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.

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