Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

I have been attending Tokyo Union Church down in Shibuya.  Each week, when I walk out the front door, I see the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream across the street.  Today I gave in and crossed the street to get a scoop of ice cream.  I know, not good for a person like me. 

When I walked in, there was the usual greetings you receive from the employees.  What was surprising is the person who helped me, immediately pulled out the English version of the menu and began speaking to me in English!  there was a new flavour, American Dream that had chocolate, caramel and waffle cone in it.  Yup, I figured for my indulgence for the week, I'd take a scoop of that in a cup. 

I have to admit, it has been a long time since I've been to a Ben & Jerry's.  I don't have any special relationship with Ben & Jerry's, but I think because I'm in Japan, and Ben & Jerry's is from the US, it looks appealing. 
I found the decor quite interesting.  Love the holstein cow patterns on the stools. 

One thing I did get to read, was that Ben & Jerry's appear to be conscientious about being environmentally sound, according to the posters and video they have on the walls.  They are committed to Fair Trade.  There are other things they mentioned on the walls of the shop.  You can google them and find out more about all their involvement in organizations related to the environment.  I enjoyed sitting there eating my one scoop of ice cream.  :) 

Isn't this just an interesting way to show a video?  The video was showing the many ways in which they were involved in helping make "the world a better place." 

Matsukawa Place

Some of you are aware of my movements from place to place over the last months.  This summer while I was in North America, my possessions were moved from Shasta, to where I am living now, Matsukawa Place. 

Entrance to Matsukawa Place.

I live on the second floor of Matsukawa Place. 

My bedroom window.

The balcony outside my living room. 

I know it's been over a month since I've moved in and I am finally creating this post.  I found this move interesting because the previous moves I was moving from house to house, and there was quite a bit of room for a single person to have, in a 3 bedroom house.  Now, however, I have moved to a one bedroom apartment.  I was quite surprised at how much "stuff" I accumulated in a little over a year!  Hence, the reason it has taken a little longer to get myself situated. With less space, I have to be more creative on where I put things and figure out my patterns of living in this space. 

Front door

Entry way.

Toilet room.

Shower room. 

Bedroom. 

I need a night table or two, for my iPad, iPhone and my desk fan. Right now I'm using dining room chairs.

Living room and dining room.  Great couch for naps!

Kitchen, note the American size oven!

It is becoming my home and I am getting used to having things in certain places, but sometimes I still have to go sifting through the drawers and things to find something.  I've noticed that I don't have much to put on the walls.  I'll be getting some things yet.
I live right beside CAJ and sometimes when I'm sitting in my livingroom with the windows open, I can hear people talking as they are walking down the street.  I have to get used to the trains.  At the other places, I could hear the trains during the evening or early morning, but now that I live almost beside the tracks, I can hear them quite well. 
I always feel blessed that I have a place to live, a job to go to that I like, and good people to be with, both here in Japan and North America!
Feeling blessed! 

Baptism

This morning, I went to Tokyo Union Church (TUC) for worship. The sermon was about about Moses being called to lead God's people out of Egypt.  Moses was an ordinary man with no super wonderful resume that would make anyone believe he was an extraordinary leader, yet God chose him to lead his people.  Pastor Chris also talked about how Jesus told his disciples to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Jesus.  He said we may not have the super wonderful resume to be Jesus' disciples, but God still uses us.   

Entrance to Tokyo Union Church

I did not know it when I went to TUC, but they had four baptisms this morning, three adults and a baby.  It has been a long time since I attended a baptism and this is the first here in Japan.  It was a touching part of the service, because each of those adults who were baptized shared their testimony of how they came to that place where they accepted Jesus as their Saviour.  I am amazed at how in each of the stories these people shared, God used regular people to share the Good News with them, through actions and words. 

Baptismal font

Table with the water for the font, towels and candles for those who were baptized, and oil for the anointing.

Sometimes I can become overwhelmed at the tasks God has called me to do.  During our divisional devotions this past week, a thought occurred to me that, with the number of staff in that room, the number of people who pray for them specifically, as well as the number of people who pray for CAJ, is such a large number, and at that moment I realized that so many prayers are raised on our behalf.  I am blessed to be a part of CAJ at this time in its 65 year history.  I truly pray that I may be a person who shares the light of Christ.  

Last days in Canada

Within 24 hours I will be on a plane heading back to Narita, in Japan.  It will have been almost 7 weeks that I was in North America.  These 7 weeks were busy with a lot fun things packed into these weeks.  I was able to visit a large number of family and friends all across the North American continent.  I have been blessed. 
So, on my last week here, I spent one day at Point Roberts.  Point Roberts is actually at the end of a peninsula that is US land, but you can only go there through Canada, unless you go by boat.  It's not very large, but has some nice beach front property and some public beaches.  Joyce and I were able to spend the day visiting a couple of the parks in Point Roberts.  First stop was Monument Park, which is right along the Canada/USA border.  You can literally cross back and forth, although they do have cameras watching and you'll probably get picked up pretty quick if you cross. 

A little history.

Here's the actual monument with its location.

Full picture of the monument.

The park area.

There is a path that heads down to the beach.  That house on the right is in Canada.

There are a couple of switchbacks on the way down.

The beach!  Notice, it is a rocky beach.

Next stop was Lighthouse Marine Park.

Mountains in the distance is Vancouver Island.

Looking out into Georgia Strait

The next day, I went with another friend, Yolanda, to White Rock. White Rock is actually on the other side of the bay of where Point Roberts is, but it is on the Canadian side.  They have a pier that goes out into the bay.  Many people walk that pier and at the end some of the younger folk jump into the water from the pier.  Others try to catch crab.  There are some great restaurants there.  I enjoy eating at Charley Don't Surf.  They have good fish and chips! 

White Rock Pier

Sun is starting to set...

 Friday evening I went to a BC Lions vs. Hamilton Tiger Cats Canadian Football game!  It's been a very long time since I've been to BC Place.  It was pretty cool! They have a retractable roof now! 

BC won the game!

Saturday, I went with my brother and two if his grandchildren to the Abbotsford International Airshow.  It has also been quite a few years since I have been to the airshow in Abbotsford.  It has changed a lot, but it was fun to go.  I did find that many of the jets were no longer there.  Much of the program were the smaller war planes or aerobatic type planes.  The pictures do not do justice to the planes, but it was fun none-the-less.

Abbotsford Inernational Airport.

Can you see the smoke? This was a glider.

There it goes! CF 18 Hornet

 Canadian Snowbirds!

Gotta love those Snowbirds!

Sunday, I was privileged to be able to share about the ministry at Christian Academy in Japan at Gateway CRC.  I am blessed to have so many supporters!
Thank you to all the people who let me stay at their house, took me out for a meal, fed me a meal at their house, took me out for coffee, came with me to do fun things, but also thank you to those of you who prayed for safe travels and for the ministry at CAJ. 
Now on to the next school year! 

A British Columbia Langelaar Historical Tour

This is the part of my parent's British Columbia history.  
So since I went from place to place where my parents lived when they immigrated to Alberta, I thought I'd take some time this afternoon to tour from one house to another that my parents lived in while living here in Abbotsford, British Columbia.  It was an interesting time driving around, thinking of various events that happened.  The first house was on Bell Road.  It was a small farm and dad milked cows, not very many.  The house looks like it was renovated and the property doesn't quite look the same from years ago.  This was my first house.  

After a year or so, we moved to the 100 acre James Farm on Townshipline Road.  I have many good memories here.  I spent much of my time with the animals we had on this farm.  When we moved there, dad and mom first rented the farm and eventually ended up purchasing it.  The farm has been changed, with additional buildings, a new house built and our farm house no longer exists.

The red roofed barn looks like the original barn where we milked the cows.  It is not a dairy farm anymore.  Our house would have been further back towards those trees in the back.

This is the long driveway with poplars lining the road.  When we didn't have the big "Maple Leaf Farms Inc." sign.

This was "up the hill" where we cleared a lot of land there.  Sometimes I would go "up the hill" and spend the whole day there playing around and discovering all sorts of things. 

This was the land by Townshipline Road.  It wasn't nearly as manicured when we lived on the farm.

Mr. Baker is visible from Townshipline Road, entrance to the driveway. 

In August 1972, dad had sold the farm and we moved to an acreage on Gladwin Road.  At that point dad worked on a pig far and later worked at selling dairy farm supplies.  He also raised some heifers to sell.  It looks totally different now.  The acreage was bought and subdivided into smaller lots and houses built on these lots. 

The yard is not the same at all. 

This is a house where our garden and lawn used to be between our house and our neighbor's house.

Picture of the back of the house.  This area where I was standing used to be field when we lived here. 

 After living in the Gladwin Road house, my parents moved to Rainbow Ave.  I was in college by this time, so I wasn't there when mom and dad made the move.  I went to Dordt one semester in either my 2nd or 3rd year and when I came back, mom and dad had moved to this house. 

We didn't have the red door, that happened after we moved out.

Mom and dad came to a point where they were unable to manage the yard work and decided that they wanted to move to an apartment.  It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The place was called Mayfair Place.

They lived on the third floor, top floor.

Lots of balcony space.

This apartment was the last place mom and dad lived before they died.  I still remember one picture of mom and dad standing on this balcony waving as I left.  They both lived a full life with many good places.  God was central to their lives.  Certainly their life was not always easy, but I know they both looked forward to their heavenly home. 
This summer has been enjoyable being able to retrace the places where dad and mom lived when they moved to Canada.  It is interesting to "walk" in their steps as they moved from place to place.  God was faithful and walked with them every step of their way.