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!