SURPRISE!!!

That's right... a surprise has been planned for many months now, and it finally happened!  Brian's parents have been serving as the District Superintendent for Northwest Indiana for almost 17 years and are now retiring (for all the non-Nazarene folks who may read this - he's like a pastor to pastors, handles administrative things, training, traveling, speaking, stuff like that).  Last year, the district advisory board contacted Brian and his brother, Justin, to see if they could come to Indiana as a gift for their parents.  Of course they both agreed, and plane tickets were purchased.  I still can't believe that Lee and Alice never found out what was going on... in fact, I'm so impressed with how few people actually knew what was happening.  So Monday afternoon this week, Lee gave his final report as D.S., and then they started presenting him with various gifts.  The above video is the short version.. it includes fake congratulatory 'phone calls' from Brian and Justin (they were actually just backstage with a mic), and the big surprise.  The video below is the whole presentation... if you have a few minutes, I recommend watching it.  I love the reactions of everyone afterwards and how they just don't know what to do next because it was such a special moment, or as Dr. Warrick said, "a sacred moment". :)

We're so blessed that the NW Indiana district gave this opportunity to Brian.  Of course it's been kind of a difficult week since we weren't all able to go;  I'm used to Brian being gone for work, but it's a little different when he's with family for a week and we're not.  I will really miss not always going to Valparaiso when we visit the states... I will always think of it as Lee and Alice's home, and we have so many wonderful memories there... it's where I first met them, first spent holidays with the Woolery side of the family, first met our awesome friends at Valpo First Church, went shopping with Brian for engagement rings, Justin's only snow experience so far, the place we told the grandparents we were pregnant with Noah, the memories go on and on.  I will echo what Lee and Alice said at the assembly - Thank you NW Indiana for befriending me as Brian's girlfriend and wife, and thank you for the amazing support you have given us as missionaries for the last 9 years!  We can't thank you enough for your prayers, and we will continue to pray for you as you transition to a new D.S.  Thank God we have the internet to stay in touch and our Nazarene family around the world... you never know where or when we'll see you next, but we will see you! :)

3 years later...

 I can't believe it's been three years since the last NYI convention... and Justin's "Up All Night" t-shirt finally fits him!  So all day I've been remembering so many wonderful friends and the fun, crazy, and meaningful times we had staying "up all night"!

For everything there is a season...

a time to be born, and a time to die...a time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, a time to dance (taken from Ecclesiastes 3:1-4).  So, it's been a little while since we've posted a blog about what's happening in our lives these days... and sometimes I think I put off posting certain things because even though they've already happened, there's something about writing it down that makes it seem more real.  Anyways, if you've felt led to pray for us over the last couple months, know that we really needed it, and that God has been with us, leading us, and teaching us in so many ways.

On February 15, our dear friend, Belinda Allder, ended a 2 year battle with cancer and went home to be with our Savior.  We first met Belinda at the 2007 3rd wave conference in South Africa.  She was a missionary in Thailand, and over the last 5 years our friendship grew as we saw each other at various youth conferences and meetings in different locations all over Asia.  Belinda was an amazing person to be around - she put everyone at ease and loved to laugh, learn about different cultures, and share about the awesome things God was doing.  I'm so thankful for the time we had together and the incredible memories shared.  I learned so many things from her life, and it is such a privilege that we got to know her while working together with youth in Asia-pacific.  It's always hard to lose a friend, but I'm so thankful that our friends at WMC-AP made the following tribute to remember who Belinda was as a follower of Christ:

That same evening, we received a phone call from our church secretary and friend that her 6 year old son, Daniel, was involved in a household accident and being rushed to the hospital.  Brian met Vanessa at the hospital, and shortly after found that Daniel also met Jesus that night.  Vanessa is pregnant with twins, and her husband, Jeremy, was deployed at the time.  It's hard to find words to describe the emotions of those next few days... extreme shock at what happened and the precious, fragile nature of life... complete awe of Vanessa's strong faith in God and the many miracles we witnessed the next week before they returned to the states to be with family...and the soul-wrenching dependence on God's peace, strength, and control in the midst of confusing and troubling times. 

Daniel was an amazing boy, full of life and a genuine love for God and His creation.  He was a great friend of Justin's, and Justin still enjoys talking about the fun times they had and how he will see Daniel again in heaven some day.  Vanessa and Jeremy have returned to Okinawa and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their twin boys this summer.  Please keep them in your prayers.  Pray that our church family will continue to be their "family" during their time here in Okinawa. 

Unfortunately real life doesn't stop when we lose friends and need time to grieve and heal.  The last two months have had more than the usual share of tough times in relationships, work, and ministry, but our God is so great.  He continues to teach us, stretch us, and show His faithfulness in new ways every day.  This past season of Lent has truly been a time of clinging to Jesus and understanding his "peace that surpasses understanding"  in new ways.  So pray for us as we continue to wait, learn, and trust.  We're in awe of the ways God works in our lives and the amazing friendships he blesses us with, even if just for a short time. 

Here's a song from one of my new favorite artists that has been especially meaningful to me recently... it's based on Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.

When Woolery boys eat spaghetti...

Both our boys have always been big eaters, and as Noah was chowing down on some spaghetti at lunch today, it reminded me so much of Justin when he was a baby... so here are a few pics from today and a few years ago...

Justin at 1 year - January 2009

 

Noah at 1 year 9 months - March 2012

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Justin LOVES exchanging valentines with his friends at preschool, but Japan doesn't really have the easy, pre-printed, sign your name valentine cards (at least that I've seen), so we have to get a little creative.  Justin got a lot of wonderful new crayons for his birthday last month, so we decided to use his old crayons to make "crayon hearts" for his friends.... we had so much fun. :)  I found the idea on pinterest (of course), but we changed a few things so everyone could be involved... here are a few pics of our adventure. :)

crushing the crayons instead of having an 'adult cut them with a knife'

it's always more fun to destroy things together :)

our crushed crayons... aren't they beautiful?

then we put the crayons in heart molds (normally used for candy making)

ready to go in the oven!

the finished product

final packaging for friends :)

I hope Justin's friends enjoy them... our neighbor had a very hard time believing they were crayons and not chocolate, so I hope no one accidentally takes a bite... Happy Valentine's Day! :)

2011 Newsletter

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 about getting family pictures taken and sending out beautiful Christmas cards… obviously this hasn’t happened yet, so this year I’m sending greetings through a New Year’s newsletter… and I'm not even late because Japan celebrates the new year for almost an entire week.  It is also a Japanese tradition to send cards for the New Year, not Christmas, so you could also say I’m just adapting to the culture. J  Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!   I can’t believe 2011 is over.  As usual, I have a goal to be a better communicator this year (this is a goal every year), so here’s a brief 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 with Japan every day, and it’s so exciting to see how God is working in the lives of our church members and challenging us personally as we learn and grow.  Since a large portion of our church is U.S. military, we lose about 1/3 of the congregation every year.  We’re getting used to this, and it helps us cherish the time, however limited, we have with the families God brings to our church. We are also greatly blessed with international friends and missionaries who are here on a more permanent basis, so we’re very thankful for those relationships.  

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

Justin turned three in January 2011, and Noah celebrated his first birthday last June.  Both boys are full of energy and amaze us every day with their creativity and imagination.  Justin is quite obsessed with cars, trucks, and really any form of transportation.  He also loves to read books and spend time with friends.  Noah loves to follow Justin around and do whatever his older brother is doing.  :)  He has a quieter personality than Justin, 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 play together….. most of the time. A definite highlight of the year was getting to see their grandparents and other extended family on a short trip to the states last summer. We’re thankful for family who forgives us for keeping their grandchildren 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 the family.  :) This last year I was blessed to teach an adult English class at a local language school, and I was elected to the board at Okinawa Christian School International.  It’s very easy to stay busy with only church responsibilities and language study, but it’s a blessing to also be involved in organizations and relationships outside our church family.  It’s definitely been a challenging year as I continue to transition to life with two young children on top of other responsibilities, but God is so faithful in the strength and grace he provides daily. 

There are so many more stories I would love to share of how God is working in our lives and in the lives of our friends, but this is already longer than I expected.  As usual, I hope to be a better communicator through our blog this year, so please check for updates and keep me accountable!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  We couldn’t do any of this without the amazing network of prayer partners God had blessed us with.  Please continue to pray for us as we seek 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 home assignment 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 in 2012!

-Brian, Julie, Justin, and Noah

God answers prayers...

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!

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!

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!

 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

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

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

Godstops

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...

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...

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! :)