Sunday, June 10, 2007

Another day in Japan! Elsbeth and I are currently sitting at the Koinrandorī
(koh-een-rahn-doh-rēē: Laundromat) washing our clothes. Let’s see…the last couple of days have been busy with English classes. We have been working with children and adults. The English classes have shown Elsbeth and I how little we understand our own language. We can speak the language, but find it hard to explain. I have enjoyed the classroom experience and sharing pieces of my life with the students. Yesterday we played Go Fish (one of my favorite games) with the junior high students. As the students were learning English, they taught Elsbeth and I a few Japanese words. The questions we are most often asked are: Where do you live, Do you speak Japanese, What is your favorite Japanese food, Do you like Japan, How old are you, and What is your job in America. Both Elsbeth and I were nannying before coming to Japan. They do not understand what a nanny is in Japan, so Beverly has given us the job title of “professional babysitter.” I find that funny!

It was my birthday on Friday! I have to share a little bit about the day since it was full of fun, surprises, and blessings. Everyone made Friday so special for me. I had a chance to talk with my parents in the morning (Thursday evening in the States). Then Beverly Tajima (our host mother) took Elsbeth and I to a Sushi Bar for lunch. You sit at a stool and grab plates off a conveyer belt when something looks somewhat safe to try J. I think we tried crab, shrimp, chicken, and tuna. That afternoon, we helped load and unload boxes for the Tajima’s, as they are in the process of moving into their new home/church. We also went to three English classes. The 5/6-grade class sang happy birthday to me. After our English classes, Hiromi, Evan, Elsbeth, Christine, Shigeo, Sarah, Stephanie, and Beverly had a birthday party for me. It was so special and thoughtful. After eating angel food cake and blue jello, all of us “kids” went bowling and to a ramen Restaurant. Thank you for making my birthday memorable!

Today, we attended Sukagawa Baptist Church. Christine came and interpreted the service for us. Pastor Shibata talked how as a church, we need to share the word of God. We do the sharing as God does the changing. After the service we sat in a circle for prayer time. Though Elsbeth and I could not understand the Japanese and they could not understand us, it was wonderful to pray for each other. Though we are from different areas of the world and speak different languages, we still serve and praise the same God. We had great fellowship over lunch. I hope that our visiting encouraged the church today. Please be praying for the missionaries.

Mariah

There is no other!

Goddess of Mercy

Samarai Castle

Friends!

View from the top of the castle

We met some traditionally dressed Japanese. (Evan and Elliot Gilmore)

Sunday, June 10, 2007

“…There is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior, there is none besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” -Isaiah 45:21

So far in our trip we haven’t seen many prominently displayed religious symbols. On Wednesday, June 6 we took a day trip to Azu-Wakamatsu. This is the location of a famous castle and also of a famous idol.

I can’t even describe my feelings as I looked up at the 57 meter statue of Aizu Jibo Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. The face of the woman smiles serenely, as she holds a baby in her arms. A temple and a garden are close by and the town laid out in the valley below. This location is described in a travel brochure as a popular place to pray and relax. When I remember that idol worship is instigated by demons, I know it wasn’t my imagination that there was a tension in the air and sinister feeling around the statue.

We didn’t approach any closer than the parking lot outside the temple, but stood there by the van and prayed for God to show His power over this spiritually dark and evil place, even to the point of making the idol fall down.

After that we visited the Aizu Tsuruga-jo Castle. It was originally built in 1384 and rebuilt several times since then. It is really beautiful to see. We walked through a museum inside the castle tower and enjoyed a great view from the top level.

As I write this I’m sitting in a Laundromat waiting for our clothes to be zapped into cleanness. A busy road is right outside and I just think about how most, if not all the people who pass are without hope, without knowledge of this great and loving God who gave His all for them.
Mariah’s birthday was so much fun! Some kind of craziness bug got into all of us… I will let her tell you about it, though.



-Elsbeth

Catching Up Bloggin

I am still working on getting an internet connection in my house. Here's the blogging I have been doing but unable to post. You will need to start at the bottom of this and read up.

June 9th
I had a true missionary moment yesterday. I was at Home Wide (the Japanese version of Lowes) and I was trying to communicate to a clerk that I needed more of something than was available on the shelf. He was not able to figure out what I was saying. So, he got 2 others....who flagged down some teenagers....who knew a guy...who could probably speak a few words of english. Finally, through a series of exaggerated hand motions and speaking our own languages loudly and slowly we understood each other. I counted 6 six Japanese people around me. We all had a good laugh about it.

We bought Toby a helmet for when we give him rides on our bike. He looks really cool. I thought it was going to be a struggle to get him to wear it but apparently he thinks it's pretty cool too.

I served my first cup of coffee to a Japanese customer yesterday. He didn't spit it out or die on the spot so that was encouraging (for those of you who don't know I have little experience in making coffee). All the hard work to get the place cleaned up paid off. My customer's name was Mr. Tsuno (I believe) and he is in Tom Carr's choir. We sat and talked for quite a while. Tom Carr did a lot of translating for me.

So far, rainy season has been hot and sunny season. I love it!

June 6th
Well the power sprayer worked like a charm at taking the varnish off of the floor. Boy did it make a mess though. The room looked like a snake had shed it’s skin on everything. We got it cleaned up though with the help of a wet/dry vac.

Chris Sadowitz and I met with a man in the church for lunch and prayer (I would butcher his name if I tried to write it). I was impressed with his heart for reaching his co-workers for Christ. I can definitely see how it would be easy to feel all alone as a Christian here and begin to get discouraged. I think these personal prayer meetings with the missionaries are a key to perseverance.

We played more soccer today. My legs feel like they are about to fall off, but in a good way. I am beginning to learn some of the Japanese kids names. I may not be able to carry on much of a conversation with them, but I hope that they will see the hope and love of Christ in me and the other missionaries. Chris always carries flyers with him and invites the kids to church events after we play with them. It really is a great idea for outreach.

In the evening, we all got together for dinner at the Sadowitz’s. Then the Sadowitz’s neighbors took us to a place where lightning bugs (hotoru in Japanese) congregate. It was a lot of fun. Toby got a kick out of the hotoru climbing up his arm. I don’t think he had every seen a lightning bug before.

June 5th
Today was a beautiful day, which is a huge gift during rainy season.
I spent the afternoon in the coffee shop trying to get it ready for business next week. I stress trying. My first task has been to remove the varnish off of the floor. This task is proving to be rather difficult for my unskilled hands. First I tried to get the varnish off with a belt sander. After several trips to the hardware store (by bike), I realized that I was moving through the belts too quickly. So I switched to a stone grinder which definitely took up the varnish and them some of the tile as well. The other complication with the stone grinder is that it functioned as a fan which kicked up cement dust and coated everything in the coffee shop. Next I am going to try using a power sprayer, which definitely takes off the varnish like we want but I just have to be careful not to splash too much. If anyone reading this is experienced with taking varnish off of tile floors, please share your wisdom.

I have come across some monster spiders. The biggest one I saw was almost as big as my hand. I will try to catch one on video for your amazement. I have been working out in the tae kwan do building in the mornings with Chris Sadowitz (one of the missionaries) and his son Dan. The first morning I got on one of the elliptical machines only to promptly and calmly exit the machine as I spotted a huge spider on the machine’s fan. (You’ll have to talk to Chris for the real story). These spiders are supposed to be harmless but I’m not sure that I believe them J

We have been going to the park and playing soccer in the afternoons. Japanese kids and teenagers will come out of no where to play with us and it is a great opportunity for the missionaries to make contacts. This has made me wonder if I could utilize a similar technique in Fishers.

Michelle and I went for an evening bike ride to McDonalds. We were going through withdrawal. It was a beautiful clear night with a perfect view of the mountains. Miyakonojo is very beautiful with it’s rice patties, gardens, parks, and mountains. It is a shame that so few here can glorify God for his creation here.

OUR TRIP FROM TOKYO
Greetings from Kyushu! We survived our 12 hour train trip safe and sound, praise the Lord. The train trip was an awesome opportunity to see the country. I'm not sure words could adequately explain this experience. Japan has so many beautiful mountains that I wish you could see. We are surrounded by mountains here in Kyushu. I will try to take some pictures soon. By the way, I just uploaded a bunch of pictures from when we were in Tokyo as well as one video from the Tokyo train station. So be sure to check out the photoblog and video blog portions of this website.
The missionaries here have worked very hard to make sure we are comfortable and feel welcome. The house that we are living in is more than adequate for our needs. We have a stove, a fridge, a washing machine (we weren't expecting this), and a toaster oven. We are sleeping in a room with bamboo flooring (very cool) on futon mattresses on the floor. I actually really enjoy sleeping on the floor...of course this might be because I'm so tired :)
The ministry here is very sports and music oriented which I like very much. I have enjoyed getting to know the Carrs and the Sadowitz's. As well as the Pena's, who are our american christian neighbors. Christian Pena is a professional golfer on the Japanese tour. He is kind enough to allow me to use his internet right now.
I will post more soon. I hope to get internet in my house soon. Then I will be able to post more.