Then Sings my Soul

This weekend has been a time of refreshment and relaxation and encouragement.

Much needed, whether I realized it or not.

I was able to spend time with friends, laughing, and cooking, and catching up on tv shows. I was able to be around children and teenagers, American and Japanese. I saw where Janet lives and went to a Japanese wholesaler with Anne Marie. And I learned how to make onigiri with the Mikoskis and then be excited and disappointed about the series finale of Lost with Michelle and Nate after the boys had gone to bed.

And Sunday I was blessed to be able to attend the Nakumura girls' baptisms.

It was beautiful. Instead of going to Chuo this week, Richard had one of his friends pick me up and we drove out to the mountains--out to the Okutama Bible Chalet, where we'll be going in July for the SEND summer conference. It was a cold and cloudy day, but it was beautiful nonetheless. When you're surrounded by trees and mountains and the river like that, I don't think it could be anything but.

There were many people there from the Nakumura's house church network as well as some Baptist missionaries and people from the community. How great to get to worship with an even broader group of people than I am already! I love baptisms to begin with. They are so encouraging and so hopeful and so Spirit-filled, of course. They are moving. Hannah and Kayla stood up and gave their testimonies, told their favorite verse, and chose their favorite song for us to sing. And then Richard baptized them. And there were two baby dedications also! Nathan Nakumura and the daughter of one of the house church families.

After the service, we had a great time of fellowship over a barbecue--Japanese style, of course! The men grilled veggies and pork and beef and there were noodles and rice and it was all terribly delicious. And I got a chance to talk to the kids as well and the adults both. One of the ladies brought two couples from her apartment building--both nonbelievers, non English-speakers--and I was able to talk to them in bits and pieces. It's exciting to realize that I am picking up on some of the language--at least enough to communicate!

The whole day was an awesome blessing. Who am I? Why did God choose me to be so lucky as to be a part of this family's celebration? This family that I'd never even known about until a month and a half ago. It just goes to show how many amazing people there are all around the world for us yet to meet!

This morning, too, has been wonderful. I took the train into Higashiyamatoshi and met one of ladies from my church, Noriko. She took me out for keki to kohi--cake and coffee--and we practiced my Japanese together. Noriko is an amazing woman of faith. She depends whole-heartedly on the Lord for everything and sees His blessings in every thing. For me to be able to spend time with her is a gift.

I stepped out on a limb, too! I ordered the bean paste! I've had it a few other times, but this time I actually enjoyed it! The paste resembles baked beans, only it's a richer color and a much smoother texture. And the taste is sweet. It was served over a green tea cake that was sublime. The bean paste is very very popular here. It's used as an ingredient in many desserts, including cookies, ice cream bars, and little pastries. Daunting, but definitely worth a try!

Prayer requests for now are still mainly for relationship-building and help in remembering my students' names! On Friday, I'll go out with my Saginuma class and they're the ones I know the least amount of names for! That's also the class that has the most students that are anti-Christianity. The majority of my students, though nonbelievers, will sit quietly and respectfully during chapel time, but at Saginuma, several choose to blatantly work on other things. Their prerogative, of course, but it can be disheartening at times. So building relationships with this class is particularly important to me. Also, as you pray, please say a quick prayer for Jamie and Leslee back in Indy. This week is moving week for them and there is a lot to be done and a lot they are doing for me. Please pray for smooth sailing and patient hearts.

Thanks! :)

Weekend, Part 2

And we've made it to Passion.

I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have had this opportunity to attend a conference like this here in Tokyo. What's more, I was able to go for free--another amazing blessing through my HiBA friends.

The Passion World Tour is certainly that--a world tour. Yes, it travels to different cities in different countries, but it travels to the same Church, the same Body. And that was one of the emphases that night. No matter where we are on this planet, we are one Body--the Body of Christ. One. There is only one Church.

We started off the night watching a video of London's conference. Thousands and thousands of students, leaders, and young adults stood with arms outstretched SHOUTING prayers for Tokyo and all of us there. All of us at the conference and all of us who walk the streets. The 2% of us who are part of the Body and the 98% that are not. Friends, the people on that video were screaming. It was phenomenal to watch. That they cared that much about us, halfway around the world.

And at the end of the night, we in Tokyo, were given the same opportunity to pray. And in the same way we prayed, we shouted, we cried out for Manila, the next stop on the Passion World Tour. We were given bracelets to wear that said "Manila," inviting us to pray throughout the week as well. The prayers of the ones who came before enabled us to pray for the ones that came after, in still another part of the planet. We were also given the chance to physically serve those in Manila by giving an offering. We were able to serve Manila spiritually through prayer and physically through giving. And the giving was awesome. Because we weren't allowed to take an offering in the Tokyo International Forum. Instead, we had to go out into the aisles and pick up an envelope, fill it, and give it back once we left the building. It was more than passing baskets around an auditorium, it was a deliberate, conscious act.

The understanding of what the Church is was so strong in my mind that night. And as I flip through the New Testament and read the letters to the many different churches, the emotion hits me there, too. Paul got it--when he talks about remembering each city in his prayers and praying with joy. When you realize that these people are your brothers and sisters, it's difficult not to weep with joy at the miraculous hand of God that brings so many different people, different cultures, different world views together under His grace. Yes, He has the whole world in His hands!!

The rest of the evening was equally as powerful. Chris Tomlin led worship and we sang in English and Japanese, praising our Heavenly Father. And Louie Giglio stood up to speak, reminding us that our Father, our Abba, is standing over us always, offering us his arms, saying, "I know what you love; I know what you fear; I know your name and your address and your cellphone number. And you know what? I know his, too. And hers. And hers. And his. I know." The presence of the Lord is mighty. His love is engulfing. These are the types of moments that I never want to lose.

One of the worship songs struck close to my heart: Chris Tomlin's "Awakening."

I'll post the words. Read them and feel them and look them up on YouTube or iTunes if you want to hear the song. These words are powerful. Catch the line about the rising sun. Japan, Nihong, the Land of the Rising Sun. What an overwhelming sense of God's grace that line brings.

Also, visit 268blog.com to see photos of the night, read what Louie Giglio had to say about the night, read our comments, and see the other cities as well.

In our hearts, Lord, in this nation
Awakening
Holy Spirit, we desire
Awakening

For You and You alone
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
For the world You love
Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

In Your presence, in Your power
Awakening
For this moment, for this hour
Awakening

For You and You alone
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
For the world You love
Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

For You and You alone
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
For the world You love
Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I hear Your voice and this is my
Awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I hear Your voice and this is my
Awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
From the darkness comes a light
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing

Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
Only You can raise a life
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing

Weekend, Part 1

This weekend has been one of those weekends that you look at and wonder if its really your life?

I looked forward to Saturday all week. The morning began with the SEND Annual Business meeting. Because I live just upstairs, I was able to meander down a bit early and help with a few last-minute items. I ended up slicing pickles, which left my hands sufficiently yellow for the rest of the day! But I also got to talk to the Suzuki's, retired missionaries living in Hawaii. Their son, Paul, runs HiBA, so I get to work with him a bit. But seeing their joy and their servant's hearts was a blessing so early in the morning. If everyone was able to begin their day encountering such joy, the world would be a better place.

I sat in the meeting for about an hour. It was great to see the entire SEND Japan conference together in one place and to get a chance to worship together--in English and Japanese! It was also good for me to see a little of how SEND is organized and run. This missionary business is a whole new world to me and it's fascinating!

A little before eleven, the fiasco started.
I ducked out of the meeting (which went until 3, I believe) and headed for the train station, only to find that when I had looked up train times, I found the weekday times, not the weekend times. So I missed my train from Higashi-Tokorozawa. And then when I got on the train, I inadvertantly got off at the wrong stop because the train systems run just a smidge differently on the weekends. I was a bit anxious, but at the same time, excited because I knew that I'm capable of figuring out how to get where I need to go. And I did! I was able to ask one of the ticket gaurds (in an odd English-Japanese blend) for direction to the train line I needed and then got to Shibuya and Hachiko from there! I was really excited when I exited the station and saw the bronze Hachiko statue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiko).

Unfortunately, I was about 20 minutes late and that area is one of the busiest in Tokyo. You might recognize it if you saw pictures because it's the most filmed area in the city. To make matters worse, I have a pay-as-you-go phone and I had run out of minutes. So I'm standing in the middle of thousands of people, can't find my friends, and have no idea where to go from here. Only idea is to head to the Kōban--the Police Box. My best friend has been the word "Eigo"--English? I have to laugh because more often than not, every person makes the same face--tilting their head to the side, squinting their eyes, and sort of sucking in breath through their teeth like they're about to say "Oooh, no...." which is what this man did. So I resort to hand motions, holding up my phone, saying "Yen, Yen" and "Family Mart?" Luckily, a gentleman in line behind me knew a little bit of English and when he understood what I was looking for, he asked the policeman for me, and I was sent on my way.

Found the Family Mart. Check. Now to add time time. But I've never done it before. I know that you use a machine that resembles an ATM and you print something out, but for the life of me I don't know what to do from there. I worked my way through the all-Japanese system by following pictures, printed out what I needed and went up to the guy at the counter, who gave me the same face that I got from the policeman when I asked "Eigo?" But he ended up understanding more than he let on and showed me what to do.

So I'm in the right place. Wrong time, but right place. I have a working phone. Now to find my people. At this point, it's about 12:45--keep in mind, I was supposed to meet them at 12. I've been en route since before 11. I call Hege who transfers me to Ryan who tells me to take a bus. You can safely say that Saturday, I was innundated with new experiences. Luckily, the buses were incredibly easy to find and easy to use and they accept Passmo! I would be up the creek without a paddle if I didn't have my Passmo--it gets me through all of my transportation needs without a hitch. Unfortunately, there was a slight miscommunication for where to get off the bus and when I get off, I'm still about 30 minutes away from where my friends are. But they are very gracious and came to meet me where I was! Haha.

Phew. Crazy morning, but I wouldn't have traded it! Because I found my way on the train by myself, I got directions by myself, I reloaded my phone by myself, and I rode the bus by myself! Granted, I know God placed some amazing help in there along the way; but I didn't have a guide holding my hand. No one from SEND who's lived here, no one from HiBA who's lived here their whole lives. But it shows the comfortability level is rising. And I'm so excited about that!!

For the next several hours, I walked around with Katya, Hope, and Ryan. We had a blast! Ryan wanted to take some photos so Katya, who is an excellent guide!, walked us all over Tokyo for four hours. We stopped for lunch at an Italian restaurant, went to some beautiful parks, found a statue that looks like Chicago's Bean, went past the Imperial Palace. It was so fun to spend such a huge chunk of time with them and get to talk more.

Then, came Passion. And that deserves it's own post.

This week marked my official one month "anniversary" of coming to Japan.
Wow! One month!
Can you believe it's been that long already? Though I'm continually becoming more and more comfortable and familiar with the landscape of life in Japan, I still feel as though my ministry is merely beginning. Being here, I understand why missionary organazitions classify any trip up to two years as "short term." While the foundations to relationships are being built, it's almost frustrating to look ahead and see that I won't have time to solidify them and really go deeper.

Every week I see more of these doors opening. More opportunities to spend with students outside of class. When I check my e-mail, I see an increasing number of messages from those I'm connecting with here. I'm so thankful for this! I know I mentioned it before, but it merits another mention: Friends, your prayers are effective. Thank you. I still feel blessed to be here. I still wake up in the morning, thankful to be waking up to the barks of the neighbors' dog and the sun that's rising 13 hours earlier here than it does at home. I'm overjoyed at the friendships the Lord is forming with SEND and WYAM missionaries. And it's exciting to be able to watch my own ministry grow as I begin to plant roots in the churches and HiBA. Not just through relationships, but through events as well. The more I am connected, the more I am able to physically be involved. Which also means my weeks become much busier!

One thing that I've been thankful for since I've been here: Podcasts. I've become addicted to the podcasts from Grace, CWC, and WSEFC. In my prayers I thank God that I live in this technological age where I have access to sermons and churches that encourage, teach, fill, and challenge me, even when I am not physically present. One passage that has been popping up frequently is Colossians 3:12-17. Sermons, my own devotions, the devotional books that I use... the same passage seems to appear frequently. Uncoincidentally I'm sure, this same passage had a profound impact on me almost one year ago to date. Straightforward and simple, it offers an amazing view not only of how we must live individually, but corporately as well. It speaks to our heritage, our identity, and the shape of our hearts--which, I believe, is unspeakably important. Our hearts are where the Holy Spirit dwells. It's where He works, convicts, encourages, moves. Yes, our bodies are temples, but our hearts are the Holy of Holies. They are sacred spaces.

Friends, the Lord has been hard at work in my heart these last four and a half weeks. He's clearing out and rearranging and refining and perfecting. He's using the podcasts, the missionaries, my alone-ness, my students, my pastor, the fact that I don't know the language (oh, how that creates such new ways to experience God!), PRAYER, my lessons, the train, time. Anything you can think of, He is using. I don't believe that ever in my life have I been so open and receptive to how God is moving.

Thank you for supporting me in this awesome chance to serve and be served.
Right now, please continue to pray for these relationships to be rooted in Christ. Pray also for my own time management, particularly as it relates to time spent focused on what's at home. I recently came across the Jim Eliott quote, "Whereve you are--be all there." These words are sticking to me. God has brought me to Tokyo to be here, not to be worrying about what's going on in Indianapolis or Pennsylvania. But with things like Facebook, it's very easy to be sucked back into what's happening where I am not. I'm working hard on this, but prayer would definitely help!

May the Lord bless you today.
Colossians 3:12-17

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one anaother with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Bad Night

Tonight I was aggravated, frustrated, weighted down. I had a headache. I was whiny. And, to be honest, I still am.

Oddly enough, the thing that made me start to perk up was going downstairs to the meager movie collection on the third floor. These are some of the things I found:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (BBC version. The good one. Thank you, Mom and Dad.)
Beauty and the Beast (what I've wanted to watch since I've been here.)
Psalty
The Donut Man
Peter Pan (All three comfort movies.)

I was whining because after all the frustrations of the evening, I just wanted my white blanket with the silky stuff around the edges. But I got something equally as comforting from a different venue.

.. Interesting..

Friends, I know you are praying for me because your prayers are being answered!

The first few weeks, my biggest prayer requests were for loneliness while I'm here and that I build relationships.

I realized today that loneliness has not been an issue since I've been here. This week, the last few days, I've missed my friend especially very, very much. I would see something or do something and it would bring someone to mind. I went to the mall and wished Jamie and Leslee could be there. I listened to Benny Prasad and thought that Jess would love him and Kristin would love his story. I saw the cutest aprons and thought of Krista. I went to the park and wanted to sit there with a cup of coffee, talking to Lauren and Andrew. I ran my route and started dancing to my music and wished that I would be running with Christie. Katie, Jim, Lori, Heather, Sarah, all of them, all of you have crossed my mind so many times the last few days, and I've missed you. But missing is not the same as loneliness, because I can not imagine being anywhere else than right here, right now. Surrounded by the Body of Christ, immersed in Him, with His promises and His support and His protection all around me, so visible--well, there's just no room for loneliness.

And yesterday, I saw just how the door is opening for these relationships to be built. A new student in my Wednesday morning class took me out to lunch and we ended up sitting and talking for hours. Wednesday evening, I met with Atsuko, a student from Saginuma who teaches Japanese, and let her teach me. It was an amazing opportunity to sit with her one-on-one and begin to see who she is and how she relates to people. And then after class, she and a few others asked if they could throw me a welcome party and take me out for sushi. Next next Friday night, we'll all go out to one of their favorite pubs and celebrate not only the chance to learn together, but another one of the student's birthdays. Tonight, too, I've seen just how blessed I've been in this area. Thursday nights are my HiBA nights and as I sat down on those couches tonight, I felt like I was among friends. I'm meeting a few of them downtown on Saturday and spending the day there.

Friends, God answers your prayers.
Thank you.

I got out of the train tonight at Higashi-Tokorozawa and thought to myself, Aah, I'm home. When I caught myself saying home, I had to smile and look around, for this is, this feels like home. I thought how great it will be to come back here, maybe next year or the year after, and visit. How exciting that will be! And I kept smiling. As I walked up the stairs to exit the station, I prayed, God, I'm so happy. And He caught me. It's not happiness, it's joy. I'm overflowing with joy. There's just too much.

The Lord is good.

Today, I thought I'd leave you with my typical grocery list, because it's different here than it was at home. This was spurred on by today's trip to Costco. Oh, the selection! It's almost sinful, haha :)

1 package frozen soybeans.
4 apples
1 head of broccoli
1 8-pack (or 6-pack, depending on price) of bread
1 half-gallon of milk (different from our milk, less pasteurized)
2 packages banana chips/dried bananas (from the 100 yen store)
1 package raisins
1 package peanuts
1 tub margarine
8 eggs

I have only purchased meat once so far. There's a meat store next to Yaoko, our market. And that was chicken breast. They like fatty meats here, so luckily for me, the chicken breast was the cheapest selection! Generally, I don't cook with meat. When you combine it with the rice, it just makes the meal feel so heavy. Rice they sell in huge bags, so I've bought that only once as well. Coffee I haven't yet purchased and I'm not looking forward to that because it's very expensive. I still have two jars of peanut butter, which I usually eat with the apples. I bought four onions, cut them up, and froze most of them. I think they will last me for awhile! I also did buy some cheap cereal I found in the convenience store--less sugary version of frosted flakes. I keep that to snack on every once in awhile. And there you have it. Grocery shopping a la Laura, a la Tokyo.

On the second day of teaching...

Today, Michelle, Connor, and I went to the largest mall in Japan.
It was awesome.
And we barely scratched the surface.

Tonight, I had a man laugh at me. He asked why I came to Japan and I told him.
"You mean, you actually heard the gods, God. You prayed and God answered?"
"Yes. I wanted to serve, so I prayed and I asked God. And He told me to go to Japan to teach English."
And he laughed.
So I kept explaining.
Because it felt really, really good.

Recap

Today has been a day of reading. Last week, Janet Kunnecke gave me a few more resources on Japan to read through and last night I found a SEND Short Term Manual in my box. Seventy pages of policy, culutral, and all around informative goodness. So, after making myself some french toast and a cup of Starbucks Breakfast Blend, I went out to the park and read.
And read.
And read.
But it was all good stuff. So until the bugs became too much (there are so many bugs here!!), I enjoyed one of my favorite places in Tokorazawa.

I went for a run this afternoon. I've found a nice course that provides some good scenery and a few mild hills that I enjoy. After I got home, I cranked up some of my favorite music--I've been burning cds like a madman these last few days. I bought a big pack of blank cds so I could finish a gift. Being left with so many is a dangerous thing for me, because I adore making mix cds. My apartment's cd collection has more than tripled in the past few days. I'm glad the Mikoskis are the only others on the fourth floor, because the walls are fairly thin, and even if I didn't "crank up" the music, I'm sure it could still be heard outside. Thankfully, their boys are louder than my music anyways :) I spent some time looking up fun places in Taipei for my trip with AnneMarie in July. The more I look into it, the more I excited I get! There are so many fun things to do in Taiwan at very minimal cost. It will be a nice chance to regroup and re-energize. I will have to remember to thank the government for forcing me into it :)

Now the evening is setting in and I figured that the best way to wrap up a day that starting off with reading is to write. So, here is a recap of the last week:

Thursday

Thursday was my first session with Yoshie-san. She is my language and culture tutor. Yoshie-san brought me a textbook. It's so much better to have something in hand to learn with. With English translations and exercises. She chose a good book, too--one that focuses on conversational language instead of what is grammatically correct. In essense, what I'll actually be using while I'm here. Yoshie-san is a very good teacher, very patient. She kept telling me that my pronunciation is good, but I think she may have just been being polite. The words feel very uncomfortable coming out of my mouth--so many vowels! So many vowels. It helps me understand why English is so difficult for them to learn. Our languages could not be more opposite!

Thursday also brought my first session at HiBA. It's very similar to our Young Life, except it's not segregated by schools. It's right off of the Shibuya trainstation, one of Tokyo's largest, and smack dab in the center of downtown. Its a joint ministry with WYAM, so lots of people my age, all English speakers. And, particularly in that setting, high schoolers are just cool. Especially because they instantly think you are, too. :) They had a guest this week, Benny Prasad. His testimony was incredibly moving. I've met only one person like him before, and both left me amazed by what God can do when you truly give your entire life over to Him. http://www.bennyprasad.com/ If you'd like to know more about him and his music.

I had some company riding the trains back to Higashi-Tokorozawa. One SEND missionary on home service had brought back two pastors from possible supporting churches to show them why Japan is in such need of missionaries. They were so fun and definitely made the hour-long trip go much more quickly.

Friday

Friday was my first official day working with Janet downstairs. Sending faxes, filing, paperwork. It made me miss working in ILL! And Janet is such a pleasure to work with, as are all of the people I've encountered in the office thus far. But she's just so nice. This coming Friday, she's leading a workshop for new missionaries on culture shock that I'll be attending. The first book she gave me was on culture shock and, although helpful, almost made me paranoid! Now I'm almost obsessing, looking out for any sign of culture shock. Almost comical, really, when I take a step back.

Friday night, I went to the Smoker's prayer group which include the Mikoskis and another couple. It was a nice evening of fellowship and I found another Lost fanatic in Michelle! So I have someone to watch the finale with and cry over what happened in this last week's episode with. We had a good dinner and then when the adults were about to pray, I took Conner and Troy upstairs and we played MarioKart Wii. I can't explain how much I love these kids. I don't even really know them, but they are so refreshing! They are such a joy to be around. Nate and Michelle came back and we sat and chatted for awhile. We decided to go to a big shopping mall tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, called Lakewood. Always thankful for them.

Saturday

Saturday was a blast. I went with the Smoker's to their son, Zach's, soccer game with CAJ (Christian Academy of Japan, where most of the MKs attend). We drove about an hour up to the Yakota Airforce Base. Ah, America. Well.. sort of. Of course, it was millitary. But everything was in English, prices listed in dollars, and the food court where we had dinner consisted of Taco Bell, Subway, Baskin Robins, A&W, and Popeye's. The games were fantastic. I miss watching soccer games and the CAJ guys are good. People take soccer so seriously over here. The more I'm outside of America the more I can understand the image that others have of us. No other country cares about the things we care about (I'm thinking football here)! And we miss out on the things that the others are passionate about (enter soccer). Why are we like that? :P :)

The game took up most of the day, leaving at 1 and not returning until after 10. But the trip was great. Anne Marie and I bonded over music as I connected my iPod to her car stereo and we jammed out to Journey, Styx, and Billy Joel. Those of you who have ridden in cars with me when I've been excited about the music, well, you can imagine how that car ride went.

Sunday

Sunday morning was, of course, Chuo. I'm enjoying being part of this church. There were about the same number of people as there were last week, 15, though some different faces. I'm still working on learning names, or else I'd write them all in for you! An amazing "coincidence" happened. I read portions of Isaiah for my morning devotions, particularly chapter 49. And what do you think Kim Sensei preached on this week? Isaiah 49! Amazing the coincidences that happen, no?

After service we again had lunch. Kim Sensei and the other ladies at church are marvelous cooks. I wish that I could participate in this a little more, but the language difference makes it hard. I was able to help with some of the serving and clean up this morning, which allowed me to feel slightly helpful. They are so generous; I'd like to give more. In any way. One of the church ladies drove to me the train station which saved me not only a twenty minute walk, but also an extra train ride, for she took me to Ogawa (stop 2 on my return trip) instead of Higashiyamatoshi. Before I left, though, Kim Sensei told me that this week, I'll start teaching a third class at Chuo on Tuesday evening! One of the ladies in the church will be attending, so I'll see at least one familiar face. I'm ecstatic to be starting another class. There is one slot left from the original four that were offered, and I'm hoping that that is able to turn into a children's class. We'll see what God has planned. :)

And you know how today went already! I'll end with some little things that might interest you.

1. Shoes. The shoes here are fantastic. There are so many designs and colors and sizes and shapes. When I ride the trains, I look at the girls' shoes.

2. The screens that cover the windows and sliding doors are made of paper. They tear easily. Shh.

3. No garbage disposal. Instead, in the sink, there is a little catch-all container. You line it with a little net and then throw away the net and its contents. The smell is not good. I haven't yet found a knack for keeping a clean smell in the kictch and Janet tells me there isn't one.

4. This afternoon when I returned from my run, I met the dog next door who habitually barks at 6:30am. He has two different colored eyes, is a tad scraggly, and was extremely friendly.

5. The best time to catch me on Skype is 6 or 7am, my time--so, around dinner time for those at home. If any of you talk to my sister, please let her know.

6. The apartment came with a tv and the tv came with a dvd player and the dvd player came with a few movies: Galaxy Quest, Bee Season, Left Behind, and one complete season of The Andy Griffith Show. I always avoided Andy Griffith when I was in my Nick at Nite phase (I don't know why), but after watching discs one and two, I've decided that I thoroughly enjoy it.

That's all for now :)

If there's anything else you'd like to know about, just let me know and I'll be sure to include it in my next entry!

Neighbors

I just finished reading Duane Elmer's book Cross-Cultural Connections. Janet Kunnecke gave it to me last week and it's been a solid basis as to what to expect. While the book offered many helpful insights into the specific things that divide cultures, it's made me realize the difficulty I'll have in explaining what's going on here and in me.

The values and behaviors of the Japanese are based on their cultural beliefs about how life should be lived and without understanding that, how are we to understand those values and beliefs? A good friend of mine told me that we all behave and think the way that we think is best, is right. If I didn't believe my action was the right thing to do, would I be doing it at all? Problems and divisions come when we think that our way is the only right way of doing things, and forget that those we are interacting with are operating under the same idea: they believe their actions are best, right, proper.

My roommate asked me in an email if I'm sitting down and having hard-hitting "God conversations."

I had to stop before I answered that. I'm not, in the direct, Amercan "logical" understanding, having hard-hitting "God conversations." But at the same time, I am.

Japanese culture is about relationship (a quality that I love). Taking time to build a relationship, to build trust, and to invest is as much a part of the "God conversation" as the literal words themselves. They are not separate. They are one. To come right out and start preaching and teaching and saying "This is what God says," would be disrespectful.

So I am beginning those conversations; just not in the ways we would expect.

Elmer's book was good for me on other levels, as well. Before I left, I had a conversation with one of my very best friends about our differences in communication and ceratin walls those differences had built. It was a good conversation and a difficult conversation. But it came from each of us not being aware of or sensitive to the other's communication style. She is more direct and to the point. And I've realized that I'm more round-about, more spiral. There was an entire chapter devoted to this in the book. I start general and, after gauging a person's responses, proceed to pinpoint the topic (if I find the other's responses favorable), or change the subject while the subject is still general and it would not be awkward in conversation to do so (if I find the other's responses unfavorable).

How interesting to discover such things about ourselves. Especially when we are able come to the understanding that not everyone for example communicates the same ways that we do. That each feels their actions are correct and right and produce the best results. The understanding frees us to look at new perspectives. That freedom calls us to see from another's point of view. If we truly care about connecting with the other, we'll adjust our actions accordingly.

It's what love boils down to, no? Seeing another's need and reacting to it, because their need is greater than our own. Love your neighbor as yourself.