What a blessing it was to be in Japan! God blew me away with many beautiful moments.
We spent 3 weeks in Ishinomaki, where we helped at J’s Cafe (J stands for Jesus!). Ishinomaki was hit hard by the tsunami on 3/11/2011, so it was interesting and difficult to hear stories of loss and grief. In the house we were staying there was a waterline on the wall of the second floor where the flood waters had reached.
Every weekday included English Cafe, where people would come in to practice English with us, and Gakudo, where kids 4-10 years old would come in to learn English. Some other ministries included: 2 concerts where we sang popular songs, worship songs, and shared testimonies. Visiting a kindergarten (I didn’t get to do this, but the group that went got to make mochi, and give the kids some soccer balls with the Gospel in Japanese on them). And visit a nursing home, where we helped with a birthday party, sang songs, and visited with the residents.
Another way of ministry that I was not expecting, was helping our hosts, Rich and Emi, by getting things done that they were too busy to do. Such as putting in light fixtures, designing a new menu, designing t-shirts, making a promo video for the cafe, and re-covering the sofa cushions!
I was excited when my squadmate Heidi and I were asked to make the sofa cushions, even though I had never done something like that. I was also humbled when I accidentally sewed the needle into my finger! (Fortunately, the needle didn’t break, and my finger is fine.) Heidi and I made the cushions together, and finished them just in time, the day before we left!
I must say, I was discouraged at first, when I noticed how few people came to the events at the Cafe. But one day at the Sunday service, Rich mentioned in his prayer that, when God is on our side, we are in the majority! Amen! This was a good reminder to me, that it is not about the numbers. I pray that God was glorified by the things we did at the cafe, and that the people who did come saw Jesus in us.
I was able to go on some adventure days, the first being a trip to Sendai. It is a large city, 1 hour train ride from Ishinomaki, and my family lived there when I was 0-4. A man from the church where my dad used to be the pastor graciously met me and my friend Meghan, and showed us around town. He was such a blessing to us, having activities all planned out for us! We also got to visit a temple and pray over it. Here’s a video from that day:
Another adventure day was to visit Okawa Elementary school, the place where my squadmate, Ari, came to Christ. We thought we had it planned out, but it turned into quite the wild day! Check out how God brought us there:
We are now in Taipei, Taiwan. We will have 4 days of Debrief, and 3 more weeks doing ministry here. Please be praying for us as we debrief our last month, and see what God has in store for us for month 2.
The view from our hostel in Taipei.
