One month of vacation!

 Yes!!! I have one month off of work, (Kristen does too) and the reason is because of Halloween. Halloween has gotten a lot bigger over here in the past few years. I don't remember the stores having any Halloween things up when I was little.
 This year the first place I saw that had Halloween decorations up was Baskin Robbins, across the Food Court from McDonalds. They put the decorations up on September 1st! I thought 'Good grief! it's two months away!' And I started wondering if McDonalds was going to do anything related to Halloween this year. Up until now, they have never put up any decorations for it, or done any promotional things connected with it, but there were a couple of things I noticed that made me wonder if this might be the first year McDonalds started doing things for Halloween. One thing was that we had Curious George Happy Meal toys last month. And up until now, the Happy Meal boxes we've been using have been generic, but last month they had Curious George Happy Meal boxes, along with the toys. So, that made me wonder if they were going to use orange and black Happy Meal boxes, with ghosts and things on them. I REALLY hoped they wouldn't! Halloween gives me the creeps.
  Then on the last Saturday of  September, I was doing OPEN work, and getting things ready for peak time. When I went in back, I saw on the shelf where we keep our promotional items, two kinds of boxes for the next burger that would be coming out. When I saw them, I got a funny knot in my stomach. One box was black with orange, and the other was orange with black, and they had ghosts, bats and witches on them, and on the side of the boxes it says 'Taste of Halloween'. I knew right away what I would have to do.
 My break was at 10:00 that morning, and I called Dad, and said 'Daddy, I think I will have to take a month off work'. I told him about the new burgers, how I knew as a Christian I couldn't have anything to do with it, and how I knew I'd have to tell them I couldn't work through October'. He said 'Yes, Sweetie, I think that's the only thing you can do, without compromising'. I asked him to pray for me, and I went to buy my lunch. I didn't eat much; I wasn't very hungry at the time. I was nervous. I knew who I needed to talk to: the Manager who makes the schedule each week. Our store manager who everyone calls Tenchou was about to move to another area to work at that McDonalds, and a different one was coming to take her place. It would be good to tell her too, but if you are going to take a long time off or something changes with your schedule, you are supposed to tell Anabuki san. And he's a very good manager, and very nice and helpful, but I was nervous anyway.
 Anabuki san was at work that day. He came in at 10:00 just as I was going on break, so I didn't have time to talk to him then. I wasn't sure just when I would get a chance to talk to him. So I asked my family to pray for me, and I went back in to work. I got off at 2:00 that day, and 'it just so happened...' that Anabuki san's break was at 2:00. I knew it was perfect timing, and that I had to do it. I was trying to think of how to begin. Rachel has had heaps of opportunities to tell the teachers at school why she can't do Halloween things with the kids, and tell them all about how it's done in America and things like that. The Wednesday before, a lady at work had asked me if our family does Halloween, and I told her emphatically that we do not. She was surprised, and I was going to tell her why, but we were both in the store, and customers were coming, and there wasn't a chance just then. I still haven't gotten to, but I really hope to once I go back. Anyway, that Wednesday or Thursday night I was rubbing Rachel's shoulders and asked her to go through the reasons with me, to make sure that I hadn't forgotten anything I needed to tell them.
 So then, Saturday came, and I was going to tell them. Just Anabuki san and I were in the office at the time, and he was eating his onigiri. So, I prayed again, and began. I told him that lots of people even in America, don't know, or haven't paid attention to the history of Halloween, but that it originated as a religion, and that those people worshipped evil spirits, (and some still do). Tenchou came in part way too, so I backed up a little and continued. I told them that the orange signifies 'fire' and the black, 'death'. And the people that started it even did human sacrifices. Halloween is a very dark, and fearful religion, and if you look at the decorations, especially in America, they are really devilish looking, dark, and scary. I told them that around Halloween there are many crimes especially towards children, and that after the children go 'trick-or-treating', they are supposed to take their candy down to the police station to be scanned for poison, needles, or whatever else may have been put inside. I explained that Halloween is for devil worship, and that I am a Christian, and as a Christian, I can have nothing to do with devil worship. I told them that I serve the one true God, and that I would not be able to have any connection with Halloween, and that Kristen and I would be taking off October. Tenchou said 'Oh, because of the promotional things'? And I told her it was. They were both like 'Hmm' and thinking, and I got out two of the Halloween tracts Dad has written up, and gave them each one. They both started reading them. Tenchou had to go out soon though, for some kid's orientation, but Anabuki san read the whole thing while he was eating his onigiri.
  I was very happy. Before I started, my heart was beating fast, and I was nervous, but once I started, I felt calm, and at peace, and I knew the Lord was helping me. They were both very kind and understanding. I had it so easy compared to lots of people who have taken stands for Christ.
  My schedule was already in for the following week, and Monday, when I went to work and read the 'information' I saw that the promotion items wouldn't start until the 8th! Praise the Lord! If they had started during the week that we were still there, we would have had to try to find someone who would switch with us, which can be difficult. And our McDonalds doesn't put up decorations and things for the new promotion items until like just the day before, so that was good too. One of the promotion burgers buns are black! Isn't that awful! They are supposed to taste like squid ink. And there is a Pumpkin/Oreo McFlurry, which would probably be very yummy, but of course, it's orange and black. And Rachel was in the Mall the other day, and looked over at McDonalds and she could see Halloween decorations and things up. It's sad, but I'm really happy for the opportunities that came because of it.
  On Monday, I got to tell Nagatani san (another Manager) why we would be taking the month off. She had heard a little bit from Tenchou, but I got to tell her the whole thing, and add some extra. And this time I wasn't nervous at all. :) I was very thankful for these opportunities. I think it's the first time I've been able to witness so clearly. I've been able to here and there along the way, but I think those opportunities were the most direct.
  Rachel's been a big encouragement to me, to be a better witness and light at McDonalds. She has been a very good testimony at school, and has been encouraging me, and praying for me to take any opportunity the Lord gives me to be a witness for Him. It isn't always easy, but it gets easier along the way. She's a very good example in lots of ways, and that's just one of them.
   I've already had one week off of work, and it has been SO nice! I'm not sad one bit! It was also perfect timing, because the Wilhites just had their baby, and we've had the 5 little ones all week, so I have been glad that I could be here the whole time and help. I've been able to bake more than normal, and that has been fun. :) I've had fun making things we don't get very often, like English Muffins, Zucchini bread, Banana Bread, make grape jelly, pies, and things like that. Plus getting more sewing and school done too. I'm hoping to get some Christmas presents out of the way, while I don't have work too. The weather has been SO PRETTY here! And I'm really enjoying my month of vacation!!!