Here is my latest blog entry. First are my prayer requests:

More discipline
To draw all my spiritual sustenance from Christ not circumstance
Language acquisition
The people mentioned in my blog
Wholeness of health

One way to translate mushiatsui in Japanese is "steamy hot". It's been very hot, and for some reason the homes here aren't insulated well for the winters, but seem built for lack of ventilation and to promote a green-house effect. The humidity is constantly above 80% too. These aren't complaints, I actually prefer hot to cold weather, my real struggle with temperature will probably being in October/November.

We just finished the first week of a summer school program the church has, which is a month long. For three hours we teach English to kids of all ages, and after lunch we do an hour/hour and half of vacation bible school. Most of the kids were Christian who came this week, but there will be plenty more next week that are not. It's really great having the place filled with laughter and shinning faces. Some times the kids will just run up to you and hold your hand. It's amazing thinking this will be the only chance some of these families get to being exposed to Jesus followers.

Mrs. Shin came a few weeks ago! Although it wasn't under the best circumstances as her father is not in great health, it was a joy to see her. Please pray for the Father's will in her family, to see His rich mercies.

A few stories of God moving through healings: After basketball with all Japanese people one day, one said he had chronic chest pain. I asked to pray and he obliged, but said after he didn't feel a difference. People were snickering, but then I got to tell them Jesus is real and He really does this kind of thing. It is really fun to see how people's visages change from humor to, this guy isn't joking is he...

I told my friend to ask him the next day, and his report was, "He called me and said the pain had totally left him at night, and he thought he was healed. But in the morning it returned". He had told me he always had that pain. There are often stories of people losing healing, because they stay in sin, or for another reason. But I saw him yesterday and he said he was completely better.

There is another church "member" that has been coming on and off. He's a neuroscientist for the government here, and started coming because he and his wife started taking English lessons at church. I befriended him and weve become pretty close. The other day we were hanging out and I noticed an ankle brace showing. I asked to pray for it, and he said he couldn't tell the difference, but that he was interested in that kind of thing. I told him a bit about my story after. Then I got an email from him with this in the message the next day:

"By the way,

I twisted my ankle 6 month ago. But today I feel less pain than before and owe this feeling to your praying! I was deeply touched."

Woo-woo!

Every time I get lost somewhere, I end up meeting some one too. I got lost twice on my way to a soccer field, and first found a girl that had a knee brace. I asked to pray for her, she accepted, and said it felt better. I told her a quick testimony, and got her contact info. She sent me an email thanking me and telling me it made her happy. Paul Washer says, you think the Gospel has no power? It's because it's not being preached. It's full of power. It's amazing to see what happens to people, if only for a moment, when you tell them with faith that God loves them, they are here for a purpose, and He has great plans for their lives.

Then I ran into some tennis players who ended up inviting me to futsal (small side soccer) with their employees who are mostly engineers the next week. I played, and there was another man with a knee brace. When everyone was present I asked to pray for him, and after confirming that he didn't need to be Christian, he accepted, and told me after his leg had a really good feeling.

Another time I went to Yokohama, and met a woman on a train that was learning English. I found out she was a professional pianist, and invited her to church. She came and we all enjoyed her company, and got to listen to her play. She said she wasn't totally closed off to the idea of church, because she went to a Christian kindergarten.

There is a family in our church that is split. Supposedly the wife wants to follow our God, and the husband does not see things theologically the same. This is causing extreme tension in the family, and the wife stopped attending. The father is African, and I happened to run into him twice, never having met him, but knowing what his kids looked like I picked him out. We ended up having a very long conversation and connecting, which he ended with, 'if you need anything please let me know.' I am hoping to continue my relationship with him, that it might lead to restoration in that family.

Please pray at least briefly for the following people who God brought into my life recently. God gave me a pathway into each of their lives, and as with many people here, I may be the only believer they know:

Jun (Business man met on the street)

Mariko (Older woman from last post)

Tats (Friend from basketball)

Takahara-san (Police-box worker)

Kaori-san (woman from train)

Sunil (worker at local Indian restaurant)

Ranjit (same)

Saokano (same)

Keiko (Older woman met in the street)

(Husband of member, name withheld for privacy)

Ken (Friend of Tats)

In other news, one subject that's been on my mind has been entitlement. We (the developed world), and especially in the United States, are culturally bread to feel entitled about everything. This is mine, that is yours, I deserve this or that, and we grumble when it doesn't go our way. I don't think anyone is unaware of the gross amount of luxury we spend on ourselves, even in the Christian community, on food, clothing, lifestyle, and the massive amount of time and energy spent on entertaining ourselves. In other "less developed" (great irony huh?) countries, in fact every one that I can think of, sharing and non-exclusivity is second-nature. Personal belongings, food, and resources are shared, often without asking. Christ came as to lead us in the way of servitude, to use all the great things we have not as a means to assert our authority over as owners, but as resources to better love. As soon as we give up the idea of "this belongs to me", and replace it with "this is God's", our perspective rapidly changes. Material blessings are not inherently evil, but often become great barriers to living lives fully devoted to Christ. Please watch this sermon on giving, it will change how you think about your things: http://journeyscrossing.org/media#%21/swx/pp/media_archives/18414/episode/31403. We have spiritual highs and lows because we start putting our joy in success, and "good" things happening, and things. But our joy and peace cannot come from circumstance, it absolutely must be from our day to day, moment to moment walk with God. If we don't have that, we have to cry out and "not let Him go" until we get it. Everyone is put in an exact place and time for a reason, and based on your past actions and God's grace, you are in the best and most important place right now that you can be in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeEnEXPBQTM.

The testimony I will share today comes from a man I met this week! Friends with Dave Evans, the US based president of Food for the Hungry (The NGO my dad worked for), got me in touch with his good friend here Eisuke Kanda. He met up with me and bought me dinner. I asked for his testimony, and it was a good one. The setting is post world war II, the protagonist is a non-believing heir to a huge Japanese company. He wanted to learn English, so a missionary invited him to free lessons as long as they did a Bible study afterwards. He did his best to just ignore the Bible part, but one day a famous Japanese evangelist came to the area. His friend invited him, and he gave a stock Japanese answer, if I have nothing to do (meaning he wouldn't come). But that day came, and he found himself unable to study, to go out, to do anything. He realized it was the day of the event, but didn't want to go. He said to himself, well, I did tell my friend the missionary that. I guess I'll go to make him happy, but I won't listen. At the end of the preaching, there was an alter call. He said he didn't even realize it, but when the preached asked people to raise their hands for Christ, his was in the air. Then he was asked to come to the front. He said he lost control of his body, finding himself walking down. After his conversion, he got very hungry to read the Bible and learn about God. He forsook his family fortune to go to seminary. He got linked up with Campus Crusade for Christ, and ended up being the director for the entire country. But he says that just as Japanese people have a good ability to be religious, they have trouble with the relational side of Christianity. In a mission trip to Bolivia one year, he saw the Bolivian church members waking up early every morning to feed the poor, and do social work. He kept saying to himself, why are they doing that (They should just be preaching or ministering spiritually)? Until one day that week he looked and as he describes, in a vision or out he doesn't know, but there in the line of poor Bolivians, Jesus stood, looking at him. He was dressed just as they were, in rags, and with nothing special to behold. Jesus looked poor and weak, fitting right in with the rest of those in need. He said to Mr. Kanda, will you help me? Matthew 25 flashed through his mind, "Whatever you do for the least of these..." from then on his relationship with Christ took new meaning, and he joined Food For the Hungry International, where he worked for about 20 years until recently. Even in his old age he maintains a rigorous schedule of speaking engagements, church service, and other ministry activities. GBY.