My random thoughts

hmmmm, yes, I have time to think here. Lately my thoughts have been all over the place, well, okay, they always are.

after conversations about capitalism and its woes as heard from another viewpoint than my own(always slightly changing!)-there really isn't or ever will be an ideal economic system on this earth when sin is around, in some way greed and personal gain becomes paramount in each, (thought--capitalism brings opportunity for success etc, but along with that comes a continual reaching for more and more and complacency then comes with comfort, people start losing sight of the really important things in life and seek pleasure with their excess)therefore what is my position as a Christian, like what "side" am I on--should we be on any??? they are all failing human systems, think Rome, our position is God's which is a different system altogether, where the first shall be last and the last shall be first, truly. Wherever I may be-we are called to be in, yet not of the world. We will not be able to change the world to a 'paradise', the Bible is clear that wars, and all other kinds of bad things will always be part of this world until Jesus returns am I right? i've been thinking and hearing and talking about that no matter where I am(Christians are),in whatever economic system they find themselves in, the lifestyle they live must be different enough from the culture/system that people stop and wonder, ask and are drawn, because God's way is always best. We have within us God's spirit if we believe in Him, we should be able to use the good things in our culture to an amazing extent to honor God and show His love. He created us, He knows what is ultimately best and we have an in---amazing thought, isn't it. This will obviously mean that it will be different ways depending where we are. I was meditating on the ways that Christians in different places can inspire and help each other, like Chinese Christians under persecution and their faith under fire, American Christians and their ability to give--I could go on, but the point is the difficulties/weaknesses in our inherent economic system/culture can even be used by God for his purpose, as can every bad thing. Jesus said to give to Ceasar what Ceasar is due, (to some of you more controversial-centurions/soldiers and how the Bible says for them to do their job to the best of their ability),it seems to me that whatever it is that God has made us good at, wherever He has placed us, be it within whatever failing/corrupt gov or without, He can use us for His glory-which is our purpose, right?(think Daniel, Esther).So my business is about knowing God, who is my Creator and knows me better than anyone else, so that I can be doing the best I can at whatever job I'm presently doing. Okay, blah, blah, I'm overly simplistic I'm fully aware of this!!!

Next random thought process, I've been discovering that farm labor is great for reflection and contemplation, thus my random thoughts! I could do this forever, because I love to contemplate. I feel like I am at a monastery sometimes, I don't leave here very often, which suits me fine. The conversations with great minds, the work, the nature, the feeling that I am part of something very good, I am refreshed within and inspiration is much closer.

Next thought, Lucas is so amazing, he is talking like you wouldn't believe. Normal, but very early for my kids! He is a charmer, we all love him very much, there is just not much else in life more heart melting than the smiles and laughs that come when you are dancing with your toddler, (to blues brothers no less),you should try it if you haven't.....

I am beginning to see more and more the amazing inspiration that comes from a combination of God's great creation and the hard work of being in community with his greatest creation-people. Gotta go...

Minna no toue-rice planting by hand with Menno people

Hey everyone, Kenji posted a short bit yesterday, but here I am, with a big sigh of relief to be back online, it was an oddly disconnected feeling to not be able to reach any of you with a simple tap of my fingers, although I did have more time for other things....we hope you are all marvelous and we apologize for any unanswered emails, we'll get to them one of these days I promise. life is moving along and we are all adjusting quite well I think. we are just going to fly into what is going on here at the moment and I'll catch up with other details later. Yesterday was a gorgeous day for the yearly rice planting, an event held for several years now. Many people, mostly CSA members and church members come to help plant one rice field by hand and to hang out on the farm, they'll come back later to weed the same field once and then to harvest, all by hand. the rest of the rice fields are planted by machine as is common these days. It was possibly the warmest day we've had here yet with beautiful blue skies. Just wonderful and great fun.Enjoy the pics. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera when Akiko was teaching a traditional rice planting day dance taught to her by a very old rice farmer from around here, it was traditional to this area and was danced by the rice planters at the end of a day of rice planting to celebrate. She had a tape of the music, it was really pretty cool with movements derived from the motions of planting rice by hand. We have had fun reading your comments so keep in touch all and don't despair, HOPEFULLY we won't have any more long periods of silence!

Orie and her kids koko and ritakun, she works at Menno Village

pulling the trays of rice seedlings from the soil in the greenhouse to take to the field

everyone lined up to carry the trays

kazu helping out

Ray and Akiko handing out trays

Akiko talking about rice to everyone while STV films(Sapporo TV)...it takes about six of the trays and a third maybe of the field to feed a typical Japanese person for a year, and she explained about brown rice vs. white rice

this is where you start from

pulling the rice seedlings out of the trays to carry into the field

getting started, barefeet, you can barely see the lines for planting, Ray hand pulled a very large tool that made holes in the field, you plant the rice in the high spaces between the holes, by the end, the lines were not exactly straight, many having been obliterated by barefoot children dancing in the mud!

mud, mud, mud!

mom and daughter

here's a seedling

wow, this is great!!

Kenji and boys, nice hat, DAD!

where do I put it Dad

you got it Kai, just stick it in the mud

yup, it was inevitable!

I don't exactly look like a pro

mommy gets to try, the mud feels nice, I will admit!

me too mommy! Lucas' face was so funny and his feet action was even funnier the first few steps then he broke into a big smile

I did it! More, more dad!

barefoot and fancy free

washing up

Ray, Akiko and Kabochan serving pork miso soup filled full of Menno veggies and miso made from our soybeans

picnic time, everyone brought onigiri(rice balls) and we had the soup and cookies and lots of little anpan(rolls with sweet red bean paste in the center) that someone made from Menno Village flour

visit to Sage's school playground 5/3/05

Our 1/2day off at Sage's school. He wanted us to come and play wherehe gets to play between his class priods.