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This afternoon I searched Dillsburg on Wikipedia.

If you're here, you maybe have been reading my blog--so you're aware of how much I love being here. How thankful I am that God chose to send me, that God chose to send me for this period in my life. There's nowhere I'd rather be at the moment than where I am.

But I've been aching for home this week. Home home. Where I grew up and where my family is. There are people in Indy that I consider family, but here I mean the ones who gave me and the ones who share my DNA. I miss the hills and I miss the visuals. I miss the people. I miss the history. I just miss it. I'm incredibly excited to go home again and share with them everything that's going on here in Japan and here in me. I'm excited to hear what's going on with them.

Today was a fantastic day. The kids from the States' team stopped by the Center today and came upstairs to say hi which was a wonnnnnderful way to start my morning. I wish I could've been able to get to know them more because, from what little time we did spend together, they seem great. I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon in the office with Janet. I love working with her. She's been so kind in her quiet, supportive way. We spent some time looking at the calendar and what's ahead--SEND Conference starts next Monday and after that, July flies by. And then there's August. And then my time here ends. Our time is short. It's sad, but it gets me excited to come back. To bring reinforcements. Watch out, I might try to recruit you when I get home!

This evening I got to spend with Hannah, my friend from the CRC mission. After she finished teaching her English class, she met me at Higashi Tokorozawa eki and we went down to Laketown. I wrote about Laketown once before, it's the big big mall just a few stops down the Musashino sen. We had a great great evening, just walking around the mall and laughing and searching for all types of Arashi merchandise. We had so much fun. And then when I got home, I found emails from both my brother and my sister! I couldn't ever ask for more!

God has certainly blessed me with some amazing, amazing people in my life. Even people that I don't know who are praying and supporting me. Who am I to be so blessed? I am so grateful. It excites me to think about all of you. All of you. Even you who are difficult sometimes. ;)

Just kidding, of course :) But it's all of you who make every place I go feel like home. In PA, in Indy, here in Japan. I'm home because you're there.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron,

so one person sharpens another.

Gospel Team Finale

Today was the last HiBA Gospel Teams rally in Shibuya.

I would love to be able to be more involved in this ministry, but I feel blessed that God has allowed me to serve as I have. These students are amazing. They love God with everything that they are and they give give give until there is absolutely nothing left. They stand up boldly and proclaim the Word... to a polytheistic society, they shout that there is one God in Heaven and on earth

and that God is Jesus Christ who loves and adores and knows you. These students.. are awesome.

The rally had a great turnout. The number of people who had been coming to the rallies throughout the week and others off the street was big. And all of the teams came back from wherever they had been serving; it was good to see all of the YWAM leaders one more time, as well as the kids from the States' team (the ones I met in Chiba with Anne Marie a few weeks ago). There were so many people crammed into the hall upstairs that we had to create an overflow room, and even then we pushed the rows closer together so that more chairs could fit in.

Worship, skits, testimonies. And Dave, one of the YWAM leaders, shared the message as well as part of his own testimony. That one had me teary-eyed. It spoke to the aching p

art of my heart that longs to see everyone really get it. Really understand just how much they are adored by our Heavenly Father. Dave's story reminded me so pointedly of the story of a friend of mine, only my friend is in the thick of it-the pain and the anger and the brokenness. I am so thankful for people like Dave who will stand up and share unabashedly about the moments when God speaks. These words are filled with such hope. Such hope. Oh, how Christ loves us.

Since it was the final rally, we had another bake sale. Aichan and I ran it, and I think it went well. It was a nice vantage point for me, as it was the time before, to sit back during the lulls in sales, and observe the Church. How awesome are these brothers and sisters. How beautiful are these creatures that are hand-made by God. How joyful and hopeful and firey. How diverse in shape, size, color, language, heritage, likes and dislikes, fashion styles, volume. Again, I'm struck by the creativeness of our God.

The Power of the Holy Spirit was heavy in that

building as well. The joy was tangible. There

were students praying all over the rooms and several invited Christ to be Lord. And this girl, Katya, man is she an encouragement. Every time I see her, she's an encouragement, with her bright smile and big hugs and aggressive

amicability. But today, she was everywhere, expressing how the Spirit was moving. She'd stop and pray for and with any random person she bumped into. And of course there were hugs. I'm thankful that God created masterpieces such as these.

Anytime that God moves, it's beautiful.

And today was more than beautiful.

Changes

Isaiah 43:18-19

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

These verses have been on my mind lately. The entire chapter, chapter 43, is such a hopeful chapter and it cuts to the quick as certainly as it promises that God is working in you. In the very first verse God declares "I love you!" He's chosen you, you're precious.

I just want to take a printout of this chapter and run around, waving it in peoples' faces.

Look! Look! Don't be so discouraged!!

God loves you!

God made you; God chose you; you're so, so precious to Him!!

There are so many that I wish, wish, wish, could understand this.

But time and again the last few weeks, the Lord's opened my eyes to passage after passage where he says that He is the one who opens eyes and softens hearts. We are merely harvesters, it's God who plants the seed and allows it to grow. I get frustrated at this at times, but then I remember how royally I would screw up humanity if salvation were left up to me. God's plan, God's purpose, God's timing... are perfect.

Back to the verses.

These two, 18 and 19, are particularly poignant to me this morning. The Lord says, "See! I am doing a new thing! Do you not perceive it?" I confess that I don't. I know that this time is a time of preparation and a time of pruning for me. I know and have known that this time here is a sort of starting point in my life. It's like the Lord's saying, "Okay, we're done messing around. That other stuff was all to get you here. Are you ready? From this point on, we're running. You and me, we've got work to do." I know He's doing a new thing. But I don't perceive it. And it absolutely amazes me when other people do. When other people call out traits in me that I swear aren't there. It confuses me. But at the same time, gives me a little thrill because I know that it's the Lord's work they're seeing. The Lord has the power to clear or cloud vision. You will see what He needs you to see.

The Lord is good.

Today is the last GT rally in Shibuya. There's another bake sale, so I was able to spend yesterday evening baking once again. This time I made mocha chip cookies and banana bread. I feel like a true baker now because with both, I started with a very very basic recipe and made it my own.. The cookies came from a basic sugar cookie recipe and the banana bread had only the basic five ingredients: Flour, eggs, bananas, baking soda, and sugar! I will take this time to indulge in just a bit of pride and say that I'm very happy with the way my recipes turned out.

I've been getting very addicted to one particular Japanese drama called Hana Yori Dango. Oh dear. It's aimed towards teenage girls, but it's absolutely fantastic! I can't wait to share it at home. The first episode I watched, I laughed quite a bit; but now that I'm into the second (and final!) season, the things that I laughed at are heart-wrenching and last night as I watched episode 6 I found tears running down my cheeks. Haha! Just one more thing about Japanese life that I love.

I may not be called to stay here. But I know I want to come back. I would love to lead an annual trip with people from whichever church I settle down in and I'm so excited to know that next summer I'll have the opportunity to come back with the group that Grace sends each year. I know I'll be back.

Happy Saturday :)

Man...

What a day today has been.

I'm emotionally worn out.

First the car and then I got to Saginuma for class and the copier was broken. I'd chosen a tough article for tonight's class that was heavily-laden with vocabulary and had done a good deal of work putting together some exercises to practice that vocabulary.. only... with the copier unusable, so were the exercises. Twenty minutes until class started and I thought I was going to cry. In fact, I felt like I very well could break down in tears at that very moment, and even more so once they were all sitting in front of me--everyone present and accounted for, the largest group I'd had at Saginuma in weeks; and they all were seconds away from witnessing my first breakdown in Japan.

But even quick prayers lead to big results because our God is Big. It's not even until this moment that I've realized He's answered my own prayers. Once again, I have no idea what I'm praying for sometimes. In my other classes, after reading of the firey furnace and how our God is the Supreme God, bigger than a king, bigger than a gold statue, bigger than ropes, and bigger than a blazing fire, I'd prayed for God to open our eyes this week to his Bigness. And here He's done it. For despite my lack of any sort of preparation, they understood the vocabulary. In fact, with the makeshift exercises we pulled out, it seems that they really got the meaning of the words, more than they've shown before. It was exciting to me to see hear them yell out the words so quickly when I read the definitions...

..Wow. It's just awesome how great out God is.

And thinking back to this afternoon... how crummy the situation with the car was, but how wonderfully God provided. The gentleman with the cell phone. The gentleman who helped push my car uphill and off to the side. Steve who came all the way out to get me. God's just good like that.

Ya know? :)

Maybe It's Me?

Another day, another adventure.

Today my little K car broke down. I was actually in the middle of a tight road between Higashi Kurume and Kioyse, on my way home from my morning class. Looking back, it's comical, but at the moment it had me truly shaken. I was blocking the road, in the middle of a hill. I didn't have my cell phone, it was raining, and the Japanese that I can speak certainly doesn't include enough vocabulary to explain that my car battery had died.

When I parked at Chuo this morning, I could not turn it back on. So, after class, Kim Sensei, Fumiko-san, and a lady from the community helped me jump the battery. I figured I would be safe to drive home, but about 20 minutes into the drive, my windshield wipers began to slow. And then my music stopped playing. And my turn signal wouldn't work. One-by-one, things were dying in my car. I tried to put my window down to use hand signals that I was turning, but the window would barely go down. And then it happened--I was stopped at a light, heading uphill, and I felt my car shut down. And then I heard the horns. Praise the Lord for the E-brake!

And for the nice gentleman who, with the help of much sign language, inspected my car and allowed me to use his cell phone to get ahold of Steve. Thank the Lord for the gentleman who pulled off the road and helped me push my car as close to the wall as we could, as far out of the way as was possible. And thank the Lord that Steve was available and willing drive out to get me!

It was quite an interesting afternoon, that's for certain!

And it leads me to wonder if it's really the car that's the lemon, or if it's me! Haha :)

Tourist!

I just got back from my Tuesday night classes at Chuo--a very good week. The first class is a Beginner's Class and tonight my most talkative pupil returned after an absence last week. It was such a relief to have her back! We've been working on restaurant vocabulary, so this week I had them design their own restaurant. An activity I supposed would take ten minutes took the entire hour. Flexibility in situations such as these is a virtue that I'm learning myself. :)

The second class went extremely well. We are reading through C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian. I'm having such a great time with this as I get a chance to recreate all of my own literature courses! Tonight we read the biography of C.S. Lewis, went through my character list for the second section of the book, learned some new vocabulary, and watched a portion of the movie (BBC version!). These students are my most advanced class and I'm enjoying teaching them.

One of the students from that class, Keiko, took me out yesterday morning. There is an exhibit from the Musee d'Orsay in Paris--all Post-Impressionist works: Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne, Suerat, Gaugin, Rousseau--at the National Art Museum in Ropongii. It was fantastic! Ever since our art projects in Frech III, I've adored this period of art. But I realized as I walked through the exhibit how my interests are changing. I used to love the soft strokes of Monet, but more and more I'm leaning towards more defined shapes and figures.

Along with experiencing beautiful art, I also got to experience more of the Japanese culture. The pushing and shoving was so frustrating to me! The mentality here is outside my understanding. You are part of a group and for that group--defined however you'd like, work, school, family--you will do anything. But outside of that group, nothing matters. So people would be making way for a space or a companion and talking amicably, but literally shove others out of the way to get there. Almost as if they were blind to the hundreds of other people shuffling through the exhibit. There was a lady in a wheelchair who was straining to see, and people nicked her chair as they walked by, saying nothing and making no way for her to see...

After the exhibit, Keiko and I walked to Tokyo Tower--a tall building that mirrors the Eiffel Tower. It stands above the city and you can ride an elevator up to the Observation Deck and look out to the different embassies, Disneyland, Odaiba, the fish market, Mt. Fujii, Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean--all the great places of Japan's capital. We saw all that we could and went to grab a cup of coffee, but left quickly because the smoke (all restaurants are smoking) was bothering Keiko.

We decided next to go to the Meiji shrine. Built in the 1920's, it honors the Meiji emperor and is the largest in Tokyo. It is incredibly large. Sitting near the center of the city, you walk 1km through gardens and forest to reach the shrine. Shrine architecture is gorgeous and you can feel the history, much like in old European cathedrals. Though they are certainly not all this large, there are shrines everywhere in Tokyo. Everywhere. It took a physical trip to the shrine for me to understand the sheer volume of shrine worshipers, how vastly interwoven shintoism is with the Japanese life. In the short time we were there, on a Monday, there were hundred who came, washed, prayed, clapped, and bowed. There were thousands of prayers posted on the wall. It was as if the Old Testament had risen up and smacked me in the face! Idol worship is alive and active.

I've been reading about Aaron and the ten plagues of Egypt--how each plague attacked a different god. It's so easy to read these stories and wonder how people believed in that stuff. To the Westerner, polytheism is a thing of the past. Or perhaps a thing of small, unreached, native lands far far away. Well, friends, Japan is unreached. Shintoism is a polytheistic religion. And people go to shrines once or twice each week to worship ancestors and nature gods. Here, too, presents another obstacle in sharing Christ. Because to them, much like to Ramses and the Egyptians, the Lord is just another God.

Tonight I decided to share in my Bible times the story of the Firey Furnace. After the first class I was worried. It's scary to share outright that there is one God when you see people stiffen and straighten, perhaps offended. My mission here is to love. I'm afraid of pushing people away. So pray for me here, please. I don't want to come screaming and Bible-thumping, but I want to come humbly, sharing. And I also feel like it's important to share the stories of the Old Testament, denouncing the baals and ashtoreths and dagons. Pray that the Lord's words are spoken and not my own.

The Bible Time in the second class, the advanced class, was good. Because they know more English, I felt that I had more room to talk and share my excitement about the Supreme God--God more powerful than a firey furnace! And one of the gentlemen, I think he likes to try and trap me, because he enjoys asking me questions. This week he asked why things like this don't happen now--why maybe then God save three men, but now He doesn't. Praise the Lord I had just read the biography of Jim Elliot because his story came to mind quicker than I could've asked for! God works for His glory, not man's. When He allows people to die, it's often for a bigger purpose. Though each of the men in Elliot's expedition died, that entire tribe was saved! Keito-san might try to trap me, but with God's amazing foresight, he won't be able to. :)

After the shrines on Monday, Keiko and I took a walk around Harajuku. Harajuku is a big shopping are just past Shibuya. Tall, tall buildings, and all kinds of stores (including H&M and Forever 21, new additions) line the streets. Bless her, she took me down Takeshita dori--a street that's crammed, and full of small, loud, extravagant shops for young people. A lot of the Japanese babydoll or Kawaii fashion that you see pictures of comes from around here.

Monday was a busy, exhausting day--made more exhausting by the fact that I had been out late with Hannah and two other friends on Sunday! We spent the day at Tokyo Disney Sea! I met Hannah last week; she's a fellow English teacher, but part of the CRC mission, not SEND. It's a blessing to have her and a relief to have someone my own age who actually lives nearby and has free time to grab coffee or go sightseeing with! We took the train down to Maihama and met up with one of Hannah's student and one of her friends along the way. That train ride is ridiculously long, but it ended up working out well--we arrived at Disney just in time to get the Starlight Pass, a reduced-price ticket. On top of that, Hannah's friend brought a coupon so we got in for a very very reasonable price!

There's certainly a reason there's the tagline The Wonderful World of Disney and Disney Sea lived up to it! The theme is the Seven Seas of the world and they have rides and shows from Sinbad, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Atlantis, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Indiana Jones. There's also a Venice with gondola rides (let me tell you, hearing Italian spoken with a Japanese accent is highly entertaining!) and a U.S. Port as well. The weather worked out perfectly--although it was incredibly windy, it didn't rain at all--fortunate, since none of us brought out umbrellas! (A big no-no this time of year in Japan.. an umbrella is as important as your Passmo or Suica card, the card that gets you into the trains) Of course, we didn't see everything, but we're planning on going back near the end of July. There is one day that I don't have tutoring and Hannah doesn't have class, so we'll go early and stay late! This time at Disneyland--magic castle here I come!

This weekend I was absolutely a tourist and I loved it! You can bet I slept well last night :)

Prayer requests-- like I said before, boldness in humility, love in bluntness, and vulnerable honesty when it comes to my Bible times. I want to share what God wants me to share; I want to be a woman of faith, not fear (how I love Beth Moore for this catchy, powerful phrase from her Fruits of the Spirit study). Pray for the Gospel Teams, the HiBA ministry, as they finish up their weeks of evangelism this Saturday. I know that God is moving in awesome ways in the hearts of the students, the leaders, and the people on the streets. Also pray for the month of July. Many big things are happening, many short term teams are coming in through SEND to serve, including one from my own church. Our mission conference is coming up and they are electing a new Director. My and Anne-Marie's trip to Taiwan is coming up, too, so safety for that. Pray for wisdom in finances and diligence in getting my work done. With the familiarity that I spoke of in previous posts, it becomes easy to slip into old habits :)

As always, your support is much needed. More than simply encouragement, it is a gift from God that gives me strength, openness, flexibility, joy, and peace. Thank you. :)

Driverrr

I've officially driven in Japan.

It's a fun feeling, being able to drive. Especially since this is a culture where driving is not the norm and public transportation is. I like driving because it gives me a better feel of where I am. I've been wandering around the last few weeks without being able to place on a map the different suburbs I'm going to. I have no idea which direction is north and which is south--I know only that I take train A to train B and somehow end up downtown in Shibuya! But even driving to Chuo three times has given me a better understanding of where I am and it makes me feel more secure.

Monday afternoon Steve Kunnecke drove with me to Chuo so that I'd know the way for Tuesday night's classes. He drew a fantastic little map and you can bet that I had that sucker clenched between white knuckles on the steering wheel as I drove for the first time on Tuesday night. Driving home was much easier and I decided to drive again this morning and wouldn't you know that by this morning I didn't even need the map! Granted, getting to Chuo Church is simple, but driving in Japan is slightly confusing period, so I'll take my victories where I can get them.

Being able to drive will also save a lot of money. As much as I enjoy the trains and enjoy having time to read as I'm shuffled from place to place, one round trip to Chuo costs me the equivalent of $9. We put just over $10 into my tank Monday that I will probably be able to get about 5 round trips. Driving will be a big money-saver for me.

This morning I was also able to head into church early, where I met with Noriko-san. Her and I have been meeting the last few weeks to practice Japanese and this week we met to sing hymns together! Noriko-san plays piano for our church and she plays beautifully. We started work on a musical version of The Lord's Prayer that will hopefully help me to memorize the verses more quickly. I'm excited to be able to pray in Japanese!

This evening I'll head down to Saginuma where I'll meet with Atsuko-san to learn more Japanese vocabulary and idoms. Last week we went over kore, sore, and ane--this, that, and that over there. She tutors me during the hour before class. This week in English class, we're focusing on American music. And what's more American than Country?! I have some samples to play (courtesy of Lauren McNabb, the lifesaver) and an article from Bilboard on a few artists. Tonight should be another good one--especially since the sun is shining once again!

I'm working through the book of Proverbs in my devotions, so I'll leave you with one (of the many) that stood out to me this morning:

Proverbs 16:9

In their hearts human beings plan their course,

but the LORD establishes their steps.

Closing in on two months..

It always amazes me how creative our Lord can be.

The Japanese culture and language are so different from the American and European cultures. You could almost describe it as opposite. Mannerisms, group-mentality, the written word, art, daily schedules, pronunciations, what is polite and what is impolite. Our Lord has created all of these fantastic differences between cultures--and not only those that I've been a part of, but the others as well! They are all unique in their own ways. Yet, when you get down to the core of who people are, what we want most, and what we need--we're all the same. What a Master Craftsman is our God to create people who are all different while remaining the same.

Life is Japan is becoming routine. Earlier this week I was blessed to be able to babysit for Nate and Michelle. I was sitting on the couch in their apartment watching the boys play a sort of hide-and-go-seek game and I thought how familiar it all felt. These boys, this view from the window, what we had for dinner and the way it was made, separating the trash, the Kanji characters on the Wii. It's all familiar.

The feeling of familiarity is odd because I never imagined that I would experience it. I imagined knowledge--understanding pieces of the language, knowing how to drive on the left side of the road and how to get from here to downtown by train, knowing what is what in the grocery store. But I never expected it all to feel familiar and comfortable and like home. There are different feelings of home--the release of tension and relaxation when you walk into home at the end of a long day, or the excitement that comes from finally pulling into home when you haven't been there in awhile. And then there's this, the feeling of home that you don't realize. When you're so familiar that you move around without even thinking. When you close your eyes and know what's happening where because home is built into your psyche.

This is not to say I don't miss Pennsylvania or Indiana or the States, of course. I miss free wi-fi everywhere and I miss how stores are open from early morning to late at night. I miss late-night coffee with friends and I miss understanding street signs. I miss street signs! And I miss my friends and family and Mona and the dogs. Absence might not necessarily make the heart grow fonder, but it certainly makes you appreciate different aspects of your life and re-evaluate others.

The time in Japan is a blessing and as if I haven't said it enough, I'll say it again: every single morning I wake up thankful to be here. I know that God is using me as an encouragement to the people here and I know that He is working in me, changing me, and preparing me for whatever may lie ahead in the future.

I'm working on my next newsletter now, so it should be out in the next few weeks. If you haven't been getting the others (the last was sent right before I left for Japan), please email me with your address and I'll add it to the list! LWalker730@yahoo.com

Quick Quick

Prayers for my car are much needed at the moment.

I'm having flashbacks to 2006 when my little lemon went caput on 465 just as I was leaving the airport, heading back to IWU after Easter break. That was a warmup for this, apparently. Haha. My car's dying, my roommates are moving, and we don't know exactly what to do about the thing. So prayers for direction, for my poor car's healing, for people, for money, for anything towards my car are a HUGE encouragement and support at the moment.

Some quick updates on life here in Japan:

I went to my first onsen on Tuesday--the Miyazawako Onsen. Wikipedia has a nice summary if you'd like to learn more about them. Public bathhouses. Relaxation. In the mountains. I felt like I was at the cabin again, which brought joy to my heart, of course. Anne Marie and I went Tuesday and it was a wonderful experience, so counter-American cultural and unlike anything I've been to before. It was a spa, vamped up. Beautiful.

Friendships are continuing to grow in each class and in church. Quickly, my weekly schedules are becoming filled with activities and lunch dates and shopping trips with these ladies. Conversation is coming more easily and they are more than eager to help me with my Japanese (which is also improving quite a bit!) and get so excited when I use any Japanese words. I can certainly see the Lord moving because I know I am doing nothing different/special/etc.

This, too, was exciting: This week during our chapel times in class we discussed the story of Zaccheus. Even though the little tune pops into my head from time to time, it's not often that I think about that story. But this week, we talked about the tax collector for the last few minutes of class. The ten verses came alive for me and I feel like I've learned something as well about the awesome love of Jesus. That Zaccheus, a liar and a thief, disliked by all, was welcomed into the family of God. That Jesus stopped, knowing the man was in the tree, looked up, and said "Zaccheus, I'm coming to your house for dinner--I don't care that you're one of the dirtiest, most distrusted men in town." That's so exciting to me! How publicly and decidedly and blatantly the Lord shows that he loves everybody. And I got to share that excitement with the classes. And I think a few of them caught the excitement because in every class, people asked questions when I was finished. "So Jesus was a kind person?" "Did everyone know who Jesus was?" Questions about Jesus. And you know, more than likely, this little story didn't make them want to love Jesus, too. But it got them asking questions. They were asking questions!

It's huge.

Just a quick update, but I wanted to let you know a bit of what's going on. This will be another busy week, including tomorrow night's dinner with the Saginuma class, a trip to the flea market in Shinjuku with Seul Kee on Saturday, all day at Hi-BA camp with Anne Marie on Monday and then classes will consume Tuesday and Wednesday, as always. Not to mention having to work with my wonderful support system at home to figure out what to do with my little lemon.

Thank you all :)