Our Last Week

This week has been packed fuller than our suitcases that are about to burst as I type this. Tomorrow we leave for the States. It's hard to believe our time here has come to an end, but this week definitely gave us a lot to remember as we leave.

Monday was spent cleaning a huge tent, doing yardwork, visiting a Harley Davidson store, washing clothes, and going to the red light district with a local pastor who ministers there.

Tuesday, we did Japanese homework followed by Japanese lessons and an afternoon and night of babysitting (we went to the park and watched a movie after dinner, complete with treasure corn).

Wednesday, we had our last Japanese lesson and went with Nanae and Mrs. Yoshino along with the other missionaries to lunch at an Indian restaurant in Sapporo. Daniel and Megan came over for the last Bible study and dinner.

Thursday, we traveled to the association church camp. We spent the night there.

Friday, we traveled further east in Hokkaido with Aunt Mirial (who has become one of our closest friends here). We spent the weekend in the towns of Bihoro and Abishiri. We got to see the churches there and do a lot of sightseeing. We went to a volcano, a beach with hot sands, some mountains with beautiful views, a museum of Ainu (native Japanese) people, and and ice flow museum among other things. We met some incredible people and loved our time there. We returned last night, and spent this morning at VBS at the church.

Now, we're packing, and thinking, "where did the time go?" Thanks for your faithful prayers. Please pray for our safe return. Can't wait to see everyone!!

A Wonderful Weekend

This weekend could not have been packed any fuller. Friday, we had a team meeting for a few hours, and then headed to downtown Sapporo. We met up with a guy named Kota whom Jonathan met on a previous trip. We went with him, his friend, and Daniel to a famous Ramen shop for dinner. Afterwards, we watched a huge fireworks show put on by different fireworks companies. It was absolutely beautiful.

Saturday, we went to Odori for the last time. Missions school was great; it was a gorgeous day, so we got to spend a lot of time playing with the kids outside. We will really miss that church, and are so glad we got to be a part of it on Saturdays this summer. When we returned, we got ready for the yakisoba dinner party at the Yoshinos' house. Mrs. Yoshino picked us and Megan up and took us to her house. Mr. Yoshino and Nanae were there waiting, and Kazuko (one of Yoshinosan's unsaved friends) joined us too. We had the best time talking, exchanging English and Japanese words, looking at pictures, and playing with their dog, Luca. They are such a neat family.

This morning Jonathan preached in church. He taught from Ephesians 4 on the unity of the body of Christ. Nanae came with Mrs. Yoshino, so we were very excited. We all ate lunch together afterwards. Then, a group of us (some of the missionaries, Megan, Mika, Nanae, and us) went to sing karaoke and to see part of a dance festival in town. It was an amazing day. We are sad that we have to leave soon. We're just starting to learn enough and make enough friends to start to feel settled. This week will be a busy one too. Pray for us as we do what is asked of us and close our time here.

Camping, Shopping, and an Earthquake

The church camping trip was quite an adventure. We had a great time getting to know the church members better and enjoying the outdoors. After resting up from the trip, the rest of this week has included more Japanese lessons (and homework), shopping for VBS supplies, babysitting, attending a school event for one of the missionary kids (where we got to meet some cute Japanese children too), more of the Bible study with Daniel and Megan, and our first earthquake. Last night, around 12:30, the apartment started shaking back and forth...more than it usually does when big trucks pass by on the highway. The dishes in the sink started rattling and the bell on our door rang like crazy. It only lasted about 20 seconds, but it was pretty cool. It was a 6 at epicenter, but a 3 here. We've had all kinds of adventures, huh?

Please pray for us this weekend. We are going back to Odori church for missions school/kids club on Saturday. Our Japanese teacher also invited us over for supper on Saturday night. Pray that God will use us there. Her dad is the Buddhist priest and she is also an unbeliever. Her mom has been praying for both of them for years. Jonathan is also giving the message in church on Sunday. Pray that God will speak through him. Thanks for continuing to intercede for us. Love you all.

This Week

It has been a full week here, and we're excited about all that we got to be a part of.

We began a Bible study with Daniel and Megan, the oldest of the missionary kids. It's about God's character traits. This week we've been studying God's wisdom as seen in the story of Esther. They come over to our apartment at night for the study. We've had a great time hanging out and studying the Word with them. They're both really cool, and we're already wishing we could keep meeting after the summer. Please pray for our time with them.

We've also been able to spend a lot of time with the other missionary kids playing legos, watching movies, and taking them to the park. We made some precious Japanese friends at the park too with whom we had lots of fun trying to communicate.

We began Japanese lessons too with Nanae. She is so kind and patient with us. We met on Tuesday and Thursday, and she's coming again next Tuesday. We are learning how to write letters and what sounds they make. We're practicing on the paper you use in kindergarten or first grade....talk about a humbling experience. Pray that we'll continue to learn and get all of our homework done:) Please pray for Nanae too. We love her and want her to come to know Christ.

This week also included another trip to English class at the youchien (kindergarten), a lady's meeting and craft meeting for Rachel, and a visit to a club meeting at the town's international center.

We are about to head out on a church camping trip for the weekend. Pray for a good time of fellowship there and for the unbelieving friends who are coming with us. Love you all!

Saturday

Yesterday was a really interesting day; we had so many neat opportunities. We began the day by traveling back to the Odori church to help with the kids' club/mission school again. It's a pretty long trip by subway and/or train. The train station is quite an experience-one of the most crowded places I've ever been-but it's an adventure. The mission school started at 10, and we participated in songs, games, and Bible time for the first hour. After snack time, we were given the opportunity to teach the younger kids some English. I got to teach on body parts, and the kids really seemed to get into the lesson. It's exciting to do something we're passionate about and have trained for in school. We stayed in Odori for lunch and then took the train back. We prepared our dish for the potluck party we were invited to last night. The missionaries are invited to this party every year. It is put on by an English club, and it's a really great opportunity to get to know some unbelievers in the area. We had fun and made some new friends. Please pray for us this week as we begin Japanese lessons and continue to follow up on some new friendships.

Good Times....

This week has been a lot of fun. We are starting to build relationships and make plans for the next few weeks. On Tuesday, the pastor from Odori (a church we've been visiting) had the two of us over for lunch. A missionary from Hungary and his Japanese wife came over and cooked Hungarian food. Four other Japanese ladies who wanted to learn came over too. We had a great time getting to know everyone, and it was pretty crazy to have conversations in three different languages. We've been talking some with a lady who some of the previous missionaries have built a relationship with and asked us to try to keep in contact with. We are trying to work it out to go with her to her son's baseball practice. We are also starting Japanese lessons next week with the daughter of one of the church members here. There are a lot of people praying for her to come to Christ too. Please pray that God will use us in her life to bring her closer. Pray that we'll be able to learn some of the language too. We've also really enjoyed spending time with the missionaries' kids, helping them some with schoolwork (algebra, mom...are you proud?) and just hanging out. Their mom asked us to do a Bible study with them while we are here. Pray that we'll encourage them and learn with them. Tomorrow, we go back to Odori for another kids' club event. Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement.

Missionary Life

The past few days, we've been learning what real missionary life is like. Most of it is not preaching in front of large crowds or passing out tracts; most of it is living out the Christian life day by day in another country. There are still dishes to be washed, things to be repaired, kids to be taken care of, and friends to fellowship with. We have really enjoyed getting to know the missionary families and Japanese believers here. The churches really are families. A few fun things we've done in the past few days include helping with an English class at the youchien (kindergarten), celebrating the 4th of July with dinner and a movie, and being a part of a kids' Saturday morning program at a different church. Please pray for us as we continue to try to build relationships here. There are several great opportunities coming up in the next few weeks. Pray that God will show us where to invest our time. We're excited to see what's next.

Let us catch you up...

The past few days have been so busy that we didn't have time to update each day, so here is a brief overview of what we did:
On Saturday, we had a second carnival in a nearby town to help the church there reach out to their community. It was a little smaller than the first but so much fun. We saw CUTE kids, and hopefully some contacts were made. That night, we went to a party for high school students at the Ebetsu International Center. We ate, talked, and played games with teenagers from local schools. We also got to give out some literature and invite them to the goodbye party for the team (which was right before and in the same building as the big monthly community worship service called Ebetsu Alive).
On Sunday morning, the team divided up and went to visit different churches around the island. We went with a group that took the trains to Odori...that was an experience. The church we visited was incredible. There were probably about 20 members, and they were exactly what I think about when I think about churches in the Bible. They were like a huge family; it was obvious that they loved eachother and were a huge part of one another's lives. We ate a meal, played some games, and prayed together after church. I really want to go back. We got back to town in time for some of the set up for the night's event. The goodbye party was awesome; a ton of people we'd met came...AND they stayed for the worship part. The gospel was made very clear. Please pray that God will continue to bring what the people heard to their hearts and minds, and that they will respond.
Monday was the team's last full day. We all went downtown. First, we visited a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist trail. It is so sad how the priests use fear to manipulate people into pouring more and more money into these religions. Please pray that they will see Truth and won't be afraid to break free of these traps. The Japanese people are so enslaved to fear of the spirit world.
We had lunch together and did some sightseeing and shopping. The coolest thing we saw was the olympic ski jump. It was incredibly high, and we got to ride a lift to the top where we could see the whole city.
Last night we debriefed with the team, and they flew out this morning. Please pray that they'll return safely and put into action what they've learned. Pray that they'll share a burden for Japan with those they talk to. Please keep praying for us as we try to follow up on some of the contacts that were made. Pray that God will give us grace and strength for whatever comes our way. Love you all:)

The Saddest Day

Today was a sobering day. This morning, we went to another small church led by a Japanese Christian couple who also run a house for people with emotional disorders. We passed out tracts in the neighborhood to let people know about the church. Then, the pastor's wife (a beautiful lady whose love for the Lord is so obvious) told us about their story and their ministries. After lunch, we went to a huge cemetery. There were thousands upon thousands of grave markers there. Everyone here is cremated, and their ashes are added to their families' grave sites. They are so elaborate and the families have to travel to them to offer food, drink, incense, and flower offerings to appease the spirts. Once a year at least, they have to purify the grave sites with water and replenish the offerings. There is a festival of the dead in August when all of the spirts will be deliberately called back; the families will do everything they can to please them and hope for a good year. Most of the Japanese live in constant fear of the spirit world. As we walked up and down the aisles of thousands of graves, we saw just a handful of crosses. So many lives were ended without Christ. We saw a few families there giving offerings, and all I wanted to do was run up and tell them, "You don't have to do that...there is a God Who loves you and has already been appeased by the death of His Son!" We prayer walked back to the church, praying over houses and people we saw. Please pray for this country. The people are in such spiritual bondage; pray that the Son will set them free. Tonight, we had a high school party for the teenagers in local churches. A lot of unchurched kids came too. Pray that the believers will be encouraged in their walks and that those who do not yet know Him will come back to the church looking for more.

Shuji and Snail

Today was a really good day. We went to Ai No Sato church in the morning, and a local lady taught us shuji (Japanese writing). We ate a delicious lunch of curry and rice and melon and a million other good things. Then, we distributed tracts and church advertisements to a new neighborhood. We then went to Posful (a store that's more like a mall) to meet some students; it's the place to hang out after school. We got to invite some of them to the church's event on Sunday night; please pray that they will come. The day ended with a trip to the girls' dorm at a high school we visited earlier in the week. We had a chapel time with them and then just hung out. They ate dinner afterwards, and one of the girls dared me to eat one of her snails (I think...she didn't know the English word)...yummy!

We're In Japan!!!

Our deepest apologies for not updating sooner...we had internet access right in our very apartment...but we just found out today:) We got here just fine last Wednesday night and settled in to our cute little apartment next to the church. This week has been packed full of activities with the short-term E-team. We have done so many amazing things including a Japanese tea ceremony, a visit to an elementary school, a carnival, an English conversation class for women, high school English classes, park golf (a mix between putt-putt and croquet), and so much more. There are too many stories to catch up on for just one post. Please pray that we will be a help this week as the E-team finishes up. Pray that lots of contacts will be made for the church during all of the activities that we get to be a part of. We love and miss you all!

Take off!!

Here we go! In about fifteen minutes we'll be leaving for the airport. Pray for safety of travel and also that we make all of our connecting flights (along with our luggage). The flight(s) take a little over a day so it can be quite exhausting if we're unable to sleep. '
We're excited to begin the first great adventure of our married lives and are thrilled to see what God has in store for us in Japan!!

Mr. and Mrs.

So now we are officially married, and so far, we like it :)
The wedding was so much fun; thank you to everyone who came. We just returned from a week at Myrtle Beach where we played putt-putt, went to a baseball game, shopped, and had a restful time after the crazy days of wedding planning.
Jonathan's passport is here, and we are packing away. We leave in only 3 days!!!
Please continue to pray for us as we prepare physically and spiritually for this trip. Love you all!

Let the adventures begin.....

So just when you think you have everything possible organized for a wedding and trip overseas, something goes wrong....
you forget to pick something up at the store
or
you can't get in touch with everyone you need to
or
you find out your passport is expired:)

Which brings us to our first online prayer request.....please pray that Jonathan's expedited passport will arrive in time for our trip. And pray that God would give us a peace that it will get here so that we can enjoy our wedding and honeymoon and not be worried the whole time.

Thanks so much!

Who knew the adventures would start so soon?!

The Countdown....

Only 15 days til the wedding and 25 til we are in the air on the way to the first adventure of our married lives!
We can't wait.
Thanks to all of you who have supported us through prayer and gifts. We will update this blog as often as we can with stories, pictures, and prayer requests from our time in Japan.