Yabuki Breeze Blog

This week has been fairly nice on many levels. I was able to spend a fair amount of time this the week with my friend Alex from Columbia. It has been such a blessing watching him grow as a person and in his knowledge of God these last few weeks as he prepares to return home to his wife and son this weekend. We went over many of the basics of the faith. I could see a zeal for the Lord and his word developing in him. It is very exciting. We hope to continue to meet via Skype after he leaves.

We also were part of a pilot program to preview a bunch of videos called “God Provides” produced by Crown Financial Ministries.  These are really first rate videos that explores what real faith looks like from many angles through key Bible stories. The ones called “Lifted Up” and “Abraham and Isaac” were tear-jerkers for me.

Another interesting thing happened this week. My son T-10 was part of the awards ceremony for his 4th grade class. It was really cool. He won a bunch of academic awards including getting the high score for the math Olympiads, being part of the 4th grade Battle of the Books team which got a silver metal and he was chosen as the student of the year for his home room. We were so excited. Anyway, it was kind of interesting. We had to go up for the final award because they honor the parents as well as the students for that particular award. Of course I forgot and wore the rattiest pair of shorts and polo shirt I had that morning (almost didn’t take a shower) because it was fairly early in the morning and we usually don’t have to do much at these events. Anyway, during the ceremony I was feeling some discomfort in my knee. Not too bad but it was getting progressively worse. By the time it was time for us to go up, I could barely put weight on it. It was scary. I managed to get up there with Lisa because I didn’t want to ruin this special day for my son. Anyway, after getting home, the situation got progressively worse. By the evening, I could barely walk. I borrowed a colleagues crutches. It made it hard to sit for a ministry meeting, etc. It was difficult. It was a struggle to even get from my office to the kitchen at home. I was thinking it seemed like swelling and inflammation and didn’t feel any structural damage so I decided to wait till the next day. Well the next day, while weak, I was able to walk and everything was slowly getting back to normal.

God really reminded me of something yesterday. It takes so little time for a situation to go from great to bad to great again. It takes very little for that to happen. This reminded me of how fragile we are and how much we depend on God to keep us doing the things that we do. Pray as I send Alex off on Sunday and as we welcome several students from the airport this week.

Tags: Columbia, God Provides, knee. Video

One of the cultural fixtures in Texas is football in the fall. Finally, the Yabukis were able to become a part of that cultural rite through flag football. T-9 decided he wanted to play flag football this year. He didn’t feel he was ready for the full blown tackle thing which they play in the local elementary school but we are extremely proud that he took this step. Playing on the YMCA Raiders (gotta love the name Uncle Allen), T-9 was able to play in the trenches on both the offensive and defensive line. While he is one of the smaller players on the team, he became quite adept at slipping his blocker and doing his patented spin move to get to the quarterback. I think he compiled between 5-10 “sacks” of the quarterback. In the second playoff game alone he had had four. On offense, we saw him taking on kids twice his size and winning… what a HEART! Watch out Demarcus Ware! Roy will be coaching basketball in the winter too… sports is coming!!!

Today was a special day for Jonathan, C-6 and myself. We were able to do something a little different and I think we all came away with a smile. Andrea, a member of our church small group, has been a part of the ministry of  Mission Arlington for many years, since she was 19. In fact, while she currently runs the mission’s clinic, she has also personally ministered at a particular apartment church the whole time. She has become a regular part of the community of that apartment. Now her and her family and another member of our small group, Leslie, continue to go to the apartment every week to touch the lives of the kids and their families.

Today, we got to be part of a community “carnival” at that apartment. We played sports with the kids. There was face painting, manicures and pedicures for the girls, arts and crafts for the smaller kids. There also was a baskeball hoop and all kinds of sports equipment. There was lots of food and wonderful fun.

My job was to go around taking pictures of everyone especially the families. Many of the families have very few pictures of them and so taking their picture is a very special thing. One little boy was having so much fun, he kept asking me to take his picture over and over again in funny poses. This will further the long term ministry of the apartment church as Andrea will be bringing these pictures for the families to take as a special gift. It made me very proud to see my kids getting into it and “making sacrifices” to do it. Jonathan was playing football with little Joshua (Understand Jonathan hates football… this was a image sacrifice in a big way) C-6 played with the kids though she cried a bit too because they didn’t want to play with her doing the stuff she wanted to do… Of course that is normal and you should have seen her before we went, we wanted so bad to go.

The people from the church were incredible. A couple of teenage girls were doing the manicures and pedicures… It kind of reminded me of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. Some of the teenage boys were playing all kinds of stuff with the kids. Seeing some of the guys painting bag “pumpkins” and some of the gals face painting and shaving ice. It was really really special. Anyway, it seemed that everyone came away with a big smile.

Tags: apartment, church, Fielder Road Baptist Church, Kids

One of the special things about being a father of two boys is that we get to do some fun “guy” stuff. My guys are not sports guys, but they both have a great interest in chivalry, games and other things like that. This last weekend the three of us shared something very special.

Back when J-13 (not 12 any more) turned 9, feeling that I wanted to integrate rites of passage in my kids development, we went to a Japanese garden in Fort Worth and I shared with him about his heritage, how he is descended from samurai/teachers though Yabuki blood and from John Muir, Alexander Hamilton, Daniel Boone & Davey Crockett through Lisa’s family and how… wait… I guess it wouldn’t be all the special if I told you everything… suffice it to say, I tried to emphasize our heritage of service and now in our family love and devotion to God and people around the world. I then outlined a process of passing on what I am to him… He began the process as a “page” at 9, being instructed in the ways of men. At 13, he would move on to being a “squire,” given more responsibility but also more freedom as he learns how to apply what he learned in the previous four years. Finally he moves on to full knighthood, the full attaining to manhood, when I feel like he is ready, probably around when he is 18.

This last weekend was special because both T-9 and J-13 went through the ceremony in going to next levels. We were not able to go to the Japanese garden because as we left, a huge storm came by. But that make things more memorable in a way as we sat under a picnic shelter as a huge thunderstorm came by and a river swelled beside us.  J-13 shared the “essential Yabuki things” with T-9 and I passed on the rites of passage to J-13.

The rest of the day, I really saw a noticable change in both boys. It was really fun and I was really proud of them. It was a special time. We then proceeded to celebrate J-13′s birthday with a trip to the aquarium. The kids took tons of pictures. Here is a link to a few of them.

Tags: Birthday, Boys, Heritage, Knights, Park, Rites of Passage, Samurai

The last couple of days I have been feeling a bit weary and tired. So many things have been happening, God has been working, and its been non-stop. As is typical after so much activity, even God powered activity, it is common to be tired and weary. It reminds me of the show down between Elijah and the priests of Baal and how he was a weary wreck after his major victory. Anyway, it has been a rough week and yet God was so faithful in allowing me some simple pleasures amidst trying to catch up with everything else.

Lisa and I have been concerned about our son, T-8. He still can’t ride a 2 wheeled bike. Being content with training wheels, he hadn’t wanted to even try. We removed his training wheels last fall and after a couple of days of running along side the bike, and him not really wanting to try, the season turned cold and he seemed equally cold to the prospect of riding a two wheeled bike. He told us on mulitple occasions since, “I hate riding my bike. You can’t make me go out there.” His sister, C-6 on the other hand loved going out whenever she possibly could on her small training wheeled bike.

This week the weather had been better and Lisa suggested that we go outside and try again. Again T-8 (who was editing one of two videos he recently made, Dog Wars (taken as he watched dogs interact at Tejas) and The Life of a Jeti Master ) was against it but C-6 said, she wanted to go out there. In fact she insisted on it. Afer a few minutes of riding, she asked me to take off her training wheels. Yikes! She was struggling but was determined. T-8 was having some trouble figuring out how to upload his video to Youtube, so he came out and seeing his sister on her bike, he decided he would show her some of the “tricks” that he learned. He started riding and within 10 minutes, he had figure out how to ride, all the way down the street (albeit with a few falls) As I was teaching C-6, he kept on trying and trying and by the time Lisa came home from an errand, he was riding back and forth in the street. C-6 was also starting to get it being able to take 6 pedal’s in one attempt. It was just so fun watching them donig this. Being able to actually be successful in sharing something fun like this with the kids.

Now, just about every afternoon after school they want to go out and every night when I get home C-6 reports how many pedals she could do consecutively (now at 48) It’s amazing how something that seemed so impossible a week ago, today is fast becoming just a normal part of our family life.

P.S. Here is one of T-8′s videos.

Tags: bikes, Fun, Kids, Rest

While Lisa and I were focused on the Thanksgiving Party for UTA international students with our church two others of our ministry teams hosted other “new” thanksgiving parties… Here’s what happened…

Jeff Anthony, our ISI City Mobilizer and “blessing man”, helped kick off the first thanksgiving dinner for Collin College (formerly Collin County Community College), a new ministry focus for us. Here is his report…

It was fantastic! God definitely answered our prayers and pulled everything together for His glory. We had over 100 people and I think more than 60 students. Countries represented were: Pakistan, Vietnam, China, India, Kenya, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Iran, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Bolivia, Taiwan, Fiji, and Belgium.

A lady from Iran who works in the int’l student office and brought her three daughters (soph at CC and two HS seniors) went on and on about how wonderful everything was and how  much she and the students appreciated it. She called me the blessing man (I’ve been called lots of things over the years, but this was a first!) and said I would be blessed because of all that we did to make the students feel loved. We had lots of students from Pakistan and they really had a good time. I re-connected with several students I had met at the BSM retreat in Oct. and two of them lead different int’l student organizations on campus.

McKinney Memorial Bible Church offered to host thankgiving dinner parties for international students at several different american volunteer homes as they provided the food. As key TCU ministry team and McKinney member Babs shares,

All went well with the American Thanksgiving Dinner Saturday night.  We had about 40 students and all went to an American home. They seemed to be in groups in which they knew people and felt comfortable.  The feedback which I have received from students and JP and Cassie has been very positive; everyone had a good time!  The families really enjoyed having the students, so all in all, I think it was a very positive experience for all!  Praise the Lord!  Thanks to all who were involved from planning, to recruiting students and sending them to the right place, to driving and eating with them, and getting them back home!  Thank you so much!

In addition soon-to-be TCU intern Cassie adds,

There were… students there from China mostly and Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, and some others.  We split up into groups.  JP (Cassie’s fiance) and I took 4 Chinese students to a house and we got to stay with them.  Everyone involved seem to have a great time.  Plus, the time waiting at the [TCU Frog] fountain was just good talking to a lot of students I had not met before.

Finally, Bennie & Patti, key TCU team members, had more than 30 people, mostly international students, over their house on Thanksgiving day as they do every year. It sounded like, as usual, students had a rich and warm time. Bennie was telling me that he went down to TCU to pick up some students and twice as many as were expected were there… They are incredible people…

Tags: Collin College, TCU, Thanksgiving

Tonight a most remarkable thing happened in our house… Let me preface what I write with the following. I am generally not politically expressive… I generally don’t make a big deal about elections, who I will vote for, etc. I do have strong views on politics, economics, policy, etc… In college, I immensely enjoyed following and studying the subject. The systems, cause and effect relationships, etc. (Lots of etc’s here) really fascinated me. I loved reading Machiavelli, Mill, Jefferson, etc. But there came a point in my life the God’s kingdom became more riveting than the world’s governments and while God works through governments and such and those who are involved in it, I have become disillusioned with government’s ability to cause much change in the world. It is the heart of people that is the problem… not systems… God is in control and only He can change the heart of man such that any real change can occur. Government can only check the effects of our fallen hearts… (if you want to debate man’s inherent condition or my view of politics… we can in the comments…) You have to pick your battles and I chose to change hearts not the result of hearts… Still, I vote on important occasions like today’s and follow politics, policy, etc., especially with and eye towards how it relates to God’s Kingdom, trying to figure out how He is moving in the world through it.

Anyway… enough of my philosophy… the remarkable thing happened when we were watching the election coverage… For some reason, my boys were really captured by this particular election. I don’t know why. T-8 had some real issues with Sen. Obama as only a eight year old could… He had heard some things that he did not agree with (I swear I had nothing to do with it) and so he felt it his duty to cheer on Sen. McCain. It was amazing watching him. It was almost like watching a baskeball game. Whenever McCain won a state he would cheer vigorously throughout the house. Whenevern Obama wont a state, he would remind me that there was still hope… He was so into it. When it was declared Sen. Obama was the next president… it was just too much for him. He burst into tears… the kind reserved for when he is most dissappointed… It was truly remarkable… He was unconsolable for the next 20 minutes… I’d never seen anything like it… I’m sure some of us felt the same way… others of us felt the opposite in the heights of emotions… but to see it played out raw in a 8 year old was incredible. It did us good to console him with a reminder of our trust in the system, the values we all agree in as Americans and in the God who is over all… Still… I hope he remembers this night… I hope he never forgets that his passions DO matter and what he cares about is important and yet God is over all.

Tags: Family, Kids, observations, sovereignty

We are grateful for everyone who lifts up this ministry before the Lord and contributes their resources so students can be impacted. Recently we have seen the power of prayer in some key areas. Our colleague Ron was able to lead Alex, a newly arrived student from South Korea, to Christ within weeks of his arrival. Their relationship started with an early morning airport pickup and coffee that led to their first spiritual conversation. Also, Lisa has been able to minister to Grace, an older student experiencing some adjustment difficulties. After a week of intense prayer for her, it seemed that some of her depression had lifted and we saw joy in her expression. Praise the Lord! You also might remember Ting, a student from Taiwan who came to Christ earlier this year. We have learned that he is now studying in Australia, and our friends the Phillips’ have been able to connect him to a church in that country.

Continue to pray as we juggle ever-increasing family responsibilities with daily ministry realities. Now that Roy is helping a lot with the TCU ministry, we sometimes feel our time is divided between 2 campuses. On October 31, we were able to combine the two groups and help with a fall festival at a church in Fort Worth. Regarding TCU, praise God for bringing Cassie on staff as an ISI intern there now that the Willis’ are leaving. She is also getting married in January, so has a lot of transitions to look forward to.

Please pray for Lisa as she ministers to Grace and also to Carol, a new believer and young mother from Taiwan, married to a UTA professor. Also keep Charlotte in your prayers. She and husband Canon have returned to Taiwan for an extended visit and for Charlotte to get some medical testing. Though she isn’t yet a believer, she is trusting God for answers to some perplexing problems. Pray that He reveals Himself mightily in her situation. We are also excited about a young student couple from Iran who have been coming to Bible study. Pray that God would soften their hearts to the gospel.

Lastly we covet your prayers for our family. We are adjusting to teaching J-12 (7th grade) at home this year through a virtual academy. Though we have had some struggles, it seems that things are starting to smooth out. Pray that we’ll have patience with him and that he’ll have a good attitude. He has also transitioned into the youth ministry at our church. T-8 (3rd grade) finished a season of kid-pitch baseball this fall that was challenging for him, but we’re proud of him for sticking with it and seeing his skills improve. He also got baptized in October. It was a special day because Roy got to baptize him. Pray for him as he learns to live out his faith, especially with difficult kids at school. C-5 is doing well in kindergarten and has made some new friends. It’s exciting to see her learning how to read and write. Sometimes she struggles with thinking we love her less than her brothers. Pray that she will know that we love all of our children equally, and especially that she will know she is loved by God.

Tags: family news, praises, Prayer Requests

Last weekend was a full and exciting weekend as Lisa’s mom and aunt came and visited us. They were on their way to a weekend vacation together in Branson, Missouri. It was a wonderful time seeing them as we had many deep and insightful discussions about education, family, etc. It was really nice having family here to talk with share with, be together. In addition, Roy had the privledge of baptizing T-8 at our church. That was really a wonderful and intimate honor to help my son as he publically declared his status as also my brother in Christ.

Tags: baptism, Family

This was a hard day today. I should have recognized that it would be… but I didn’t. One of the hard parts of ministry is that the day after the big sermon or the big meetings is often very hard. The more you feel you are moved by the Spirit at an event or speaking opportunity and have felt the exhilaration of being used as a vessel by God, the harder it is to return to the mundane of the daily grace filled life.

Today was such a day. We had a wonderful staff retreat on Monday and Tuesday. God was there in many ways and I could see Him speaking to each of us as we crafted plans for the coming years to touch EVERY international student in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area with the love of Christ. (See coming post) It was awesome. But then… today came. The day started late and I was tired. I had a hard time connecting with the kids again… A boy from next door dropped by just as I woke. He reminds me to Eddie Haskell from “Leave it to Beaver.” I didn’t feel like Ward… that is for sure. I checked the e-mails that piled up from the 2 days off and then tried to get some work done. I was really dragging. I had so many distractions from the kids, it hardly felt worth my time to try to do “anything of value.”  Don’t they understand that “God was using me” to reach the world.

In the evening, I decided to play a video game with T-8. This was a game his brother, J-12, out of the goodness of his heart bought for him today because he knew he would like it and T-8 was obviously enjoying it with his usual enthusiasm and joy. He wanted to share it with me so I decided to play with him for a while… It was a racing game and he was killing me every time we raced… for some reason, I was feeling very… irritated by his whoops and shouts of excitement over how well he was doing. So… I just quit. I started driving backwards, dying on purpose, etc. doing anything to not finish the game so he could not enjoy the fruits of his victory. Throughout this “tantrum” on my part, T-8 persisted in trying to encourage me… “You can do it dad” “Don’t give up.” Eventually, it became apparent to him that I quit on him in the worst possible way… I recall now the horror on his face…  One of the major “rules” in our family is that “Yabuki’s never give up” and he was having a hard time processing the fact that Dad was breaking that most sacred of rules… I really don’t know why I did it but I was just tired… and spent… The rest of the evening followed course as I was just feeling bad. I think I didn’t want to let him have such a great time when I felt so awful…

As I tried to sleep tonight, I was reminded of what just happened… I felt terrible… What a hypocrite! I couldn’t believe that I, of all people, could be so mean to my own son. Here we talked at our retreat about the importance of living the love of Christ at all times with our students because it was our greatest witness… How we were examples of grace and love with those around us. Then I did this. I am so glad that God is a god of grace and love and most likely he allowed this to happen to teach me… and my son. I hope T-8 also is able to show the same grace and love as I ask for his forgiveness tomorrow and post process what happened and hopefully there isn’t a huge scar in his heart and self-understanding. It is so hard sometimes to live like Christ even in our own family even in the power of the Spirit.

Tags: Home, Kids, Parent