A Typical Day in the life of a TEAM center host & hostess

       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.

Japanese Temple

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! :)

Things are getting busier as we have guests come through.  Serving breakfast has been fun, and a great time of fellowship with fellow believers from around the world.  We're a little nervous about the big lunch (for 30 people) coming up, but overall - we have loved serving the missionaries here.  We're continuing to learn so much from talking with them.

We attended Hope Bible Church last Sunday, and found the service to be very interesting.  We loved the music, and we were able to sing along because they had the syllables written out both phonetically and with Japanese characters.  HBC has only about 20-30 people on Sundays, and this is actually considered to be pretty big.. (HBC is the only church in Mitaka)  The pastor works through a translator, and the most striking thing about the sermon was the absence of the word "sin."  In Japan, "sin" connotes murder, or robbing a bank, etc.  There is NO word in the Japanese language that means "little sin," so if they haven't committed a crime as serious as murder, they don't think that they're sinners.  This concept makes it even more difficult for the people to realize that they need the Savior.  We've been thinking of new ways to share our testimonies without using the word "sin."  Julie had the opportunity to share her testimony (through a translator) at a weekly cooking class with HBC.  Several women who attend this cooking class are unbelievers, so that was a great opportunity.  Tonight, we're attending a gospel choir practice at HBC... again - this is an HBC outreach program, so many members of this choir are unbelievers.  The Lord is putting a lot of opportunities in our way, so... stay fervent in prayer for these encounters.  Pray for our quiet times - it's been hard to stay diligent in our time with the Lord as things start getting busier.

Here are some more pictures.  Some of them are in the electric city, others are in Kichijoji.  Kichijoji is a fairly busy area where we found a graveyard with a shrine in it, and we found Capcom plaza where there are a lot of slot machines.  Akihabara (electric city) is bright and busy.  It's moving 24/7.  There are tons of technological happenings there, and it's the manga/anime center of the world. We went there with the Taylors at night.  (Sorry that some of the pics are blurry.)  More and more we are seeing a new "level" of lostness, but God is great and still gives us hope & courage.  Thank you all so very much for your prayers & encouragement.

This one speaks for itself!! (that means we couldn't think of a title.)

        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!