Outstanding October

October was filled with Japanese lessons and English lessons and Bible lessons -- with great moments of learning in all of them. I am constantly surprised by the way that God teaches me as I share about my faith and explore the Bible together with friends that have a fresh perspective on God's ways. I am also especially blessed by the Bible study that I lead each week with three middle-aged ladies. One of them has a comparatively high level of English ability, but has not studied the Bible for very long; the other two struggle a little more with their English, but have more knowledge about the Bible. It is so interesting to watch them interact, helping one another. I am amazed by the way God works in that time, and how he blesses my week with the privilege of being there.

One reason that I like October is because my birthday is on the 13th. Kayoko and Debi blessed me with a birthday party. We went to a very delicious Chinese restaurant with 5 or 6 other friends to celebrate. Then afterward Debi treated me to karaoke, which I always love. Later, we met two other friends for coffee and went to karaoke again. Any day with two visits to the karaoke parlor is a great day!

At the end of the month, I experienced my first (and second) Imonikai, which is a gathering (usually outside, sometimes on the bank of a river) at which everyone prepares and eats imoni (a kind of soup). This is a very popular fall activity in this part of Japan. The church hosted an Imonikai for LST participants in the church yard. It was great because almost all of the church members helped in preparing for the party and were able to spend time with some the LST readers.



On Halloween, I joined Debi's kindergarten class for their Halloween Party. It was so much fun to see all the kids dressed up and help them to play fun games. I was in charge of "Pin the Legs on the Spider".


Last month I asked that you be praying for one of my students, the retired man. He is still asking great questions. (He was surprised to learn that I don't think we can be certain that Jesus was born on December 25th!) Recently, he asked me what part of the Bible I would recommend for a beginner studying the Bible -- the Spirit moved me to recommend the Gospel of John. He marked it in his bilingual New Testament, so I am hoping that means he wants to read it on his own. Please pray that he will and that we will have great opportunities to talk about God's love and grace.

Please pray . . .

~that God will continue to reveal his truth to my friends in Japan and that their hearts will be open to his call.

~that God will be with Crimsen, who recently started a new job; and, of course, praise God for providing for Crimsen.

~that God will guide Debi, as she is part of some big transitions that are happening at her school.

~for Joel, as he makes the most of his time of learning and teaching in Thailand.

~that I will be able to trust more fully in God's provision.

Sweet September

In September I settled into my fall schedule. I have 13 one-on-one English/Bible students. I also get to lead a weekly small group discussion class for three ladies -- we are studying the book of Mark together. It has been such a blessing to see what each of us brings to our time together; God is using each person's strengths to help us all see his glory more clearly. These ladies are not following God yet, but he is drawing them nearer.

This month we had a few opportunities for wonderful fellowship. Akiko, Debi and I went to the street jazz festival that Sendai hosts each year. We saw some really excellent bands, playing all different kinds of music -- there was even a gospel group. Debi and I also hosted a birthday BBQ for three of our friends with September birthdays. It was a lot of fun and felt very good to have a bunch of people in our house again. And Dwight and Josephine Albright visited us for one night as they traveled through Sendai; it was very encouraging to spend time talking with them.

At the end of September, I had a pretty nasty cold, so I have been catching up with work that got a little backe up and finishing the extra tasks required to prepare for extending my time in Japan and for visiting family and friends in the States over Christmas.

This month I would like to ask everyone to be praying for one of my students. He is a retired man, who has lived his life in the traditional Japanese way. He has been very devout to the ways of the Buddhist and Shinto religions, but he also seems a little disillusioned by the religious system and the condition of Japanese society. I have been studying with him for about one year now, and I am still not sure of his level of interest in Christianity. However, I feel very strongly that God is softening his heart. Lately, he has been asking deeper and deeper questions about what it means to follow Jesus. So, please pray that he will be protected as he seeks the truth about God, and that he will hunger for God's righteousness, that he will will receive the gift of faith.

Please pray with me. . .

~that the Holy Spirit will continue to soften the hearts of the Japanese people, and help them to see that he can heal the brokenness of this world.

~for the people in Sendai that are seeking God, that they will continue to seek and that they will be protected from the distractions of Satan.

~a praise to God for all the ways he has blessed and encouraged me this past month.

~for my next year in Sendai -- that God will give me a clear vision of my part in his work and strength to follow him faithfully.

~for the work in Sendai -- that the Christians here will continue to hear and follow God's call to share his love.

Andante August

At the very end of July, after a few days of rest following the busy, busy, busy Let's Start Talking season, my sister (Megan) arrived in Sendai. I was so proud of her because (in spite of some late arriving baggage and a malfunctioning payphone) she made it to Tokyo and then from there to Sendai via train all by herself, which is really impressive for her first time to Japan. She was able to stay for two weeks -- what a blessing it was! It was really fun to share with her some of the things that I have learned and experienced this year, as well as introduce her to many friends here.


We also got to celebrate her 20th birthday in Sendai, and she was so surprised and blessed by the generosity of her new Japanese friends.


During Megan's visit and after that, I had many opportunities to continue connecting with several of the people who participated in LST this summer. I also spent time preparing for fall activities. Now I have begun one-on-one LST style lessons with 13 students (and am hoping to add a couple more very soon). And I will begin a weekly small group discussion class, in which we will study the book of Mark, with three ladies that have been participating in LST for several years. Debi and I are also planning to begin a weekly devotional Bible study at our house sometime around the end of this month.

After taking a short break from my lessons during my sister's visit, I have returned to my Japanese lessons again. I am encouraged by all the things I can understand now, but I still have such a long way to go that sometimes I feel frustrated. However, God is definitely blessing me by using this language learning experience to teach me so many lessons about humility, compassion, discipline and especially about being able to ask for and accept help -- because I still need so much help for everything!

As you all probably know, my first year in Japan will be finished in less than two months and I have decided to stay in Sendai. So my request is three-fold: Please pray that that God will continue to bless this decision; please pray that the finances and other final details can be worked out according to God's plan; and please continue to be a part of this ministry -- you are so important to me as I try to follow God's call for my life. And my thank yous come in a set of three as well: Thank you for your faithful encouragement and prayers -- those are an immeasurable blessing; thank you for your physical support in the form of donations and care packages, emails and letters; thank you for the love you have shown me and enabled me to pass on to God's children in Japan.

Please pray . . .

~a praise to our faithful Father for the LST readers that came this summer, especially for those continuing to study and participate in our fall classes and activities -- pray that their hearts will be open to God's call and that they will feel hungry for God's righteousness and grace.

~a praise to God for the Sendai church -- pray that they will continue to be excited about God and sharing his message.

~for Joel -- that God will continue to bless and grow Joel as He uses him for His good work in Thailand and that God will give him a clear vision for the next phase of working in Japan.

~for Debi -- that God will continue to bless her classroom and give her opportunities to show love to her kindergartners and their families; that she have the energy and time to participate in other ministries through which she can channel her strong desire to serve the Lord and the lost.

~that I will prepare for, participate in and lead my reading sessions and other Bible studies with wisdom and dedication; that I will manage my time with balance and discernment.

~that my faith with remain solid and grow even stronger, as I learn more and more about depending on and trusting in God.

2-for-1

Maybe this is more like a 2-in1 -- anyway, I will be giving you two months in one blog. For most of June and July, we have been knee deep in LST activities. And God BLESSED it!!!

Our LST team (Cami, Jason and Andrew) arrived in the second week of June and began work. They worked really hard, and they did an excellent job of letting the holy spirit guide them into opportunities to share their faith and love the people here in Sendai. Crimsen and I ran a coffee shop to provide more opportunities to get to know the readers and answer any questions they might have about what they were studying. We were so blessed by the new people who came for LST and for the old friends that returned.

At the Japanese Party, hosted by the church in honor of the LST team

Nobuaki's card trick at our Farewell/Talent Show Party

On the weekend of July 18th, we had FriendsCamp (a weekend retreat for LST readers, with focused group discussion time and lots of chances to talk and hang out). About 35 local church members, mission workers and LST readers participated.

The FriendsCamp Team

Hanging out

Everyone!!

Now I have a little time of rest and then my sister, Megan, is coming to visit -- so I will have to joy of showing her around Sendai and introducing her to my friends here.

Please pray . . .

~that God will continue to work in the hearts of this year's readers, and that they will feel a hunger to know more about our Creator.

~that God will be with Crimsen as she travels back to America, and settles back in to "normal" life.

~that God will protect my sister as she travels to Sendai, that our time together will be encouraging for both of us and that she will have opportunities to share her faith while she is here.

~that I will be able to catch up with my Japanese study and will be able to plan my new schedule with God's wisdom.

~that God will reveal to me his plan for my life after my internship, which will finish in about 3 months.

Blessed May

May was a little bit of a blur -- filled with lots of activities, visitors and preparations. In the first part of the month there was a cluster of national holidays, so many people had some time off of work, and Debi and I were able to join some friends from our roommate's church for an overnight mini-retreat near the ocean. It was a excellent time of fellowship and fun.

Then on the weekend of the 17th and 18th we were blessed by a visit from Lisa Bloecher, who came to share her music ministry with the people of Sendai. She gave a free concert in a park near downtown on Saturday and then a Sunday afternoon concert at our church. God blessed us with good weather on Saturday despite a forecast of rain. (It started raining about 5 minutes after the concert was finished.) We were so encouraged to have Lisa, Hope (her daughter), Michelle (her niece) and Hajime (her friend/penpal/Japanese tour manager) with us for a few days.

A few days later, Joel arrived for a short visit to Sendai before he went to speak at the national preachers' conference. While Joel was here, 7 of us (Joel, Debi, and I -- plus 2 young Christians and 2 friends involved in the ministry here) took a weekend trip to visit the church in Hachinohe and help them host an LST follow-up activity. It was my first time to Hachinohe in 3 years, and it was so excellent to spend time with the church family there. We also got to see Yui -- a young woman who has been involved in LST in Sendai, but recently finished her university program here and moved back to live with her family in Hachinohe.

And at the end of the month we were excited to welcome Crimsen, who came to help with LST for a couple months this summer. Crimsen's expertise and guidance has been a particular blessing to me, as we worked together to prepare for the beginning of this year's LST program in Sendai.

Now LST is under way, and we are in the midst of a wonderful, busy time full to bursting with opportunities to share the love of our Savior. Our LST workers have full schedules, and I am reading with 5 people. Crimsen and I are also providing a coffee shop at the church for readers who come early for or stay after their LST lessons -- an excellent opportunity to build friendships.

Please pray with me . . .

~a praise to God for the myriad of ways that He reveals himself to his children and those who are without the knowledge that He is the only hope and salvation.

~a praise for Joel's time in Sendai (and Hachinohe and Ibaraki) and for his safe travel back to Singapore.

~a praise for Crimsen's safe arrival in Japan and for the ways she has already been and will continue to be a blessing to all of her friends here as she works in Sendai this summer.

~that our LST team (Jason, Cami and Andrew) will continue to be led by the Spirit as they have opportunities to serve the people of Sendai by teaching English and minister to them as well by sharing the love of our Father.

~that the hearts of the people who are coming to our church this summer for LST will be open to God's truth. Please pray that they will begin and continue to hunger and thirst for the righteousness that belongs only to God.

~that we will be protected from the attacks of evil as we try to serve Jesus and live our lives as testimonies to His grace.