tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27848404421413177552024-03-06T01:13:57.536-08:00Daniel in JapanD. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-3005894313045747752010-12-01T22:38:00.001-08:002010-12-01T22:44:20.394-08:00Some wise words from a friend--This was from a prayer letter that I received from a close friend of mine. I have known her since we were in elementary school. She gave me permission to copy what she wrote because she was excited to hear about God challenging me with the same thoughts that she has been having.<br />And God has been doing just that in my life. He has been challenging me with my own perspectives on missionary work and how that relates to my relationship and perspective on the true meaning of God's holiness.<br /><br />"<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Missionaries don’t magically become more like Christ when they move to a more exotic geographical location. God has been hammering into my head lately how grieved He is when I reduce “holiness” to what I do for Him instead of what He gave His Son’s blood for me to become. How sad He must be about all of the times I’ve relied on popular “methods” of ministry, trusted in my own strength, sought man’s approval as I’ve done His work and missed out on the unfathomable things He was longing to do if I had relied on His supernatural power. He’s showing me lately the depth of what He bled to obtain. He must increase, and all of my self-absorption, my worries about me and my problems, my “personality”, must decrease, for His glory.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">I’ve been praying so much for revival in my own life, and revival in all of us. I am longing for God to do huge things, beyond what we would even think imaginable. I want Him to raise up mighty warriors for His kingdom. He wants to take me beyond my tendency to make life all about me, to weep over the things that cause Him to weep, to fight for the things He would fight for.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">And before all of this can happen there has to be repentance- seeing my sin of selfishness, my indifference to the needs of the world, my lack of faith and dependence on God, my pride, the way He sees it. May God give us this gift of repentance and godly sorrow. May His fire of revival fall on us that we would truly know Him in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His sufferings. What kinds of unfathomable things is He longing to do through us as He increases and we decrease?</span></p></span>"<br /><br />So that's what she shared and that's almost exactly what I have been thinking about. It's challenging to back up and try to reevaluate our perspectives on our faith. Sometimes we think it's right or sometimes we think that it's going smoothly when in fact perhaps we need to take another look at ourselves to see just where we are.<br />Who knows. Maybe you are where God wants you right now. But then again, I have examined myself often enough to know that I'm not always in His will as close as I could be.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-47036741017786637272010-10-01T04:51:00.001-07:002010-10-03T01:47:54.073-07:00The JLPTTrying to learn Japanese is like trying to exercise a muscle that I have never used before, let alone even knew I had. And trying to speak Japanese is like trying to use that muscle for the first time.<br />I have motivation to learn the language because I do love communicating with people and I enjoy conversation. I want to have coherent conversations with my Japanese friends and potential new friends!<br />So recently I sent in my application for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). It will take place on December 5th. I am not looking forward to it. Nor do I feel prepared. The test is held at five different levels; N5-N1, N1 being the most difficult and N5 being the easiest. I signed up for N4. But after recently purchasing some test prep. books I am feeling like maybe I am not ready for even the N4. I saw some pre-tests for N5 and decided that that test was far to easy. I am somewhere in-between N5 and N4 as far as proficiency is concerned.<br />So I have two months to radically improve my Japanese grammar and vocabulary and Kanji knowledge.<br />I it will take God pouring knowledge directly into my brain for me to actually do well I feel. But nothing is impossible, right?<br />This is a personal challenge. The IMB doesn't require this test. But i knew that if I did not have a challenge in front of me, like this test, that I would never get further in my language comprehension.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-76563484738503215362010-09-25T20:34:00.000-07:002010-09-26T18:00:31.038-07:00New EntryLast week I deactivated my Facebook account rather on impulse but decided that it was probably one of the best decisions I have made recently. Now when I am tempted to sit in front of my computer for an inordinate amount of time... I don't. But, I still love Facebook. I just have to admit that being in my position it's not the best thing for me. I was letting too many things distract me from back home that shouldn't be distracting me.<br />Lately I have been trying to find new ways to stay closer to God. I remember that back in the states I really enjoyed just being around my friends and helping them when they needed something to be helped with. I also remember really enjoying receiving the help of them in return, which many of my friends were ready to do! That was one of the best ways that I was able to share Christ's love with people. Here in Japan I don't have as many opportunities like that because of cultural differences, however the opportunities are still there. I am praying that God opens my eyes to them and that the people are willing and grateful for my help.<br />Last week I got to go on a trip to Kagoshima for a fashion show at a department store there. It was busy and fun, in spite of my ankle hurting a bit because I had sprained it a couple of weeks ago. But the most memorable time for me was the train ride back. ON the train ride back my friend from the studio, Makiyama-san, sat next to me. As I pulled my Bible out to read it a bit she was surprised to actually see a Bible. She had never seen one to my understanding. So we had a conversation about God's word. The girls across the isle also took part in the conversation. I hope I communicated efficiently despite the fact that my Japanese is really bad!<br />Here's hoping for more opportunities like that on the train with Makiyama-san. It's not normal that I get people who are actually interested to talk about religious things with me.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-16051825445219540122010-08-10T07:32:00.000-07:002010-08-10T07:48:55.047-07:00I have to say that lately I have been complaining about my life being mundane over here. TI seems as if I am reliving the same cycle, both in relationships, and in my daily life.<br />In relationships I seem to cross paths with people who are immediately interested in me because I speak English and am from America. Then we make friends because of this fact, and then later, because the grounds for our friendship was so superficial for them, the relationship kind of dissipates. Not that I really want it to disappear or end. ON the contrary I love having friends. But sometimes that just happens.<br />Right now it is the summer vacation for many students. All of my university friends are either at their home towns or are traveling over seas. I'm hoping that the ones who are overseas with internships and homestay programs get with good people and make some strong connections. Perhaps they will be able to learn things overseas that I was not able to teach them over here. I would love it if they came back and reported these types of things to me.<br />In my daily life I have gotten a little lazy. Getting to bed late and waking up late. I confessed to my church this on Sunday. So I am going to try and make the most of my time. I'll admit that I have A LOT OF TIME over here. It's not a bad thing, but I really need to make the most of it.<br />Also, Thank God for my friend Takao. He is a kid that is about to graduate from University. Just going into his fourth year. He is really patient with me and my bad Japanese and always trying to cheer me up if he thinks that I am feeling down. He is a blessing. So say a prayer of blessing for Takao if you read this. You pronounce his name "Ta cow" like "Ta-" plus the animal.<br />AmenD. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-83706052889566402272010-07-26T02:38:00.000-07:002010-07-26T02:46:31.981-07:00LONG TIME!!It has been a long tim since i last posted anything. Sorry about that. Most of the people who were tracking this are probably off doing better things now! ha ha. But with some coaxing from someone back home (you know who you are) and also some recent events, I have felt led to add another post.<br />Anson and I have decided to go ahead and start reviewing the basic practices and beliefs of Christianity with our house church. Yesterday was a good a start. We had ten people!!! Of course not all of them were Japanese though. We had our neighbor, Fine, the pro rugby player from downstairs, and then two American friends of Anson's who are now living in Korea, and then our church member, Miku, brought two other Japanese Christian ladies. One of those ladies just happens to be a mutual friend of ours and I was glad to get to see her again after such a long time. Then one of our regular members, Takao, was there as well as our friend Hiro.<br />It was a nice little crowd and was perfect because we shared communion together and all remembered Christ's love for us.<br />We read Scripture about the Lord's Supper from 1 Corinthians and then shared with each other some praises and prayer requests. IT was an awesome Sunday morning.<br />I am looking forward to next Sunday and seeing what God will be leading our church to learning.<br /><br />Anson also always helps provide some great music. God has really blessed him with this talent and it has helped the rest of us church members get to hear something besides our own voices during musical worship.<br />Pray for continued growth of our church! God can do great things with it before we leaving, and then even after no more missionaries are here! I pray for the day when there don't need to be foreign missionaries in Japan because so many Japanese are taking over the job!D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-7507694178296066282010-05-29T00:57:00.000-07:002010-05-29T01:11:28.024-07:00Passion Tokyo Conference 2010Last weekend I took a trip to Tokyo to check it out and to attend the Passion conference there. It was a very good service. There were about 1,600 people there and over a thousand of them were Japanese people. It reminded me that there are Japanese Christians still here in the country even if I never see them.<br />I tried to talk to some of them to see where they were coming from and almost all of the people I talked to were surprised that I came all the way from Fukuoka for the conference. Two guys told me "God bless you" in English. It was real sweet of them to speak so endearingly to me, a total stranger.<br />I didn't meet anyone from Fukuoka while I was there, but I was satisfied just seeing all of those Christians in one place. It was even more of a blessing to hear the service translated directly into Japanese by a pastor in Tokyo.<br /><br />One could be cynical, like I often tend to be, and muse that perhaps not every Japanese person in attendance was a Christian. And they would be right.<br />But there was more than a single believer there and that is all that's needed for the Spirit to be present.<br />Praise God for that time. It reminds me to pray not just for potential believers in Christ, but also for the many young Christians that already live here in Japan.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-89807672128412684382010-05-03T19:15:00.000-07:002010-05-03T19:55:11.085-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7U5ZMHsxeTkcfRcHrjb-QtgVl5lkOkw75aTLhSlQpGxHu9aLjoDPYbgE3L-2zIvRstzxJQyy1MjFqMrS-fwaswddhLQACYh-C6vSZefvWa6TLXox42N90SEMf6rFPURr7AHqy0bztQeav/s1600/DSC08406.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7U5ZMHsxeTkcfRcHrjb-QtgVl5lkOkw75aTLhSlQpGxHu9aLjoDPYbgE3L-2zIvRstzxJQyy1MjFqMrS-fwaswddhLQACYh-C6vSZefvWa6TLXox42N90SEMf6rFPURr7AHqy0bztQeav/s320/DSC08406.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467241282323033490" border="0" /></a><br />Last week I was meeting with my friend, Kei. We were having our weekly Bible study on his University Campus. Kei thought I would be interested to know of a sign that the University had just recently posted.<br />Since Kei just so happens to be an expert in Japanese he helped translate it for me. Apparently the school is saying that students should be careful of "cult" groups on campus. People who come offering English language exchange, English Circles, or other types of groups because they will "brain wash" you with friendliness and kindness and then suck you into their religion where they will take all of your money.... and it goes on and on. It was a very detailed message and I was kind of surprised to see it. There had already been a message somewhere on campus that said that no apostatizing was allowed. I have never used a soap box on campus.<br />IN any case it was disheartening to me. Because now the students on campus will be more fearful of "cult" groups and perhaps anything that I could offer them. <br />I have no idea what the University defines as a "cult" and for all I know they could very well think that I was trying to recruit students into my own "cult" with my kindness and friendliness.<br />I just have to remember that what I have to tell the students about is much stronger than any block that the university has placed on me.<br />Be in prayer for the Christians on the college campus about this. No doubt it is disheartening to them as well as it is to me.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-71330820611342003812010-04-19T21:58:00.000-07:002010-04-19T22:32:44.713-07:00A change<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3M2AArq8s4JTczRq9tIZzB0rZ2rIz-TLCrZW53I2S9ST_P7g4osSWaK5w-_KOL8V_xCqSqRRSP_AksvbXrUA0U8FSg5J_Sr3Zdd0E4ym2SvuiFz4qzSrvkhAGoLoHkaZK7L0nTXWVhqLf/s1600/DSC08289.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3M2AArq8s4JTczRq9tIZzB0rZ2rIz-TLCrZW53I2S9ST_P7g4osSWaK5w-_KOL8V_xCqSqRRSP_AksvbXrUA0U8FSg5J_Sr3Zdd0E4ym2SvuiFz4qzSrvkhAGoLoHkaZK7L0nTXWVhqLf/s320/DSC08289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462088219433623954" border="0" /></a><br />(This is a photo of me and my friend, Takao who i'll talk about more later in this update.)<br /><br />So a new change has come here in Japen. I now have a new teammate to help me with the work on campus. His name is Anson (Hanson) Onishi and he is from Hawaii.<br />This is such a blessing for our team because Anson is young, outgoing, bold, and he also speaks some Japanese. Already since his arrival we have made some new friends from the universities.<br />In my last post i was kind of complaining about the lack of communication skills I have with the students. That has not changed much, but I can say that I have noticed my Japanese skills improving. My listening skills are decent, but speaking skills are pretty much non existent.<br /><br />Another great thing about Anson- he knows how to sing and play the guitar. It really improves our worship time and sometimes he and I will just sing together. I am by no means saying that people need a guitar and a good voice to worship God. ON the contrary, worship is done by the spirit. There are deaf Christians who worship with no sound at all. But I will say that to me it is such a blessing!! Praise God for that. So our Sunday house church worship has been a little different in the past couple of weekends that Anson has been here.<br /><br />The universities generally started their new school year about the same time as when Anson arrived here. So the city is now populated with students who are either new to Fukuoka, or returned from their long spring vacation. (Spring vacation here is about equivalent to a summer vacation in the states.)<br /><br />We are trying to split our group up. On average we have about eight people meeting regularly for worship. The Nortons (my supervisors) have suggested that we try and split up to see what happens. So now we have about two groups of four.<br />Anson and I recently talked one of our friends from Fukuoka Institute of Technology to join our house church. His name is Takao and I had met him earlier this year almost immediately after my return from my brother's wedding. I was surprised when he told me that his dad was a pastor in his hometown. But Takao was not attending a church here in Fukuoka. I have seen this kid on occasion over the past few months and I can say that he is really kind, but I am not sure if he is actually saved. I have been bugging him to come to church with us, but he has been reluctant until he had both Anson and i myself on his case about. Ha ha. So there is something to be said about positive peer pressure. He doesn't speak much English but I think we spoke enough Japanese during worship last Sunday for him to retain interest. I am praying for him and that the spirit flares up in him.<br />I am also still praying for my other Christian friend, Kei Motomura. Sometimes I am discouraged by his decision and opinions on things. I want the Holy Spirit to really fill these guys so that they can become the lights on thier campus that I am sure God wants them to be! Please pray for the Holy Spirit to grab a hold on the hearts of Japanese Christians.<br />I have to admit that it is discouraging for me to see men and women over here claim that they are Christians but then show no signs of the spirit as far as their beliefs are concerned. Sometimes I feel that even the Christians over here are more in love with the idea of Christianity being a western religion and the differences it holds from their own societies than it actually being about Jesus. I KNOW that there are Japanese Christians here. I am praying that I meet some young Japanese men whose hearts are truly on fire for Christ. That is my prayer. Please pray for this with me!D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-34648891412796214282010-02-25T19:39:00.000-08:002010-02-25T21:01:27.790-08:00Initiate by actions...I have a lot of friends here Japan. I have many opportunities to share the Gospel with them too. I thank God that i am not hindered at all from doing this here.<br />However one thing that keeps getting in the way of this is language. Now I am not saying that since I cannot speak Japanese I am unable to share with them. On the contrary, I am able to share in more ways than merely verbally. However many of my friends here are only interested in having an American friend or from practicing their own limited English skills with me.<br />Because their English is also limited it makes having serious deep conversations about God, death, the purpose for our existence, kind of moot.<br />You can imagine some of the difficulties!<br />But God always gives me the opportunity to act like a Christian whether or not I can express verbally that I am a Christian. So I have been praying that others my see Christ's love through my actions as well as through my words.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-83128358236753695382009-12-15T19:12:00.001-08:002009-12-15T19:26:57.382-08:00Out of the mire...Ok. First of all I owe many people an apology. I HAVE NOT POSTED IN ALMOST FOUR MONTHS!! Please forgive me.<br />I have to be honest and say that I had found myself in a spiritual mire so to speak. I was depressed about many things, but recently Christ has been lifting me back to where He wants me to be. Praise God! The Lord has been answering my questions, and although they are not always what I want to hear, I am having to learn more about trusting Him.<br /><br />Perhaps I`ll share more about that later though...<br /><br />IN the meantime- IT IS CHRISTMAS HERE!!! Actually Christmas started here at the beginning of November. SO it has been Christmas here for over a month already. What do I mean by that? Well every department store and convenient store and any kind of store had started decorating for Christmas at the start of November. Since the Japanese don`t celebrate Thanksgiving (yet) I guess they just start celebrating the next big holiday.<br />The Japanese aren`t afraid to say `Merry Christmas` in public advertisements either! SO much more bold than Americans in that respect.<br />Well even though I believe that Christians should celebrate Christmas everyday, now is a great time of year to share about Christ with my friends and even strangers.<br />My team ordered about a thousand Christmas CDs. The CDs have music in Japanese and even testimonies about Christ. It is a good witnessing tool. I have given some of them to my friends and they responded positively to the music. (No decisions for Christ yet. But that is what we are praying for.)<br /><br />I have been doing language exchange with my Pals Wataru and Yuta. Separately, not together. Both of them always have something interesting to say about God. During our language exchange I always give them `listening tests` where I tell them a Bible story and then I ask them questions about what they heard.<br />Yesterday Yuta pointed something out to me. He said, `Danny, since God loves us we should love God.` Wow. I was really impressed that he came to that decision on his own. IT surprised me. Everyone keep praying for Yuta and Wataru. Both are young kids at the universities here.<br /><br />Also my computer finally blew up. ... well not really `blew up` like an american movie or anything. But the hard drive just gave out and now it won`t stay turned on. SO my supervisor graciously offered to let me use his old, spare, computer. It is a japanese computer so I am having to work around it`s different keyboard, but it`s better than nothing! I thank God for the blessing of a team that looks out for each other. <br />I`ll keep posting right up to Christmas.<br />Please pray for the Christmas CDs we are handing out. People may actually listen to them!D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-23032941269263309432009-08-19T03:20:00.001-07:002009-08-19T03:20:37.153-07:00One of my pals<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Ippei has asked many questions about what I believe about God. I have been completely honest with him about why I am here, even going so far as calling myself missionary. He is the first person I have just flat out told up front. So far he hasn't stopped doing anything with me and still remains interested. I think this might have something to do with the fact that he seems bored with life. To him his life is pretty repetitive, and I would go so far as to call it mundane. He works at a retail store long hours, where all he does is "just stand around" (his words). If he sends me an e-mail that says "I am just standing around" I know this means that he is at work. He is a nice, easy-going guy. Speaks great english, and is creative. He has two passions (and a girlfriend that he sees on occasion); skateboarding, and painting. He is a pretty decent artist and enjoys creating different designs. I have tried to encourage him to do something with his artistic abilities. I think he appreciates my encouragement. Please pray that Ippei continues to befriend me. Pray that I can share Christ with him in a way that will make life more exciting in ways that he could never have previously imagined. Like many other young Japanese people, Ippei is searching for God, they just don't know where to find Him. </span>D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-35295742383117595992009-08-02T23:03:00.000-07:002009-08-02T23:08:25.573-07:00Another message that we should listen to.Michael Oh and his family are missionaries in Japan. He's a very passionate believer and someone whom I admire. This is a link to his blog-<br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ohfamily/">http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ohfamily/</a><br /><br />This is a message that I hope that everyone in my family listens to and hopefully anyone else who reads my blog. He gave this message at a pastor's conference in February of this year.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByDate/2009/3575_Missions_as_Fasting/">Message by Pastor Oh</a><br /><br />Granted it is a long message, but maybe you could just listen to it in place of your quite time, or even listen to it in parts.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-56633619046826615052009-08-02T05:25:00.000-07:002009-08-02T23:10:12.888-07:00Missions in JapanFirst of all I'd like to apologize for not having posted anything on here in almost a month. It's been an incredibly difficult month, to be honest. Satan has been attacking my spirit. But I take comfort knowing that Christ is the victor ultimately despite my weak character.<br />Secondly I would encourage everyone to listen to this sermon by John Piper. Here is the link-<br /><br /><a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByDate/1996/1813_Doing_Missions_When_Dying_Is_Gain/">Message by Pastor Piper</a><br /><br /><br />I may not die doing missions here in Japan, but sometimes I wonder if it will take people dying for here for Christ's name to spread. Piper was right. Satan did win a big battle here in Japan all those years ago, however that was just a tiny battle compared to the eternal victory Christ already has. It makes me sad to think about the many lost people here. The only thing I can do for them is share what I know and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. A person's salvation does not rest on my shoulders, but relies on God's grace.<br /><br />I am having some guys over on Tuesday night for dinner. They all want to see this huge stinkin' apartment that the IMB got for me. I went into one of their apartment's the other day and I have to admit that I feel rather lame in this huge place. His apartment was the size of two of my closets. I can tell that we're going to have a lot of fun on Tuesday, so please pray that I have a spirit of Joy and compassion that is contegeous, and also that my guests wonder what it is that I have and desire it too (besides the huge apartment).D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-74102035852715767432009-07-06T19:09:00.000-07:002009-07-06T19:21:10.271-07:00Earthquakes and GhostsMany of you saw my facebook post about the earthquake. I was laying in bed and at one twenty in the morning the building started to shake and there was a low rumbling noise. I thought at first that this was merely the train yard next to my apartment building, which makes constant noise all night long, but then I began to think, "The train yard has never shaken my bed before." It steadily got more and more intense and my bed shook across the room. Needless to say I suddenly realized that it was an earthquake. I ran outside of the apartment to see what the other people would say. However I soon realized that no one else was leaving their apartments.<br />The only indication that we had an earthquake was a little message scrolling across the bottom of the television screen. No special news report or anything. The next day my friend from Taiwan told me "Welcome to the islands. Last week my family and I drank tea and watched television during and earthquake and no one batted an eye."<br />The night of the 'minor' earthquake though I lay awake wondering how I would have reacted if it had been "the big one". I had to give my life to God again that night after having thought I had already done this! I was afraid to be sure.<br />Also last week I met with this awesome kid, whom we'll call Will. We had lunch and did some language exchange. He is an English language major at his school. I told him that I respected the challenge of learning a new language because I was going through the same thing. He knows far better English than I do Japanese though.<br />Near the end of our lunch time we started talking about things that we were interested in. He said that he was interested in Ghosts and then asked me if I beleived in ghosts. I told him that I believe in ghosts whole-heartedly and then told him that I have a lot of ghost stories! For one thing we as Christians worship the Holy Ghost! So I told Will that since I had a meeting that afternoon I wouldn't be able to tell him all of the ghost stories and we would have to wait until this week. So all week long he has been sending me texts reminding me that we are meeting again today and are going to share ghost stories. So please pray that the Lord speaks through me with my meeting.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-30442430546970257502009-06-28T19:25:00.001-07:002009-06-28T19:46:39.238-07:00RamblingSo these past three weeks have been pretty busy. But busy is good. I haven't had time to think about much else. We have been meeting new university students and making new friends. Of course this only makes me wonder more about all of the lost people in Japan. The more friends I make the more I long to see them come to Christ. Can you imagine your friends burning forever in Hell? Sometimes these are the nightmares that race through my mind. They don't even know what's in store for them after they die. A lot of people here are only concerned with what is happening in the moment and very few think too far ahead into the future. One of the questions that I like to ask them is what do they want to be doing in the next ten years. Of course this even gets me thinking.<br />The weather has been hot here. And getting hotter. When the volunteer team was here we went to many places that I had not visited yet. We climbed part way up a mountain too. That was really awesome. Sometime I'd like to get back there and finish climbing it.<br />I've been helping all of my friends study English. At this point I know that this is the main draw to any kind of friendship with me, but if I can use that to glorify God then I don't mind at all. All I can do is keep praying for them and hope that somehow their eyes are opened up to the truths of Christ and the need for grace.<br />Sometimes it's overwhelming looking at hundreds of people everyday that are going to go to hell. The amount of lostness is great. The harvest is plenty but the workers are few, and that is not any more apparent than here in Fukuoka.<br />I have surprised myself in the past few weeks with language. God has blessed me often with understanding and the right words in Japanese in a way that could only be from Him. For example I tried to explain the concept of House Church to a friend, and I basically was able to do it completely in broken Japanese. ha ha. It probably made no sense to him grammatically but he still understood what I was trying to tell him.<br />So this post is kind of just rambling. However I felt it was necessary to write something because it has been so long since my last post. My next one should be more clear. Thank you all for your prayers. It's been a hard weekend and a lot has been on my mind.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-40917999132965245892009-06-04T21:04:00.000-07:002009-06-04T21:18:48.326-07:00The right wordsGod knows how to put the words in my mouth, even when I don't know what to say! I have had some opportunities these past couple of weeks to share my testimony with some people and it was at these times that I worried most about how to verbalize my faith. But it was always after I was done witnessing to a friend here, that God reminded me that all I have to do is share what I know and He will do the rest. After I have done my part it is up to the Holy Spirit to work in the listeners heart. Only God can make a dead soul alive! Not me.<br />So this is one of the big encouragements to me. Not having to worry about my foolish words.<br />Please pray for the young man that I am spending time with now. He shows interest and understanding in the ideas of Jesus, but I am praying that he also sees the necessity of grace. We will call him Jim for the sake of a name.<br />I gave Jim one of the comic book Bibles last week which he read quickly. He told me that "some of the ideas are well thought out." Which I suppose means he has been thinking of them after the fact. This is encouraging for me to hear.<br />Thank you all for your prayers.<br />The weather has been a bit rainy here, but the locals say that it will only get rainier as the summer progresses. It's the wet season. Next week our team is going to be receiving some volunteers for the month. Two of the guys will be staying in my apartment with me. So that will be nice to have some company for June. We will be playing ultimate frisbee with students and trying to develop relationships with them that I will be able to continue even after the volunteer team leaves.<br />Pray for the team to be encouraged about missions while they stay here. Ask the Spirit to work in their hearts and break them for the Japanese people while they are here.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-44766737779003750252009-05-26T18:11:00.000-07:002009-05-26T18:16:36.577-07:00Random encounter #1Last Friday I went to Starbucks here which is unusual because I never go to Starbucks. IN fact I have no idea why I even went there, I suddenly had an urge to go. After I had ordered some coffee and sat down I opened the book I was reading. But, not ten seconds later, a young man two tables away made direct eye contact with me and started to show me the book that he was reading. It was a bit odd, but felt totally natural. So then I introduced myself and he introduced himself. After a while we found that we were sitting at the same table and had been talking for almost an hour. His English was very good, having spent eight months in America and attending an English cram school. In fact this was why he was in Fukuoka. His cram school was only a few blocks away. We exchanged numbers and information and planned on meeting again. The young man has stated that he believes God exists for those who believe in Him. Whatever that means. I am to meet him again tonight so if you catch this sooner than later keep our meeting in your prayers. First and foremost I want to remain natural and real. I don't want to seem as if I have some ulterior motive when we meet because I don't. If being a friend is also sharing Jesus with a person than I will share Jesus with them.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-19546825519575658792009-05-20T18:13:00.001-07:002009-05-20T18:27:34.510-07:00Fifth PostSorry that it has been so long since I have posted on here. Not much has happened worth noting in the past couple of weeks.<br />Yesterday was very awesome. The entire time I have been here so far, it has been very difficult to make any friends among the university students. They are nice to me and helpful, but if there is a difference between nice and friendly, then Japanese students are not friendly.<br />It takes something to be included in any groups.<br />Since I have been here I have been taking lessons from my Japanese tutor. She is a very sweet middle aged woman and doesn't speak any English. She's given me many things including an old bicycle of her husbands. The bicycle has been very helpful and even fun to go around on. Yesterday, however, my teacher did something very incredible and I don't even think she realizes how incredible it was.<br />She took me on a school campus that she used to teach at so I could meet some girls that she knows. These girls in turn introduced me to some guys they knew. This was very awesome and an answer to prayer because being introduced by another Japanese person is exactly what I needed. Now they were interested in me as more than just some weird foreigner hanging around.<br />One of the students even raced back to the train station after I had left to get my phone's e-mail address so he could text me. That has never happened to me before at all! I've never experienced any students so eager to befriend me.<br />My teacher is very Shinto. Shinto being the Japanese religion. It just goes to show who God can use. The rest is up to Him now.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-42712927163487740202009-05-06T21:04:00.001-07:002009-05-06T21:17:00.734-07:00Thank youI have been here a month so far. Thank you all very much for your prayers. They have meant a lot to me and I KNOW they have been effective. While I have not made any definite friendships yet God has granted me peace knowing I am in His will. I am going to live victoriously and try my best to not let the situations I'm confronted with, or the cultural differences tear down my faith. As we know, Christ already has the victory and as Romans 8:37 reminds us "...we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." I am going to claim this verse as I go out into this land filled with witchcraft, spirit worship, and despair.<br />This past weekend the largest festival in Japan was held here in Fukuoka city. Over two million people came. It was very exciting and maybe some of you have seen the pictures from it that I posted on Facebook. We handed out Bibles and tried to talk to people. I tried to make connections with the young working people we met. Some young people can't get into college so they go directly into the work force.<br />Thank you all again for your prayers. I'll keep you updated as God moves in Fukuoka!D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-46201135415506250982009-04-29T19:01:00.000-07:002009-04-29T19:48:06.078-07:00ねこYesterday I was walking on the campus across the street from my house. It wasn't very busy and in fact there were very few students there at the time because this is the start of "Golden Week", a Japanese holiday week where many offices and some teachers take off. It's a big shopping week too, so all of the stores in Tenjin, the main shopping district, were full of people.<br />There were a few students there on campus. Some were dressed up in business suits because they were there taking special exams. Others were there just to hang out because school has only been in session for three weeks and I guess they just don't know where else to go to meet up with people yet. (Though I suspect they know pretty well where the bars and drinking joints are because I've already been invited to go a couple of times.)<br />I was looking for a way to naturally start a conversation with some students. I really want my conversations to be REAL. I try to be as real as possible in that I don't have any ulterior motive for merely talking to someone. Of course I want to share Christ's love, but If I do that without actually showing love first then I would feel no better than some Mormon who is sharing out of some selfish desire. Christ shared his living water out of love. OF course this doesn't mean I am not here to tell about Christ! Usually one of the first things I tell people when I meet them is that I am here as a missionary and as a language student. Both of those are true.<br />SO back to yesterday. I was walking around praying for the campus and for the students. When I turned around a corner I saw this awesome cat laying in front of a doorway, simply basking in the sunlight. It was obvious that he was loving the sun. I really love cats and miss ours from back home so whenever I see one here, no matter how mangy and stray it may look I have the urge to go up and pet it. Usually they always run away from me in fear, probably because I look like a freaky foreigner. I cautiously walked up to this cat and it just lay there and squinted at me from the ground. It didn't move a centimeter. (Heh heh they use the metric system here.)<br />This may seem really crazy, but I've kind of gone crazy being here for three weeks, but I prayed "Dear God help this cat to stay still so that I can pet it." Ha ha! I really did pray that. So I leaned down and the cat still didn't move. So I started petting it, and the cat loved it, of course. It even started to play with me and wrestle with my hand, which is something that I love doing with cats. So I was pretty much on the ground playing with some stray cat in front of, what I later found out was, the law school.<br />A girl stepped outside to speak on the phone and saw me there. She and I started talking and I found out that she knows German and a little English. She got excited when she found out I was learning Japanese and called some more of her friends to come out and talk to me. A dude came outside and we introduced ourselves to each other. Then some other guys came walking up to go inside and we started talking. There was very little English spoken. It was really hard to carry a conversation on with them.<br />Then some Japanese dude who had just spent most of his life living in London came outside. He was excited to see a westerner and I was excited to see someone who spoke fluent English. I was kind of surprised to see that despite being Japanese he was going through some of the same cultural shock experiences I was. The law school had a shorter holiday than the rest of the campus for Golden Week, that is why all of these law students were still on campus. Altogether I had a good conversation with all of them, and look forward to maybe getting to know them and some more of their friends a bit better.<br />And I think back now and realize that if God hadn't of answered that simple prayer about letting me pet that cat then I probably wouldn't have met all of these people. Also the cat disappeared mysteriously and we all couldn't find it after we realized it was gone.<br /><br />By the way, <span style="font-family:Verdana, Tahoma, Georgia, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana, Tahoma, Georgia, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:85%;">ねこis the hiragana for neko, which is Japanese for cat.<br /></span></span></span>D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-42004687063524565262009-04-22T23:03:00.000-07:002009-04-22T23:18:09.777-07:00A Jesus Comic BookMost of the Japanese students are very eager to help me learn Japanese which has been cool. Yesterday for example I sitting in a coffee shop and two girls a couple of tables away started to help me with my Hiragana, which is one of the writing forms of Japanese. I had made some flash cards to help me remember the sounds made by the symbols. There are forty-six in Hiragana alone. Tomorrow I start learning the next form, Katakana. ....and then the Kanji, which are the thousands and thousands of Chinese characters that the Japanese have made their own.<br /> IN ANY CASE- back to my story. So these two young ladies, whom I will call Sally and Cindy, started helping me with my flash cards. That led to questions of why I was in the country. Since I am over here on a "Religious Activities" visa there is no point in my hiding what I am mainly doing. I told them I was there for gospel spreading, which, of course, they didn't really understand at first. But once I gave them Jesus' name in Japanese something clicked and they understood. After we talked for a bit longer in both broken English (and even broken Japanese in my case, which was cool) I found out that Sally and Cindy were both students in one of the many local Universities. I gave them my name and told them they could contact me through Facebook, which many Japanese university students also use. Then I pulled out a Japanese comic book about the life of Jesus. <br />Now I have found that Japanese people of all ages love comic books. There are many stores around here that are totally devoted to them. They call them "manga". Most of them are pretty trashy and pretty violent, but there are some that aren't so bad too. When I pulled out the story of Jesus manga Sally and Cindy became interested. The comic book is a form that many people in Japan would probably actually look at and be interested as opposed to tracts, which may seem too preachy or wordy. (Not that those aren't good witnessing tools either.) Almost every time I am on a train or bus here I see teenagers, university students, some women, and mostly grown men reading comic books.<br />I gave the book to Sally to look at because I only had one copy, but I am praying that she reads it and then passes it on to Cindy.<br /><br />I know that I may never see these girls again, but it was encouraging to talk to them. So say a prayer for these girls. It's not impossible for you to intercede even on the other side of the world or wherever you are. Pray that by reading this seemingly simple manga that they learn more about Jesus and that if they do have questions they will seriosuly seek answers in the right places.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-39243803028177023152009-04-14T16:18:00.000-07:002009-04-14T16:23:32.218-07:00My visit to the local worshipping joints.On Monday I went into Hakata, which is one of the main districts in Fukuoka city. I went with my language tutor, Ieshi Bashi Sensei. She was going to show me the Shinto shrine and the Buddhist temple. The Buddhist temple was impressive I have to say. There was a 23 meter tall wooden statue of the Buddha. And then there were hundred of little wooden Buddha statues on the wall behind the larger one. My eyes teared up from the burning incense as we walked in. They asked us to wash our hands before we entered; a Japanese tradition. In other countries that practice Buddhism we wouldn’t have to do this. But Japan took Buddhism centuries ago and really made it their own.<br />There were a few people in the temple who were praying. They burned incense and lit candles (kinda like a catholic) and then prayed. They bowed their heads and closed their eyes.<br />The Shinto shrine was not much different. People bought prayers and then tied them to strings for the spirits to hear them. There was a woman in the garden who was reverently praying to some spirit. It was pretty tragic to me.<br />“This is the first time that I have ever seen some people actually worshipping other false gods and doing it so passionately.” I thought to myself. Then God spoke to me right there. And it was such a clear message that I had to stop and think about it for a few moments.<br />I looked into a koi pond. There were big golden fish swimming around in it, used for decoration in Japanese gardens. They have whiskers like a catfish but I was told they didn’t taste good. (Cause I asked.) It was after a moment of meditation in that Shinto garden that I was able to continue on following Ieshi Bashi sensei with our tour.<br />You see it seemed to me at the time so sad and so sinful that these people were worshipping spirits and the Buddha. I felt sorry for the futility of their religion. But God changed my heart right there as he convicted me of my own false idol worship. There have been times, and probably will be even more times in the future, where I have begun to worship things other than God and I never thought of it as worship. Relationships with friends or family, a motorcycle, money, myself even—personal skills, or things that I have done “on my own”. If I’ve idolized anything or made anything in my life as important as God is to me, then I have worshipped these things in vain. I have done no better than the people who were worshipping the Buddha and the animistic spirits of Shinto.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2784840442141317755.post-17920486875671786882009-04-12T16:34:00.000-07:002009-04-12T17:21:03.929-07:00First EntryThis is my first blog entry while I am in Japan.<br />....so I don't know where to start, but....<br />First of all-<br />There are crazy things here. Very different from the US, but what was I expecting? OF course I was expecting things to be different here! So after arriving and getting settled into the apartment (which is really cool by the way) I started exploring this city.<br />To me Fukuoka is huge. By far the largest city I have ever set foot in. There are several sub-way lines and train lines, and bus routes. And mopeds and motorcycles and tiny tiny cars. And building after building after building.<br />I live on the eleventh floor of my building. I can look out at the train yard next to the complex and every ten minutes a huge honking jet flies over the apartment. We're (us in the apartment building) right in line for the airport landing strip. The jets fly really low too. It's like that scene from Wayne's World where they are sitting on the hood of their car and watching the planes fly right over there heads. ...and it's about that loud too.<br /><br />Next: Serious Part<br />Lost people. I don't mean lost as in "they can't find their way around." I mean lost as in they don't know Christ. Very simple, yet very sad. God has been breaking my heart for the people of Japan and never more so than when I am on the trains here.<br />Let me describe this to you-<br /> I am putting yen into a machine to get a ticket so that I can go down to Tenjin, which is one of the shopping districts. I have been doing a lot of exploring lately and going to these districts has been good. I don't like staying in the apartment alone.<br /> After I get my ticket from the machine I walk through the gate with about thirty other people then wait to get on the train. The trains are always prompt. If the sign says that it will arrive at 3:42 then it will arrive at that time are a few minutes earlier. We step onto the train and if I am fortunate then i will get a seat. I hate having women or older people stand when I am sitting down, so I always make sure that everyone has a seat before I sit down.<br /> There is a young boy in his school uniform sitting across from me. He is dozing to sleep, probably because he only got four hours of sleep after school, studying, extra curricular activities, and time with his friends. He has his baseball bag in his lap. He obviously plays for his school team.<br /> There is a young attractive lady sitting a few feet away. She is on her cell phone texting or playing tetris, or looking at photos. (Or even e-mailing. In Japan all cell phones can send e-mails, not just iPhones.) She looks up and stares out of the window. Probably hoping that she doesn't marry a salary man who will work himself to death before he is forty.<br /> Standing next to the exit door, holding onto a pole, is a salary man. He is probably hoping that he doesn't work himself to death before he can pay off his car, or house, or his kids schooling. (Which is a normal, yet devistating cost.) He wears a weary expression.<br /> Sitting a few feet away from me is a cute older couple. The man wears a jacket much like my grandaddy would wear and like much of the young people he is wearing a fedora on his head. (Though this is probably more for practical reasons than a fashion statement.) His wife sitting next to him is wearing a traditional Kimono. No one notices this as being different or out of place.<br /> At the next station a group of about five girls not over the age of ten gets on the train. They don't have any adult supervision because Japan is a very safe country, and it is probably their quickest and only way to get to their home from school. They talk quietly amongst themselves and occasionally they will laugh with each aloud. They are all carrying bags that say "Kashii Handball club." Some of them have scraped knees from their practice.<br /><br />Based on the percentage of Christians in Japan it is very likely that everyone i just mentioned is not a born again believer in Christ. This is what I see everyday now. A bunch of sweet, sweet lost people. God continue to break my heart for these people!<br />But as I lay in bed thinking last night, it dawned on me that it isn't much different for those of us in the states. As we get on a bus to school or walk around our campus, or malls, we probably are looking at a bunch of lost people. We need to be burdened for the lost more. I know I do. Sometimes I push away this thought because it's hard to think about.<br />But in everything give praise.<br />Next: Learning to communicate.D. A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08818598142084308977noreply@blogger.com4