As our plane touched down during sunrise in the Land of the Rising Sun, I felt a nervous excitement about the month. I had no clue what to expect, not knowing how ministry would look, or what to believe about America's perception about Japan. Would I be forced to eat fish constantly? Would I be overwhelmed by all the manga and Pokemon everywhere? Would I be pressured to mainline green tea? How hard would Japanese be? Would I be looked at suspiciously as an American?
We hung out in the airport for a few hours, enjoying the heated toilet seats in the bathroom (seriously, America, ya'll need to get with the program!) and the chance to nap after a red eye flight. Then we braved the cold, which was a huge shock to the system after three months in Southeast Asia! On the way to the nature center where we would have our cultural and language training, we drove through Osaka. And let me tell you, it is BEAUTIFUL! It's a huge city, bordered on three sides by mountains and on one side by the bay. The day was bright and sunny, though cold. As we drove, I was struck by how orderly everything appeared. The streets are all so clean, the drivers follow road rules and stay within the speed limit, and everything is labeled with road signs. We stopped at a grocery store to buy lunch, and it looked very similar to a grocery store in the States; the only difference was the fact that it wasn't heated. Japan does not have central heating in any houses and very few stores!
The nature center had traditional Japanese rooms, with sliding paper doors and tatami mat floors. We were provided with soft, padded futons and lots of warm blankets to sleep with at night. Things were looking up until the evening when it came time to shower. Two words struck fear into our hearts: communal bathing.
Thankfully this meant communal bathing with the same sex only, but it was still a lot to swallow. Bathe naked in front of all the women on my squad? No way! But I gritted my teeth and went with heavy steps to the bathroom, my desire to be clean (and warm!) after a long flight the only motivation. And it wasn't that bad. Everyone had to clean themselves under the showers first, then we hung out in a hot tub and relaxed.
Over the next couple days, we learned a lot about Japanese language and culture, which was really fun! Then Beautifully Rooted met with Peter Thomson, our contact for the month. He and his wife have lived here for 25 years, and they currently live in Sanda, a suburb between Osaka and Kobe. We had a scenic 45 minute drive through the mountains, and arrived at the Thomson house excited for ministry!
Kayla and Amanda are staying with Sister Giselle, a German missionary who runs a church, and Tenille and I are staying with Yoshii Sensei, a pastor who runs another church here. Yoshii Sensei is so sweet, and such a strong woman of God! Linsey, Kristin, and Stephanie are staying with Peter and his family. Amanda and Kayla were whisked off to Sister Giselle's, where they jumped into helping her teach English classes and prayer walking. The rest of us also jumped right in to teaching an English class for 6th grade girls, who we've dubbed the Gigglers. We have all been teaching a lot of English classes, as well as praying over the community of Sanda and the churches here.
Please be in prayer, that we would shine Christ's light to the Japanese people around us, that we would be able to make connections with them, and that God would open the hearts of the Japanese people. We have been so welcomed and taken care of; Japanese hospitality is some of the best in the world! Pray that this welcoming and caring people would desire an intimate relationship with God!
