We are members of Lighthouse Christian Church in Bellevue, Washington. Our mission is to share God’s grace and truth so that people come to know, love and share Jesus Christ. While in Japan we will divide into two teams to help run the VBS programs at Tokorozawa Megumi Church and Nokendai Bible Fellowship.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 Sunday at NBF on Sep 4 Here is a picture of our students on September 4 at NBF’s 3pm afternoon service. Kohichi had them up front and interviewed them in a Q&A format since it is a rare Sunday that we get to see all three of them together (lots of school clubs on Saturday and Sunday afternoon). It was a blessing to hear about their time in the US with their host families and at JEMS Warm Beach camp. Apparently it was very cold for them, something they did not expect, I guess, although I did tell them to bring a fleece jacket just in case. They all spoke fondly of their time with their host families and how much everyone gathered at night just to talk. They enjoyed camp, especially Kaoru, and visiting Lighthouse church, seeing past and present VBS members, meeting new people and making new friends, eating American food, and just seeing the great American outdoors. They were amazed by how many cars there were, how big everything was and how “free” it felt to be there. We have asked each of them to prepare a more formal presentation and will schedule each for a time to share on Sunday when they are able to attend service again.
We had lots of visitors this day, because Larry and Alma Oline, our former TEAM missionaries, were in town visiting. We always have lots of people when they are in town!
We asked Larry if he could share a short message with us after the kids shared. He talked briefly about Proverbs 3:5-6, and Matthew 11:28-29, two timeless passages that all of us go back to again and again for encouragement, guidance and comfort. We ended with a pretty grand tea and snack time as many visiting ladies brought sandwiches, fruit, pizza! and other more substantial snacks for a wonderful time of fellowship. We are thankful we have the chance to see the Oline’s at least once every year in Japan. They are already in Kobe now serving as relief missionaries for 2.5 months as the assigned missionary family there takes a short furlough to the USA. We praise God for all his faithful and willing servants and pray that the Oline’s time in Kobe would be fruitful, too! Amen.
August 31, 2011 On behalf of Nokendai Bible Fellowship, we are happy to report that our 3 homestay students arrived safely back in Japan on Wednesday afternoon in Japan, ahead of typhoon #12. Our heartfelt thanks to Lighthouse Christian Church body of believers and the host families who gave so generously of themselves to show Kaoru, Saya and Yuko an unforgettable first US experience.
God bless you and we look forward to the next time we may fellowship again in person!
-Shirley
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
I am back my regular schedule already, fighting off the jet lag. It’s the first time that I had the time and energy to blog. On the VBS days, I got about 4-6 hours of sleep on average. While it was a busy time, the adrenaline kept me going and the mission was a satisfying experience. It was great to have an intense week of focus of sharing the gospel and spending time with those who Jesus loves and who He wants to know him. I was able to share my personal testimony twice – with the kids and also at Sunday Service, share the basics of the gospel, teach how to do a simple bible study, pray for personal concerns of the women in my bible study and just love the kids through recreation time and crafts.
Some of the most touching times were just seeing the kids having a good time and showing whole hearted interest in learning about Jesus. And while we didn’t have the time to know how much the kids really understood, it was encouraging that almost all the kids raised their hands to say they wanted to accept Jesus into the hearts.
Free-spirited Lisa. Showing off her new Manga bible.
Kokoro. His name means “heart” and he lives up to his name. He does everything with his whole heart.
Garrett, Matt, Ayumi, Mimi, Andrew and Daiki
One particularly, heart-warming time was to witness the baptism of one of the children who attended VBS last year. Yuka was only 8-years old and yet she showed an understanding of who Jesus was and what he had done for her.
We really got the sense that we were building on the work of the previous years of VBS. There were many opportunities to experience Christian community through worship, prayer and fellowship. There seems to be movement toward wanting to know Jesus more and experience his love.
Three students – Yuko, Saya and Kaoru — around 13-14 years old, will come home to stay with Lighthouse families and it is our hope that they will experience the lifestyle of loving Christian families as well as the extended family of God at Pacific Northwest JEMS Warm Beach Conference and the Lighthouse community. It makes me wonder about God’s plan for the 3 students who are so fortunate to have this experience at a young age. My prayer is that God would use them to lead the church at home in Japan having witnessed a greater vision of what church could be.
Please pray that we would continue to build on the work of this year, and we will see even greater fruit next year.
We all made it to the Yokohama City Air Terminal (YCAT) bus terminal at Yokohama station before 11:00 AM this morning, praise God! This was not such an easy task since the team was staying in several locations. We were all there on time and met Kayoko and Yukina and their mothers, the two homestay girls from Soshin who will be traveling back with the team. Saya and Yuko and their parents were there, too, so we had a big group of people sending off the team. It was joyful, exciting for the homestay girls, and a little sad with tears in many eyes of others, but we trust the Lord will bring all of us back together again someday soon. We are so very thankful for the time we had together and for the blessing we received all around from our work together for God’s glory. Here are some photos of them leaving on the bus.
Afterwards, we all got together for lunch. It was great to see 4 dads at a table eating together and the moms and kids at a long table. After lunch, we parted ways. We took Nozomi to the JR train entrance and sent him on his way to his grandmother’s house after we put some ice-cream into him and my 3 girls. He called already to say he arrived safely, another praise. We did not receive any frantic telephone calls from the airport, so I presume everyone made it onto their respective flights on time with all their luggage.
We continue to pray for our homestay students, for their experiences at Warm Beach, Lighthouse, JBC, and with their host families and our extended church families in Bellevue and Seattle. May the Lord have His way with all of us during this time as we each seek to know Him and love Him, and obey Him as He calls us to various work He has planned for us in advance all around the world. Kaoru will join the other students at Warm Beach; he flies out on August 17 with a camp counselor from Warm Beach, another unexpected blessing that was arranged by our Lord back in June. The 2 Soshin students return with the Hwangs on August 25, landing in Japan August 26. The 3 NBF students return on August 30, landing in Japan on August 31. Our many thanks to those who helped arrange all our homestays, especially Mei-Ling, and to the families who are willing to host our students. We look forward to hearing their stories when they return to NBF in Japan. God bless you all!
Saturday, August 13 On Saturday night, we had the privilege of going to Semplice, Mr. Pagnotta’s restaurant in Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, an amusement park with aquarium very near Kohichi’s workplace in Yokohama. We enjoyed his Italian cooking and a time of wonderful fellowship with the whole Pagnotta family.
We celebrated Yuko’s 13th birthday together; her birthday was today August 13. And, we even saw some fireworks in the park around 8:30pm.
Except for not meeting up with the TMK team that evening at 5:30pm, because I miscommunicated the train station, it would have been a perfect night. But the Lord’s mercy and grace are ever present, and we were able to meet them in Yokosuka at our apartment building, got Al and Ev settled into their room, got the 3 older boys to the Hoki’s house, and dropped off Matt and Nozomi at the Onizuka’s for the next 2 nights, all before midnight, praise God!
Sunday, August 14
On Sunday afternoon at our 3pm service, we were surprised to see 48 people at our service. We almost ran out of chairs, a wonderful problem to have.
This was a special day since the TMK team with with us and we had a planned baptism for Yuhka-chan. She was so brave and did such a good job answering Pastor Gerald’s questions about her faith and commitment to Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Yuhka’s step of faith was a powerful witness to other children in the room who later told their mother that if that was what baptism was, they wanted to do it too. They had been scared off by the concept of being dunked under water. If their faith is there and sprinkling works for them, then praise God! Perhaps this is the beginning of many baptisms among the VBS children this year!
Overall, we had a joyous time of worship and celebrated with a potluck dinner afterwards. We ate and talked and laughed and had wonderful fellowship together until almost 8:00pm! What a blessed way to end a week of VBS at NBF. We are so very thankful for our partnership with the Lighthouse Church in Bellevue and pray that our continued work together would reap a grand harvest in Japan for God’s glory. Amen!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Shirley-NBF Day 5, Last Day of VBS Praise God for a terrific week of VBS at Nokendai Bible Fellowship. We had 21 kids today and were joined by many moms who have come faithfully all week to help and observe. Several dads showed up this afternoon, also to pick up their kids and see what they have been doing all week.
We took a group picture at lunch with many of the kids wearing their tie-dyed T-shirts! After a wonderful morning introduction, Mrs. Karen’s experiment depicting sin and turning water into wine, we also had Nozomi-kun’s testimony and an in depth bible discussion in each group and an invitation to say the believer’s prayer, also. We pray for those who checked the box that said they had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior today! We will do our best to follow-up with each person to encourage them in their new life in Jesus.
After lunch, we did marbling paper crafts that turned into beautiful cards complete with envelopes. The kids were still revving up and wanted to continue to do iron-beads and other recreation games, but we just plain ran out of time. We handed out pictures with picture frames, our gift bags and “Messenger” manga bibles, the fifth in the series that starts with “Messiah”.
It is hard to believe a whole week has gone by already and it is almost time to say “good-bye” to our NBF team. We look forward to meeting up with the TMK team tomorrow night in Yokosuka. We pray that the Lord would continue to work in the hearts of all the children and parents we met this week as we continue to nurture our relationships with each of them. May God bless them and keep them and shine His face on them and give them peace. Amen.
Tonight’s dinner was a jungle theme. We decorated the dining room to look like a jungle and each cabin group had to come down to the pool, get in a raft and row to the another side while fighting off a hippo who made big splashes (BJ in a rubber hippo mask), a frog that used a squirt gun and wanted to jump into the boat (Andrew in a rubber frog mask) and a very scary baboon (Tim) who tried to grab you if you got too close to “shore”.
We were afraid that the boys would get bonked on the head with a paddle by some of the girls. One girl even stood up to get better aim. Elias Reasoner was also a monkey and he and Tim really moved like a monkey and baboon!
The kitchen staff all come out to watch the show. There must have been 8 rafts of kids at least. Those guys were so tired. We had a great dinner of salad, German sausage on a bone, fried boneless chicken, broccoli, corn on the cob, and dirt pudding with a gummy worm for dessert.
All the meals have been really delicious – almost like a restaurant than camp food. God has blessed us at Okutama because we really got to serve not just with a servant’s heart but literally as servants – meeting physical needs of believers in Japan by putting aside our comforts and doing hard work.
Our wonderful “slave masters” were Laura and Bruce Harris, the director of the camp. The staff at the camp is so dedicated – the cook has been serving for 15 years! Ev learned to crack an egg properly by hitting it against another egg!! It works! After breakfast, we will be heading back to Tokyo area and then to Yokohama to have dinner with the NBF team. It will be so good to see them again. Thank for all your prayers. Al and Ev
2010 Japan Mission Team
We are members of Lighthouse Christian Church in Bellevue, Washington. Our mission is to share God’s grace and truth so that people come to know, love and share Jesus Christ. While in Japan we will be helping run the VBS programs at Tokorozawa Megumi Church and Nokendai Bible Fellowship.
We want to thank Mei-Ling and others for planning and organizing this get-together for us. What a privilege and blessing it was to be able to meet JMT members past and present and have a chance to fellowship with you this Christmas holiday season. Thank you again for you generous support of our little group in Nokendai, Japan. We love you guys, and look forward to what the Lord has planned for us next year. Hope to see you soon!
Many blessings, Kohichi & Shirley
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Shirley: Monday trains
Happy to report that the team is on its way back to Seattle today. We sent them off at the local train station around 10:30AM. They will catch the 11:59 NEX train at Yokohama that should get them to Narita airport by 1:30PM, plenty of time to retrieve their sent luggage (sent Sunday morning) and board their 4PM flight to Seattle.
Praying for travel mercies and a safe, non-turbulent flight all the way. Thanks again for sending them to help us. Thank you for remembering us and for praying for us. God willing, we hope to see you again soon in Seattle, or perhaps next year, here again in Japan!
Many blessings!
Shirley: Sunday NBF
I forgot to blog about our 3PM service on Sunday at NBF. We had lots of missionary visitors this day. Larry and Alma Oline came to visit us again, John and Etsuko Martin (MUPS missionaries going home on furlough in 2 weeks) and Gerald May our current TEAM missionary who helps us twice a month at NBF as of April this year. Only 2 new VBS children came and a lot of our regular children were missing also since it is Obon season right now; families go home to see parents and grandparents before school starts next week. Even so, we had 16 kids in Sunday School!
Our service ran overtime by almost 45 minutes, but I think it was worth the delay. Ev, Randy and Tom shared their testimonies to the adults, Lucy gave hers to the kids, we sang 2 VBS songs with the kids, Kohichi gave a brief summary of the 4 laws, Gerald did a short talk that segued well into baptism. And although no one stepped up for baptism today, we had 2 children raise their hands as having accepted Jesus as Lord by saying the believer’s prayer again just then. Then 2 mothers were asking LCC team members about baptism….lots of talking, lots of praying, lots of tears. We were so encouraged to see God’s hand at work and boy was He busy today! This is our swingset picture we like to take every year, but by the time we got around to it, a lot of folks had already left. Perhaps the season for the harvest at NBF is right now. Pray we will find a way to support them in their decision to be baptized this year if it comes to that. May God make a way for them.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Ev: Gratitude for the Faithfulness of Those who Came Before
To Elaine H., Vincy, Sharon, Tim, Kelly, David, Keith Tom, Patti, Mei-Ling, Sets, Wesley, Sam, Janis, Susan, Jeanette, Matt, Masae, Neil, Jasmine, Heather, Bob, Sheryl, Elaine N., Daniel, and Pastor Nancy, (if I have forgotten anyone, please forgive me) because of your faithfulness in coming and in serving in Japan, we were able to reap a harvest into God’s Kingdom. You all planted the seeds and we were privileged to be there to harveswt that seed you planted. This may be the year where the ministry here may change to include a youth and women’s ministry. There were 7 kids in Randy and Austin’s group of 3rd to 5th graders who prayed the “believers’ prayer” to accept Jesus as their Savior. Many had been coming all 4 years to VBS. In Karen’s and my group of 6th grade girls, 3 prayed the “believers’ prayer” to accept Jesus as Savior. Two had never come until this year and one was returning. We passed out cards on the last day of VBS and an additional 7 marked that they had accepted Jesus as Savior. Since we were unable to speak to these kids, we are not sure of their commitment but we trust God to make their response to him a deeper reality. We also had 4 women respond positively to having a womens’ Bible study/fellowship group during the VBS time. Almost all the 6th graders said that they would return and bring a friend which would increase the older aged group. Many of the other kids also replied that they would return and bring a friend. Verse Eph. 3:20-21 came to mind, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power tht works withing us, to Him be the glory in the the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” We could not have imagined what happened this year. Our God is amazingly faithful. Thank you again for all you who came before us, for the love you shared with these people, for your willingness to serve them. When they came into the Kingdom of God, you were all there with us!!!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Lucy: I’ve fallen in love with my VBS class
My prayer is that God protects them and draws them ever closer to Him.
… I feel as though the past few days my body and my heart have gone through shock. I knew I was getting attached to the kids and all but I wasn’t expecting it to be this bad… Sure the trip back was safe and smooth… but as my dad was pointing out… Satan probably has no problem with us leaving there… Every step I took towards the airport… every train… my heart sank a little bit… I couldn’t sleep much on the plane because I kept thinking about the kids and wondering how they were doing and how VBS was going… We arrived safely at Seatac… and on the drive from the airport back to my house… as the reality of finally being home sank in… my heart began to hurt. My sleep schedule is pretty messed up right now… because whenever I try to close my eyes and sleep I see their smiling faces. Since returning I began watching a Japanese drama in which one of the questions the main character poses to himself is… what is love? As the kids’ smiles flash through my mind and my heart continues to hurt… I can’t help but feeling like this time I really fell in love with Japan… especially the kids… and yet as I began writing this blog I was humbly reminded by a little tug in my heart… that despite how deep or how much I as a human can feel a love for others, God’s is always so much greater. I’m really not sure what the point of this is besides how I’m feeling right now… I guess a little prayer for me would be great… just that I would stop sitting around feeling so down and continue seeking God’s will… because whether I’m here or in Japan… God still has much for us to do.
On a side… slash… slightly less down note. My stomach is once again going through culture shock coming back… if there is any part of me (physically) that is truly Japanese…. It’s gotta be my stomach. Ughhh….
p.s. i feel like my last few or couple posts or whatever have been really… down ish.. sorry! ><...
Lucy: God exceeding my expectations
It’s past midnight and I’m the only one still up, but I had a dessert with coffee jelly and soft serve ice cream on top, so I’m kind of wired by the caffeine. So I’m taking this time to blog about this amazing day! I can’t believe today (or I guess technically yesterday) was the last day of VBS, and I’m going to miss the kids in my group so much! The day before, I thought we had decided not to invite my group to say the “believer’s prayer” because of their young age, but this morning Shirley said to go ahead and invite them to pray anyway. Reasoning: why limit the Holy Spirit? And if they are too young to understand, at least they would have heard the prayer and this would allow them to better understand in future years. So at the end of the memory verse learning time, I sat down with them and invited them to pray silently the believer’s prayer along with me. At the end of the prayer, I thought their eyes were still closed and I asked them to raise their hands if they accepted Christ. When I looked up, their eyes were wide open and they all had their hands up! I had a whole bunch of thoughts all at once when I saw that: 1) they are so adorable and I want to take them all home with me! 2) Okay, I’m new at this and I should have reminded them to keep their eyes closed 3) they are probably too young to understand what I was saying 4) maybe something was lost in translation 5) But God is still so good! I was expecting no hands to be raised, and instead I got the opposite! Even if they didn’t understand what was going on, I felt so encouraged anyway. And maybe, just maybe, some of them did accept Jesus today. Later, Shirley had the kids fill out response cards, and one of the questions was: did they accept Jesus as their Savior. Some of the kids in my group checked the yes response!
I do want to ask you to pray for these kids and for all of those in the other age groups who accepted Jesus this week. At least for the ones in my group, they are so young I wonder how much or if they understand what it means to become a follower of Jesus, but I am reassured that God knows their hearts and that He loves each and every one of them so much more than I do. One of them who checked “yes” is on my heart in particular: when going over Philippians 4:6 yesterday, this child shared about being worried for a parent’s health (and I knew that this parent had a serious illness). Some of you know that one of my parents had serious health issues last year, and it was really hard for me even though I’m in my 30’s. To think that a young child has to bear this kind of worry breaks my heart. I am praying that he now knows (or at least will know) Jesus and His comfort.
Also, I am struck by how we are here for just a couple of weeks, which means that we are reaping the fruit of those who sowed before us, and that when we leave, the Tamuras will have the task of following up with the kids and growing them in their faith. Please pray for the Tamuras in this; there are so many thorns here in Japan that can strangle young faith, and we must have the power of the Holy Spirit to provide the protection they need here. They’ve become so dear to me in just one short week, and I’ll be praying very hard for them all.
BTW, as soon as I get access to one of the cameras that took our group photo, I’ll post it. These kids are really, really cute.
2009 Japan Mission Team
Keeping it Personal
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
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.
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.
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
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…
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.
2008 Japan Mission Team
This website was created to fulfill our desire to keep our supporters informed of what is happening and to allow you to pray more effectively as we serve in Japan. We have two teams, one in Nokendai and one in Tokorozawa. We serve only through the enabling of Christ’s power. We will be in Japan from July 31st to August 13th.
The 2008 Team
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Richard Nakamura’s reflections
As I reflect back on the 2008 Lighthouse Summer Mission’s Team to Japan, I can’t help but smile (laugh) and thank God for sending such quality people to Japan. It reminded me of the team Lighthouse sent to Japan several years back – quality people, humbly serving others, willing to do anything, and shining for Jesus.
I was glad that Lighthouse was going to send two teams to Japan. One to follow up last year’s Nokendai ministry and the other one to help the Nakamuras. It so happens that during our first year back in Japan, the Nakamura kids were able to make friendships around the SEND Center, while we were looking for housing. The Reasoner Family, who ministers at the Center, had been following up with these children through various events. We thought a VBS program would be perfect to continue in that outreach.
Because we were contacted by Lighthouse early on, I was able to make reservations for housing at the SEND Center. Everyone was going to fit, even the additional Nokendai team for the first night. I was shocked to discover that the situation with housing changed due to unavoidable circumstances with SEND. Initially, I panicked and got quite upset, but the Lord settled me down and I began to give the situation to Him. In the course of planning, I arranged for the teams to stay at our home in Kashiwa and added prayer walks in our area to the itinerary. This may not have happened if everything worked out to stay the whole time at the Center. I look back and praise God for his guidance. One of my highlights was to have these teams join me in spiritual warfare in my area of Tokyo. We prayer walked a LOT, but not one complaint. Even Kelly, with his sore swollen knees, always had a positive word and a godly perspective. I believe the real work of the ministry starts with prayers like these.
I look back at the VBS program and all the time and effort that went into planning and preparing for the trip and I find myself in awe. A lot of work went into this. I also realize that a whole support team from home helped pay for and pray for this ministry. I want to thank the dear brothers and sisters from Lighthouse (and elsewhere) for your partnership in reaching the Japanese for Christ. We Nakamuras also felt we made great friendships. Your hearts were truly joined with our desire to spread the Gospel in Japan. The Reasoners were also encouraged by the Lighthouse team. They have been freely sharing with other SEND missionaries of the blessings they received. They also desire to see another Lighthouse team come and minister at their church. They long to see a breakthrough in that area of Higashi Tokorozawa and realize that teams like this can make a difference.
The kids responded very well at the VBS. Even though they didn’t understand the words of the songs, they sang with gusto and enthusiastically did the hand motions. Every part of the VBS, the songs, crafts, story, skits, games, etc. were all used by the Lord to give the program a well balanced, fun atmosphere. I believe each child went home satisfied and glad that they came. The mothers who participated also enjoyed themselves. It was great to see the interaction with these mothers and the team. They were very interested to know what each member did as their occupation. They were impressed that the Lighthouse members used their vacation to serve at the church in Japan. I believe they sensed the love of Christ through each member. It was great to see the Lord use each member with their various gifts. All of this makes it easier to follow up with each child and family.
I feel though that the Nakamura family benefited the most. Words cannot adequately express how thankful we are. The team felt like family. Through this, we feel closer to the Lighthouse body. We are excited about what is happening at the church. We are honored to be a part of Lighthouse as one of your missionaries. Thank you for blessing us so much.
With much love,
Richard and Keri Nakamura Alisha, Brandon, Hanna, Kayla and Nathan too
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Al: My God Sightings
It is hard to believe that the trip to Japan is over. The time in Japan passed so quickly. The whole time there is just a blur. I have many treasured memories. Looking back what are three God sightings that stood out to me?
1. The blog worked out better than I ever imagined it could be. I am glad God put it on my heart to try a blog and a newsletter. I thought we could still write a newsletter like last year but with fewer members on the team we just didn’t have the energy or time to write one. The blog was more than sufficient. I know that it kept the two teams connected daily even though we were so far apart. God really used this beyond my wildest imagination.
2. God put all nine of us in condo. God blessed us in many ways here. First of all, we were able to co-exist and even thrive in this environment. We adjusted well, no fighting for the bathroom or shower time. We graciously overlooked the snorers,(I being the worst). We all contributed to the supply of breakfast food and shared with no one complaining about what was being served. Last year Sets, Mei-Ling, Ev and I stayed in this condo while the rest of the team stayed at the Cadence Lighthouse. I felt like I really never bonded with the rest of the team because we were apart. This year was different, we all really felt like we were team bonded by our common experiences from sharing laundry to accidentally borrowing things from each other. The benefits of living together in close quarters vastly outweighed any drawbacks of 9 sharing 1 bathroom and kitchen. God truly blessed us in this situation.
3. The 3rd God sighting that I want to share was the VBS itself. I was so excited to see the children again. It was hard to believe that it had been a year since we last saw them. They all looked the same…it was if we never had left. The children were excited to be there and if anything their English skills had improved a lot more than my Japanese in the past year. Certainly I was blessed to be able to participate in the VBS program at Nokendai. So many small miracles though out the week showed that God’s hand was helping us though VBS.
Thanks for reading my ramblings. Thanks for your support. Most of all thanks for your prayers. In Japan I was really aware of the spiritual war. This is a land where almost every child is consecrated in a Shinto shrine or prayed for in a Buddhist temple. Richard said that each child is blessed by a demon and desensitized to voice of the true God. Never has Ephesians 6:10-18 been so meaningful to me.
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18
Ev: God’s “Tea House” Moments
We only spent one day with Richard and Keri Nakumara but I wished we had more time with them. Richard gave us a deeper understanding of what was happening in Japan. He shared the history of Christianity, the persecution of believers, and the spiritual culture in Japan. We had focused on developing relationships during the VBS week with the parents and kids, but Richard taught me about the “Tea House” moments in Japan. I experienced three of them.
It was on the last day and we were on the local bus going to another bus stop where we would catch a ride to the airport. Al got up to give a seat to an older woman who sat next to me. She began talking to me in Japanese and I quickly told her I was from America and did not understand. The amazing thing is she continued to talk and some how two people communicated without understanding each other’s words. She gave me a woven momento and I gave her the last of my two pamphlets about God’s love and salvation which had a CD in it. Richard had given two to each of us and encouraged us to pass them along as God directed. She shared a taped recording of Japanese opera and showed some music. When we got off, Richard told me what she shared with me. She had thanked me for this “tea house” experience where strangers come together for a brief moment to enjoy tea together and then go their separate ways. We prayed at the bus stop for this woman that she would be open to the message on the pamphlet.
It was then that I realized that God had given me other “tea house” moments. The second one was when Richard had taken us to Askusa where there were Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines that were surrounded by shopping and eating places. He prayed with us and then gave each of us 2 pamphlets to pass out. He asked us to pray as we walked through to the other end of the shopping area, and, if led, to pass out the pamphlets to people we meet. I had never done this. How do you know you are being “led” to give this pamphlet to people who speak a different language? Al and I walked all the way to the end and took a short break to buy a shaved iced cone. A woman said thank you to me in Japanese and smiled. We left to meet the team but I couldn’t get rid of the urge to give that Japanese woman a pamphlet. I walked back and said thank you for the wonderful shaved ice. I passed the pamphlet to her and said, “This is a gift” and I left. She glanced at it and thanked me. I don’t know what happened but it is in God’s hand – two strangers from two different countries sharing a “tea house” moment.
The last “tea house” moment was at the nursing home in Nokendai. We shared the gospel, a story, we sang “Jesus Loves Me” and “Seek Ye First” in Japanese, and Matt played piano. Before we left, for some reason, I wanted to touch and shake hands with the people here. Amy had some cards with a message in Japanese about God’s love which a supporter had given her. Everyone on the team took cards and began walking around. I took the hands of the people I met and said to them, “Arigatou gozaimasu. God loves you” as I gave them one of those cards. It was not a long moment with each person, but it was a short, shared experience that we pray will allow the people we met to come a little closer to becoming part of God’s family.
I learned that God doesn’t always use planned programs to do His work and that I have to be always ready for those “tea house” moments God gives us. Next year, if I go, I have been convicted that I need to learn to say “Kami-sama Anata Ai suru” – God loves you and much more. I also appreciated what Richard answered when we asked him, “You said that you were really shy when you were younger. What happened?” Richard would stop and talk to strangers and share the gospel as we walked. He said that when he was young, he had nothing to say. Now, with God’s love in His life and the truth he now knows, he can’t stop talking! It really convicted me.
Again, this trip has given me so much more than I gave to it. God used us to touch Japan, and God used our Japan experience to touch us. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. Truly, you were an important part of both teams. What happened these past two weeks in Nokendai and Tokorazawa could not have happened without you all.
Blessings, Ev
Patti’s Highlights, thoughts, and praise.
The 2 weeks in Japan went by so quickly. On Monday, the day before we were to come home, I was talking with Matt as we made our way to do a little sightseeing in Tokyo, and we agreed that we had experienced so much that it seemed like we had been in Japan much longer than 2 weeks, and yet, it was hard to believe that already the day to return home was fast approaching. It is difficult to pick 3 highlights, but here is my attempt.
First of all, I was truly blessed to see the transformation that occured in each one of us, as we were open to be used by God and took the risk of stretching ourselves to experience and do some things that we normally wouldn’t. We knew little of each other when we first got together. We grew to know more about each other as we trained and had team building times in preparation for this Mission Trip. Living together only brought us closer, we worked together like clockwork, we laughed together until there were tears (I found out what a sense of humor each one had), and we intentionally cared for each other. We saw answers to prayer that grew our faith. A surprise answer to prayer, was our accomodations. Because of circumstances with housing not coming through for one of the Missionary family that was staying at the SEND Center, we were not all able to stay together. But, on the weekend, the housing opened up for the Missionary family, so they moved out of their apt. at the SEND Center, and the 3 of us that were staying off campus was able to move in so that we were all together. God provides! And these rooms were much nicer than I dreamed of. God provides abundantly! Another transformation that I observed was that some of us came out of our shells to be more bold for Christ than we ever have been.
Secondly, the prayer walks that Richard Nakamura took us on, grew my heart to connect with the people of Japan and gave me a real burden for them. Richard gave us information on the spiritual status of Japan and gave explanations of the origin of many traditions and the strongholds that are keeping many people of Japan in bondage. I realized not just in my head, but in my heart, that I can be a part of the work that the Christian Missionaries are doing, by being committed to praying for God to make a way for the light to be seen, and that many would feel hope by experiencing the love and grace of Jesus. Committed to praying for the Missionaries and for workers to come to help them. Committed to praying for the strongholds to be broken. Committed to praying for harmony of the churches that exist in Japan. Committed to praying for the growth of the church.
Thirdly, the children that attended the VBS touched my heart. I just want to share with you about a 1st grade girl, Kei, who listened so intently to the story of the Paralyzed Man from Mark 2. When I asked the question, “When Jesus first saw the Paralyzed Man, what did he do for him?” she raised her hand up high and quietly said, “He healed his heart by forgiving him.” It thrilled my heart, as I thought that this was a hard question for such a young group. But she had gotten it! Sugoi!
There are so many people to thank, who helped us to be able to communicate the gospel and share God’s Word, and who gave a helping hand with the crafts and games. We could not have accomplished what we did without Richard’s, Chieko’s, and Jon’s translations. It made it so much more fun with Alicia, Brandon, Amy, Elisabeth, and Eliott helping. Arigato! (hey–that’s the extent of my Japanese–so sad, I want to work on this.)
Blessings, Patti
Sharon: Some moments to remember…and prayers to continue
here it is, 2:20am (Seattle time) and i’m still awake…and not just because of the Olympics either. =P although i’m getting back to west coast time, i sit and read and re-read the blogs from our trip and pray for all those we have left behind; for all those we have had the opportunity to meet, talk with, sing with, share Bible and faith stories with, eat with, laugh with, cry with and pray with…i want to remember the people and the missionaries and the children…and not stop praying… The other day, kelly found himself recycling like we did in Japan and i found that “PET” symbol on the bottom of a fruit carton. wherever we went in Japan, we were looking for those recycle containers to throw away our empty bottled waters/drinks we had purchased from one of the many drink machines along the way. we gave one of our TMK members a hard time as he unknowingly walked up to a cigarette machine to get a drink! lol! he was tired! =P silly memories but the recycling alone tells a little about the nature of Japan and it’s desire to be clean and efficient. i know we were asked to do “highlights” but after reading everyone’s blogs along the way, i remember so much. as i read the earlier blogs about when we went to the govt building, i remember kelly thinking they might not let him past the check point because he had his leatherman with him. but, praise God, they let him in! i remember being squashed like sardines into the elevator (plus backpacks) how many stories up! how many of us were in there??? and i thought they only did that on the train! Mei-Ling and i were like, more?? lol! and the doors closed! We were just cracking up on the ride up to the top. =D ( a memorable laughter moment!) at the top of this building, as we looked out over the city, i remember Richard Nakamura sharing about the shrines and temples. we could see one of the largest ones below. ironically, Richard said that President Bush also offered incense there not long ago. that made me sad. there is a need to be loving and caring and, yet, stand firm in our faith. as Richard shared, i began to gain a deeper understanding of the need to pray for the people of Japan. they are such a kind, courteous, hardworking, generous and giving people, yet, there is so much that stands between them and God (many gods–work, maybe too much technology, pride, shame, guilt, and so much more). it all makes it so difficult for them to freely come to know Jesus; to want to come and seek Him. letting go of traditions they have grown up with is hard to do for fear of shaming their family or being shamed. Heavenly Father, asking that You would break those barriers down. like the story in the Bible about the blind man who had to choose to obey Jesus’ instructions to wash the mud from his eyes. like the blind man, that they might see Jesus for the first time and believe. that they might want to come to Him like the 10 men who shouted for Jesus to help them. that they might experience the physical and spiritual healing of Jesus, and know it is Him and only Him they need to give thanks. or like the paralyzed man, that we might be people that can help bring people of Japan into the presence of Jesus so they can be, not just physically healed, but spiritually forgiven of their sins by a holy and loving God and have eternal life in heaven. this trip has grown my heart in prayer. not just for the people of Japan but the missionaries who give their lives to share God’s love and message of salvation. as i looked on the websites for the Lighthouse Cadence and SEND International and read about the Nakamuras, the Reasoners and the Bowdens, and remembering the Tamuras, i began to pray. praying God’s equipping and annointing of His Holy Spirit for them to love His people and share His truth. asking for God’s Holy Spirit to fill them, encourage them and help them persevere. asking God to raise up workers to come alongside and help them in ministry. that they might see even a glimpse of the fruits of their labor for the Lord as He begins to touch and transform lives; as He begins to draw people to Him. dear Jesus, as they seek to love and obey You, carry them on Your wings and help them soar for You. be their shelter and their mighty fortress. in all things, that You might be glorified. those words, “carry them on Your wings”, remind me how one of the boys Richard has been building relationship with is deaf. that was another God-sighting that day. the TMK team had split into 2 groups to prayer walk the area on the way to the Kashiwa’s home where service is held. Mrs. Kashiwa took one group and Richard took the other. (that was a very HOT day!) along the way, our group just happened to run into this young man as he was out riding his bike, and Richard invited him to the Sunday service. and, shortly after we arrived, this boy came! 🙂 as we closed our time with songs, one of the songs was the one with the hand motions (hold me close, let Your love surround me)…part of the song talks about “eagles wings”…as i did the motions i could remember, i realized that this boy who was deaf was watching. at that moment, i thought, Lord, how cool to be able to share some of that song with signing!–something i felt God did just for that boy! 🙂 praying God would help him to understand even a little of what that song was saying. on that prayer walk, Richard also shared how there were now 24 hour internet cafes (where you could even shower!) popping up all over Japan. one more thing to draw people away from family and home. that also made me realize how technology, even back here, can keep us from hearing or spending time with God. while we were in Japan, although we were on the computer to blog or download pictures, we didn’t watch tv or use cell phones…and, although at times it would have been nice to have a couple of cell phones just in case we got lost, that wasn’t always possible. less technology was good for connecting with each other more and use more of that time to pray through the train stations, along the street and in the stores. at the end of our trip, when both our teams were trying to meet Richard at one of the busier, bigger train stations, we had taken the wrong train so we got off on a different platform than planned. although we tried calling Richard’s cell phone from a pay phone, for whatever reason, we were not able to get through to Richard. after waiting for a bit and no success in finding Richard, i appreciated Mei-Ling’s reminder to stop and pray. so we did. we asked God to guide Patti and help find Richard on the platform above. and, lo and behold! Thank you, Jesus, for answering our prayers! that made me realize how we can sometimes rely on our cell phones instead of on God to guide us. Thank you, Mei-Ling, for reminding us to go to God in prayer to show us the way! 🙂 ok, now it’s 4am…and time to sleep…but my brain is buzzing with thoughts and prayers…there is much more but time to sleep…or at least try. maybe that’s why i overslept this morning! =P Thank you, Jesus, for the opportunity to go on this mission trip! please help us to remember what You have taught us and help us to keep in touch as we are led. please continue to water the seeds that have been planted, both in our hearts and in the hearts of the children and moms from VBS. please watch over each of the team members too and help them get some rest. oyasuminasai!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Kelly – Reflections on Japan
As I sit here reflecting on the trip, what comes to my heart is sadness, a deeper understanding and desire to be supportive of the missionaries there, and a growing desire to be intentional about pushing back the darkness that is there in Japan. These all come from the realization that since my last “missions” trip to Japan 25 years ago, little has changed spiritually. The scene of a mom rigorously teaching her 4 or 5 year old son how to offer incense and how to wash before entering the budhist temple repeatedly plays in my mind. Unless he has a chance to attend something like a VBS, this may be all he knows. Technologically and “fashionably” the Japanese are soo “up-to-date”. But sadly to say, spiritually, they are still doing what they’ve done for generations. Biblical references about generational sins have taken on a new reality for me.
I have a deeper understanding that the battle for the Japanese heart is truly a spiritual one. One that will take perseverance and patience – hence my realization that I need to keep Richard and Keri, Jon and Chieko, Shirley and Koichi, Joy, Tina, and the Bowdens in constant prayer. Prayer that their hearts are soo close to God, that they will know where and when they need to be somewhere so they can plant just one more seed within someones heart.
Intentionality on my part will mean me being more committed to Japan while here in the US. Trying to keep in contact with those in Japan so I can pray for specific opportunities. Maybe even looking into hosting a Japanese student… praying for next year and ways we can expand our opportunities to interact with the families as well as the children.
I have many other memories I will cherish from this trip, from a hug from Amy, to throwing a bucket of water at Richard, oh, and should I mention the bird poop…
By His Grace,
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Elaine
The highlights for me from this trip 1) Mission work and Prayer walk is hard work 2) Thank God for obedience kids and more kids show up and the kids were praying with us 3) The Moms are great and I hope I can build relationship especially when I went back to Nokendai(everyone is like old friends with lots of Hugs). Katsura asked about me(the Mom that I’ve e-mailing for a year 4) Get to know new missionaries Ada So and Yamuel Li from Hong Kong, make me understand more on long term mission and what they go through 5) Saying Goodbye to the families and Miwa’s Mom and Brother take us to the bus station 6) Understand why we need to go to Japan for Mission And many more highlights. And thank God for everything. Also many thanks to Richard and Keri Nakamura, Jon and Chieko Reasoner, Shirley and Kohichi Tamura, Jim and Martha Boden, Joy, Ada and many other friends Elaine Ho