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