I've trusted You, oh Lord, from childhood...

It must be incredibly difficult to be a Christian in Japan.

That is probably the most foreign thing to me here, even though I knew the facts before I came. I grew up in Oklahoma - the Bible belt. Most people at least have an inkling what the gospel is about because we grew up hearing about it. I have known He existed since I was very young, and now I cannot deny the blessing that was. Here, Christianity is not readily accepted. In fact: Your family might disown you. You might lose favor at your workplace. It's hard to find discipleship and a church where you feel you can grow. You might be confused, alone and rejected...and at the same time, you're probably happier than most of the people bustling by you on the street or in the station.

It's incredibly difficult, but once the decision has been made - like in most places - it completely changes everything. Most would say the church in Japan is a bit stuffy and old-fashioned, but I really believe there is a young generation rising up with a passion and a purity that Japan hasn't experienced before. There is a hunger for truth and a genuine love for God that could change cities for His name. Be praying for an even greater openness to His truth and His love here!

It's been a busy week/weekend. We have met so many people! I ate lunch at Todai last Thursday with Izumi and her friend Yuriko. That afternoon, I met with my friend Yuki from NSU at Waseda University. Robert, Yuki and I spent the day wandering around campus, getting ate alive by mosquitoes and talking about the lack of pandas. That evening, we had coffee and dinner with an awesome new friend, Takeshi - fresh from Long Beach, CA and wanting to speak some English! We spent Friday sight-seeing with a Todai friend, Yuta. He took us to eat chankonabe(the traditional food of sumo fighters!) and to the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku, then we went on to Akihabara(Electric Town). It was so much fun. I'm really thankful for the friends we made last week and some of them are planning on attending Bible study this week, so that's exciting.

Saturday was a long day...

Liz(a girl I met at orientation my first week in Japan) and I had this awesome plan to meet and go to Harajuku before Saturday night XHOP. She has her Saturdays free, so she took a 1.5 hr train ride from Chiba to meet me at Shinjuku station. This is when things got interesting. I got there and could not find her! After an hour or so of walking the platform and running up all kinds of stairs, I gave up and went home. (Cell phones are more convenient than I realize...) All's well that ends well though, and God knows the ending to every story. Liz somehow survived the busiest station in the world, found an internet cafe and some addresses and then employed the help of Frenchman who escorted her to the door of the XA Student Center. I got the call, and we all went to dinner together before prayer service. God is good, you know? God just renewed and refreshed us during XHOP -as we were all a little weary from the day's craziness- and Liz and I made Harajuku plans for an upcoming day off! Sunday was church day! Rainy, rainy, rainy - but it is always nice to be at Tokyo Urban Church. Minus the language barrier, it feels like these people have been my church family and have been my friends for much longer than this summer. My cell group is amazing, and it's nice to just have that time with some Christian girls to talk about things and pray together!

Today, the final team came in: Carbondale! They have been coming to Japan for seven years now. This is the biggest team of the summer, 10 people + Robert, Susan and me. Traveling with that big of a group has its ups and downs in Tokyo, but we got to Seikei University just in time for our English class! Carbondale did a drama and gave out Bibles and we got to meet a lot of really great students. Seikei is a beautiful campus and they are so lucky to have Netsu-sensei! He is the professor who invited us to the campus to speak to his class. What an amazing opportunity - helping them with their English AND a introduction to the faith that brought us from mid-America to Japan. It went really well and I can't wait to get in touch with the girls I met during class!

Tomorrow, I'm going back to Seikei University with the Carbondale girls and we have a Bible study party at Todai tomorrow night. Please be praying for our ministry on these campuses and for the friendships we have made!

...and then there were Teams!

It has been one awesome week...

Last Thursday and Friday, I spent time on campus - prayer walking and handing out flyers for Bible study. We also had XHOP on Thursday evening. It was so good, just a really powerful time of prayer for Tokyo and for the church in Japan and, of course, some worship time! I really needed that time on Thursday too - it was the first day I got a little overwhelmed. I was on campus by myself that day because Robert was meeting with a student at Waseda and I got a little turned around on the back side of campus while prayer walking...it was hot...I think I was getting a little dehyrdated...

Needless to say, it wasn't the best of days - BUT, God is forever teaching us something new. I think a lot of what I'm experiencing this summer is just a taste of what it must feel like to be an international student. You are alone, you don't know the language very well and you probably aren't confident in what you do know, you are lost in a crowd of people too busy to notice you. The food is different, the money system, the way people treat each other. I, however, know when I'm going home. I live with an American. I can speak English in Tokyo, but how many people know Japanese in Oklahoma? I have a renewed passion for teaching, assisting, and befriending internationals! I can sit on campus at Todai or Waseda, and I know I'm not alone because I have Christ. I have my hope, my joy, my protection in Him, and still I am overcome sometimes by my human need to be noticed. I can't imagine how hard it must be without the security of His love.

Saturday Susan, Robert and I met the Central Washington team in Komagome. We had dinner together. They were so nice! They will be working with a church here in Tokyo and doing campus ministry as well. Very busy schedule for them, but I know they will enjoy it and God will bless them and the people they minister to while they are in Japan!

Sunday was Father's Day, as you know! It was a little sad for me, being away from home and missing my dad. I sent him an e-card and talked to him a little on the internet though! I really loved the church service at Tokyo Urban Church. They played a game, then gave the fathers a gift to just honor them and thank them for being amazing fathers and spiritual fathers! Also, all the girls were back from Singapore so I was in my cell group with them and the boys and girls cell group ate lunch together. We played some games. I have really been blessed with my Japanese church family, they are so much fun and they are so in love with Jesus! It is so refreshing when I'm there with them, because they have a lot of young people in their church and it is just this image to me of what Japan on fire would look like - the young people leading their families to Christ, becoming worship leaders, teachers and pastors. They are such a blessing to me!

Monday - ohhh Monday! Busy day, but it was so good! The Hawaii team came in, we met them at the station and took them to the student center. After they left to do some sight-seeing, Robert, Susan and I cleaned up the student center - which I am forever calling "the storefront" because of my NSU Chi Alpha building! I felt a little bit more in my element, preparation. Prepping the building, the futons, going over our schedule...felt good to be doing stuff like that. We had a XA service that night when the team got back. Susan and Robert led worship and then the Hawaii team played Hawaiian songs and did some hula before Pastor Andrew spoke. There were quite a few students there, so it was really good and we all had a really good time fellowshipping with one another.

The next day, we all met up at Todai (Yuki-san and Keiko-san came too, two amazing ladies who come to our XHOP prayer meetings) and the Hawaii team led the Bible study. We had two new members, both with ties to Hawaii - so that was definitely a God thing! Afterwards, we ate lunch then headed to Nakano to do some shopping with the team...which is where this really crazy thing happened...we were all crossing the street to get to Nakano Broadway to shop and there is this guy on the corner handing out advertisements/tissues. He looked so familiar but the person I thought he looked like wasn't from Tokyo, so I just kept walking. As I passed by, I glanced back just to check one more time and the guy smiled. It was him! It was Masayuki - a friend of mine from college back in Tahlequah. We were both really surprised to see each other. Definitely one of the highlights of this week!

That night, Yuki-san and Keiko-san invited me to YWAM(Youth With a Mission) meeting at the Ochanomizu Christian Center. I bought my first Japanese bible there at their bookstore and the guy who led worship was from ORU! I'm amazed at the people God has been placing in my path along the way here in Tokyo.

Today, we were at Waseda University. Ate lunch, passed out flyers. I met this awesome girl Mari who heard about Jesus in Germany and is now reaching out to students at Waseda. She hosts Bible studies in her apartment near the campus. Robert taught Bible study, we had some awesome discussion. Pray that God opens up doors for us there at Waseda. It's difficult to get students to come to the evening Bible study because it's a commuter campus, but nothing is impossible for Him! I'm going back to Waseda tomorrow, meeting a friend from NSU and hopefully some new people so -- be praying for me, that I have boldness and divine appointments!

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support, as always. Feel free to e-mail me, fosburg@nsuok.edu!

So...

...some things about Tokyo:

1. Convenient stores are truly convenient. Not only are they conveniently placed just about everywhere, Quicktrip's got nothing on the food selection. So - find a meal that looks especially oishii, grab a bottled tea/juice/coffee/water and get to the counter where they will be more than happy to microwave that bad boy for you to enjoy elsewhere. Oh, and there is a copy machine. AND you can pay your bills there? Yeah. I know what you are thinking..."That is so convenient!" So, thanks to the 7-11 near the apartment, I have near unlimited access to curry rice.

2. You might be wondering, "Is there anything in Tokyo that strikes fear into Amanda's heart like never before?" The answer is yes, and the fear is getting ran over by a bicycle. There are SO many bicycles here. They are everywhere. I have yet to see a real parking lot for cars...I have seen plenty of bike parking lots though. I guess cars are generally parked in tall parking buildings - but still...the car/bike ratio is pretty extreme. I do have to give it to the Japanese though, they are talented bicyclists. I wouldn't make it on a bike here, for sure.

3. Most wards require their citizens to divide up their trash to be recycled. It's actually really cool. There is some satisfaction in knowing you are keeping your environment just a little bit cleaner by properly disposing your plastics. Also, people don't walk and eat - so there are few trash cans to be found along the sidewalks. Sometimes it's a little strange trying to find one...and then you also have to make sure it's the right one.

4. Sometimes the train is so busy and so full in the morning, guys with white gloves have to push the people inside so the doors will close. True story. I've seen them.

5. Everything is pretty kawaii. Cuteness is a big deal here.

6. There cafeteria food is pretty good, unlike the food at NSU - which is ridiculously sad in comparison.

7. 100 Yen shops (aka, the Japanese dollar store) actually have really awesome stuff, not the junk we have at some of our dollar stores...

8. Going to the movies? Approx. $18 for a ticket in Shinjuku, but you can bring in all the food and drink you can carry!

9. The freshest sushi is considered the best sushi around here. Sometimes that means it's still moving...

10. Japan is pretty awesome in general. I suggest a visit.


It's been a pretty awesome week so far! That last post was something I wrote at XHOP last Saturday night. XHOP stands for Chi Alpha(XA) House of Prayer. It's held at the student center every other Saturday night and every Thursday night. It was a really powerful time of prayer and worship. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's XHOP!

Sunday, Susan preached at our church about God's love and loving others in Japanese. I really love Tokyo Urban Church. The people are so nice there. The prayer time is intense - these people know how to pray! It's fun, and I'm actually picking up on hiragana better trying to read the worship slides. Slowly, but surely...

Hiromi, my roommate from NSU, met up with me at Itabashi station on Monday morning! It was so exciting to see her get off the train and I'm sure people thought we were crazy because we ran to each other on the train platform. I've missed her, and it was good to see a familiar face. She took me to Harajuku - a famous shopping district in Tokyo. We went to Takeshita street, which is so busy but has some of the coolest shops. That's also where we took "purikura" - ex. the picture above! It was so much fun. I ate sushi for the first time. I ate shrimp for the first time. I had a Coffee Jelly Frappuccino at Starbucks. We also strolled down the most expensive shopping street in Tokyo - Omotesando Hills - though you can find designer labels at most of the plazas in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Harajuku. Fashion is really important to young Tokyo. Materialism is probably worse here than in America. Anyways, we hung out in Harajuku and Ikebukuro all day, ate some sweets, took some pictures and made plans to do it again soon!

Tuesday, we went to Todai and had LOGOS Bible study. It was really good, they are covering the Purpose Driven Life right now. After study, we went to lunch and met up with Shawn - a Chinese student we've been having really good conversations about God with. He's really nice and he and Robert are getting to be pretty good friends! We are also waiting on sight-seeing plans with a student we met last week, Yuta. He's offered to take us around a few places, I can't wait! I'm going to Todai tomorrow, so please pray that I have some divine appointments and that God gives me wisdom as I meet new people!

After Bible study on Tuesday, I went to Shinjuku by myself for the first time and didn't get lost - so that was exciting! I went to the big bookstore where they sell English books. Yay! I always feel better around books and coffee. Oh, there are so many coffeeshops here. It makes me very happy!

Today, we spent the day in Waseda. We were able to meet up with the CCC(Campus Crusade for Christ) team in one of the lounges. They are doing some good work there at Waseda. I talked to some of their team and met a few Waseda students. I had a really good conversation with this girl Mayumi. She's traveling to the States in a few months for vacation. She loves Audrey Hepburn! I also met a cool guy, Tadakazu. Hopefully we'll get to hang out again on Friday afternoon when I go back there. Robert, the other XA intern, had this amazing divine appointment happen with some guys! So, definitely pray for us that more connections are made with students and that God opens doors and hearts to share His love! Oh yeah, and I led Bible study at WEBs tonight. It was...okay. I hope what was in my heart actually got out. We had a new student, a Japanese friend of Praise's(S. Korean from London who is also here for missions) from London was there. It was hard for me to concentrate on talking slowly because I was a little nervous I think. I'm generally better at it, but by God's grace hopefully someone heard something they needed - whether today or in the future.

It's after midnight, so I should probably head to bed. Thanks for your support, your prayers and for reading this. Leave comments or send me some e-mail to let me know how things are going at home!

Tokyo Morning.

Sunlight breaks through half-drawn curtains
Your whispers echo in my heart
"Come, come and see..."

The street is alive
Bicycles line sidewalks
Children hang onto their mother's arms

I just want to hang onto You
As You roam these narrow alleys
Pausing in low, shaded doorways

Your fingerprints are there -

On faces that don't recognize You
Don't they feel You, Father?
Can't they sense Your love?

Your pain carries this train
You reach out your hands
Wanting to touch, to know, to love

But You meet empty eyes
And hearts that don't understand You
Though You speak their language

You know the land these tracks roll over
Nothing is foreign to You
And You are not afraid

So I cling to You
As crowds empty out onto the platform
Only to meet another rushing in

Your eyes scan faces -
Knowing every smile and every tear
That has ever been worn

You take my hand -
You hold my heart
I feel Your pain and the separation

Another station, another street
The people come and go
And somehow don't know

You are here, You are here.

-af. xhop june 13

Smile Everyday.

Sometimes two trains will run right alongside one another. When they are parallel, you can't see anything in the train, it's going by so fast - but then the tracks split and one train begins to pull away. I like to scan the faces of those in that train pulling away - it is rare to see a smile. It is the same most places in the world, you catch people in that moment alone and there is just an emptiness in their eyes. Routine living can drain a person's joy, and it must be hard not to slip into a routine here in the city.

This week we started campus ministry at Todai and Waseda. Tuesday we had LOGOS Bible study at the University of Tokyo. The campus is really pretty and very old. There is a lot of gothic architecture and massive trees. I love it. Anyways, day one at Todai we went to LOGOS first. They are studying the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It's cool, because the room where we meet is just partitioned off from an area where people sit and eat or study, so everything we say or sing can be heard on the other side of that partition - who knows what a person outside might catch? I pray it draws some of them in. After LOGOS, we ate lunch downstairs. We got to eat with a Chinese student from the Bible study Zhe Ye. He was really cool, and we had a pretty awesome conversation at lunch. Todai is mostly made up of third and fourth year students and graduate students, so these students are a little more serious about school and are looking for jobs already. It's vastly different from Waseda, but we'll get to that in a minute. After lunch, we prayer walked for awhile and looked around the campus. Todai has a Starbucks...so that was good news! Robert came back to Kita with me and Susan after we left Todai then we all ate dinner at McDonald's! Shrimp burger, anyone?

Wednesday, we went to Waseda and ate lunch at the cafeteria. After that, we did a little campus tour and did some praying. Waseda is a liberal arts school, so the atmosphere is totally different. Todai is beautiful, but if I lived here - Waseda would be where I wanted to be. It's just fun. We watched some hip hop dancers on one side of the campus, were mistaken for international dancers (yeah...I don't know how that French guy came to that conclusion...) on the other side of campus, and found a lot of really cool places to hang out and meet people. WEBs Bible study was at 6, so we met our British accented Korean friend Praise and then headed to the meeting area. Robert and I shared our testimonies, then Praise and Aiyumi also shared - it was so good just discussing how good and powerful God has been in our lives and how He saved us from the path we were on. It's hard to imagine who I could have been...what if I wasn't in Japan right now? Crazy. God is so good. After WEBs, it was definitely dinner time. We went to Seven Blessing Ramen Shop and ate real ramen and some amazing gyoza. It was a lot of fun, and we are pretty sure a famous baseball player was sitting at the table behind us! Oh, Tokyo. Oh and I ate some kind of squid snack at Bible study...it was interesting...kinda sour?! Hmm...

Robert and I went back to Todai on Thursday. My first time solo on the train! Woohoo! I actually really like the trains, even though they are often crowded and the stations are confusing - it's like a small victory every time I remember where I'm going. So, we made it there - no problems. We ate lunch with this awesome guy Yuta who offered to take us sightseeing when he gets a chance. Pretty cool. We prayer walked after lunch, I got some coffee and Robert met some people at Starbucks then we just hung out in the park for a bit. It was there that we met these really cool guys who were studying English. They really enjoyed my Japanese phrasebook and we all took pictures together and hopefully they'll come to the LOGOS party at the end of the month!

Today was my day off, so I stayed around the apartment this morning then I went to get some lunch and explore a bit. I found a really awesome street past the station that had some cool stores and places to eat. I had fun looking around there - sampled some green tea, bought some bread and a C.C. Lemon drink. Shortly after I got back, I left with Debbie to go look at some curtains in this other shopping place. We took the subway to the next station and met some of her friends, Chisako and her son Yuta! He is such an adorable little boy. Anyways, there were so many amazing stores down the street she took us to. I wanted to look everywhere! Debbie found some curtains she liked and I went to my first 100 Yen shop. It's like a dollar store, only waaaay better. It was a really good afternoon.

I changed and stuff when we got back for my big night out in Shinjuku with Susan, Yuri, Praise and Hikari! That place is huge and there are all these designer stores and nice restaurants. It's very big and very bright and very busy. It was pretty exciting. We went to movies, which in Japan cost approx. an arm and a leg. Ok, just $18. Luckily I paid student price which was only $15 - but it's pretty cool because you can bring any kind of food you want in there and they don't care. It's really nice, too. Hikari says we went to the best theater in Japan. I believe it, it was pretty cool. So, we watched Star Trek and it was awesome.

I survived Shinjuku station at 11 pm, so I'll make it to XHOP prayer at the student center tomorrow evening. I have a lot to pray about. As exciting as Shinjuku is, there were a lot of things there that broke my heart. Like any big city, there are the vices that come with big city life. Addiction - drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography. Here, it's not as hidden as it is in the smaller areas of the city. Full blown nudity in advertisements, you can smell alcohol everywhere, the pachinko slot machines are loud and people are waiting outside to get in. Most people are just looking for escape. When will people realize that real joy can't be bought with money?

It's about 1 a.m. Tokyo time and I'm exhausted from all that running around I did today! It's so much fun though, and I'm learning and experiencing so much. Keep praying for the team and for Chi Alpha in Japan - thank you!

Oyasumi-nasai!

Rivers.

"I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus.
I will give them fountains of water in the valleys.
I will fill the desert with pools of water.
Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.
I will plant trees in the barren desert—
cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine.
I am doing this so all who see this miracle
will understand what it means—
that it is the Lord who has done this,
the Holy One of Israel who created it."
-Isaiah 41:18-20

Takinogawa, Kita-ku - Tokyo, Japan

Before I go into what I've been up to over the weekend, I just want to pause and talk about how good God is for a moment. He has been showing me some overwhelming grace while in Japan. I haven't been scared. I sleep like a rock and wake up early, ready to begin the day. Jetlag hasn't been a problem. The food is delicious and my picky tastes seem to have disappeared for the time being. I have an awesome place to stay with good people. My Machida and Tokyo church families are pretty amazing.

I pray, more than ever, that God's love would flood Japan. People, especially the young people, are searching for something more. There is an emptiness that I recognize, because haven't we all felt it before? We are lost without Him. He desires us, loves us - covets our attention and our praise. His perfect love begs reciprocity. I love what He says here in Isaiah, that He will bring life giving water to the land so that the people will understand that it was He who created it. I pray He continues to open our hearts and our eyes to the truth of His love.

A lot has happened over the weekend. We spent Friday morning teaching English to the mothers of J.O.Y. Club students. I love kids, but I felt more comfortable in this class. We were expecting about 4 or 5 mothers, but 12 came! Praise God! It's a big thing for all of these women to come to the church, even just to come to an English class. It was a lot of fun, my students Mari and Naoko were awesome. Ladies from the church cooked us lunch. They were so good to us at Evergreen Chapel! After lunch, we piled into some cars and went on a prayer walk and campus tour of Obirin University. It's a private Christian university. Our tour guides were Reiko and Saki. Pray that there is a greater openness to Christianity on that campus, so much ministry could be happening there! From what I hear, Keiko and Saki came to Evergreen on Sunday - so that's pretty cool. As soon as we returned, Robert and I got our bags and headed into Tokyo. Our luggage was kind of a nuisance in the train stations, but we got to where we needed to be. Debbie picked me up at Ikebukuro station and took me on to Itabashi station, where I'll be living for the summer! Debbie took me out for curry later that night and I met Megumi! Such a sweet dog. Saturday, Susan had class to teach, so I walked around a bit on Saturday afternoon. Sunday, we took the subway to Tokyo Urban Church, which is where I want to be in my timeline here.

To get to Tokyo Urban Church(www.kyoukai.org), I take the Shin-Itabashi line to Jimbocho. Here I change over to a local train to get to Higashi-Ojima. I'm telling you this more for myself, I confess. I want to remember. From there, its about a five to ten minute walk. The church has a real contemporary design and there are quite a few people there around my age. We came for morning prayer, which was a really powerful time. The people of this church are so passionate! It was really amazing to see, and refreshing for me. I'm looking forward to my summer with this church. Anyways, after prayer Naomi, the worship leader, and Susan translated some of the songs into romanji(roman characters) for me so I could sing during worship then Susan and I went to Sakai Sensei's office and he preached his message to me in English. He is so annointed! The message was good and I really took a lot from it and I learned a few new Japanese words and some kanji along the way! He spoke about the difference between knowledge and Godly wisdom and how we should be seeking God's wisdom in every situation, especially in crisis, instead of relying our our own knowledge and instead of seeking the reason for the crisis. The reason you will see in hindsight, we should always first seek His wisdom. It was so good. I learned about the words for purpose, wisdom and knowledge too. In kanji, the characters for mokuteki, or purpose, mean "eye" and "target." The characters for knowledge, chishiki, mean "know" and "judge." For chie, the wisdom we get from God, the characters mean "know" and "grace." Isn't that awesome?

Ok, so after church in Japan, pretty much everyone just hangs around for the rest of the day. I went to the store with Nobue, Mariye and Mika to get lunch then we brought it back to the church and ate before cell groups. Naomi, the worship leader, is also in our group. She's only 22, but she's a church leader and she's very strong. Susan had some meetings so we were there at the church for a long time but it was really fun. They are going to a church in Singapore at the end of this week, so Susan will be preaching next Sunday.

Today, I slept in for the first time! Well, I woke up around 5 a.m. but I forced myself back to sleep and got up around 10 to get ready. Susan took me to the Assemblies of God Bible college here in Tokyo. It's also the Japan Assemblies of God headquarters. Beautiful campus! From there, we walked through the park and looked at a shrine there. Back at Ikebukuro station, we stopped at this awsome bakery called Little Mermaid, had some sweets, then came back to the apartment to wait for the staff meeting tonight...

...which brings me to right now! 3:36 p.m. on Monday afternoon! We start campus ministry tomorrow at the University of Tokyo, and will be going to Waseda University on Wednesday. Be in prayer for us! Pray for boldness for Robert and I(as well as the rest of the team!), and pray that God gives us favor on these campuses. Also, please pray for understanding for the Japanese students we talk to and that we develop close relationships to the students we meet. Praise God for the work He's doing in Japan!

Thank you for helping make this journey possible for me! I'll keep you posted!

Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”
And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”
And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”
- Jeremiah 1:11-12

Evergreen Chapel - Naruse-dai, Machida-shi - Tokyo, Japan

Orientation is winding down to a close for some of us. Tuesday, Sensei taught us about Japanese culture during our morning session. After that, we joined Joy in the J.O.Y.(Jesus, Others, Yourself) Club classroom. This is where Joy teaches English to over 76 students in Machida, in groups of 8 or less. She taught us a lot about teaching English to children and fun things we could do with our classes. All the summer workers, except for me and Robert, will be working in English learning classrooms at churches across Japan. After morning sessions, we had lunch. My first real Japanese meal! It was so good. We all ate together, then went exploring before we went to our J.O.Y. Club assignments. We went to some convenient stores and just walked around the neighborhood a little. Liz and I worked with the youngest class, and then the whole team helped with the Jr. High class before dinner. They were so sweet! It was a lot of fun and Joy is just amazing with her students. She's so full of energy and excitement, the kids just love her. Dinner was great, Sensei has definitely been spoiling us! Also, we were joined at dinner by Fujimoto Sensei from Nagoya. He bought us some watermelon, which was so nice! Watermelon is kind of expensive here - so, it was very nice of him to buy us some. We definitely ate it up, then played some ping pong and Uno before bed. I couldn't help but think that it was a little ironic that I was halfway across the world and still watching boys play ping pong...I guess some things never change!

Thursday, we started sessions with Susan. We learned more about the culture and about our positions as short-term missionaries and as teachers. It is exciting and kind of scary at the same time. I will be here with Susan and Robert, but the rest of crew go to their assignments on their own. They will all have the guidance and direction of their host pastors, but I know its a little unnerving to not really know what's going to be expectd just yet. God will be with them and be their strength though! A woman from the church cooked us lunch(she also made us tempura to go with our noodles on the first day!). She is so sweet. She has really gone out of her way to show this kindness to us, and we have definitely been grateful. She's a wonderful cook. Other things we tried that afternoon, rice balls with fish eggs(kinda salty, but pretty good) and C.C. Lemon! C.C. Lemon is a lemonade drink and it's really good. After lunch, we finished the orienation manual with Susan, went to the super market down the street, then went back to help with J.O.Y. Club. Also, Sarah started packing to leave for Nagoya. We found out earlier in the day the Fujimoto Sensei was the pastor at Sarah's host church. We all ate dinner together again, Sensei's awesome cooking, had a few arm wrestling matches then played some more Uno while we waited for Sarah's pastor to come pick her up for the four hour drive to Nagoya. It going to be hard to let each other go...

And today is my last day in Machida at Evergreen Chapel. It's hard to believe I've only been here for a little over two days. I've learned so much here and I've had so much fun getting to know people and this church. It's encouraging to be around people who are called to a similar purpose - who all share the same heart for Japan and its people. It is also comforting to be around each other, but I think we all know God called us here not only to minister but to stretch us as well and build our trust and faith in Him like never before. So, today Robert and I will pack our bags and head to the other side of the city with Susan!

Which is exciting. I get to work with Chi Alpha...in JAPAN! It's amazing. Next week I'll get to go to the University of Tokyo and Waseda University for Bible study. We'll get to spend a lot of time on these two campuses. I can't even wait...I just believe God is going to do some pretty amazing things during our time here.

Again, thank you so much for praying for me and for reading this! I'll keep you updated!

Ohayo gozaimasu, Tokyo!

Good morning!

So, needless to say, I made it. I didn't get lost in LA or anything! The flights were actually really easy. I met some really nice people along the way. My aunts were on my flight to Dallas? Yeah, God works in mysterious ways but He kept me going. I even slept a little on my flight between Dallas and LAX, which is weird because it was definitely the most uncomfortable. On my first and last flight, I had a window seat so that was pretty nice...and Singapore Airlines? Amazing. I was in economy, but it didn't feel like it. The service is just amazing. They were all really nice too. I don't think I slept much on that ten hr. flight but we did get into Tokyo an hour early. Customs and immigration stuff went very smoothly and very quickly. Before I knew it, me and my suitcase were reunited, I was going through my last airport security check and then Susan was giving me a hug and welcoming me to Tokyo. The rest of the crew was very happy to see me there and to see me there early. We exchanged currency, grabbed our bus passes and began making our way to Machida to meet the pastor of Evergreen Chapel. There are a lot of bridges and ferris wheels in Tokyo. Big, giant, well-lit ferris wheels. And they drive on the opposite side of the road than we do, which was kind of unnverving at first. After we met him and Tatsu, they took us to the church.

Which is amazing. Its beautiful here. Last night, we came in, met Joy, who will be helping us learn how to teach English, put all our luggage in the elevator and sent it to the third floor where all of us are staying for the week. They had everything prepared for us. Our names are on the doors. Towels were laid out, our beds were made. We were all pretty tired, but none of us wanted to go to bed yet and really...why would we? Uchimura Sensei took us on a tour of the chapel, which I hope to get on video before I leave. You have to see this place. Anyways, he is so nice and so funny! We are going to have a lot of fun here. They told us to make ourselves at home and so...shortly after the grand tour, I went to my room...

...and crashed. I don't think I've ever been so glad to be in a bed. I went to sleep very quickly and woke up pretty early. Like 6:30 am, but lucky for me, so did everyone else! We all got up super early, got ready and we are now eating breakfast before our first class at 9:30. Listening to the crows, which are pretty loud but I've heard from the others...are must worse in other parts of the country. Yes. Crows. Anyways, we are eating our toast, drinking our coffee and contemplating going to the convenient store. We have an hour and a half before class.

Thank you for praying for me and supporting me. I thought I would be all nervous and afraid for a few days, but I'm fine. I was calm during travel and just excited now and I know that none of that was just my super good adjustment skills(those who know me well, laugh a little here)...it was God. He was with me every step of the way and your prayers didn't go unheard. I appreciate it so much. Keep praying for us - me, Anna, Kierin, Anna, Sarah, Liz, Eric and Robert - pray for us, our effectiveness and pray for the Japanese people!

I'll be back...probably later today...who knows?

It's Time.

So, tomorrow morning is the big day. My probably too heavy suitcase is packed(and so is the money to pay if it is overweight...). My carry-on, purse and laptop are ready to go. I have everything in order...

...so here I am. Posting the last blog I'll write while still on American soil for two whole months. I can't believe it's time.

I'm so ready and so excited, and yet - I am nervous, and to be honest, a little afraid. I know that God will guide me and the rest of the summer crew though, He's lead us this far and I trust Him. After a VERY long plane trip to Tokyo, I'll meet up with the team and we'll all take a 85 min bus ride together into Tokyo. After that, we'll meet up with the pastor of the church we are staying at for orientation. I'll be there for the rest of the week, then its off to work with Chi Alpha!

I've had a really good week hanging out with my friends and spending time with my family. It's going to be hard to round that corner after I pass through security in Tulsa to go find my gate. The good thing is, I know without doubt that God pulled my heart to Japan and that makes the nervousness and the fear seem irrational. He's watching me.

Thank you for your continued support and your prayers! I'll keep you updated on my adventure, but for now...I need some sleep. Oyasumi! Goodnight!