Prayer requests:

The people I've met here coming to live with Jesus

-Proverbs 2 Wisdom and Understanding

-Language acquisition

-The Father's will with Noah's Ark Int.

-For the volunteers (Jinsoo, Solmi, Min kyong), the leadership Mr. and Mrs. Kang, and their children Rachel and Sara.

Patience and Pruning

Better than tea and crumpets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iZm9__sJL8 :)

Interesting cultural notes:

-I often try saying hello to people on the street, which is very counter-cultural to them. The only people that respond to me are the small children (100%) and the elderly. They say once a man twice a child. The kids do it with a voice of obligation because of respect to elders, which makes me smile every time. The elderly seem happy someone is acknowledging them

-In the train, it's common for people not to take the last few seats until it's evident that there isn't anyone older interested in sitting down.

-There are stock phrases, especially coming from the service sector employees (like a banker for example), that they must say probably a thousand times a day (welcome, thank you very much), that seem to have almost no meaning behind them. It might be similar to how we sometimes say 'how are you?' without expecting a response. It makes the interaction feel artificial. Once in a while I'll ask how someone's day is going, and the reaction is always shock and laughter (as to say, they are either impressed or uncomfortable someone is inquiring).

-I have almost never seen a jay-walker, despite the crowded streets and high concentration of traffic signals

-People here will absolutely not take a flyer unless they are very interested in it. I've seen a hundred people pass by someone passing out fliers without anyone taking one.

-You don't tip in restaurants. I think this has to do with the idea that the highest level of service is expected anyway. Then again it's usually like that in Europe too.

-Despite the fact that most Japanese are required to take 7 years of English, hardly anyone can speak any.

-Because Japan was isolated for so long, there are literally thousands of words they had to adapt to their own when globalization started to make headway here. They range from "hambagaa - hamburger, and "pan" bread (that’s how you say bread in Spanish), to things like "shappu-uppu" (Shape-up) to mean work out.

-They are usually very awkward with physical contact, even if you know them well.

-Perhaps because of the fear of death, there is an even greater stress on preserving your youth here than in the USA. Women regularly dye their hair into their last years of life, and it is not uncommon to see strange colors like purple or orange.

-Their cemeteries are the most decorated and beautiful I've ever seen. This is because the native religion "Shintoism" is all about worship of ancestors. I passed by one that didn't seem to have a single grave without fresh, elaborate flowers in front.

-Unlike the USA, where we risk skin cancer and pain to get tan, it's common knowledge that the sun can age you more than anything, and umbrellas are even used during the day! There are also forearm guards for the sun, and strange hats. There is an idea embraced in Japan and east Asia of light skin being preferable as well (guess I've got from zero to hero!). If there is even a drop of rain, the umbrellas come out as well.

The weather is finally warm! Amazing what these sea currents do to lower the temperature. Supposedly, the rainy season is ready to rear its head and comes in the second half of June. Then there we are to expect a sweltering season to ensue. I don't know it's my low body fat, or just how cool I am, but I will take a hot muggy day over a cold one any day (drum roll). The winter is supposed to be ferocious, so I will strike whilst the iron's hot and enjoy.

There are still no full time students, and we spend most of our time advertising building to building, and working on lesson plans during the day. I've met a lot fewer people the past month than at the beginning, and life has been a bit more monotonous. But Big Papa has been doing a lot with me lately on a personal note, and I'm learning a lot. He led me to a study of Proverbs and Psalms, which are jumping out at and touching me like never before. I'm reading The Shack, and listening to powerful sermons of men of God moving in Him I hadn't been exposed to before. I feel growth and goodness. This time is precious.

Here are a few bulleted updates:

-Mariko-san, from the last post, actually ended up coming to church! I've been told by one of the volunteers that she's the first one he's seen with no affiliation with the church that has actually responded to an invite since he's been here. She is gripped with fear and doubt about life, especially since her mother's health has taken a turn for the worse. Please pray for her.

-I got to share my testimony with the high school soccer team I've been volunteering with. It was the last practice before the end of the season, and the coach had everyone sit down while I shared from my heart. He told me at least 2/3rd's of the kids either weren't believers, or didn't know what it meant from his estimation. They all kind of had a look of gilt or unease, maybe because I had forced their thoughts into a sober state, away from the usual laughter and shenanigans. It was a real joy. Please pray they are penetrated with the urgency of knowing why they're here.

-There's an indoor futsal outreach the coach invited me to, where I got to refer young kids from CAJ and outside the school, which was a lot of fun. Then there was an adult session, where locals came in to play. They are required to sit through a little message at the end, but because it's so cheap compared to anything else, they are attracted. I also got to share my testimony with several high schoolers who came. Many are just fascinated that you really, truly believe in something supernatural. One came from a family where the mother was Christian, and the dad very Buddhist. Please pray they become history makers for Him.

-Many adult Japanese people are very pretentious when you start talking to them out of nowhere. I've asked to pray for a few people on the streets with visible injuries, and surprisingly, two allowed me to, but said they didn't notice anything change. Most will avoid you like the plague. It's almost like there's spiritual cryptonite here, and the Gospel's effectiveness is weakened. But not for long. Something is happening in this land. God doesn't want tragedy for us, but will do whatever it takes to draw people in. I heard of great advances in the Gospel because of the Tsunami, and I won't be surprised if more of that is coming. Even the Japanese news says a major earthquake might hit the Tokyo area in the next 5 years, and there are many prophecies about that kind of thing.

-In a prayer meeting, I was asking God for what He wanted to give me. I saw in my minds eye, an image of a cash register, one of those kinds with coins that automatically slide down with your change. Out came about 20 gold coins. I responded and said, OK, so I'll give them away, and saw them taken away. Then two arms stretched down and grabbed me, and pulled me up to what felt like it must have been heaven. Then there I was, surrounded by gold coins, as if in I was in a kings treasury of old. There was more than I could count and it all sparkled beautifully. I think it meant giving and using what God has given us here for others, cannot begin to compare with recompense he's planned for us up there.

-We took a visit to the zoo. I can't but marvel at the amazing creatures this world is filled with. I hope I can never lose my awe of our Heavenly Dad, and don't need towering giraffes, 10 ft tall bears, and hippos whose bodies swallow up the room to be wowed by Him. When we take the time to realize that all we have is His, everything we have we received (1 Corinth 4:7), meditating on these things takes me to that child-like place of adoration and wonder.

The for each personal spiritual victory I feel I've had here, this last month has provided in place new challenges. One thing I've dealt with all my life is trouble living in the moment, because I'm such a dreamer. It's great to plan and dream, as long as they don't involve fear or anxiety, but each moment offers something incredibly distinct and important in and of itself. How do I know? Because God put you there, at that moment, under those circumstances, and not anyone else. He is always speaking, and nothing exists without purpose or meaning. I think there's an inward drive in us all to be better no matter what we've accomplished in God, since only in death we can achieve total unity with Him. But I believe consciously resting in the magnificent reality that the redeemed man lives in, in His finished work, we are not only spurred along to greater triumph, but as a by-product filled with the many fruits of the Spirit.

Another theme that surfaced on more than one occasion was a need to be a submissive lover, even when misunderstood. We long for others to understand us, but many times not only are we misunderstood, but our voice falls on deaf ears. Sometimes we are not ready to listen to what others have to say, which is a shame, but taking on the mantle of love, we need to do what's in our power to show God's peace. The line should probably be drawn if the truth of the Gospel is perverted, but many times we will have to sacrifice ourselves to uphold another (1 Cor 6:7). We are called to rise above our need for others' approval or being "right" even when we are, for the sake of others (1 Cor 8:13). This demonstrates faith and love for the Lord. But thank God for difficulties and less than rosy situations, otherwise what would be the point? We are to be pruned until we become like Him. GBY.

Testimony for this post:

There was a man who was a high powered banker in Switzerland, then the UK. He was from Lebanon, and had lived a pretty wretched life. He left his wife and all his kids in Lebanon, when we permanently moved to Europe. There he began to flourish and took the banking world by storm. Success after success, he rose to the top. He would take the weekend to go to NYC, spend $20k, and head home. He had a girlfriend for every day of the week. He had a private plane, that one day, he crashed. He walked out without a scratch, in the middle of hideous looking wreckage, and thought he was God. One day his son got in touch with him and came to the UK. He reluctantly let him live with him, until the two became close. One day the son became a Christian, to his father's dismay. For years, their relationship deteriorated, as the father wanted his old son back that laughed at his dirty jokes and lived his sinful life with him. One day, his career was threatened because of an affair he participated in. He ran to his son for help, who said Jesus could help him, but the dad needed to give his life to him if he did. The situation resolved that moment with a phone call, and the dad gave his life to Jesus. Tangibly filled with the Holy Ghost, he ended up quitting his job, going to Bible school, and starting an international healing and deliverance ministry. I met him in a Haitian church in France a few years ago, saw the healing miracles, and the demon exorcisms. He was 65 when he met Christ, and in his 80's when I met him ministering with vigor and passion.