Entering the obento world...the obsession begins!

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

"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!