Fine February

This February was a month of settling. I settled back into life in Japan after being in America for six weeks in December and January. I settled into my language study routine. I have continued to attend a group class twice weekly at my neighborhood community center. And I also have 4 other volunteer tutors who help me to study and practice different aspects of the Japanese language. Since returning I have increased the amount of time that I spend in language study, because I feel that it is very important for me to work towards being able to build relationships with people in Japanese. The church members and several other friends here have blessed me greatly by their great patience and grace as I attempt to communicate. I also settled back into the friendships that I was able to build over the past year. Together with my supervisor, Joel, I met with several friends for lunch or coffee to reconnect.

In addition to settling into previous routines and relationships, I had a few new experiences this month. On the 10th I attended my first monthly regional preacher's meeting. Now that I have decided to stay in Japan longer, Joel recommended that I do more to connect with other full-time workers in Japan. I was a little nervous to introduce myself to the group of 15 or so preachers in Japanese, but they were gracious and kind. It was truly a blessing to be with them as we had a short devotional time and discussion about different upcoming events and other concerns.

Also in February Joel had the idea to host a monthly Birthday Sunday at church. So I helped him by baking a couple of yummy cakes. We invited LST readers and other church friends that had birthdays in February. Then we honored them during worship service by praying for them. Then we ate lunch together and enjoyed some fellowship time.


Please pray with me . . .

~a praise that we have found a new roommate. Our friend Gaku will being moving into our house this month. Also please pray for Gaku as he transitions out of university and into his new job (beginning in April), and as he moves from his apartment into our house.

~a praise for the opportunities that God has blessed me with for building friendships and showing love to my friends in Japan.

~a prayer of thanksgiving for the church family in Sendai. Please also pray that God will continue to grow and heal his children here and help them to be bold and brave to share his love and grace.

~a prayer of thanksgiving for the generosity of my financial supporters. Please be persistant in pray for my funds situation as I continue to plead for more support to meet the needs of my life in Japan. And also pray that I will have wisdom and faithfully seek God's guidance in the decisions that will be influenced my current budget situation.

~that God will grant save travels to all the young people that will be going to Cambodia this month for the annual Angkor of Faith mission exposure trip. And that he will bless them and the street children of Siem Reap during their time there.

Familiar Faces and Familiar Spaces

For most of January I was traveling around America. At the beginning of the month my mother took our family to Florida for our first family vacation in several years. It was a great week of relaxing, enjoying each other and soaking up the sunshine.

Then I traveled to Wyoming to visit my sponsoring congregation, the Cheyenne Church of Christ. What a welcome I received there! I was so thankful for the hugs and smiles, and for the blessing of worshiping with my brothers and sisters there. It was an encouraging time for me to see familiar faces and to make some new friends too. I was given the opportunity on the 18th to talk to members of the congregation about the work in Sendai. It was so great to share about the people I have grown to love so much this past year and the need for God's love and grace in Japan.

During my visit in Wyoming, I met with the elders to talk about my experience in Japan this past year and plans for the next year. One of the concerns that we all shared was for my support. Right now the support that is coming in is several hundred dollars short of my monthly budget. As the Cheyenne church is unable to cover the deficiency any longer, I am hoping that God will provide that support from other sources. So again, I am asking in faith for you to be in prayer about that -- I still feel that God has work for me in Japan. If you are willing to become a financial supporter, please send your donation to:

Cheyenne Church of Christ
Attn: Sasha's Support
PO Box 2847
Cheyenne WY 82003

or email me at sashainsendai@yahoo.com for information about setting up a direct deposit into the church account set aside for my support.

I also visited York, Nebraska during my time in America. I was able to connect with some of my supporters and other friends while I was there. I was blessed by the encouragement and support that they gave me.

I have just returned to Sendai after being in America for about six weeks. Over the next several days I will hopefully be getting back into a routine and starting up my Japanese study again, as well as other activities. Joel, one of my supervisors, is back in Japan after a year of rest, learning and training in Southeast Asia -- he and I will be working together on a plan for how my responsibilities and goals will be changing for this second year in Sendai.

Please pray with me . . .

~a prayer of thanks for the people who encouraged me while I visited the States, especially those who welcomed me into their homes and the ones who listened while I talked on and on about Japan.

~a prayer of thanksgiving for safe travels.

~a praise to God for giving me the opportunity to continue sharing his love and grace to my friends in Sendai; and a prayer for support -- that God will provide for me financially so that I can stay here this year.

~that God will continue to work in the hearts of the lost in Sendai, and that he will protect those who are seeking him -- that he will draw them nearer.

~that God will give us wisdom as Joel and I talk about ministry plans for this next year.

Whirlwind December

For the first half of December I was in Japan, then on the 15th I started my very first furlough. Before I left, I wrapped up my one-on-one Bible studies and the group discussion class -- those last classes were a good opportunity to exchange Christmas presents and say goodbye as I was preparing to leave for about 6 weeks. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet with several friends that I hadn't been able to spend time with in a while in the weeks before I left.

On the 6th we had an LST Christmas party -- it was fun to get together with lots of friends.

Also, we said goodbye to our friend Yuko, who went to Canada on the 17th. She is living there for a year or so on a "working holiday" visa. We are very excited for Yuko's opportunity to experience life in Canada, and are praying that the experience will bless her and grow her faith.

We rejoiced with one of the families in our church because they are expecting another little one. So please pray for Yuko and Osamu as they prepare to welcome their second child and for little Yoshiki as he will be a big brother in a few months.

On the 15th I traveled into the Minnesota snow to spend some time with Crimsen. I enjoyed my time there. i was so thankful for the opportunity to visit with Crimsen about the past several months in Sendai and to receive her input on my reporting/fundraising plans. It was a blessing to be with her and her family for a few days. (Thanks so much to Crimsen, Judy and Craig!)

Then I spent a few weeks with my family in Indiana and Georgia. It was such a blessing to see them after a very long time. On Christmas day I was with my mother and her husband, my grandparents, my great-grandmother, and my sister.

And I thoroughly enjoyed bowling on the Wii with my grandparents -- we even got my Granny to join in, even at 87 she is still pretty hip!

Then I rang in the new year with my dad and his wife, their two kids and my sister. It was nice to be able to visit my dad's house because I got to see my little brother, Mason, for the first time.

Now I am in Cheyenne, Wyoming with my sponsoring church. I am very thankful for the loving welcome that I received when I arrived. And I am looking forward to sharing with them about this past year and talking about plans for the future of my part in God's work in Sendai.

Please pray with me . . .

~a praise for safe travels for me, Debi and Joel. Debi and Joel are both back in Japan now; I will be joining them a little later in January.

~a praise for the beginning of Ben and Erica's marriage. They were married on December 27th -- please join us in covering their life together in pray as they follow God and seek his plan for their future.

~a praise for all of the people who have hosted me during my time in America in December and January, and for all those who continue to bless God's work and me as they support me with prayers, love and encouragement.

~a prayer for Osamu, Yuko, Yoshiki and the coming addition to their family.

~a prayer for funds to support me as I work in Japan, and a prayer for peace as I try to depend on God and not forget his promise to provide.

~a prayer for the work in Japan as I work with the elders here in Cheyenne and with Joel later this month to make a plan for what I will be doing this next year or so.

My November Runneth Over

November was a very full month! Maybe that is why it feels like it has passed so quickly . . .

On the 8th Debi, Yuko, Akiko and I went to Morioka to visit our friend Yoko. She is one of two members of the church there and an amazing child of God. When we arrived Yoko picked us up at the bus station and took us to a local craft village where we could see traditional Japanese crafts and snacks being made in the old way -- it was really interesting. We also got to sample some really delicious senbei, that area's most famous snack. Then we ate dinner out together with one of Yoko's friends and the preacher of the Morioka church. After staying at Yoko's house on Saturday night all seven of us traveled to Hachinohe, to worship with the family there. It was an excellent time of worship, encouragement and fellowship. Those of us from Sendai were particularly blessed because it had been over 4 months since we had been able to visit our brothers and sisters in Hachinohe. They are such a loving family, and it is always a blessing to be with them.


The next weekend we filled our car with friends (me, Debi, Gaku, Michiaki, and Audrey) and traveled, this time south, to Ibaraki for a mini-retreat with the cell group in Hitachi-taga. We took a hike on Saturday afternoon and had a time of singing and prayer, while enjoying a beautiful view of the city and the ocean. We cooked Japanese curry together for dinner. Then the guys and girls split to have a devotional time -- we each shared about how our image of God has changed over the past year. It was so wonderful to hear how God is working in so many ways in every person's heart. He is faithful in seeking our hearts and drawing us nearer to him. It was especially blessing for me to hear about how the trip to Cambodia (back in March) has been working in the hearts of a couple of the young women who went. They have not yet commited their lives to God, but their testimonies of how he is working on their hearts were so beautiful to hear.

The next morning we worshipped at a couple different churches in the area, then came back together to have lunch, which was hosted by the Omika church family. I felt like everyone seemed refreshed and energized, and it must have been from our fellowship and worship -- because I don't think that anyone got to bed early.

For Thanksgiving, I joined Debi's class for a special lunch time feast on Thursday. Before we ate lunch, each child shared something for which they are thankful -- and I continue to be amazed by their English and especially by their precious hearts! What a blessing it is that Debi's school doesn't mind me visiting every once in a while. It also was fun to see the kids trying all the Thanksgiving foods, like cranberry sauce and sweet potatoe pie.

Then on the last weekend of the month, Debi and I traveled out into the countryside just north of Sendai to visit our friend Audrey. She lives in a tiny town called Kitakami. I was surprised at how much I have become used to living in the city -- I was blown away by the amount of open space, the peace, the shadowy mountains and the sun reflecting off the river in such a way that the reeds along the edge seemed to be shining too. Debi commented that God is an amazing artist. I definitely agree.

This first week in December I will teach the last of my LST classes for this year. We will have an LST Christmas party on Saturday, the 6th. Then I will prepare for my time in the States. I will leave Japan on December 15th. Also, Yuko will leave to go to Canada, where she hopes to stay for about a year. The church is hosting her going away party on the 7th, and she will leave on the 17th.

Please pray with me . . .

~that God will continue working in the hearts of my readers, even when we are not able to meet and study together.

~that God will bless Debi and I in this busy time of year with energy, good time management and lots of peace.

~that God will protect Yuko, Debi, Joel and I as we travel this month.

~a praise to God for the beautiful world that he created for us to enjoy.

~a praise to God for his faithfulness -- that we can trust in him to care for all of us, in every way.

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.