Gearing up for winding down

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.