Yuko San - Part II :)

Hello All!

I wanted to update you on how my lunch date went with Yuko San and Manami San. IT WAS AMAZING!!! God was in the center of the conversation. God is working so hard in Yuko San's heart and she is like a sponge, trying to soak as much up as possible. I told her that she was an encouragement to me - who has been a Christian for 16 years! I told her that I wish Christians in American would act like she does and she has not even accepted Jesus yet. She is taking the steps to fully understand and then she will be ready to take that next, very important step.

She had many questions about what she had read in the Bible so far and other questions like - "How long am I supposed to pray?" Some questions do not have exact answers so it was hard, but God provided the right things to say. She also was wondering how she would feel when it was time to ask Jesus to come into her heart. She can barely talk about Jesus or the Bible without crying. She is so moved by what she is learning. She is already telling many people at her work and her family about Jesus. I answered all the questions as best as I could and Manami San was able to translate everything. It was so awesome! It is awesome to see God working right in front of you!

This is what ministry is all about!!!!! Even if this was the only good thing that came out of my time in Japan - which is by not the only good thing - everything would have been SO worth it. To see God working, to touch some one's heart, to be so encouraged! It is so worth it to give a few months of my life up and live in Japan for a while.

Thank you so much for your support! Please pray for Yuko San. When I told her that many people in American would be praying for her she started crying again! :) She is an amazing lady. I told her I want to take her to America and use her as an example to other Christians!

Have a great Sunday (it has ended for me)!
Amanda

Yuko San

Hey,

I would like to ask prayer for Yuko San. Yuko is a new comer to church. She has been coming to Shonan Church for about a month now and she is there every Sunday and Wednesday. She has not missed yet. She is seeking God's will like no one I have ever seen. She wants to believe and it working so hard at figuring out what God is all about. She has been reading her Bible every day (more than most Christians I would assume) and she finds pure joy in the songs in the hymn book. It is nothing flashy for Yuko San; she only wants to find Jesus and be happy! She has been living in a lost world for too long and she wants out.

I am getting ready to have lunch with Yuko San and another lady from church, Manami San. We are going to spend a couple of hours just fellowshiping together and talking about our Maker. I am really looking forward to it! Please pray for Yuko San and pray for the people in her life that are able to show her Jesus. God is going to do amazing work like He always does!

This afternoon I am going to meet with my supervisor about what the plan is for the rest of my time here. I am not feeling too optimistic about it, but I GIVE IT ALL TO JESUS!!! He is the only one who can lead me in the right direction. Whatever happens I trust that He is in control. I will let you know as soon as I can about what is going on!

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Another great week in Japan!

Hey Bloggers! I hope this post finds everyone well! I have had a great week in Japan.

The English Bible Study on Tuesday went really good. The students seemed to enjoy it. I introduced to them a new way to do a Bible study and then used the passage I had chosen for the day to explain how it works. They were excited to use it and they were happy they could use it for any scripture they were reading. One of the ladies is seeking God and she said after the class that she now understands who Jesus is more so that is what it is all about, right?! God has really blessed my time here!

The cooking class was a blast! We did end up making zucchini bread. The ladies were so excited about it and it turned out good. The meal we had after the cooking class was very Japanese so the ladies all loved it, too! This is my favorite time with the ladies of the church. The atmosphere and so great and they love getting together and chatting about anything and everything. I am so glad I am able to attend this class!

Today is a day off. I spent the morning playing with Una - my homestay's granddaughter. She is almost one so it was not quite playing with Spencer, but close enough. :) I am so blessed! Well, my visa expires in about 10 days and I am still not for sure what is going on. I should know in about 24 hours so I will update when I find out. Let's just say that there was a change in plans and I may not be going to where I thought I was going so stay tuned for that! haha

Hope you all have a fantastic day!

Ministry the Past Week

Hey everyone! I am sorry I have not been updating lately! I need to make that more of a priority. The past week or so has been really good! I had English class week and it went great. I have led two classes now and everyone really seems to enjoy it. My first class was very challenging to the students, but they really enjoyed it because they are not used to it. They were able to learn a lot about the US and learn a lot of new words. I promised them that the next class would be easier so I decided to play Scattergories with them. I intended it to only last half of the class and then move on to something else, but it ended up lasting the entire class! They had a blast with it and they were still talking about on Sunday! It was a great game to have fun, for them to learn a new game, and for them to learn new words and how to spell them correctly. On Sunday, someone came up to me and said - I have a tv show that starts with an "s" - Spongebob Squarepants! And it would have been two points!! haha They had a lot of fun. After each English class there is a short chapel message. It is usually a good time of sharing and learning more about eachother and from eachother. I always enjoy this time!

This week I am leading the English Bible study! I am excited about it. The pastor will not be able to attend so he asked me to do it. I am really looking forward to see how it goes. I hope I get to do it more later on! The cooking class is also this week! I am so excited about it too. I have only been able to attend one class since I have been here, but it was a blast last time and I am sure this time will be even better. Belva Kotlarczyk (my connection with Japan and SEND before I came) leads this class and I think she is making zuccini bread!! It is going to be great!

I am awaiting my approval to stay for the second three months. My Visa expires in about two weeks so I should be finding out this week if I am staying or going. No matter what I have to leave Japan at some point to renew my visa. If I stay in Japan for the second three months then I will leave for about a week to another country - probably Taiwan. If I do not get approved then I will be home in two weeks. I am pretty sure I will be staying, but nothing is final yet. Please pray that I will get to stay and I will be able to reenter Japan without any issues! Thank you so much for all your prayers!

Love,
Amanda

As close as I will get to the Ozarks for a while!

This is a station that I pass thru a lot and evey time I see it, I think of the Ozarks. So one day I took a picture of it! I love it!

Off to camp!

Hey,
I just thought I would leave you with a quick update. I got back from my "vacation" on Monday and I have been getting ready to leave for camp again. Today, was my English Bible study. There were fewer people there this time. It was probably because of the holiday. However, it provided a great time for some one-on-one attention with the unbelievers. I really enjoyed it. I also received some great packages in the mail! They came from Nokie, Erica, and my family. Thank you all for the awesome packages. They made my day even better! Also, thank you to Aunt Betty who so faithfully writes to me! The letters mean so much! I have finished packing for camp and I will leave around 7:30 in the morning. It will take about 2 and 1/2 hours to get there so it will be a long train ride once again. It will be at camp for four days. I am going to be an English teacher and an assistant counselor. I am teaching first-level senior high students. I am really excited about the camp. Camp is always a great time for me and I meet so many great people. I will head back on Saturday afternoon. I am not going to take my computer to camp this time because it is too hard to carry everything with me so I wanted to give a quick update on what is going on. Pray for camp and the 24 Junior/Senior High kids that will be coming. It is going to be a blessed week!

Thank you for all your love and support. I will update about camp when I get back!
Love,
Amanda