Merry Christmas!

Today is the day after Christmas. Normally, it would be a hectic day of shopping, sales, and leftover Christmas dinner. But as I am in Japan, it has turned out quite differently. I have just returned from a wonderful visit to the churches and missionaries in Niigata, a city 2 hours north by bullet train. I met wonderful people who made me feel so at home this Christmas, even though I was geographically so far away.

My first host family spoke very little English and lived an hour out in the country. They had a very traditional-style Japanese house, which in the winter means that it is very, very cold. Japanese homes don't have central heating, so it is only heated a room at a time with kerosene, gas, or electric portable heaters. I did have the most unusual over sized airbag filled with warm air in my bed to warm it up for me before I went to bed. It was the warmest and best I've slept all winter! They took me around and showed me off to all of their family and we took pictures with everyone; and then left straight away to the next place. It was really funny. So now I have lots of pictures of people I don't know. I had a sweet potato for lunch that day too, and don't ask me why, but my host family the next night knew all about it and asked about it. Japanese people talk a lot about food, I'm learning... not unlike me!

The next family I stayed with was in town. I was so embarrassed at first, because I kept misunderstanding the things they'd say to me in English. "I'm a pastor- maker." Huh? I didn't know quite how to respond to this information- why was he telling me this? How do you make pastors? But then I found out he actually said "pasta-maker". ahhhh..... Then, I heard him say, "I teach pastries." Oh really? I'd love to learn! I began telling him of my pastry making stories, and got the oddest look. What he actually said was "I teach history." Wow- we were all able to have a good laugh. They called me "okashi no hito" which means "odd, or funny person". But from then on, the laughing rarely stopped and we all had a great time. They took me to a famous hot spring and I bathed Japanese style, I ate pasta with squid-ink sauce, had sukiyaki for the first time which is by far the best Japanese food I've had yet, had a jazz jam session with piano, guitar, and saxophone, watched kung-fu movies, and spent a lot of time at the church at services and special Christmas events. I met many wonderful Christians and a former VYM missionary who has lived in Japan for around 30 years and is married to a mochi farmer. I felt a but of pressure because I was constantly being introduced as "the teacher who may move here in April". We'll see what happens. In any case, it was a wonderful Christmas. Maybe I couldn't be with my physical family, but I was with many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.

Christmas day we had a big dinner at Betsy, another former Ver's house. There were many foreigners and Japanese people there. Some christian, some not. It was a wonderful and non-threatening opportunity to share about the meaning of the Christmas season to us through song and conversation. I have so much more to write and pictures to share, but I'm off again to a Christmas party and then will be leaving for our missionary family Christmas retreat soon too! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! God's Blessings!

Meiji Shrine

Although on break now, it has been a busy last few days. A huge and exciting answer to prayer- I met a Japanese man, Taishi, who is a new Christian (for about three years) and teaches Japanese (among other subjects) to students preparing for High School entrance exams. I have been praying for a friend to help me study Japanese and he is a very good and patient teacher. Oshie te, kudasai! (teach me, please!) We met in Shibuya yesterday and walked to Harajuku where we visited the Meiji Shrine. I learned so much; not only about the Japanese language, but about the culture too, and converting to and living as a Christian here for a native Japanese person.

It seems so obvious to me now, but I finally have learned the difference between a temple and a shrine. It is really very simple: a shrine is to Shintoism as a temple is to Buddhism. Since the Buddhist religion doesn't make any absolute claims, when it was introduced to the region it was integrated into the already existing Shinto religion, rather than replacing it. The top picture is the innermost building in the shrine. Where I was standing when I took the picture was the closest anyone could get without being of the clergy. It is in this place that people burn incense, swing their arms and clap their hands, and insert money into a wooden box with wooden dowels over the top. All this for a blessing. A person can also purchase a wooden plaque and write their prayer on it, submit it to the clergy, and for a price they too will pray for you. The third picture whose how the many plaques are placed for the year, on a wooden frame surrounding a sacred tree.

The second picture is of the washing place people enter first before entering the temple. (I was not made to wash before entering as it is not my belief.) There, people cleanse their face, hands, and mouth. It reminded me greatly of a similar cleansing site just outside of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Sin is a difficult concept in this culture, but reflecting upon it now, it is interesting to note how many religions have some sort of belief in the need for cleansing. Here, it begs the question: cleansing from what? Maybe this is a place to begin a conversation about sin.

And I think too, that people here outwardly don't appear to have faith in much of anything; but "god" is really "that to which we look to for help in times of need". With such a definition at hand, there are many gods here. People may not attend the shrine or temple regularly, but it is where they go when they face a trial or have a particular need. And then there's money, success, fashion, you name it! How all of these gods pale in comparison to the One True God who gives us the gift of life, now and eternally, at no cost to us- and a great cost to Him... His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please continue to pray that such wondrous love will be known here in Japan by many more!

Speech Day

Friday was our big Speech Day! It was the culmination of all we learned the first half of language school. We wrote, memorized and shared our speeches with our fellow classmates, friends, supervisors, Japanese pastors, and parishioners. It was a bit intimidating to be publicly speaking Japanese in front of so many Japanese people, but it was a lot of fun and, as is custom in Japan, we had a party afterwards and ate a lot of great food! I can't believe we are halfway through language school and how much information we've covered. I feel pretty good about my ability to use the grammar that I've learned, but the vast amount of vocabulary is definitely my "Goliath" right now.

I am so glad to be studying language now and for the place it will play in enabling me to build relationships with Japanese people. And although we are currently "on break", there are ample opportunities for study and practice; our home stays in Niigata, for instance. And also then many Christmas gatherings and parties with both language schools and churches.

We went to one such Christmas party last night with a church young adult group (called youth group) and I met a young woman who is excited about being baptized next week. Her husband is looking for a new job where he will not have to work so many hours (the work expectations are very different in Japan) so that he can spend more time with his wife. In this culture, a husbands workload puts a considerable amount of strain on marital relationships and families. It is not at all uncommon for children to only see their fathers on the weekend. I met one man on the train who said he sees his children about one weekend a month. The families are not "broken" in the sense of divorce as we know it in the states, but the time families have together appears the same. That's why what this man, Sugi, had said struck me so strongly. It is his wife, Lisa, who is to be baptized. What a powerful witness this young couple is to the people around them- both inside and outside of the church.

Blessing Upon Blessing!

Wow! It has been so busy since my last post. I flew home for two family weddings and was also blessed to meet the newest member of our family- my niece Kira! Both weddings were beautiful and I really enjoyed the opportunity to see a lot of my extended family; especially as I don't know when I will next see them. The time flew by, but God was so good through it all. A few stories to share:

On the morning of my flight, I prayed for a good flight and to sit next to someone who spoke Japanese who would help me practice (since I was missing a whole week of class). When I got on the plane, I met a very nice Japanese woman. She shared her sushi with me and we got to talking. I told her what I was doing in Japan, and that I worked at a church. She replied that she went to church, which is a considerable thing as less than 1% of the population here is Christian. As our conversation continued, I found out that she's not only christian, but a Lutheran! I was able to have a very interesting and edifying conversation about what it is like to be a christian in Japan, when and why she decided to convert to Christianity and be baptized; all the while practicing each others' languages! When we de-planed in Seattle, she asked me to meet her in the baggage claim, where she gave me a parallel New Testament- Japanese and English side by side. I was so touched to receive this gift, and so grateful to God that He hears the smallest, most insignificant of our prayers and does wonders! He truly does bless us beyond all that we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:19-20).

I was also amazed to see the other week at a church I visited all of the children who were there without parents. It reminds me of all Christ had to say about "the least of these". One small girl, whose 9, comes faithfully ever week. A nice man in the congregation who owns a curry shop sits next to her and helps her through the service. He helps her find the hymns; he shows her the psalm and collect; he's a father to her. It brings tears to my eyes to see this kind of longing on the girl's part, and satisfaction of that longing through the man. Other children simply wanted to get away from home for whatever reason, so they went to the church (which has become a safe and familiar place as they take language class there during the week). It was a helpful reminder that often we don't need to create ministry opportunities, but that God brings them to us. I see the beginnings, the planting, the yearning and hunger of a culture and a people group encountering the gospel. I am excited for all that God has in store!

The last two weeks since I've been back have flown by! I had a test the week I got back over material I had missed, and got my highest score yet... Ironic! Speech day is tomorrow; and I will be delivering a 6 minute speech all in Japanese- the culmination of all I've learned in the first half of language school. The following week Carol and I will head up to Niigata (which is more rural) and have our "home stays" in which we will observe and participate in two different traditional Japanese homes. This will end just before Christmas, so we will celebrate with the other missionaries who live and serve up there. Hopefully we'll be having a white Christmas as well!

Well, that's all for now. More to come later. I am a bit frustrated about complications in sending out my newsletter; but be assured, it is coming soon! God's Blessings on all of your Christmas preparations and travels!