Japan Journal - April 28th

Last week I met up with Yusuke to do Bible study for the first time. I bumped into him earlier in the day. He was sat in the park reading his Bible! Remember this guy is not a Christian. His comment before we started was about communism and capitalism and the ways in which they appear similar to Christianity and other world religions. Beforehand I was expecting to have to simplify everything. That wasn't going to be the case.
His friend decided that he wanted to join us for the study which was also pretty amazing. I was excited before we even opened the Bible. We went through and looked at 'Who is God?' The study went well with both guys able to understand the questions and find the answers in the text. I was slightly worried it might just become a comprehension exercise so I asked at the end if they had any questions. Yusuke asked how we could be sure the resurrection happened. He decided that if Jesus really rose from the dead then everything he said must be taken seriously. If he didn't then it could be dismissed. Very true. We talked through the events surrounding the rising of Jesus and how the only conclusion we can draw is that he rose from the dead. He's going to keep reading the gospels to check it out properly.
The other guy then asked why it seems new religions lack any credibility whereas old ones seem to make far more sense. Both of these guys are thinkers and not afraid to question things. We concluded that, according to the Bible, the only way to know God was to know Jesus. Therefore, to find out if the God of the Bible is real, you have to read the Bible and get to know Jesus. I encouraged them to pray before reading that if God is real then he would show his word to be true. They said they would and so far these guys have been true to their word. Just incredible! Yusuke then came to the study in the evening and his mate has said he'll come this week. Praise God.

Teaching is still going well. The pastor of the church where I teach adults has been really encouraged by a lady who has begun to come on a Sunday morning. People from the church have attended the classes so that they can get to know the non-Christians who come along and make them feel welcome if they come to a service. What I great attitude that God has been willing to bless. There are a couple more who could make the step. We need to pray that they will!
The pastor and his family are just great and I was more than happy to help out when asked if I could cover a children's class. Two small classes of 5 year olds (i think). They spoke no English which I should've expected really. It ended up as two hours of me jumping, singing, making animal noises, trying pretty much anything to get them to enjoy English. There was a great moment when 4 five year olds just stared at me like I was crazy for the best part of five minutes. I was determined to get them to join in so just kept going in the desperate hope they'd understand me eventually. They did.
Very humbling but beautiful too.

Church continues to be a blessing. The pastor's wife translates for me which is great and I'm beginning to join in more with some of the songs. The lunch afterwards is always slightly scary, depending upon who I end up sat next too. I sat with a guy who was on his own. We managed 'nice to meet you' and 'my name is' in Japanese and then the conversation ended. We sat in silence smiling politely for the next 5 minutes. Eventually we were joined by some others who spoke a bit of English. I got my photos out and we were off. Mum was right to make me bring them! By the end of it I had a guy (the father of one of the kids I teach) offering to take me sightseeing next Saturday. Very cool. I get the impression that some of the others will join us too which is great. It was the same guy who's wife had observed me teaching in the week. Either she didn't think it was too bad or she hated it and this is their wicked plan for revenge. I'm fairly certain it's the former. Despite the barrier of langauge, they have made me feel really welcome.

I think that's enough for now. Golden week this week which means a few days off here and there. No adult classes which gives me a chance to get ahead on planning. Yeh right!

My testimony

I grew up knowing that I did many things wrong. I thought I knew best even if things didn’t always turn out well. Although these were often little things, I soon began to realise I had a problem. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop doing bad things, thinking bad things. One thing I knew, I deserved to be punished. If there was a heaven, I didn’t deserve to go there. The thought scared me but there was nothing I could do about it.

Then I remembered Jesus. My parents are Christians and I was taught all about him. I knew that he had claimed he could forgive sins. I knew that he had died on a cross so that people wouldn’t have to be punished. I knew all I had to do was to trust and follow him and I would be forgiven. So I did. As a young boy I begged him to forgive me and help me to change. I knew I’d been forgiven but things didn’t change all that much.

A short time later, everything changed! My friend got up and shared something with us at Sunday school. He had a medical problem which meant he found it difficult to walk and talk properly. He told us how he had asked Jesus to come into his life and live inside him. I looked at my friend and knew that he had something that I wanted. He had something in his life that was so much better than anything in my life. I knew Jesus could forgive me but I didn’t know he would come and live inside me if I asked him. So I asked him. There and then I prayed that Jesus would come into my life and never leave me.

I am a different person now to who I was then. Little by little, Jesus has been changing me and helping me to stop thinking and doing evil things. I have gotten to know him and realise that he loves me and will never leave me. He wants only good things for me and I am certain that one day I will be with him in heaven. Life isn’t always easy. Bad things still happen all around me, but I know Jesus will always be with me. I am loved by him and completely forgiven. He offered me life. He offers the same to you.

Japan Journal - April 21st

It's been a week since my last entry so I figure it's about time I wrote something again.

Unfortunately my head is not overly focussed so this could all be a bit haphazard.

Teaching English is just exhausting. It's brilliant seeing people progress so quickly with a skill that will be really useful to them, but having to simplify everything is not always easy. I've become so used to having a class full of children who know me and kinda get what I'm saying even if it's not perfectly clear. I can't fall back on that here. The students are so enthusiastic though which really puts me to shame with my langauge study. Most days I feel like I'm actually gettting nowhere, although there are days like today when I feel things are beginning to fall into place. It just shows up my own desire to give up easily and leads me to rely upon the Holy Spirit for perserverence.

I definitely find it easier to rely upon God in difficult one-off situations than in regular daily disciplines.

I actually made it to church on time on Sunday and the pastor's wife very kindly translated the sermon for me. When one person is going to the effort to convert everything just for you, it really makes you sit up and listen to every single word. How often we take for granted having everything in a language that we can understand. What of those people who never hear God's word in their own tongue?

I met with 3 students today, as well as preparing for class tomorrow and Thursday. One of them I meet with twice a week and he has agreed to do one of those times as a Bible study. Just brilliant! He has already read parts of it and he thinks it is beautifully written. We have built up a friendship so quickly that I know he will happily share any problems he has with what we read, so we can have an honest study. Another student randomly asked me what the difference was between Catholics, Protestants and Mormons. We had been chatting for about a minute, I shared a little and then he had to return to his meeting.

Just a little comment but God will use it to his glory.

Last week I was so tired but I'm feeling more alert this week.

Listened to a John Piper sermon called 'I'm sending you to open their eyes', last night. It was from www.desiringgod.org from 13.04.08. I then listened to it again last night and partially this morning. It reminded me of the reasons to evangelise and is so practical in equiping people to reach others. It reinforces why sharing the gospel is something we all should do and something we all can do. I will be reflecting upon it for days to come.

Overall things are great. I'm in a regular routine and now in a position to build quality relationships, whilst still initiating new ones. I daily have to go to God in the morning for the strength and desire to live the day out fully, and then turn to him again at night to thank him for all the things he has done. Not everything is easy and not everything is particularly fun,but everything is done in the name of the Lord and therefore nothing is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15.58.

That is a beautiful thing!

What is God capable of?

So rarely in life do we get to see what God can do.

Everything we look at is spoilt somehow.

Falling short of its true potential.

But there are still those things that take your breath away.

A view so beautiful that you have to stop and drink it in.

Simply incredible!

Man can not creat that sort of beauty on so great a scale, no matter how long he works for. God did it in a moment. Spoke it into existence.

If that's what God can do out of nothing, imagine what he could do with something made in his image. Something he chooses to make the home of his Holy Spirit.

If that's what God can do through his word in a moment, imagine what he could do in a lifetime. Or any moment of our lives.

God is not restricted to nature. Imagine what he is capable of doing in other aspects of our lives. In ALL aspects.

Love, wisdom, purpose, goodness, pleasure, satisfaction, fulfillment.

We wonder why we don't see the same incredible beauty in our own lives?

It's because we don't allow him to create it.

Japan Journal - April 9th

I arranged to meet up with a guy for language exchange today. We had just over an hour to chat before I had to go to a meeting. Then I get an email saying he might be half an hour late. I wasn't too happy at the though of waiting arounf for half an hour and was beginning to think it would be a waste of time.

He arrived pretty much on time and we sat down to chat for a while. My friend George (an Amercian guy who's here for a few weeks) was there too and between us we had a good conversation. I invited him to the evening Bible study and he said he might come and bring some friends. We weren’t overly hopeful as most people are polite and say they’ll come, but don't actually turn up.

The evening class/study started at 7:00. At 7:15 we've got two students. All of us were more than a little disappointed. A minute later, in walks the guy and a friend of his. When it came to splitting into groups I ended up in a pair with him and we did the bible study together. Turns out this guy is not a Christian but has a friend who has been reading the Bible with him. He is interested but quite confused and has been warned by his family that Christianity is dangerous! We did the study and he asked me how we can be sure that Christianity is true and other religions are not.

I explained how Jesus said he was the only way to the father and so if Christianity is true then all other religions must be wrong. They couldn't be merged together (that's a big thing in Japan). I then described how all other religions are about doing something in order to get to God. Earning your way into heaven. Good deeds, regular prayer, reading a holy book, attending a service.

I explained how Christianity is different because God came to us and did something for us. Jesus died in our place. He's done it all, we just have to accept the free gift. I said how this made Christianity different because it’s not about being good enough for God, it’s about knowing you are not good enough.

I said that I know that I'm not good enough and that no matter what I do, I still deserved to be punished. I know I don't deserve to go to heaven. He seemed to accept what I was saying, but wasn't afraid to question me if he didn't agree. He had a great attitude.

We finished with a plan to meet again next week and the prospect of me and Alex doing a Bible study with him and his friend who came. Both non-Christians. He also seemed interested in coming along to my church with me on Sunday. That way he'll be the one who understands and I'll be the one confused! This guy already knows more about the Bible than most Japanese people. He applied to do language exchange with someone he didn’t know was a Christian and now he’s coming along to Bible studies and possibly church. It is simply amazing how God will use people to move others closer to him. One step at a time. We may never see the impact we have on others. We just need to trust that God will piece it all together using many of his servants. That way none of us can boast.

A verse to live by!

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16.11

If this is really true, if it can be trusted without a shadow of a doubt, then surely there is only one way to live. All out pursuit of God's presence. A singleminded desire to walk in his path and taste eternal pleasure out of his hand. If it's true, surely anything else is second best. Sure, it may make us happy for a bit, of give us a measure of pleasure, but it would always fade in the end. Isn't that true? Don't all the pleasures and joys we experience fade in the end.

Aren't we always left wanting more? Hoping beyond hope that we might stumble across true joy eventually.

Nothing in this world brings eternal pleasure. Nothing brings fulness of joy. Not to say that life is only miserable. We are still God's creation and his presence can be felt throughout the world. Life can be really great at times, but the greatness rarely lasts a lifetime, let alone for eternity.

I know that the Bible can be trusted. I know that God's presence is the only place I can find fulness of joy. I don't want second best. So all I have to do is live like it. Stop settling for pleasure that is not of God. Trust that he really is all I need. Not simply to survive, but to truly live!

Japan Journal - April 7th

So much is happening in such a small space of time that it’s hard to keep on top of writing it up!
Sorry to those who check this regularly. And sorry this is so long!

Today we hit the university campus for the first time. 3 of us went. None of us speak Japanese. The other two are both here for a few weeks and none of us had really been out like that before.
The campus is nicely spread out with a fair amount of greenery dotted around. So as not to overwhelm people too much, we split up and agreed to meet back together in an hour and a half. The strategy was simple. Find one or two people. Ask them if they speak any English. Then introduce yourself, ask them about themselves (name, age, subject, year, clubs joined), then ask them if they like practising speaking English. If they do, exchange e-mails and arrange to meet up, or invite them to the English Bible Study. If they don’t appear interested, give them a flyer and depart politely.
All manner of scary.
We prayed together and then we split.

I spoke to five or six guys quite easily to begin with. Got through all the questions and then gave them each a flyer. I found that looking like I didn’t really know what I was doing (which I didn’t) helped and smiling a lot. I think they just took pity on me which is no bad thing if it leads them to knowing God as their saviour and friend.

After about half an hour I hit a point where everyone I asked said they didn’t speak English and kept on walking. I got a bit tired and felt like giving up. It was amazing how easily I lost focus! So I prayed that God would lead me to someone I could have a meaningful conversation with. I saw a guy walking by a little pond area. I thought, ‘If he sits down on a bench then I’m going to go and speak to him.’ He sat down and got his drink out. I walked over and sat down beside him.
Turns out he was a Korean student studying Japanese and spoke less English than anyone I’d spoken to so far (even those who claimed to not speak any English!). We conducted the conversation with much: repetition, pointing, acting and consultation of his electronic translator (genius!). By the end I found out he was a Christian who has been living in Sapporo for 3 months but not yet been to a church here. He was very interested in the flyers and now has my e-mail address so I can put him in touch with a church.
How simple is that! Even through my readiness to give up and a complete lack of shared language, God can and will use a situation to show his love to people. I was humbled to be used and pray the guy e-mails.

It got me thinking as to why I don’t do that sort of thing in Britain. Apart from being lazy, the only real answer was fear. Fear of being laughed at, ignored, rejected. I was rejected by about 8 students, laughed at by 3 and ignored by countless. Yet one person is now one step closer to growing with God. Not because of me, but because God longs to use his people. Not because I can teach the gospel clearly. I really can’t do that in Japanese or Korean.
There really are no good excuses as to why we don’t share Jesus with the world. It is the easiest thing to give someone a flyer inviting them to somewhere they could find out more.
Even just a card with an e-mail address to chat about what it means to be loved by God.

‘And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us." But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men."’
Acts 5.27-29

The apostles filled Jerusalem with their teaching. They did it because they felt they must obey God. Could anyone in that city turn round to Jesus at judgment and say,
‘Sorry, but I never knew you died in my place’?
Is the same true of those we love?
We need to tell the world that Jesus died for them.
If not because we love people then because we’re obeying God.
How can we keep the greatest event mankind had ever witnessed a secret?

Japan Journal - Day 2

Travel - Day began in Ichikawa. Early morning required to catch the flight from Tokyo to Sapporo. Kenton took me as far as the train change. He is the admin for OMF Japan, who made me feel at ease from the moment I met him. Very thankful to God for him. He said goodbye as the train pulled in and then we saw how full it was! Up until this point all we’d seen was quiet trains. Trains with seats to spare in abundance. The train pulled in and Kenton apologised as a squeezed into a gap that physically couldn’t fit me and my cases. It’s fair to say the local people gave the Brit with the bags as much room as they could spare. The airport was easy and the women at the desks very gracious as they constantly redirected me to the place I should be (not the rival company). Managed to get my bag down from 23.4kg to 21kg for the lower weight restriction. Back’s still a little sore from the rucksack though! 

Hokkaido - I was a little disappointed with how the area surrounding Tokyo looked. Very, very western. The only real difference was the writing. Even from the air the ground looked fairly familiar. As we flew over the water towards Hokaido, I saw the beginning of something special. A line of white across the haze of blue. At first, I thought it was the coast, as the waves were fairly substantial around the rest of Japan. Only as we got closer they showed themselves for what they really were. Standing proud, a guard of snow-capped sentries. Not just thrown down on the landscape, but carefully positioned like a row of dominoes. Mountains. It was a good start.

Sapporo - Sapporo itself is similar to the cities surrounding Tokyo, although the mountains can be easily seen on a clear day. I was picked up by Alaric who drove me to Richard’s, where I’ll be staying while I’m here. They had a meeting, so I was left to my own devices for the following three and a half hours. It was good to get my bearings and settle into my room.

My room - Just brilliant! It’s in a flat on the third floor but still with expected sliding doors and mat flooring. The room is empty apart from a floor chair (a normal chair without legs). A wardrobe lies behind sliding doors, which holds all the fold out bits I need to make a very comfortable bed on the floor. I love it! Can’t make a mess because it all has to be tidied away at the start of the day!

Tonight - Had a Birthday meal for one of the girls on the team. Taken as a great opportunity to share the gospel with Japenese people in a really comfortable setting. Got chatting to one of the lads who spoke a bit more English than the others. He’s going to become my language partner so I can learn Japanese and he can learn English. He also offered to help me out if I want to venture out into the more remote parts of the island. Very cool. 

Work - Still don’t really know what I’ll be doing. Expect to find out more tomorrow. Supposedly I won’t have time to get bored. Sounds good.

Japan Journal - April 1st

Prayed lots on the plane. Arrived without any major problems. I have all my bags and wasn't delayed at all in the end. Met by Kenton at the airport who brought me to the OMF Headquarters. Had a really good train journey where I got to see some greenery out of the windows. Supposedly I'll be seeing mostly cities. Everything great so far. Got pizza for lunch. Maybe the food thing isn't going to be that big a problem.

Update later.