Hey!
Sorry I haven't updated my blog in a while. May has been a really busy month here in Japan and I haven't had a lot of free time. On May 9 we prepared and handed out carnations to our neighbours for Mother's Day. We went around to houses and put them at front doors. Inside was a little card with a poem and an invitation to church on Sunday. On Sunday we had church and had a special lunch and dessert for the mothers. Usually on sundays the mothers will prepare lunch and clean up after but on Mother's Day we did not allow them to and made sure they didn't come in the kitchen to give them a bit of a break. After lunch we played with the children. On Monday we went to an english student's house for Okinomiyaki, which is basically like a pancake with vegetables and an egg mixed in and meat on top with okinomiyaki sauce. It was really delicious. On Friday morning we went to a student's house to participate in a tea ceremony. This student is a tea ceremony teacher and a ikebana (flower arrangement) teacher so we learnt about both. Her house is an old traditional Japanese style house. It is very beautiful and it was a very interesting experience. That afternoon I took the train to Fujigaoka and spent time at an old couples house, who are students at classes I help teach in Fujigaoka. The lady, Nako, taught me how to make paper corsages and tried to show me how to do some calligraphy, but I was not very good at it. We ate dinner together and then I took the train home to Toyota. On Sunday, the 18th, we went to church and then spent time with the youth at the church. We played worship songs for each other and shared testimonies. It was very nice to hear other people's testimonies and to hear how God has worked and is working in their lives. We then had dinner together, which was Okinomiyaki. Today we are going to visit a lady from the church and learn how to do calligraphy. In addition to this I have been helping in English classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and teaching two classes on Saturdays. Please pray that God would continue to work in the hearts of our student's that they would be open to learning about God and the Bible and that a hunger for God would grow in their hearts that they may seek Him and come to know Him as their Lord and Saviour. Pray also for me as I have not been feeling well lately. Pray that God would heal this sickness and that He would provide me with strength and energy to keep going. Pray also for our team that we would not lose focus on what we are doing here and that our hearts would be open to the Spirit's leading. Pray that we would be able to hear and obey what God is asking of us for the rest of our time here. Pray also for our visas as we are still waiting for them to be processed. Pray that if it is God's will that we would be able to stay our full length of time here. God is continually teaching me patience and to trust in His plans even when I can't understand them. God is also teaching me more and more to trust in His timing and to wait patiently on Him. He has great things in store for me. That is about all right now. Until next time, Sayonara.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Golden Week
Hey!
So this week was really interesting. It was Golden Week in Japan. It was our midterm retreat as well as electronics fast. For the midterm retreat other English teachers from Japan came and spent four days at the church. During the day we went to some touristy places and at night we had worship and sharing time. On Saturday we went to Otsukannon, a big outdoor shopping place, which was really cool but I was also frustrated because it feels like we were really rushed for time and I didn't get a chance to see everything. We also went to Nagoya Port on Saturday and just sat by the ocean watching the boats. It was nice to relax and enjoy the beautiful warm weather and sunshine. On Sunday we went to church and then went to Asuke and saw a traditional Japanese village. It was really cool because there they still make everything they need from things in nature and they sell a lot of it. It was a really neat place to see but I wish we had more time there. On Monday it was raining so we went to a shopping mall. It was okay but we made a big mistake going there on Golden week holiday because it was overcrowded and we had to wait almost half and hour to get a seat in a restaraunt. That night for supper we went to a restaraunt that a man, named Pak San, owns and works at. He is from Korea and so it is a Korean barbeque place. They bring you raw meat and you cook it at a grill on your table and dip it in this sauce. It was amazing. On Tuesday we went and saw Okazaki castle and a flower garden place. There I had some matcha (green tea used in a tea ceremony) and it was soo good. It was very peaceful to drink it while looking out at the pond in the garden. Then we came back to the church and the English teachers went home. Every evening we had worship and sharing times with people sharing their testimonies each night. That was probably my favourite part because I love hearing people's stories, how they came to know Christ and all the things that have shaped them. Every night tho everybody stayed at our house late so by the end of the retreat I was pretty tired and really glad to have the chance to rest on Tuesday night. Some prayer requests I have are for our team that we would stay in good health and get good rest and that we would be able to stay focused on what we are doing for the rest of our time here in Japan. Also please pray for our Japanese teacher because she got a slipped disc. Pray for fast healing and recovery. Please continue to pray for the people of Japan and our English students that God would continue to move in their hearts and that they may come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and come into personal relationship with Him. Pray for me that God would give me opportunities to share His love with others and that God would give me words to speak. Pray that I would have continued focus, energy and strength and that I would be disciplined in spending regular time with God. I am so excited to be part of what God is doing here in Japan. Until next time, Sayonara.
So this week was really interesting. It was Golden Week in Japan. It was our midterm retreat as well as electronics fast. For the midterm retreat other English teachers from Japan came and spent four days at the church. During the day we went to some touristy places and at night we had worship and sharing time. On Saturday we went to Otsukannon, a big outdoor shopping place, which was really cool but I was also frustrated because it feels like we were really rushed for time and I didn't get a chance to see everything. We also went to Nagoya Port on Saturday and just sat by the ocean watching the boats. It was nice to relax and enjoy the beautiful warm weather and sunshine. On Sunday we went to church and then went to Asuke and saw a traditional Japanese village. It was really cool because there they still make everything they need from things in nature and they sell a lot of it. It was a really neat place to see but I wish we had more time there. On Monday it was raining so we went to a shopping mall. It was okay but we made a big mistake going there on Golden week holiday because it was overcrowded and we had to wait almost half and hour to get a seat in a restaraunt. That night for supper we went to a restaraunt that a man, named Pak San, owns and works at. He is from Korea and so it is a Korean barbeque place. They bring you raw meat and you cook it at a grill on your table and dip it in this sauce. It was amazing. On Tuesday we went and saw Okazaki castle and a flower garden place. There I had some matcha (green tea used in a tea ceremony) and it was soo good. It was very peaceful to drink it while looking out at the pond in the garden. Then we came back to the church and the English teachers went home. Every evening we had worship and sharing times with people sharing their testimonies each night. That was probably my favourite part because I love hearing people's stories, how they came to know Christ and all the things that have shaped them. Every night tho everybody stayed at our house late so by the end of the retreat I was pretty tired and really glad to have the chance to rest on Tuesday night. Some prayer requests I have are for our team that we would stay in good health and get good rest and that we would be able to stay focused on what we are doing for the rest of our time here in Japan. Also please pray for our Japanese teacher because she got a slipped disc. Pray for fast healing and recovery. Please continue to pray for the people of Japan and our English students that God would continue to move in their hearts and that they may come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and come into personal relationship with Him. Pray for me that God would give me opportunities to share His love with others and that God would give me words to speak. Pray that I would have continued focus, energy and strength and that I would be disciplined in spending regular time with God. I am so excited to be part of what God is doing here in Japan. Until next time, Sayonara.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Hoping in God
Hey!
It is a beautiful sunny afternoon in Japan. I have just gotten back from a walk. I have been thinking a lot about living a life that honours and glorifies God in everything I do. I have been pondering the power and might of God and thinking a lot about the power of prayer. If we cry out in passion to God what would happen? I have no doubt that when we cry out to the Lord in prayer He is faithful to answer. God is bigger than anything I know and to be completely honest that just goes over my head sometimes. I feel like so often I unintentionally put God in a box. I am learning not to limit what God can do. I am learning what it means to pray with power and trust God to answer those prayers no matter how impossible it sounds. I am learning what it looks like to love people as God loves them, unconditionally. I am nowhere near perfect at this but I pray that God would help me to do this more; to make me more like Him. I am seeing the power that God's unconditional love has in peoples lives. I want to live a life of love for God. I am tired of empty dreaming. I want to live passionately for God, falling more in love with Him everyday, not wasting a moment. I want to make a difference for God's kingdom with the way I live my life. I know that on my own I can do nothing but with God nothing is impossible. Tomorrow we are having a Japanese day, complete with kimonos and a tea ceremony. I am really excited to experience this part of Japanese culture. On Wednesday we are starting a week long electronics fast. That means I won't be on a computer for a whole week and this will be my last blog update for a little bit. It also means I won't be able to email or talk on the computer. The purpose is to spend more intentional time with the other team mates and learn that we don't need laptops to survive. It should be really interesting. Next week we are having a mid-term retreat. We will be spending time with the missionaries and other english teachers, taking a break from our ministry duties and seeing some sights. Please pray for safety travelling, that we would hear what God is speaking to us and that we would return refreshed and renewed. Continue to pray for the people of Japan, that their hearts would be opened to God and that they would see His glory as well as His great love for them. Pray for good health for our team as their is a cold going around our house. Pray for quick healing, strength and energy from God. Pray that God would fill us with a passion for the lost here in Japan and that we would serve humbly in whatever we are asked to do while here. God is going to do amazing things here.
Sayonara
Amber
It is a beautiful sunny afternoon in Japan. I have just gotten back from a walk. I have been thinking a lot about living a life that honours and glorifies God in everything I do. I have been pondering the power and might of God and thinking a lot about the power of prayer. If we cry out in passion to God what would happen? I have no doubt that when we cry out to the Lord in prayer He is faithful to answer. God is bigger than anything I know and to be completely honest that just goes over my head sometimes. I feel like so often I unintentionally put God in a box. I am learning not to limit what God can do. I am learning what it means to pray with power and trust God to answer those prayers no matter how impossible it sounds. I am learning what it looks like to love people as God loves them, unconditionally. I am nowhere near perfect at this but I pray that God would help me to do this more; to make me more like Him. I am seeing the power that God's unconditional love has in peoples lives. I want to live a life of love for God. I am tired of empty dreaming. I want to live passionately for God, falling more in love with Him everyday, not wasting a moment. I want to make a difference for God's kingdom with the way I live my life. I know that on my own I can do nothing but with God nothing is impossible. Tomorrow we are having a Japanese day, complete with kimonos and a tea ceremony. I am really excited to experience this part of Japanese culture. On Wednesday we are starting a week long electronics fast. That means I won't be on a computer for a whole week and this will be my last blog update for a little bit. It also means I won't be able to email or talk on the computer. The purpose is to spend more intentional time with the other team mates and learn that we don't need laptops to survive. It should be really interesting. Next week we are having a mid-term retreat. We will be spending time with the missionaries and other english teachers, taking a break from our ministry duties and seeing some sights. Please pray for safety travelling, that we would hear what God is speaking to us and that we would return refreshed and renewed. Continue to pray for the people of Japan, that their hearts would be opened to God and that they would see His glory as well as His great love for them. Pray for good health for our team as their is a cold going around our house. Pray for quick healing, strength and energy from God. Pray that God would fill us with a passion for the lost here in Japan and that we would serve humbly in whatever we are asked to do while here. God is going to do amazing things here.
Sayonara
Amber
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Surprise Parties, Roller Coasters and Amazing Grace
Hey!
So it has been a while since I updated my blog. I have been really busy lately with teaching english classes and planning. Last week two of the girls on our team had their birthdays so on Friday we planned them a nice little birthday surprise. We had a birthday dinner for them and then took them out for karaoke. For karaoke we blindfolded them and took them to karaoke not telling them where we were going. They had kind of figured out that was what we were doing so it wasn't that much of a surprise but it was still fun. At karaoke in Japan you get a private room for you and your friends and can choose from english or japanese songs. We of course chose english songs to sing along with and danced around singing loud and being silly. On Saturday I taught my travel english class and english music class. Both classe went really well. For english music class we brought the lyrics for Amazing Grace (our student's request) and when Joanna was explaining what the lyrics meant our student started tearing up. Please pray that God would continue to work in her heart and that she would be open to the love and grace of God and the message of the gospel. On Sunday we had church and then went bowling with some of the church members. A family that has their children in one of the english classes we are teaching came bowling with us. Praise God for that and pray that He would use this time to bring them back to the church and ultimately draw this family to Himself. On Monday we went to Nagashima Spaland, which is a large amusement park about an hour drive away from where we are staying. This amusement park has lots of roller coasters and other thrilling rides. It has the largest wooden roller coaster, the White Cyclone, and the 2nd largest roller coaster in the world, the Steel Dragon. We rode the White Cyclone three times and the Steel Dragon twice. The Steel Dragon was pretty much amazing. Words cannot even describe it. I am afraid that I am now ruined for any other roller coasters after this one though. This was also my first time riding on a roller coaster and I must say that I LOVE ROLLER COASTERS!!! We spent all day at Nagashima Spaland and it was really fun. This week we are going into Nagoya to apply for our religious worker visas. There is a good chance that we may not get approved because we are here for such a short time. Please pray that God would give us favour with the people processing our visas and that His will would be done in this. Please continue to pray for our team, the Hieberts, the churh and the people of Japan. Pray for good health for us and continued energy and strength from God as some of us are not feeling well and are feeling a bit weary at some times. I trust that God is going to do something amazing in Japan. We are His instruments. God will do something amazing here in His time. Until next time, Sayonara.
So it has been a while since I updated my blog. I have been really busy lately with teaching english classes and planning. Last week two of the girls on our team had their birthdays so on Friday we planned them a nice little birthday surprise. We had a birthday dinner for them and then took them out for karaoke. For karaoke we blindfolded them and took them to karaoke not telling them where we were going. They had kind of figured out that was what we were doing so it wasn't that much of a surprise but it was still fun. At karaoke in Japan you get a private room for you and your friends and can choose from english or japanese songs. We of course chose english songs to sing along with and danced around singing loud and being silly. On Saturday I taught my travel english class and english music class. Both classe went really well. For english music class we brought the lyrics for Amazing Grace (our student's request) and when Joanna was explaining what the lyrics meant our student started tearing up. Please pray that God would continue to work in her heart and that she would be open to the love and grace of God and the message of the gospel. On Sunday we had church and then went bowling with some of the church members. A family that has their children in one of the english classes we are teaching came bowling with us. Praise God for that and pray that He would use this time to bring them back to the church and ultimately draw this family to Himself. On Monday we went to Nagashima Spaland, which is a large amusement park about an hour drive away from where we are staying. This amusement park has lots of roller coasters and other thrilling rides. It has the largest wooden roller coaster, the White Cyclone, and the 2nd largest roller coaster in the world, the Steel Dragon. We rode the White Cyclone three times and the Steel Dragon twice. The Steel Dragon was pretty much amazing. Words cannot even describe it. I am afraid that I am now ruined for any other roller coasters after this one though. This was also my first time riding on a roller coaster and I must say that I LOVE ROLLER COASTERS!!! We spent all day at Nagashima Spaland and it was really fun. This week we are going into Nagoya to apply for our religious worker visas. There is a good chance that we may not get approved because we are here for such a short time. Please pray that God would give us favour with the people processing our visas and that His will would be done in this. Please continue to pray for our team, the Hieberts, the churh and the people of Japan. Pray for good health for us and continued energy and strength from God as some of us are not feeling well and are feeling a bit weary at some times. I trust that God is going to do something amazing in Japan. We are His instruments. God will do something amazing here in His time. Until next time, Sayonara.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
new english class
Hey!
So I found out today that I am also teaching a travel english class on Saturday afternoons. It should be lots of fun.
So I found out today that I am also teaching a travel english class on Saturday afternoons. It should be lots of fun.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Hey!
Our new English classes have started up this week. We have 8 different classes that people have signed up for and 1-2 students in each. I get to teach the English Music and Lyrics class and am really excited about that. There is one student in that class. There is also an English Bible Class which has two students in it, one of which is not Christian. That is something to definitely praise God for. I am also assisting one of the English teachers (Wendy) in her classes on Thursday in Fujigaoka. It is a very full day with 8 classes. I leave home at 7 am and don't get home until 10 that night. I really enjoy assisting those classes and look forward to getting to know the students better. Please pray for us that we would be able to teach English effectively and have the courage and boldness to share the Gospel with our students and other people we meet. I have been growing in my faith a lot during my time here. God has been teaching me about patience a lot and that sometimes I have to wait. I have been learning to trust God and trust that He has great things in store for me. I am really learning to wait on God. Please continue to pray for the people of Japan that there hearts would be open to God's truth and love. Pray that God will fill us with joy. Pray that we will be shining lights for God here. Pray that we will continue to grow in our faith and spend time with God regularly and spend time in prayer. Tomorrow in church one person is getting baptized and two people are coming into membership and giving their testimonies. Pray that it would go well and that the man getting baptized would not back out. Pray for the believers in Japan as well that they would stay strong in their faith and be bold in their faith. I am very excited to see how God is going to work here and in our lives. Until next time, Sayonara
Our new English classes have started up this week. We have 8 different classes that people have signed up for and 1-2 students in each. I get to teach the English Music and Lyrics class and am really excited about that. There is one student in that class. There is also an English Bible Class which has two students in it, one of which is not Christian. That is something to definitely praise God for. I am also assisting one of the English teachers (Wendy) in her classes on Thursday in Fujigaoka. It is a very full day with 8 classes. I leave home at 7 am and don't get home until 10 that night. I really enjoy assisting those classes and look forward to getting to know the students better. Please pray for us that we would be able to teach English effectively and have the courage and boldness to share the Gospel with our students and other people we meet. I have been growing in my faith a lot during my time here. God has been teaching me about patience a lot and that sometimes I have to wait. I have been learning to trust God and trust that He has great things in store for me. I am really learning to wait on God. Please continue to pray for the people of Japan that there hearts would be open to God's truth and love. Pray that God will fill us with joy. Pray that we will be shining lights for God here. Pray that we will continue to grow in our faith and spend time with God regularly and spend time in prayer. Tomorrow in church one person is getting baptized and two people are coming into membership and giving their testimonies. Pray that it would go well and that the man getting baptized would not back out. Pray for the believers in Japan as well that they would stay strong in their faith and be bold in their faith. I am very excited to see how God is going to work here and in our lives. Until next time, Sayonara
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Spring in Japan
This past week has been the week when all the cherry blossoms are in bloom in Japan. I feel so lucky to be visiting Japan during this time. It is absolutely beautiful :) The blooming of the cherry blossoms signals the arrival of spring to Japan and all this past week we have had absolutely gorgeous weather. This past Thursday we had a picnic in the park with some ladies from the church, viewed the cherry blossoms and took pictures. On Saturday we took the train to Inyuama with Wendy, one of the English teachers here, and a couple of Japanese ladies. Inyuama was holding it's spring festival. There was a parade with floats from different cities in Japan. The floats were pulled by men through the streets. There were a lot of booths selling souvenirs and food. There was also a huge garage sale/flea market. We stayed until evening when we watched the floats be lit up by a bunch of paper lanterns. I feel so blessed to have experienced this and to have seen a part of Japanese culture. To see such a different part of the world and to know that we are all created by God in His image is amazing. I have also been frustrated sometimes being here. Sometimes it feels like we are trying to plant in hard, dry soil and there is not much being produced. Japan needs the spirit of God to rain down on it. Already I feel the difference between this missions trip and other missions trips I have been on. It might be that I will come home in June and not have amazing conversion stories or anything like that. It is so different here from other countries. I can imagine how hard it must be for long term missionaries here, sometimes not seeing the fruits of their labour for months. I know that God is bigger than all this though. I believe so strongly that He will rain down here in Japan and it will be powerful. Please keep on praying for the people of Japan, that their hearts would be open. Please pray for the missionaries here, for the Hieberts, that they would continue to be strengthened and encouraged and that they would not lose heart but trust that God is working even though it is not seen. Pray also for the other believers here that they would stay strong in their faith and that they would be filled with a passion for the things of God. Until next time Sayonara
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