Living the Dream

6/7/07

I finally got to see, with my own eyes, the huge Buddhist statue my dad had told me about several months ago. It’s a stone idol made in the image of a beautiful woman dressed in a long flowing robe holding a baby in her arms.. It had to be at least 150 feet tall. From what I understand, the statue is some sort of guardian for all of the mothers that have had an abortion. They pray to her and she is supposed to forgive them. Many women spend several thousands of dollars on small stone replicas of the statue and place them in their homes hoping that she will watch over their aborted infant wherever it might be. I was amazed at its size, it can be seen from a great distance all around the city. It must be absolute torment for those mothers who are constantly reminded of their abortion whenever they look in that direction. My dad has been praying for several months now that God would bring the statue down and that He (God) would receive the glory. I have started to pray the same thing.

In other news, I was able to go to an authentic ramen shop last night. American ramen should be considered a sin compared to the deliciousity (it’s a real word, look it up) of Japanese ramen. These ramen shops can be found just about anywhere in Japan and it is one of the tastiest foods around. I had a soy sauce based soup with pork, vegetables and of course ramen noodles. It is appropriate when enjoying ramen to slurp your noodles as loud as possible. It’s almost impossible to carry on a conversation with the person next to you because of all the deafening slurping. I’ve never heard anything like it. It reverberates off the walls into a glorious cacophony of noodle attacking lip smacking. I gave it my best shot and almost choked to death. I guess I need more practice.

I’m still enjoying the company of the Takahashi’s. We find something new to laugh at every day. For example, I’ve been learning a lot of Japanese and some of the words seem awfully long to me. I get out of breath just thinking about the pronunciation. One phrase in particular, “Do Itashimashte” (doe-ee-tosh-ee-mosh-tay) means, “you’re welcome.” I decided to shorten it to, “Do I” (pronounced, doe-ee). It’s so much easier and convenient. I’ve also been coming up with new words like the word “kanbanichuwa” (kahn-bahn-each-you-wa) which is a combination of “konbonwa” (good evening) and “kanichuwa” (good afternoon). You’re supposed to say “kanichuwa” from 12pm to 6pm and “konbonwa” from 6pm to 8pm. Pretty choppy, isn’t it? I decided to smooth it out a little bit and use “Kanbanichuwa” from 5:55pm to 6:05pm. It makes the transition so much easier on everyone. Seriously, can you really say that it’s the afternoon at 5:58pm or that it’s evening at 6:03pm? Nobody really knows what’s going on at those times, you can’t tell up from down. It’s just downright awkward but no one wants to admit it. Everyone’s checking their watches every five seconds trying not to mess up and say the wrong thing. Thanks to me, I’ve solved the whole situation with one simple word. I’m currently in the process of getting “kanbanichuwa” added to the Japanese dictionary but so far it’s been an uphill battle.

A Very Fun Day!

Another packed day for us here in Chiba New Town. The four of us all had various tasks to finish, including insulating the church ceiling, weed wacking, cleaning and organizing around the church, shopping, prayer meeting, and English classes.

Two classes stand out in particular. Mrs. I. has a Bible lesson after her English lesson and I was able to teach it today. She was in John 20, learning about Thomas and his belief in Jesus Christ. What joy to share the Gospel with her! It was one of the high points of the day. This evening I was helping Mrs. Yoshida teach two girls, ages 11 and 15, in a Japanese home. The Mother speaks just a word or two of English, but she and I talked some through interpretation. Pray for this dear woman who invited Mrs. Yoshida and I to come again any time. Mrs. Yoshida shared with me that an open invitation like this is not common.

Other prayer needs include:
Money and manpower to finish the church building
$750.00 for a church sign
$3-5,000 to remove bamboo and other debris from the property
Salvation of Mr. O (he is coming to church regularly).
Strength and health for the Yoshidas


Saya (15) Mamiri (11) Mamiri's Mother

A new place!

It is hard to believe that we have been here for just a little over a week. I have adjusted to the time change pretty well, although my eyes still pop open way to early and I have to tell my perky mind that I need to sleep longer. (For those of you who don't know, I'm most definately not a morning person. This is very different for me!)

There have been a lot of blessings so far. My times with the Lord have been particularly powerful. He seems to give me just the verse or passage I need for the day ahead. Another awesome thing is the way I have really connected with the team. I feel a bond even with those who are in different parts of Japan. I have also loved being back with Hiromi Takahashi. She has a huge heart for ministry and it is going to be a joy to work with her these next few weeks. The English classes Mariah and I have been helping out with have been fun and interesting. There is a great eagerness on the part of the Japanese to learn and practice English. Using simple words and sentences we talk about ourselves and our homes and our hobbies. They love to ask questions about America and also to know about our impressions of Japan.

Mariah and I are now settled in our own place. We are staying in a guest room at the Tajima's church in downtown Koriyama. We are living Japanese style with futons on the floor. There is a grocery store just around the corner and we go shopping for our own food. (It is the Japanese way to buy everything in very small portions and then go shopping every few days.) Shopping is very interesting. It is a challenge to buy food when you can't read the labels. We rely on pictures alot! We have found a granola cereal, yogurt, salad dressing and different kinds of candy that we really like! The Japanese diet is very veggie oriented with rice, noodles and meat making the most common additions. In general everything is more health-conscious. Food comes in small portions. McDonalds is the same, though!

Please pray for our Mariah and I as we adjust to a new schedule of English classes and outreach and for Evan as he works at the camp. Pray that we would keep our focus on the Lord and the purpose He has for us here in Japan. Thank you so much for your prayers.

That's about all I have time for now. God bless!

-Elsbeth