Category Archives: Other Stuff

Weakness and the Power of God

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

THIS IS A PHOTO OF my son, and a beautiful woman . . . This is my son, Daniel. He lives in a group home in California.  He is unable to talk, unable to walk, unable to care for even … Continue reading →

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Leaving Again

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

We hope to fly stand-by from LA to Tokyo tomorrow,  November 20th.  We are grateful for the people who give us buddy-passes to make these trips possible. Our time with Daniel was very special, and it is always hard to … Continue reading →

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Are We Crowded Yet?

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

It is not unusual while traveling by train around Tokyo to have interruptions in the schedule, mostly credited to a euphemistic “human body accident.” Train lines are interconnected and during the morning rush hour when millions of people are commuting … Continue reading →

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It’s Not Cricket!

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

This week at Japanese calligraphy/brush writing class a classmate entered  the room beaming and announced that he had “big news.”  This is not typical behavior for this gentleman (actually for anyone) so clearly this was a big deal.  A couple … Continue reading →

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“Did you clean the fish’s teeth?”

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

Every week Thursday, Uiko comes back from work with Mark for supper/Bible study. She stays about 4 hours, so we discuss and dissect a whole variety of topics. A little bit of background on Uiko: Not only is she Deaf, … Continue reading →

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A Day in the Life

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

There is no “normal” day in my life. As I wake up I ask The Gardener to please select the flowers for the day’s arrangement and for the joy and strength to wholeheartedly give thanks and embrace it with joy. … Continue reading →

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Posted on August 26, 2011 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner


Nope, we haven’t fallen off the end of the world. Yep, we are still alive. And nope, you haven’t been removed from our prayer update list. It’s just really been a month since we wrote. In that time, we took … Continue reading →

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Plans

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

We’re off to the Sendai area, where we’re told there may not be internet access. After that, we’ll be leaving for a short trip to the U.S. August 8 – 23.  We’ll be in touch as we can. Thanks for … Continue reading →

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Tsunami Relief Photo

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

Here is one family that Mark was especially touched by.  They spent two entire days helping the family clean out their house and shovel out the mud and slime.  The daughter was a piano teacher, and she of course lost … Continue reading →

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House Hunting

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Mark and Mary Esther Penner

We’re on the hunt for a new apartment. We found a great place ( 764 square feet — 3 bedroom apartment) in the precise area we wanted to be. We filled out the “application to be approved for a contract … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Stuff, Prayer Updates | 2 Comments