The Nippon Initiative

Friday, July 6, 2007

The Mistaks in Miyakonojo

We've been keeping busy here in Miyakonojo since the last time I wrote!

Furlough DVD Complete:
I helped Chris Sadowitz prepare for his furlough by making his furlough video. We compiled four years worth of videos and pictures together with narration and music. It took us five days of hard work and I think I have carpel tunnels syndrome but we got it done. The video is about 30 minutes long. My favorite part is the end where we included a lot of bloopers and outtakes. This is not your conventional furlough video!! I was glad to be able to help in this way. I never thought my computer skills would come in handy here but they have. I also was able to fix a missionary's computer just by plugging it in an touching it. I felt like Joe Stolz because that kind of thing happens to him all the time.

Evan, Elsbeth and Mariah
It sure was good to see some familiar faces from home! I only wish they could have stayed longer. Evan and I helped packed up some household goods for some missionaries who have left the field, while he was here. I'm glad Elsbeth was able to see everything here first hand since she might be coming back in the near future. Everyone here had been practicing saying her name and had finally gotten it down by the time she showed up. I think I experienced what Elsbeth must go through every time she introduces herself to someone. "Elisabeth?" "No, LLLLLzzzzBeth!!!" People need to here this several times I've found before they get it.

Mini-Volleyball
My Japanese friend Mitsuyoshi was in a mini volleyball tournament with his work. So I decided to go watch. I pictured maybe a few courts of people playing. Boy was I wrong! There were close to a thousand people there. I thought I would never find my friend, and even if I did, I thought there is no way I'm going to catch his game. As it turns out, we showed up just in time for his game and we happened to sit right next to the court he was playing on. Furthermore, Mitsuyoshi's boss is Chris Sadowitz neighbor and friend of many years! Mitsuyoshi and Ikuko are having us over for dinner on Sunday night. We are really looking forward to this.Mini Volleyball as a sport is something that I wish I could bring back to Hamilton Hills. I think JOLT would love it. The net is a little bit shorter and the ball is the perfect mix between being extremely soft and yet playable. Have you ever played with a ball that is so soft that it almost floats? This is just a little bit heavier than that so that it plays well. Yet, it is impossible to hurt your hand with it. The net is lower than in regular volleyball which makes it fun to spike. After watching Mitsuyoshi play, I had the opportunity to play with a friend of the Sadowtiz's who is a barber. Every monday a group of 50+ barbers and hair stylists get together to play. Some of these Gramas were pretty athletic. It keeps them young.

Hiroshima Golf Tournament
Two days ago, Chris and I went to watch Christian Pena play in a golf tournament up in Hiroshima. We got to live the life of priveldge of a pro golfer for a few hours as we followed Christian around. Christian had made Chris a badge that said Manager and I had a badge that said family. So, if anyone tired to tell us we couldn't do something we would just flash our badges! It was pretty funny.
We followed Christian around the course while he played his round. Whenever, he made a great putt we would hoop and holler like the colts had just won the Super Bowl. Very counter cultural...but hey...we had badges. Christian ended up shooting two over par for the day. He was even until the second to the last hole where he shot a double bogie. Not a bad first day I think!Chrisitain really has a heart for sharing the gospel with his fellow golfers. I think the Lord has gifted him for this and I was challenged by his heart to share with those around him.
Christian took us to this great resturaunt in Hiroshima where we ate Whale. Let me say that again in case you missed it. We ate Whale! Can you believe it. Never in my life would it have occured to me to eat a whale. And it was actually quite tastey. Especially when it was deep fried with a batter and a special sauce for dipping.

Future Plans
Today we are going to Miyazaki to activate our rail passes for the journey home.
Tuesday we are going to take a train to Hiroshima. There we will see the Peace Park and maybe some other sites if we have time.
Wednesday we will finish our journey up to Tokyo by train.
Thursday we fly home!
Our time here is growing very short. Please pray for us as we travel and reflect upon what we have learned here.

A few more things that make you say hmmm....
1. If you get in trouble here you don't dial 911 you dial 119. (No, I don't know this by experience....thank the Lord)
2. Tags are on the front of your slacks instead of on the back. I think this is actually quite handy. No more trying to twist around in the store to remember what your pants size is!
3. Japanese people are very "by the book". I watch people here do menial jobs with such ritual and precision and pride. The up side to this is that they do their job well. The down side to this is that....they do their job very well. Situations needing grace or special circumstances that aren't in the book can cause a halt in progress.

See you soon! Hopefully we can update again from Tokyo.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

The Lone Blogger

I’m back at the camp now! Romi and I spent yesterday with the teens climbing Mount Fuji! A few people, including myself, only climbed part way. The majority of the group climbed from the fifth station to the eighth station, which is a grueling 5 hour hike. (The fifth station is the last level that can be driven to and is a good starting point for people who don’t want to hike the whole mountain.) Those of us who stayed behind had a neat opportunity to talk to some Japanese junior high students. The whole school was there and they were going to hike to the top in two days. They were very excited to talk to us even in broken English. Some girls asked Leah, Hillary, Katie and I if we had boyfriends and were excited to share that they did! I also learned that they like Spider Man and Pirates of the Caribbean a lot!

Here are some pictures:

Setting out from the fifth station

The trail's beginning

Keeping up a good pace

The mountain side

Pastor Doug runs up Mount Fujii

Great beauty

Making new friends

Waiting for the rest of the team

Praise God for a safe and fun day!

-Elsbeth

Last Events

The past few days we have managed to cram a whole lot in before we had to say goodbye to everyone here in Japan. We met some delightful Korean and Japanese students in Kariuzawa who are learning English and being discipled and spent a few days up at the camp in Koriyama where the Takahashi’s are serving. Some of our friends had a marshmallow roast and firework send-off for us one night, complete with heart-felt expressions of their appreciation for our time in Japan. It was a bit emotional, even through the interpreter, to hear how much our visit has meant to them as believers.

We had opportunity to be fitted in a Kimono; welcomed Doug to Japan as he prepares for the teens arrival and ministry this month; worshiped with Pastor Tajima and his flock; and had to say goodbye to our dear friends Romi, the Ojhi’s; and so many others.

It was hard to choose which pictures to share, but hope these few will give you a sense of how much we appreciated your prayers and support of us while in Japan. (There is one more photo on our personal blog site you will want to view.) We have made it safely home and are hoping for a little sleep the next few days. Pray for the people of Japan, and the many university students there who have no hope.