First, the need.
So here we are. Blogging on our last official day in Japan. Tomorrow we get on a plane and arrive in America, While I have so much to say about the last few days we've had here I find myself at a loss for words. Before I talk about the amazing things that God has in our last week here in Japan I want to communicate with you some of the feelings I have developed over my eight weeks here in the missions field of Japan. First, the Japanese people are the most kind, patient and passionate people I've ever met. I consider it a true honor,privilege and blessing to be able to work along side them for these past two months. Japan is not your normal missions field. You are trying to reach a people who are already deeply spiritual. The norm in Japan is having a living wage, a good education and being aware of your social and cultural surroundings. Because of this, Japan is not a place that you originally think of when you think of countries that are in need of missionaries. But, from what I've witnessed on the trains of Tokyo and heard from pastors in the field Japan is a country in dire need of support. The kind of support that can only be given through the Creator God. The Japanese have a habit of literally working themselves to death. They relentlessly pursue perfection, and when they cannot realize it they give in to catastrophic decisions. And even though Japan a spiritually conscious culture they lack the grace and forgiveness that Jesus can give them. Japan needs missionaries that love their people and the country. They are a people desperate for the love of Jesus.
Kyoto
When we left Shingu in Wakayama we took off to go see our friend Koki from college. It was an incredible reunion. We had two days and three nights there. Koki met us at the train station and escorted us to our hotel. We chatted briefly and exchanged LINE accounts. We talked about some places we wanted to visit. Koki already had the whole day planed for us! Which was a blessing because Joe and I were already feeling kind of wiped out from the traveling. Koki was the best tour guide ever, he thought of everything. He made sure we were well taken care of and made sure that we could get around by ourselves once he was gone at work. In Kyoto we visited multiple temples and shrine as well as touristy shops :). The one thing that Joe and I were sure that we wanted was a tea set. for those of you that don't know we've been taking online courses while here in Japan and one was on Chado meaning 'the way of tea' in Japanese. We were trained on how to perform chado and all of the proper procedures so were really felt like we should get a set, that way we could perform chado for our friends and family. Koki made sure we went to a good reliable shop that wasn't too expensive. Kyoto was also very hot, probably the hottest place we've ever experienced. Everyone was drenched in sweat and exhausted by the end of the day! The next day Joe and I were on our own. We set out for Kinkakugi and the International Museum of Manga. We spent three hours in the museum looking at various manga.Our favorite one was called Barefoot Gen it was in a way a documentary about the A-Bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It was a heart-wrenching story and I think I'll look for the rest of the series when I'm states side.
And now the Icing...
After a short break in Kyoto we heading to Tamagawa for a Youth Camp. Our job for this camp was a combination of being a youth leader as well as being a special guest speaker. We spent three days with 28 children. The theme was coming out of your shell. We preached three times and each time we talked about different figures in the Bible and how God helped them come out of their shell. This is really a symbol for dieing to your old self and becoming someone new, and for a lot of children it meant facing fears or trying to change for the better. While at camp we were encouraged to make the children speak English with us. We were given stickers and every time a child spoke English with us we were supposed to give them a sticker. The children with the most stickers would earn a prize at the end. It was amazing to see them practice their English skills with us. One child thought it was so cool that we both didn't like tomatoes! We were basically best friends after that :) Joe was out in a small group with elementary school boys along with Pastor Kishio from Niiza church. We have some adorable photos of them hanging out together in small group. Joe was a perfect match for that group of boys. When we had swimming time we lovingly hauled all of them around on pool noodles for the whole hour and a half.
Something that was really cool for Joe and I was that we met another missionary couple (Naoko and Gary) while at the camp. They are a couple of years older than us but we really blended well. Gary is from England and Naoko is from Japan. They were actually married on the same day we were! We are hoping to maintain a connection with them as we seek future opportunities in Japan.
Our last sermon of the camp was a special one. We performed an alter call. We asked students three questions and they responded with their heads bowed, raising their hands in the air. Overall, we had 14 students respond. Nine students at the Tamagawa youth camp made the decision to accept Jesus into their heart! Five students made decisions to get baptized! This was the absolute best way to end our ministry in Japan. we got to witness the actual fruit of God. How amazing! At the end of the night we had a meeting with all the children that made these commitments. Joe and I were asked to speak after they all shared their reasoning for making their commitments. I told the children that it was customary for Americans to cheer and celebrate when people decide to make a commitment to follow Jesus. On the count of three we cheered and clapped for our new found family members. Their faces were all brightened with smiles. What an incredible experience. This is truly a yay God moment.
For those of you that don't know, less than 1 percent of Japanese people are Christians. LESS THAN ONE PERCENT! And these children are deciding to go against their culture and believe in the one true God! They have a long journey ahead of them for sure. Joe and I will continue to pray that they continue to grow in their faith and love for Jesus.
As happy as this moment was for us their is also something bittersweet about it. That night we took a picture with all the children that made various commitments but we aren't allowed to share it on the website, nor am I allowed to publish their names. This is not allowed because Christianity has a stained reputation in Japan. It is not normal to be Christian, and what it not normal is meant to be avoided. Christianity has also had its fair share of extremism in Japan, cults have formed on the basis of incredibly skewed bible passages and the work of these cults has results in recent massacres leading the Japanese people into a distrust of the religion. It is because of this that we will not be posting that special picture we took. If you are a part of Faith Church in Grayslake and attend their service there when we speak on a ministry update then you will get the opportunity to see the faces of these amazing children.
We will most likely post one or two more times after this. Joe and I are looking forward to uploading videos that we took throughout the trip and sermons that we wrote. As well as some next steps for us and future missionaries in Japan.
Something that was really cool for Joe and I was that we met another missionary couple (Naoko and Gary) while at the camp. They are a couple of years older than us but we really blended well. Gary is from England and Naoko is from Japan. They were actually married on the same day we were! We are hoping to maintain a connection with them as we seek future opportunities in Japan.
Our last sermon of the camp was a special one. We performed an alter call. We asked students three questions and they responded with their heads bowed, raising their hands in the air. Overall, we had 14 students respond. Nine students at the Tamagawa youth camp made the decision to accept Jesus into their heart! Five students made decisions to get baptized! This was the absolute best way to end our ministry in Japan. we got to witness the actual fruit of God. How amazing! At the end of the night we had a meeting with all the children that made these commitments. Joe and I were asked to speak after they all shared their reasoning for making their commitments. I told the children that it was customary for Americans to cheer and celebrate when people decide to make a commitment to follow Jesus. On the count of three we cheered and clapped for our new found family members. Their faces were all brightened with smiles. What an incredible experience. This is truly a yay God moment.
For those of you that don't know, less than 1 percent of Japanese people are Christians. LESS THAN ONE PERCENT! And these children are deciding to go against their culture and believe in the one true God! They have a long journey ahead of them for sure. Joe and I will continue to pray that they continue to grow in their faith and love for Jesus.
As happy as this moment was for us their is also something bittersweet about it. That night we took a picture with all the children that made various commitments but we aren't allowed to share it on the website, nor am I allowed to publish their names. This is not allowed because Christianity has a stained reputation in Japan. It is not normal to be Christian, and what it not normal is meant to be avoided. Christianity has also had its fair share of extremism in Japan, cults have formed on the basis of incredibly skewed bible passages and the work of these cults has results in recent massacres leading the Japanese people into a distrust of the religion. It is because of this that we will not be posting that special picture we took. If you are a part of Faith Church in Grayslake and attend their service there when we speak on a ministry update then you will get the opportunity to see the faces of these amazing children.
We will most likely post one or two more times after this. Joe and I are looking forward to uploading videos that we took throughout the trip and sermons that we wrote. As well as some next steps for us and future missionaries in Japan.