New....
Happy Easter, everyone!
New....The new fiscal year, school year, and general feeling of a new beginning, comes every April, in Japan. Its also cherry blossom season and the beginning of spring. Altogether, they bring this 'fresh start' feeling. As refreshing as this warmer weather is after the cold winter, and as breath-taking as the tons of cherry blossoms are, it is not the sweetest thing of the season. God has used this 'new-ness' to remind me that He makes all things new. He alone can completely change us from the inside out. He's the one who reached out to us. He sent His son, our Savior, our hope and our real reason to rejoice in each new day. I praise His perfect timing for reminding me about the new life I have in Christ,...and just before Easter. Happy Easter, everyone!
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Thanksgiving PartySix turkeys, 44 pounds of potatoes, 13 cheese balls, 15 liters of homemade apple cider, 75 guests, 2.5 months of preparation and many volunteers cooking, decorating, translating, and serving to pull off our biggest event of the year: Thanksgiving Dinner Party. (This is just a few statistics). However, just like Thanksgiving in America, the food is not the main point. Although, I always thought it was a nice complement to quality time with family and friends and thanking God for His blessing. But here, in Japan, Thanksgiving isn't really known. It's almost as unknown as Jesus. So, we take this opportunity to share with our guests about the Savior. Of course, we introduce the first thanksgiving, we talk about the food, but the church members and missionaries were excited to share about our wonderful Maker with our guests. What am I thankful for? Im thankful to the Lord, my strength and my song. I know its only because of His grace that we were able to do all this. And He is the One who works in hearts and continues to do His good work. Im thankful for the number of students who came and were able to hear the Good News and get to know some japanese christians. Im thankful for all the church members who attended the event and lead discussions about Jesus. I am thankful to be a part of this family of believes who join together to plan events and minister here. This morning we had plenty of food for our weekly teacher's Bible study. Nothing is better than starting of thanksgiving with a bunch of food and fellow Christian workers striving to know Jesus more and serve Him better! Our church had our annual 'camp' last weekend for 3 days. Taking advantage of a 3-day weekend, caused by a monday holiday, allowed most of the church members to addend a majority of the sessions and activities. Maybe they call it a camp because some people, especially the kids, stay in the church over night (Which worked out well for them this year, since a typhoon hit our area on Sunday. the rest of us had to go home during the storm). Last year's focus was evangelism. This year's lessons centered around the next step after someone becomes a Christian. Continuing to disciple new and mature Christians so that they, too, can "go and make disciples". I was able to attend some of the sessions (when i wasn't teaching English classes or wasn't helping with the kids program), and was able to understand thanks to our hard working translators. It was a great refresher course and it was very interesting to learn more about ministry in the Japanese church and culture. Yesterday, the whole church held a celebration to thank the Pastor for his 36 years of ministry! What a blessing the pastor and his wife have been to our church and this community. He has also written may books and resources to aid in discipleship, bible study and growth in a relationship with Christ. For me they have been a source of encouragement, cultural teachers, ministry leaders, and with the rest of the church body, a family away from home. Thank you both! Thank you for your selfless, humble service to the lost, the seeking, and the found. Thank you for teaching us about ministry here in Japan. Thank you for the 18 years that you served before the Kobe (aka Hanshin) earthquake and the 18 years since (hence 36 years). May God bless you as you continue to reach the lost. This is the stained glass window at the church and the cake that one of our very talented church members made by hand for this celebration. This isn't a Wal-Mart cake, my friends. So cool! Talented cooks are all around me here. ^_^
The first weekend in June some people visit their local train station, fire department, or police department to give them flowers and thank them for their service. Our church also participated, but with a little of Jesus's love added to the custom. The entire church body divided into 3 or 4 groups (a much more manageable, less overwhelming size) and headed out. Each group when in different directions and thanked the local firemen, police, and train station workers. We gave them flowers and they told us a little about their job (the firemen showed us a little demonstration). Then we prayed with them, thanking God for their service, praying for their safety, and any requests they had. On May 26th we held a fun-filled, state fair inspired event. After a brief explanation about state fairs, there was a humorous trivia game. We also had balloon animals, games like ring toss, some live music, and an Irish dance demonstration. And of course, we had food for everyone to try. For various reasons, we ended up excluding fried food, but we did have some food on a stick and some other American-type food that you'd never find in Japan. On this table we had "Salad-on-a-Stick" (I actually found this on a state fair website), "PB&J Cracker Sandwich", and "Ants on a Log" (celery, peanut butter, and raisins). One missionary/teacher gave a short message, which was translated by a church member, about what is temporary vs. eternal and then each table discussed it together. Many students came, then the rest of the seats were filled by as many church members that we could fit in there. It was so fun, and everyone wanted to join us! We were not able to have everything that is at a state fair, like rides, animals, etc. But I think it was an enjoyable and also eye-opening event for everyone. May the Lord be praised and use us for His glory! Sorry, it's taken so long for me to get these up. Here are some pics from our sightseeing adventures a few weeks ago. And this is only the first half. I haven't even finished looking through all the pictures yet.
Today is White Day. 'What is white day?' you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked. First let me start by explaining that in Japan, Valentine's day is celebrated by girls and women making or buying chocolate treats and giving them to the boys and men. White Day is exactly one month after Valentine's Day, when then men return the favor. I did not give any chocolates on Valentine's Day, but one of the guy teachers made little chocolate desserts for all the female teachers and office staff. I like White Day!! Thanks brother!
It's plum blossom season. Up next,...cherry blossoms!!!! These are pics of some plum tree branches that a student gave me from her tree. I put them in water and then photo chronicled the next few days (below).
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