Working at Kanto Gakuin University

We have already returned to the United States at this point but we wanted to let you know what happened the last few days that we were in Japan.  We worked at Kanto Gakuin University in Yokohama with Nita Bryan and helped her with her English classes.  The first full day that we worked with her several of us went in to her English classes and helped them improve their conversation skills.  The classes were varying levels of skill in English, including intermediate students and even a class with some of the staff members who wanted to practice their English.  Tuesday evening we were invited to dinner at Shigemi's (a missionary) house.  The students there were those who regularly attend her Bible study and we got to talk a lot with them and about why we were there.  After dinner we had a birthday part for one of the students and played some games together.  On Wednesday we went to one more class and then to the international cafe on a different campus.  This is where people wanting to come practice their English can come and hang out for a while and meet people.  We taught them how to play Pit and had some good conversations while we played.  There was one student who was actually in all of the English classes except for the staff one and he was also at the Bible study on Monday.  He joined us for lunch and the international cafe on Wednesday too.  We really got to connect with him a lot and he actually made us all short letters on the backs of postcards before we left!  We will hopefully be able to stay in touch and someday welcome him to West Virginia for a visit!  Stay tuned for one final post about how the trip affected each of us and what we learned from it.

Ben

Friday and Saturday- A Day of Rest and Love in Different Languages

Friday

Friday was our last day with the kindergartners. Five of the kids got to celebrate their birthday together with games and singing. We had a great time playing games and singing with them all day, enjoying our last day together.  Even though we could not understand each other, we enjoyed each others' company. A little boy hung out with me the whole day, he grabbed my hand from the beginning of the day to the end. He didn't say anything but he loved bugs and he was very observant so he would walk slowly and would not hesitate to pull my hand down to crouch on the ground to look at pill bugs he found in the grass on the playground. He would catch and collect as many as he could find and gently place them on my hand so at one point, my hand was covered in them until he decided to gently place them back in the grass. We received so many excited waves and smiles as we left and we were asked by the kids to come again. We all already wanted to, but now we will definitely have to so we can see those sweet kids again.

After leaving the kindergarten, we went to the House of Eden which is a center for people with disabilities. Having disabilities in Japan is extremely stigmatized and people are often ashamed of their family members with such struggles. But at the center, the people there are loved and cared for by Christians, some of whom were members of Taira Baptist Church. The center had a shop with small gifts and crafts, as well as some vegetables and flowers made by the residents and a cafe called Hallelujah with smoothies and coffee. The first thing I did when I got to the center was help a staff member braid hair, something I love so much. After I finished, we sang songs, danced, and learned how to make origami cranes.

The people at the center, residents and staff alike, were so joyful and loving, and we were sad to leave.

Saturday

Saturday was a day of rest so we walked around Iwaki (we Iwaki-ed around). Ben and I toured the city and stumbled upon a performance in a small corner with drums and bells and vocals.
We all had a lovely touring the city and enjoying each others' company. At the end of the day, there was a memorial service for the earthquake and tsunami that hit Fukushima in 2011 where the people who served and met in the midst of the disaster could meet again and worship. The worship leaders were from a Brazilian team who came back in 2011. Even though we could not understand the songs or speaking, I could feel the Holy Spirit moving in the room and I felt at home in this small corner of Iwaki where people loved Jesus in different languages but all because He had saved us from disasters before and continues to do so.

Back in Yokohama!

Our team this week will be starting work at Kanto-Gakuin University in Yokohama. We will be involved in English classes on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. This post will be providing information on what the team did on Monday. There were no scheduled English classes in the morning or afternoon on Monday. Therefore our team decided to take this opportunity to take a quick tour of Tokyo. Our team visited Tokyo Tower, Akihabara, and a variety of KitKat candy shops. We all had a wonderful time together. We then traveled back to Kanto-Gakuin University to sit in on a English Club and a University Bible Club meeting in the evening. This was an awesome opportunity for our team to share our faith and purpose of being in Japan. Japan has been an amazing country and even though our time in this country is coming to a close, work still needs to be done and God is still working. Our team is excited to see God's plan as these last days in Japan are coming close. 

Nathan

Sunday with Taira Baptist Church

The team began our worship this past week by attending a worship service on Saturday evening at the Global Mission Chapel. The church was having a reunion of volunteers from all over the world who came to Fukushima in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. It was wonderful to be invited to be a part of their time of prayer and worship. It was all in Japanese, so we weren't able to understand much. Pastor Tanno was kind enough to explain the service afterwards for the team.

The next morning I got up early to pray and prepare myself for preaching at Taira Baptist Church. Before we left the Global Mission Center to walk to the church, we ran into a gentleman who had been at the worship service the night before. He thanked us for coming even though we do not speak Japanese. He also shared a little about the work that God is doing right now in Iwaki and the Fukushima area. There has been a real openness to the Gospel message since the 2011 disaster. He asked for prayers for the work of the Holy Spirit in Iwaki City. Cole led the group in praying for the churches and people of Fukushima prefecture and Japan.

The service at Taira Baptist Church was wonderful! We saw several familiar faces from our time at the Wednesday prayer meeting. We began with the typical order of worship for Taira Baptist Church. Then the team sang two songs, and Ben introduced the team and talked about our reason for being in Japan. Abigail, Cole, and Nathan shared their testimonies again. This was followed by my sermon which Tanno-sensei translated into Japanese.

I preached on the call of Moses in Exodus 3-4. God called Moses to be the hero and leader of the Israelites. However, Moses didn't want to respond to this call. Instead, he offered up four excuses to God. As Christians today, we often offer up these same excuses when God calls us to do something. God calls each one of us to a task, and we must stand up in courage and the knowledge that God is with us and equipping us.

Directly following the service, Taira Baptist had a lunch to say goodbye to our team. It was a wonderful lunch of hand-rolled sushi, takoyaki (little fried dough balls of deliciousness), and tacos. The tacos were especially touching as I had mentioned to Tanno-sensei on Friday evening that when I return to the United States I always make sure to eat Mexican food. He looked up a taco recipe on Youtube and made them special for our goodbye lunch.

We spent Sunday afternoon driving back to Yokohama with Tanno-sensei. There we met up with Gordon and LeeAnn Hwang again. Then the whole group went to the Ramen Museum for dinner. It was so yummy! Also, there was a really cool juggler performing in the museum for some reason.   We ended our long day by going to the last location of our time in Japan—Kanto Gakuin University.

With much love from Japan!!
Sarah 

The Ramen Musuem!

Hello Iwaki City!

The team has left Yokohama, and we are staying in Iwaki City in the Fukushima Prefecture. We began Monday morning by reuniting after our weekend homestays and driving the 3 hours to Iwaki. We are staying at the Global Mission Center which was originally built to house relief teams following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It now has a wonderful cafe and bookstore on the bottom floor where the team gets matcha lattes and coffee after a long day.

The team is working this week with Taira Baptist Church and the Taira Kindergarten and Daycare. The kindergarten recently relocated to a beautiful new facility and has around 75 children! This is a big increase from the 20 kids Ben worked with last year. On Tuesday, the team—led by Cole—taught the three, four, and five year olds some Bible songs. Today (Thursday), Nathan led the team in teaching the four and five year olds some games. The crowd favorite was hot potato!

The children have been really excited to meet us. They chatter away in Japanese excitedly. I chatter excitedly back in English. The joy of that age is that things like a language barrier don't matter as long as you are willing to play in sand and go down the slide. Several of the girls remembered me today and excitedly shouted "Sarah-san" and held my hands (and arms) for the rest of the day. A highlight for me was getting to sit and read with the 3 year olds before lunch time. They snuggled up to me and handed me books written in Japanese, and I made up stories in English to go with the pictures. 

Wednesday morning the team was blessed to spend time with members of Taira Baptist Church at the weekly prayer meeting. We sang a couple songs, and then Abigail, Cole, and Nathan shared their testimonies. The prayer time was focused this week on praying for the Japan Baptist Seminary and the students, faculty, and staff there. I challenge you to keep the seminary in your prayers as well! Pastor Tanno and several church members treated us to lunch after the prayer meeting. I have been overwhelmed again and again by the hospitality and kindness of the Japanese people! 

With much love and gratitude from Japan!
-Sarah 

Homestay Experiences

Cole

Saturday started our home stays with our individual families. I (Cole) was blessed with the opportunity to stay with the Osato family. We started Saturday by meeting Shohei for a light lunch but plans changed which let Abigail and me meet his children, Kaori and Nozomu. Shohei had to go so the four of us went to meet up with some friends from Every Nation Church in Yokohama to go bouldering and have fellowship with one another. It was a great experience to learn from the Osato family obtaining wisdom while reading scripture each morning. Sunday was Father's Day which not getting to be with my father was difficult but I was welcomed by the Osato family to celebrate with them along with attending Every Nation Church in Yokohama where God is truly working in miraculous ways having the Holy Spirit fuel every part of the service with a message regarding our heavenly Father. God gave me a chance to witness the "Big Groups" of the church which was great to see that even as the church is growing it is still allowing each member to be connected to one another. On our final evening I was able to converse about the different ministry in the church here in Yokohama along with building a great relationship with each member of the big group and the Osato family. I also learned about how great Japanese baseball is so now my favorite Japan team is the Yokohama Baysiders which we got to take a family photo for Father's day and having Shohei's personalized towel at the center. I was so blessed to stay with Mariko, Shohei, Nozomu, and Kaori and I know God has a great plan for each of them.

Nathan

This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend time with the Hoshikawa family during my home stay. The Hoshikawa family was very gracious and welcomed me with open arms. Most of our time spend together revolved around walking. The Hoshikawa family were wonderful tour guides of the great city of Yokohama! The cites visited included: Chinatown, Yokohama Center, and visiting many city gardens. On Sunday we attended Yokohama International Baptist Church (YIBC). YIBC had a very welcoming environment with wonderful members asking me many questions as I walked into the door. The members wanted to know my story and I was happy to share with them! YIBC also had a mission team come from Hawaii leading the worship service. At one time during the service the congregation was singing the song How Great Is Our God in three different languages (English, Native Hawaiian, and Japanese). This was an amazing experience seeing people from all different cultures all praising the same Holy God! All in all I am so grateful for this experience, even over this short weekend there will be events that I will hold on too my whole life. I am so thankful God has given me this opportunity and placed me exactly where I needed to be!

                                                                               Ben

This weekend I stayed with the Onizuka family.  Mrs. Onizuka's husband works in Osaka so he was not at the house.  Her two older sons live in America so it was just her and her youngest son.  He was studying for his college entrance exams so I didn't get to spend much time with him.  On Saturday afternoon Mrs. Onizuka took me to see Kamakura, which is a town that has many temples and sites related to Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism.  I got to see the Daibutsu statue, which is a large Buddha statue that stands about 43 feet tall.  We also saw a hydrangea path that went up that mountain.  There were beautiful flowers of many different colors lining the path.  Sunday morning we got to share a really deep Bible study together.  She doesn't speak much English and I don't speak much Japanese, so we used Google translate to help us study the Bible together and bounce ideas and verses off of each other.  We were both able to encourage each other a lot.  I went to church with her in Nokendai and I got to see some familiar faces from last year because I worked there for one day with their VBS.  They were kind enough to translate everything into English for me.

Abigail

I got to eat lunch and go bouldering with Cole, Kaori, Nozomu, and adults from the college ministry at Every Nation Church Yokohama. It was my first time bouldering and I got to make it up one route up the wall before we all had a turn and decided to head back to the Osatos' house. We walked through downtown outside of the touristy areas and it was refreshing to see every day life pass by as people grocery shopped at local markets and went about their day. No flashing lights, nothing extravagant, just regular barber shops and vendors on a small street with people walking their dogs and riding their bikes. After a lovely walk, we made it to the Osatos'

house and sat down to eat snacks from various Asian countries such as China and the Philippines, before playing a strategy game called Sushi-Go that was the tradition for house parties held at the Osato household. After playing the game, dinner was prepared. We ate dumplings and tokayaki with various fillings and toppings. Tokayaki is a common street food in Japan that is made of a pancake ball that has different fillings in it. We ate tokayaki with octopus, kimchi, fish, sausage, and a ton of other things, and Cole and I were full to bursting because we ate so much. My first real, homemade Japanese meal was wonderful and I loved experiencing Japan in a Godly home.

Sarah

I started my homestay on Friday evening after Bible study. I stayed with the Aisaka family whose daughter Mire attends Soshin school. On Saturday I explored Yokohama with Mire and her friends Riko and Yuka. We had tapioca tea (bubble tea) and visited an arcade to play with the Korekawa machine. It is a photo booth that  gives you perfect complexion and anime-style eyes. Then you can decorate the pictures. On Sunday, the Aisakas took me to visit the town of Kamakura. The Aisakas are Buddhist, so we visited a Buddhist temple instead of going to church. The Hokokuji temple in Kamakura was founded in the 14th century and is known for its giant bamboo garden where visitors go and drink green tea. Later on Sunday the family and I did some sightseeing in Tokyo and drove around a number of different districts. While Mire had a piano lesson, Mr. and Mrs. Aisaka took me to visit the Iwasaki Gardens which is the old home of the founder of Mitsubishi.  The house was fascinating as it was built in the 1800s and is two houses- one Japanese style and one Western style-combined together. The Aisaka's were wonderful hosts and took such good care of me! They, like many Japanese people it seems, were very open to talking about faith and Christianity. Please be praying that God touches their hearts, and that they come to know Jesus Christ! 

Friday- Connecting with Disney Songs

The highlight of our Friday was having a party at the Alumni Center a house down from the Hwangs for 23 of the girls from Soshin, where we had been spending our previous week. We were excited to hear while preparing for the girls to arrive that they loved having us in their classrooms and that they were excited to see us again. We made pizza and hotdogs, nigiri (rice balls), and there were multiple kinds of cake for dessert. The girls were eager to practice their English with us and talk about anything we had in common. I (Abigail) was always met with excitement when I talked about the Kpop (Korean pop music) and Disney movies I liked and we found some we all enjoyed.

We all ate, talked, and played games for hours, it's always so sweet and humbling to be able to enjoy things like laughing and squealing a little when the Jenga tower falls in different languages and still understand each other. We enjoyed each others' company kept finding things we loved and Nathan and Ben taught the girls useful American phrases and some slang which resulted in lots of laughs. Ben had the opportunity to share a short version of testimony with a translator and multiple girls seemed interested in missions when he talked about being a missionary which was encouraging.

The best part of my night was getting to sing Disney songs in a circle with some of the girls. We all knew Let It Go so we had fun singing as loudly and dramatically as we could. It was so much fun to connect by singing loudly together like I'm sure the girls from Soshin and I have both done at sleepovers. Disney movies brought us together and allowed to connect because we are the same, just from different parts of the world.

 -Abigail

Friday

We started the day off really quick since it was going to be a very full and influential day. The first two English classes got the students to be really ask us more detailed questions about who we are and why we are here. Chapel was one of the two key events to the day for me (Cole). When Chapel started it was very exciting but required a lot of prayer. Sarah, Nathan, Ben, and I started off the chapel service with singing "Good Good Father" to engage the students to set the mindset of where God loves us even when we are broken. I felt God's hand on me during the chapel message guiding each word produced out of my mouth to hopefully reach the hearts of the students that there is a family not limited by blood which is the glorious family of God. The girls were excited to come to the gathering at the alumni center where they enjoyed food and we practiced English conversation with them while I got to tell one girl about the way God used a particular song to bring light back into my life which I think, Lord willing, got through to her. Ben gave his testimony which peaked the girls' interest on missions so hopefully God continues to have those seeds grow in their hearts and they come back to the Bible study for next week.

-Cole

Thursday

Thursday was a wonderful day at Soshin Girl's School and Soshin elementary school. We continued to help students learn English and be involved with providing conversations. Today was also a special day because we had the opportunity to spend time at the Soshin elementary school. We were able to help teach the elementary students phonics and the song "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands"! Along with helping the elementary students expand their knowledge of the English language, our group had the opportunity to play games with the children. Many of the games were revolved around a raccoon circle. A raccoon circle games are often used in team building exercises, this includes a tied rope which can be used in a variety of ways. These games went great with the children and kept everyone involved! After the raccoon circle games, our group introduced the children to the game Hot Potato. The Children loved passing the ball around along with the excitement of seeing who the next person to get out would be. God has been so gracious and wonderful to allow us to have this opportunity to be with these children. We hope and pray that we are having an impact on these children and we already know how much of an impact they have had on us. Continue to pray God's ways will be fulfilled and allow our team to be His hands and feet to show these children the Love of Christ.

-Nathan

Tuesday and Wednesday

     Tuesday morning we had the opportunity to meet with the leader of the JBU (Japan Baptist Union) and his wife.  They have both been very helpful in working with the JBU.  Keep them in your prayers, they have been struggling with some decline in most of the churches.  Some churches that have switched to more contemporary styles have been able to reach many young people and have been growing a lot.  Pray for all of the churches and the pastors in the Japan Baptist Union and that God would lift up new young pastors and also missionaries for Japan.  They showed us around the JBU office and the campus of the university there.
     In the afternoon we went to Soshin Girl's School, which is where Lee Ann works.  We helped her with a group of students who will be studying abroad in Australia soon.  We gave them the opportunity to ask us questions and then we broke into small groups and conversed with them.  They were all very excited to see us and asked us many questions and practiced using their English a lot.  We also got to invite them to the Bible study that Gordon and Lee Ann are hosting on Friday and many of them (all but one) asked to come.
     In the evening we took the train to Akihabara, which is like the nerd paradise of the world.  They have many different places to shop that sell anime products, trading cards, computer parts, video games, and lots of different souvenirs.

     Wednesday we spent the day at Soshin Girl's School.  There are three English teachers there and we split up and went to their different classes and helped the English teachers teach the students.  They started out by having us introduce ourselves to the students and then they gave the students an opportunity to ask us questions.  Some of the common questions that they knew how to ask were "how tall are you" (especially once Nathan was able to join us), "what is your favorite Japanese food", and "what are your hobbies".  After questions each of us got a group of students to chat with.  We had them each introduce themselves by saying their names and what their favorite hobby is.  We then let them ask us as many questions as they wanted.  The teachers were very encouraged because the students got very excited and started practicing their English a lot with us.  We went to classes until about 3 and then some of us returned to Akihabara while some of us rested.  Nathan is finally feeling better and has joined us in the classes.  Continue to pray for the students and teachers at Soshin school and that they would be reached with a passion for the gospel.

Ben

Hello from Japan!

The team has safely arrived in Yokohama and had a wonderful first day in Japan! It was spent hanging out with our host family, the missionaries we are working with during our time in Japan, Gordon and Lee Ann Hwang and their three children, who got us oriented around the city, transportation systems, and Japanese lifestyle.

The first thing we did after changing clothes and getting our schedules was make our way to learn how to use the bus system. Gordon let three of us borrow bus passes, and Ben and I (Abigail) bought our own and learned how to put Yen on them. We took the bus to the train station and learned to navigate it on our own after being shown what to do, then we took the bus back to the Hwangs' house. The station was crowded and full of voices, footsteps, and things to see. We got to walk through a department store in the station and it was an amazing cultural experience. The food was what I could only describe as beautiful and vibrant. The vendors were happy and made friendly eye contact as we passed, their faces were equally vibrant and beautiful.

After learning the transportation systems and successfully getting back to the house, we got ready for dinner at the Hwangs' favorite Indian restaurant before going to the sento (Japanese public bathhouse) before bed. The sento was a cultural plunge we were all excited for, regardless of slight nerves because of how different it would be for us as Westerners. The sento was a building down from the restaurant so with stomachs full of curry and rice, we ventured to our nice, warm dive into Japanese life and culture. Men and women get separate floors (they alternate between the lower and upper floors each night), and there are multiple pools at differing temperatures. At first, there was a shock but soon, that drifted away as I got to thank God for my love of baths that helped me welcome a new aspect of a different culture that would have otherwise been uncomfortable
(however briefly).

Vulnerability is often absent in Japanese culture but sentos are widely used as ministry opportunities because it is a universal place of vulnerability and equality that is deeply ingrained into the culture. People are open and welcoming in sentos, and the atmosphere was quiet and perfect for prayer and meditation. After our baths, we all enjoyed a small bottle of milk coffee and cream candies which is a way many families end their night at the bathhouse in the sitting room.

I'm happy to say that I look forward to the evenings of going to the sento and diving into Japanese culture as the trip continues!

Abigail

Welcome to “Love, From Japan, the blog that will document the Summer 2018 trip to Japan through International Ministries! You will get to read regular posts from the perspectives of each of the team members, Cole Linder, Ben and Sarah McCloy, Nathan Welch, and Abigail Harman as we serve in Japan from June 9-28.  

For the first week of our trip, we will be in the Soshin Academy working with senior high students and being conversation partners with students learning English. We will spend our second week at Taira Baptist Church in Iwaki playing games and spending time with the children in the kindergarten program. Finally, our third week will be spent being conversation partners for students at Kanto Gakuin University! We are all immensely excited as we get to spend three weeks of our summer exploring the ways God is working in our lives, from individual callings to ministry, whether pastoral or missional, to embarking on a first mission trip!

The overall purpose for our trip is found in the name for our blog. “Love, From Japan” will serve as a pile of letters from each us to you, telling the stories of love from our time in Japan as we encounter God’s love and the love of the Japanese people as we strive to love in return.