No cattle to be seen, but a bag of feed?

To the average Southern Missourian this -




would be none other than a bag of feed. Not in Japan. This is how some buy their rice! As I helping prepare dinner tonight, the person I am staying with took a bowl and scooped rice out of this bag and then put it in the handy dandy rice maker and a few minutes later, you have the best rice ever! haha I wish I could bring back the rice, rice maker, and rice scoop with me!

Today was a fairly good day. It was very cool with a nice breeze so that was good since I did some walking. I went to the station today to do some shopping and then took the train to church. I spent a few hours at church talking and spending time with the pastor and his family. Yamanaka sen se is the pastor and his wife is Meg (for short). They have three kids: Yuki (5), Kohki (3 on Sunday!), and Koto (1). It is two boys and one girl. They are a great family so I enjoyed spending time with them. I then walked down the BIG hill to the station to catch the train, but also took a detour to the post office. By the way, this was first time to the post office and I went by myself and I do not speak Japanese! AND the postcards and packages got mailed. Am I good or what? haha I also received letters in the mail. THANK YOU AUNT BETTY!!!!!!!!!!!! The letters were great and I hope to write you a letter in the very near future.
I then came back home and had a wonderful time of prayer and Bible study. Dinner wonderful. At least it was better than last night when I had to eat raw tuna. Yum! haha It was not that awful just wrong. :)

Tomorrow I am going to met up with some friends and spend the day with them. I am so excited and if the weather permits, fireworks is on the agenda for the evening. On Sunday, I will attend my church for worship service (and Mr. Ichimura will be coming with me so that is good news!) and then I will go to an English church service in the afternoon. Yamanaka sen se's wife, Meg, introduced me to a girl named Mari. Mari teaches little kids English. She is married to an American and they attend an English church service so I am looking forward to that. I will also help Mari in the next month or so with her English classes. English is popular to learn in Japan, but there is a need for native English speakers.

Well, it is almost time for bed on my side of the world! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Gomen Nasai

Gomen Nasai is "I'm sorry" in Japanese. Sorry that I have negelected this blog in the last week or so. However, I have good reason! haha I was at English camp at Okutama Bible Chalet. First, was the kid's camp and then the adult camp. These two camps of been the highlight of Japan so far! It was an absolute blast to minister to the kids. I was an assistant English teacher for the kid's and I filled in wherever necessary. It was nice to not be really in charge of anything, but able to observe and learn more about the Japanese people. There were 60 kids there and several of them recieved Christ by the end of the week which is a huge blessing. Many of these kids come from very spiritual dark homes where they do not see or hear anything about their Maker. It was sad to see the realities of Japan, but it is good to understand why ministry in Japan is so hard.

A few hours after the kid's camp ended the adult camp began. Yes, I was tired, but it was so worth it. I enjoyed the Adult camp even more than the kid's camp. I was an English teacher and an assistant team leader. The adults were so excited to speak and learn English, but more than that their hearts were so open to hearing the gospel! A few of the adults that came to the camp were Christians and it was a humbling experience to watch them talk with the non-Christians who were seeking. The Christians spoke with such bravery and gentleness. They wanted everyone to know what God had done for them. During the team time (where the campers split into groups and discussed the messages) many of the Christian campers took over the discussion and were probably more effective than what the missionaries would have been! It was great to see God work. He was working in each camper's heart! Again, I enjoyed learning more about Japan and the spiritual warfare that exists in the this country. On the surface, it may seem like Japan has it all together. Many people know that Japan is not a Christian country, but I think that many people do not realize the spiritual darkness this country is in! Once you break the surface and really look into the lives of the Japanese people, there is so much hurt!!!! There is no one to explain this hurt to someone who has not experienced it firsthand. I still have a hard time putting my mind around it! Japan is a HURTING nation that needs to know our Lord, but thier hearts are so hardened that they are not letting Him in. Please pray for Japan! Pray that God will move in this nation and people will begin to seek Him! Enjoy the pics!

3 girls at the kids camp

The infamous Riku! He was in too everything, but he was so funny!

Mogu - she was in my English class and she was so sweet!

Chie and Me - Chie attended the Adult camp. She is a seeker, but feels a lot of pressure from her mom to become a Christian. She feels like if she becomes a Christian it would be giving into what her mom wants. Please pray for Chie.

Me and Rika - Rika was in my English class. She is a sweetie. She attended church, but we believe she is not a Christian. Pray for Rika,too.

Shinto Festival

This weekend marks a holiday in Japan and it is very visible all across the city. Monday (July 20th) is the Day of the Sea where the Japanese celebrate the god of the Sea. All around the city there are stings of lightening bolts. These bolts are the symbol for Shinto much like a cross is for Christianity. They usually are seen in groups of four and households or businesses put them out for the festival. They look much like this:

The couple, the Ichimuras, I am staying with are both very excited about the festival and will be joining in on the festivities. I will be at a church retreat and then heading to camp so I will not be able to observe. Please pray for Japan on Monday as the celebrate a god they believe gives them things from the sea. Today we visited the beach where much of the festivities are going to take place and prayed upon that place. I am continue to pray for Ichimura San as she puts of bowl of rice on the alter each night. Please join me! Here is a picture of us at the sea to give you a face to put with the name.

Thank you for all your love and support and remember the Japanese this weekend as they are serving a god that protects them from the truth not protects them from evil.

Here's My Life

I felt like sharing a song that has really spoken to my heart while I have been in Japan. It is by one of my favorite artists - Barlow Girl. Eventhough, I am dealing with being in Japan better and better each day does not mean that every day is easy. This song has really spoken to me and reminds me what is important. It is called "Here's My Life"

"Once again I said my goodbyes
to those I love most
my heart feels that familiar pain
as I long for hope
cause this road is hard
when I feel to far

And God I'm crying out tonight
cause I've given you my life
but I'm tired and I'm missing what's behind
so once more here's my life

On the day that you called my name
all that I knew changed
I found when I said yes
that I would never be the same
Though the call is hard, you are worth it all

And God I'm crying out tonight
cause I've given you my life
but I'm tired and I'm missing what's behind
so once more here's my life

Even when the tears are falling
when I find I fear the fear calling
you remind me
words you've spoken over my life
promises I've yet to see
you comfort me

And God I'm crying out tonight
cause I've given you my life
but I'm tired and I'm missing what's behind
so once more here's my life"

God speaks to me through song pretty much everyday so I thank Him for the gift of song. I also thank you for your love and support. I know that I have many people rooting for me! I have heard so many positive things, though hard to believe, they still help me! So thank you!

Love,
Amanda

Great times in Yokohama!

Hello Blog friends! I hope this all finds you well. Yesterday Miho (my friend that is staying with me right now) and I went to the Bible study. It was a good time of fellowship with church members and then we met up with two of Miho's friends that were in Yokohama - Nat and Zum. They showed us around Yokohama and we ate at tgiFridays and Starbucks! Yeah for some American food! It was great to get to know more people. We came back for supper at the Ichimura's which was also good.

Today we had another English class. There were 10 women there and 5 or 6 were non believers so it was wonderful time of fellowship. I am looking forward to meeting with all of them again. They had a potluck lunch for Miho and me. It was all amazing. It was funny how Japanese food tests better after having American food yesterday! haha This afternoon Miho and I took a 2 hour nap! Now we are getting ready to eat Korean BBQ with the Ichimuras.

Last night as Miho and I were helping Mrs. Ichimura prepare dinner, she got a small dish of rice and took it into another room. I asked Miho what it was for and she told me the alter. Mrs. Ichimura took it into the alter and gave it to the gods. Apparently, the god was not hungry because the rice was still in the bowl after dinner and she threw it out. Miho and I can both sense evil in this house and it is scary. I am scheduled to be staying in this house for the majority of my time in Japan. While I am more comfortable about it now, I am still a little concerned. So please pray for the Ichimura's. They are obviously non-Christians, but the pastor claims they are open to the Gospel. Pray that I a will be able to influence them in a positive way and they will begin to come to church. There is quite a bit of a language barrier between me and them which is frustrating, but pray I can show them Jesus! The only light in this house is Miho and I. However, God is bigger than the enemy and He has already won the battle!

Love,
Amanda

English Bible Study and Tomato Ice Cream

Just wanted to give a quick update tonight - Today was my first English class. It went very well. I shared my testimony and then the students asked questions about me, my testimony, and Christianity. It was a great time of fellowship and people seemed interested in the Bible not just English! Afterwards, I was invited to go to a concert and to dinner with other members of the class. They took me to a nice resturant in the tallest building in Japan! For dessert, we had ice cream and one of the flavors was tomato. Now if you know me really well, you know that my least favorite food is tomato and my favorite food is ice cream so I could not decide if I liked it or not. I ate it, but I will not pick to eat it again! However, it was an experience.

Things are going much better! I am feeling all of the prayers and I am so grateful for all the love and support that is coming from the States and people in Japan. God has protected me and provided for me and He will continue to do so. Thank you all and keep praying!

Love,
Amanda

Update

Well, it has been an interesting couple of days. On Friday, the pastor's wife and I went to a kids English class for the their children. It was a good time and I may have an opportunity to help in that class in the coming weeks. Also, the teacher and her husband go to an English church service so I am hoping to attend it soon.

On Friday evening, I switched to a new home. It was a very, very hard adjustment because the couple speak VERY little English. They try, but most of the time I have no idea what they are trying to tell me. I decided that I needed to take a break from everything new and different and come back to the short-term coordinator's home. I was able to talk to him and his wife about everything that was going on and it was good to talk to people who know and understand everything I am feeling. I am hoping a few things will change to make things a little easier, but we will see what God has in store. I have been at their home since Saturday afternoon and I have been a completely different person. Life is so much easier here!! Last night the coordinator's wife and I went out to the mall and walked around for a bit. I also had the best night of sleep I have had all week so that was a blessing. Today, Sunday, we went to their house church. It was a great time of fellowship with other believers. One of the members brought a friend that was on his way back to the States. He is living in Kentucky now and he was back in Japan visiting. After the service he was headed to the airport to get on the plane. I kind of wanted to go back with him! haha

The plan for know is to head back to my church tomorrow. I am hoping that things will be different because to be honest I am sick just thinking of going back. It is has been a hard road, but I will try my best to get through it! Next week is English camp!! I am really looking forward to that.

Thank you for ALL of your prayers. I know many of you know my situation and many of you are praying. I am sorry if I feel like I am complaining or something, but this is really hard and it helps some to get it off my chest and to know people are praying for me and rooting me on!

Love, Amanda

God is AMAZING

It is has been a good couple of days in Japan. On Tuesday, I was able to get a lot of things done on the computer like updating things and putting my pictures on-line. Many people commented on how much they liked them so thank you for that. Wednesday morning was prayer meeting at church. It was a good time. The pastor told me that I did not have to attend because it was all in Japanese, but I wanted to go anyway. I am so glad that I did plus one woman was able to translate enough of what was said into English so I could follow along. Something interesting I have found that is even though I do not know much of the language I can still pick up a few words and have a good idea of what the conversation is about. That is nice because other wise I would be totally in the dark! Anyways, at the prayer meeting, there was a small group of women at the prayer meeting and we took our time reading through the first two chapters of James and discussed what we thought was most important out of each chapter. It was a wonderful time to share our heart and get to one another on a more personal level. We then shared prayer requests that we had. All of these women do not have Christian families and many of their husbands are not Christians so it is very hard to practice their faith without ridicule. It was a wonderful two hours and I am looking forward to it next week!

Yesterday (Thursday) was a blast!!! My friend Belva came to the church to do her cooking class. She comes once a month and holds a cooking class for women. They come and learn a new recipe that is usually from the States and then they have a meal and try out what they made! The women love it and it is an amazing outreach to women who do not know about Jesus. There is also a short message that tells about the Gospel. Yesterday about 17 women came and over half of them did not go to church. In Japan that is a great turnout for an activity at church! Afterwards, Kagawa San, a woman who attends the cooking class but not church invited Belva and I over to her house. It was a wonderful time of fellowship! Kagawa San, and her friend Kohgo San, wanted to know all about Missouri and where I was from. Kagawa San had an atlas and we marked where I grew up, where Bado was at, and where I went to school. The four of us talked for a couple of hours about church, the States, Japan, Michael Jackson, and Bush vs. Obama. Haha As you can tell it was an interesting conversation!! Please pray for Kohgo San!!! As soon as she walked into the church for the cooking class I could tell that she was hurting. She is searching for Jesus and she is almost about to find Him! Belva and I were able to minister to her and she was so receptive. I think she will be saved before the six months is up!

After we left Kagawa San’s home, Ito San and I met her sister and brother-in-law for some Korean food. Well the Korean restaurant was closed so we ate Chinese. However, this was Chinese like I had never had!!! It was a very nice restaurant where we had a 7-course meal!! I had so many things that I had never had that I cannot even remember it all! I had some type of jellyfish, cuttlefish (an octopus-like creature with 10 legs), pork, shrimp (the only thing fried), crab, shellfish, and Chinese tofu. Everything was actually good! It was very expensive and it was an experience that I probably will never have again. It was amazing. We then went over to Ito San’s sister’s house for fellowship and to watch their pictures from their recent vacation. They just got back from Hong Kong to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

I am sorry this is so long, but there was so much I wanted to tell you! Thank you for all your e-mails of encouragement and prayers! God is going to do great things in Japan!

More Pics

Me and Big Buddha



My Church. This is where they have service, Sunday schoool, and dinner!



Ito San's house where I have been staying my first week here.




Me on the beach in Kamakura City





Me and Tweety. Those who know me well will like this photo!!

Be sure to check all the blog. I posted 3 times today to catch up.

Picture Time

Alisha, Miho, Me, and Tadi at the Imperial Palace after our 3 hours prayer walk!


Me at the Imperial Palace



Tokyo




My futon bed that I will be sleeping on much of the time in Japan





My first meal in Japan - Japanese curry, much better than Indian curry!

Why is the food cold and the drinks hot!

That is one of the many questions I ask myself as I sit down to a meal in Japan. During the summer many of the Japanese dishes are served cold. Well, I tend to like my food HOT. The hotter the better. But in Japan, I may not get that!

I have been in Ofuna, which is where my church is located, since Friday. It is a beautiful city that is built in the mountains. I am staying with a woman who attends the church, Ito San (Mrs. Ito). She is very gracious! She has opened her lovely home to me for a week. She has prepared a lot for me and she even let me call home! I was thrilled and so was my family.

Sunday was my first church service at Shonan Nozomi (my church). The people were very excited to meet me! They greeted me with open arms and tried their best to speak English to me (which is more than I can say about my Japanese!). Yamanaka sen se, the pastor, prepared for me, too. He had all of the songs for me in English so I could sing along and he recorded the message for me in English on his iPod so I could listen to it while he spoke in Japanese. During Sunday school a translator joined my class to help me follow along with everything. I have been asked to join the youth class. Regularly, there are 2 boys and 2 girls. They seem to be great kids. They all come from Christian homes. After church, there was a welcome party for me. The food was all very good. Everyone introduced themselves, but I do not remember many of their names. At least, I may remember what kids go with what parents. All in all, it was a good day.

Yesterday (Monday) I went to Kamakura City with Ito san and her sister. It was about 30 minutes away by train. We walked much of the time once we got there. Kamakura is a popular destination for tourists and it is famous for its shires, temples, and the Big Buddha. It was very nice town and looked like a good place to go shopping. We also visited the ocean. It was very windy and cool, but it was pretty. It was good to get out, but a very tiring day. There is not much planned for the next couple of days so I hope to relax and prepare for camps. I am going to be a helper at the Junior English camp and a teacher at the Adult English camps. They begin in 2 weeks and they are both at Okutama Bible Chalet.

Please continue to pray for me as I continue to adjust to Japan and everything that is new. It is has not been an easy transition, but God has a plan so I just need to keep the faith.

Love,
Amanda