There is a convergence in the force. Do you feel it? Can you see it? Kohichi chose the book of James as his sermon series this fall. Our supporting TEAM missionary Gerald wrote this summer to say he wanted to start a series on James. Then I visit all of you at the Lighthouse and find that you, too, are doing the book of James. The Lord seems to be sending us a very clear message: this is the time to act. The time for living out our faith is now.
"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James 2:18
What a great privilege and blessing it was to see all of you, to worship with you on Sunday, September 27 at the 9AM, and then to share with you at the JMT celebration at 4:30PM that same evening! Thank you for giving me some time to share a little bit about our ministry at Nokendai Bible Fellowship. We so appreciate your partnership with us, specifically, how to reach the children of NBF for Christ. The window of time we have with them is so very short, so these days are precious, and the relationship we have with them now may very well determine their spiritual future.
As I have been voraciously reading the book Mei-Ling gave me, "The Hole in our Gospel", one concept keeps popping out for me, and that is to "keep it personal". As I read biographies and autobiographies of missionaries past and present, the very worst thing that can happen is not lack of money or resources, persecution or loneliness. The worst thing that can happen to a missionary working abroad is to be forgotten. Actually it is the worst thing that can happen to anyone, missionary or not. Even in the bible, how many times does the Lord ask us to "remember"? Remember what has happened. Remember me. Remember what I have done for you. Remember whom I sent. God the Father asks us to remember Him and His mighty deeds. Jesus asked us to remember Him and take communion in remembrance of Him. The Apostle Paul pleaded with his church to remember him in chains. Now that LCC has sent 3 VBS teams to NBF, please remember the children and remember them by name if you can. Please do not forget them, because they have not forgotten you. Please remind them that you still remember their names, just as the Lord Himself calls each of us tenderly by our names. Japan will be won for Christ one person at a time. It will take perseverance on our parts to cultivate those relationships. We will have to work hard to remember since it is so much easier to be passive and to forget. This is true for me, too.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God: but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:7-12
Thank you for letting "LOVE" lead you to a place many of you would not have gone to on your own. That was certainly true for me. Fall is already upon us and we are already gearing up for Christmas as you are at LCC. This Rich Stearns book has motivated me to rethink how we do Advent at NBF, too. We, too, will see if we can sponsor some work that World Vision is doing in Japan, or elsewhere around the globe, this season.
We continue to pray for all of you, too, and give thanks for each of you who have supported this VBS ministry at NBF these past 3 years. Words will never fully express the depth of gratitude and thanksgiving we have in our hearts for you at the Lighthouse. May all we do bring Glory to Him and Him alone.
Many blessings,
Shirley
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
TOM: MY LAST 2009 JAPAN TEAM BLOG
I’VE BEEN TRYING TO PROCESS ALL THE EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS THAT TOOK PLACE OVER OUR MISSION TRIP TO JAPAN. IT HAS BEEN HARD BECAUSE SO MUCH HAD HAPPENED SO I JUST MADE A LIST. (THESE ARE MY IMPRESSIONS ALONE AND MAY BE INACCURATE BUT THAT IS WHAT I PERCEIVED)
1. PRAYER: PRAYER WAS KEY TO OUR TRIP, BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER. WE WOULD START OFF EVERY MORNING WITH GROUP PRAYER WHEN WE COULD. (THANKS KELLY) I KNOW FOR SURE OUR HOST PRAYED CONTINUALLY FOR US. SHIRLEY’S PRAYER OF GOOD WEATHER FOR OUR TIME IN JAPAN ESPECIALLY FOR THE OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES LIKE PE IN THE PARK. WE HAD A LITTLE RAIN HERE AND THERE BUT TO NO CONSEQUENCE. I HAD TRAINED FOR THE HOT WEATHER BUT WAS SURPRISE THAT IT ONLY GOT OVER 90 DEGREES ON THE DAY WE ARRIVED. MOST OF THE TIME IT WAS IN THE HIGH 70’S TO MID 80’S WHILE YOU IN SEATTLE BROILED IN 100+ DEGREE HEAT. ALL THE RAIN, TYPHOON AND EARTHQUAKES HAPPENED AFTER WE LEFT. SUCH GOOD HOSTS! THANKYOU REASONERS, NAKAYAMAS AND TAMURAS.
2.IN TOKOROZAWA WE WERE TREATED TO CHAUFFEURED CAR RIDES TO AND FROM SEND CENTER. THAT WAS AN ADVENTURE IN ITSELF. ZIPPING DOWN THESE NARROWS ROADS WITH CARS PASSING INCHES FROM EACH OTHER. ANYONE RIDING “SHOT GUN” WOULD FLINCH AT CARS, WALLS TELEPHONE POST WHEN A COLLISION SEEMED EMINENT. I MUST APPLAUD THE JAPANESE DRIVERS AND JON AND CHIEKO FOR THEIR DRIVING SKILLS AND THEIR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE INGENUITY TO SEE AROUND CORNERS. THEY HAVE INSTALLED MIRRORS AT ALL THE BLIND CORNERS AND CURVES.
3. POSESSED COMPUTER: MY COMPUTER WAS THE MAIN COMPUTER FOR RUNNING THE SONGS AND GRAPHICS FOR THE VBS AND STORED MANY OF THE PICTURES AND VIDEO WE TOOK. IT SEEMED AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE TIMES IT WOULD GO NUTS ON ME. ONE DAY AT TMK THIS HAPPENED BUT LUCKILY WE HAD MATT WHO PLAYED ALL THE VBS SONGS ON THE PIANO. THANKS MATT, YOU’RE AWESOME! ALSO FOR THE STRANGEST THING HAPPENED AS I WAS MAKING PICTURE BUTTONS FOR EVERYONE AT THE VBS INCLUDING ADULTS. FOR SOME UNKNOW REASON PICTURES OF ADULTS WOULD NOT APPEAR AFTER DOING SOME CROPPING. THE KIDS PICTURES CAME OUT FINE BUT THE ADULTS CAME OUT BLANK. LATER SHIRLEY PRAYED FROM MY COMPUTER.
4. THE BLACKHOLE BACKPACK: THINGS GO IN BUT I COULD NEVER FIND THEM. I COULD ONLY CONCLUDE THAT MY BACKPACK WAS A PORTAL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION OR I WAS LOSING MY MIND FROM LACK OF SLEEP.
5. COMMUNITY LIVING: I HAVE BEEN SO USE TO LIVING ALONE THAT IT WAS SOMEWHAT STRANGE LIVING TOGETHER IN“CLOSE” COMMUNITY, SHARING BATHROOMS (OR IN ONE CASE, BATHROOM) WITH EIGHT OTHER PEOPLE, WAITING IN LINE FOR A SHOWER, COOKING BREAKFAST IN LARGE QUANITIES, EATING TOGETHER, TOILET DROPS, LATE NIGHT DISCUSSIONS, SLEEPING IN THE SAME ROOM SIDE BY SIDE WITH TWO OTHER GUYS (THANK GOD FOR EARPLUGS AND BLINDFOLD. I WISH I COULD HAVE SUPPLIED TIM AND MATT WITH THE EARPLUGS BECAUSE OF MY SNORING), WATCHING THE WOMEN PUT ON THEIR MAKE-UP, MORNING DEVOTIONS TOGETHER (THANKYOU KELLY), , THE HORSEPLAY AMONG THE YOUNG GUYS AND ONE OLD GUY, LAUNDRY DAY AND HAVING YOUR LAUNDRY FOLDED AT THE FOOT OF YOUR FUTON, THANKS SHARON (TEAM MOM), THE CHAOS IN THE MORNING TRYING TO GET GOING ON TIME, WALKING TO THE TRAIN IN MASS, LATE NIGHT JAM SESSIONS OR EARLY MORNING JAM SESSIONS, EARLY MORNING QUIET TIME BEFORE EVERYONE IS GETS UP, TEAM MEETINGS, MAXING OUT A RAMEN SHOP, JUST ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY.
6.SPECIAL STORIES AND PICTURES: AS A TEACHER I DECIDED TO HAVE HOMEWORK FOR EXTRA CREDIT AND SPECIAL PRIZES. I ASKED THE CHILDREN WRITE ESSAYS OR DRAW PICTURES OF WHAT THEY WERE LEARNING. I RECEIVED MANY WONDERFUL STORIES, ESSAY AND PICTURES. THESE ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS ITEMS THAT I BROUGHT BACK FROM JAPAN.
7. EVERY YEAR THERE HAS BEEN A CHILD THAT HAS BEEN SPECIAL TO ME. THIS YEAR THERE WERE TWO BUT FOR OPPOSITE REASONS. ONE FOR SOME REASON TOOK A SHINE TO ME. CHIHO WAS VERY INDEPENDENT QUIET GIRL BUT WAS OUTGOING AND CONFIDENT. SHE WAS ONE OF THE ONLY CHILDREN WHO TOOK A TRAIN TO GET TO THE TMK VBS. I MADE IT A HABIT OF WALKING HER TO THE TRAIN STATION AFTER THE VBS AND PE @ THE PARK. AT FIRST SHE WOULD WALK QUICKLY TOWARD THE STATION AHEAD OF ME (AND USUALLY ELAINE) AND WOULD STOP AND WAVE SEVERAL TIMES AS SHE DESCENDED DOWN THE STAIRS AT THE TRAIN STATION. BUT THE LAST TIME AFTER DAY 4 AS WE WERE WALKING SHE TOOK MY HAND AND TOGETHER WE WALKED TO TRAIN STATION. THE OTHER WAS KIRIKO. SHE WAS “SHY’ AND RARELY TALK TO US. IN THE BEGINNING SHE WAS UNWILLING TO DO THE SINGING AND THE HAND MOTIONS OR EVEN SMILE BUT LATER BEGAN DO ALL THE MOTIONS. ALTHOUGH I THINK HER SHYNESS WAS MORE OF AN ACT, A KIND OF QUIET REBELLION, SHE STARTED TO WARM UP TO US. SHE WAS QUIET BUT SHE HAD A GOOD MIND AND ABSORBED ALL THE BIBLE STORIES AND TESTIMONIES. THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS WORKING IN HER. ON HER RESPONSE CARD SHE INDICATED SHE WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JESUS.
8. OF COURSE, I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE FOOD. SUSHI, SASHIMI, DENNY’S, RAMEN, BENTO, YAOKO’S, YAKITORI! FIVE POUNDS LATER. NEED I SAY MORE?
9. PE @ THE PARK WAS AN EXTRA, SOMETHING NEW THAT I THREW INTO THIS YEARS VBS. IT GAVE ME A CHANCE TO USE ONE OF MY GOD GIVEN TALENTS AND THIRTY YEARS OF TEACHING. I WAS EXPECTING JUST KELLY AND THE YOUNG GUYS TO HELP ME BUT EVERYONE ON THE TEAM CAME AND HELPED ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. AN UNANTICIPATED BLESSING, THE EXTRA BONDING TIME THAT MADE US ALL CLOSER, THE TEAM, THE CHILDREN, THEIR PARENTS AND THE MISSIONARIES.
10. THE TEAM: THE TEAM WAS GOD CHOSEN. THEY MADE MY JOB SO MUCH EASIER AND THEY SURPASSED MY GREATEST EXPECTATIONS. THE YOUNG PEOPLE, VINCY, MATT AND TIM, DID SUCH GREAT JOB WITH THE MUSIC, SONGS AND HAND MOTIONS AND THE YOU-TUBE VIDEO. THEIR ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM SET THE MOOD FOR THE WHOLE VBS. THE CHILDREN LOVED THE SONGS AND THE HAND MOTIONS AND ADORED THEM. THEIR DRAMA SKILLS AIDED IN THE CHILDREN UNDERSTANDING OF BIBLE TEACHINGS. SHARON AND SUSAN SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BIBLE STORIES AND CRAFTS. WHAT A GREAT COMBINATION! THEY SAW TO IT THAT THE CRAFT AND THE STORIES WERE WELL COORDINATED AND FUN. ELAINE AND KELLY HAD WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILTY. AS SHEPHERDS THEY HAD FRONT LINE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CHILDREN. ELAINE HAD THE SOFT TOUCH TO HANDLE EVEN THE YOUNGEST CHILDREN EVEN TWO RAMBUNTIOUS THREE YEAR OLDS. KELLY, JUST A BIG KID HIMSELF, HAS A KNACK FOR ENTERTAINING KIDS OF ALL AGES AND LEADING LARGE GROUPS OF KIDS. THE ONLY THING THAT SLOWS HIM DOWN IS A BAD KNEE WHICH MAY BE A GOOD THING, KEEPING HIM FROM GOING COMPLETELY JUVENILE. KELLY ALSO DID OUR DAILY DEVOTIONS AND PRAYER TIMES. MASAE, OUR TEAM INTERPETER, WATCHING HER WORK WITH THE STORYTELLERS WAS AWESOME TO SEE. SHE WORKED SEAMLESSLY WITH THE STORYTELLERS. HER EXPRESSION, ENTHUSIASM AND ABILITY TO ANTICIPATE WHAT WAS TO BE SAID MADE HER INVALUABLE AT TMK AND MUCH MISSED AT NOKENDAI. AND WITHOUT JANIS NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. SHE DID ALL THE BACKGROUND WORK, ALL THE ARRANGING AND UNFORTUNATEDLY MOST OF THE WORRYING SO THE REST OF US DIDN’T HAVE TO. THROUGH ALL OF JANIS’S EFFORT THE REST OF US WERE ABLE TO DO OUR JOBS MORE EFFECTIVELY. THIS TEAM WAS TRULY HAND PICKED AND BLESSED BY GOD.
11. LASTLY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR HOSTS WERE SUCH A BLESSING TO OUR TEAM. THE REASONERS, NAKAMURAS AND TOMURAS BENT OVER BACKWARDS TO ACCOMMODATE US AND SEE THAT ALL OUR NEEDS WERE MET AND THEN SOME. THE OLDER CHILDREN, ALISHA, BRANDON, ELIOT AND ELIZABETH, WERE OUR FRONTLINE HELPERS. THE YOUNGER ONES, HANNA AND KAYLA, WHO ATTENDED THE VBS WERE ABLE TO BE LEADERS, SHOWING THE NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS WHAT TO DO BY THEIR EXAMPLE. AT NOKENDAI, MANY OF THE CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED WERE THERE BECAUSE OF EMMA AND CLARA. THESE TWO PINTSIZE EVANGELIST INVITED MANY OF THEIR FRIENDS TO THE OUR VBS. THESE TWO GIRLS ESCORTED AND GUIDED US THROUGH JAPAN’S RAIL SYSTEM. AT TMK WE WERE CHAUFFEURED, COOKED FOR, SHOPPED FOR AND TOTALLY PAMPERED BY CHIEKO AND JON. THE SAME IN NOKENDAI, SHIRLEY AND KOICHI SEEING OUR FATIGUE OFFERED TO DRIVES US THE LAST TWO DAYS OF VBS. WE WERE ALSO PROVIDED WITH DINNER AND WERE INVITED TO EMMA’S BIRTHDAY PARTY. WE, I, FELT REALLY SPECIAL AND WELL LOOK AFTER. GOD TRULY USED THEM TO SEE TO OUR NEEDS. THEIR ON-GOING DEVOTION TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE HAS INSPIRED ME TO RETURN, GOD WILLING. ALSO THE PARENT AND ADULT HELPERS WERE AMAZING. INTERPRETING, SERVING SNACK, HELPING WITH CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND HELPING WHEREEVER POSSIBLE WITHOUT BEING ASKED.
A TALE OF TWO WOMEN OF GOD:
LOOKING BACK, OUR HOSTS, CHIEKO AND SHIRLEY, SHARE AND SHARED MUCH IN COMMON. BOTH ARE DEEPLY DEVOTED TO GOD AND THEIR MINISTRY. THEY ARE THE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC, POSITIVE, CARING, CHARMING, INTERESTING AND FUN PEOPLE TO BE AROUND. I CAN STILL HEAR SHILEY’S LAUGH ECHOING THROUGH MY MIND AND THE IMAGE OF CHIEKO DOWN ON THE FLOOR BEING ATTACK BY AN IMAGINARY SHARK IN A VBS GAME. HOW SHE SCREAMED (VERY CONVINCINGLY I MIGHT ADD) AS SHE WAS SLOWLY PULLED BENEATH THE WATER (PARACHUTE). HOW THEY DID SO MANY THINGS FOR US TO MAKE OUR STAY MEMORABLE AND COMFORTABLE. YOU MIGHT THINK THAT NOT SO UNUSUAL BUT BOTH RECENTLY HAD DEVASTATING LOSSES IN THEIR LIVES. ON RETURNING TO THE U.S. I ATTENDED MY SMALL GROUP. WE JUST HAPPEN TO BE STUDYING MATTHEW 14 WHERE JESUS WAS MOURNING THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. HOW HE WANTED TO GET AWAY AND BE IN SECLUSION AS HE OFTEN DID. BUT HIS MINISTRY DIDN’T LET HIM. JUST LIKE JESUS THESE TWO WOMEN OVERCAME THEIR GRIEF TO MINISTER TO US. THEY PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LIKE TO HAVE A QUIET SUMMER TO GRIEVE BUT FOR US AND THEIR LOVE FOR THE JAPANESE PEOPLE THEY JUMPED RIGHT BACK INTO THEIR MINISTRY TO DO GOD’S WORK. I HOPE AFTER WE LEFT THEY COULD FIND THAT SOLITUDE AND PEACE THAT JESUS ALSO LOOK FOR AFTER A LOSS.
1. PRAYER: PRAYER WAS KEY TO OUR TRIP, BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER. WE WOULD START OFF EVERY MORNING WITH GROUP PRAYER WHEN WE COULD. (THANKS KELLY) I KNOW FOR SURE OUR HOST PRAYED CONTINUALLY FOR US. SHIRLEY’S PRAYER OF GOOD WEATHER FOR OUR TIME IN JAPAN ESPECIALLY FOR THE OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES LIKE PE IN THE PARK. WE HAD A LITTLE RAIN HERE AND THERE BUT TO NO CONSEQUENCE. I HAD TRAINED FOR THE HOT WEATHER BUT WAS SURPRISE THAT IT ONLY GOT OVER 90 DEGREES ON THE DAY WE ARRIVED. MOST OF THE TIME IT WAS IN THE HIGH 70’S TO MID 80’S WHILE YOU IN SEATTLE BROILED IN 100+ DEGREE HEAT. ALL THE RAIN, TYPHOON AND EARTHQUAKES HAPPENED AFTER WE LEFT. SUCH GOOD HOSTS! THANKYOU REASONERS, NAKAYAMAS AND TAMURAS.
2.IN TOKOROZAWA WE WERE TREATED TO CHAUFFEURED CAR RIDES TO AND FROM SEND CENTER. THAT WAS AN ADVENTURE IN ITSELF. ZIPPING DOWN THESE NARROWS ROADS WITH CARS PASSING INCHES FROM EACH OTHER. ANYONE RIDING “SHOT GUN” WOULD FLINCH AT CARS, WALLS TELEPHONE POST WHEN A COLLISION SEEMED EMINENT. I MUST APPLAUD THE JAPANESE DRIVERS AND JON AND CHIEKO FOR THEIR DRIVING SKILLS AND THEIR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE INGENUITY TO SEE AROUND CORNERS. THEY HAVE INSTALLED MIRRORS AT ALL THE BLIND CORNERS AND CURVES.
3. POSESSED COMPUTER: MY COMPUTER WAS THE MAIN COMPUTER FOR RUNNING THE SONGS AND GRAPHICS FOR THE VBS AND STORED MANY OF THE PICTURES AND VIDEO WE TOOK. IT SEEMED AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE TIMES IT WOULD GO NUTS ON ME. ONE DAY AT TMK THIS HAPPENED BUT LUCKILY WE HAD MATT WHO PLAYED ALL THE VBS SONGS ON THE PIANO. THANKS MATT, YOU’RE AWESOME! ALSO FOR THE STRANGEST THING HAPPENED AS I WAS MAKING PICTURE BUTTONS FOR EVERYONE AT THE VBS INCLUDING ADULTS. FOR SOME UNKNOW REASON PICTURES OF ADULTS WOULD NOT APPEAR AFTER DOING SOME CROPPING. THE KIDS PICTURES CAME OUT FINE BUT THE ADULTS CAME OUT BLANK. LATER SHIRLEY PRAYED FROM MY COMPUTER.
4. THE BLACKHOLE BACKPACK: THINGS GO IN BUT I COULD NEVER FIND THEM. I COULD ONLY CONCLUDE THAT MY BACKPACK WAS A PORTAL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION OR I WAS LOSING MY MIND FROM LACK OF SLEEP.
5. COMMUNITY LIVING: I HAVE BEEN SO USE TO LIVING ALONE THAT IT WAS SOMEWHAT STRANGE LIVING TOGETHER IN“CLOSE” COMMUNITY, SHARING BATHROOMS (OR IN ONE CASE, BATHROOM) WITH EIGHT OTHER PEOPLE, WAITING IN LINE FOR A SHOWER, COOKING BREAKFAST IN LARGE QUANITIES, EATING TOGETHER, TOILET DROPS, LATE NIGHT DISCUSSIONS, SLEEPING IN THE SAME ROOM SIDE BY SIDE WITH TWO OTHER GUYS (THANK GOD FOR EARPLUGS AND BLINDFOLD. I WISH I COULD HAVE SUPPLIED TIM AND MATT WITH THE EARPLUGS BECAUSE OF MY SNORING), WATCHING THE WOMEN PUT ON THEIR MAKE-UP, MORNING DEVOTIONS TOGETHER (THANKYOU KELLY), , THE HORSEPLAY AMONG THE YOUNG GUYS AND ONE OLD GUY, LAUNDRY DAY AND HAVING YOUR LAUNDRY FOLDED AT THE FOOT OF YOUR FUTON, THANKS SHARON (TEAM MOM), THE CHAOS IN THE MORNING TRYING TO GET GOING ON TIME, WALKING TO THE TRAIN IN MASS, LATE NIGHT JAM SESSIONS OR EARLY MORNING JAM SESSIONS, EARLY MORNING QUIET TIME BEFORE EVERYONE IS GETS UP, TEAM MEETINGS, MAXING OUT A RAMEN SHOP, JUST ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY.
6.SPECIAL STORIES AND PICTURES: AS A TEACHER I DECIDED TO HAVE HOMEWORK FOR EXTRA CREDIT AND SPECIAL PRIZES. I ASKED THE CHILDREN WRITE ESSAYS OR DRAW PICTURES OF WHAT THEY WERE LEARNING. I RECEIVED MANY WONDERFUL STORIES, ESSAY AND PICTURES. THESE ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS ITEMS THAT I BROUGHT BACK FROM JAPAN.
7. EVERY YEAR THERE HAS BEEN A CHILD THAT HAS BEEN SPECIAL TO ME. THIS YEAR THERE WERE TWO BUT FOR OPPOSITE REASONS. ONE FOR SOME REASON TOOK A SHINE TO ME. CHIHO WAS VERY INDEPENDENT QUIET GIRL BUT WAS OUTGOING AND CONFIDENT. SHE WAS ONE OF THE ONLY CHILDREN WHO TOOK A TRAIN TO GET TO THE TMK VBS. I MADE IT A HABIT OF WALKING HER TO THE TRAIN STATION AFTER THE VBS AND PE @ THE PARK. AT FIRST SHE WOULD WALK QUICKLY TOWARD THE STATION AHEAD OF ME (AND USUALLY ELAINE) AND WOULD STOP AND WAVE SEVERAL TIMES AS SHE DESCENDED DOWN THE STAIRS AT THE TRAIN STATION. BUT THE LAST TIME AFTER DAY 4 AS WE WERE WALKING SHE TOOK MY HAND AND TOGETHER WE WALKED TO TRAIN STATION. THE OTHER WAS KIRIKO. SHE WAS “SHY’ AND RARELY TALK TO US. IN THE BEGINNING SHE WAS UNWILLING TO DO THE SINGING AND THE HAND MOTIONS OR EVEN SMILE BUT LATER BEGAN DO ALL THE MOTIONS. ALTHOUGH I THINK HER SHYNESS WAS MORE OF AN ACT, A KIND OF QUIET REBELLION, SHE STARTED TO WARM UP TO US. SHE WAS QUIET BUT SHE HAD A GOOD MIND AND ABSORBED ALL THE BIBLE STORIES AND TESTIMONIES. THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS WORKING IN HER. ON HER RESPONSE CARD SHE INDICATED SHE WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JESUS.
8. OF COURSE, I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE FOOD. SUSHI, SASHIMI, DENNY’S, RAMEN, BENTO, YAOKO’S, YAKITORI! FIVE POUNDS LATER. NEED I SAY MORE?
9. PE @ THE PARK WAS AN EXTRA, SOMETHING NEW THAT I THREW INTO THIS YEARS VBS. IT GAVE ME A CHANCE TO USE ONE OF MY GOD GIVEN TALENTS AND THIRTY YEARS OF TEACHING. I WAS EXPECTING JUST KELLY AND THE YOUNG GUYS TO HELP ME BUT EVERYONE ON THE TEAM CAME AND HELPED ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. AN UNANTICIPATED BLESSING, THE EXTRA BONDING TIME THAT MADE US ALL CLOSER, THE TEAM, THE CHILDREN, THEIR PARENTS AND THE MISSIONARIES.
10. THE TEAM: THE TEAM WAS GOD CHOSEN. THEY MADE MY JOB SO MUCH EASIER AND THEY SURPASSED MY GREATEST EXPECTATIONS. THE YOUNG PEOPLE, VINCY, MATT AND TIM, DID SUCH GREAT JOB WITH THE MUSIC, SONGS AND HAND MOTIONS AND THE YOU-TUBE VIDEO. THEIR ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM SET THE MOOD FOR THE WHOLE VBS. THE CHILDREN LOVED THE SONGS AND THE HAND MOTIONS AND ADORED THEM. THEIR DRAMA SKILLS AIDED IN THE CHILDREN UNDERSTANDING OF BIBLE TEACHINGS. SHARON AND SUSAN SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BIBLE STORIES AND CRAFTS. WHAT A GREAT COMBINATION! THEY SAW TO IT THAT THE CRAFT AND THE STORIES WERE WELL COORDINATED AND FUN. ELAINE AND KELLY HAD WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILTY. AS SHEPHERDS THEY HAD FRONT LINE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CHILDREN. ELAINE HAD THE SOFT TOUCH TO HANDLE EVEN THE YOUNGEST CHILDREN EVEN TWO RAMBUNTIOUS THREE YEAR OLDS. KELLY, JUST A BIG KID HIMSELF, HAS A KNACK FOR ENTERTAINING KIDS OF ALL AGES AND LEADING LARGE GROUPS OF KIDS. THE ONLY THING THAT SLOWS HIM DOWN IS A BAD KNEE WHICH MAY BE A GOOD THING, KEEPING HIM FROM GOING COMPLETELY JUVENILE. KELLY ALSO DID OUR DAILY DEVOTIONS AND PRAYER TIMES. MASAE, OUR TEAM INTERPETER, WATCHING HER WORK WITH THE STORYTELLERS WAS AWESOME TO SEE. SHE WORKED SEAMLESSLY WITH THE STORYTELLERS. HER EXPRESSION, ENTHUSIASM AND ABILITY TO ANTICIPATE WHAT WAS TO BE SAID MADE HER INVALUABLE AT TMK AND MUCH MISSED AT NOKENDAI. AND WITHOUT JANIS NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. SHE DID ALL THE BACKGROUND WORK, ALL THE ARRANGING AND UNFORTUNATEDLY MOST OF THE WORRYING SO THE REST OF US DIDN’T HAVE TO. THROUGH ALL OF JANIS’S EFFORT THE REST OF US WERE ABLE TO DO OUR JOBS MORE EFFECTIVELY. THIS TEAM WAS TRULY HAND PICKED AND BLESSED BY GOD.
11. LASTLY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR HOSTS WERE SUCH A BLESSING TO OUR TEAM. THE REASONERS, NAKAMURAS AND TOMURAS BENT OVER BACKWARDS TO ACCOMMODATE US AND SEE THAT ALL OUR NEEDS WERE MET AND THEN SOME. THE OLDER CHILDREN, ALISHA, BRANDON, ELIOT AND ELIZABETH, WERE OUR FRONTLINE HELPERS. THE YOUNGER ONES, HANNA AND KAYLA, WHO ATTENDED THE VBS WERE ABLE TO BE LEADERS, SHOWING THE NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS WHAT TO DO BY THEIR EXAMPLE. AT NOKENDAI, MANY OF THE CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED WERE THERE BECAUSE OF EMMA AND CLARA. THESE TWO PINTSIZE EVANGELIST INVITED MANY OF THEIR FRIENDS TO THE OUR VBS. THESE TWO GIRLS ESCORTED AND GUIDED US THROUGH JAPAN’S RAIL SYSTEM. AT TMK WE WERE CHAUFFEURED, COOKED FOR, SHOPPED FOR AND TOTALLY PAMPERED BY CHIEKO AND JON. THE SAME IN NOKENDAI, SHIRLEY AND KOICHI SEEING OUR FATIGUE OFFERED TO DRIVES US THE LAST TWO DAYS OF VBS. WE WERE ALSO PROVIDED WITH DINNER AND WERE INVITED TO EMMA’S BIRTHDAY PARTY. WE, I, FELT REALLY SPECIAL AND WELL LOOK AFTER. GOD TRULY USED THEM TO SEE TO OUR NEEDS. THEIR ON-GOING DEVOTION TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE HAS INSPIRED ME TO RETURN, GOD WILLING. ALSO THE PARENT AND ADULT HELPERS WERE AMAZING. INTERPRETING, SERVING SNACK, HELPING WITH CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND HELPING WHEREEVER POSSIBLE WITHOUT BEING ASKED.
A TALE OF TWO WOMEN OF GOD:
LOOKING BACK, OUR HOSTS, CHIEKO AND SHIRLEY, SHARE AND SHARED MUCH IN COMMON. BOTH ARE DEEPLY DEVOTED TO GOD AND THEIR MINISTRY. THEY ARE THE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC, POSITIVE, CARING, CHARMING, INTERESTING AND FUN PEOPLE TO BE AROUND. I CAN STILL HEAR SHILEY’S LAUGH ECHOING THROUGH MY MIND AND THE IMAGE OF CHIEKO DOWN ON THE FLOOR BEING ATTACK BY AN IMAGINARY SHARK IN A VBS GAME. HOW SHE SCREAMED (VERY CONVINCINGLY I MIGHT ADD) AS SHE WAS SLOWLY PULLED BENEATH THE WATER (PARACHUTE). HOW THEY DID SO MANY THINGS FOR US TO MAKE OUR STAY MEMORABLE AND COMFORTABLE. YOU MIGHT THINK THAT NOT SO UNUSUAL BUT BOTH RECENTLY HAD DEVASTATING LOSSES IN THEIR LIVES. ON RETURNING TO THE U.S. I ATTENDED MY SMALL GROUP. WE JUST HAPPEN TO BE STUDYING MATTHEW 14 WHERE JESUS WAS MOURNING THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. HOW HE WANTED TO GET AWAY AND BE IN SECLUSION AS HE OFTEN DID. BUT HIS MINISTRY DIDN’T LET HIM. JUST LIKE JESUS THESE TWO WOMEN OVERCAME THEIR GRIEF TO MINISTER TO US. THEY PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LIKE TO HAVE A QUIET SUMMER TO GRIEVE BUT FOR US AND THEIR LOVE FOR THE JAPANESE PEOPLE THEY JUMPED RIGHT BACK INTO THEIR MINISTRY TO DO GOD’S WORK. I HOPE AFTER WE LEFT THEY COULD FIND THAT SOLITUDE AND PEACE THAT JESUS ALSO LOOK FOR AFTER A LOSS.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Matt: "My Very Last Blog...AHHH!!!!!!"
Well hello there! It's been a while, hasn't it?! I would just like to take this time to thank all of you for reading the blogs! It has been a pleasure sharing about my experiences in Japan, the amazing food, my weird rambling problem, and not-so-funny-jokes. (Haha...okay, no...) And now that I'm home, I've had time to think about what's happened.
God really blessed me on this past trip. It was a challenge to leave my family and friends for two weeks; it really made me rely on God that much more. The Lord truly revealed himself to be a sovereign, loving, and gracious God. He NEVER let me down.
I suppose that a mission trip is something one can never fully process. A lot happens and a lot changes in a person. Jesus opened my eyes to the darkness of Japan and the world. He's shown me that I have a heart for Japan and the people there. I know this wasn't my last trip to Japan. It was my honor to serve him.
I still remember my first time on the train; it felt dark and empty. The people looked lifeless and tired. It is that image that inspires and motivates me to minister to these people. If we won't, who will?
I will probably write more later...or maybe not... No more food to blog about...that's no fun...oh well... There's always next year! ;)
- Matt
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Susan - I missed Japan!
It's been 6 days since we've returned home from Japan and my internal clock is finally back to West Coast time! Although I'm happy to be back home sleeping on my comfortable bed and having the luxury of the bathroom all to myself, I missed waking up to the sound of someone making breakfast and the tapping noise of someone using the laptop. I missed the team! most of all I missed Japan and all the kids who came to VBS. One thing I don't miss is the mosquitos bites! I swelled up like a balloon for a few days, and the bad news, Shirley told me that the mosquito bites only gets worse each time I come back... I wondered why?
Before and during the trip, I had doubts about whether I should be a part of the Japan mission team. I wondered whether I was heeding to God calling me to go to Japan, or was I heeding to my heart's desires to go? So I prayed about it. Two things had to happen in order for me to go. First, the original date the team was set to leave conflicted with my work schedule. Then the original date fell thru because the Reasoner's were going to be out of town the same week the JMT was going to be in Tokorozawa, so the date was bumped up a week earlier, yeah for me! Second, I had to ask for time off from work which wasn't going to be easy because, one, I had a fairly new manager who was still learning his job, and two, I will be leaving during the most critical time in the company's accounting cycle. Again I prayed and God opened the way for me to go. Nothing is impossible for God, if it's His will, He will make a way!
Satan was at work again filling my thoughts with doubts about being called to serve on JMT. At first I didn't realized this was a spiritual attack until now as I'm writing this, otherwise I would have prayed against Satan's attack. But I did share about my doubts with some of the team members, so they must have been praying for me. As I see the smiling faces on the children and their eagerness to learn more about God, my doubt began to fade away. It wasn't unil our final debriefing at the Tamara's that my doubt had toally vanquished. Kohichi, shared with the team the responses from the kids and moms who attended VBS. I was so overjoyed to hear that the majority of the children wanted to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, even the moms said "yes" to Jesus! That was the best news ever!! I'm sure all the heavenly beings was shouting with joy over this.
I wish I could stay longer in Japan to help the Tamara's with the follow-up's. I'm praying that God would open the door for me to stay longer in Japan to help with the harvest and that He would provide workers to help the Tamara's, Reasoner's, and Nakamura's family to further His Kingdom.
Before and during the trip, I had doubts about whether I should be a part of the Japan mission team. I wondered whether I was heeding to God calling me to go to Japan, or was I heeding to my heart's desires to go? So I prayed about it. Two things had to happen in order for me to go. First, the original date the team was set to leave conflicted with my work schedule. Then the original date fell thru because the Reasoner's were going to be out of town the same week the JMT was going to be in Tokorozawa, so the date was bumped up a week earlier, yeah for me! Second, I had to ask for time off from work which wasn't going to be easy because, one, I had a fairly new manager who was still learning his job, and two, I will be leaving during the most critical time in the company's accounting cycle. Again I prayed and God opened the way for me to go. Nothing is impossible for God, if it's His will, He will make a way!
Satan was at work again filling my thoughts with doubts about being called to serve on JMT. At first I didn't realized this was a spiritual attack until now as I'm writing this, otherwise I would have prayed against Satan's attack. But I did share about my doubts with some of the team members, so they must have been praying for me. As I see the smiling faces on the children and their eagerness to learn more about God, my doubt began to fade away. It wasn't unil our final debriefing at the Tamara's that my doubt had toally vanquished. Kohichi, shared with the team the responses from the kids and moms who attended VBS. I was so overjoyed to hear that the majority of the children wanted to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, even the moms said "yes" to Jesus! That was the best news ever!! I'm sure all the heavenly beings was shouting with joy over this.
I wish I could stay longer in Japan to help the Tamara's with the follow-up's. I'm praying that God would open the door for me to stay longer in Japan to help with the harvest and that He would provide workers to help the Tamara's, Reasoner's, and Nakamura's family to further His Kingdom.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Vincy in Seattle!
Hello everyone! I'm back in Seattle. My time is so messed up right now. But I already miss Japan! I am sort of glad that I'm out of Japan too. I heard all the rain is there and the wind and the earthquake... I feel bad for them. While it is so rainey and humid in Japan, it is so cool over here. I do miss the VBS team though. I miss the condo too, though it is nice to sleep in my own room too. The VBS was a great turnout, for both we all had alot of fun. They all loved the VBS. I'll never forget this trip. We all made it to church too. So much for sleeping in. Well in'till next year, bye-bye!
Vincy
2009 Japan Mission Team
Vincy
2009 Japan Mission Team
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Janis - now for some fun of our own
Tom had the VBS kids play a 4-way "Tug of War". Here, the 4 BIG VBS KIDS play...
If you watch closely, Kohichi's socks do him in while Matt wins early...
If you watch closely, Kohichi's socks do him in while Matt wins early...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Shirley: Sunday after NBF
I feel vindicated. It is raining today. There is typhoon coming to this area tonight. There is flash flooding in our area as well, affecting Saitama, near the SEND center, and slowly moving down towards us in Yokoahama/Nokendai and Yokosuka. Is our God the greatest or what?! Praise His Holy Name! I told you I was not kidding about rain and bad weather for last week. The Lord post-poned it one week for us so we could have a nice VBS and PE at the Park outside. We also had one of the longest earthquakes we have felt in a long time. Hope it did not stop the shinkansen, bullet train, that Kelly and Sharon are on right now to Nagoya.
Service was very nice today, 13 adults and 7 children. We did a recap of last week's bible stories with Sharon-sensei and we learned Romans 10:9, the hard version, to reinforce the VBS song "You Will Be Saved". Kohichi is doing a series on the book of James right now, but is explaining the relevant stories of the Old Testament starting with Abraham to give new people enough background about what James is teaching.
All in all, a very good Sunday, and an extra blessing to have Kelly and Sharon in service with us. Hope you all have a good Sunday at LCC this morning, also.
Service was very nice today, 13 adults and 7 children. We did a recap of last week's bible stories with Sharon-sensei and we learned Romans 10:9, the hard version, to reinforce the VBS song "You Will Be Saved". Kohichi is doing a series on the book of James right now, but is explaining the relevant stories of the Old Testament starting with Abraham to give new people enough background about what James is teaching.
All in all, a very good Sunday, and an extra blessing to have Kelly and Sharon in service with us. Hope you all have a good Sunday at LCC this morning, also.
Tom: We're Back!!!
I just got back to my home in Renton, WA. Thanks Gary for the ride and thankyou for all those friends who came to the airport and welcomed us back. I already miss Japan. It's cold here in WA. I miss the warm and even humidity of Japan. Oddly enough I miss the commotion of all the people (family) around 24/7. (24/14!) We had an amazing VBS. 10 days of VBS, 3 days of travel and 1 day total of rest. What a team! Even tired and hot they came through without complaining. We even had extended VBS days, 4 PE @ the Park Days at TMK, 2 PE @ the Park Days, 1 pizza luncheon and a nursing home visit at Nokendai.
I am going over the pictures and video of then two weeks. There were so many special times during the two weeks. Watching both sets of children singing their hearts out and doing the hand motions. The PE @ the Park were special but the most special day for me was "Teach the Teacher Day". Here the TMK children were to show me and the others some of activities they've learned at their school. A group of 5th graders perform stunts and routines that they performed on their sports day.
Another new wrinkle this year is that we asked for essays or stories of what they are learning at VBS. Many children wrote stories or drew pictures of the thing they learned and experienced. They have been very creative and heart-warming. One girl named Rei wrote all by herself, "At day 3 we talked about that Jesus asked all of his friends, "Who am I?" Petro (Peter) know that he is a Son of God. I really know that he can make a miracle. I need to believe that Jesus alive from it's death." She attends a international school so she know more English than most of the children.
"Fish" by Yu and Shu-On "Cicadas" by Sara
"Fishing" by Yuzuki
I am going over the pictures and video of then two weeks. There were so many special times during the two weeks. Watching both sets of children singing their hearts out and doing the hand motions. The PE @ the Park were special but the most special day for me was "Teach the Teacher Day". Here the TMK children were to show me and the others some of activities they've learned at their school. A group of 5th graders perform stunts and routines that they performed on their sports day.
Another new wrinkle this year is that we asked for essays or stories of what they are learning at VBS. Many children wrote stories or drew pictures of the thing they learned and experienced. They have been very creative and heart-warming. One girl named Rei wrote all by herself, "At day 3 we talked about that Jesus asked all of his friends, "Who am I?" Petro (Peter) know that he is a Son of God. I really know that he can make a miracle. I need to believe that Jesus alive from it's death." She attends a international school so she know more English than most of the children.
"Fish" by Yu and Shu-On "Cicadas" by Sara
"Fishing" by Yuzuki
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Kelly - Reflections...
Sharon and I said our Good-byes to the rest of the team about 12 hours ago. In fact they should be landing in Seattle in about 3 hours now. After spending 2 weeks in close (and then closer) quarters with JMT09, you'd think I'd be happy to be enjoying the Tamura's condo here with just my wife...(well I am but...) it's reeeeaaaaaly quiet, and honestly, I miss them. What, you're wondering what Sharon and I are still doing here? Well, let's just say God has His own set of plans for the next few days that Sharon and I have been blessed with. In short, I got to spend the day here in Nokendai with Sharon's dad's cousin and his wife. (huh, what does that make his relationship to us you wonder, well, don't ask me, just keep readng...) They live only 20 min. further down the same train line we've been riding every day. He and his wife are christians and regularly attend a christian church(s) up in Yokohama. Now, since Sharon and I will be planning on staying here for the NBF worship time here tomorrow, they will also be coming to NBF to join us after heir worship service up in Yokohama! Hopefully new opportunities for local support will open.
Sharon and I have been having some wonderful conversations and relections about the past two weeks... and now that I'm tired I really wish I had jotted them down cause I can't seem to remember what all we talked about...
I do wish the team could still be here. I think it's wonderful we supported NBF during the week, but I truely feel that if we stayed (as a team) for the Sunday service, we could have had success this year getting some of the kids (and maybe even moms) to come to the Sunday service - and to me that would be a huge victory! That would apply to the TMK as well. Not staying for the Sunday Service to me is one thing I would vote to change for next year.
Ok, tired, sad, but at peace...
Sharon and I have been having some wonderful conversations and relections about the past two weeks... and now that I'm tired I really wish I had jotted them down cause I can't seem to remember what all we talked about...
I do wish the team could still be here. I think it's wonderful we supported NBF during the week, but I truely feel that if we stayed (as a team) for the Sunday service, we could have had success this year getting some of the kids (and maybe even moms) to come to the Sunday service - and to me that would be a huge victory! That would apply to the TMK as well. Not staying for the Sunday Service to me is one thing I would vote to change for next year.
Ok, tired, sad, but at peace...
Shirley: Going Home
Leaving for the Keikyu train. We missed the 10:23, but caught the one after that.
Our job is not done until we get everyone safely on the bus with all their luggage, which is always easier said than done! But today, all went well, and we made the 11:40 YCAT bus to Narita airport with 20 minutes to spare, Praise God!
Here they are on the limousine bus to Narita. We watched as they pulled out of the terminal and turned onto the street that takes them onto the highway. I do not like saying "good-bye". I like the French way of saying "Au Revoir", until we see you again. Praying for a smooth, uneventful flight and lots of natural non-drug induced sleep!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Shirley: Day 5 and no rain all week!
By the grace of God, we made it through a(nother) week of VBS at NBF! We send them back to you in Seattle, still healthy, but maybe just a bit fatigued. We are thankful for the chance to serve together and pray that these few days were enough to plant seeds for a grand harvest! We know the end game already; we are on the offensive, not the defensive! We claim each soul for Jesus and pray we may be faithful stewards of our part in God's plan to win back what is rightfully His and His alone. God has been so good to all of us and has answered our prayers in so many amazing and tangible ways.
I love our group pictures in the park. We forgot to take one last year. Our stats for the week were not as bad as I first thought. I forgot to count a few kids, including Amelia!
Mon-13
Tue-15
Wed-16
Thu-19
Fri-16
This is actually pretty consistent with last year's attendance, 2 fewer children than last year's high. Not that numbers matter all that much, but it is encouraging to know that there are still enough kids interested enough to keep coming year after year, and new kids to replace older children who have moved on to 6th grade or higher.
Our comment cards indicated that all except for a few children want to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! We are stunned by the general consensus and will follow up with each of them in the coming days. We need to remember to ask a question about baptism next time and also, perhaps, to provide an opportunity to be baptized by one of our rotating pastors during the last closing program that hopefully also coincides with a Sunday NBF service.
We know God is doing a great work in the hearts of each person He brought to our VBS program this year, both young and old. I think the program had an impact on the mothers too, who were helping us during the week.
Praise God for a really blessed week of actitivies and fun. We pray for a safe trip back to Seattle tomorrow! Thank you for sending us this wonderful team. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for coming to serve with us! We hope to see all of you again on our side of the world very soon! God speed and God bless you all!
Matt: "Wait, We Leave Tomorrow? That's Just Not Right..."
It's been a while since I've blogged...my team members, however, have stepped it up - oh so proud of them!I can't believe today was the last day of VBS. Over the week, I've had the privilege of watching these kids grow day by day. I remember the first day: the kids would not do the motions to the songs, would not sing, would not smile very much, and didn't look particularly happy to be there...I was kind of discouraged. God changed that and changed that quickly. When we do music, I can hear the kids sing and shout and see them do the motions! Their smiles are bright with joy and I can easily tell that they're having fun. THANK YOU, LORD! When we prayed for calmer kids, you answered us. When we prayed for no rain, you answered us. When we prayed for our restoration, you answered us. You have always been there, Lord. Thank you for everything; we came here to serve you.
So much happened in the time I didn't blog! I can't remember everything! (My parents are probably thinking..."I'm glad, son...")
The past two days, the Tamura's have been gracious to give us rides to the center. As much as I like taking the train (where strange men ask me for a sip of my CC Lemon drink), I was happy to ride in the air-conditioned car (where we don't have to walk...you just don't walk in cars...that would be wrong.)
(FINISH BLOG LATER!!! DINNER!!!)
AND I'm back...good dinner...Denny's...I ate two dishes...this spaghetti-egg-bacon-thing and a sandwich. (Sooo much better than American Denny's...)
Back to the VBS... We set-up, prayed, and went to work. Some of the kids gave us gifts to say goodbye... It was sooo nice. =) I'm going to miss them so much... It's so helpful for me to see how we've made some difference in these kids' lives. For me personally, it shows me why God called me here to Japan. I praise the Lord for that.
Saying goodbye was sooo hard... As we were leaving, some of the kids kept following so they could wave to us. (I hate goodbyes...it'd be nice if we could just say goodbye to people without saying goodbye...okay, so that made no sense...oh well...)
After dinner, we debriefed with the Tamura's and prayed. I can't believe we're leaving them too! Ahhh!!!!!!! I really do miss home, though. I really miss my family. (BTW, are you guys gonna be there to get me at the airport? Like, all FIVE of you? Are all five of you even reading my blogs??? I MISS YOU GUYS!!!)
------(Sorry, I just turned the blog into an email to my family...oops...)
I'm tired! The trip's been amazing. I've seen God do so many amazing things this trip. He has renewed me and revealed himself in many incredible ways. I love the Lord so much.
(Don't worry, this isn't my last blog! ;) We still have "closing blogs" when we get back...)
Gotta pack; we leave the condo at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning. I plan on revisiting Tylenol PM again...should help with the jet-lag... G2G! Thanks for reading!
Blessings,
Mat Sekijima
Janis is sad but confident in God
Well we just finished our last day of VBS(es) and we're all now sad. It took us, the kids and the mothers about 90mins to say Goodbye to each other. And many of the kids we so sweet, that they gave us hand-made "Thank you" cards and gifts. We're all so very touched.
So now, we're back in the condo, some of us are now shopping. Me, I'm getting tired right now, as I'm typing this now. A very emotional day.
At the end of today, the Tamuras handed out a feedback cards for all the children and mothers and volunteers to fill out. Shirley just told me that many said they want to believe in Jesus!!
I was honored to give my testimony today - better yet, I did it without ballin' my eyes out! As I was leaving today, Mrs Pagnotta approached me to say Goodbye and told me how touched she and the other mothers were by my story. When I heard that I knew yet again, God wanted and needed me here. Despite my swollen ankles, my tired body, and sleepiness, God is using me to share his gospel. Because the story I told was not mine, but God's story. He just used me as the vehicle to share His love and glory.
The adrenaline is wearing off... want sleep and food... Get to go to Denny's tonight! And I"m not being sarcastic.... Denny's is great here!
See you at home tomorrow!
I plan to be at Sunday service the next day!
janis
So now, we're back in the condo, some of us are now shopping. Me, I'm getting tired right now, as I'm typing this now. A very emotional day.
At the end of today, the Tamuras handed out a feedback cards for all the children and mothers and volunteers to fill out. Shirley just told me that many said they want to believe in Jesus!!
I was honored to give my testimony today - better yet, I did it without ballin' my eyes out! As I was leaving today, Mrs Pagnotta approached me to say Goodbye and told me how touched she and the other mothers were by my story. When I heard that I knew yet again, God wanted and needed me here. Despite my swollen ankles, my tired body, and sleepiness, God is using me to share his gospel. Because the story I told was not mine, but God's story. He just used me as the vehicle to share His love and glory.
The adrenaline is wearing off... want sleep and food... Get to go to Denny's tonight! And I"m not being sarcastic.... Denny's is great here!
See you at home tomorrow!
I plan to be at Sunday service the next day!
janis
Almost in Seattle again...
Today is the last full day in Japan... The kids have alot of fun and they have alot of energy too. We have our hands full right now. At bible story when Ms. Susan asked if they belived in Jesus all the little kids raised their hand. It was so cute! Today will be the last day and tommorow we will be leaving... I don't want to leave but if I feel a God Calling for next year I will go. All the mothers are like "Come Back!". Emma and Clara don't want us to go too! Right now it is 4:18 PM in Seattle and 8:20 AM in Japan. I've got to go now! See you in Seattle!
Vincy in Japan
2009 Japan Mission Team =D
Vincy in Japan
2009 Japan Mission Team =D
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Shirley: Day 4-NO Rain, Hurray
Our God is an awesome God; He reigns so it does not rain if He so chooses. Praise His Holy Name!
For those who just checked-in and want to know why I keep talking about rain, it is because THUNDERSTORMS were forecast for this week, with the rain letting up by Sunday, August 9th! The fact that it just drizzled just one day and has been clear since is nothing short of miraculous. God does answer prayers and He sure has great timing as well!
I think the fatigue is setting in for everyone. Kohichi noticed how exhausted everyone looked, so we drove everyone up to the center today in 2 cars. We left much later than the team usually leaves, but they were set up in no time and we still arrived and were ready before the first participants arrived. A couple of children still come very early, before 9:30AM every day!
The Challenge
So, is it possible for Japanese children to learn 4 English-language songs in just a few days?! The answer is a resounding, YES, YES and YES! Who says elementary school kids cannot learn English that quickly, hm???????? I think all of us set the bar too low when it comes to young children. They are capable of soooooo much more than we think.
The kids are taking the CD's home and listening to them, some listen and practice in the car, little Sara and Amelia, both aged 3, are so good at the first two songs already, "SonRock Kids Camp" and "I'm Keepin My Eyes on Jesus". They both know the hand motions well which is amazing to me.
Story & Crafts
I loved today's story with the live actors, namely Tim, Matt and Vincy. Today's bible story was about "forgiveness" and was based on Peter's denial before Jesus' crucifixtion and reinstatement after the Lord's resurrection. I am not sure the kids got it, but I know for a fact the mothers did. That was really interesting to watch the changes on their faces.
During craft time, one new mother asked me immediately about the number "4" in the "4-given" key chain they made today. I know that the number "4" is a culturally sensitive number since it can sound like the word for "death" in Japanese. I was worried about it for a while, but then realized the symbol of the cross Jesus died on is a reminder of the great pain, suffering and death our Lord took upon Himself for our sins. If the first thing people think of is "death" when people in Japan see the number "4", that is exactly the message we want to convey. Jesus died a terrible, horrible death. But the story does not end there; the basis of our faith is in His Resurrection! The bigger story is not about death, but LIFE, in fact, life everlasting! So, this was a very good craft that got to our message quickly and deeply, a keeper for future reference, I think!
This same mom also commented that it was nice to see older "kids" helping and/or playing with younger kids at an event. She said that there were no opportunities like that in Japan for younger and older kids to interact. I should think about inviting more older "kid" helpers next year...
Let the Games Begin
These have got to be some of the most creative yet physically exhausting games yet. We saw every child's competitive side come out during this game. They definitely put their all into it!
We ended around 12:30PM, cleaned up and part of the team headed out with Mrs. Hoki and Mrs. Onizuka for an outing in Yokohama. I drove 2 team members back to Yokosuka, since I had to take my 2 older girls to music lessons in the afternoon.
It is sad to think we have only one more day left together. So many mothers have asked if we will have VBS again next year, even the mothers who volunteered to help. God willing, I do hope so, and pray we will be around to host it still.
I think I will call it an early night and go to sleep! Good night!
For those who just checked-in and want to know why I keep talking about rain, it is because THUNDERSTORMS were forecast for this week, with the rain letting up by Sunday, August 9th! The fact that it just drizzled just one day and has been clear since is nothing short of miraculous. God does answer prayers and He sure has great timing as well!
I think the fatigue is setting in for everyone. Kohichi noticed how exhausted everyone looked, so we drove everyone up to the center today in 2 cars. We left much later than the team usually leaves, but they were set up in no time and we still arrived and were ready before the first participants arrived. A couple of children still come very early, before 9:30AM every day!
The Challenge
So, is it possible for Japanese children to learn 4 English-language songs in just a few days?! The answer is a resounding, YES, YES and YES! Who says elementary school kids cannot learn English that quickly, hm???????? I think all of us set the bar too low when it comes to young children. They are capable of soooooo much more than we think.
The kids are taking the CD's home and listening to them, some listen and practice in the car, little Sara and Amelia, both aged 3, are so good at the first two songs already, "SonRock Kids Camp" and "I'm Keepin My Eyes on Jesus". They both know the hand motions well which is amazing to me.
Story & Crafts
I loved today's story with the live actors, namely Tim, Matt and Vincy. Today's bible story was about "forgiveness" and was based on Peter's denial before Jesus' crucifixtion and reinstatement after the Lord's resurrection. I am not sure the kids got it, but I know for a fact the mothers did. That was really interesting to watch the changes on their faces.
During craft time, one new mother asked me immediately about the number "4" in the "4-given" key chain they made today. I know that the number "4" is a culturally sensitive number since it can sound like the word for "death" in Japanese. I was worried about it for a while, but then realized the symbol of the cross Jesus died on is a reminder of the great pain, suffering and death our Lord took upon Himself for our sins. If the first thing people think of is "death" when people in Japan see the number "4", that is exactly the message we want to convey. Jesus died a terrible, horrible death. But the story does not end there; the basis of our faith is in His Resurrection! The bigger story is not about death, but LIFE, in fact, life everlasting! So, this was a very good craft that got to our message quickly and deeply, a keeper for future reference, I think!
This same mom also commented that it was nice to see older "kids" helping and/or playing with younger kids at an event. She said that there were no opportunities like that in Japan for younger and older kids to interact. I should think about inviting more older "kid" helpers next year...
Let the Games Begin
These have got to be some of the most creative yet physically exhausting games yet. We saw every child's competitive side come out during this game. They definitely put their all into it!
We ended around 12:30PM, cleaned up and part of the team headed out with Mrs. Hoki and Mrs. Onizuka for an outing in Yokohama. I drove 2 team members back to Yokosuka, since I had to take my 2 older girls to music lessons in the afternoon.
It is sad to think we have only one more day left together. So many mothers have asked if we will have VBS again next year, even the mothers who volunteered to help. God willing, I do hope so, and pray we will be around to host it still.
I think I will call it an early night and go to sleep! Good night!
Kelly - Thursday - 19 kids!
Today was a good day, or at least I feel it was a good day. We had our largest turnout of kids today, but that's not why I feel this way. The VBS sped by, everything clicked today, we are in a groove for set-up, we have our VBS routine down, we're relating to the kids, we know them by name- that helps us to stay a little more in control - and that means we're able to limit the distractions for the other kids. Want to thank Richard for sharing with us about the "spearing gestures aimed towards the mid-section" (he learned about this the prior week with kids of this age group), last week I caught two boys doing this and was able to quickly put a stop to in and here again, I caught one young man doing it and was able to quickly and sternly tell them to stop. The amazing part (or maybe they know it's wrong) is that they did stop.
I had 13 kids in my group today verses 10 yesterday... the exciting part is that they are all participating now or at least trying to. Even two new girls were attempting the hand motions to the songs - and one of the mom's was helping to explain the motions as I helped to show them. Matt gave his testimony to the kids today, not sure how many were touched by his testimony, but they all heard it (few distractions,) and now praying for God and His Holy Spirit to cause it to grow within their hearts.
And while I am really glad we had a "free" afternoon, I was a little sad because many of the kids wanted to play in the park. (side note/ reminder for the nest year, we need to keep announcing our after VBS schedule daily for the new kids that come since several kids had told their parents they were staying until 2:30/ 3pm.)
Sigh... tomorrow is our last day.
I had 13 kids in my group today verses 10 yesterday... the exciting part is that they are all participating now or at least trying to. Even two new girls were attempting the hand motions to the songs - and one of the mom's was helping to explain the motions as I helped to show them. Matt gave his testimony to the kids today, not sure how many were touched by his testimony, but they all heard it (few distractions,) and now praying for God and His Holy Spirit to cause it to grow within their hearts.
And while I am really glad we had a "free" afternoon, I was a little sad because many of the kids wanted to play in the park. (side note/ reminder for the nest year, we need to keep announcing our after VBS schedule daily for the new kids that come since several kids had told their parents they were staying until 2:30/ 3pm.)
Sigh... tomorrow is our last day.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Shirley: Day 3 and still no rain, praise God!
This weather has been incredible. No rain, cool with nice breeze all day. Pray that this keeps up until we are done with PE in the Park on Friday at 3PM. Then it can pour all it wants! Thank the Lord for answering this very important prayer request of ours. We know how much You love Your little ones.
Today was Coscto pizza day. We has a grand feast and several mothers came, too! Sharon shared a bible story about Peter and her testimony, too. Kohichi translated. We think her sharing was very well received. Everyone listened intently and read the Luke passage about Peter together, also using Japanese bibles.
The children were outside in the park enjoying the cicadas, throwing frisbees, running around in the hot, summer sun. It was a great distraction for them and a way we would have some quiet, teaching times with the parents while they were outside.
We had 15 children today. Many people will start coming from today and there were a couple who came just for the Costco pizza party, which is always a good way to draw people to the program. One girl begged her mother to let her come again Thursday and Friday. Her mother works and planned to bring her daughter to VBS only today for the pizza party. The little girl had so much fun; I advised her to talk with her father to see if he could help make arrangements for her to attend again, both tomorrow and Friday. Pray that the Lord would provide a way for her.
We had a special night out at Yokosuka Chuo, real "tonkotsu ramen" at a little ramen shop that we like. We literally filled place. Right next door is real Japanese street-food, "yakitori stall" where you stand and eat your little chicken sticks right in front of the grill. Very different, very fun, very yummy!
Well, that is it for today. Good night!
Tom: 13 VBS days down, 2 to go.
It's been a while since I've blogged. I've been busy. A lot has happened since then. We have 2 more day of VBS in Nokendai. Contrary to popular belief the Nokendai kids are not as wild as I have heard. We have a great VBS so far. Yesterday, we had a memorable visit to the nursing home. Matt and Vincy were a hit as they did a duet. Vincy on the piano and Matt on the guitar. Matt also did a solo and acompanied us in our Japanese version of Jesus loves me and Seek ye first. Janis did an outstanding job on her presentation of the "Bridge" salvation analogy. She combine her faith story with the "Bridge". Mr. Anoy translated. Almost all of the elderly receive our are wooden crosses. Today, we had the famed Costco Pizza Day Afterwards Sharon had a sharing time with all the mom that were there. From what I heard it went very well and spurred interests amongst the women, who were a mixture of non-believers, seekers and believers looking for a new church.
An aside: It's been a long time since I've live with a large family. At first it was kinda irritating because of all the noise and commotion. But as the day went on it was fun. Being a bachelor for so long I was use to complete quiet and solitude. Although I cherish solitude, this has been an interesting time and a learning experience. It's life, its real community. Yes, we got on each others nerves but I appreciate everyone for bending over backwards to accommodate each other.
A special thanks to the Koichi and Shirley for their passion for Japan and their church. They are so strong spiritually and so positive and excited on any little thing. I also had a chance to spend some time with the older girls and am so impressed with the faith and personalities. Over half the kids at the VBS are because them. Just the other day when Susan left her orange folder on a bench at the train station, Emma took Susan back to the station which was a few stops back and start talking to a woman about the VBS and invite her to the VBS and walked her to the community where people were able to talk her. We found out that she was a "home ec teacher" and she and her husband had a business selling natural soaps and cosmetic products.
Back to Koichi and Shirley: I've had a chance ride in their car to Nokendai from Yokosuka. It has been interesting needless to say. A history and Japanese culture lesson.
Okay my brain is fried. I need some sleep. Bye for now. (I'll fix my writing errors in the morning)
An aside: It's been a long time since I've live with a large family. At first it was kinda irritating because of all the noise and commotion. But as the day went on it was fun. Being a bachelor for so long I was use to complete quiet and solitude. Although I cherish solitude, this has been an interesting time and a learning experience. It's life, its real community. Yes, we got on each others nerves but I appreciate everyone for bending over backwards to accommodate each other.
A special thanks to the Koichi and Shirley for their passion for Japan and their church. They are so strong spiritually and so positive and excited on any little thing. I also had a chance to spend some time with the older girls and am so impressed with the faith and personalities. Over half the kids at the VBS are because them. Just the other day when Susan left her orange folder on a bench at the train station, Emma took Susan back to the station which was a few stops back and start talking to a woman about the VBS and invite her to the VBS and walked her to the community where people were able to talk her. We found out that she was a "home ec teacher" and she and her husband had a business selling natural soaps and cosmetic products.
Back to Koichi and Shirley: I've had a chance ride in their car to Nokendai from Yokosuka. It has been interesting needless to say. A history and Japanese culture lesson.
Okay my brain is fried. I need some sleep. Bye for now. (I'll fix my writing errors in the morning)
Kelly - Pic worth a thousand words...
So, since we've mentioned Tim's amazing ability with the young girls, here's a picture to go with it. And while this isn't the little three year old, it's amazingly consistent...
Hmm, the things I'm still learning about my own son...
Praise God!
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
~about 5:05PM Japan Time~
So… first. Praise God because I was well enough to make it to the vbs and everything today… and with enough energy to last the kids and everything! It was a lot of fun today… tiring… but a lot of fun. It’s about this time during the week where I start getting attached to the kids… understanding some of what they say… them understanding whatever I try to say (I hope…) and a lot of random fun running around tickling, chasing, throwing Frisbees and footballs… etc etc… all the sweat shed together while hunting for cicadas must do something to build and strengthen bonds… but I guess the most important thing is that the Holy Spirit has been there the whole time with us… hopefully the kids see just a little bit of God’s love in all the craziness that happens.
Anyways… supposedly we have dinner in a little over an hour… and a lot of the team looks pretty tired. Elaine, Vincy and Susan went shopping, but the rest of us are relaxing and pretty pooped looking back here at the house (be praying for us extra hard through the last few days!!!)
nap time....
~about 5:05PM Japan Time~
So… first. Praise God because I was well enough to make it to the vbs and everything today… and with enough energy to last the kids and everything! It was a lot of fun today… tiring… but a lot of fun. It’s about this time during the week where I start getting attached to the kids… understanding some of what they say… them understanding whatever I try to say (I hope…) and a lot of random fun running around tickling, chasing, throwing Frisbees and footballs… etc etc… all the sweat shed together while hunting for cicadas must do something to build and strengthen bonds… but I guess the most important thing is that the Holy Spirit has been there the whole time with us… hopefully the kids see just a little bit of God’s love in all the craziness that happens.
Anyways… supposedly we have dinner in a little over an hour… and a lot of the team looks pretty tired. Elaine, Vincy and Susan went shopping, but the rest of us are relaxing and pretty pooped looking back here at the house (be praying for us extra hard through the last few days!!!)
nap time....
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Wow, I cannot believe we are almost going home. It's been so great to see the old and new faces and talked to so many people about God and faith. I've got people asked us to come back next year and I said (let's pray on that). I even try to talk to someone that she is a believer for a while and the difference of being baptise We also had great response with the seniors at the nursing home. We are all so tired but the weather is so nice, not too hot, thank God.
Shirley: Day 2, a little rain, but cleared up
It was raining this morning when I woke up, and it drizzled as we drove to the center around 8AM, but by the time we started, the skies cleared and it was another cool, sunny day.
We had 13 kids today. Tom had some special instructions at the beginning, so the kids were better behaved today. My camera ran out of batteries, so I have just a couple pictures for day two.
Things started out much calmer today and the kids were more enthusiastic about the songs, too, so that was a big improvement.
After the VBS program, we had to rush home for Emma's practice with her piano partner "Waka-chan" at our house so we missed the nursing home visit. The VBS team came up for dinner with us and Waka and her mom after practice was done. We had a really nice party and a great chance to talk with Waka's mother, Mrs. U. More than anything, this is how we do our ministry, inviting people over to our house for a meal and introducing them to our friends, basically just sharing about ourselves and what we usually do. Church and service is a very real part of our normal, regular lives. Apparently Waka's mother was comfortable enough with what she heard that she pre-paid for Waka to visit us at VBS on Thursday! Praise God for this and we pray that they would enjoy this very first VBS/church experience!
Matt and Susan had a very interesting and culturally meaningful exchange about a phrase in Japanese they both had been using that Waka's mom told them was not exactly what they wanted to communicate, something about "not speaking Japanese" and "refusing to speak Japanese". I will let Matt explain in more detail.
It was another great day of VBS. It was another wonderful birthday for Emma, the second year in a row we got to celebrate together. Praise God for His wonderful family that is possible because of Christ Jesus. Amen.
We had 13 kids today. Tom had some special instructions at the beginning, so the kids were better behaved today. My camera ran out of batteries, so I have just a couple pictures for day two.
Things started out much calmer today and the kids were more enthusiastic about the songs, too, so that was a big improvement.
After the VBS program, we had to rush home for Emma's practice with her piano partner "Waka-chan" at our house so we missed the nursing home visit. The VBS team came up for dinner with us and Waka and her mom after practice was done. We had a really nice party and a great chance to talk with Waka's mother, Mrs. U. More than anything, this is how we do our ministry, inviting people over to our house for a meal and introducing them to our friends, basically just sharing about ourselves and what we usually do. Church and service is a very real part of our normal, regular lives. Apparently Waka's mother was comfortable enough with what she heard that she pre-paid for Waka to visit us at VBS on Thursday! Praise God for this and we pray that they would enjoy this very first VBS/church experience!
Matt and Susan had a very interesting and culturally meaningful exchange about a phrase in Japanese they both had been using that Waka's mom told them was not exactly what they wanted to communicate, something about "not speaking Japanese" and "refusing to speak Japanese". I will let Matt explain in more detail.
It was another great day of VBS. It was another wonderful birthday for Emma, the second year in a row we got to celebrate together. Praise God for His wonderful family that is possible because of Christ Jesus. Amen.
Sick :(...
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
~about 8:50PM~
As you can imagine, I find myself somewhat frustrated being sick while I’m supposed to be doing God’s work. While the rest of the team went to VBS and the retirement home to serve I was stuck at the apartment resting. Granted I slept most of the day which probably means I needed the rest, but I can’t help wondering why I’m sick. While this is yet another question that I will likely never know the answer to… I was reminded of the comparison between the two farmers who prayed for rain during a drought… one of which prepared his crops in anticipation for the rain that the Lord would provide. This came to mind as I replied to Steven’s post on the Kenya mission blog as I told him that God WILL provide. So having rested a day, I am preparing myself both mentally and physically should it be God’s will for me to be able to serve tomorrow.
Anyhow… now that I’ve had a bit of time to rant… on to the things that have been happening (besides being sick of course). Yesterday was the first day of VBS… and it was pretty draining. The kids here are… for lack of a better word… much crazier than the kids in Tokorozawa. Despite this I still can’t help but feeling as though God has some amazing things in store for this week. Already… bonds of friendship are being formed with the kids.
Time for a chronological recap… So… Woke up and showered/ate and got ready… we made it to the train station about 10 minutes early and got on the train and managed to avoid any confusion with the train schedule (praise God!) once we got there we began setting stuff up… banners, posters, music etc. etc…. and everything went pretty well. We stole off to a side room to have a short meeting and talk about any frustrations anyone had been having with the rest of the team as well as addressing prayer requests, then had a time of prayer (a much needed time of prayer…). During this time the first kids arrived… soooo… soon after finishing we went out to greet the kids and the moms that had brought them. (I’m going to have to hurry this up… the Nyquil is beginning to kick in ><)… we did the first song twice… and it was kind of discouraging because most of the kids didn’t do the motions. I was probably just too used to the end of the week at TMK where the kids knew the songs well already and stuff…. Anyways. Then was crafts and story time… during which Matt and I got to act out Jesus coming to choose Peter for the first time (Matt was Jessus… and I was Peter…) which the kids seemed to enjoy. So that was fun. Craft was the fish today…. And the kids seemed almost impatient. Most didn’t cover the fish like they did in TMK and seemed anxious to finish and begin running around. Recreation was the fishing for the fish they made… and it seemed like the kids enjoyed it a lot. There were a lot more tangled lines though, but it was probably because they had to use the long fishing poles since all the shorter ones were given away as prizes… Following that Tom gave his testimony which was short, to the point and very well integrated with the theme of fishing. Lunch time seemed pretty normal. There were a lot of kids that stayed and had lunch there with us, which was a change from the couple of kids that did so at TMK. The kids finished and were all to anxious to begin running around screaming inside… at which point someone said to send them outside, so I told them why don’t we go outside… and they were all too happy to rush outside. I took my disc out and a few kids tossed that around… some kids played on the swings… some just ran around… soon after arriving outside, Tom setup the fishing PE at the Park (which once again was a huge hit). The kids loved it. Even the really shy kids and the little kids tried it out. Granted… some kids liked it a ton more than others… (there were a couple of boys who did it the whole time). It was a lot of fun though! It seemed like a long time waiting all the way until 3 for the moms to show up though. (ugh… brain fading…) after that we headed back… rested… worked on the cross craft as a team, then headed out to have dinner with the Tamura family at a fish restaurant called Kamakura (I think..?). ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! The fish there were super fresh… The guy even took the fish that was about to be cooked for two of the meals out and showed us. Shirley explained that they bought the fish from the fish market next door where they catch the fish that day. It was definitely the most food I’ve eaten thus far in Japan. I was stuffed… returned… (barely) and got ready for bed. I showered and hit the sack earlier than usual (probably a clue that I was getting sick) but I thought it was only allergies from the smoke in the restaurant. Watched some debate thing for a little bit with Matt then went to sleep.
And onto today… Basically. I woke up once. Went back to sleep (around the time the team usually gets up and leaves)… woke up again around 12:30PM… walked over to grab lunch… came back… ate and chatted online for a bit… showered and sat in a bath for a while (man… are Japanese baths amazing…) then went back to sleep. Over the next like… 3 hours I vaguely remember the team leaving to go have dinner with the Tamura’s to celebrate Emma’s birthday (which I was really sad to miss… ) sometime around 8 I woke up and called my mom to figure out what was happening… and she reminded me of the dinner and stuff… then brought me food to eat. As I finished facebooking she fell asleep on a cushion nearby and then I ate dinner… after that I got ready for bed… took some Nyquil… and here I am struggling to stay awake as I finish this blog. Ugh. Okay… almost time for bed….
Just a couple of random side comments! So… according to the rest of the team. I’m going to have a proposal from a three year old girl by the end of the week. Apparently she (Sara) is quite attached to me or something (which is WEIRD… but I didn’t notice until they pointed it out). The good thing is that (according to Elaine) she tends to behave better when I’m around… so I guess that’s a good thing. Anyways. Off to bed so I can be better and back to helping out tomorrow!
P.S. HAVE A SAFE TRIP KENYA TEAM!!!!
~about 8:50PM~
As you can imagine, I find myself somewhat frustrated being sick while I’m supposed to be doing God’s work. While the rest of the team went to VBS and the retirement home to serve I was stuck at the apartment resting. Granted I slept most of the day which probably means I needed the rest, but I can’t help wondering why I’m sick. While this is yet another question that I will likely never know the answer to… I was reminded of the comparison between the two farmers who prayed for rain during a drought… one of which prepared his crops in anticipation for the rain that the Lord would provide. This came to mind as I replied to Steven’s post on the Kenya mission blog as I told him that God WILL provide. So having rested a day, I am preparing myself both mentally and physically should it be God’s will for me to be able to serve tomorrow.
Anyhow… now that I’ve had a bit of time to rant… on to the things that have been happening (besides being sick of course). Yesterday was the first day of VBS… and it was pretty draining. The kids here are… for lack of a better word… much crazier than the kids in Tokorozawa. Despite this I still can’t help but feeling as though God has some amazing things in store for this week. Already… bonds of friendship are being formed with the kids.
Time for a chronological recap… So… Woke up and showered/ate and got ready… we made it to the train station about 10 minutes early and got on the train and managed to avoid any confusion with the train schedule (praise God!) once we got there we began setting stuff up… banners, posters, music etc. etc…. and everything went pretty well. We stole off to a side room to have a short meeting and talk about any frustrations anyone had been having with the rest of the team as well as addressing prayer requests, then had a time of prayer (a much needed time of prayer…). During this time the first kids arrived… soooo… soon after finishing we went out to greet the kids and the moms that had brought them. (I’m going to have to hurry this up… the Nyquil is beginning to kick in ><)… we did the first song twice… and it was kind of discouraging because most of the kids didn’t do the motions. I was probably just too used to the end of the week at TMK where the kids knew the songs well already and stuff…. Anyways. Then was crafts and story time… during which Matt and I got to act out Jesus coming to choose Peter for the first time (Matt was Jessus… and I was Peter…) which the kids seemed to enjoy. So that was fun. Craft was the fish today…. And the kids seemed almost impatient. Most didn’t cover the fish like they did in TMK and seemed anxious to finish and begin running around. Recreation was the fishing for the fish they made… and it seemed like the kids enjoyed it a lot. There were a lot more tangled lines though, but it was probably because they had to use the long fishing poles since all the shorter ones were given away as prizes… Following that Tom gave his testimony which was short, to the point and very well integrated with the theme of fishing. Lunch time seemed pretty normal. There were a lot of kids that stayed and had lunch there with us, which was a change from the couple of kids that did so at TMK. The kids finished and were all to anxious to begin running around screaming inside… at which point someone said to send them outside, so I told them why don’t we go outside… and they were all too happy to rush outside. I took my disc out and a few kids tossed that around… some kids played on the swings… some just ran around… soon after arriving outside, Tom setup the fishing PE at the Park (which once again was a huge hit). The kids loved it. Even the really shy kids and the little kids tried it out. Granted… some kids liked it a ton more than others… (there were a couple of boys who did it the whole time). It was a lot of fun though! It seemed like a long time waiting all the way until 3 for the moms to show up though. (ugh… brain fading…) after that we headed back… rested… worked on the cross craft as a team, then headed out to have dinner with the Tamura family at a fish restaurant called Kamakura (I think..?). ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! The fish there were super fresh… The guy even took the fish that was about to be cooked for two of the meals out and showed us. Shirley explained that they bought the fish from the fish market next door where they catch the fish that day. It was definitely the most food I’ve eaten thus far in Japan. I was stuffed… returned… (barely) and got ready for bed. I showered and hit the sack earlier than usual (probably a clue that I was getting sick) but I thought it was only allergies from the smoke in the restaurant. Watched some debate thing for a little bit with Matt then went to sleep.
And onto today… Basically. I woke up once. Went back to sleep (around the time the team usually gets up and leaves)… woke up again around 12:30PM… walked over to grab lunch… came back… ate and chatted online for a bit… showered and sat in a bath for a while (man… are Japanese baths amazing…) then went back to sleep. Over the next like… 3 hours I vaguely remember the team leaving to go have dinner with the Tamura’s to celebrate Emma’s birthday (which I was really sad to miss… ) sometime around 8 I woke up and called my mom to figure out what was happening… and she reminded me of the dinner and stuff… then brought me food to eat. As I finished facebooking she fell asleep on a cushion nearby and then I ate dinner… after that I got ready for bed… took some Nyquil… and here I am struggling to stay awake as I finish this blog. Ugh. Okay… almost time for bed….
Just a couple of random side comments! So… according to the rest of the team. I’m going to have a proposal from a three year old girl by the end of the week. Apparently she (Sara) is quite attached to me or something (which is WEIRD… but I didn’t notice until they pointed it out). The good thing is that (according to Elaine) she tends to behave better when I’m around… so I guess that’s a good thing. Anyways. Off to bed so I can be better and back to helping out tomorrow!
P.S. HAVE A SAFE TRIP KENYA TEAM!!!!
Janis -- Ahhhh....!
I can't believe we'll be leaving Japan in less than 4 days from now... This trip has FLOWN by! I apologize for not blogging more because there is so much to share.
As co-leader of this trip, I've had the wonderful opportunity to meet and get to know more people who are involved with the VBSes -- the missionaries and their families, the people who attend their churches, the volunteers who are helping us and the mothers and fathers of the VBS kids. Too bad I have to "work" during the VBSes otherwise I would have a lot more time to just chat with everyone. Or I feel bad because as leader, I sometimes have to interrupt conversations (mine or others') because we're running late or something needs to happen at that moment.
But I am trusting that God is giving us enough time for each person we come across.
The weather and team finances have been a God-send! Answer to our prayers, definitely.
Team prayer requests:
For Tim's health -- he's not feeling well.
For Susan as she's having difficulty getting good sleep
For less mosquito bites for Vincy, Elaine & Susan
For strength and flexibility in our bodies - knees, backs, shoulders
I so thank God for this team. He made this trip easy for me as co-leader.
Matt's musical talent amazes me each time. I especially thank God for his grace & mercy for me and others on this team.
Tom's gift for children and love for raising them like his own. I especially thank God for his patience and grace in putting up with my (I'm not a) Type A personality.
Sharon's gift story telling - her conscientious effort and purposefullness (is that a word??) in her planning, is wonderful to watch
Susan's talent for teaching children crafts while she share's God's stories is a true God-sighting
Elaine's laughter and energy lightens the children's hearts and reassures them they will have fun
I thank God for Vincy's musical talent, her gift of making friends easily and her maturity to answer God's call and be His servant.
I also thank Tim for his humor, no-nonsense-get-it-done attitude and flexibility to DO WHAT I SAY (j/k!) I've asked him a couple of times for last minute things and he's been open & willing.
And thank you Lord for your servant Kelly -- he's never complained, he's solved problems and has helped the team get organized and of course, prevented us from getting lost on the trains. But more importantly, he looks to you and that's all you ask of us.
Isn't this a wonderful team?????!!!
As co-leader of this trip, I've had the wonderful opportunity to meet and get to know more people who are involved with the VBSes -- the missionaries and their families, the people who attend their churches, the volunteers who are helping us and the mothers and fathers of the VBS kids. Too bad I have to "work" during the VBSes otherwise I would have a lot more time to just chat with everyone. Or I feel bad because as leader, I sometimes have to interrupt conversations (mine or others') because we're running late or something needs to happen at that moment.
But I am trusting that God is giving us enough time for each person we come across.
The weather and team finances have been a God-send! Answer to our prayers, definitely.
Team prayer requests:
For Tim's health -- he's not feeling well.
For Susan as she's having difficulty getting good sleep
For less mosquito bites for Vincy, Elaine & Susan
For strength and flexibility in our bodies - knees, backs, shoulders
I so thank God for this team. He made this trip easy for me as co-leader.
Matt's musical talent amazes me each time. I especially thank God for his grace & mercy for me and others on this team.
Tom's gift for children and love for raising them like his own. I especially thank God for his patience and grace in putting up with my (I'm not a) Type A personality.
Sharon's gift story telling - her conscientious effort and purposefullness (is that a word??) in her planning, is wonderful to watch
Susan's talent for teaching children crafts while she share's God's stories is a true God-sighting
Elaine's laughter and energy lightens the children's hearts and reassures them they will have fun
I thank God for Vincy's musical talent, her gift of making friends easily and her maturity to answer God's call and be His servant.
I also thank Tim for his humor, no-nonsense-get-it-done attitude and flexibility to DO WHAT I SAY (j/k!) I've asked him a couple of times for last minute things and he's been open & willing.
And thank you Lord for your servant Kelly -- he's never complained, he's solved problems and has helped the team get organized and of course, prevented us from getting lost on the trains. But more importantly, he looks to you and that's all you ask of us.
Isn't this a wonderful team?????!!!
Matt: "Why Is The Weather So Nice Here?"
We just got back from the Nokendai. I count-- hold on...five people sleeping, three people blogging, and one person sitting and drinking water. We're all very tired.
Today's VBS was completely different from yesterday's! The kids were singing(/shouting "SonRock Kids Camp!") the songs and behaving well! Today's theme was "Protected By Jesus." The song was "I'm Keepin' My Eyes on Jesus." Sharon MC-ed the intro and Elaine gave her testimony. They did awesome, of course.
After VBS, some people went to pick up food for lunch while the rest of us rested. We needed to get to the nursing home at 2:00ish. Vincy and I practiced the song we played: 'Hungry.' Since both of us were taught chord-piano by Rachel Ogimachi, 'Hungry' was the first song we learned. I played guitar and Vincy played piano. When Susan brought a bag of Vincy's favorite spicy fried chicken, she gave me and Susan one piece each, and then ate the rest of the bag...I had to hide the other bag from her; she ate like four pieces! (I hope she doesn't read this blog! :O )
So anyway, we prayed and ate snacks in a room in the nursing home, then we went upstairs to..."perform"? Whatever we call that...MINISTER/EVANGELIZE! How about that? =)
Agenda:
- Seek Ye First in Japanese and English: Team
- 'Hungry': Vincy/Me
- 'Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone'/Passing out crosses: Me/Team
- A Testimony and the "Bridge Illustration": Janis
- 'Jesus Loves Me': Team
It was great. I could really sense the Holy Spirit. It was really apparent when Janis gave her testimony and synthesized it with the Bridge Illustration.
We had Emma's birthday dinner with the Tamura's. It was soooo good! I learned some interesting things about Japanese...that's all I will say...
The Kenya team's flight takes off in about two hours...I'll miss my friends very much...I feel so far away from them...but God feels very close - I mean that. =)
Blessings,
Matt Sekijima
Today's VBS was completely different from yesterday's! The kids were singing(/shouting "SonRock Kids Camp!") the songs and behaving well! Today's theme was "Protected By Jesus." The song was "I'm Keepin' My Eyes on Jesus." Sharon MC-ed the intro and Elaine gave her testimony. They did awesome, of course.
After VBS, some people went to pick up food for lunch while the rest of us rested. We needed to get to the nursing home at 2:00ish. Vincy and I practiced the song we played: 'Hungry.' Since both of us were taught chord-piano by Rachel Ogimachi, 'Hungry' was the first song we learned. I played guitar and Vincy played piano. When Susan brought a bag of Vincy's favorite spicy fried chicken, she gave me and Susan one piece each, and then ate the rest of the bag...I had to hide the other bag from her; she ate like four pieces! (I hope she doesn't read this blog! :O )
So anyway, we prayed and ate snacks in a room in the nursing home, then we went upstairs to..."perform"? Whatever we call that...MINISTER/EVANGELIZE! How about that? =)
Agenda:
- Seek Ye First in Japanese and English: Team
- 'Hungry': Vincy/Me
- 'Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone'/Passing out crosses: Me/Team
- A Testimony and the "Bridge Illustration": Janis
- 'Jesus Loves Me': Team
It was great. I could really sense the Holy Spirit. It was really apparent when Janis gave her testimony and synthesized it with the Bridge Illustration.
We had Emma's birthday dinner with the Tamura's. It was soooo good! I learned some interesting things about Japanese...that's all I will say...
The Kenya team's flight takes off in about two hours...I'll miss my friends very much...I feel so far away from them...but God feels very close - I mean that. =)
Blessings,
Matt Sekijima
Vincy in Japan!
Hello everyone! These two VBS's has been great so far! Sorry if it looks like I haven't been blogging much, but when I was blogging one day the Internet couldn't connect and so I lost my blog. It was so sad... But when I was doing the first VBS it was sooo fun! All the kids had alot of fun. But here in Nokendai the kids were a little shy on the first day. But in the end of the day, they were screaming! This is the second day of the Nokendai VBS, and it is also Emma's birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA! We went to the Summer Festival Fireworks and they were so pretty! I had a blast! I can't believe the first week had just flew by... We just went to the nursing home to sing. I almost was crying! It seemed like they had alot of fun listening to us singing. We just got back and now it is almost time for us to go Emma's birthday party. It is going to be so much fun! Good-bye for now!
Vincy Mandy Fok
2009 Japan Mission Team
Vincy Mandy Fok
2009 Japan Mission Team
Monday, August 3, 2009
Matt: "Gyoza In Chicken Means Gyoza In Chicken"
Heyya! Wow, it's hard to believe that it's around 5:00 AM in Seattle.
Today was the first day of the Nokendai VBS! There were fewer kids here than there were in Tokorozawa. The kids were also a little more...difficult to control, but that's okay - it was fun! PE in the Park was fishing again. The kids had fun. There was a little three year old girl who fell for Tim. It was cute! (I did not say cute...) And there was this girl who was really quiet inside, but screamed at me outside. My ears hurt. After a while, I started to feel...light-headed...I went into the tatami room and took a nap...it felt good...the ice/milk coffee from the vending machine was awesome!!!
Following PE, we set-up an assembly line to make crosses necklaces with beads symbolizing different things: black, red, white, purple, blue, green, and yellow. After the construction of the amazing crafts, some of us went to dinner at a fish restaurant with the Tamura's. It took us fifteen minutes to order last year - no Japanese speakers...this year it took about four minutes. I had tempura and karage! Yum!
When we got home we practiced the songs we're singing tomorrow at the nursing home: Seek Ye First and Jesus Loves Me. We're singing in Japanese and in English...
I showed Tim a YouTube video; it was a debate between Dr. Hugh Ross and Dr. Kent Hovind. [I love these things!!!] Ross took the old-earth view while Hovind took the 6,000-year-young-earth view...that Hovind guy is kind of irritating...I don't know, something about him...(this is completely irrelevant...and totally just my opinion...sorry.)
I'm going to bed. I set-up a "barrier" between me and Tim...it's a pillow with a folded comforter on top. Hopefully it will work better than the one last night... =/ I'm not gonna tell stories...yeah...goodnight...
Thanks!
Matt Sekijima
Today was the first day of the Nokendai VBS! There were fewer kids here than there were in Tokorozawa. The kids were also a little more...difficult to control, but that's okay - it was fun! PE in the Park was fishing again. The kids had fun. There was a little three year old girl who fell for Tim. It was cute! (I did not say cute...) And there was this girl who was really quiet inside, but screamed at me outside. My ears hurt. After a while, I started to feel...light-headed...I went into the tatami room and took a nap...it felt good...the ice/milk coffee from the vending machine was awesome!!!
Following PE, we set-up an assembly line to make crosses necklaces with beads symbolizing different things: black, red, white, purple, blue, green, and yellow. After the construction of the amazing crafts, some of us went to dinner at a fish restaurant with the Tamura's. It took us fifteen minutes to order last year - no Japanese speakers...this year it took about four minutes. I had tempura and karage! Yum!
When we got home we practiced the songs we're singing tomorrow at the nursing home: Seek Ye First and Jesus Loves Me. We're singing in Japanese and in English...
I showed Tim a YouTube video; it was a debate between Dr. Hugh Ross and Dr. Kent Hovind. [I love these things!!!] Ross took the old-earth view while Hovind took the 6,000-year-young-earth view...that Hovind guy is kind of irritating...I don't know, something about him...(this is completely irrelevant...and totally just my opinion...sorry.)
I'm going to bed. I set-up a "barrier" between me and Tim...it's a pillow with a folded comforter on top. Hopefully it will work better than the one last night... =/ I'm not gonna tell stories...yeah...goodnight...
Thanks!
Matt Sekijima
Shirley: Day 1-No Rain...yet
It is almost 6AM now. The skies are blue and the sun is shining, but clouds are accumulating...looking a bit sketchy. We pray the Lord would post-pone any rain for today until after 3PM when our "PE in the Park" games are scheduled to end. God is great and God is good!
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End of Day 1 of VBS at NBF
Our God is an awesome God! It is beautiful, sunny and hot again! Thank you so much for praying and thank you, LORD, for answering our prayers for no rain! "PE in the Park" looked like it was a total success today thanks to Tom and the whole team for making it happen.
We had 10 students today, so many fewer than I had hoped for, but think more kids may come as the week progresses. As I mentioned before, we are competing with other "camps" right now. We may see more kids by Wednesday, since no one wants to miss the Costco pizza party. I think we had more adults than children today, a first for us! We had lots of helpers, ladies from NBF and other churches who graciously agreed to come help us translate for the kids and VBS members.
Opening games: "duck, duck goose" is still the favorite year after year.
Opening song: still learning the hand motions, but everyone is trying hard.
Story time: Sharon and Yurimi telling them what happened with Peter after our "cliff-hanger" ending at service on Sunday at NBF. The kids are so excited by the real fishing poles. Fishing is a very popular past-time in Japan, especially in our area since we live right on Tokyo Bay!
Craft time: making colorful fish for our "PE in the Park" activities later. All the kids loved this, both big and small. They all made very unique, very colorfully decorated fish.
Snack time: Rice cracker senbei with real, whole "aji" fish inside! Another God sighting for me...buying "fish" snacks not know the first day was on Peter the fisherman...still don't know how I missed that since I saw the stories in advance, but it was over a month ago.
Last activity: fishing on the colorful parachute waves. The adults commented they had never seen such a beautiful parachute before.
Closing: Tom gives his "homework" assignment: he asked the kids to write in their journals. At the end of the week, a few will be selected and may be eligible for a "grand prize". Even the little kids were excited by this assignment. I hope they do remember to write a little each day.
That was DAY ONE for NBF. Praise God for his many blessings and protection of the children and parents and team members. As far as I know, very few bug bites. Even the chirping cicadas in the park seemed quieter in the afternoon. We look forward to the 4 remaining days of VBS this week.
-----------------
End of Day 1 of VBS at NBF
Our God is an awesome God! It is beautiful, sunny and hot again! Thank you so much for praying and thank you, LORD, for answering our prayers for no rain! "PE in the Park" looked like it was a total success today thanks to Tom and the whole team for making it happen.
We had 10 students today, so many fewer than I had hoped for, but think more kids may come as the week progresses. As I mentioned before, we are competing with other "camps" right now. We may see more kids by Wednesday, since no one wants to miss the Costco pizza party. I think we had more adults than children today, a first for us! We had lots of helpers, ladies from NBF and other churches who graciously agreed to come help us translate for the kids and VBS members.
Opening games: "duck, duck goose" is still the favorite year after year.
Opening song: still learning the hand motions, but everyone is trying hard.
Story time: Sharon and Yurimi telling them what happened with Peter after our "cliff-hanger" ending at service on Sunday at NBF. The kids are so excited by the real fishing poles. Fishing is a very popular past-time in Japan, especially in our area since we live right on Tokyo Bay!
Craft time: making colorful fish for our "PE in the Park" activities later. All the kids loved this, both big and small. They all made very unique, very colorfully decorated fish.
Snack time: Rice cracker senbei with real, whole "aji" fish inside! Another God sighting for me...buying "fish" snacks not know the first day was on Peter the fisherman...still don't know how I missed that since I saw the stories in advance, but it was over a month ago.
Last activity: fishing on the colorful parachute waves. The adults commented they had never seen such a beautiful parachute before.
Closing: Tom gives his "homework" assignment: he asked the kids to write in their journals. At the end of the week, a few will be selected and may be eligible for a "grand prize". Even the little kids were excited by this assignment. I hope they do remember to write a little each day.
That was DAY ONE for NBF. Praise God for his many blessings and protection of the children and parents and team members. As far as I know, very few bug bites. Even the chirping cicadas in the park seemed quieter in the afternoon. We look forward to the 4 remaining days of VBS this week.
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