TEAM gave us a little extra money to finally be able to celebrate our first anniversary that was actually twelve days ago, so we are going to Disney Sea tomorrow! We're trying squeeze in as much as we can before we come home in about a week. Today we went to an aquarium. The place was pretty cool... it was fishy - what you'd expect from an aquarium. The excitement of the day actually happened as we were trying to buy our Disney Sea tickets. Earlier that day we had Midori (the housekeeper at TEAM Center) write down the information in Kanji (Japanese lettering). So later in the evening, we went to a convenient store where we thought we could buy the tickets in advance... the guy went over to the machine and pushed some buttons, but couldn't figure out how to get our tickets... of course he couldn't explain it in English, and we couldn't understand or ask questions in Japanese. There happened to be a Japanese guy standing next to us who could speak a little English. He offered to help and explained that we should just get the tickets at the gate in the park. Fine - whatever... I'm just glad that awkward feeling of incommunicability was over! :) We left the convenient store and talked for a while outside with Akira - the man who helped us with our tickets. We told him how long we were in Japan, where we were staying, and what we were doing. He told us about his business - the owner of a small record company! They do mainly heavy metal music, which wasn't hard to believe considering he had an "iron maiden" t-shirt with a skull on it and long voluptuous hair! :) So he tried to explain that his business was located just down the road, but we weren't quite familiar enough with the territory, so I said, "Show us!" He laughed... but to our surprise, he led us down the street and up to the third floor of a building where there was a tiny room with CD's, flyers, and other promotional odds & ends stacked from floor to ceiling. I barely fit under the doorway, and could hardly walk in such a small crowded place... I guess that's the way most things are in Japan, though. We got to meet Akira's partner "Matt." He spoke even better English while he explained that his real name is "Matsumoto," but goes simply by "Matt." We sat and talked with them for about 45 minutes. They want to get together and eat lunch or something before we go back to the US. These guys are not Christians. We kind of wish that we had more time to build relationships with these guys instead of having to go home, but... God's timing is just right. In our last blog, we asked for prayer about opportunities for evangelism. Thank you for praying, and thank the Lord for answering! We just wanted to share that with you all. This is a somewhat abbreviated version of the story, but we couldn't wait to share it. :)
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Well, it's been a while. For about a week after our previous blog, it rained... everywhere we go, we go on foot, so there was nothing to blog about. For another week, we had very few guests... still not enough blog material. Then all at once, a group came in and forced us to pick up the pace once again. After that group left, Beckster got to come visit! We had a great time with her (it was too short), and now we have much to say about some of the interesting experiences that have come and gone over the past few weeks.
Before Becky came, Julie and I were walking in Kichijoji, which is the next town over from Mitaka. We saw a couple of tall, brown-haired guys in slacks, shirts, & ties. We walked and talked with the two young men for about five minutes, but it didn't take us five minutes to figure out who they were. The one of the two men who did most of the talking was "Elder Black" from the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints. Julie and I have both have had several mormon friends, but our beliefs are VERY different from that of the mormons. We believe that the people of this country are lost and sadly going to hell apart from God's saving, but it seems that mormons don't believe in a hell or people who are lost. This, among several other things, make it very difficult for a conversation between four "missionaries" to not be akward. Still, we had a great opportunity to share about our ministry at TEAM center, and we were able to talk a little bit about the people of this country, our burden for the people, and that they need & can be saved. After a brief chat, we went our separate ways. At first, I (Gordon) felt like a failure... "What's wrong with me?! Here we are in Japan, and we've met some mormons - Obviously God is throwing opportunities in our lap, and I'm barely brave enough to beat around the bush of truth for five minutes - I should've said this & that, and blah blah..." Julie helped me realize that the Lord is using stuff like this to help us grow - We're in a country where we really want to reach out to people, but we can't speak the language yet, so God gives us the chance to talk to Americans! Wow... now I felt special because God has included Julie and I in His plan. I feel like a hypocrite when I write these blogs sometimes, because I don't feel like the "Super Christian" person that I'm writing about... I don't feel like I could be a "missionary." But I know the power of Christ that is in me. He is stronger than my fickle emotions, and He covers my sin. Hallelujah, what a Savior - He wants & chooses to use us.
We enjoyed the time we had with Becky. A few great things happened. We visited some of the more famous shinto shrines, and buddhist temples along with some other various Tokyo must-sees. On our way to one of those destinations, we ventured into the subway system: an area where Julie and I haven't had as much experience. We've mainly traveled by train, so when we walked into the vast underground maze, we looked a little stupid & lost! But God put us there so that we could meet a guy from New Zealand who saw that we looked a little foolish. He offered his help and asked why we were here in Japan. "...Hmmm - I'm SO glad you asked!" :) But seriously, this opened up yet another opportunity to share the gospel, or at least plant a seed. We told him a little about TEAM, and our position as host & hostess, but we were also able to share the way we feel about the condition of the Japanese people, and how much they need a Savior. He was a very sporadic guy. It seems that just when I was about to "bring it home" -- he'd change the subject. After about five minutes, his train came, and he sped off into the dark tunnel. It's so hard when you want to say so much, but you don't know how much time you've got to say it... in the past two cases - our time window has only been about five minutes. At first it's easy to feel disappointment, and this time Becky got to feel the frustration with us. Julie & I were told in our TEAMserve orientation that many non-christians may experience a certain number of "touches" before they become a Christian. "Touches" refer to how many times they come in contact with the gospel. Some people will need two, some seven, and some only one... the point is this - God is pursuing people and carefully orchestrating the events of their lives to bring Him glory. We have been able to be part of that pursuit, so in the end there should never be doubt or disappointment, because God can arrange these meetings & circumstances better than we can.
The Taylor family - a splendidly agreeable cluster of humans brimming with beauty and talent. :P They were convivial enough to host us for an entire weekend at their house in Karuizawa. They took us to a Sushi-go-round where it only cost 90 yen per plate (a little less than a dollar)! I (Gordon) could only eat 10 plates... Julie had to show me up & eat 12 plates! It was pretty tasty, and really cheap. Between me, Julie, Becky, and the Taylor clan, over 70 plates of sushi got devoured! The next day (after a whole night of a sushi coma), we experienced some brisk walks - literally - over the river & through the woods, but we never got to grandmother's house... :) instead, we saw the beautiful Mount Asama - an active volcano. The scenery was beautiful, and we took plenty of pictures. Even after all of the aforementioned greatness, the highlight of our venture to Karuizawa was SYME. SYME stands for "School of Youth Ministries in English." They are part of "Word of Life" ministries... but not the same "Word of life" that we know in the U.S. The facility for their ministry was previously a mini hotel for the employees of NHK (Japan's largest broadcasting company), and was worth about $10,000,000 USD. After the economy crashed, NHK put the building up for sale, and SYME ended up buying it for only $200,000 USD! It sits high with a panoramic view all around - including a clear view of Mt. Asama. They have dorm sections, a library, study rooms, a commercial kitchen, a dining hall, a music room, and a lounge area with wireless internet. The best part about the day was the time we spent hanging out with the students. There are Koreans, Japanese, & Chinese students who are all VERY different. Koreans are loud and outgoing. They greet each other with boisterous hugs & loud voices, while the Japanese usually just bow or shake hands. Korea & Japan don't usually get along because of previous wars, but here - it's stunning to see how the Koreans & Japanese form close friendships despite their differences. Even though they are there to learn English, they also get involved in churches, bible studies, worship services, and they are given many tools to know how to effectively share the gospel. We only got to spend an afternoon/evening with them, but it's quite an experience to feel such a close bond to brothers & sisters in Christ, even though they live on the other side of the planet. What an excellent ministry that the Lord is using! After spending time at SYME, we really got a good taste of what it's like to fellowship with Japanese people our age. At TEAM center, it has been an awesome experience to learn from the missionaries and live in the middle of Tokyo, but being able to connect with Japanese students our age was a new experience... it gave us a taste of what it would be like to minister to this younger generation in a deeper capacity. If you are a Christian, speak English, and can raise some support, you can serve with SYME! It could be a great short-term opportunity. If anybody wants some more info about them, click this link: http://wolsyme.com/come-teach/
Julie and I got the privilege of leading worship at Kurume Bible Fellowship last Sunday. KBF has about 400 members, and is mainly a church for missionaries. It is not necessarily a Japanese church, but there are a lot of Japanese people there. It is the most international church we've ever been a part of. On the Sunday that we led worship, KBF was celebrating "Pentecost Sunday." This is the time after Christ rose from the dead. He gave the great commission, and sent his disciples out, so for a church with so many missionaries - this was a pretty cool Sunday. Everyone from different nations came dressed in their country's traditional attire. They had people from the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, the U.S., South Africa, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Sweden, and several others read a passage from the book of Acts in their native language. Then, they would line up & down the isles of the church and all chant the verse at the same time in their native tongue. They would chant louder & louder until it built up into the singing of the song "Salvation belongs to our God." It was very moving, very powerful, and quite an honor to lead worship during such an inspirational celebration. The Lord continues to open the doors for ministry.
Our trip is starting to wind down. :( We only have about three Sundays left before we come home, and we're looking forward to seeing all of you who have been thinking of us, and praying for us... we've missed you all dreadfully, but, we're going to leave a piece of our heart here. More than likely, we'll come back to get it in a few years. :) This country is so lost, and Jesus is not really part of the culture. America is considered a "Christian nation," and we hear about Jesus everyday, but here - Jesus is just something the westerners bring over. God loves Japan, and helping these people see that fact is something that missionaries have been trying to do for a very long time. Now, the young generation is bringing a level of openness that is new to Japan, and we believe that an awakening of epic proportions could happen here... "here am I, Lord send me!" - That's our prayer.
Please pray specifically for our memorization of scripture. It would help so much if we could have scripture in our minds to battle the everyday struggles with our emotions. This is going to be our busiest month yet - all the way up until we leave! So pray that the Lord would give us the grace & patience to serve the missionaries that come through here to the best of our ability. Finally, pray that the Lord would swing open some more doors for evangelism. Thank you for praying for Julie and I. We love you all so much, and look forward to being with you again soon.
We realize that, so far, we haven't really told you what we're doing as host & hostess. We've only given you facts about the country & it's culture, which is where our heart is. Those facts are important, but we also wanted to give you an idea of what life is like for a TEAM center host & hostess. The purpose of this blog is not just to tell you what it is we're doing, but to tell you what it is YOU could be doing. Starting August 25th, TEAM center is going to need another couple to be host & hostess. This entry is going to be very detailed concerning the host/hostess duties at TEAM center, but not very detailed concerning the ministry opportunities available. So keep that in mind as you read. Get comfortable. This might be a long entry. :)
There is no such thing as a "typical day" here... For one thing - in Japan, you're bound to see or hear something different just about every day. For another thing - our duties somewhat vary from day to day. We'll try to be somewhat organized with this entry, but we may just have to disregard the title of this blog, and Julie & I will spout whatever comes to our mind... dangerous, huh? :)
We'll start by giving you an idea of what the area in & around TEAM center is like. Inside TEAM center there are three floors, and about 7 guest rooms, a study, and a lounge/meeting/dining room. A few of those rooms can be made into family rooms. This facility can hold a maximum of 20 guests at one time. The roof of TEAM center is accesible to us and to guests. It overlooks a small park/playground. The pastor of Hope Bible Church & his wife live in an apartment that is on the roof. They provide the training for new hosts & hostesses, and are a huge help in answering many questions. On the third floor is the laundry room, and a couple of guest rooms. The host & hostess (me & Jules) live on the second floor. We have a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and an office. We also have a small kitchen for ourselves, but there is a larger kitchen designated mostly for the use of TEAM and it's where we cook breakfast & the occasional lunch. Food is served in the lounge/meeting/dining area. Our personal food supplies are kept separate from TEAM supplies. Now if we walked down the stairs, we'd reach the bottom floor where the TEAM offices are. Here we find a finance director, property manager, administrators, and other various TEAM workers. All of the workers are missionaries and have other areas of ministry aside from their jobs at TEAM center. TEAM center is in the community of Mitaka which is a pretty wealthy area, and is a suburb of Tokyo. There are a lot of "large" houses (which aren't that large in comparison with the average American home), and nice cars. There are about five full-size grocery stores in walking distance of TEAM center, and several smaller convenient stores. All of them are mainly Japanese, so a lot of times you'll find things that look like they might be what you need, but if you can't read the language... it might be something else, entirely. It makes grocery shopping & cooking quite interesting... but we'll get more into that later.
We haven't quite gotten into a schedule yet... I don't know if a schedule exists! Somedays will be very busy, others - not so much. Therefore, once again, due to the lack of schedule - we won't blog... we'll blather. :) TEAM center has an email account that we keep up with. We check it quite often throughout each day. Of course, a lot of reservations are made through Email, but then there is the phone. This guest house is by and large a "western" facility, however there are a few instances when a Japanese person will call and try to make reservations... and I'm telling you - it's like they're speaking a different language or something!! :) If that happens you can say, "Chotto matte kudasai" which is "wait a moment please," and then find one of the Japanese speaking workers in the office downstairs... unless it's a weekend... then you could learn some more Japanese phrases, but - to start out with - your best bet is to let the answering machine pick up. :) TEAM center has a fairly straightforward booking system. Some guests will come and stay for one night, others may stay for a week or two. It can get tricky to know how to divide people into certain rooms - Obviously, we don't mix genders unless the guests are a married couple, and we try not to book family rooms for single people unless absolutely necessary. Also - guests are divided into three categories: TEAM missionary guests, TEAM-related guests, or non-TEAM guests... each category has a different rate. That's quite an abbreviated version of the booking system. We try to find out a general time that guests will be arriving in order to greet them at the 1st floor front door, because, even though this is a "western" facility, guests are asked to remove their shoes before entering. Breakfast is served at 7:30am IF guests want it. If no one wants it, we don't have to make it. TEAM center is not a hotel... it is a guest house. We don't have a continental breakfast from 6 - 10 every morning (and boy are we glad). The host & hostess are not required to serve breakfast on Sunday, but it's not a difficult task and it's no problem getting to church on time. We've enjoyed cooking very much. We have about 6 or 7 main meals that we cook for breakfast right now, but there are variations within each meal. We get the privilege of eating breakfast with the missionaries at 7:30, and then we lead a short devotional at around 8:00. The second Monday of every month is "Prayer day." This is the gathering of TEAM board members & missionaries. There are usually about 30 people for whom we prepare snacks, lunch, and dessert. Halfway through each month, there are two days in which the Japan council meets. There are only about 8 people that come to the JC meetings. They stay as guests in the TEAM center, and then have meetings for two days while we serve lunch & dessert. Those dates are usually set in stone, so we know when to get groceries. Breakfast, however, is much more inconsistent. Thus, grocery shopping could turn into an everyday excursion. Portion sizes are smaller, and expiration dates run out quicker... and there is no such thing as bacon here. :( There is meat that looks like bacon, but it is NOT bacon! There is a Costco in Tokyo, but it's pretty far away. We can order several supplies from Costco through the internet and have them delivered, but for the most part - you cannot buy things in bulk. The number of guests staying, and the amount of breakfast served dictates how much we need to buy everyday. The housekeeper, Midori-san comes only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If a guest leaves on Tuesday, Thursday, or the weekend - and another guest arrives in the same evening, then we are responsible to clean the rooms before the guests arrive. We're also responsible for cleaning the kitchen, lounge, foyer, and carport area. Julie & I do not have green thumbs, but we water all the plants once or twice a week - inside and outside of the building... hopefully they're not dead. :) When a guest leaves, we calculate their bill, and try to collect payment the day before they leave. TEAM center does not deal with U.S. money... every exchange is made in yen. Whenever we spend TEAM money (e.g. groceries), or receive money (e.g. guest payment), we have to keep the paper receipts, as well as enter the amount into the software "Quicken" via our office computer. At the end of each month, we count the money to make sure it is consistent with Quicken so far. Then, it's all turned in to the financial director downstairs. Our support money (what we live on) is given to us at the beginning of every month.
Ok... time for a joke. This one time - I was in a submarine. Instead of a periscope, they had a kaleidoscope. We exclaimed, "We're surrounded!!"
Now - Gomi gets its own paragraph. Gomi is the Japanese word for "garbage." So, let's talk trash. :P When we first got here, the gomi situation was very.. complicated. The system has changed and is a little less complicated, but still confusing. I'll try to explain it as simply as possible. Combustible gomi (e.g. food waste, paper, etc.) is separated from the noncombustible gomi (mostly plastic wrappers & containers). Even though newspaper & magazines are combustible, they must be neatly stacked and tied in a bundle. Cardboard is also combustible, but cannot go in the combustible bag. It, too must be flattened, cleaned, neatly stacked, and tied in a bundle. Styrofoam is noncombustible, but has to be bagged separately. Glass jars must be separated. Most plastic bottles (e.g. drink bottles, dish soap bottles) are labeled as "PET" bottles. On the back of bottles next to the recyclable symbol is the letters "P-E-T." The lids of these "PET" bottles must be removed and thrown away in the noncombustible bag, and then the bottles are to be cleaned and bagged separately. Aluminum cans must be rinsed, flattened and bagged separately. Large jugs (e.g. dishwasher detergent jugs, laundry detergent jugs) also must be bagged separately. Almost all the garbage from the entire TEAM center is brought to the host & hostess to be taken care of. Many times, we have to go through gomi & separate things, or else the trash wont get picked up and we may receive a notice telling us what we did wrong. It's especially disgusting when someone throws away food in a styrofoam/plastic container, then you have to separate the food waste from the noncombustible waste. Gomi must be separated properly and placed at a specified location by the road to be picked up between 1pm & 4pm on Fridays. It's placed all in the same area, but separated... so, it's altogether separate! :) It seems like a crazy system, but Japan is a very clean city.
Don't be alarmed by all of this. When it comes to personal time - there's plenty of it. You are not required to be by the phone all day... that's what the answering machine is for. Obviously, if there aren't any guests, you have some free time. Even if there are guests staying, you don't have to be there all day. We've had the opportunity to become very involved at Hope Bible Church. We've also been on plenty of walks & bike rides. By the way - bike riding in this city is something everyone should experience... it's just a lot of fun. TEAM center has some bikes that we borrow. There are many chances to discover & experience the Japanese culture, and many ways to minister to the lost people of this country. We've already been here for 4 weeks, and it feels like 4 days... time is flying. This is quite an experience, and June is shaping up to be our busiest month. There are going to be a LOT of guests in June, so be in prayer as we prepare.
In closing, pray & ask the Lord if this is something He would have you do. You don't have to be young to do this ministry. There have been retired missionaries & other people of all ages to do this work. The only requirement is that the host & hostess need to be a married couple. When it comes to raising your funds - you'll need money for round trip airfare, and money to live on for the length of time you'll be staying (TEAM suggests $24 per day/per person). TEAM won't have a host/hostess as of August 25th, but they would be glad to have a couple anytime in the fall. If you or anyone you know is interested in serving the Lord in Japan, email us at gordonh84@aol.com. BUT WAIT! Email now, and you'll get free designer chopsticks made by the legendary "Dragonfly" company! All you pay is a shipping cost that's only 7 easy payments of $49.99!! Ok, enough jokes. We love you all & we're very grateful for your encouragement, love, and prayers. It's been very cool to "feel" your prayers from the other side of the globe.
Julie and I went on a walk through Inokashira park, and found some sort of temple with many shrines. There was a man inside playing the taiko drum and chanting, and outside, people came to worship or pray. We saw that they would throw money in a bin of some sort, ring the small gong at the top of the rope to "awaken" the gods, and then say a prayer. At the bottom of the stairs there's an area where incense is burned, and there were people who would waft the scent onto their bodies. This goes on all day. We don't know who or what they're worshipping or praying to, and from what we've learned - it seems THEY don't even know.
We just wanted to quickly share this video with you all. We found it very enlightening & quite unsettling. Pray for us as we have a full house of guests coming in tonight (Tuesday 14th). We love you all! :)
Wow! Things have been somewhat intense over the past several days. The busyness began upon our arrival. We met Debbie May at the Airport in Narita and boarded the trains. We had to jump from train to train in order to get to the TEAM center in Mitaka. We came through Shinjuku - the busiest station in the world! Shinjuku station has over 3.5 million people passing through every day, and we had to go through after a 13-hour flight, during rush hour with four pieces of luggage - plus my guitar and two carry-ons. It was quite an experience. Needless to say; Julie & I slept like logs that night! Things continue to be busy as we learn our jobs and get settled in our new home for the next 3 months. Sorry we haven't written in a while. :) The Japanese people are very polite and will go out of their way to help you find where to go, or what to get - IF it's needed. Generally, however, we have found that the Japanese people don't offer their assistance unless asked. Typically, the Japanese people don't even like to make eye contact. Frankly, being somewhat tall, I (Gordon) expected to get some strange looks, but Julie & I noticed that the Japanese people keep very much to themselves. By and large, I am relatively taller, however; I don't tower over people as much as I thought I would. John Junker says that this is a result of the diet in Japan slowly becoming more "westernized." John Junker is one of the missionary guests here. He was born and raised in Japan by his missionary parents. We've learned a lot in our dialogue with him. John told us that people here literally have no idea who or what they are worshipping... nature? buddha? They are utterly lost in the dark, and VERY secretive. (what a terrible combination) They don't share problems or open up with other people at all. John Junker is the pastor of a Japanese church that his parents planted, and he says that even if a fellow Japanese believer has a problem, he/she will stop coming to church altogether to avoid dealing with it. Things are even worse for unbelievers... Rape victims don't report a crime because it is too shameful for them. This introverted attitude has seeped into the government. Government officials will run away from their problems by lying about a sickness, and claiming to be in a hospital for months. (I know this is long, but stick with it!) John Junker says that he'll tell people about Jesus Christ, and they'll say all the right things just to make him happy. The Japanese will tell you everything you want to hear so that they'll never have to feel the humiliation of letting someone down. This selfish & withdrawn attitude is the reason that Japan has over 600 suicides every WEEK! Since we've been here (4 days), the trains have had to be stopped because of a person throwing themselves in front of a train to take their own life. Missionaries tell us that this happens at least once a week at the train stations. I know what you're thinking... "IT'S HOPELESS!" It was so despairing for us to hear all of this at once, and our hearts are absolutely broken for these people. It isn't any wonder that this is the largest unreached people group on the planet. Despite their seemingly irreversible state, and our consistent uncertainty... NOTHING is impossible with God! (Luke 1:37) That is the scripture the Lord has encouraged us with. He continues to give us resilience & ambition. There will be more news to come as we really hunker down in our jobs & learn more about this fascinating culture. Here is how you can pray for us: 1) We are meeting a lot of people that we'll be serving with - pray that we'll have patience & love in every aspect of our service with them, as our sin nature wants to bubble up sometimes. 2) Pray for our health - hay fever is a lot worse here, and it's starting to affect our allergies. 3) We'll be serving in the local church & dealing with unbelievers in the Mitaka community - although we don't know a lot of the language - pray that we'll be a bright light! 4) Be passionate in your prayer for the people of this country - their spiritual need has become even more apparent to us. We love you all and hope all is well! In His Strong Hand, Gordon & Julie P.S. Hope you enjoy the pics below - that's our neighborhood. There'll be lots more!
World Clocks
