All In a Summer's Work

This is the final report I will be sending out concerning my 15-month mission internship in Sendai, Japan. It's so hard to believe how quickly 15 months flew right by! But, I have returned to my parents house in CO, now, and as I write this report, I can't stop thanking and praising God for the beautiful people I was surrounded by, and for the countless blessings he poured over Debi and me as we worked and lived in Japan. Praise God for an amazing, life-changing, faith-building 15 months! In this report, I want to share with you the highlights from the final few months of our internship, May-September. As you read, please know that God is working powerfully in the lives of these people, and each class, camp, or Bible study that they are involved in is just another step closer to knowing Jesus our Savior, and God is purposefully drawing them to himself. "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner or the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious." Isaiah 11:10

Cell Group
Our Cell Group time was one of my favorite times each week! This small group Bible study consisted of 4 college age non-Christians (Haruna, Yui, Kazuhiro, and Michiaki), 1 Japanese Christian (Yuko Kawamura), Debi and myself. In our earlier Gospel Singing classes, Debi and I found that these people were craving spiritual discussions, and wanted the chance to ask questions and think deeply together (see blog entry posted February 28, "God Moments").

Each Monday night, Debi and I would prepare a meal for them, enjoy 1 hour of eating and sharing together, followed by 2 hours of worship, singing, and studying the Bible. Our study focused on sin and grace, using Romans as a guide. One night, combined with Ben and Joel's cell group, Jonathan also shared an awesome, easy to understand overview of the Bible and God's covenant/plan of salvation from the beginning of time, carried out through Jesus.


1-on-1 Bible Studies
Two of my students, Haruna and Kayoko, have been deeply searching for truth, and my relationship with them had grown so much during the year that I was thankful to be able to continue our study through the summer. Kayoko loves Jesus, and wants to serve the true God of Heaven, but is struggling with making a clear commitment to become a Christian. Haruna was also involved in our cell group Bible study.


Let's Start Talking
We were blessed to have four Let's Start Talking workers (Cami Towell (my younger sister!), Bethany Stanger, Brian Keller, and Simon Nading) and two Master's Apprentice workers (A Thao, and Kao Lee) serve the Lord in Sendai this summer for 8 weeks! Each of them showed unique gifts and abilities God has given them to reach their students. It was really a blessing to watch how God worked through them, and changed them from the beginning of the project to the end. They each did a great job teaching the Bible and spending time with their readers, and even several weeks after the team returned to America, the Japanese people were still telling stories about their teachers and experiences from the summer.

Camp
At the end of the summer, many of the LST readers were able to participate in Friends Camp. The camp staff, Saprina Howard, Holly Neeley, Jared Stark, Paul Neeves, Lance Lawrence, Walter and Shirley Straker, worked hard and did such a great job of creating a fun and spiritually focused weekend, where the readers could experience worship, group Bible studies, recreation, and Christian fellowship.

Coffee Shop
Jonathan dedicated lots of time this summer to making the coffee shop ministry an effective way to reach the LST students! And Debi and I were able to pitch in and help him 3 days a week. At the coffee shop, LST readers could come early or stay late after their lesson, and enjoy good coffee, conversation, and fellowship. It was a great opportunity for us to get to know them on a more personal level, and also a great way for the LST students to interact with each other and build communities of friendship.

Prayer ministry
"O you who hear prayer, all men will come to you..." Psalm 65:2
Together with the LST and MAP workers, our mission team, Japanese Christians, and sometimes even LST non-Christians... this summer's activities and people involved were especially covered over with prayer. Re-convicted by several verses and Bible stories (like James 5:15-16, Hezekiah 19:9-19), we wanted to daily and specifically bring each of the LST students before God, asking Him to work powerfully in their life and change them! Many hours were spent in prayer for the Christians in Asia to raise up and boldly share their faith in God. We prayed for the small churches in Japan, to be encouraged and challenged daily in their faith. And we prayed for God to make each of US more faithful and obedient to His will for our lives.

This time was powerful, not only for the people in Asia, but also for us, as we experienced changes and growth in our own lives of prayer and faith in God. Praise God that we can approach him with confidence, and that he hears and answers the prayers of his people! What an awesome God we serve!

Japanese language teacher
After studying Japanese for 11 months with Jonathan, Michiko, and Akiko (church member), this summer I went to the International Center and found a volunteer, non-English speaking, sweet woman who wanted to teach me Japanese! Of course her lack of English presented some interesting challenges, but I enjoyed learning more about Japanese culture AND becoming friends with her. May God use this friendship to make himself known in her life!


AMF
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

This year as the grand finale to my internship in Japan, I was able to attend the Asian Mission Forum, August 4-8, hosted by the Sendai mission team in Bali, Indonesia! Asian Christians and foreign missionaries, about 102 total, all gathered together for 5 days of powerful worship, prayer, encouragement, and sharing about what each person is experiencing in their own country. The theme was "People Called By My Name", talking about our identity in Christ. Keynote speakers Kerry Holton and Steve Sikes, along with several different elective class teachers were used powerfully to challenge and encourage us to a deeper grasp of our identity as God's children. Following the forum, we spent 1 night and 2 days in Singapore with the Christians there. We enjoyed a devotional with the youth group, relaxing time spent with our host families, and a send-off in the early morning at the airport. Praise God for a family that extends all across the world!

Akiko Kawamura
One of our Christian friends and church members, Akiko, has made the decision to go to Thailand for a one-year missionary apprenticeship! We are all so excited for this decision and excited to watch her faith grow through this experience. Please pray for her as she is raising funds and preparing to go in November or December. Praise God for what he is doing in Akiko's life!!

Saying Good-bye
It was a bitter-sweet time saying good-bye to all of my friends and "family" during the last few weeks in Sendai. Through all of the good-bye parties and individual time spent with friends, God really showed me how blessed I was in this year, and how I was loved and taken care of by so many wonderful people. It was hard to leave the people I have grown to love so much, but during the hardest times, God faithfully answered prayers and gave me a Spirit of joy as the my friends and I reminisced, gave each other "thank-you"s and hugs, and said our final good-byes. What an incredible blessing to have spent 15 months in such a wonderful country with precious people! My heart is compelled to continue in prayer for them each day.

Making Transitions
In the next several weeks, our the team will be making transitions into different areas. Will you please be praying for all of us during this time?

Debi has already started her new job as a kindergarten English teacher in Sendai! I had the chance to see her classroom and meet her kids before I left for the States, and I was so amazed at her passion for teaching, and her love for each of the children she works with. Heavenly Father, thank you for providing Debi with a job! Please give her many opportunities to share your love with the kids each day, and please give her strength in You and through friends and family as she continues her life in Japan.

Ben and Joel have been busy saying good-bye to 10 years worth of friends and packing up their house as they prepare to leave Japan for a short time. Joel plans to return to Canada October 4 for a furlough and then travel to several Asian countries for short-term internships and missions equipping/training. Ben also plans to return to the States October 2 for a furlough and then to Abilene Christian University to pursue graduate work. Father, we praise You for the relationships that have been built over the past 10 years through Ben and Joel! Will you please give them strength and energy to finish up their tasks as they prepare to leave, and bless their finals minutes with the people they love in Japan.

Jonathan, Michiko, and Hijiri Straker are also planning to return to Canada for a furlough, and then to ACU for graduate work. They are in the process now of receiving Michiko's visa. God, thank you for this Christian family who has been a light to the people around them! Will you please allow Michiko's visa to come in soon and give them a smooth transition into Canada and Abilene. Please surround them with your protection and love, and bless their time with family and friends.

Sasha
Sasha Ingle, a former Sendai L.S.T. team worker is planning to do a one-year internship in Japan, and will be joining Debi after receiving her visa. God, thank you for creating in Sasha's heart the desire to love and share Jesus with the Japanese people! Please bless her transition from the States, and bless her year in Sendai with deep relationships, and open doors to share the Good News with the people she meets.

Crimsen
For the time being, Crimsen plans to continue living in Minnesota with her family, helping support her family and take care of her mother. God, you are surrounding Crimsen and her family with your love and peace, and we want to thank you for being our loving and faithful Father! Will you please continue to give strength and peace to Crimsen, and give her wisdom as she makes decisions about her future.

My plans are to join Ben, Jonathan, and Michiko at Abilene Christian University, and possibly begin graduate school in the Spring semester. God, I want to thank your patience, grace, forgiveness, guidance, protection, and most of all for your love! Thank you for calling me to Japan, and thank your for surrounding me with a team who has been my family for the past 15 months. Please continue to give me guidance and wisdom about decisions for my future.

Thank you!
None of this could have been possible without the loving and faithful God that we serve, and without YOU! With all of your prayer support, letters, emails, and financial support, I always felt like I had everything I needed, and never had to worry about being taken care of! Thank you so much for helping make this experience in Japan life-changing, and faith building, and thank you so much for your hearts for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

"This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Timothy 1:9-10

Shelley Wheeler
Several weeks ago, we received news from Crimsen, a Sendai mission team member who has lived in Minnesota for the past year, that her mother, Shelly, has developed stage three Ovarian cancer. The doctors feel confident that in her recent surgery, they removed all of the cancer that they could see, but Shelley will begin her first treatment of chemotherapy Monday, October 1, and will continue for an estimated 6 months. We ask that you would please be lifting up Shelly, that God will completely heal her body and restore her health. And also pray for strength and peace for Crimsen, Shelley's husband Ray, and the rest of their family and friends. You can visit Shelley's website www.caringbridge.org/visit/shelleywheeler to see updates, and to leave encouraging messages and prayers. Thank you!

Two in One

Double the Bible, double the fun!
The time has reached it's fulfillment -- time to purchace my first ever bilingual Bible! Debi & I have been in Japan for almost ten months now, and I was getting to the point in worship where I was dying to understand and participate more in our communion with one another and the Father. So I hitched a ride with Ben down to our favorite (and only) Bible book store, "Oasis Gospel Shop," and embraced my new English AND Japanese Bible!



















Three things that I really love about this Bible:

1. Especially using the Psalms, I can learn to pray and worship in Japanese; how I long to express my heart to the Father in Japanese! It's also a fantastic way to learn "Bible words," and it truly comes in handy when I have one-on-one Bible studies.

2. Have you ever gone into "the zone," during worship? Well, it's easy to just zone out if you have no idea what's going on! Having this Bible really helps me to follow along and engage my heart in worship.

3. Fresh perspectives. Seeing Scripture in a new way always holds spiritual treasures for me. Digging into the Bible in Japanese uncovers truths that may have gotten buried underneath layers of familiarity.

God moments

Recently in our Gospel Singing Class, Debi and I taught the song "The Greatest Commands," and read the story of Jesus with the expert in the law. When the lawyer asked, "What must I do to inherit life forever?" the answer was simple: Love God, love others. We asked the class why, out of all of the law that are written in the Bible, out of all the things that Jesus taught... why is loving God, and loving others the two most important laws? Why not "don't murder" or "don't steal" or "respect your elders?" After some different thoughts were tossed around and discussed, we all came to the conclusion that if we have a foundation of love, we will always try to do the right thing.

It was easy for our friends Haruna, Kazuhiro, Michiaki, (all college students) and Akiko (a middle aged woman) to understand the concept of "loving your neighbor", but what was really confusing for them was when Jesus said ,"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind." All of them were thinking the same thing, but finally, one of them finally spoke up... "Why do I have to love God?"...

And the floodgates of their hearts were opened . . .

"I think to understand or know someone comes before loving them."
"I don't know how to love God. Is it the same as loving your parents?"
"What happens if I don't love God?"
"If God loves everyone, why will he send them to Hell?"
"Are there people who believe in God out of fear?"
"Why did God choose someone else (Jesus) to come to earth and be killed?"
"Why did God become a man?"
"What does John 1 mean, 'He came to His own but His own did not receive Him'?"
"What is the difference between soul and spirit?"
"Why do you (Debi and Erica) believe that people are God's special creation and not animals?"
"If we are made in God's image... does that mean his physical form?"
"Why didn't God just make us sinless?"
"Why does God want me to love him?"
"Why did God decide to create us?"

These kinds of questions were asked and discussed, rapid fire, for almost 2 hours after class was supposed to end. Debi and I just sat there, with our Bibles open, listening to their questions, praying to God with all of our hearts for wisdom at this incredible time, and speaking truth and love into their hearts, as the Holy Spirit was directing us. And it was incredible. All of us went away filled with God spirit--some of us, as Christians, praising God for what he was doing that night, and the others deep in thought, wondering "Can it really be? There is a God who made me? Made this universe? Wants me to live in Heaven? And he loves me?"

The next day was coffee shop at the church, and each one of them came back to the church at different times during the day. This was a huge sign to me that God was really working powerfully in their hearts the night before. That strange and mysterious feeling they had, that wonderful feeling the night before... whatever it was... they wanted it again.

God, in Your great love and in the time of Your favor, allow them to know that it's You. You are the One stirring their hearts to faith. You are the One guiding their hearts to ask questions. You are the One drawing them to Yourself. It's You.

"Through My Eyes"

My Personal Reflections

This is a continuation of my February report (Part 2) about my family's visit in November. More than ever before, I am so thankful for each of my individual family members, and during their time with me in Japan, I was able to see each of their unique gifts and personalities in a whole new light.















“The Prayer Warrior”
This is Nathan. My time with Nathan in Japan was nothing less than incredible. My favorite memory with Nathan was one night at about 11:00 p.m., we decided to go for a walk together around the neighborhood. At one point, Nathan asked me what it was like to be a missionary in Japan. Wow, did that open the floodgates of my heart! I began talking to him about all of my experiences with the people here, and how I have seen God working in the lives of my friends, leading them to faith, and how God had been working in my life, changing and refining me, and Nathan asked questions, shared his observations, we laughed about cultural differences, and I cried as Nathan shared his heart with me, about God, people, life. It was such an incredible feeling to share something so important to me with someone so important to me. After our walk, we prayed together for the world, for the nation of Japan, and particularly for some of the friends that Nathan had made here.

"Mother Nurture"
This is my mom. I have never doubted that Mama is the best mom in the whole world, because her love is unconditional, and it is especially shown in her tireless acts of kindness, service, and love. This is not only within our family, but within the family of Christ. At an LST party, with about 50 Japanese people in attendance, her words were so sweet, “Are there people in particular here that you want us to meet? Just tell us who they, we want to make sure we meet everyone important to you.” She was also the Head Chef for our Thanksgiving meal for 12 (which is difficult, when you’re looking in Japanese grocery stores for American ingredients!), and for making soups for an LST party of 40 people--once in Sendai, and again in Hachinohe! Also, as a mother, one of her main purposes for coming to Japan was to check up on me--is Sendai a safe place? Are you being well taken care of? Are you homesick? At the end of the trip, we were riding a train in Tokyo and she said, “I can see that you are well taken care of, and you really love Japan and the people. It makes me feel a whole lot better. I am so proud of you for giving your heart to the Japanese people so freely.”

"Almost Japanese"
Something really special about Cami is that she is completely available, anytime you ever need her, or if you ever just want to hang out with her. What stuck out to me most about Cami in Japan was the way her kindness, thoughtfulness, and humility really attracted the Japanese people to her, and she was always available to spend time with anyone. Those are exactly the qualities that Japanese people value, and Cami automatically slid herself into the new culture, without hardly skipping a beat, and she made friends quickly and easily. My favorite memory of Cami was during Soup and Games night. The party was over, and most of the people had already left. When I looked over at Cami and Nathan, they were sitting at a table with several Japanese college and high school students, still laughing and talking, taking pictures, and exchanging email addresses! Cami really left an impression on so many of our friends here. I believe that God has huge plans for her this summer again in Sendai--(I can’t for you to come, Cami!)

"The Natural"
It has always been obvious that my dad has a heart for people. His first reaction is to think of others before himself, and to look at what God is doing in another persons’ life, and then join in that activity. In Sendai, even with the cultural and language barriers, his heart for ministry was obvious. No matter where we were, who we were with, Daddy would always pull up a chair next to someone and begin talking with them--asking questions about them--about their family, their job, their hobbies, their kids. He was always energetic and friendly, and sincerely wanted to know the people and culture. Two of our good friends in Sendai, a mother and daughter, Yoko, 40, and Kei 75, got to sit and talk with him and my mom for about 2 hours one day at the church’s coffee shop. Yoko and Kei come to the coffee shop every week, and STILL they talk about how wonderful of a family I have, and how “young and cool” my parents are. ;) One of my favorite memories of my dad was one of the first nights that they were here. We went up to a Castle site, overlooking the night-time city lights of Sendai, and my dad led us all in a prayer of intercession for the people of Sendai. My heart for this nation grows with each passing day, and it was such a special feeling to pray together with my family for the lost of Japan.















As a family, we stuck out like crazy in Japan. We were usually the loudest ones in trains, elevators and restaurants, my dad and brother stood about 2 feet taller than the crowds, AND we're white and don't speak Japanese. But, those are the kinds of funny experiences and memories that make a trip all-around unforgettable. I was so encouraged by family's ability to come and see where I live and what I do on a daily basis. It's made the ministry God has given me here that much more meaningful.

Maybe you're wondering why I've written paragraph after paragraph about all of this stuff. For me, when two things that I love come together (my family and Japan), the overflow of my heart simply comes out on the page. No matter what it is that we're doing or where God takes us, may we ultimately see things through HIS eyes.