We went to the annual church retreat at a retreat center that was just 15 minutes away from the church. We first went to a park with a huge colliseum area. The whole park was all lush and green. It was beautiful. It was another surreal moment where i felt like I was transported somewhere other than Japan.
For the most part, throughout the entire retreat, I experienced a sense of community. It was great seeing all the families together. We had met most of the people and kids that attend the church during the weeks past already. However, it was neat to find out who the families were and who the kids belonged to and seeing each of the families together. Even though language was still a great barrier, I really enjoyed just being in the presence of the community there, watching the kids play, watching the parents enjoy fellowship with eachother etc.. We had a barbeque on Sat night. We all loved the yakisoba noodles! We had a chapel time where the "I am the gate" skit was done. Most people went to the onsen afterwards. When it was all dark, the kids (and adults) played with the many kinds of fireworks! We progressed to playing games, dancing, snacking etc....the rest of the night. All in all, we got to meet more of the church members and was able to immerse ourselves in the community.
On July 15th Amy and I went up to Kanagi by train and met up with Adrian and Deborah in transit. The entire trip was full of excitement which started when Amy and I got on a train we thought was headed for Kanagi but when another train pulled into the same station we realized we'd better double check, so we asked someone and discovered we were on the wrong train. Without further ado we grabbed all our stuff and ran across the platform to the correct train. From there we arrived in Goshagawara where we had to make a transfer in order to get to Kanagi. We succesfully boarded the train and met up with Adrian and Deborah here, and a good thing we did because we assumed that since the church we were going to was called Kanagi Chapel, that our stop would be Kanagi station. By the grace of God, however, Adrian and Deborah were there to inform us that we had to go about another three or so stations. Upon arriving, the four of us helped a German missionary, Angela, hand out tracts in the area surrounding where she lived. After we finished with this she drove us to Kanagi Chapel where the Messers', the German Missionary couple that ran Kanagi Chapel lived. Once we arrived, Amy and I gave an english lesson to Japanese children, ranging in age from 2 years of age to 6. Meanwhile, Adrian and Deborah were preparing dinner, which we all enjoyed at the conclusion of the english lesson. Then we went to an Onsen or natural hotspring, which we all seemed to enjoy, and then Adrian and I spent the night at Kanagi Chapel and Deborah and Amy spent the night at Angela's house. After spending the night there we met up in the morning to go and work on the Messer's vacation home. Although such places are provided for the missionaries, due to Heika Messer's severe allergies they had to buy a more modern place which contained less allergens, so we spent the day dismanteling old furniture, removing old grout, stripping the walls of wallpaper, as well as ripping up the old vinyl flooring in some of the rooms. After finishing a good days work at this house, the four of us took a train back to Goshagawara but when we got on the connecting train to Ityanagi we were suprised to find that it was a reserved train which would have cost us 500 Yen more (around $5.00) so we opted to just wait an hour for the next train. So while we waited to go home we passed the time playing Uno in some mysterious small room with nothing but four chairs and a trashcan so we had to use the trashcan as a table but it wasn't that bad. All in all it was a great experience and God was definately with us throughout it all.
Aoyama-san is an apple farmer. He is also a vibrant Christian who practices the love of the Lord Jesus Christ every day.
Before I continue, I need to explain that the town of Itanayagi, where we are ministering, is apple country. This town is very famous for its apples and very proud of its apples. The town symbol is the apple and it graces everything from stores and homes to bridge guard rails and manhole covers and even cell phone ornaments.
Not too far from the train station is a walkway called the Apple Walk. It is a lovely walkway, about 2 km in length, which many of the local townspeople enjoy. Along the walkway are huge red granite apples, which look as if they’ve just fallen from the sky. At the end of this walkway, there is an apple museum and also a shop where all parts of the apple and apple tree are used to create dyes, food and artwork.
Apple trees are everywhere; acres and acres of them in all directions, interspersed with rice fields, houses and commercial areas, and of course, Itayanagi Chapel. J The apples of this region are truly special. They are cared for meticulously, and when they mature in September, they are the size of grapefruits. They also have an amazing delicious apple flavor, and we haven’t even had the fresh ones!
This brings me back to Aoyama-san. Aoyama-san is committed to serving the Lord with his whole heart. He is very generous and gives a great deal of his time and resources to the people of the church and to church ministry. He also has family concerns that involve a good deal of his time.
Because of these things, his apple trees have suffered. They are VERY full of apples. Now we would think that is a good thing, but it’s not. In order for his trees to produce the best fruit possible, most of the apples they produce naturally, must be cut off. Now we could give something back to Aoyama-san: we went to help prune his trees.
Apples grow in clusters of 5, sometimes 6. The trees must be pruned so that each apple left on the tree is about one scissor-length apart from another. This way they will stay on the tree longer and will be able to grow very large and sweet.
It was very difficult deciding to cut off so many apples. We literally had to decide which would die and which would live. Many had to die for the sake of a few. The parable of the vine and the branches became starkly clear to me. Pruning is necessary for abundant life, both for specialty apples and for the children of God.
However, I still struggled with the loss of all the apples on the ground. And I thought, do I care more for these apples, whose death will actually help the ground they come from? Or, will I care more for the millions around me who are perishing without ever knowing the Lord of the harvest?
The next day, I spent most of the day at the orchard with 2-3 other teammates. I had fun pruning that day. Aoyama-san’s lovely wife, Emiko-san, worked on the lowest branches. I worked on the ladders, going up as high as I could. Aoyama-san had his cherry-picker type truck and he cut off the very highest apples, which we couldn’t reach from the ladders. Watching him work made me feel much better. As master of the apple trees, he knows what needs to be done and he does it.
I pray for an abundant harvest for him and his family. I pray for an abundant harvest for the Master in Japan as well.
So today I got to see a baptism. Generally I think the missionaries here try to make sure people are actually honest in their desires, but at the same time they also trust that if they ask to go as far as baptism, than perhaps God is leading them to exactly that.
The service was very normal, aside from the fact that about 6 of the people out of the 25 or so there were not Christians. The message was not extremely long because of the baptism and the celebration of I believe 15 years of that church being in existance. The Messers, the ones who are now in charge, haven't been there the entire time, but took over from the previous people and kept it going, basically, as I understand it.
So anyways, the man to be baptized's testimony was written by himself and placed in the bulletin for all to read (assuming they could), and then there were the normal questions asked about whether or not he believed before he would be baptized. Since the church is still too small for baptism like you'll see in most places in the US, the method was 3 sprinkles on the head. The church then also gave him a small gift as congratulations.
Baptism is huge in Japan. It's supposedly the sign of just how serious you are about actually following Christ. So for this man to make this statement was a large one.
It's funny how from the human persspective his baptism held little meaning, but I'm sure in Heaven God was throwing a HUGE PARTY over this man's decision.
They ended the service with a slideshow of the memories and such of the last few years around there. The thing I remember most from that service, though, is honestly not the baptism. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome and I'm so glad I saw it, but God had something else in mind for me. As the pictures rolled through, eventually one came up with the Ghents, Angela, and the Messers. All the missionaries for this portion of the country. I think that was about when I lost it. God reached down and touched my heart. He said, "That's what I made you to do. That's what I've made you to be." I know that missions in Japan, without a doubt, is what I am called to do. I've known for awhile, but lately through my classes at Seminary I've been wondering if I'm really called... and wouldn't the time, effort, and energy be better used by local Christian missionaries who are willing to reach out if I supported them? They'll always have the greatest in-road over me into other lives -- I can never be fully Japanese. I can learn the language and customs, but in the end I will always be a "gaijin" (foreigner).
Where I'll be in Japan is becoming clearer, but I've yet to really come to terms with it just yet, haha. The slideshow was just... it was the exact encouragement and reminder from God that I think I needed.
So praise be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
On Tuesday 7.1 and Wednesday 7.2, most of our group went to the future location of Harvest Chapel to do some much-needed practical work. Because the location is legally classified as farm land, we have to grow crops there in order to maintain use of the land, making Harvest Chapel a very fitting name indeed. We had quite a bit of work to do, as the field was overgrown with weeds and garbage. Through a combination of old-fashioned weed-pulling and Mr. Ghent's weedcutter, we succeeded in clearing out most of the field and threw the weeds into heaps for burning at a future date. Adrian and Deborah quickly proved adept at weed-clearing, but the rest of us worked our hardest as well. With a rotor tiller we chopped up the dry, hard ground to prepare it for planting, and by Wednesday, we were ready to plant some crops. Throughout our hands-on work at Harvest Chapel, we attracted stares from many Japanese passing by; a large group of foreigners farming in northern Japan is not an everyday sight! With any luck, we managed to get a little early publicity for the upcoming chapel before the land had even been officially bought.
We started with squash transplanted from the garden behind Itayanagi Chapel, but the farm-experienced Mortley family provided some corn that was planted as well. We finished our first planting with the help of a church member who actually assisted in buying the land for us in the first place. He provided some fresh tomato plants that transplanted near the back of the field to save passerbys the temptation of stealing their fruit. We finished up by watering, and in only a two-day span, had transformed the weed and garbage-ridden field into fertile soil for a new crop! Hopefully God will do the same with the people of south Hirosaki and make Tsugaru Gospel Church's latest endeavor a success!
- Kyle
Before & after pictures: Tuesday 07/01, Kanagi Chapel, Tracting and Children's English Lesson
Of course, things went differently than we expected, and we took off earlier than expected. We folded some announcements for a guy who's coming up soon. I won't go into it all right now -- he'll be dropping by later, so that'll be cool. Anyways, we folded the "tracts" and then went off with Jordan and Amy instead because Deborah and Adrian were still off doing something with squash with Mrs. Ghent and we were going off early.
So we went off and it took about 1 hour or so for us to get there. I made it a point to try and remember how to get back to their house, which turned out to be quite beneficial later on. Upon arriving we had lunch, planned our "English lesson" for a few kids, did more stuff with the flyers, and then went to hand them out. Jordan and I went into the poor neighborhood. It was... wow. I honestly couldn't believe the state of the houses there. They were literally... little aluminum-like shacks which were, at max, 10 feet by 10 feet, probably. There was something of a yard... but not much of one. It reminded me more of what I'd expect to see in the slums of Mexico, instead of in Japan. It was, to say the least, very sobering. Especially when I would see several shoes of the children who lived there near the mailbox where I left the flyers. Most houses have two doors, an outside and an inside, and you'd open the first and say "gomen kudasai" (please forgive me / my interruption) and then drop the thing off in the mailbox place. Anyway... my heart went out to the people who lived in the worst part of town, really. I simply... couldn't imagine it. Yet, part of me inside was saying something like maybe I'd have to live in one of those someday to minister to those people who live like that. My heart both jumps and sinks at that statement. God's will be done, though. I said anywhere, and I'm not backing out now!
We spent about 1.5-2 hours handing out or dropping off flyers. Then around the time we were supposed to be picked up we headed back towards the house. We never saw Armin, and he never found us, either, lol. We just headed back int the direction I'd remembered he'd driven us out there to. We made it to a landmark I'd remembered (there was a fighter jet in the middle of a playground... lol), and then tried to call for betterdirections back. No avail. We asked how to get back from a local, who told us to "go straight and it's on your left." He was right. We were about 2-3 minutes from the place, just down the road (where we'd have gone if we'd just kept going straight). So Jordan and I made it back, but never saw Armin (Mr. Messer).
Sooo... since no one was at the chapel, either, I went across the street, remembering the lady next door was a member of their church. She was a VERY kind old lady (who's husband isn't a Christian), and when I saw some amazing murals on the walls I commented on how amazing they were. She then said to go upstairs and I saw a TON of his murals. Just amazing! Turned out, her husband is this amazing artist that everyone knows because he also used to teach in the schools and had been transferred around. Anyway, I asked for Armin's cellphone number. She did't have it, but Mrs. Messer came home and we had her call Armin to say "come back, they found their way back and you can stop searching now," lol.
So we then waited around a bit and the kids showed up for the English class. Nodoka, Aveil (the Messer's son), Aran (a Japanese Mexican mix), and another girl named... Mieru(?). I've forgotten now. Anyway, their mothers were all nice and even though it was shaky at first, by the end they all seemed to be having fun. They did exceptionally with the colors. They also did pretty well with the shapes. We did the first 3 letters of the alphabet, too. Most all of them seemed to enjoy "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" as we did that. We had them color for awhile, too, haha. Otherwise, the only rough patch was at the beginning when we were introducing ourselves. It was too much, and it was too fast. So... yeah. We won't mention how one of the girls looked like she was about to burst into tears at the beginning...
Well that was our day on Tuesday with the Messers at Kanagi Chapel. A very interesting and wonderful day, to say the least. The church may be small, but God has this amazing way of taking that which is small or the least and turning it into the greatest tool for Him. I look forward to hearing how things work at the Kanagi Chapel several years from now. I have no doubt it will be filled with people worshiping and praising God!
=================================================================
Monday 07/07, Day off, Mr. Fujimoto
I had to skip out a bit early to go with Mr. Fujimoto on our adventure. I was TOLD it would be from 10am-2pm. Lol was THAT wrong! x3
The first place we went was a huge float museum. On August 2nd they start these huge 4-5 story floats down the streets or something. They're ENORMOUS. So I took some pictures and had a good time talking with him. He did a little translation for me, but mostly I just took pictures.
After that we went to Kanagi City (name means Golden Tree) and got to watch a live performance of two Shamisen players. It was especially cool since I'd done a report the last quarter during undergrad on the Biwa and Shamisen, so getting to listen and watch someone play it was really neat.
After that we ate at a restaurant named "Pu-Re-", or "Poulet" (which is French for "chicken"). We talked there and looked a bit at an American newspaper. Halfway through the meal he asks me "Don't Christians normally pray before they eat?" The ONE time in the trip I forget t pray before I eat and this guy notices it. *slight laugh* So I explained that we didn't have to. Some do and some don't, but generally it is practice to do so. I hope he understood when I said that even when we do forget, God is willing to forgive us as Christians and does.
Anyway, after that we drove to a park/zoo. He bought me some soft cream (aka ice cream). We looked at the monkey and a few bears. Bunnies and chickens. Ducks. Etc. Then we crossed a floating bridge to a biker's camping area. Only one guy was there. We sat down and that was when he unloaded two barrels into me, basically. Haha.
Soon after we started talking he asked how missionaries make their money. So I told him church-goers and friends give them the money to partner with them. For example: Ghent-san knows Japanese and they may not, so they support Ghent-san to do the work they can't in Japan.
Then I got to tell him how I believe God supported all the money for my time at RHIT, and then how He kept me alive when I was young and had all my seizures. He said he didn't think God had the money or helped me. He does believe, though, that when you pray you can change fate, though. I didn't try to reply or argue with him, because we were having a hard enough time understanding each other as it was. That, and I wanted to learn all I could from him. I'm a learner, too, you know. What I mean by learn is his thought process as a follower of Buddhist teachings.
Then he started talking about how Islamic nations chop off your hand when you steal. In Japan, you go to jail, then get out, then stay again, then get out, etc. Then he said in Christianity *made a cut across his neck* and asked if that was it. At that point I said that stealing was a sin, and God never desired all that happened to have happened to us, but that we wanted it and went against Him. Following that, God forgives us, but often times people may not. There is still punishment here. He asked about Bush being Christian and how he's treated the Islamic terrorists. I said ideally if they would repent and were really sorry, I'd like to think we wouldn't kill them. However, most of the time they have no desire to do anything but kill us. I said, "What do we do with that, then?"
Then he brought up war. He specifically brought up WWII and the atomic bombs. What you should know as background is that I am deeply regretful of what we did. I've always imagined having that kind of conversation with a Japanese person. I don't know if I was really moved to do it, but after he finished I started to get on my knees to let him know I really was sorry. In a way, his demeanor did change after that, I think. He seemed very embarrassed (I expect he thought he had forced me to feel shamed enough to do so) and almost tried to pull me back up. I think the point was made, though even after I started to tear up because of it. I guess... and I told him several times, that I don't think America has apologized enough for it. Now on the same hand while I did not say it to him, I do think that in the long run it might have been our only option, but that does not change the remorse I feel that we ever had to use such a thing in the first place. Even when God justifies holy war, I would feel remorse, because for things to get that bad... is that not a sorrowful thing?
Our talk went on a bit further, and I explained my ideas on war (basically it's only good when all non-war possibilities have been exhausted and people still won't listen). We kinda walked out after that to meet the friend who called him.
After that he wanted to go meet his friend and have coffee at Elm. Apparently he, too, was Christian. Of course, by now it's 4pm, though, haha. He bought me an ice banana chocolate drink from the coffee place (which was awesome) and then talked with his friend about me and about a recent helicopter crash that killed 4. It was foggy and they couldn't see, they lost altitude, and crashed into the water.
After Elm he tried to decide where to go next. Since it was 5pm I said going back now was fine, but he wanted to do something else. We looked at some stuff in the book store in Elm before going, and then headed off. I saw Hoshi and his mom outside (actually Mr. Fujimoto did first), but then we zoomed off toward the Aomori (name means blue forest) airport. When we got there he talked to a guard friend, then we went in and watched from the top of an observation deck for a bit. Following that we left and went to the control tower where he had a friend who explained (in perfect English, lol) all the stuff that went on up there. We talked for like an hour. We finally left at 8pm.
He asked if I wanted supper, but I said I wasn't hungry because It was 8:30 when I finally got back and I was supposed to be back at 2pm, lol. It was a long day, and at the end even though I had enjoyed my day, I was dead tired. It took a lot of energy out of me. May God reach Mr. Fujimoto, though. I think he is far more interested than he lets on. God is calling out to him. May he hear and respond well, too.
- Scott
On Saturday, July 5th the team including the Mortley's, a family the Ghents have known for many years went to C-point. C-point being the artisans fair which comes to this area once a year. We spent close to 2 and a half hours there enjoying the seaside breeze and looking at all the different creations of artists from all over Japan. The works of art included everything from sculptures to jewelry to wood carvings. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we were able to visit the kiosk set up by the Ityanagi Chapel's Coffee House. It was very nice to see the local artists work and to be able to encourage the Ityanagi Chapel's workers.
- Jordan Tracting, July 4
Last Friday we were excited to get out and distribute tracts to the neighborhood around the church. It was a new and encouraging experience as we went out two by two. In fact, this is the first time we went out to see people and get a glimpse of how life looks like in this area. Two of us went out with a map in our hands trying to figure out where to go in an area where there are no street names. Most of the people we saw were women and children. It was encouraging because we saw people receive our tracts usually with smiles on their faces. The strange thing is that it's perfectly legal in Japan to put flyers in mailboxes…as long as it's not to sell something. The information we were passing out included details about church activities and a flyer about a guest evangelistic speaker coming to the area churches in Tsugaru. We had hopes that pictures of Arthur Hollands, the guest speaker, dressed in leather and riding a Harley motorcycle in the flyer would attract attention to the church and more importantly to the gospel. Later, we learned that some people came to the event of Arthur Hollands. Many of them came through established relationships with church friends and only one came because of the flyers we distributed (about 1,000 flyers). We pray that God will continue to touch people's hearts through any means we can use for His work in Japan.
We also pray that the Japanese people's outward politeness and openness will pave the way to their inward receptiveness of their hearts to the Gospel as well.
- Nghi, Jessica, & Maddie
Cooking Class on Thursday, July 3
On Thursday, Brenda, Kathy, Jessica, and Madelynn went with Ruth to a cooking class. Brenda taught the Japanese ladies how to make tea biscuits, and she later shared about being a mother of three. There were nine ladies that came, most of them toting around small children. Madelynn got to play with children just a few months older than her. She even pulled herself up by the shirt of another child just to join in on the fun. The ladies really enjoyed cutting out the biscuits and making the recipe on their own. After everyone enjoyed a lunch of biscuits and maple syrup with salad, quiche, and English tea, many good conversations continued for another hour. It was as if the ladies didn't want to leave. Some of them spoke English quite well which helped. Makiko, one of the ladies, shared that she had come to a couple church events and planned to come to Sunday worship. We were blessed to see her with her husband and three boys the next Sunday. It's great to see God using these connections with Japanese women to get them interested in Christianity and ultimately bring them to faith in Him!
- Nghi, Jessica, & Maddie
Itayanagi Young Life (Friday, July 4, 2008)
This Evening Jordan and I helped Aaron and Naomi Ghent lead the Church’s youth group. We started by having everyone introduce themselves, say how old they are, what their hobby is, and what type of pencil lead they use. After everyone had a chance to share we sang a couple songs and then it was time to play capture the flag. Since the kids had never played the game before, Jordan explained the rules and Aaron translated them into Japanese. Once everyone understood the object of the game and how to play, we went outside to the parking lot and field that are next to the church. We divided into two teams and each team hid their flag. Once the game started we had a lot of fun running around trying to capture the other team’s flag and make it back to our side of the field without getting caught in order to win. The game took a long time but everyone enjoyed it. Afterwards we all went back inside and sang another song before Aaron gave the Bible talk. First he had everyone write down something that they currently can’t do but would like to be able to do. He then read from Matthew 19:26 and spoke about how even though there are things that we as humans my find difficult or even impossible to do, with God’s help anything can be accomplished. After the youth group meeting was officially over we took the kids out side to light fireworks since it was the fourth of July. Aaron and Naomi explained to them that in the United States July fourth is an important holiday because it celebrates America’s independence. It was really nice to be able to spend time hanging out with the kids and teaching them more about God.
- Chelsea
Monday, July 7, 2008
We heard the roaring of a HOG approaching Itayanagi Chapel.The thunderous bellow of a customized Harley-Davidson motorcycle stopped as the rider, Mr. Arthur Hollands, dismounted at the front door of the chapel at 6:45 PM, a scant 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting.He was scheduled to be at the chapel three hours earlier, but he found some extra ministry opportunity along his way.So, we were told that “he will be here before the meeting.”And he was.
He is not a big man by western standards.He is less than six feet in height.However, he appears to be much bigger man in his snake-skin boots and leather riding garb.He is trim and fit.At the age of 57, he still possesses the bearing of a former martial art champion.Friendly, but piecing eyes, and his confident walk, make it easier for us to imagine what he was like as a SAMBO and Judo champion in his youth.
He and his steed were the center of attention.Some people were very excited to see the man in person.I heard a lady shout, “He is here!”Some are interested in his motorcycle.One man came, riding his own motorcycle.Everyone was asking questions, taking pictures, and moving around this very unusual evangelist.Although his name is not Japanese, he converses with flawless Japanese; his “mother tongue” is Japanese. He was born to a Japanese mother and an American Marine, in Osaka.He finished high school in Japan before moving to the United States, where he excelled in the martial arts.There in America, he became a baptized Christian at the age of 23.
Finally, he has to excuse himself to get inside the building.At the start of the meeting about 25 people were in attendance, which grew to about 35 by the end.His fast-talking style, humor, and anecdotal stories from his 30,000 mile annual journey on bike, simply captivated the audience, while slowly, but surely, he delivered the message of God’s love and His plan of salvation through the cross.One and a half hours later, he finished.According to Mr. Martin Ghent, the pastor of Itayanagi Chapel, about one third of the people in attendance were non-believers.It is important to note that this is a significant number of people hearing the gospel at one time in Japan; it, simply, does not happen often here, in Japan.He ministers in this way, 300 to 400 times every year, riding throughout Japan.
After the message many people requested his autograph and they took photographs.I had an opportunity to chat with him at the end of the evening.Both of us are born in the same year in Japan and stayed in Japan to finish high school.We became Christians at just about same age in the United States of America.Both of us have long hair and pony tails.And I have to admit, that I am a little unconventional, as is Arthur Hollands.
At the end I realized, although I am 100% Japanese and he is only 50% Japanese, he is more Japanese than me, because he asked my birthday and then added that I am “Oni-i-san” (Older brother) because my birthday is earlier than his!(For the interest of western readers: Japanese language has no word for brother.We always define ourselves as “older brother” or “younger brother”)
Takashi Ida
7-8-08
Let me introduce you to our team baby.Yes, we have a baby on our team and she is a very important member of the team.Her name is Madelynn and she is almost 11 months old.Madelynn, or “Maddie,” as she is affectionaltely called, is here with her parents, Nghi and Jessica.
Maddie has become our team mascot in a way.She is an encourager.She makes us smile and laugh – a lot – even when we’re feeling stressed or tired.And her energy is amazing.Not only that, she is one of the happiest, most pleasant babies I have ever met.She has a smile for everyone, and she has willingly adopted all of us as her surrogate aunts and uncles.
She comes to every one of us, and, on occasion has allowed some of us to feed her, change her and even put her to bed, so that her parents can do ministry together or just have some down time.Because as lovable as she is, being a baby on the go, sometimes her parents just need a little break.
Madelynn is also a little missionary in her own way.The Lord has used her to start conversations with other moms at cooking classes.She has made people smile on trains and basically, everywhere she goes.People are curious.They will offer help or simply come up to her parents and ask questions, practicing their English. She opens doors that otherwise might not be opened.The Lord has a special purpose for Maddie on this missions trip, and I, for one, and very thankful to God for bringing her and her parents here to Japan.
And oh, by the way, keep your eyes posted…she may be walking on her own soon.Who knows, maybe those first independent steps, already ordained by God, will take place here in Itayanagi.The Lord bless you, Madelynn.
After staying in Ichikawa for a short while we came to Ityanagi chapel to stay with the Ghents. Our first meal was a collective one which we shared with Michael, a current JET teacher. During this time we shared our personal testimonies. We each shared how we came to know and accept Christ. It was very uplifting to see people form different places coming together with a common goal and desire to serve the people of Japan.
-Jordan
Day 2:: June 28
International Potluck This was the first day that the new kitchen was used! We came just in time. =P This was a church potluck where everyone bought a dish of their own. Our team made tuna pasta casserole, rosti and brownies. We thought the rosti wouldn’t turn out at first, but it was all gone by the end of the night! Others brought an assortment of dishes, all really delicious. We had rice balls, marinated cold dishes, miso soup, salad, deviled eggs, guacamole and nachos, bean sprouts and pork stirfry etc… The food brought about conversations among everyone. We got to meet some of the committed church members. =)
-Jen
Day 3:: June 29
English classes
On Sunday morning, the OMF team helped with English classes held at Itayanagi Chapel. The more advanced English speakers practiced conversational questions like “What type of music do you listen to?” and “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?” The younger students had a blast slapping their hands at action cards to show their knowledge of English vocabulary. At the end, everyone gathered together for a Bible talk and to sing a song praising Jesus called “Get Up and Dance.” - Jessica
Japanese worship service Well, for me at least this wasn't the first service in Japanese I've sat through. This being my second time here, I knew what to expect. Basically, I wouldn't be able to get more than a slight gist of what was going on at best, haha. I suppose for those who don't have prior experience in the language or any at all the service had no hope of them understanding anything more than the names of the chapels they'd already know. Well, that and I believe we all were told that Matthew 28:16-20 was the topic for the mission conference/weekend passage.Well here's the gist of what I caught the guest speaker talking about. Mind you, my Japanese is probably about at either the "highest low" level, or the "lowest medium" level. The gist of what the pastor seemed to be speaking on involved some kind of metaphor about having a dying relative in the hospital with only 2 hours or so to live. This relative in the hospital idea, I can only assume, was meant to be tied in somewhat with the idea of the urgency of the need for those without the Gospel to hear and understand, and then hopefully choose to believe and follow Christ as their Lord and Savior and become His disciples.Otherwise, I ended up using the time to reflect on a few other things God brought to mind during the service. Mostly things that had already happened in the short time we'd already had here, and a few more things I'm in need of thinking about before the trip ends.While I may not have understood all the words the speaker said, one thing indeed was clear: God has something to say to us all. If we listen, He'll speak. We may not understand it at first, but given enough time and the perseverence and faith to trust in Him, eventually we'll understand.
-Scott
Lunch w/ everyone After the church service we had the chance to have lunch with many of the people who had come. Some of us were able to help put together the food for lunch (udon soup). While we were helping prepare the food and then eating, we had the chance to meet and talk to some church members. They were very nice (and patient) with us, although there was something of a language barrier for most of us; sitting down and eating together gave us a great opportunity to have conversations. And we got to meet their cute kids. :)
-Amy
Harvest Worship After a lunch with the Itayanagi Chapel members, we headed to the future site of Harvest Chapel, the newest daughter church of the chapel. The site is located in Hirosaki, which is a former feudal capital and thus, it has a castle. The city is located near the southwest corner of Aomori-ken, approximately 40 minuets by automobile from Itayanagi Chapel. Mr. & Mrs. Ghent, our hosts, told us that they were hoping to have the final settlement on the property earlier in June, in order for us to do some work on the property. However, the paperwork is still pending. They were told that the delay should not be viewed with any concern, i.e., everything is in order but it must to go through the proper channels. Although we have no reason to suspect otherwise, please pray that the sale will be consummated as soon as possible. The property is located next to a public playground. It has a two-story building and enough ground for a parking lot. The first floor of the building is subdivided into garage/warehouse areas. They are intending to renovate the 1st floor into a gym, meeting room, and kitchen. Having so much open-span areas makes this building attractive from the perspective of conversion into a church. We did not see the second floor. The property was last used for an agricultural purpose. Therefore, the ground must be cultivated for at least one year by the subsequent owner, according to the local law. The church is planting some vegetables for this summer to meet the requirement. Although the property is not officially conveyed, they are allowed to do cleanups and planting. If the final settlement takes place later this month, as projected, we may do some serious demolition, renovation, etc. We worshiped in the future kitchen area (an oversized garage with concrete floor) on goza, a thin straw mat. A few songs led by Jessica Tran and a message by Mr. Ghent were followed by a time of prayer. All of us thanked God for His guidance for finding the property, His provision for purchasing the property; and all of us committed the site and the future ministry of the chapel to God. Some light snacks were served on the center of goza. Please pray with us that God will use Harvest Chapel for His purpose to draw many people to Himself through Jesus Christ, our lord.
-Takashi Night English worship
On Sunday night, those working and serving in Tsugaru gathered together for International fellowship at Itayanagi Chapel. It was the first service relaunching this much needed ministry held in English. Since it was missions weekend, Martin shared about the kingdom work going on around the world as a result of believers sent out from Aomori. He also challenged those attending with Bible passages from Romans, Acts and Isaiah to share the good news of Jesus with those who have never heard the gospel message. He said that church planting has been an exciting endeavour and has brought him and his family great joy to see people follow Christ. - Nghi Day 4:: June 30
Our first day off Yesterday (Monday, June 30) we did some sightseeing around Tsugaru peninsula. We stopped at a shack where squid was sold, and got to chow down on some tasty sea critters. After that, we drove a bit farther to a beach, where we ate some lunch and enjoyed the view. After lunch the team drove to rock structure near the town of Ajigasawa, where we climbed the tall volcanic rock formations and enjoyed the pleasant wind that helped to keep us cool. Although most of Japan is sweltering hot and humid this time of year, the weather in Aomori feels like early fall in Georgia, and is very nice. A tour group of elderly people stopped at the rocks on the beach where we were there, and probably were freaked out by the glut of gaijin climbing all over their glorious homeland’s rock formations. Escaping with barely a sunburn, we proceeded to make our way back towards the church. (Most of) our group next visited an old farmhouse that was several hundred years old (minus modern accoutrements such as restrooms and electric lights) formerly used by an apple farmer. It provided us with a more historical perspective of Japanese life before we went to a bridge in Tsuruta, where we enjoyed some delicious (and cheap) ice cream and wild mulberries before visiting some cranes and a park with an awesome, nearly vertical slide, which many of our team members enjoyed riding. Unfortunately, it was kind of dirty and the back of my (white) shirt looked like a mess for the rest of the day. We returned to the church, as Yuriko-san used her van to transport many of us. Her family isn’t too thrilled about her being a Christian, so she was glad to help the Ghents transport everyone. After we got back to Itayanagi, we rested briefly at the church and headed for the local mall. Scott and I ate dinner from a tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) restaurant, which not only served amazingly delicious food, but also provided awesome customer service courtesy of the lady at the counter, who not only gave us free drinks and refills, but also took our trash after we finished. Once again, I was greatly impressed with Japanese service. Next, we went shopping, which allowed me to acquire some writing utensils, a shitajiki (a plastic pad that goes under paper to keep the back side smooth for writing on it), and some hair products that I can’t easily (or cheaply) acquire in the ‘States. Scott and I also visited several video game stores, but it seems the games he want are never in stock. After a rousing adventure at the mall, we went back to the church and got some rest. It’s just another (uncharacteristically) relaxing day in Aomori.
***Thursday, June 26th*** Today was a different story. We got up and did some meetings, but then found out we wouldn't be having a full day in the Tokyo area later because of a mix-up and too many people being at the guest houses. So... they "gave us our time" around 2pm to go out. We ended up visiting a Buddhist Temple and Shinto Shrine before heading out. Both were located in a place called "Asakusa".
It was around the time we made it to Shinjuku (where I also had little to no desire whatsoever to go, aside from being with the team) that I realized my insulin pump had been out of insulin for probably an hour, we still needed supper, and it would be 4 hours or more until we got back, lol. I felt fine, though (as far as running around all day will feel on two legs that haven't exercised this much in AGES), so I went on. We ate at a sushi-bar place. There was a rotating tray table of sushi products going around on it. You'd grab it, and the type of dish indicated the price. I grabbed one of the 130yen ones suggested to me by Takashi, and took a bite.
Can I say that my sinuses have never been cleared faster in my life? I felt the taste and waft of that thing fly up my nasal cavity and BURN everything it could in it's wake. Then when it was done it did it AGAIN to me before I finished the sushi. lol. The second one wasn't as potent, though (I guess since there was nothing left to destroy in my nose, lol). I still don't remember what it was, but I stopped there. I know it was red colored, I don't think it was a fish, and I think there may have been wasabi in it, lol. The sushi there was PRICEY, imo. It was 100 yen for 2 sushi on the low end, and up to 420 yen a plate on the high end.
Oh yeah, I forgot to say I saw an elderly man drop his hat in the Buddhist Temple and was able to return it to him before he left. Of course, apparently I returned him the hat upside down, and Kenton thought I was begging money from him for a second, hahaha! It's a thought, though. Just kidding! ;)
I prayed for several people today while I was waiting. I prayed while we ate. Prayed while we were on the trains. Prayed while we were waiting at street-crossings. I've been praying a lot more lately... and I have to say I like it. I also think it would have been harder for our group to get back without my notes for the train station, because almost no one knew how to figure out how to get back. I'd taken notes on my pad of paper, and was confident in my ability to get us back. Even Takashi trusted me on it... and that meant a lot. I really like it when I get to go places with Takashi and have him explain little side-things to me. Things that make me feel like "yeah... I know what's going on here now in a way that likely only Japanese people would."
*** Friday, June 27th*** Today was pretty interesting. We left OMF around 10 or so and headed to get to our ride at the Shinkansen. I spent most of the morning *cough* "removing" the water in my insides. How wonderful. Needless to say, waking up and packing was less than desirabe.
I felt better by the time we left, though. I ate half a banana (if even that, and a small one, too) and headed out. Getting to the station in my condition was less than desirable. By the time we were on our own, we walked up the line we needed and voila! The train we wanted was there. Well, actually I'd briefly forgotten how the major train station's electronic boxes worked, and what ended up happening was that I thought when it left was when it arrived. Apparently the others thought "Hayate 17" meant car 17, and there were only 16 cars. Then Takashi got confused, and by the time we figured it out, it was too late. We didn't think to board in the back and work our way forward. Instead we ended up missing the train, and Takashi had to foot the bill for new tickets while I tried to help those upset keep calm. I just reminded them God had a plan, and that He could either show it to us and we'd praise Him more, or He could do nothing and not care for us like the birds of the air and what His Word says, and He'd prove Himself wrong. More to come on that. Mwa haha!
Well anyways, we got on the next train headed that way, which I told everyone else we'd likely be boarding (and indeed we did). The next one left about an hour later than our original, and we had to make 2 other changes (which was kind of a pain, lol). In both I ended up standing the entire time (about 1.5 hours). Overall though, things went well. We all made it here, and God pulled through.
What I mean by that is that while on our last train, a Japanese man who could speak perfect English got into a conversation with Jessica on the train. She ended up walking him through the Gospel and giving him a tract or two before we left as well. All I could say after we got off was "That's why we missed the train." The real question right now may be, though... "Was the extra money spent to get us there, due to the mistake, to witness to this one guy worth it or not?"
I think so. No, I know so.
Well, with that, I suppose I'll end by saying we're now here safely, got supper, and will be running through more debriefing soon. The Ghents look awesome, and everyone else here (including one guy from the ESL JET program who's on his second year) is really amazing.
Time for bed before I get killed for writing this, haha. God is good! God bless, all.
