Whoa!

The High School interns have arrived! This marks the halfway mark here in Tokyo! I can't believe that I have been here this long. The longest I have ever been away from home is three weeks. Then, I talk to my family everyday and can go home whenever I want. Here, Father has been teaching and stretching me in ways I haven't thought possible. Sometimes, I feel like I can not be stretched or bent any more. However, I have had to learn that Father will not push me to a point where I cannot handle it. Already, I have been able to share the good news with people here in our neighborhood. I met a woman in Starbucks and was able to share why I am here and how I believe.

I met some women at a park and they saw my bracelets! I got to share with them because of my bracelets!

A girl who was met at our university has become a believer! This is why we are here!!!

Things have been busy and relaxing. I have moved into a M's house while they are in the sates with five of the high school girls. It has already been a blessing to share the next six weeks with these awesome girls! The neighborhood we are in is pretty different than Shibuya. I have a bike here, so that is really fun. Unfortunately, I get lots of stares when I am riding down the street with my bike loaded down with groceries.

Front: Kira, Amanda, Brooke, Bekah
Back: Me and Michaela

We have had a student team from California with us for the last three weeks. They have blown my mind along with the other volunteer teams. It is our job as interns to serve the volunteer teams and minister to them. The volunteer teams that we have had are awesome. They end up ministering to us which is such a blessing.

On Tuesday, we had our intern retreat. This was a much need break to just recharge and relax. It was nice to not ride a train for a little while and leave the hustle and bustle of the city. The retreat was at a Bible camp in the mountains. The views were breathtaking.

Wow!

At the retreat we got to spend time with all the interns, admire Fathers work, grow together as a team, and just relax. There were tons of fun things to do. One of them was rafting...

At the river

Nate and I rafting!

I made it!

We came back to the city on Thursday. On Friday July 2, my team and I went to Chofu baptist church again. This week, the church had planned a sushi party for their English ministry. The ladies there, taught us how to make sushi. I had never seen that much raw fish before. The food was pretty different from Texas food, but I actually kinda liked it! The ladies at this church are awesome! Please be praying for them, most are not believers.

So much food!

E and I with one of the fans she got us.

Sweet M and I

Me and precious T. She is a believer and has a huge heart for her people. She teaches a small group that I attended two weeks ago on Sunday.

Prayer Requests

• The woman I met at Starbucks, that she will think about what I said.
• For the neighborhood the girls and I are living in, that we can be lights here.
• Japanese Christians
• The people who run the Bible camp
• The women at Chofu, that they will be believers.
  

Fun with the Tokyo Giants!

June 19
Saturday was my free day! A time of relaxation and fun.

I was able to skype with my family which is always fun. Amy and Geno go crazy as soon as the camera comes on. I really look forward to these days when I get to somewhat see my family.


Also on Saturday, my off day group went to watch the Tokyo Giants. It was a blast! The Giants lost, but being there made me feel like I had a foot in both America and Japan at the same time.

Tokyo Dome!

Me at the field!

Off day group! David, Kelsea, me, Renee, and Cody!

Sunday June 20

Fathers Day! On Sunday, we mixed things up a bit and instead of worship in the park, our groups went to different churches around Tokyo. My group went to Chofu Baptist church, which is where we go on Fridays for English club. The service was all in Japanese, which was a whole new experience. It was a great experience to be able to worship with other believers here in Japan. First they had the service, then we had small groups. I was put in a all Japanese speaking small group. The people in it were really sweet and talked some in English for me. After small groups, they have a huge group meal of noodles. The pastors wife got some of us girls to help with the cooking. I learned so much! I have never cooked Japanese food before.

Monday June 21

Beach Day!

Our M here, decided to take us to the beach. We also stopped and saw the the "Big Buddha". This huge monument showed once again the idol worship here in Japan. At the beach we had a blast and were able to meet people. Having a break for just a day from the bustle of the city was great! Being there reminded me so much of Galveston. Especially when we had Mexican food for lunch. In the afternoon, we crossed a bring to a small island where there is a huge mountain. Some of my friends and I climbed the mountain and went down to see the rocks and the ocean. The island was gorgeous, so much natural beauty. Unfortunaetly all over the mountain, we saw about eight shrines and a temple.

Taco Rice! Yum!

Big Buddha

The beach! In the back is the Island we climbed.

Gorgeous!

Ancient Work

Wow! Father is moving in this city, working things out in ways we could have never imagined. One of the core values of Igo is Ancient work. I believe that Father is everywhere all the time, working, and moving. It is really cool to see things work together to bring him glory.

An awesome thing has happened today. One of our ministry teams was just blown away by a great opportunity. They went to a university today we one of the professors knows the journeyman that was leading their group. How the journeyman and professor know each other is totally Fathers doing. The professor had a relationship with a former journeyman, but at first did not know the journeyman who went there today. The professor grew up in Arkansas. Her husband, who is a Christian also grew up in Arkansas. He was raised by a woman in the same church as the Journeyman who is here now. He and his wife went to visit in Arkansas and visited the woman who raised him. On her fridge was a card saying pray for, A who was in Japan. He asked the woman about A and she gave him A's contact information. When the couple returned to Japan, they took A out for dinner and he has been able to bring groups to her class. The group went to the University today and met two people who said they had gone to the University of North Texas. My friends were surprised about the connection to UNT because two of them currently attend and the other is starting in the fall. They asked the students about UNT and they were told that this university is a sister school of UNT. They were able to get in contact with with the entire group and are going to meet with them before they leave. This is such an awesome opportunity, because they can build relationships here and build them even more when they go to school. The girl who is starting in the fall has been struggling if UNT was the right place for her. She told me that she had been praying about it, and now meeting the 14 students reaffirms that she is going to the right place.

More ancient work, I have bought four bracelets that I had Japanese written on it. One is for Amy, and the others have be joyful, Psalm 46:10, and Psalm 27:1. I have been able to share with three different sets of people in less than a week! Father has totally used these bracelets.

A guy on the bus today was wearing a UCLA shirt and we had a California guy on my team. He was able to find common ground with this guy and share the good news with him.

The doors have also been opened for us to help at a Baptist church. The women we help during their English lesson are not believers and we have been able to share with them.

Please continue to pray that God will do more awesome things here in Tokyo!

Tomorrow I am going to the Tokyo Giants game. It is going to be super fun! I will post pictures as soon as I can. Later y'all!

Prayer Please!

My heart is breaking for this country and these people. I have fallen in love with this amazing country. Father's heart is also breaking for this amazing place. This place is full of darkness, people put their hope in things that are hopeless, also many people think they have nothing to live for and take their lives.

I have visited the temple twice and my heart breaks even more each time. I have been brought to tears at that place. People are putting their hope in rocks, metals, and people all of these will fail them. I have hope in the one true God who will never fail me. He will never forsake me, break my heart, or hurt me. He loves me.

"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;they have ears, but cannot hear,nor is there breath in their mouths.Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them."
Psalms 135 :15-18

Another thing that breaks my heart is a viscous cycle. Proverbs 22:6 says "Train a child up in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it." This is a scary truth. I see parents at the temple teaching their children to pray to the idols and how to find their fortunes. I was blessed to have parents who brought me up in the church. Others have not been so fortunate. My prayer is that parents will become believers and they will teach those truths to their children. Especially if fathers trust in Father! This is still a very man dominated society. If a Father believes then the mothers are more likely to believe and the children will hopefully become believers. Faith is not guaranteed to children of believers, but being raised in an environment that believing in Father is encouraged is something that is needed in Japan. So many families here will disown a child who believes, no matter their age.

Cleansing area at the Shinto shrine next to the temple.

Directions on how to teach your child to use the cleansing area.

A heartbreaking reality of Japan is the suicide rate. Japan has one the highest suicide rates in the world. What has been hard is when we are riding the trains, on the screens an alert comes up and says "accident" and a sign 人 comes up. This means a suicide has occurred. It is heartbreaking to be riding the trains and to look up and see that two or three suicides have occurred. It is hard to ride the trains everyday and almost everyday you are alerted of an accident. To think that they felt they have nothing to live for and there is no where to turn but death is terrible. On one ride home, I saw three "accident" alerts come up and my train was stopped for the tracks to be cleared. To think that only a few minutes before, someone took their own life is heart wrenching. Father gives us life in Him and hope.

One of my favorite spots is the Starbucks looking over the Shibuya crosswalk. It is also a harsh reality, as I look out on the street and see the thousands of people cross. To think that most of those people do not know Jesus and some may not be alive the next day because of suicide is heart wrenching. It is my favorite spot in Tokyo to sit, read, journal, and most of all pray for the people I see as they cross the intersection. Being there and seeing all the people makes me think of two verses.

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalms 46:10

"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deed among all peoples."
Psalms 96:3

This picture is of the crosswalk when its not too busy.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for everything I have covered in this blog. There is so much pain and sorrow here. Pray that the people here will seek Father in their tough times and not other ways of escape or comfort.

It's a God thing

Sunday June 13

As usual, we had worship in the park. This time, we had a one week team joining us. There were so many people that we had to move off the pavilion and into the grass. As our M was teaching, a girl was practicing her saxophone off to the side under the tree. Park worship has really taught me about worship. You have to focus, because there are so many distractions. In a Church building you might only hear people shift, a child whisper, a baby cry, or a truck outside. In the park, we have had balls come flying into our area, Frisbees, a saxophone player, dogs running through, and children playing in the water faucets. Amidst all these distractions, you have to focus on our Father. You also see all the people he loves, and you wish they were worshiping him too. The girl who was playing her saxophone ended up just sitting and watching us as we sang praises. Some of the one weekers went and talked to her, which was a great opportunity to be make Him famous. We had our lunch break and then once again played capture the flag. This time we had victory! My team did not win, but some Japanese students joined in the game with us. We got to talk to them, which is the purpose of the game. Since we had the one weekers here, we took our treks around the park and did park ministry. One way one to reach people one of the other interns has found, is to make flower chains and give them to babies. After you give the "presento" to the baby, you present the Hope track to the parents. We did face painting, blew bubbles, and made flower chains. All of these things gave us opportunities to talk to people.

On the way home, I stopped in Harajuku, which is one train stop away from Shibuya were we stay. It is one of my favorite stops because it is full of young people, music, really unique shops. I had to go to the 100 yen store which is the equivalent to the American dollar store. As I was walking to the store, I saw a booth for leather bracelets that they will write words in Japanese on it. Out of the blue, I decided to buy one. I wanted to put 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" on it, but they weren't able to translate 1 Thessalonians into Japanese. So, I put "be joyful" on my bracelet in Japanese. Now when I look at it, I remember my verse and the joy Christ has given me.



Monday June 14

Father continues to blow my mind! Simple things that I think are insignificant, are used by Him to let His name be glorified. Monday seemed just like an ordinary day. I met our M and his family to go over some VBS stuff, then went to Shibuya to meet the one week team for their free day. I took some girls shopping then brought them to the Hatchiko statue to meet their Japanese friends. They had met five Japanese college students at their park on Saturday. Me and another intern went with them so we could meet the contacts and hopefully invest in them this summer. The three girls who came are sweet beautiful girls. My heart breaks for them. They do not know of Jesus and believe the Japanese can't believe in Him. Father blew me away in the ways he provided. For starters, the 5 college students came, that's encouraging. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Saizeriya, Japanese style Itailian food. Being a Monday night, we did not think out places being really crowded. However, the place was packed. We couldn't get in that place so we called and found that the pizza place had room. It was a total God thing that a place had room for 12 people. We walked in and there were about 20 Junior High students having dinner together. They saw us Americans and started waving at us. Dinner was an awesome experience. The conversation was two sided and the girls wanted to know us Americans better. They saw my bracelet and asked me why it said be joyful. Because of that, I pulled my Bible out and was able to share with them about Jesus. I pray for opportunities like that, because you do not want to force the gospel on people. You just want the conversation to be intentional and flow naturally. We gave them the Gospel of John in Japanese, after they told us there is not a Bible for the Japanese. We also traded information and plan on hanging out together soon. The one week students that were with us yesterday were great! They were excited to be able to pray for the friends we had made and the relationships that the other intern and I hope to make. It was really neat to talk with the one week students and here about things coming full circle. When they heard what my name was, they said they had seen it on the list and have been praying for our team. We, interns, have been praying for the one week team. It was really neat to meet and know we have been praying for each other.



Tuesday June 15

Once again Father made things work perfectly for his glory. I was supposed to help lead a one week team, but then I was asked if I could teach a bible study for Moms at a children's English school. I went to teach about David and Goliath but the Holy Spirit had other ideas. We ended up talking about dealing with losing loved ones, hard times, trusting Father, self esteem, and inner beauty. It blew my mind because it went so much better than I could have ever expected. These Moms are so awesome! They ask awesome questions and want to know more about Father.

Prayer Requests

• The students we got to hang out with.
• That I can build great relationships with the girls and share with them more.
• The Moms at the Bible study
• One week team, that they finish strong
  

Growing Pains

Being here in Tokyo is not only making me grow in my awareness of other cultures, but my faith is growing by leaps and bounds. I believe that Father does not call us to be comfortable. If He did, I seriously doubt I would have done some of the things He has placed on my heart. However, when he calls us to do things, he gives us the strength as He says in his word.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

This truth has totally impacted my life while I have been here. My accountability partner, who is another intern/one of my roommates shared this verse with me. This is one of her favorite verses, and now it is one of my life verses. This verse gives me hope. Because I look at some of things I am supposed to do, and I think to myself "I'm not strong/smart/good/prepared enough to do this." However, Father makes us whole and gives us strength to do the things He wants us to do. By reading this verse and believing it, I know that I need to trust Father and He will prepare me to do what He wants me to do.

I really like to be home, where I see my family, have normal food, where I can read the signs, and I see familiar faces everywhere. However, Father has called all of us out to spread His name. It is a joy to join Him in His ancient work, where he has chosen to use us. The song "In Us" by Casting Crowns sums it up pretty well, "How refreshing to know You don't need me. How amazing to find that you want me..." I am so blessed and joyful that Father has chosen to use me here in Tokyo this summer!

Updates:

Thursday June 10

I spent the day with the California music team at the same university. This day just blew me away. They have made so many contacts! We joined the students for lunch in their cafeteria. I had no idea what I ate, I just hit a button on the machine and hoped that it would be something good. I have learned that in Tokyo, you need to be fluid, even when it comes to food. There have been sometimes that there is not a English menu or any pictures available. So, you just have to point or push a button and hope that you get something good. Whatever I ate was pretty good, no complaints. I sat with some Japanese girls and the music team. As I was trying to eat my meal, one of the Japanese girls took the chopsticks out of my hand and taught me the correct way to use them. The three girls we were with found my chopstick skills amusing. I am going to be a pro when the summer is over! These girls were really sweet! One of them is taking a Spanish class. I have spoken to at least four people in Spanish so far. One of the guys on my team is fluent in Spanish, so people really want to talk to him. I was asked for my contact info by the two girls. Please pray that we can meet up again, and I can share the good news with them.

Me, the two girls I met at lunch and some of my team!

After lunch, we went to three classes. The first class was unlike any other. The gospel was proclaimed by a guest speaker. This made the students think about where they stand. Instead of having chat time, the students were able to comment on the presentation they had heard. Many shared what was going on in their lives. The four I heard speak, talked about how they are not Christians, but the presentation made them think about it. One guy spoke about how his mother had just passed. You could hear the pain in his voice. The professor asked for everyone to lay hands on the guy and pray for him. This totally impacted me. Here we are in a country where Father's name is rarely proclaimed, believers face persecution, and most people do not know the name of Jesus. However, we are at a University where two professors have a huge heart for their students and what nothing else but for them to know our Father intimately. Another student came up to the front and played his violin in remembrance of the other students mother, the people lost in Pearl Harbor, and Hiroshima. Our next two classes were a blast. I met about eight girls who are awesome! We got to talk and share where we stand.

That night, when I was headed to our apartment, I decided to stop by Subway and pick up some dinner. I wanted the number three meal, so I pointed to the picture and held up three fingers. I was focused on following the directions for what I wanted on the sandwich. I looked up and three sandwiches were being made. I thought to myself, "I guess the man behind me wanted the same sandwich". I looked again and the three sandwiches were exactly what I ordered. So, I ended up having three sandwiches. So my meals for the next few days were covered.

Friday June 11

Today, my team started or work with Chofu Baptist Church here in Tokyo. The pastor there wanted us to come and help with their English lesson ministry. We met our M at his house where we were supposed to ride with him to the church. When arrived, he came out and told us there was a change of plans. We were going to bike there! He showed us the bikes we would use. One of the guys on my team, rode our Ms 9 year old son's bike. The other girl on my team rode their oldest sons bike, and I rode his wife's bike. It had a basket in the front and a child carrier seat on the back. I can not imagine how it is to ride with a child on your bike. The moms here ride with a child on the back and a child either on the front in a carrier or strapped to her chest. Riding bikes in Tokyo is quite the experience.

I really enjoyed being at the Church. The church is focused on reaching the people in their community. They have a great kids ministry, through this the Moms heard about the English lessons and got plugged into the church that way. They teach English by using the Bible and singing hymns. I got to talk to about 9 amazing women. They all really sweet and excited for us to be here. The pastor of the church is a Japanese man who has a huge heart for his people. He actually went to Southwestern ministry in Fort Worth for four years. He said he really misses the BBQ in Texas. After the English lessons, he took us to an International University that is by the Church. There are four students from that University that attend the church. They are the only Christians at the University. He wants us to get in contact with them to encourage them, study the Word together, and hopefully help reach their friends.

Prayer Requests

• That I am able to meet with the two girls from my lunch at the University.
• The guy who lost his Mother
• The Professors, that they have endurance to continue to share with their students.
• Chofu Baptist Church
• Japanese Christians
  

What a Wonderful Wednesday!

I have always enjoyed Wednesdays, I like them even more here in Japan. Today, my schedule involved me doing personal ministry. I went to a coffee shop near our apartment and sat down and read did my quiet time. Here, my thirst to read Father's word has increased dramatically. I ended up sitting across from a girl name M. She was so sweet. She walked with me to the Shibuya station and showed me the statue the Hachikō statue. The statue is of a dog who waited on his owner. This has become a place where you go and meet your friends at. M loves comics. She drew a picture of Hachiko and showed me the rest of her drawings. I want to find her at the coffee shop again and give her the Manga Bible. Please be praying for me to see her again.


Afterwards, I went and sat in the Starbucks that overlooks the Shibuya crossing. A couple from Holland ended up sitting next to me. They told me that their son is interning here in Tokyo. They had come to visit him and take a holiday in Japan. They were really nice, but when I told them why I was in Japan, they were somewhat skeptical of it.

Update: We now have four teams here in Japan with us. Two teams from California, the Kentucky team, and now our first iGo team from Kansas and Nebraska. Two of the teams arrived today.

Prayer Requests:

1. That I am able to meet of with M again.
2. For the teams to recover from jet lag quickly.
3. Endurance for us, the M's, and the short term teams.

Some things just blow my mind

Monday June 7

Just another manic Monday! I am not really a Monday person, but here in Tokyo I really enjoy them. My team was leading the music team from a Baptist college in California. This was the first team our group has had to lead. They have an awesome ministry. They go around Japan and sing gospel songs. We took them to a college in Tokyo where they sang for two English classes. After singing, we would sit down and talk with the students. I got to meet four college students. Talking to them was a blast.

Tuesday June 8

Today just showed the awesome ways Father uses his people. We went to the same University again with the music team again. Our first class was with a Professor who is on fire for Father. He had the Professor who came with the music team share with the class. A guest speaker, Keiko Holmes, was there who translated our English into Japanese. She has made it her mission to try and help countries come together after World War Two. She also loves Christ. I have put the link to her website that gives her biography. Once again we got to talk with the students and share our faith. The Professor who we visited is a Chinese man who grew up in Hawaii. He married a Japanese woman and took her name so that he would have more respect her in Japan, by having a Japanese name. Something that completely blew my mind is that at the end of the class Ms. Holmes came up and apologized to us for the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

http://www.fepow-memorial.org.uk/the_work_of_keiko_holmes.htm

Our second class was with the same Professor from Monday. The class was smaller this time, but we still got to talk with all the students. They really enjoyed hearing the Americans sing. The Professor told us that after class some of them try to sing the songs they heard.

We ate lunch in the Universities cafeteria. The first Professor from today was there also and he directed pairs of us to sit with his students. The cafeterias here in Japan are completely different from American University cafeterias. You walk in and there is several boards with buttons. Almost like a vending machine, except you just get a ticket. You pick what you want by pressing a button. The ones at the University did not have pictures on it like most do. So, I went blind when picking my lunch. I ended up with orange chicken which was really good. A music team member and I ended up sitting with two science majors. They found it really funny to watch us Americans use chopsticks. They were blown away that we were not raised to eat with chopsticks. Using chopsticks is something I have had to work on while I am here. My usual way is to stab the food with it, however that is considered rude here in Japan. You also cannot have your chopsticks stick up from your bowl. This is rude because that is part of the Buddhist funerals. The two students we talked to had very limited English so talking to them proved a challenge.

After the University, we took the team to the park. There, they just sang out in the open. We were hoping the music would draw people in. We were able to talk to about ten people and give out Manga Bibles. Those who we talked to varied in their interest. One couple, when they found out we were missionaries were not thrilled about it. Others were really excited to receive the Bibles. Manga Bibles are the story of Jesus in comic book form. Most Young adults and kids really enjoy them and want to read them.


A sad thing here in Japan is that many people are skeptical of missionaries because they invite them to study the Bible but then suck them into a cult. Mormons and Jehovah witnesses are also really prevalent here. Only .05% of the people here are Christians and that includes Mormons and Jehovah witnesses. So, the number of Christians is even lower than .05%. That number makes the people in Japan the most unreached people group in the world.

Prayer Requests:

• The M's here.
• Our group of interns - endurance, wisdom in situations, and unity
• The California music team
• Kentucky team
• The contacts we have made

My Dad wanted some pics of me in Tokyo, so here they are.

Me at Harajuku, a station with a great street full of awesome shops.

Tokyo is really excited about the new Toy Story movie coming out.

My off day group having burgers at Tokyo Dome City.

Sundays in the Park

Sunday June 6

Oh I how I enjoy Sundays in Tokyo! We meet with our M at the park by his house. The park is huge! We meet at a pavilion where we share what has happened that week, worship, he teaches, then we pray in our ministry groups. Just being there is a great ministry. People stand around, watch, listen, and some come and ask what is going on. We had an older man join us along with a young family. Children also like to come and look at the Westerners. Today we had a music team from a baptist college in California come and join us. They are going around Japan for three weeks singing at Universities. In Japan, they really like gospel music, even though the do not believe in the words. The music team gives us awesome opportunities to go to Universities and meet people that we can invest in over the summer. Also joining us today is a group of women from Kentucky who are going to give American cooking lessons to Japanese moms. They are really sweet and what they are doing is an awesome ministry. After lunch, we play a massive game of capture the flag. Our hope is that some Japanese will join us. Today, since we had a group from California, we played Texas vs. California. Unfortunately California won.

Fun in Tokyo

Saturday June 5

I have had a blast today! Saturdays are my off day. One day a week we get a day off to get laundry done, email, or explore Tokyo. My group decided to go to the Tokyo Giants game. Unfortunately only standing tickets were available. So, we bought advance tickets for another game. We explored the area called the Tokyo Dome City. It reminds me quite a bit of Kemah, just not on the water. We walked around, looked at shops, took silly pictures, and just enjoyed Tokyo.

Here is a video of the Shibuya crosswalk. Over a million people cross this intersection everyday. We cross it at least 2 to 4 times a day. Every time is a different experience. Your goal when crossing the intersection is not to bump into anyone. Unfortunately that rarely happens. But, when you do, it is a triumph. So here is a video of the crosswalk. Also the video I have is of Shibuya is not at its busiest.