"A Furlough Note"

The streets and lawns of York lie beneath a blanket of gold. The colors, the smells, the weather and the feelings of this season fall upon my shoulders lightly, like the arm of a good friend. I am content and full of thankfulness. It has been a wonderful furlough thus far. My travels over the past month have taken me through Texas, Washington, Ontario, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Time with friends and family has been rich. Though sharing about what God has done through us in Sendai is often difficult to fully explain, many people have been eager to listen, to encourage, and to continue to catch the vision for sharing the gospel with the Japanese. What a blessing.

Several people have asked if I've felt any reverse culture shock. The answer is "yes," and "it's coming." Although it hasn't been bad, there are times where can tell how much I have adjusted to life in Japan and that I will need to re-adjust to communication styles and patterns here in North America. Trusted mentors have shared with us that reverse culture shock is more difficult that "regular" culture shock. I'm not really looking forward to that, but knowing that it's coming is half the battle. And culture shock really isn't that bad when you are with loving and trusted friends, sharing life over a cup of hot java!

Today I will be traveling from York to Hastings, Nebraska. Tomorrow I will teach a class and preach/report on the Sendai work. From there I'll head to Bettendorf, Iowa to see family and report to another congregation. After about 10 days I'll travel up to Janesville, Wisconsin and then on to Woodbury, Minnesota. I'll then hop in the car and scoot on down to Longmont, Colorado to pick up Erica and we will make our way down to Abilene, Texas. Whew! Please pray for my safety in all of these travels.

Prayer Requests

a. Travel & Reporting: Please pray for safe travels and that I can clearly communicate to supporters what the Lord has been doing through us in Japan.

b. Debi & Sasha: Debi is teaching kindergarten in Sendai and Sasha is settling into life in Japan. Please pray for them in this transition, that God will strengthen and encourage their hearts.

c. Jon, Michiko & Hijiri: They will be in Abilene the 16th of this month. Pray that God will help them transition to a new life in Texas, and that He will guide them with wisdom and bless them with joy and strength.

d. Erica: Ask God to bless, renew and empower Erica. Petition the Father that He will help her in her work and use her as salt and light in the work place. Pray that He will prepare her heart and her family for her move to Texas.

e. Joel: Petition God for peace and safety for Joel. May the rest of his time State-side be blessed, and may God use his time of Asia-based training to bless the nations.

f. Crimsen: May God be her constant rock of strength and salvation. Pray for her mother's health and recovery. Pray for continual encouragement of the Spirit and for God to be glorified in their lives.

g. Sendai People: Pray that God will give the wisdom and guidance of His Holy Spirit to the Christians in Sendai. May he strengthen them in their inner spirit. May He use them to His great glory. And pray for the non-Christians as they continue to seek the God who seeks them.

h. Financial & Prayer Support: Many of you understand that the mission God has called us to in Japan is not finished. This period of study and training is simply a part of the whole. For that reason I'm requesting that people and churches will continue their faithful prayer and financial support. I praise God for all of you who have supported me through these years ... you know that our work in the Lord has not been in vain! Thank you. Our God is so awesome and faithful. Pray that people, and that may include yourself, will continue to partner with me to extend the gospel to the beautiful unreached of Japan.

i. Graduate School: Please pray for me as I will be transitioning from full time ministry to student life. I will be beginning a 54 hour Masters of Missions this coming January.

"Angkor of Faith: Share our Story & Sing to His Glory"
Christians from Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, U.S.A., & Australia descend upon Siem Reap, Cambodia, for an International Christian Camp & Street Children Outreach.


Eyes opened. Hearts impacted. Lives changed. Without a doubt, taking a group of twelve Japanese young adults (four of them non-Christians) to Cambodia for what we called, "Angkor of Faith: Share our Story & Sing to His Glory," was by far one of the most incredible things that God, in His wisdom, put on our hearts to accomplish.


First of all, some of the "specs" of this mission trip:

*70 people, 8 countries represented.
*Daily Equipping Sessions: ("Preparing Your Hearts For This Week: Character is not a Surface Issue," "Missions 101: The Basics of Mission Work," "Let's Run the Race Together: Envisioning Asians to Expand the Kingdom Together," "Returning Renewed: Applying this Experience to Our Lives & Churches Back Home," "Knowing Who You Want To Be For God: Being Intentional About Growing & Helping Others Grow.")
*Street Kids Outreach: Ranging in age from 7 years to 18 years old, these are children who generally have homes and families, yet spend hours and hours each day on the street selling books, postcards, and bracelets to help support their family or so they can attend English school. Communication with them was in English, as most of them can at least speak a little. The Cambodian missionaries made a flier that we handed out to the children, inviting them to come and eat free food and enjoy some fun activities with us.


*Home Groups & International Groups: "Home Groups" are the people from your home nation. The purpose is to speak within your own heart language what you are experiencing and to discuss how you will apply these things upon returning home. "International Groups" are people from each of the different countries getting together to share the story of their faith & lives.
*Singing Class: For an hour each day, Jonathan & Joel taught us four songs (Shout to the Lord, God is Here, I Praise You Lord, and Ode Yen Koh) that we took to the streets and sang for the children & all the passersby (click here for the recordings: http://www.eggma.org/music/S2S4A/ ).
*Cultural Spots: Visits to Angkor Wat, Tonle Sap Lake & The Landmine Museum gave us a deeper appreciation of the Cambodians history, living conditions, and current challenges. Some of us were also able to visit children's homes and one of the schools.
*Evening Devotionals: Young adults lead these devotionals, as we focused on the theme, "Lord, I Want To Know You More." Surprisingly, some of the street children began to come to the devotionals from the second day on. They became regulars with us in just about everything we were doing.


Secondly, a story:

On the first day, we went out and met the street kids, gave them fliers and told them to invite their friends. There was lots of just hanging out and trying to get to know them. Some of them remembered those of us who came last year. They especially remembered Robert. That touched me. Of all the thousands of tourists that come through, how did they remember Robert? When we were in Siem Reap for the Asian Missions Forum, Robert would go down to the market to meet the kids. There he would talk with them, affirm them, and spend time with them. Is that so rare -- for someone to cut through all the "shop talk" and get to know who they are?


These children experience an adult life – a business of selling from noon to 1am, and most of that rejection from tourists. The rejection is easy to understand because these children are relentless in their tactics to get you to buy their “something.” People that come to Siem Reap simply want to buy a souvenir or relax in a restaurant, not be bothered by these children. I even saw one guy violently shake off a kid who was hanging on his arm as he yelled, “Get away from me!” Can you imagine being one of these children? And in the midst of all that, someone comes and talks to you. He has all kinds of questions about you. He compliments you, “Your English is very good!” He tells you that you have great potential. He says that you don’t have to sell books your whole life. You can be a tour guide, or work in a fancy hotel someday. He laughs with you and plays a game with you. He comes back the next day and the two of you talk. He talks to the other kids, too, and seems to enjoy them. He buys shirts for everyone and everyone wears their shirt from “Uncle Robert.” It’s a cup of cold water to a small child. You don’t forget something like that. They didn’t forget Robert, and since Robert brought some of us along, they remembered us too. For some reason last August, some of the children called me “Harry.” When we went back this time, a girl was asking Robert, “Where’s Harry?” Robert, in turn, asked me, “Who’s ‘Harry’?” And I remembered. Wow! How could they recall after so many people had been in and out of their city? Later I shared these thoughts with my Home Group. It occured to me: although many had been through their city, only a few people had been in their lives.

Our time in Cambodia was dwindling to a few precious hours. Ten children joined us in the upper balcony of our lodge for one final devotional together. "What song do you want to sing?" we asked. "Number one!" they said, and started to sing it, "Lord, I want to know you more...." There was crying from the very beginning. Ray, a young boy from Vietnam, tried to keep it light by making jokes, but it just turned into a strange mixture of tears and laughter. One boy was holding on to Joel, sobbing. Another little girl, Srey, collapsed into Judith's arms, a continual stream of tears running down her face. Earlier, one of the girls had said, "I miss you all. When you come back?" Now, emotions were raw because parting was so near. Jonathan said to them, "You know that we didn't come here just to buy something. We came here for you." "We know," a couple of kids managed to say. "We have to leave tomorrow," Jonathan continued, "but we want you to know that Jesus loves you and he will never leave you."


Thirdly, and finally, more on Cambodia:

Jonathan began a website called, "Shoulder 2 Shoulder 4 Asia." This is a place where you can see more stories from Cambodia, hear our song recordings, see pictures, and so much more! To view, click on http://s2s4a.com/ and continue to be inspired by what God has done, is doing, and will do! Thank you to all who were so diligent in prayer for this life-changing mission.

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'" John 6:35

A Cornucopia If You Will

CORNUCOPIA

Etymology: Late Latin, from Latin cornu copiae horn of plenty.

1 : a curved goat's horn overflowing with fruit and ears of grain that is used as a decorative motif emblematic of abundance

2 : an inexhaustible store : ABUNDANCE

The word cornucopia resounds with color and meaning. I love the images of fruits and grains, shapes and textures, abundance and variety. The Giver of Good Gifts has abudantly blessed me with laughter and rich life experiences. Why don't you go ahead and take a look at a few of the blessings that have spilled out of my cornucopia recently?

HIJIRI GIDEON STRAKER

Jon and Michiko's beautiful baby, Hijiri, is one of the most wonderful blessings in our lives! We were able to celebrate his first birthday this past January up in Hokkaido. When Hijiri got his first bite of cake (first bite of sugar!) he was forever ruined for the ordinary!

Crawling around!! This cute little tyke can take about five steps on his own now.

Talking to friends on the cell phone. He's actually called me a couple of times!

Hanging out with the monkeys at Yagiyama zoo.

OXYMORON?

"How funny is that?!" I said to Joel on the way to our neighborhood
7-11.

"What?"

I pointed to a guy in white clothes meandering down the sidewalk. "That doctor. See? He's smoking! Is that an oxymoron or what? A smoking doctor. Ha!"

Joel didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, that is funny. I guess it's kind of like a sinning missionary!"

FRESH TOWELLS
Erica's family came for two weeks in November and boy did we have a blast! Not only are Jay, Melanie, Cami and Nathan just really great, but it was so cool to see Japan and the mission here through their fresh perspectives. We did so much stuff together I can't remember it all ... but, I do remember that we laughed A LOT and enjoyed some really special moments together. And I guess that's the key word, together. They love being together with one another, and together with others. I'm glad I could be together with them.

It's a family thing: if there's not enough room on the chair, they sit on each other!

Erica, Cami & Melanie - The ladies in blue, surrounded by green, in Matsushima.

Jay loved this. He's pretty much taller than any doorway and constantly had to be avoiding "mishaps." We took several of these types of pictures ... here's one at our front door.

Saying goodbye at the airport. It's so hard to say goodbye, yet they look so happy!

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTMAS

No one could say it wasn't unique. Trying figuring that sentence out if you're not a native English speaker. And several of our Christmas guests weren't. They were Swedish, Chinese, Thai, and Japanese. (We also had Canadians and United Statesians.) 12 people. Hours of food, fun, and fellowship. Presents galore and hearts full of thanks.

Rumiko (Japan), Hijiri (Japan and N.America) and Gae (Thailand). It's Christmas morning!

Above: Bjorn the Bear. Also known as "Our Swedish Friend." Some say he's my twin.
Next Picture: Shi (China) and Erica (US). Sisters in Christ sitting in the sun.

Dan (US) and Joel (Canada) neighbors geographically and neighbors on the couch.

I think that this could be a Christmas card, Michiko (Japan), the Xmas tree, stocking and cell.

Jon (Canada/US) is about to find out what he got for Christmas ... it's ... ski goggles!

And here we have our other Canadian friend and fellow missionary, Judith.

WRAPPING IT UP
Well folks, that's about all I can pull out of the horn of plenty for now. There's definitely more. So I'm going to ask you to stand by while I go eat some delicious lasagna! It's eatin time!

Dinner at the Dive - October 2006 Report

I'm a sucker for dives. You know, those dilapidated old joints that are covered in grease but the food has a down-home taste that just hits the spot? I find a certain kind of ironic charm and friendliness in these kind of places. Our friend, Daiki, a contact through Let's Start Talking, is a cook at a little dive on the corner, not too far from our house. The other day, Joel, being the great people gatherer that he is, rounded up some of our guy friends to go and visit Daiki and eat at his shop. There were five of us: Joel, Michiaki Onodera, Yoshinori Hashimoto, Kazuhiro Tsubo, and me.

Since the restaurant was kind of full, the five of us ended up sitting at the counter. It's pretty much impossible for five people sitting at a counter to have a conversation, you know? So Joel was talking with Michiaki and Yoshinori, while Kazuhiro and I sat down at the end, consumed large portions of garlic ramen, and shared deeply about life and faith. No wonder Jesus often shared meals with people.

As we were slurping down our noodles (it's actually polite to slurp in this country!) Kazuhiro shared some of his dreams with me. Mostly, he just wants to be someone who helps those who are less fortunate. And he said he thinks that people need to believe in something. Kazuhiro asked some really great questions, like, "If everyone in the world were Christians, I'm sure that there would be peace and happiness. But, if everyone believed the same thing, I think it wouldn't be very interesting. What do you think?" and "Christians really like to talk about their faith. Why?" When I explained some of my thoughts and experiences with the gospel, Kazuhiro was really tracking with me and said, "That is exciting!"

God blessed us with an amazing time together that night. And I can't help but think that in that very dive, Jesus was sitting with us.

Father, what good news you have for your people! Please protect the seeds that were planted in Michiaki, Yoshinori, and Kazuhiro's hearts that night. Continue to open their hearts to your message. Continue to show your love and salvation through your servants.

Church Side
"Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Cor. 9:10,11

A/ Bible Study - Through "The Purpose Driven Life," the focus has been on the importance of being immersed in God's Word. The study and discussion has been rich, but attendance has been low. Please pray for church members to make this a real priority for their faith.

B/ Worship focus on 2 Cor. 8-10 - Continuing to read through Paul's letters together, and really striving to let the Word penetrate our individual lives and community as a whole. To me, the major emphasis in this section for us are: the generosity of God, our need to repent of "quarreling, slander, gossip, arrogance," the stimulating encouragement of "strength in weakness," and making sure that we examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.

C/ Guests - Thankful for our guests this month.

D/ Church News/Prayer Requests - 1) Keep the guests that have attended in your prayers. 2) Please continue to pray for the Hosoi family (it was Megumi's birthday this month), and for the Nagakura's who lost their father. 3) Petition the Father for faith growth in this community.

Father, may we be Your community of wounded healers. Help us to couple faith with obedience. Teach us to worship you with our whole lives - including every creative ounce of our being.

Mission Side
"Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says,'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.''" Luke 15:3-6

A/ Cell Group - This month began our first ever "Cell Group," which is comprised of Rumiko and Akiko (Christians), Gaku and Yoshinori (non-Christians), and Joel and myself. During our first gathering, we ate together, had an ice breaker, some worship time, and then introduced our study. The study theme is "Seeking God." As the second week was Canadian Thanksgiving, Joel and his mother prepared a feast for the cell group members, the Strakers, and Debi and Erica. The third and fourth weeks we finally got into the study material and each person has really opened up about where they are in their faith journey. Right now we are studying who God is, and how He is searching for each and every one of us.

B/ Guys Night Out - Joel and I are now hosting "Guys" on only the first Monday of each month. Before we were putting in a lot of effort without much consistency from the guys. This way, we hope to connect all together at the first part of the month, and hang out with the different guys as much as possible during each week. Our theme for this season is, "The Noble Man," based on Isaiah 32:8. Our first class was attended by Gaku, Yoshinori, Michiaki, and Daiki.

C/ Watage - Two highlights from this month, 1) Joel's parents came to visit, bringing pumpkin pie for everyone to enjoy as we shared the things that we are thankful for, and 2) The opportunity to get close to a young guy named Shunki. He's planning to come to our Fall Harvest Party at the church building next week. Pray for him!

D/ Coffee Shop - A continuation from LST this summer, Jonathan has been running the coffee house each Friday from 2 - 10pm. People come to enjoy good coffee conversation. In the coffee house, Erica and Debi lead "English Hour" from 3-4pm and 7-8pm. At 8pm, Jonathan leads a devotional time.

E/ Singing - 1) Can you believe it?! God blessed us with the opportunity to sing in Sendai Station! Out of 54 groups who are signed up to perform at this year's Sendai Gospel Festival, we were one of three groups asked to sing ahead of time to advertise for the event. On stage for about an hour, we were able to share the gospel in song with hundreds of people. 2) Shokei College Chapel. After the concert, we read some of the comments from the students. One said, "We should have this kind of chapel every time!"

F/ Intern Classes - God's hand is evident in the work that Erica and Debi are doing. They both have 12 LST students that they are following up with, they teach a singing class and a "Ladies Night Out" class on alternate weeks, they lead English Hour at the coffee house, and organize a gathering event each month. All with all of this they continue to study Japanese diligently, and are making wonderful progress.

G/ Cooking Class - Joel's class this season is called, "Bye Bye Boring Breakfast," with the Bible study theme being, "Breakfast with Psalms." I had the opportunity to join a class for the first time and saw what great opportunities there are for bringing people together and bringing them into contact with God's Word.

H/ Meeting of the Needles - Michiko has begun a small group in her home for ladies who like to sew. During the sewing time, she is trying to incorporate spiritual conversations.

I/ Bible Studies - Besides the cell group, my only other current Bible study is with one of the church members. I feel like this is a very important study because of so many things going on in this person's life. This person truly needs a lot of guidance right now.

J/ Hachinohe - This month we celebrated the season with our "English Fall Harvest Party." 19 people attended! On the same evening, we (Joel and I) got together with Chieko, (church member) Masayo (LST contact) and Tomomi (Masayo's friend) to begin studying the Bible together. We studied for three hours! On Sunday we worshiped with the body, continued our discipleship study in the Gospel of Mark, and came back to Sendai.

Thank you for your amazing work in people's lives! Father, you are so generous and faithful. Find the lost, place them on your shoulders and bring them home.


Team Side
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body." 1 Cor. 12:12

A/ Joel's parents and brother - Our home was blessed this month with a great visit from Joel's parents, John and Sharon. Sharon even cooked for us! When I stepped in the door one evening to a flood of delicious smells, I remarked to Joel, "Ah! It smells like a real home in here!" We (especially Joel) truly enjoyed their company and love. After they had gone back to Canada, Joel's brother, John, came for some business in Ibaraki. The two of them were able to spend a little brother time together.

B/ Strakers to Canada - The Straker crew left for Canada - a sort of mini-furlough - on the 17th and plan on coming back November 10th. Please cover their travels and health in prayer.

C/ Hiking with Jon - Mountain men. We probably don't get out there enough (try twice in four years) to call ourselves mountain men, but Jon and I took our days off to hit the mountain trails, sleep in a tent, and experience the grandeur of God's creation this month. It was one of the best things I've done in a long time -- tiring, but oh so refreshing!

D/ Dealing with Culture Shock - Erica and Debi have entered their fourth month as interns in Sendai! It's usually around this time that people start to get over the "honeymoon stage" and experience culture shock. They're doing such an amazing job, but don't forget to uphold them in your prayers. Thank you!

We praise you for your wisdom -- you have created us for community that reflects you. Please protect our team unity and may the world see how we love one another because you love us. In Jesus name, amen!