I'm so sorry that blogging is not my thing! But I am excited to give you an update and hopefully it will give me a chance to hear from you. When I get email responses from you it makes my blogging experience so much better. No pressure though!
Where to begin: March ended the school year and April brought a new year with new teachers and students. I always miss students every time there is a graduation. Do you remember the rowdy boys that were the first members of English Club? They all graduated in March. Even though they gave me an "interesting" English Club, I will miss them.
English Club started again! This year is the smallest year. I only have three members. They are all first graders (like 7th graders) and they are very enthusiastic. Now we are working on a project for the school festival. Please pray that all goes smoothly!
Team-work: In May we had the annual Family Festival at Azumino Family Chapel. Working with a great team of four, I led the English game time. The team-work was the best part of the event. No matter where you are in the world, God's family can always work together to further his kingdom. My friend Kikuko and her daughters came again this year. One of the JHS teachers came, too. It is great to see bridges being built between teachers and the Japanese church. We have had the chance to get together outside of church and school and we are making more plans. Please pray for the relationships with my teachers and non-Christian friends.
July Highlights: Unlike the landscape of Indiana, here I'm surrounded by the beautiful Northern Alps. I decided it was part time to try climbing mountains. I started o
ff with my friends Eno, Andrew and Michie. It was a great time of fellowship and fun.I climbed Mt. Fuji with my friend Joy, from JET Christian Fellowship and Yoshino san from Azumino Family Chapel. Wow! God's creation seemed magnified on Mt. Fuji. A sunset above the clouds and the bright, innumerable stars were part of the beauty we enjoyed. Reading Bible verses and watching the sunrise at the 8th station was awesome. Our God is so creative and He has given us creation to remind us that He is always glorified. I'm thankful we had beautiful weather-just the day before we started rainy season officially ended. From the top I could see the Northern Alps and I almost saw my house-JK!
Summer Vacation is the longest break in the Japanese school year-three weeks! It was jam-packed. A short term team from St. Louis came over to work at Azumino Family Chapel. They did many events at church, which provided opportunities to invite teachers and friends. Friends came to the English Coffee House and several of my evening students came to the Kid's English Seminar-Snow Cone events. The families had never been to church before-I think it was a good first contact.
Friends from home: The second week of summer vacation brought Casi, my cousin and my friend Heather to Japan! It was so great to have them visit. We had so many adventures! Matsumoto Bon-Bon Festival, The Wasabi Farm, Matsumoto Castle, the Sea of Japan and more. Good friends are always a blessing to the heart!
Japan Day: Casi, Heather and I spent the day with the St. Louis team at the Momose's home. They are the sweetest older couple you will ever meet and such a testimony of service to the Lord. Mrs. Momose used to teach "sado"-the green tea ceremony and she is also trained in "shuji"-Japanese calligraphy. It was a growing experience, not just because I was trying "sado" and "shuji" but because I also got the chance to try translating. It is definitely difficult. However, I really enjoyed it. I felt like it was a great way to minister to both Japanese and Americans at the same time. Mrs. Momose asked if I could translate Heather's and one of the team member's testimonies. That was the most challenging part. I'm thankful for the experience and it is motivation to study Japanese and Biblical Japanese so that I can develop this ministry more.Goodbyes and Hellos: July is the time that JET teachers end their contracts. I've been a part of JET Christian Fellowship during my time here. Every time there was a retreat I would travel together with four friends from Nagano prefecture. All my original "Nagano-ians" have left Japan now. It was hard to say goodbye to friends like Eno and Andrew, who I spent last Christmas with. They were such a blessing to me. I'm also excited to report that God has great things in mind for Nagano prefecture. He didn't just let most of the Christian AETs leave without replacing them. He has brought at least four new Christian AETs to Nagano. Two of them are attending Azumino Family Chapel. God put two of them in the town that Eno and Andrew left. God is good! Pray that they will adjust to life and Japan and that they will be able to come alongside the Japanese churches and serve.
Six months and then ??: On September 10th I will celebrate 2 years in Japan. I can't believe it! Right now I have until March 2011 on my current contract. I could re-contract for another year in Horigane, but I'm just not certain that is the the step to take. My heart is in Japan, but I'm not sure what the next step looks like. I would appreciate your prayers over these next six months of decision making.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. Psalm 19:1-6
