A Joyful Day of Teaching!

I had an amazing day of teaching yesterday! I had the opportunity to share about my faith in both classes. One student, after hearing my devotion last week about how Joy brought me to Japan (the theme this month) didn't want to study the book this week; he wanted to ask me questions. He brought his bible to class and asked about our free english bible class that meets Saturday and more about why I came to Japan. Another student, after hearing my story, said that although she isn't christian and doesn't believe in God, she believes that it is God's will that I am here; that he brought me here. At the university, we talked about superheros and I applied the topic to the lesson material. They're doing short skits next week and I offered extra credit if they dress up! I've been praying for an opportunity to be more involved at the university outside of class, and yesterday I was asked to be a judge in an english speech contest. Such a good day! I have to get off to teaching now!

Would You Go Ahead and Die Already?

I know it's kind of a morbid title for a blog entry, but it seems to be a reoccurring thought going through my mind as I struggle against my sinful nature in my desire to bring all things captive unto Christ. I hate my sin. I see how it inhibits the spirit's work in my life. I see how it harms my friends and neighbors. When the Bible speaks of our new life in Christ, it does so in a harsh, definitive, and permanent way: death. But the good news is that it is through this dying that Christ gives us new life- we are truly transformed, and something different.

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."

Galatians 5:24 "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

Colossians 3:3 "for you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

It is truly in death that we have new life- free from worry, fear, sin, greed, lust, selfishness, and the like. The reason we feel so "dirty" in them, is that we were created in His image- and we weren't meant for them. So every time my sin pops up- I find myself up in arms! "I thought you were dead! What are you doing here?"

Example: Wednesday was what I would call a "bad" day. I was tired from staying up late the night before praying having just worked a really long day. I felt really annoyed. Then, all of my adult students were really late to class, and then stayed a half hour into my lesson planning time before my next class. I kept nodding almost nodding off during a private lesson, and they my upper elementary class was out of control wild. Normally, my first tactic in classroom management is to simply redirect the behavior into something else and to not respond to the bad behavior. I ended up being a strict teacher that day, which I don't like. At the end, around 6 PM, my day turned around 180 degrees; I realized how incredibly self-focused I'd been all day; how any bad day I may ever have is more often than not linked to my attitude and approach to things rather than external factors. On whatever level, conscious or unconscious, I was choosing to have a bad day by choosing a bad attitude. So I repented, and everything changed. Amazing how that works! Then follows Joy! It is impossible to have joy when focusing on yourself first. It really puts every bad day I've ever had in perspective!

This realization was further demonstrated to me yesterday during a devotion time following a class at the English school. the topic for the month is Joy, so I began the devotion by asking the students to reflect upon something that gives them joy; or a time when they've felt joy. One student said when she accomplishes something; another said when she is with her family. But one student said she felt joy when she served other people. And it didn't strike me until this morning when I was walking to church, but that woman's statement is an incredible witness to God's love for us and the truth that we have been created in His image. Christ too found joy in serving; and it is this joy that led Him to the cross. "who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:2) When we lose ourselves, when we die to ourselves in serving the interests of others; we are acting as we were made to- as we were created to. And in this is joy!

It is my prayer for myself and for all of you that "He would increase, and we would decrease." That we would define the joy in our lives less and less by our external circumstances and more and more by God's disposition towards us- who in Christ has forgiven us, called us His own, and has given us eternal life in Him (new life that begins now!). So when you feel the world caving in around you, think on this, and trust in His love and provision for you, and His Joy will be yours!

The Heart of my Japanese Friend

I am on such a high from an amazing conversation I had yesterday with my Japanese friend. When I first met him, he wanted to get together for language exchange and said he had questions about Christianity even though he was already baptized. So while in orientation we met a few times and then I moved to Niigata. But I am in Tokyo for the weekend now to meet my cousin and his wife who are traveling through this way, and so I had time to meet up with him again. So much has happened and changed in his life since I last saw him. Regarding his questions about Christianity, he has started attending a Japanese service as well as the English service he attends, and had just returned from a short term mission trip to South Africa. I have never seen someone so changed in such a small amount of time by a mission trip. His volunteer work was largely with those who are suffering from AIDS. He volunteered at hospitals where he shared the gospel with people who were on their deathbeds; orphanages full of children who had lost their parents to the AIDS virus, many of whom were HIV positive. He talked about the power of touch among these people; his apprehension at first, but then the power of it and even the role of touch in Jesus' touch in ministry. He spoke of his struggle with theodicy- why God would allow all of these orphans to be born HIV positive... but then he said he realized that if he, as a sinner, could feel so much love for them, then how much more does the God who created them feel compassion and love for them. He's now contemplating quitting his job and moving to Africa to join in this ministry for a year alongside the pastor he met there. I am just blown away by the change in this man and the heart God is giving him for missions and ministry. All of the things he was saying were so counter cultural in Japan- about touch and even volunteering. God is so powerful and although the growth of Christianity is slower here than most countries, it is deep, and within those hearts where Christianity does take root it takes hold and is producing fruit that will last! What a blessing this was to my heart! This all happened two days after I had a conversation with someone about how some people say that Japan is a swamp where the seeds of faith planted may grow, but soon rot. But this couldn't be farther from the truth; its just slower growth than other places in the world. But as such, pray that God brings more laborers and blesses those here in the faith with patience and encouragement as we press on and seek to share the hope of eternal life in Christ.

Internet at Last!

At last, I have Internet at my apartment and am able to be in communication with the outside world. It wasn't all bad though, and gave me the opportunity to get to know my site partner, Haidee, better as the only place I could check email and such was her apartment. So many things have happened here since my last post, so I'll catch you up in brief:

I have moved to Shirone and begun teaching at 4 different sites!

I am officially driving on the other side of the road (yes, a big answer to prayer came when my driving permit arrived)

Some of the missionaries came up from Tokyo for a house blessing for myself and Cindy, the other new Ver.

Wakabyashi Sensei, after close to 17 years of waiting, studying, etc. was finally ordained on my first Sunday at the church. I felt so blessed to be able to participate in this long anticipated celebration of God's work in his life.

The congregation's president's wife was very suddenly taken ill and in a coma at the age of 55 when her bowl erupted. The whole church prayed, but she never woke up and died a week and a half later. She was not baptized, but had begun to come to church and praise hour events with her husband. This same man lost his father this past January, and his mother was hospitalized with a broken hip the same week his wife died. All of this, after he discovered a new passion in his life for reading the Bible. He's read it through 12 times now in under 4 years; it reminds me a lot of Job, being spiritually attacked because of his faithfulness to God. But many church members attended the wake and God blessed us with many opportunities to share Christ's love! The son has started going to church and the daughter is more open now than ever before. Please pray for this family as they morn this loss and for the love of Christ to be realized in their lives.

I started teaching at Niigata University, and I have only one female student, the rest are males! The classrooms have windows, so when the students were deciding whose class to be in, they looked in and stared at me for a while, then decided to come in. It felt weird, like they were window shopping or something. They are really fun students though, and all very unique.

I got really sick again... this time with a cold that lasted two weeks. I have never had such a bad cold and am realizing that my immune system is not used to these foreign viruses and i have no immunity built up against them. For three full days I completely lost my voice, and the rest of the time I was hoarse and weak with a sore throat and a headache. But I am starting to feel recovered.

I have done some hiking, seen the cherry blossoms, played basketball with some community people, and befriended a young Japanese woman who is struggling with severe depression. God has blessed us with many opportunities to spend time together, and she has opened up and shared a lot of the hurt on her heart. Please pray for her too, that she would continue to seek and ask questions, and that the Holy Spirit would work faith in her life.

I love driving, love the mountains, and am loving (although painful at times) the way God is challenging me and causing me to grow. Thank you all so much for your prayers. Their importance cannot be understated!