trusting in God - there are numerous examples in Isaiah of when people trusted in other things: man's wisdom, strength of armies, etc. But over and over again, God was more powerful than everything and simply asked His people to trust in HIM. May these verses also bring you God's comfort today as we pray for our family in Japan.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 43:1-2
But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

Thank you again for your prayers and support. We will keep you updated as we continue to find out information. If you would like to donate to relief efforts, go here for more information.

Praying for missionaries

2011-03-04T20:36:00.003+08:00

I can't believe we've seen sakura (cherry blossoms) twice now in Okinawa - the last year has gone by so quickly! And unfortunately, it's been quite some time (a.k.a. WAY too long) since I've updated our blog... I guess life really does get more hectic with another child. ;) But, we are currently at the Japan Nazarene Church District Assembly in Osaka, and the meetings extend past the boys' bedtime, so I find myself sitting in our hotel room after the boys have fallen asleep (fingers crossed) with a little time on my hands. So in addition to catching up on reading and studying Japanese, I'll also try to post some blog updates. :)

But for now, I wanted to share something that was posted recently in an online magazine about Nazarene missions. As missionaries, we are always in need of prayer, but sometimes we are not always good about communicating exactly what is going on and what you can be praying for (note: this is, of course, something we (the Woolery family) MUST, and are trying to, remedy in the future :) ). So this is something you can use any day of the week when God brings a missionary or person in ministry to your mind. Again, we covet your prayers... God is working in amazing ways all around us, and we must stay focused on Him as we continue to learn and share His love with others. Thanks ALWAYS for praying! :)

What follows is a suggested prayer plan for the missionary or minister in your life.

Sunday: Spiritual life – A closer walk with God. Missionaries need times of refreshing just as much as everyone else. Those in ministry give on a regular basis. Pray that they will take the time to be filled so that they will not be running on empty or on their own strength.

Monday: Mind – The ability to learn what is needed, be it language and culture or a new way of getting things done. Pray that their mind will be open and accepting to the new things that greet them. Louie Bustle, director of Nazarene Global Mission, used to say missionaries need to “trust the locals.” It is easier to think that we have all the answers than to admit we need to learn.

Tuesday: Team – The people the person works with – for good relationships that will build up the work and honor God. Pray for the local people whose lives are touched by the missionary, as well as missionary co-workers and leaders. No one is a lone ranger… and even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

Wednesday: Well-being – No one likes being sick. Being sick in another cultural context can be scary and even more dangerous. Malaria and other diseases for which we have no built up immunity can be deadly. Health care can be hard to find. Driving over rough roads, air travel and other mode of transportation can be fraught with … excitement. Pray for physical safety from illness and travel safety.

Thursday: Thoughts – Pray that the missionary will not be discouraged. Pray that they will remain focused on the things of God. There are “get thee behind me” moments in everyone’s life. Pray that the missionary will be able to discern those moments for what they are and be bold in confronting them.

Friday: Family – Spouse, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, mother and father. Some of these people will be Christian, others not. Some will be going through a crisis – physical, spiritual or emotional – which drains the missionary. Sometimes the stress comes from being in the situation; at other times the stress comes from being half the world away. Pray for peace, contentment and open communication between the missionary and family members.

Saturday: Schedule – As the week comes to a close and missionaries are planning the week ahead, pray that the schedule will be filled with divine appointments. Pray that when the schedule is disrupted that the missionary will see the hand of God at work and not be angry, but rather expectant.

No matter what day of the week it is, missionaries (and ministers) covet your prayers. Thank you.

”If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22

8 years ago today....

2010-10-26T19:24:00.003+08:00

Wow, how time flies! Yes, today is our 8th wedding anniversary! So, I decided to post a few pics from that special day... please excuse the poor quality... this was before the age of digital, so these are just scanned copies of key kodak moments. :) Here's an engagement pic...
And I want to share something special my Mom did for us TODAY! She is always very good about sending e-cards on special days, but this morning, we received a poem (written by her) instead! It's actually a wonderful summary of our life together, so please enjoy...

Ode to Julie & Brian
On the event of their 8th Wedding Anniversary

You’ve been married eight years, that’s a fact,
But your story began long before that.
In 1998 you traveled to SNU --
Two freshmen, unaware what was in store for you.

You became friends along with many others, it’s true.
But as years went by, something special grew between you.
As your parents, gradually we became aware
That love was blossoming – it was in the air!

Mission trips, airplane rides, HeartPal, and summer romance;
On to Homecoming, Christmas, then a ring, and exciting plans.
We were thrilled to be a part of a Hill Country wedding,
With relatives, friends, good wishes, and God’s blessing.
(D wanted me to mention $$$, but I didn’t.
)

Then the honeymoon -- romantic, exotic and faraway –
Ahhh, Mexico…the beaches… a hurricane… a hospital stay?!?
But you recovered, and home to OKC you did trek,
To live; play house; and decide, “What next?!”

Not to Kansas City, but to Guam you did fly,
Following a calling you could not deny.
A beautiful island – what a place to call home!
Parents and siblings soon followed – no matter how far you’ve roamed! ;-)

Through jobs, responsibilities, and challenges you grew,
As love and commitment to each other grew right along, too.
One year became two, and two became three –
Until once again, God said, “Follow me.”

Saying good-bye to church family and your cherished island home
Involved tears and promises; a piece of your hearts now gone.
But our hearts are big and can always embrace
New friends, new “family,” no matter the place.

With struggles and laughter, Manila now became
Full of love, challenges, another degree after each name.
But not before your family did increase;
Justin joined the family – our joys never cease!

And again, the question, “What is our next plan?”
God said, “Don’t fret – it’s all in my hand.”
So amazingly, it took everyone by surprise!
To Okinawa you flew – more tears, more good-byes.

But so quickly you adapted, home is now Japan –
Friends and “family” are scattered over many more lands.
And then, to add icing to the proverbial cake –
Noah came along – how much joy can we take?!

And so you arrive at anniversary number eight –
Hasn’t the adventure really been great!!
With you we celebrate the past, and even more,
We can’t wait to see the future God has in store!

We love you, celebrate with you, and wish you all the best!!! Can’t wait to see
what will unfold in the next 8 years!

Love, Mom & Dad

We passed!!!!!

2010-10-08T20:28:00.003+08:00

Yes, we now are the proud owners of official Japanese driver's licenses!!! Thanks SO much for your prayers! We were both nervous going into the test early this morning... we both said many times that we didn't expect to pass the first time, this was just another good practice and time to see what they really want. But we did our best and miraculously, we passed! Oh, and the reason we look kind of goofy in the pictures is that in Japan, you're not supposed to smile for pictures like this... we're still trying to overcome this instinct and the result always ends up being a goofy expression. ;)
After we passed we had to do some more paperwork and go to different stations in the driver's license bureau before we were finished. The greatest part was that all the officials smiled and congratulated us when we presented our 'passing' paperwork... maybe it was great because it's not always usual to see such spontaneous, warm reactions in extremely formal and polite Japanese culture... or maybe it was great because sometimes you just need a little encouragement that, as a foreigner, you did something right, and it's one small step closer to connecting with our new home.
This seems to be the last 'big' thing we needed to do to really 'settle' as official residents in Japan... we have visas, health insurance, a car and car insurance, city registration, and now driver's licenses... last step - learn to speak (and read and write and understand) Japanese... our next lifelong adventure. :)

The next adventure...

2010-10-07T20:06:00.003+08:00

We've lived overseas for almost 7 1/2 years now, and if you didn't know, life in another country can sometimes be quite different from the country you grew up in... it's definitely wonderful and exciting, but different. So I've come to think of everything that happens as adventures. In the Philippines, we had quite an adventure obtaining our student visas and getting Justin's passport. In fact, anything that had to do with the immigration office in Manila is remembered by the LONG train and jeepney rides to get there, the LONG hours of waiting in lines, and the MANY trips we had to take back and forth until we finally got everything... and then we had to renew our visas every few months. :) But we were always overwhelmed by Filipino hospitality and everyone's love for Justin that it's easy to forget the stress of those moments a few years ago.

In Japan, we've had no stress at all with our visas or with Noah's passport, so I almost don't even remember the details of those adventures. However, we are in the middle of quite an adventure right now... obtaining our Japanese Driver's Licenses. In Guam, we just went to the office, paid some money, and exchanged our stateside licenses for a Guam license. I never got a license in the Philippines because we didn't have a car, but Brian got his fairly easily with a friend's help to guide him through the half day process.

Well, when we moved to Okinawa, we came with an international driver's license, but that doesn't really mean much. We just went to a Triple A office in the states, paid money, took a picture, and were given the license. So the Japan government knows that this is not the most official kind of documentation and they prefer us to obtain a Japanese Driver's License while we live here. So first we had to prove that we already have a valid license from our home country... I won't bore you with the details of how hard this seemingly easy step was for us to complete, but praise God, after a few months of negotiating and fed-exing papers from Guam, we were approved to begin the process. So first we had to take a written test... everyone said it was super easy, and it was pretty easy, but there were a few trick questions, so I did get a little nervous as we waited for our results... but we did pass the written test. I mean, come on, we've been driving for 15 years now... we should be able to pass a test about driving, right?

Well, the next and final step is not so easy. We have to take a driving test. And it takes most foreigners 6-8 times of taking the driving test before they pass it! AND it costs more money every time you take it! We've been hearing about this from other missionaries and foreign workers ever since we arrived, so we've been trying to glean as much helpful information as we can so we don't have to take the test so many times. But our first driving test is tomorrow morning, so please pray!
So, you may be wondering why it's so difficult to pass a simple driving test. Here's a picture of the course:
It looks fairly simple... just a few curves, turns, stops, general stuff. But it's all about what the test-giver (I don't know what they're called... instructors, judges?) is looking for. For example, you must check around the car for any people or things that may be in the way before you open the door. And of course you must look up and down the road before you open the door to make sure the way is clear... and all of this must be very exaggerated so the instructor can see you do this. The test is not given out on normal roads; it's on a course at the driver's license office. We've heard so many horror stories of how many times it took people to pass, make sure you use very exaggerated motions, don't go too fast, don't go too slow, etc., so a few days ago, we went to a driving school to spend time with a driving instructor on a practice course... and what an adventure that was!

First of all, we couldn't find a school close by that claimed to have any English speaking instructors. So our amazing Japanese friend Shuichi went with us. Shuichi is 70 years old and has been a member of Keystone church since it started. He has helped us with EVERYTHING since we moved here - visas, passport, insurance, car buying, translating our mail, etc. I really don't know how we could have settled into life in Japan without him... so once again, he came to our rescue and accompanied us to the driving school to ride with us and translate during our practice sessions.

I (Julie) went first while Brian hung out with Noah and studied notes from other foreigners about how to perform on the driving test. Things started out fairly normal, but the first obstacle was remembering specific sequences of things... adjust the rearview mirror, put your foot on the brake, then turn the key in the ignition, then put the car in 'drive', then release the parking brake, then check your mirrors, look over your shoulder, turn on your blinker, look over your shoulder again, and slowly ease into the road... or something like that. I was so concerned about checking mirrors and blindspots I think I actually did it too much. Then there are many little things to remember like turn on your blinker 30 meters before you need to turn, pump the brake a few times as you go around a curve, pull close to the curb before you make a turn, and many other things that seem like not a big deal until you're in the middle of a driving test and you act like you've never driven before because you're so nervous about forgetting something or messing up... not that we would know what that feels like. ;) And to top it all off, Shuichi is sitting in the back seat translating all the little things we're doing wrong... if nothing else, this experience will keep us humble. ;)

So, here are some of my favorite memories of the practice day...
1. Our instructor knew some English words, so he didn't always rely on Shuichi to tell us what to do... there is not an "L" sound in Japanese, so when he said 'blinker' it sounded like 'winker'... It's a very small course, and you're supposed to turn on your blinker 30 meters before every turn, so that means your blinker is on a lot... so all I heard for the better part of an hour was, "winker, winker, winker!"
2. The S-curve... you have to drive through a 'crank curve' and an 'S curve'. If your tires touch the curb at all during these curves, you automatically fail. I think I had to drive through the S curve about 15 times before I did it right... and all I could do was laugh. I'm sure that's not what the driver expected, but I just had to laugh... and poor Shuichi kept translating all the instructor's attempts to explain to me how to do it, so when I finally did it the right way, Shuichi just clapped from the backseat. It was hilarious.
3. So I laughed when I got stressed, no surprise. Brian reacted a little differently... he got so stressed about trying to remember all the tips and sequences, he ran a red light in the middle of the course, and then both the instructor and Shuichi were telling him what to do. ;)
4. There were many other funny moments but when we were both finished with our practice session, I said to Shuichi, "So, was Brian better than me?" And he replied, "No comment." Then about 5 minutes later he said, "Julie, maybe you should come back and practice again another day."

Well, it's a slightly stressful adventure, but Brian and I have already laughed about this experience so much, it's carrying us through a very busy and overwhelming week... all we have to do is say "turn on your winker", and any stress just melts away.

So, tomorrow morning, we will have our first attempt at passing the driving test. It would be great to pass it tomorrow; we really don't have time to do this all the time. So, if you think of us, say a prayer, and we'll let you know the results of our current adventure... and don't forget to turn on your winker! ;)

Rhythms

2010-10-01T21:37:00.004+08:00

How long does it take to 'feel at home' in a new place? For some it may be when all the boxes are unpacked. For others it might be when all the pictures are finally on the walls. Well, our boxes have been unpacked for quite a while now, but we still don't have all the pictures on the walls. However it seems we're finally starting to get into some rhythms, and that definitely helps with 'settling in' and 'feeling at home'....

Noah is now 3 months old and growing bigger and developing his personality every day... as you can see in the above picture. We just said goodbye to Brian's parents, so now all the grandparents have met him in person and visited our new home (will post a blog about these visits soon... and TONS of pictures :) ).

We survived our first PCS season at church... 'permanent change of station' for those of us non-military folk. Our church loses about 1/3 of the congregation every year due to rotation schedules in the military, so we're no longer surprised when a new friend has to suddenly leave in a couple months... but it's still definitely hard to say goodbye. Justin now says the phrase "on a plane to America" at least a few times a week in reference to friends that have left or are about to leave.

Brian has been taking formal Japanese language lessons for about a month, but he has been studying on his own ever since we arrived. I (Julie) will start a beginner's Japanese class this month. All we can say is please PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! :) It's essential for us to learn Japanese, so we need to stay motivated!

Justin is amazing us with his growing imagination and verbal skills. He started a mother's day out program in September and LOVES his 'new school', as he calls it... here are a few pics from the first day...

Can't wait to go!

walking with Daddy to his classroom

hanging out with his friend, Taylor, from our church who is in his class!

So now we have about a week to catch our breath before we go back to the Philippines for a friend's wedding and then enter the holiday season... tons of fun events to look forward to and new memories to be made! We're so blessed to be here in Okinawa and we felt at home so soon after we arrived... but it's funny to think about going to Manila in a couple weeks because it still kind of seems like 'home.' But I think God has blessed us with so many amazing friends and reminders of how he has changed us in every place we've lived that they will all still feel like 'home' in a way.

Entering the obento world...the obsession begins!

2010-08-21T21:00:00.005+08:00

In a few weeks Justin will start attending a 'Mother's Day Out' program three mornings a week at an Episcopal church on Okinawa. We're so excited for the opportunity for him to have some social time with new friends, and I (Julie) will have a few hours to work at the church and study Japanese. He needs to take a lunch, so a couple weeks ago, I started thinking about what that means for our morning preparations, food shopping list, and things like that. Then I thought about getting him a lunch box and realized I had no idea where we would find one... and I had never seen one here that resembled what kids in America use. Then I put my brain back on and remembered we live in Japan and children here use obento (Japanese lunch box).
A bento box is a small container, usually plastic, where lunch is prepared in a most intricate fashion. I have steered clear of them so far because the ones I have seen look so amazing I was sure that Japanese mothers must spend hours preparing them for their children every day, and while I love my children to death, I'm just not 'that kind of mom'.... ;) But, thanks to the wonderful internet, I started doing some research and through some fabulous blogs about bento making, I learned that it's not so difficult, and maybe even I could prepare a bento lunch for my son.... because I have no choice... this is what we do in Japan. :)
So, one of the first things I did was purchase a cookbook about bento boxes for children:
Kawaii means cute in Japanese... and these bento boxes are amazing! But, what I really like about the cookbook is that it has very easy recipes and simple instructions for some of the artistic food designs... I don't think I'll try too many of those, but they are so fun to look at!

So, the next step is to start purchasing bento gear. Apparently bento boxes have become extremely popular all around the world, so there are many internet sites where you can find TONS of bento gear for quite a variety of prices. Thankfully, we live in Japan (!) and are privy to something WONDERFUL called 100 yen stores... kind of like dollar stores in the states, but WAY better. So our 100 yen stores have great bento gear, and you're not spending a fortune on it. So, here's what I bought... and let me tell you, there are many more things out there... I felt like I was really holding back!

These are the bento boxes I got for myself and Brian... oh yeah, this is not just for Justin anymore, it's a family affair! Ours are two-tiered, and we got chopstick cases to match.

These are Justin's .... I'm sure just the first of many... kawaii!!!
This is the bag that Justin's bento box will go in when he goes to school:
And Justin's utensils and case... of course they have cute matching chopsticks, but we'll save those for maybe next year... ;)

Now we get to the fun stuff... even though I think the boxes are pretty fantastic just as they are. It's important for the various food in a bento not to touch each other, so you can get cute little containers for your different food items. There are TONS of things you can get to make shapes, faces, etc. to try to get your kids to eat different foods. I'm sure it also sometimes becomes a competition of who has the coolest looking food, but we're not anywhere near that yet. Here's what we are starting out with:
Then there are little plastic sheets that also serve as dividers:
Oh, and these fun little 'picks' for finger foods:
You can get really detailed with the food in your bento... must be at least 5 colors; equal portions of carbs, protein, veggies; only a certain number of calories, and many others... but right now, I'm just happy if it's filled with food that Justin will eat. :)

So, today I decided to start practicing. I got out all my stuff and made Justin's lunch, but when he saw me making it, he wanted to eat it right away. Since part of my experiment is to see what the food I make will taste like when it's room temperature at lunch time, we had to come up with a compromise, so he was served breakfast in a bento.... just for today. :)

He did pretty well with breakfast, but thankfully lunch came soon. Justin was extremely excited to eat his lunch. He was with me when I purchased our bento gear and has been talking about 'taking lunches to my new school' ever since. Here's his reaction when he opened his obento today:
My first bento!!! Not a great picture, but it's rice, grapes, cucumber, and hotdog...some of Justin's favorite foods, and I'm thrilled that they stayed in their containers and places.
And the most important part... Justin had tons of fun eating it... maybe a little too much fun. He was kind of distracted by the whole novelty of the event, but he'll get used to it. How cool is it that he will get used to eating lunch like this?
Anyway, we are having fun with our new adventure and my new obsession. Oh, and this is what Noah did during our Saturday experiment:
I'm sure there will be more stories about our bento box adventures. If you want to know more about it, go to www.justbento.com. It's a great sight with TONS of information. Happy bento making! :)

Our Japanese Rice Cooker

2010-08-12T21:04:00.002+08:00

I remember that we got a small rice cooker/vegetable steamer for our wedding (almost 8 years ago!) and I thought, "what is that for? Why do you need something special to cook rice in?" Isn't funny how things change?
Soon after that we moved to Guam, where most people have rice for every meal... and most people have rice cookers. So we bought a simple rice cooker and used it every now and then. A simple rice cooker means it just has one button... you put the rice and water in it, push the button, and 20-30 minutes later, you have cooked rice.
When we moved to the Philippines, we started to eat rice even more than we had in Guam. We still had a simple rice cooker, but we started to notice that all our friends from Japan and Korea brought rice cookers with them to the Philippines... and they weren't just 'one-button' rice cookers... they were fancy with lots of buttons. We knew that rice and how it is cooked was very important to our friends, but we still didn't understand why it was important to bring a rice cooker, when you could buy them in the Philippines.
Well, now we live in Japan, and eat even more rice than we did in the Philippines....and as we began to set up our home here, we noticed that stores have MANY rice cookers for sale... multiple aisles are given for rice cookers, ranging in price from $50 - $800!!! We asked some Japanese friends to explain what is so special about these rice cookers.... and then we decided we needed one for our family. We were going to save up for one for Christmas, but Julie's parents surprised us by giving us money for a rice cooker for our birthdays! Thanks Mom and Dad!

So, a couple weeks ago we went with our Japanese friends to buy our rice cooker. We needed help navigating the more than 30 rice cookers available in just one store! And here is our beautiful rice cooker:
Now, you will notice there is a menu... we have many options now for how we want our rice cooked, including settings for white rice, quick cook white rice, sushi rice, rice with other ingredients, rice porridge, super sticky rice, brown rice, and cake... that's right! You can make a cake in your rice cooker!!! It also has a timer, so I can put my rice and water in the cooker any time during the day, and set the time for 6:00 pm... my rice will be ready precisely at 6:00! It will also keep rice warm and ready to eat for at least 12 hours... so you can cook rice in the morning and eat fresh rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... isn't that wonderful? ;)
Our parents already thought we were a little weird when we last visited their homes and ask that they have lots of rice on hand for our 'Asian' son who LOVES rice and asks to eat it very often. We also asked (well, probably demanded) that they stay away from any instant or microwaveable rice because "it's not real, and Justin wouldn't like it!" Well, we've reached a new level now in our love of rice... time will only tell if we become 'rice snobs' and start to really notice differences in rice like our Japanese and Korean friends. But for now, we're just loving our new rice cooker.. and I really do think the rice tastes better! ;) Oishi des!

Kuya Justin

2010-08-12T20:43:00.005+08:00

So when we talk with people these days, one of the most common questions we hear is, "How is Justin doing?" We are happy to report that he LOVES being a kuya (tagalog word for older brother).
At first he just stared at him....

Then he decided it was fun to sit next to him and laugh at the cute noises he makes.

Then he decided it's okay to hold him sometimes... and give him kisses every night at bedtime. :)

And sometimes they just like to hang out together.

He LOVES helping Daddy give Noah baths.

And most of all, he loves the funny things Noah does. :)

Brian probably won't be happy about me posting this, but Justin did something pretty funny a couple weeks ago that made me realize how much his life has changed since Noah entered the picture... When I went to pick him up from the nursery at church one Sunday, the nursery workers were laughing and laughing... they told me he had been playing with a baby doll, pretending to 'feed' it... the same way he sees Mommy feed Noah! So his father quickly made a strict rule about emphasizing Justin only feeds Noah with a bottle... and Justin has adapted his language accordingly, but we'll see if there are any more funny stories from the church nursery. ;)

Justin has also become a LOT more verbal in the last couple months... he's always been pretty verbal, but now we hear complete sentences more regularly. :) As Justin hears new words, he likes to insert them into his vocabulary quite frequently until he learns something else that takes its place. One of his latest words is 'little'.... he adds the word 'little' in front of everything... my little car, my little truck, I hurt my little knee, etc. But one of my favorites is when I'm with Noah and he hears me say, "Uh oh." Justin then says, "Mommy, did Noah spit up? Just a little?" "Yes." "Oh, okay." ;D

Both our boys are growing so quickly... now that we have a little baby in the house, Justin seems huge! But when he's around all his older friends at church, I'm reminded that he is still two years old, but he's loving life sooooo much... we are quite blessed!

Noah David is here!

2010-06-29T20:14:00.004+08:00

We are happy to announce that Noah David Woolery is here! Noah arrived the morning of June 22, 9.1 pounds, 19.7 inches.

Everyone is doing great - Julie and Noah came home from the hospital on Friday and are recovering well, especially since Grandma Jill (Julie's mom) is here to help take care of everything. Big brother Justin is handling the transition very well... probably because Grandma Jill is here. :) He is very excited about 'Baby Noah' and loves to hold his hand and show him all his toys. And Brian is surviving and didn't even miss a Sunday of preaching. :)

So maybe now that Noah is here, we'll actually be more consistent in our blogging... well, it's a good goal anyways. ;) For the next few weeks we are just focusing on spending time with family. Julie's Dad will come on Saturday, so we're excited to show family around our new island and see some things we haven't even seen yet. Thank you SO much for your prayers! More pictures and stories to come soon...

A beautiful day in Okinawa

2010-04-10T21:27:00.004+08:00

Today was such a gorgeous day, so I thought I would share some highlights. It's been unusually cold and rainy ever since we arrived in Okinawa, so I'm appreciating the sunshine more than ever, and today was simply wonderful. I'm planning on trying to finish 'getting settled' in our place this week while Brian's gone, so hopefully I will be posting pictures of our apartment soon... but here are a few from today.

The view from our apartment balcony... yes, that's the ocean. :)

a very happy Justin on his tricycle

After our naps this afternoon, Justin and I went on a little adventure. There is a marvelous bakery not far from our house that sells scones... we've heard how wonderful they are, and today we experienced the deliciousness for ourselves. :)

Justin showing off his scone - oishi!

One thing (among many) that we LOVE about Japan is that you can find wonderful parks everywhere! We are constantly amazed at how often we see little and big parks just everywhere. These are some pics from a park that Justin and I discovered today right next to the amazing scone bakery... did I mention this is in walking distance from our house?! :)

Justin patiently waiting his turn to slide :)
Justin exploring at the top of another slide

Handsome boy! :)

Keystone Mission Team

2010-04-10T21:11:00.003+08:00

Brian was privileged today to join 12 others from our church on a mission trip to Manila, Philippines! They will be there for one week working in a squatter community across the street from the seminary where we lived and were students the last 3 1/2 years. It is so exciting that our church is doing this and that Brian got to go... this was something God led some our laypeople to do, and we're just blessed to be part of it. God provided in phenomenal ways for our team to go, so please keep them in your prayers as they begin what will be a life-changing experience!

This is a picture of them with their families before we went to the airport this morning. And of course, I'm just extremely jealous that Brian gets to 'go home' for a week... but I'm sure Justin and I will find many things to do to keep ourselves busy while he's gone. Thanks always for your prayers! :)
J

Konichiwa from Okinawa!

2010-03-27T19:32:00.003+08:00

Yes, it is now the end of March and our last blog was in September... well, life has changed drastically since September, and I think the fact that I'm blogging is a good sign... life is starting to settle down. :) So, for those of you who have waited so patiently for an update to see what next crazy adventure the Woolery family is on now, here it is...

Brian finished the coursework for his Master of Divinity degree in October and we said goodbye to the Philippines in November. We knew we were only in the Philippines for 3 1/2 years of school, but God blessed us with SO many friends and wonderful experiences, it was, of course, difficult to say goodbye. But our God is so amazing in how he is keeping us in the Asia-Pacific area, so thankfully, we're not that far away. :)

Before we left the Philippines, we were talking and praying with our church leaders about where we would go next and what we would do. To make a long story short, we flew to Okinawa, Japan, in October to be interviewed for the Senior Pastor position at Keystone Church of the Nazarene. Okinawa is unique because a LOT of American military are stationed on the island. Keystone church is made up mainly of American military with a few Japanese and other local residents. While we have always loved Japan and island life, we never in our wildest dreams thought of pastoring and/or thought of pastoring a church full of Americans ;) ... but God always exceeds our wildest dreams, and it was clear from the beginning that Okinawa was the next place for us. So, we interviewed with the church leadership team, the church voted and asked us to come, we spent the holidays in the states with family, and we've now been in Okinawa for 2 months!!!

And life couldn't be better... oh yeah, and if you haven't heard, we're expecting Baby boy #2 in June... cause we didn't have enough going on in our lives right now. :) So, we are LOVING being back on an island (even though it's WAY bigger than Guam) and living in Japan. God has helped us and guided us every step of the way... we have an awesome apartment only 5 minutes away from the church and about a 3 minute walk to the ocean, we have a car, we have work visas, we have Japanese national health insurance, the list goes on and on. We are also LOVING joining God's work at Keystone church. Keystone is a vibrant congregation with lots of lay involvement and lots of transitions... 1/3 of the congregation will change every year because of the nature of the military, so we're learning to trust God in new ways as we minister to military families and seek God's guidance about how to use Keystone to reach the people of Okinawa.

So, as we continue to settle in, our next big steps are starting formal Japanese language training, getting our Japanese driver's licenses (I'm sure there will be many funny stories about this in the future), and having another baby. :) And many dear friends have asked how Justin is doing in our new home, and I can honestly say that I've never seen him happier! He has just been thrilled to be here... it's like he also senses this is where God wants us to be. He is loving being surrounded by so many new friends his age at church, and he is quickly falling in love with island life almost as much as his parents. Of course, in a few months, he will come to the harsh realization that the world doesn't revolve around him, but we have no doubt that he is going to be a pretty cool big brother.

So, I'm feeling settled and that means more consistent blogging! We've done a very pitiful job of taking pictures of our new life here, so that's my goal for the next few weeks. Thanks ALWAYS for your prayers... they are needed every day! And remember, visitors are ALWAYS welcome! Sayonara! :)

Rainy Season

2009-09-03T11:36:00.005+08:00

Yes, we're still in the middle of rainy season in Manila, but Justin is loving the great outdoor space at our last home in the Philippines. We were so blessed to rent a house not far from campus and friends for our last few months in Manila - and Justin is having so much fun playing outside, no matter if it's raining or the sun is shining. It's so hard to realize that our time in the Philippines is almost over. We came here for graduate school, so as soon as Brian finishes his last classes in October, we will be leaving. We are still praying about where in Asia we will be next, but we will be in the states for the holidays, so we are looking forward to spending lots of time with friends and family! Please pray with us as we seek God's guidance for our next adventure. :) And, we're still here for 2 more months, so feel free to come visit and play with Justin in the rain! :)

2009 NYI Convention

2009-07-15T10:30:00.054+08:00

"I have come to find that God leads, moves, and works everywhere so why can't I?" said one of the delegates to the 2009 NYI Convention in Manila. "I am ready to go and make disciples in my community, and whether its at youth group, at work or school, I know God is with me and I'm ready for anything. The convention helped me to be better equipped in every way and understand what is needed for understanding and as I continue to live for God and learn more things along the way, may I be

used in a better and greater way with purpose that makes a difference in peoples lives."

After months of planning, after months of

preparations the Global NYI Convention finally came! In Manila we had seventy participants come from fifteen countries! They came from Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, Japan, Korea, Chuuk, Guam, Thailand, Myanmar, and two creative access countries. This is more than twice the number of delegates who were able to come to the 2005 NYI convention in Indianapolis. This was the largest representation of youth leaders that has ever come together in the Asia-Pacific region where we serve. So many for the first time saw their brothers

and sisters in Christ from across the region,

and then through the videoconference, across the world... for the first time! It was so exciting!

Before the official NYI convention started we spent a few days with our regional

delegates and participants in Manila to spend time discussing what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and to talk about Jesus' call for us to also make disciples. We talked about how God was calling us to new encounters with him as young people through prayer, through spending time in scripture together, and through worship. We discussed the tremendous possibilities for youth to impact

their communities through loving and investing in children. We also felt God leading us to make a difference in our communities through getting involved with the social issues that are affecting the community; thingslike domestic abuse, child trafficking, lack of clean drinking water, lack of educational opportunities, drug and alcohol abuse and the many reasons that cause it, and more. And we feel God leading us to, as young people, to begin planting churches. All of this points to our

central goal and desire to "Make Christlike Disciples Among Youth." So for three days we prayed together, we worshipped together, we ate together, we played together, and we had

workshops together. And God met and challenged us in powerful ways to return to our homes with His heart for the people who live around us.

Halfway through the event, we transitioned to the Global business meetings and worship. This meant that we also transitioned to staying up all night long, since the meetings were held exactly 12 hours away in Orlando. To have fun with this the theme for the event was 'Up All Night' and we bought hundreds of packs of instant coffee to prepare us for this and designed tshirts with coffee and a moon on the front! I was a little worried how well we would do staying up all night for

three nights, especially during some of the less-than-exciting business meetings, but everyone was energetic and engaged. They were excited to be able to participate in this and everyone from the official delegates to the visitors were ready to fight sleepiness! In our meetings we elected new leadership and made changes to our ministry plan to help us be more reflective of the global church that we are, and not just a church that centers in North America. It was such an honor to be a part of these decisions. And at the end we shared in communion together. Hundreds of youth and

youth workers literally across the world, remembered

the broken body and shed blood of our Lord, together.

One delegate shared why this event was so significant for him. "This convention is important to me for this is a dream come true for Nazarenes to experience what it really means to be a global church. Imagine for the first time

we're able to share our lives together through videoconferencing though we are apart

geographically!This i the reason why it is important to me. It changes our view of our church towards being a true global community. We are one family."

I am more and more convinced that an event by itself is nothing, unless it is a

chance for participants to encounter God and to return to their homes changed and with a different perspective. The most rewarding part of the entire event was to read some of the comments of how God touched their lives during this very long week. Let me share a few comments:

"For me personally this convention has been a mind and

eye opener. I always thought that I was the only one struggling... but hearing the testimonies from the other brothers and sisters in Christ around the world I understand now that we are the same and it is only Christ that can carry us through. I am going home a different person."

"I know that I will be a different person

altogether and I'm so proud. God has renewed my mindset, placing a more loving and caring mind in me."

"I will bring home this passionate heart, more passionate than ever. This won't be easy but if I will not start it, then who will?

"I am learning to listen and let God speak to

me in various ways and I am excited to share this excitement that I have right now."

"I have been really touched and challenged through the workshops, speakers, prayers, and worship. God has challenged

me to be intentional in my conversations and to be more involved

in my community."

This is what it was all about, God touching the lives of people and their desire to share this with others!

Please check out our event highlights video and other videos of our services and worship at apnyi.org.

Thank you all for your prayers and support for this life-changing event!

2009 NYI Convention is here!!!!

2009-06-25T13:20:00.002+08:00

Yes, we have been at the Manila site for the 2009 Global NYI Convention since last Saturday, and all we can say is.... God is good all the time! The Church of the Nazarene holds a General Assembly every four years; members come to one place from all around the world to worship together and conduct business. But this year, for the first time, NYI (Nazarene Youth International) is holding its convention in 8 different sites all around the world, connecting by video-conference through the internet!

And we have the amazing privilege to be part of this historic event! Brian is the site coordinator for the Asia-Pacific convention site, which is being held here in Manila, Philippines. Many times delegates elected to the General Assembly cannot attend because of finances and the difficulty of obtaining visas. Since it's very difficult for NYI in Asia-Pacific to ever get together, we decided to take advantage of this opportunity and spend extra time together before the General NYI Convention started. So, our 30 delegates and 40 visitors from 14 different countries gathered on Sunday, and we have been enjoying worship services, workshops, and fellowship with each other. Then last night, we held our first meetings with the other Asia-Pacific delegates at the General Assembly site in Orlando.... and everything worked!!! The internet worked, we could see each other, hear each other, and understand enough to elect a new Asia-Pacific Regional NYI council for the next 4 years - God is so good!

We've also enjoyed some of the General Assembly services which can be viewed anytime at the Church of the Nazarene website. You can also view many of our regional activities from the past few days at the Asia-Pacific NYI website. The theme of our regional site has become "Up all night" since daytime meetings in Orlando are in the middle of the night in Manila... but our delegates are so thrilled to be part of this event and have a voice (many countries for the first time!) that no one has missed a meeting yet! :)

So, to our friends and family who are in Orlando now, we miss you, but we wouldn't trade this experience for anything. God is moving in mighty ways among the youth leaders of Asia-Pacific, and we're so blessed to be a part. We'll write more soon, but I need to get some sleep before tonight's meetings... hope to see you on screen at some point! They will be showing a glimpse of our site at the NYI service Friday morning at 10:30 (Orlando time) and Friday afternoon at the 4:00 service, a drama group from a local church in Manila will be performing. Keep praying for our internet and our eyes to stay open! How great is our God!

Tagaytay

2009-06-04T11:44:00.004+08:00

When Julie's parents and sister were visiting, we took a two day trip to Tagaytay and stayed at Sonya's Garden. Sonya's Garden is an incredibly beautiful Bed and Breakfast that we have been wanting to go to ever since we moved to the Philippines. We had so much fun walking around the beautiful flower gardens, eating huge meals with food fresh from the garden, and enjoying the peace and quiet... If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Philippines, Sonya's Garden is a must!

Justin loved the unique shower... he could have stayed in there all day to play with the pebbles. :)

This is a picture taken at Taal Volcano in Tagaytay. I really won't do justice describing this amazing landmark, but I'll try... it's a lake inside a volcano inside a lake inside a volcano... just click on the link to get the amazing story. :)

We moved!

2009-06-04T11:23:00.003+08:00

We moved... down the street. :) Before we came to APNTS, we felt it was really important to live on campus so we could develop relationships with our fellow students. Although living on campus was the ironic reason Julie just finished her Master's degree, we really enjoyed our time and the opportunity to live in such a multi-cultural environment. But since Julie is finished and didn't want to take any more classes, we decided to look for a place to live off campus for our last few months in the Philippines. God worked out some incredible living situations for us as soon as we started praying about it, and we're currently house-sitting for some missionary friends that live less than a 10 minute walk from the APNTS campus. When they return in July we'll rent a small house in the same neighborhood. We're having so much fun living in a new place, but I think Justin is enjoying it even more....

He loved helping pack (and un-pack) boxes before we moved.

Having access to a washer and dryer where we're house-sitting makes Julie so happy she could almost cry, but it was also a great place for Justin and Grandpa Dwayne to chat. :)
Aunt Terri has lots of cool things in her house that Justin loves... he was very proud of himself when he learned to get in this rocking chair by himself.

He LOVES having a small yard to play in and a place to use his new swimming pool. :)

He also has space to play on his new tricycle from Grandpa Dwayne.

We're so thankful to see how God continues to provide for all the small details of our lives - please continue to pray the we will have the support for our daily needs. :)

Catching Up :)

2009-05-29T21:24:00.006+08:00

Well, the last few months have been quite exciting, and the next few months will be just as exciting, so it's about time for some blog posts to catch up! In March, I (Julie) successfully defended my thesis and graduated from APNTS with a Master's degree in Religious Education. It's so ironic that I finished before Brian, since I never really wanted to go to seminary in the first place. :) But God has provided some amazing opportunities, and we trust that our experience here will be used to enhance our future, so we continue trusting in God's incredible grace and guidance. We're also not looking forward to saying goodbye to our incredible friends at APNTS and in the Philippines, so we're treasuring our last few months here as Brian finishes his degree. It was a huge blessing to have my parents and sister visit for graduation and spend a few weeks with Justin.... and us. ;) Here are a few pics from the graduation festivities.

Rathburn/Woolery family at the Graduation Banquet

with incredible friends from Japan

friends from Myanmar

friends from the Philippines

all the graduates

Yay for family coming to visit!

We're still here....

2009-05-06T12:49:00.002+08:00

Just a quick post to say we're still here and will be posting soon about our many adventures in the last few months! :) It's been busy but wonderful - thesis defense, graduation, family visit, Justin walking/running everywhere, youth camp, and more... We're enjoying our summer, but we still haven't slowed down enough to update our blog.... hopefully soon. Thanks for staying in touch! :)

Justin's 1st Birthday!

2009-02-07T20:46:00.006+08:00

We celebrated Justin's first birthday on January 31 on the APNTS campus. In many countries in Asia, the first birthday is very special, and it is tradition to have a big party. Since this will probably be Justin's only birthday in the Philippines, we gave in to tradition, invited everyone, served spaghetti (Filipino birthday tradition - eat pasta), and had a wonderful time! Justin did pretty well, but he was a little overwhelmed by so many people at a few points.... Here are just a few pictures from his special day.

"Fish" was the theme for the party... why? because it's fun and easy! :)

Thanks to my wonderful friend, Terri, who helped me bake almost 100 'ocean' cupcakes and Justin's 'fish' cake!
Justin's happy birthday message contained pictures from various occasions over the last year... yes, every circle in his name is a different picture. :)

tropical fish tattoos! This is where Brian chose to wear his.

showing off their tattoos....

Our amazing friend, Melissa, painted this for a fun photo op! Everyone had such a blast getting their picture taken. :)

Since our theme had to do with water, we played fun games with water balloons - perfect for a hot afternoon in Manila!

The merienda (snack): crab sushi rolls, 'octopus' hotdogs, shanghai lumpia, spaghetti, and goldfish crackers Brian brought back from the states! Needless to say, all the missionaries from the states went crazy over the goldfish. :)

writing messages to Justin....

We needed some help blowing out the candle. ;)

It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to....

Happy Birthday, Justin!

EJ

2009-01-27T21:19:00.007+08:00

I have put off writing this entry, because every time I talk about it, it just makes it more real, and that's still pretty difficult. You may have seen in past blogs some pictures of Justin with an adorable Filipino boy named EJ. EJ's mom, Janet, watches Justin twice a week, and soon after she started, I encouraged her to bring her 5 year old son. EJ is Justin's best friend... I've never seen two children so separated in age and development have so much genuine fun together and love for each other.

About 3 weeks ago, EJ was feeling sick when he was at our house, so the next day his parents took him to the doctor. They were told he had mumps. But a couple days later, his condition was getting worse, so they took him to another doctor, and he was diagnosed with diphtheria. I must admit I've only heard of diphtheria in relation to vaccinations and had no idea what it meant to have it, so I quickly researched and found that yes, he would need to be treated in a hospital, but if caught early, it was easily treatable and he would just need a lot of rest. There are still a lot of unknowns about all the details, but the toxins from the diphtheria reached EJ's heart, and he died less than one week after his diagnosis.

When I received the text about his death, I just kept hoping it was a mistake or a bad dream. For two or three days, every time Justin picked up a toy to play with, I would burst into tears because it reminded me of EJ. While our minds are still filled with tons of questions and unknowns, I'm trying to focus my energies now on supporting EJ's parents and older sister and remembering our incredible friend. Here are some of my favorite memories:

~Justin's face whenever he saw EJ... he would instantly light up no matter where we were or what was going on. He would shake his arms with excitment! :)
~EJ's incredible ability to play with Justin... other children come over to play and just kind of play with the toys and ignore Justin... he is still a baby, after all. ;) But EJ would intentionally play with Justin for hours - it was really amazing.
~Whenever Justin was taking a nap, EJ would sometimes come find me in the library. He would just stand and watch what I was doing, and then I would give him my cell phone so he could play games.
~EJ didn't speak very much English, so if I saw him on campus, I would ask him if Justin was sleeping, by motioning with my hands and leaning my head to the side. EJ quickly learned the words I was saying, but every time he saw me, he would say, "Ate Julie, Justin sleeping" and do the motions with his hands and head.
~EJ loved to watch Brian work on his computer. He would point at different icons on the screen, and when Brian would open it, he loved the action and movement.
~EJ wore a pair of bright yellow galoshes. When he was running around campus, you could see him from far away because of his yellow galoshes.
~EJ made everyone on campus smile. He always had a smile for anyone he saw.

While the funeral service and preceeding visits to his family's house were extremely painful, they were also filled with blessings. EJ's family lives in what we call a squatter area.... many small houses made of wood and scrap materials, very crowded living conditions, etc. One night while they were having a service outside, I was able to sit inside with Janet and we just talked about everything. It was so incredible. We cried together, and then we started telling stories, and that quickly brought laughter. When I first visited after EJ's death, I had developed some pictures of Justin and EJ and gave them to Janet. She was so appreciative and then directed my attention to a shelf behind me... the shelves were already filled with pictures of EJ, Joana (his 8 year old sister) and Justin... I can't describe the emotion I felt... I had never seen these pictures before... Janet had taken them with her cell phone at different times at our house...in each one the love EJ had for Justin was so evident.

So while we're still grieving, and our little apartment here will never seem the same without EJ's brilliant laugh, we're assured of where he is now and that we will see him again someday. Please keep EJ's family in your prayers. Of course, they are having a difficult time. And give an extra hug to the children in your life today... they really are blessings God has entrusted us with... make sure they know how much you love them. :)

Christmas in Baguio

2009-01-26T10:57:00.006+08:00

So, I'm doing some catching up today with our blog. :) We were so blessed this last Christmas to spend a few days with some dear friends in Baguio, a town in the northern part of the Philippines. Baguio is famous for strawberries, fresh vegetables, beautiful flowers, weaving, cool mountain air .... we just really love Baguio and try to go any chance we get. We went with our friends, the Tsutada family, and Junichi and Mari Nakade. They have been incredible friends while at seminary and we can't imagine life without them after we all graduate. Here are some of our favorite pictures from our last Christmas in the Philippines.

First we visited some friends and former APNTS students in a town on the way to Baguio. They are teaching at a Wesleyan Bible College. Justin and Kinomi will be great friends some day, I'm sure... right now they kind of just look at each other. :)

Beautiful Baguio

Justin quickly fell in love with Baguio strawberries.
visiting the Easter Weaving Room... you can buy tons of stuff upstairs, but the best part is going downstairs and seeing all the ladies work on the looms - truly amazing!
Baguio has some really great restaurants... we kind of planned our whole trip around eating. :)
Justin's first firework show on Christmas Day
is Brian thinking about a new hairstyle? :)
eating 1 day old chick... yes, we have some interesting food items in the Philippines. :)

we love Baguio! :)

Spaghetti!

2009-01-20T09:21:00.008+08:00

Justin is in a food-loving stage right now... He wants to eat any and everything we eat, and he wants to eat a lot. :) It is a Philippine tradition to eat pasta on your first birthday, and we've been to a couple of 1st birthday celebrations recently. It's also tradition to send food home with everyone, so basically, Justin has been in heaven. He really loves spaghetti... here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last couple days.

Japan Culture Day

2009-01-15T08:25:00.007+08:00

This last Tuesday was Japan Culture Day at APNTS chapel, so Justin wore his yukakata (traditional Japanese outfit for boys) that our wonderful Japanese friends gave him for Christmas. Doesn't he make a handsome Japanese boy? ;)

He even got to help with leading the worship songs during chapel. :)

He looked great until it was lunch time, and they were serving spaghetti (his favorite meal) in the dining hall, and mommy had forgotten to bring a bib... but his messy spaghetti face and spaghetti-covered yukata make for really cute pictures. :)

It was also a very special chapel for us. Brian has been asked to participate in every Japan Culture Day since we've been at APNTS, but he wasn't able to this year because he is in the states for NYI meetings. So our friends made a short video of Brian telling about his ministry with Japanese through the wedding chapels in Guam. It's so encouraging to have friends that care and show appreciation for things we did years ago, when they didn't even know us! I pray that we can be that same kind of friend - to always exhibit an encouraging and loving spirit.

a new approach in 2009

2009-01-04T20:40:00.001+08:00

I (Julie) have never been successful at keeping a journal, even though I’ve tried numerous times throughout my life. I love the idea of journaling, and I always have lots of thoughts and feelings I want to remember and look back on, but my thoughts never make it on paper, no matter how many cool journals I purchase. ☺ But as we enter 2009, I’m inspired with a new idea of a way to remember things.

My friend Jana recently blogged about how she kept a ‘gratitude journal’ during 2008. She used a daily planner and recorded something she was thankful for every day. I receive an email reading every day from my favorite author, Henri Nouwen, and the passage for January 1, 2009 was this:

Expecting a Surprise

Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.

So, thanks to inspiration from Henri Nouwen and Jana, I’m going to list something in my planner every day – something I’m thankful for, something new where I saw God working, or just something I want to remember. I’m a calendar/planner freak – I can’t live unless I look at my calendar at least 10 times a day, so maybe I’ll have better luck with this approach than with my beautiful journals that always sit in a dusty corner with blank pages. Hope your new year is filled with fun and relaxing moments with loved ones, new and special friendships, and new memories of God’s amazing grace and guidance!

2008 Christmas letter

2009-01-04T20:38:00.000+08:00

To our dear friends and family,

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! As we begin 2009 we’re overwhelmed with God’s grace and guidance in our lives this last year. Through every new friendship, challenge, and fun memory, God has continued to make real in our lives his peace ‘which surpasses all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7), and we’re excited and humbled as we continue to learn how to show his love to the people around us.

If it’s been a while since we talked, 2008 was a really big year for us – our family grew! Justin Dwayne Woolery FINALLY was born on January 22 (he was 2 ½ weeks late!). And life has never been the same or quite so much fun! It was an incredible blessing to have both sets of grandparents with us when he was born, and we have cherished watching him grow and develop over the last year. Justin was the only baby born on our campus this last year, so he’s extremely popular. It’s amazing to live in a community where Justin is surrounded by so much love. He also attracts quite a lot of attention, being a chubby, bald, white baby in Manila, so we’ve actually made some new friends through his amazing smile!

We’re still living in the Philippines, studying at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary. It’s hard to believe we left Guam 2 ½ years ago and are nearing the end of our studies for our Masters degrees. While our time at APNTS has been challenging in many ways, we’re so thankful to be receiving our education in such a diverse cross-cultural setting, and it’s hard to think about saying goodbye to the APNTS community when we graduate. Julie is in the middle of her thesis right now and will hopefully graduate this April, while Brian will finish classes in October.

Julie has continued to teach English classes to students from Korea, Myanmar, Japan, and the Philippines. We’re still amazed at how God brought this opportunity at APNTS and how much it has blessed our lives. Brian continues to serve as the Asia-Pacific Regional Youth Coordinator for the Church of the Nazarene. This year he was able to travel to Australia and Thailand to meet with youth leaders and encourage them in their work. He’s also busy now with the challenge of planning the NYI convention for the Asia-Pacific Region to be held in Manila in June 2009. Through both of these job opportunities, we continue to be humbled as we learn from youth leaders around Asia and the Pacific. God is doing amazing things among youth, and we’re excited to be a part in a small way!

So, the big question is, what comes next? And we have no idea! ☺ But we trust in an incredible God who has led us through adventures we never dreamed we would get to participate in, and we know he will continue to lead us to whatever is next. We would really love to stay somewhere in Asia-Pacific, so we’ll let you know as soon we find out! So, it’s no surprise that we really need your prayers in 2009! ☺ Thesis writing, NYI convention, parenting, visa fees, rent money, maintaining family relationships across the globe, and an unknown future can occasionally lead to worry, but again, we have complete confidence that God is in control and will provide for us everything that we need. Please pray for us this year, and thank you, thank you, thank you for your friendship and support. We’re so blessed to be on this journey with you!

One last thing…. I wanted to include pictures in this letter, but my email won’t let me today, so please visit our blog and you can catch up on all the details of our crazy adventures. We’re trying to post stories more frequently, but if you would rather receive them by email, just go to our blog once, and you can sign up to receive stories by email. The address is: www.woolerywanderings.blogspot.com.

We LOVE to hear from you! May God bless you and your family in this new year!

Love always,
Brian, Julie, and Justin Woolery

Thailand Youth Camp

2008-12-18T13:36:00.007+08:00

“I came to know Christ as a university student. In my first year I had to work in my free time and study. I met a Christian person where I worked. They would tell everyone about God and no one was interested, but I was.”

During the last week of October I was in Thailand (I know, I know this is really late!). I was able to spend the first part of the week at the Thai District NYI camp at Bangkok 1st Church. There were near twenty campers who came from Bangkok as well as Chang-Mai, ten hours to the north.

I got to help with a relational evangelism workshop. This was a lot of fun as the youth shared the people that touched their lives for Christ. When telling about these relationships they were excited to share and passionate. It really re-emphasized with me that the essence of the gospel is not in just sharing ‘facts’ but rather stories of relationships, which direct our relationship with God.

The campers used tools such as evange-bracelets and evange-cubes to help tell their stories of how Jesus impacted their lives. The feeling of many of the youth was captured in this statement, “I was very nervous to go and talk to people I didn’t know about Jesus. But after doing it I felt a new sense of confidence. I can do this!” One young camper was so excited that he began holding his arm up, showing the multi-colored bracelet and asking the children, “Who wants to know about my bracelet? Can I tell you about my bracelet?!”

Late during the camp two people joined. The first was a 4th grader (which I’m not sure why he was attending) and his friend. At the end of the camp the friend shared with the group, “I am not a Christian. I am a Buddhist. I wondered how I could come to this camp since we are different religions. But while I have been here I have had a lot of fun and have made new friends. I do not want to be a Buddhist anymore. I want to be a Christian.” Opportunities to share the love and joy in Jesus, even when we didn’t know it, came from every direction!

It was a huge privilege for me to get to be in a context like this. It is here in local communities and local churches that life happens. This event in another country reminded me again of my responsibility to be intentional in my local setting, as normal as it seems.

Please pray for the young people of the Thailand district: for Nit, Goh, Pie, Gang, and the many others. Pray also for Belinda, the NYI Coordinator for the Southeast Asia Field.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T21:38:00.002+08:00

Just wanted to wish all of our dear family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving! Even though this was a normal week, we were able to get together twice this week with different missionary friends for fun and relaxing thanksgiving celebrations. It is always so wonderful to share special food together - Justin has fallen in love with sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie - what a smart kid! :) We have so much in our lives to be thankful for - as I think about the past year, I'm amazed at the incredible gift of Justin, the extensive time we've been able to spend with our families, the continued opportunity to be living and studying in such a wonderful country, our amazing family of God that is found no matter where we are on the globe, and that same family of God who continues to pray for us and support us - Thank you so much for your prayers and friendship! We are so blessed by each of you! Happy Thanksgiving!

Fountains are cool!

2008-11-16T22:34:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday, we spent the day with friends from the seminary and Brian's Uncle LeBron and Aunt Anne. LeBron and Anne are visiting for the 25th anniversary of APNTS, so we're so excited to steal them and spend time together whenever someone else isn't wanting them. ;) We went to Greenbelt, an open air shopping area in Makati. It's a gorgeous place to sit, drink coffee, and catch up. Justin got tired of sitting after a while, so he and I wandered around and found this really cool fountain. Justin had such a blast playing in it, he cried when we had to leave. Here are a few of our favorite pics. When you come to Manila to visit us, we can go here together! :)

Justin at 9 months

2008-11-04T21:17:00.004+08:00

Justin is continuing to grow and develop personality more and more each day. Now, he's crawling, pulling up on everything, finding mischievous things to do, trying to eat and drink everything we do, desperately wanting to walk and run, and the list goes on and on. Here are some pictures from the last month....

reading books

future gymnast

playing with Daddy while eating

Halloween Costume - Fuzzy Caterpillar :)
and Mommy was a butterfly...

and quite proud of himself for crawling to the door and trying to push it open :)

100 Years

2008-11-04T21:04:00.003+08:00

On October 5 it was such a privilege to join our Philippine church family in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Church of the Nazarene. We celebrated ALL day long and were amazed at the testimonies of God's faithfulness in the last 100 years and the hope of what will happen in the next 100 years. The church we attend baptized 100+ people and took in 100 new members on the day of the celebration - amazing! In the afternoon, the Metro Manila District met on the APNTS campus for continued celebrations. Despite the rain and mud, 2000+ people gathered to worship and commit to serving God for the next 100 years.... here are just a couple pics. :)

Taytay Church of the Nazarene:

Metro Manila District Celebration:

Long time, no blog!

2008-11-04T20:43:00.004+08:00

Well, it's been a very long time since we've posted any blogs... but when I think about the last month, I'm not at all surprised. :) So, this will be my attempt to catch up a little bit. October was super busy since it's the last month of our semester. But in addition to all the normal end-of-semester writing and cramming sessions, I (Julie) am attempting to finish my thesis proposal so I can (hopefully!) graduate in April, and Brian has been gone for the last 2 weeks, so he was trying to finish all his assignments AND prepare for his trip! Brian went to Singapore for regional meetings and then straight to Bangkok, Thailand for a youth leaders camp and meetings with field and global youth leaders. He's had a great time and will be home tomorrow morning, so needless to say, I'm quite thrilled that my 2 weeks as a single mom with a 9 month old is coming to a close! :) But, I can't really complain... Justin has been simply amazing since Brian left, and we have really amazing friends that take such good care of us. So even though I should be working on my thesis tonight, I'm too distracted and excited that Brian will be back tomorrow.... so, I'll post a couple more blogs and make Brian write about his trip and the exciting things God did and is doing as soon as he gets back! :)

hanging out with friends, Mami and Kenji, at the mall

our wonderful friends and neighbors, Yuri and Yasuki

playing with Isaiah and Ian and their grandfather visiting from the states! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2008-09-25T20:00:00.002+08:00

That's right.... in the Philippines Christmas anticipation begins with the first of the 'ber' months... Septem-ber, Octo-ber, Novem-ber, and Decem-ber. Last weekend when we went to the mall to do our weekly grocery shopping, we were greeted with the first few Christmas decorations and Christmas music playing. Some might say they don't like all the commercialism and the meaning gets lost when you start this early, but personally I love beginning to think about Christmas even now. I LOVE Christmas music and have always felt that only the month of December was not long enough to fully enjoy it. And I LOVE the anticipation for a wonderful time of year with family and friends. In Guam Christmas was special because of church plays, special parties, and bell ringing with our Salvation Army friends. This will be our 3rd Christmas in the Philippines (and maybe our last, sad), and even though our bank account suffers from so many pot-lucks and gift exchanges, I can't wait to go to all the parties and spend tons of time with friends and family. I love reflecting on how Christ came to earth and the significance of the life he lived. I love hearing about the birth of Christ through the context of so many friends' cultures and personal experiences. So, yes, to Brian's chagrin, I proudly sing along with the Christmas music playing in the store.... may the Christmas celebrations begin! :)

Justin's funny faces

2008-09-22T08:24:00.003+08:00

72 Hours of Prayer

2008-09-15T19:49:00.003+08:00

We are requesting your prayers! We have had the privilege to help organize a 72 hour prayer room for our APNTS community. If you're not familiar with the concept of 24 hour prayer rooms, it's a focused time and location where people come together to seek God. But instead of just praying silently, people can do whatever they want - sing, play an instrument, draw, read the Bible, paint, etc. We were able to experience this at the 3rd Wave Conference in South Africa a couple years ago, and it was extremely meaningful. We've since been wanting to do one at APNTS, and here we are!

So, please be praying for our campus community for the next 3 days. It begins at 11:30 AM on September 16 and will continue until 11:30 AM on September 19. Our seminary's theme for this school year is "Out of Many, One", borrowed from the Church of the Nazarene's centennial celebration. So, the focus of this prayer time is unity, understanding, and community. Please keep us in your prayers, and we'll let you know how it's going. We're expecting God to do amazing things - things bigger than our dreams! Also, please enjoy the video Brian and our friend Junichi created. :)

Choir Practice

2008-09-07T21:03:00.003+08:00

So, most people don't think of me (Julie) as a singer. I am DEFINITELY more of an pianist than a vocalist. But, as some old friends remember, I had a music scholarship in college... and one of the requirements to keep my scholarship was to sing in a choir. This was not something I looked forward to, but it ended up being quite a rewarding experience. It was during my short choir career at SNU that I formed some of my closest friendships... amazing and talented girls who are still some of my best friends today. I was reminded of those choir memories this afternoon....

The General Church of the Nazarene is celebrating its 100 year anniversary on October 5 of this year. Anniversaries are a REALLY big deal in the Philippines. So, on October 5, every church will have their own special service in the morning, and then all the churches on our district will gather on our seminary campus for more celebrations that will probably last into the night. As part of these celebrations, our church and a few others are forming a 100 voice choir that will perform. Last year, Brian joined our church's choir for their anniversary celebration, but I was pregnant at the time, and it didn't quite work out. So, even though singing in front of people is not my most favorite pastime, I promised Ate Enzy (our choir director) I would join for this special occasion.

We went to our first practice today. Some of the members have already been practicing, but we weren't able to join together with them until now. One of the songs we are singing is the 'Hallelujah' chorus from Handel's Messiah. Let me first explain that this is not abnormal for Nazarene churches in the Philippines. While growing up in the states, it seemed the only time anything from Messiah was performed was at extremely large churches, colleges, or by professional musicians at a concert. But Filipinos are quite ambitious and indescribably talented musically, so this is something people have definitely sung and heard before in a small church setting. So, back to the story.... We started practicing the 'Hallelujah' chorus, and I was immediately flooded with memories of my freshman year of college... sitting in choir practice with Shelley, Jeanna, Stacy, Shelly, Rachel, and Jessica, my fellow Music major and minors..... laughing at Dr. Alexander's antics as he guided us in our vocal practice and played all parts on a grand piano.... singing my part over and over and over and over again until I actually remembered it.

Today's experience was quite different.... there was no piano... Ate Enzy simply gives each group their starting pitch... without any assistance! This amazing woman knows the song so well, she can sing all the parts, direct a huge choir, and hear when a few people are off and need more practice. :) Everyone has music in their hands, but the majority of people don't read music... they can simply hear their parts and memorize when they come in. Thankfully, I actually remembered my part from 10 years ago (Thank you, Dr. Alexander!)... or I would have been in a lot of trouble. ;) And today I was singing with friends from seminary and church - Linda, Jana, Emz, Ate Marnie, and Ate Nenita..... amazing ladies that have also become close friends and will be for life.

As we sat there sweating (no air-con) and singing our hearts out, I was overwhelmed by how God works in our lives. Ten years ago, when I was complaining about having to sing in a choir, who knew that that experience would open the door for me to have this experience right now... making new friends and memories and being so amazed at our surprising God. In my English class the other day, one of my students from Myanmar was talking about the gift of music. He said that in his opinion, the music made by instruments is quite remarkable because it needs no translation. Anywhere in the world, we can use instruments to praise God and it doesn't matter if we speak the same language. So, thank you God for the gifts of music, of choirs, of friends old and new, and exciting adventures that exceed even our wildest dreams! :)

This is our choir director, Ate Enzy, when she came to visit Justin and me at the hospital. :)

Basketball with the Boys

2008-08-20T22:10:00.002+08:00

This is Brian writing. I am aware that I rarely post, but am trying to discipline myself to get better in this respect!

A year and a half ago I felt strongly that God was calling me to interact with some youth who live across the street from our campus. This is a squatter area of small shanty-houses constructed of loose boards and tin. The young people here have typically limited English because of limited education.

I began conversations with them, which started with me learning Tagalog slang that they thought was hilarious! Slowly I began to learn some of their names. Last year some other students invited them on campus to play on our basketball court. These guys love basketball! Most of them are not in school and are unemployed, so basketball is a welcome diversion. We played 3-4 days a week last school year!

This school year some students left and others have schedules that limit their ability to sponsor these guys to be on campus to play. I was busy with work and school and for the first few weeks I did not see or talk to them often. But God continued to lay on my heart the critical importance of being in the community where I live and among non-believers. To be honest I gave excuses to God. "I'm so busy studying and my job with NYI is my ministry," I told him, but when I was honest these were smoke screens for my own laziness. So I put in my schedule to finish work early and play ball with the guys every Tuesday.

While I feel like I have a good relationship with these guys, it is a somewhat superficial one. I have quickly found that to discuss issues of the heart, issues that deal with emotions typically don't make their way into less-than-conversational-english conversations! I've struggled with this but Julie continues to remind me that as long as I am there and care for these guys God will do the rest. One thing I have felt God leading me to do is be intentional to pray for them both in my quiet time and also when I am playing with them or watching them play.

Last Tuesday I had a meeting that ran late. I hadn't gone out and reminded them that I would be at the gate at 4:30 to play, so I thought I wouldn't play ball that day. However, I told Julie I should go check just in case. As I walked towards the gate I saw one of the guys and he looked at me, smiled, and made a dribbling motion with his hand. They had been waiting! Five minutes later 25 guys were filling the court playing or watching. Since I wasn't in playing clothes I decided to just talk with the guys.

As I sat next to one boy, U-choy, a unique thing happened. He began really talking to me! He was asking questions, struggling to find the English words with his limited vocabulary. This is rare because often we are content to let my limited Tagalog ability and his limited English be what they are and just hang out, but not really talk. But here we were having a meaningful conversation. It was a huge encouragement to me, a sign that our relationship was growing, even if it was a slow growth.

I have to continue to pray and trust that God can and will do the work that I can't do. I want to make myself available completely no matter the results that I see or don't see. I want to be bold when God leads me to be, but also to be consistent when I don't see anything happening. This is hard for me to do because I feel my value as a missionary rests in results. I have to be reminded on the one hand, that one plants, and one waters, but only God makes things grow. And I must be reminded, on the other hand that I must be ready to be obedient whenever God provides the opportunity to be more direct about Jesus.

Please pray for U-choy, Jerky, Ivan, Rene, Jun, JR, Din Din, Doods, Andrew, Edward, and all the other boys who play basketball on the APNTS campus on Tuesdays from 4:30-6.

Justin's new friends

2008-08-19T21:26:00.008+08:00

Justin has many friends, but we thought we would introduce you to a few special friends that have become more and more important in the last month...
Justin absolutely LOVES playing with his rubber ducks in the bath. He simply can't get enough of them - chewing them, splashing with them, throwing them... really, I think he could stay in there for days and be totally happy. :)

When our good friends Daniel and Melissa (Nazarene volunteer missionaries) found out we were having a baby, the first gift their family gave Justin was a very special giraffe stuffed animal. Their middle son, Ian, had a puppy from the same company that he slept with as a baby, and 'Puppy' still remains a very special character in his life. I would tell you the name of the company that makes these great stuffed animals/blankets, but Justin is currently hugging 'Giraffe' right now while sleeping, so I dare not take it away! ;) Anyways, Justin loves sleeping with 'Giraffe'.... in fact, he doesn't sleep that well without it! We highly recommend one of these great stuffed animals for any baby! :)

One day a week we have class at the same time, so God has blessed us with a wonderful Filipina woman who watches Justin all day. Janet has 2 children of her own, so they also come with her to spend the day with Justin. This is a picture of Justin and EJ.... Justin loves EJ SOOOO much! He is so thrilled to have a playmate and EJ is really good at interacting with Justin. Any time Justin sees EJ around campus, he immediately starts smiling and laughing, no matter his previous mood. We are incredibly thankful for God's gift of Janet, EJ, and Joanna and the incredible friends they are to us and Justin! :)

Thanks for your prayers!

2008-08-19T20:54:00.006+08:00

Thank you so much for your prayers for our trip to Boracay! We had a great time! God answered our many prayers by giving us safe travel, keeping our group safe and happy, and every minor problem being quickly solved without too much stress (forgetting ID for the airport, losing ID in the ocean, you know, the expected when you're traveling with a group of 27 people and a baby!).
Since it's rainy season, it was cloudy most of the time, but we actually didn't have too much rain. It did make the ocean and pool water pretty cold, so Justin wasn't too sure how he felt about it. I'm sure next time he will be ready to jump in no matter the temperature. ;)
We had a wonderful time relaxing with the students and our friends, Dick and Mary Ann, the other couple who went as sponsors - thanks again for your prayers!

Prayer for this weekend...

2008-08-13T22:45:00.002+08:00

We have the privilege this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to accompany Julie's English students from Korea to the island of Boracay (in the Philippines) for a weekend of sun, fun, rest, and relaxation. Yeah, yeah, we know... 'suffering for Jesus' on a beautiful tropical island is really tough... haha. :) But seriously, please pray for us this weekend! As we mentioned before, many of the students are not Christians, so this is a great opportunity for us to interact with them on a more personal level and build deeper relationships. There are 21 students, and we will be going with them, along with another couple. This will be our first time to do something like this with Justin, so we're also praying that he will adjust to yet another crazy part of our lives. :) So, we covet your prayers for safe travel, meaningful interaction, and a fun final weekend for the students before they return to Korea. We'll let you know how it goes - thanks so much!

Birthday Blessings

2008-08-03T09:43:00.002+08:00

My birthday (Julie's) was last week and I just wanted to share some of the special blessings that surrounded it. We are still very close to the couples that live in our old apartment building on campus (married without children), and many of us have birthdays in the month of July, so we had a combined party with food, funny games, and blessings for each other. Since Brian serves as Regional youth coordinator, we're also included in regional staff activities. They also have a lot of July birthdays, so we had another combined party at Tita Gen's house with hamburgers, hot dogs, and more fun games! We fit in well here since Filipinos love to have parties and so do we! :)

My birthday happened to fall on a Friday, one of the days my APNTS 'English Development' class meets. I'm not a person who makes a big deal out of my own birthday, so I was super surprised when I walked in the classroom and all the students were waiting with birthday messages written on the board! They sang 'Happy Birthday' and we shared snacks together that they had prepared. I cried as we prayed together - I am so overwhelmed by their love and compassion. No job is perfect, and many times it's easy to complain about administrative issues surrounding my teaching positions. But recently, I've started to realize how much God has blessed me with my students. They are all very serious with their studies, and we have a lot of fun in class, but more importantly than that - every day when we finish and are about to leave, they ALWAYS say, "Thank you, Julie." Why do they say that? We never do anything life-changing or extremely important... we just work on pronunciation. But they always say thank you. And every day I'm touched by how much they impact my life... I should be the one thanking them every day! So, here are a few pics of my amazing friends in 'English Development'.....

Brian gets an award this year for being such a great husband on my birthday! He arranged for a babysitter, so he and I actually had a real date! Those don't happen too much these days. ;) He also got me a very exciting gift that I have been wanting for a really long time! After college, I fell in love with baking, but ovens aren't very common in the Philippines, so our apartments don't have them. After we had been here one year with no oven, we finally splurged and bought a toaster oven that I use for my baking. But, it's hard to find baking pans to fit in it! :) So, Brian bought me silicon muffin cups! I can bake just the number I need since they are separate.... and they are so easy to use! The muffins literally fall out and the muffin cup is practically clean! They are great - I highly recommend them!

my first batch of muffins :)

my precious oven :)

Singapore reflections

2008-08-02T23:36:00.001+08:00

In May I (Brian) had the privilege of attending Nazarene Missions International (NMI) Re-visioning meetings in Singapore. NMI has been a hugely successful way the Nazarene church has emphasized and supported missions over the years. Yet as our times are changing so quickly there has been an increased awareness of NMI’s need to also re-focus for a successful future. I was invited to represent youth, along with a friend from Australia. We met together over three days representing 10 countries across Asia and the Pacific.

We looked at the three times in Matthew (9:1-6; 10:1-7, 17-20; 22:35-37) where Jesus sent out his apostles. As we looked it became evident that in every passage, though the circumstances changed, there were consistent themes: God was with them, they experienced suffering, they were proactive, and ultimately they saw success from their labor. While God has been doing exciting things within Asia-Pacific we could and should be seeing more fruit and doing more. We were told “You are here so that the God who lives in you will splash out on the people around you.” It made me examine my life. Am I intentional in the ways I interact with people, so that they would see Jesus in me and hear Jesus from me? These apostles in Matthew had no church membership or buildings. They went out to share the good news that God has come near in Jesus and real life was offered! The key is that they went out. Jesus sent them out. God’s heart is always ‘out’, out to the communities where we live, out among the people that we pass by, out in the schools we attend. Many times our church buildings lead us to believe that people meet Jesus by coming in, but this is not what we see in scripture. Often, in my life, church has become a bunker, a safe defensive haven in a frightening and sinful world. But this is not salt, this is not light. This is a light hidden under a basket.

Across the Asia-Pacific region there are 2.6 billion people. Roughly 104,000 are Nazarenes, a number which has not changed significantly for the past few years. Half of the region’s population live in cities. There are currently 135 cities with over a million population, 108 of which have less than 3% believers in them. By 2023, including the rise in population, two-thirds to three-fourths of the total Asia and Pacific population will live in cities. The challenge is clear. There is a huge need for missionary-minded believers across the Asia-Pacific. It made me reflect, if we are being who Christ calls us to be in our world, would the Nazarene Church look like it does right now? I do not say this to be critical or to lessen the tremendous commitment on the part of believers, but this is a critical question. We are known by our fruit. What is the fruit of my life? Who is encountering Jesus through me? Is my heart moved by these figures? Is my heart moved by the hundreds of faces I see as I walk through Manila every day? Second Corinthians 5:14 says “The love of Christ compels us.” May I be compelled more. May Christ’s love open my eyes and ears to what He sees in the faces, the lives of these people that surround me every day.

As we began to honestly discuss the challenges to Jesus’ command to make disciples in the nations I was shocked to discover that most of the issues were internal to the church rather than external. Things like busyness, lack of prayer, fear, lack of discipleship, the exodus of young people from churches, these things were derailing churches from their mission from the inside. External factors, such as government opposition, issues of communication (language, culture), and resistant people groups, were not the primary challenges. This was so revealing to me. Yet it was also a word of good news, because we all have the ability to address the internal issues!

Despite our range of ages, differences in language, culture, and country, and our backgrounds we discovered that as we center ourselves in prayer God will give us his heart. The issue was a heart issue, and the solution is a heart-response. As we spend time with Jesus he makes us more into his image. As disciples grow closer to Christ they develop as leaders. As we focus on Christ together, and share His heart the church is united in purpose. This moves us out into our neighborhoods and workplaces with an entirely different mindset. Because Christ’s love compels us we are willing to learn a new language and culture, even if it is with non-believers in our own country. We are willing to be uncomfortable and challenged by the pain of sin in people’s lives.

As I have thought about these few days over the past weeks God has continually been speaking to my heart. These issues are not exclusive to Asia or the Pacific but are experienced in every country because these issues are fundamental heart issues among believers. I have been praying that I would stay alert in all situations, especially when I am ‘out’ for where God is working in the hearts and lives of people around me. I have been praying that God would continually let me see people through his eyes.

Justin at 6 months

2008-08-02T12:09:00.005+08:00

It's so hard to believe, but Justin is already 6 months old! Here are a few pictures from the last month... enjoy! :)

Falling asleep while eating.... he's still learning the significance of naps... :)

always ready to play...

Justin's friend Elanor had a princess party for her 3rd birthday... meet Prince Justin! Prince Justin had a wonderful time watching the other princes and princesses blow bubbles, eat cake, and open presents. :)

having coffee in the morning with Daddy....

so happy about life....

beautiful Manila sunset!

English Classes

2008-07-28T10:00:00.003+08:00

I (Julie) would like to introduce you to some of my new friends! God has blessed me at APNTS with the opportunity to become certified in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Every semester, college students from Korea Nazarene University come to our campus to study English for 6 weeks. This semester we have 21 students, so they are divided into 2 classes. I am teaching their "Spoken English" class. We work on pronunciation and speaking confidence... really, we just have a lot of fun. :)Not all the students that come are Christians, so it's a great opportunity for our campus to show them the love of Christ. Please pray for them while they are here and for us as we make new friends and minister to them.
I also have the opportunity to teach a class throughout the semester. All APNTS classes are in English, so students have to obtain a certain score on an English exam before they are allowed to register for graduate classes. If they don't get a high enough score, they may take undergraduate English classes in order to improve their score. This is the 3rd semester I've taught "English Development." We also work on pronunciation and speaking confidence. It's so meaningful to get to know our new students and their stories as we study English together. My class this semester is very dedicated to their studies, so I'm afraid they will all pass the English exam at semester and I won't have anyone next semester! ;) Please pray for us as we get to know each other and learn more about Christ and his love througout the semester. Our class this year represents Philippines, Japan, Korea, and Myanmar - we are learning a lot about each other's cultures! :)

More Family Pictures

2008-07-21T21:53:00.005+08:00

Just one more story from our U.S. vacation.... :) One of Julie's friends from high school is an amazing photographer and offered to take our picture while we were visiting. We had SO much fun walking around Breckenridge Park in San Antonio with Sara snapping pictures. It was great to catch up and share this fun time together. There were so many beautiful pictures, but here are some of our favorites. If you live in South Texas, we highly recommend her for any special event! Thanks so much, Sara!

Justin's Dedication

2008-07-17T21:56:00.002+08:00

It was also a privilege to have Justin dedicated while we were in the states. Baby dedication is something our church does where the parents commit the child to the Lord and publicly promise to raise their child in God's love and teachings. Brian's parents came down to Texas one weekend, so we were able to do it at the church Julie grew up in with both sets of grandparents. :) Of course some extended family was there also!
Brian's dad performed the dedication and beautifully expressed the importance of prayer in our unique family situation, as we are spread across the globe. It was such a blessing to be able to share this time with our family and a church family that greatly supports us.

Family Pictures

2008-07-17T21:33:00.006+08:00

Since our families aren't together very often, both families decreed that family pictures would be taken while we were in the states. :) Here are some of our favorites... of course, everyone had to have special pictures taken with Justin. :)
The Woolery Family
Justin with Grandma Alice and Grandpa Lee
Justin with Uncle Justin and Aunt Kim
The Rathburn Family
Justin with Grandma Jill

Justin with Grandpa Dwayne

Justin with Aunt Jessie

We are so blessed! :)

Vacation and catching up

2008-07-17T21:00:00.008+08:00

It's certainly been a while since we last posted a blog! I guess time does fly when you're having fun. :) Since our last post, we enjoyed another 1 1/2 months with friends and family in the states and have been back home in the Philippines for almost a month. Of course, the time in the states went by too quickly, but it was SO wonderful to catch up with friends and family.... Here are a few highlights of the trip:
It snowed in Indiana! Well, they were really only snow flurries, but with our tropical blood, it was a big deal. :)
visiting with Adam in Chicago...

Julie and Justin got to spend some quality time with Aunt Lynette and Uncle Chris in Dallas while Brian went to NMI (Nazarene Missions International) meetings in Singapore.
Justin's first highchair experience!
We had a great time in Denver with Julie's sister, Jessica - hiking in the snow, exploring the city, and hanging out with Jessica's fun friends.
Of course, watching the Spurs in the NBA playoffs was also a highlight of the trip... even though we didn't win, I think Justin fits in with the Rathburn family with his love of the Spurs! :)
One of our highlights in San Antonio with Julie's parents was taking Justin to the river for the first time! He looked pretty cool, but only enjoyed the water for about 5 minutes. :)
Well, there are literally hundreds of more pictures we could share - Grandparents can be quite the paparazzi! After anticipating and planning for so long, it was so hard to believe when our trip was over. We are so thankful for the time we had to see family and friends, and if we didn't get to see you, hopefully we can somewhere in the world, sometime soon! It is very good to be back home, though. We'll be writing more soon of other fun times in the states and of course, updating with more recent Justin pictures! :)

Life is good!

"Oh! I pray for you...."

2008-04-29T06:23:00.003+08:00

Last Sunday we were at Brian's home church in Valparaiso, Indiana. After the service we were enjoying seeing old friends and catching up on news. As we were leaving the building, a friend introduced us to a gentleman who used to live in the Philippines. We talked to him for about 5 minutes about his experience in the Philippines and where we're living and what we're doing there. As we were saying goodbye he told us his name and asked what ours were. When we told him our names, his face changed and with a smile he said, "Oh! I pray for you!"
Overwhelming feelings of thankfulness and amazement at our incredible God filled us as we continued our discussion. As we meet people that pray for us and reconnect with those who have influenced our lives, we're overwhelmed with God's grace and provision for our lives. Thank you for your prayers - they make such a difference!

Family Time

2008-04-29T06:04:00.003+08:00

We are back in the states for a couple months and having tons of fun catching up with family and friends. We'll be in Indiana and Texas most of the time, so let us know if you're in the area, and maybe we can get together. Before we came to Indiana to be with the Woolery side of the family, we had a layover in Denver, so Justin got to meet his Aunt Jessica for the first time.
We've been in Indiana for about a week, and Justin is loving spending time with his grandparents and other relatives and friends.
playing with Grandma Alice

hanging out with Grandpa Lee

with Aunt Kim

and Uncle Justin :)
Of course, he's also keeping in close contact with his other grandparents in Texas. :)

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T18:37:00.003+08:00

Justin faces the world!

2008-03-22T20:22:00.005+08:00

Justin is now big enough to turn around and face the world in his baby carrier, and he LOVES it! Of course, everyone else loves the interaction, too...
He also loves perusing the philosophy section of our favorite bookstore...

Growing Justin

2008-03-10T21:28:00.012+08:00

Yes, Justin is growing and growing and growing... thought we'd share some of his exciting moments over the last few weeks...Although he sometimes fights going to sleep because there are so many exciting things going on, Justin is a great sleeper... always sleeping at least 3-4 hours at night between feedings! And he's continuing to get more consistent. :)Justin is quite a popular little guy wherever he goes. This was him during his first APNTS chapel, listening to Grandpa Lee preach. Since Justin is the ONLY baby on campus right now, he's constantly surrounded and being spoiled by his many 'aunts and uncles.' We're so blessed to be part of this community at this time in our lives. one of Justin's many cute and funny faces.... if you want to see more of his faces, go to www.youtube.com and search for 'brianwoolery' to see video footage of our growing boy. Well, as you can see, Justin is growing quite rapidly... now weighing more than 14 pounds (6 kilos) at 6 1/2 weeks.... we're getting our exercise!Since we use public transportation to get around Manila, this is how Justin gets around... he loves accompanying his dad on walks and sleeping while we go shopping. one of Justin's favorite places to take naps and play with toys....

Justin loves to snuggle in his lion towel after bath time.
This was his first attempt at wearing shoes... really cute, but they kept slipping off. :) As you can see, he got a little attitude with his trendy fashion style (onesie and sandals... it's huge in Paris now)!
He started smiling a few weeks ago and just can't seem to stop! I think he's starting to figure out that when he smiles at everyone, he just gets more attention, which he LOVES. :)

quality father-son time....

looking SO handsome for church on Sunday. :)

Well, in case you haven't guessed, we're having SO much fun with Justin. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we learn how to be parents and balance work and family... I'm afraid Justin is quite the distraction from school and work! :)

Brian's Ordination

2008-03-10T14:27:00.005+08:00

On February 4, Brian was ordained as an elder in our denomination, the Church of the Nazarene. If you're not Nazarene, here's a very simple explanation of what that means... :) Even though we've been in active ministry for a few years now, our church has a process you must go through before you are officially ordained. A certain number of years of schooling and service are required before you are eligible for ordination. You must then be approved by your District Assembly. The ordination is a formal recognition from the church acknowledging your work to this point and your commitment to future ministry. Our church membership is still on the Micronesia District, but the ordination service was held here in Manila. It was a very special time because Brian's parents were here, and Justin made one of his first public appearances, being only 13 days old. :) The service was very meaningful with prayer for each of the people being ordained, along with their spouses.
It was made even more special for us when Dr. Middendorf, the presiding General Superintendent, asked Lee, Brian's Dad, to pray for us and to present Brian with his certificate of ordination.

It was also very nice to share this time with our fellow students from APNTS and our friends here in Manila. Our friend Laura from Micronesia was also ordained, so it was great to be with old friends, too. Oh, and now that Brian is ordained, you can call him REVEREND Woolery. :)

Dr. Jesse and Susan Middendorf, us, and Brian's parents

Micronesia group - David and Naomi Phillips (District Superintendent), Laura (youth/music/children's pastor in Guam), us, David and Helen Ann Bucher (pastors in Saipan)

Baby Justin is finally here!!!!

2008-01-28T19:19:00.000+08:00

We are quite happy to announce that Justin Dwayne Woolery was FINALLY born on January 22, 2008 at 8:51 pm. He weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces, and is 21 1/2 inches long... quite a big 'little' guy, as everyone keeps saying. :) Needless to say, we are immensely relieved and overjoyed that our guy is here, since he was almost 3 weeks late!
We had originally planned on giving birth at a birthing home with a midwife that is within walking distance of our campus. Our midwife, Deborah, has been so amazing throughout our entire pregnancy, and even though things didn't go as planned, we're so thankful for our new friend. Once little Justin was 1 1/2 weeks late, we decided to try many various ways to induce naturally... I won't go into all the details, but let's just say we had a very interesting week. When the contractions still were not getting serious, we decided to talk to a doctor about inducing. Philippine hospitals are very different from what we are used to (which is one reason we chose a midwife), but God blessed us with a great doctor who advocated for all our wishes and let Brian be with me during the delivery. So, we went to the hospital, and they induced on Tuesday at 12:30 pm. Contractions started coming regularly and the doctor was very pleased with the progress.... but after 8 hours of labor, of which the last 4 were particularly intense, and still not enough progress to make the doctor comfortable with continuing, we decided a cesarean section was necessary. So our little guy finally came!

We couldn't be more amazed at how much God watched out for us and blessed us during this process... we were very apprehensive about delivering at a hospital, but God gave us a doctor who allowed Brian to be at the delivery and allowed Justin to stay with us in-room during our entire hospital stay. We have also been thrilled to have Justin's grandparents here! Julie's parents were here a couple weeks before the delivery, and Brian's parents arrived just one day after the delivery.

Justin has been born into one of the most supportive communities we've ever seen. We're so privileged to be here right now with our missionary friends in Manila and all our fellow students at APNTS. Numerous people came to visit at the hospital, and now that we're home, it's so exciting to introduce Justin to his countless aunts and uncles from all over Asia.
So, now life begins with a newborn! And we're super excited about our new adventure. Please pray for us as Julie recovers from the delivery and as we learn how to be Godly parents for Justin.
Some people have asked about the name, since we kept it a secret for the last few months... Justin is the name of Brian's brother, and Dwayne is the name of Julie's Dad... so our Justin was named after two very special people in our lives, and we hope and pray he will grow up to be like the selfless, compassionate, Godly men he was named after.

We'll post some more pictures and stories of our new adventure of parenthood soon! Thanks sooo much for your prayers and support! :)