Urawa Lutheran School Festival

Hey Everyone,

I know it's been a while since I last wrote. For a long time I have been going through a lot of spiritual growth. In many ways, God has used circumstances to help me develop in faith and maturity, keeping my focus centered around the mission at hand. I thank God for all those experiences no matter how trying the were.

Anyways, on Saturday, I went to Urawa Lutheran School, where my fiance works, for a School festival. It was a great experience to be able to meet many students who worked diligently to put together this event. One of my students from Omiya Lutheran Church English School was there with the 10th graders working at a cafe which they created for the festival. The Cafe was called "Made in Alice." I had the wonderful opportunity to meet many faculty, parents, and students, all of whom where excited to meet me. I hope to continue to attend events at Urawa Lutheran School in the future, the even was a great time.

I will be writing more about what's going on in my life here soon. God Bless you all!

The Time is Now!

As sad as it may be, a common occurrence in Japan are the train suicides. The anticipation that something like that might happen leaves many of us many on the edges of our seats afraid of what we could expect as we board the train. And sadly these frightening sites are becoming much more common in a world that some many believe is crumbling. Viewing the world in an economic spectrum and placing sole trust in government and finances, we can see that as people put their hope in currency. But when the dollar crumbles, hope then crumbles along side it. Perhaps that's why in the Gospel of John, Jesus makes the distinction between the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God not being of this world. Hope then is not founded in a world that crucifies and savior, hope is found in the Savior that came to be crucified for the worlds behalf.

One thing that made me interested in the mission of Japan was the history of the Christian Church. When Buddhism first came to here around 552AD, Japan was in a tough time from my understanding making it easier for Buddhism to intertwine itself into a culture trying to find identity. When St. Francis Xavier and the Jesuit first came with the Christian-Catholic faith to Japan during the mid 1500's, they found themselves entering a country of civil strife resulting in the rapid growth of Christianity. Following WWII Japan was the second highest purchasers of the Bible, second to the United States. From my understanding, Christianity had a temporary rapid growth in Christian converts following the second world war as well. This came at a time when the emperor who promised victory showed the people of his country defeat. This came at a time when the emperor who told his country that he was a god showed that he was merely a man through his empty promises and defeat. Today, the world suffers through complete reliance on something that is crumbling and now hard to obtain. More recently as I have thought about the time in which we are living now, I have come to understand that God is the provider but the devil turns our minds to focus on the material things which we have or desire to have then to the provider God, the Father himself.

Now is the time however. We are at a moment where Christianity has the ability to blossom. We see now, similar characteristics to periods in the past was Christianity did flourish in Japan. Now is the time to embrace the opportunity of proclaiming hope to a country and to a world that relied on things which have been hopeless. The identity of the world seems to be changing. Lets use this as an opportunity direct people to a sincere and loving hope that radiates from faith in Christ Jesus.

Cold Season in Japan

Well it's fall time, which marks the debut of cold season in Japan. Yes, as I ride the trains even cold season proves itself to be a new cultural experience for me here. I mean as sickness sweeps through America, we rarely ever see the people inflicted wearing mask over their faces as if they were on the movie Outbreak starring Dustin Hoffman. But here in Japan, that is a common practice, to wear a mask over your face in order that others may not receive the air born virus quarantining them to the confines of their own bed room. So that’s where I am right now. Alone and separated from the world around me. That’s what happens when you have a cold and it’s contagious. I am sure that I could perhaps try the Japanese approach and wear a mask over my face into that I may go out in public without the fear of causing others to share in the same sickness that I am currently facing. It’s just a cold though and within a day or two it will pass. But as I ride the trains in Japan and I look at the people wearing mask over their mouths in order that others may not receive the same air born virus that deviates from their lips, I am reminded of the Gospel. The Gospel is something that we as Christians know and contain within us. In Holy Baptism we have become heirs of the Gospel through the Word and through the water. Because as St. Paul says, “don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:2-4. Therefore, through our baptism as Christians we should know the Gospel, the good news of life found in Christ Jesus, and we shouldn’t be afraid to make that Gospel air born. So often growing up, I feel as though there were times when I covered my mouth and was afraid to share that Gospel. But now, let us remove that covering from our mouths because while a cold or any kind of air born virus that confines us to our bed room is bad news, the Gospel of Christ is certainly good news!

A cry for help.

This weekend my perception of Japan changed by a single incident. I have often heard about suicides happening in Japan but this was the first time where it affected me personally. I wasn't there when it happened, but a couple of people serving on the VYM team with me where there at the time. Justin, another O-Ver returned to Luther House around 11:30 or so last night and without even a hello. I sat in my room chatting with friends after an amazing night, when Justin came into my room and said that he was going to bed. This was out of character for him, so I said, "aren't we going to do our evening prayers?" We met in his room and that was when he told me what happened. A person jump in front of the train which he happened to be on at that time.

Instantly my perception of Japan completely changed because that was the moment when the suffering I have heard about through the news and through stories became a reality for me. My eyes began to water a bit because I thought about how that person could have been one of my friends from my previous stay in Japan. And my heart began to ache as I realized that the person who jumped in front of the train probably never heard of the new life found in Jesus Christ. Please, Please! Keep these people in your prayers, keep my fellow missionaries in your prayers, keep me in your prayers as we are sent to proclaim the salvation found through faith in Christ.

Passion Concert

Being in Japan, I did not anticipate ever having the opportunity to go to a concert led by major Christian artist such as Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. But just a couple of days ago I did have that opportunity. It was amazing not only to see these great musicians play music in praise for the Lord but to also see the room filled up with people in Japan! I think what touched me more than the concert though, was grabbing dinner at TGIFridays following this massive performance. After the concert we ate at TGIFridays and I began talking to a Japanese guy named Ken and he tolded me his story about how he grew contected with the Church. In December he is getting baptized and is currently going through Christian education with his pastor. Let's keep him our prayers!

Hello friends, thought I should start writing in my blog about my experiences in Japan. It is kind of amazing, I have already been here for over two weeks and in many ways I feel like I have been here longer than that. Perhaps it is because I studied in Mitaka Japan just over a year and a half ago at Japan Lutheran College. Japan no longer feels like a place of visual discovery but rather feels like a place where I learn where God wants me to be and what God wants me to be doing.

The first six months, I feel will be the greatest challenge for me. Not so much because of the language barrier as I learn Japanese or because of the classes which I need to attend. But it will be the greatest challenge for me because it is not until the 6th months are over when I will finally be assigned to a church to do the mission work which God has sent me here to do! Meanwhile, I am looking for ways in which I can proclaim to Gospel to people in my daily experiences throughout my first six months in Japan.

I ask that you keep me in your prayers during this time. Pray for endurance in learning Japanese, pray for my spiritual life that I may live in constant prayer and devotion, pray for the people in Japan that they may hear the word of Christ and listen, pray for my fellow missionaries in Japan and throughout the World, lastly include yourselves in prayer that you may also proclaim to the world the Good-News found in Jesus Christ our Lord!