Only two weeks...

I posted a blog two weeks before my adventure in Japan began, it's only fitting that I should post another two weeks before this first adventure in Tokyo ends...

I can't believe the summer is almost over!

I don't even really know where to start since my last blog. We've been pretty busy - the summer holiday is starting for most students and there have been church events and sight-seeing with friends. If anyone has been following my pictures on Facebook...I'm sure all they think we do is eat :)

Monday, July 20 was a Japanese summer holiday - umi no hi - or day of the sea/marine day. My church, Tokyo Urban Church, had a big BBQ in the park! It was my first Japanese style BBQ and it was sooo good, there was SO much food. It was also really nice just hanging out with all the families from the church and meeting new guests.

After the big BBQ, Susan and I went to Sunshine City with some friends from Chi Alpha and GAP church. Sunshine City is like a giant mall, but inside there is an indoor kind of food amusement park called Namja Town. We had gyoza and ice cream and then did a little shopping. Susan and I walked back to her apartment in Itabashi from Ikebukuro since we'd been eating all day!

Tuesday we had LOGOS and Kobayashi Sensei was there to wrap up this semester's study of The Purpose Driven Life. We had some really good discussion and there were five nations respresented - Japan, American, S. Korea, China and Malaysia - so we got to hear a lot of different perspectives. The next day, I went to Waseda University and met up with some friends and a few new people. I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with Yasuka and Chisa. Yasuka is the girl I met through Twitter, and I met Chisa through a card game a few weeks ago at Waseda. I'm meeting Chisa again tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited! Also, Robert and I met another girl during lunch last week and I'm meeting her on Thursday at her favorite bakery - so just a lot of really good opportunities and great people! Be praying for me! Also on Tuesday, Susan took Leo, Robert, Kohei and me to the Tokyo Metro. Government building in Shinjuku. From the 45th floor, you can see across Tokyo. The city truly looked endless. Afterwards we enjoyed Krispy Kreme donuts!

Thursday, we had a LOGOS picnic at Todai! The weather is finally sunny here in Tokyo so we brought out a mat to sit on and enjoyed the afternoon(minus the dozens of mosquito bites I obtain daily) under the big tree. There is a team of jugglers that practice on Thursday afternoons out in that open square - so we sat under the tree, talking and watching them juggle. Some days are just perfect summer days...but then again, Tokyo reminds me a little of Oklahoma when it comes to weather. Two hours later, I was roaming about Omotesando before XHOP at the student center in the pouring rain. At least it was beautiful for the picnic!

Friday, I was able to relax and get some laundry done. I have learned the importance of a day off here in Tokyo - although I think my neighbor would beg to differ. She says I let "no grass grow under my feet." Tokyo is exciting, so when I'm not meeting students or at Bible study or prayer - I want to see, smell and taste as much of it as I can. It's been during these times out and about, sometimes alone, that I have really felt I connected with this country. It has been the times when my heart has been broken by what I've seen and also the times I've fallen in love with this place and the people here. So much of this summer has been wrapped in observation when I haven't been in Bible study or at the student center. It's truly a one of a kind place - and there are good and bad aspects of that.

Moving on, Friday I relaxed until the evening - then I met friends in Ogikubo for yakiniku, which is oishii. I'll give Robert and Hiromi props on their favorite Japanese food. I also ate raw meat mixed with raw egg on this particular evening. No worries, the meat here is much, much safer than that of America. It wasn't half bad...but the grilled meat, onions, carrots and the kimichi appetizer were much better! Our friends have really been kind to us, we are always having fun and just enjoying getting to know each other and experiencing new things.

Saturday...there was a going away party for some friends at the church that Robert goes to. The school semester just ended here, so many students are going home for the holiday or are about to go study aboard. We also had XHOP that night at the student center - such a powerful time of prayer! God has been healing some old wounds that I've kept close for too long. It's amazing how much He loves us, you know? We just don't get it most of the time....but He - creator God, ruler of the universe, King of all Kings, all-mighty one - He loves us. Completely. It's just amazing when you really, really think about it. It's life-changing when you know it.

Sunday we had an awesome service at church and then we all got ready to go the Komagome for a district youth worship service. Saikai Sensei, the pastor of my church, is the district youth director, so it was a pretty busy day. Before the service, they cooked hot dogs and yakisoba and there were sno-cones. Kind of like a mini-festival. Some of my good friends from our montly XA meetings were there - Izumi, Mitsuru and Soh. The worship night was amazing. So many students were really responding and it was so encouraging to see so many Japanese students in love with Jesus! I'm always really encouraged by my church - there are a lot of young people there and it is a constant example of how full of life and hope this nation could be!


That finally brings me to this week, which has been amazing in ways I don't even know how to put into words. Monday I met Hiromi in Ikebukuro and we went shopping, then we went to her house in Saitama. Saitama is nothing like Tokyo minus the whole being in Japan thing. It's green and reminds me a lot more of home. In fact, Tuesday morning I had my first encounter with true homesickness as I was leaving Saitama. Meeting Hiromi's family and spending this time at her home is one of the best experiences of this entire journey. It was really important for me to share this with her. She has spent a few holidays at my house in Wagoner and we share so much of our lives living in our little dormroom. Her home is beautiful, and her family is so amazing! I love them. We had Hiromi's favorite food for dinner, then all the ladies went to the sento. Sento is a truly Japanese experience, very relaxing. I'll save the explanation for the exceptionally curious. In the morning, we had breakfast and then I had to catch an early train to get back in time for Bible study at Todai. I didn't want to leave though, I wish I could have spent more time getting to know Hiromi's family and just hanging out with Hiromi! I'll see her when she comes back to Tahlequah though!


Today was the last LOGOS Bible study at Todai! I can't believe it. I will still be meeting with my friends from LOGOS in the next two weeks, but I still just can't believe the summer is ending. Everyone is packing up and preparing for holiday. We have been able to spend more time with Susan these days, which has been really nice. She took us(me, Robert, Kohei) to Ueno Zoo today! Anyone who has really spent any time with me knows that I love the zoo! After the zoo, Hard Rock Cafe Uyeno-Eki, Tokyo for some very American food.


All that being said, we have had some really good conversations and some good questions from some of the students we've met. We know the seeds are being planted, so we keep praying and looking for opportunities to spread life and love in His name. Tomorrow, as I said before, I'm spending some time with Chisa then probably going over some budgeting stuff. Please be in prayer for these final weeks, God isn't on a time schedule and I believe there is still some pretty awesome things He has in store! And, yes, those are my feet in the picture below... =]

I never knew the world until I saw it through Your eyes...

lyrics borrowed from "Who Needs Air?" by The Classic Crime.

Side-note before continuing: my mom e-mailed me earlier this week to let me know that I was awarded a $1000 scholarship from NSU, so that was a huge blessing and just goes to show that God is taking care of what I left behind in order to be in Japan this summer. He is faithful, my friends, always faithful!

Another amazing week in Tokyo!
Tuesday:
Ministry at Todai. Robert and I came to campus early and sang worship songs out by the "big tree" in the middle of campus. I thank God for the freedom we have in Tokyo - and I pray for more openness and less resistance to the Gospel. It was a blessed time, just worshiping there in the open - people walking by, some curious, and all the while God was just opening us up for the day. It's been a busy couple of weeks, we are all tired - but He always refreshes us and renews our spirits and our hunger to reach out to those around us. Robert taught out of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren at Bible study, about defining our life's purpose. It was good and we had a really great fellowship time at lunch after Bible study.

That evening, we had some friends over for tacos and watermelon! Rob cooked while I met our guests at the train station. We had so much fun! The food was delicious and we played Spoons and Uno after dinner. We finished the night with another ridiculous game of Chubby Bunny... definitely good times and I really connected with one of the girls that came with our friend Takeshi from Waseda, who is really an amazing guy. Be praying for him, I want him to be my brother!


Wednesday:
I went fishing...in Tokyo. Yes, yes. Fishing. For goldfish! Kohei, who went to DisneySea with us and also came to Todai's Bible study on Tuesday, took Robert and I fishing(we caught 8 and then set them free!) and then the three of us met some more friends for an Italian feast. We do a lot of eating in Japan...

Thursday:
I ate lunch with Izumi at Todai, sadly Yuriko couldn't join us because of exams coming up. After lunch, I went to Waseda where I met this really awesome girl in the international communications center! I asked to sit at her table and we just started chatting about what I was doing in Japan and about her life as a student at Waseda. She's really interested in keeping in touch through e-mail and meeting up, so join me as I pray and believe for an opportunity to share my faith with this beautiful young lady!

XHOP that night was amazing, as always. We were joined this week by two Malaysian guys who are staying at the student center for a week, Jason and Leo. They are so much fun and they love Jesus so much! I really enjoyed talking to them before prayer about missions. The prayer time though was really intense. A long, long time ago - I was very active in the intercessory prayer of my church. This was like in middle school. I still actively intercede in my life for the ministries I'm involved in and for the people God has laid on my heart, but a renewed love and passion for intercession has come over me while in Japan and I'm so thankful for it. I know now that God was also preparing my heart at this week's XHOP for an attack on myself that was coming. The enemy would love to distract me and slow me down, he'd love to bog my mind with worry and doubt about things I've left behind me and things that are waiting for me back home but he has no power when I know what he's up to and I know who is really in control. So, I just thank the Lord that He orders my steps, He forgives my sins and He corrects my heart.

Today:
I did a massive load of laundry! Yay! Clean clothes to serve the Lord in! :) Then I went to visit a campus I'd never been to. I was curious about the 1st and 2nd year Todai students since they don't attend at the Hongo campus where we do ministry. Izumi told me the other campus was somewhere in Shibuya...so I did a little research...and made my way to the Komaba Todai campus. I would say that the students there are not as closed off as the ones at the Hongo campus, but not as accessible as the ones at Waseda either. There were posters all over campus warning students of "cult groups and bogus brokers" who were targeting them. Later on, Susan would tell me that they have done ministry there before but the administration is hostile to religious groups. Granted, there is a lot of new age craziness here too but it makes it a little more difficult to start a ministry where the administration thinks you are just trying to swindle or manipulate students. It breaks my heart - watching these students. They don't know how much He loves them. They have no idea that they could be free to just be who they are, and not what they are expected to be according to society norms. They could have hope for something more than what everyone else has had before them.

It's not at all hard to get a glimpse of what they feel, after only being here for a month and a half - I get tired on the train and feel as if I could sleep. I find myself with my mind blank as I change platforms. It's a new experience for me to not be thinking of anything. You become just one of many, a silent body filing in and off trains, shuttling here or there, and then going home. I wonder how many people go through a whole day without really talking to anyone. Sometimes I just want to hug the person standing next to me.

I love these people, I love them so much...
Keep praying,
-Amanda

God is now using Twitter...

...what? I'm not joking.

Recently, students from Waseda University have been adding me on Twitter. I have never met these students, but they seem friendly and I've got plans to meet with at least one of them on campus this week. How crazy is that? It's given me a new list of students to be praying for and I'm thankful for the unlikely connection that was made through modern technology. God can use just about anything for His glory.

In other news, we had our final Waseda English Bible Study last Wednesday. The semester is ending there this week, so Robert and I will be spending a lot of time there this Wednesday and Thursday - making the most of those last days on Waseda's campus. The campus there is very open, so we've met and made several friends from Waseda but it has been difficult to actually get students to come to the Bible study. Both the Waseda and Seikei campuses are open and there is a lot of opportunity to meet people and witness - so just be in prayer for God ideas to help us get students plugged in to the Bible study times!We still have a few weeks left for LOGOS, the Unverisity of Tokyo's Bible study. We've had a consistent group there and its been great getting to know them over the summer. I'm also praying for two specific students who do not currently attend the Bible study that I've met this summer. Todai is a difficult campus to reach - the students tend to be alone and they don't just hang out on campus much, but these are the future leaders of Japan and I am happy to say we do have a steady group there who love the Lord, want to grow and seek opportunities to share their faith with others!

Saturday, Robert and I went back to Seikei - with some other Christian friends. I met up with two students I'd met previously there and it was really cool to talk to them again and see how they've been since I'd talked to them last. I'm still praying a lot for Seikei and the students I met there. I've heard back from several of my conversation partners this week. We should be setting up some coffee and English appointments soon - they have tests this week, but are looking forward to meeting next week possibly! I can't wait - God just opened up a lot of doors at Seikei University and there are several girls that really just stood out to me. There are two Christian professors on that campus too, so there is potential for even greater ministry to be done at Seikei - be praying that God opens doors for a Chi Alpha ministry or something there!

I also cut my hair off on Saturday afternoon. Nihon no natsu wa atsui desu ne!

XHOP continues to refresh and challenge me. I look forward to those times in prayer and worship probably more than anything else during my time here. I also am really blessed at my church, Tokyo Urban Church!

Campus ministry is slowing down, but now we have even more time to meet with students. We also have some time to do some sight-seeing with Susan, which will be fun because outside of me living in her apartment, we haven't really got to go out and spend time with her in Tokyo. Last week, Robert and I were able to go to Tokyo DisneySea with Yuri, who works with Chi Alpha, and her friends Kohei and Geoff. It was so much fun, and it was definitely an unexpected adventure for my time here in Tokyo. It really was amazing.

Soon, I'll get to visit Tokyo Tower and the Ueno Zoo - but maybe even more exciting than all of that is the upcoming NSU Tokyo Reunion this Saturday, where I'll get to see a lot of students from my university back home, and my overnight trip to my roommate Hiromi's home. I'll get to meet her parents and stay the night at her house! I'm so, so, so excited to share this time in Japan with my roommate Hiromi. She's a really special lady!

Well, today I was able to get some rest from the busy last two weeks. I got some business stuff taken care of and took a long walk through a part of Itabashi that I'd never been to before. Met a nice guy at a clothing store, in broken Japanese and English we discussed American music, television and style. It was a good walk. My eyes have seen so many things this summer and there are so many things my heart will never forget. There is so much need for His love here. Two months isn't long enough!

Pray for me as I pray about coming back to Japan after I graduate, and pray for the final weeks of ministry ahead here in Tokyo. Thank you, as always, for your love and support!

Balance.

Last week was busy, but it was really great. This week is much slower, which is nice for all of us who need to catch up on our rest. Monday night was a nice time of refreshment and ministry at the student center. It was the Carbondale team's last night here in Tokyo so they led our XA service and the altar time was very moving and the Holy Spirit was just present - it was awesome. There are amazing students who come to these prayer services, and I know that God has amazing things planned for them. Today, I discussed Ch. 39 of The Purpose Driven Life at Tokyo University. It was a good chapter for me to read and study because it was all about keeping balance in your spiritual life and I think, especially after how busy last week was, it was definitely some wisdom I needed to hear. After the study, we ate lunch and then Rob went back to the student center and I went back to the apartment...and I'm fairly certain we both took naps!

As I said in my last blog, I went to Seikei on Tuesday of last week and I was also there all day on Thursday. We had such a unique opportunity to actually go into these English classrooms, sing, make friends and talk about our faith and the love of Jesus. Each student received a copy of The New Testament in English/Japanese. We had some really good feedback from the students and we've all been e-mailing our conversation partners. Since I'm going to be here until August, I'm trying to make plans to meet some of the student I met for coffee before I leave. Be praying for those coffee meetings - I want the chance to talk about what we shared in the classes! I'm especially praying for one girl that I met - at the end of The Blessing Song(a song in Japanese about how much you are loved by God), she was crying and it was just a really precious moment to be there and hug her at the end of it. I've been trying to keep close contact with her and hopefully we'll be able to meet.

Tuesday evening we had a welcome party at The University of Tokyo - it was an awesome time of fellowship with the LOGOS Todai Bible study members, the Carbondale team and also some church members from The Gap(an international church located across the street from Tokyo University). Good food, amazing testimonies and songs, and good friends! Wednesday we met some awesome ladies at Waseda University, they joined us for a few rounds of spoons and conversation. Shortly after that, two ladies from the Carbondale team - Christa and Aprille - and I went down to the spot on campus where the hip hop dancers practice. Christa ended up dancing with them and we were able to talk to several of the girls and they invited us back to their group practice later that night. WEBs Bible study at Waseda was really good - we sang and some of the team shared their testimonies and Robert and I were finally able to meet Nozomi, the student leader of WEBs. We, of course, finished the night with a trip to the ramen shop for dinner!

Friday, Robert and I got to spend time with our friend Takeshi from Waseda. He took us to Asakusa(awesome!) and then we met up with the team in Shibuya(busy!) for a bit, and then he became my best friend ever because he took us to eat okonomiyaki! Okonomiyaki is my favorite Japanese food, and I hadn't been able to eat it anywhere yet. It's really cool because you cook it at your table. Oishii! Saturday was another fun day - finally took Liz to Harajuku and we also went to one of the biggest Shinto shrines in Japan, Meiji Jingu. There were some Shinto weddings happening that day and I know we were both prayer walking a bit while we were there. It was amazing knowing that we were in the heart of Tokyo and here was this forest with a Shinto shrine deep inside. It was a beautiful place, but there are so many rituals and its almost as much of a tourist attraction for Japanese people as it is for foreigners. After our day out in Harajuku, we came back to the apartment for Fourth of July dinner with Susan and Susan's neighbor Debbie. My first year without fireworks...but, I'll get to see some here in Japan later this month with our Tokyo University friend Yuta! Can't wait.

Sunday, went to church and had lunch with my cell group then I got on a train and headed to Akabane in Saitama to meet some friends from NSU! Arisa, Megumi and Yuki - it was so much fun hanging out with them and taking purikura. It's been such a blessing to get to meet with some of my friends from home...in their home country! It just really means a lot to me to have this experience and to be able to share it with them - because right after God, they are the reason I am here. I love these people, these friends. So, it was great to spend some time with more friends from NSU and I'm trying to set up a few more NSU meetings before the summer ends...

...and it is ending all too soon! As I look at the calendar, it just doesn't seem like enough time. I miss my family and I can't wait to see them, but the thought of leaving Tokyo behind is just hard for me. People need freedom and joy here, someone needs to tell them that they are loved and I want to help be a part of that. It just doesn't seem like enough time...

Be praying for the team as we begin our final month in Japan. Pray that we have wisdom, divine opportunities, favor and a love for the people around us that cannot be quenched. Pray that our love is contagious. Pray that our mouths are filled with truth and that the ears of those we speak to are opened to it. Thank you so much for your continued support - we could not do this without you.

Most of all, thanks to Jesus - Your overwhelming love and kindness is more than sufficient for me.

Oyasuminasai, friends and family!