Japan Fun Facts:
- If you are an English speaker it is said that you need 10,000 hours of study to learn Japanese. (600 hours of study for Spanish)
- If you have a cold in Japan the proper etiquette is to wear a face- mask (doctor mask) so that you don’t spread your germs to others.
- If you attend a Japanese wedding the etiquette is to give cash as a gift. A friend typically gives $300, a close friend $500, aunts/uncles and bosses $1000.
Living
This month I live in a three- story house in the suburbs of Osaka. A very different living situation than any I had in South America. It is a very nice house with a lot of missionaries! An English couple lives on the 3rd floor. Sarah and Derek (one of our married couples) have a room on the 3rd floor. An American husband, Japanese wife and their 8 month- old baby live on the 2nd floor. We (Kelsey, Esther and I) share the second floor with the family. Hailey, a former World Racer and current missionary in Japan, is in one of the bedrooms. Wes is on the first floor office.
We have two bathrooms and a very nice shower room. The shower is hot! Woohoo! AND the toilet seats are heated and the toilet seat automatically lifts up and down, so no work necessary. Seriously, this month of living is going to spoil us. We have a living room with a COUCH. It has been four months since I have sat on a couch and it is glorious. There is something special about a couch and they truly are gifts. Enjoy your couches people! Think about it, if you really just need to sit- a chair is sufficient- a couch is a luxury.
We have a wood-burning stove and Derek and Wes make us fires. The smell of the fire is wonderful. (There is no central heating.) We have a big kitchen, a washing machine, refrigerators, a microwave, an oven … we are living it up here in Japan! We still have the same budget though; $5 a day for food in South America-no problem, $5 a day for food in Japan is a little bit trickier. I have loved the Japanese food I have tried so far. Peoria and Quad Cities friends if you ever want to go to an Osaka restaurant when I get home, I would love to go! We live on the “mountain” which has a lot of hiking trails. The leaves are changing color, the air is crisp, and fall is here. I love a change of season! I love Japan! The people have been so friendly, and kind, and everything is so clean.
Ministry
Ministry this month looks totally different for me than any other month. As a squad leader your main ministry is the squad. “Squad Leaders exist to serve the squad and lead them in the areas of spiritual and emotional growth, team health, effective ministry and pursuit of God.” Esther and I have been training this last week with Wes and Kelsey. Kelsey will go home at the end of this month and then Wes, Esther and I will be the squad leaders. Esther and I will spend each month with one team and will be a part of their team for that month. Now each country I will have a new team, new ministry and new country! Wes will travel between teams each month and on average spend 7-10 days with a team.
I thought I would give you a little World Race/Adventures in Missions background to help you understand my new role. The World Race is a program of Adventures in Missions (AIM). AIM is a Christian organization that has been around since 1989. The World Race program began in 2006 and is constantly evolving. There are different country routes you can choose from and routes take off in January, July and September. For example, there are six January 2015 routes. The people that are accepted for your route become your squad. Each squad is given a letter. My squad is considered third generation F Squad.
F squad is made up of three married couples, nine men, thirty-six women, six teams, one squad mentor (at the AIM office and attends all Debriefs), two coaches (married and at the AIM office, also attend all Debriefs), and starting in January three squad leaders. Each team has a team leader and a team treasure.
I am excited for my new ministry! The rest of this month I will be with Wes one week and Kelsey the other week with teams. We will have a four-day Debrief in Malaysia to start off month six and then I will be on my own with a team. It has been so cool to see how God works. I thought this year was going to be my year of “rest.” As in, no leadership roles, just participation, however, God had different plans. He is teaching me “rest” within leadership roles. He is constantly showing me that He made me to lead. He is constantly showing me who He wants me to be, and how He made me. Life is good when God is in control!
To end this blog I would like to ask for a few prayer requests. I have been talking to God a lot lately and He keeps reminding me to not worry- at times I tend to worry. I am getting better! Especially when I know people are praying with me and for me. Thank you for partnering with me in prayer!
- My dad and family (My dad is currently in the hospital recovering from a stroke. He is in good spirits, can talk well, and on the rehab floor working on his left side to get going again.)
- My friend and squad mate Mary Chandler. (She has to fly home on Wednesday to have surgery and it looks like, as of right now, that she will not be able to return to the field to finish the race with us.)
- My new role as a squad leader. (I am excited, but get nervous too! Please pray for wisdom for me.)
- Here are a few pics of fall in Japan from Esther and I’s daily walks.
