Things Learned & Observed

Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts are a necessity if the Church as a whole is going to become the mature Bride that Jesus is looking for. I don't say they are a requirement, because then we start to make it a law and it's no longer a gift. But, we are completely foolish if we think that clever programming and performance is going to make the Church more like Jesus. Programs can't replace the expression of the Presence of God, and they can never match the effectiveness of spiritual gifts in meeting peoples' needs. This isn't to diminish the effectiveness of just plain love (love is the greatest gift), but spiritual gifts work through love, so there's no disagreement between them.

I haven't wanted some spiritual gifts because I was unwilling to put myself in the line of sight. If I ask for spiritual gifts, it means that I need to be willing to say and do whatever it is that God wants to say and do. I don't have the right to filter it or repackage it. 

Patience

I am not a patient person. I'm willing to wait for a short time, but at some point I decide to go ahead and do what I want to do whether it's well-thought-out or not. If I'm in a position where I'm forced to wait, then I typically find some busy thing to distract myself in the meantime. I'm not a person who waits patiently with a quiet heart. Even in my head, I'm multitasking.

America has a convenience-centered culture. We value convenience over quality. Because of this, we are able reduce slow times during our day (like traveling, cooking and eating, and waiting) to pack our schedules with multiple appointments. We go from thing to thing to thing one after the other because it's possible.

In Japan, though convenience is becoming more valued, they have traditionally valued quality more than convenience. Therefore, in general, things take more time. Japanese people have a reputation for rigorous work ethics and almost maniacal attention to detail and striving toward perfection. Students spend long hours practicing, practicing, practicing, practicing toward whatever goal they have. The rest of the world admires the results. But I found that life in Japan felt slower. It is normal to travel up to 2 hours one-way to work daily. While they spend long hard hours, they are limited to a lesser number of projects. You don't find so many people that are taking swimming lessons, art lessons, piano lessons, play on the basketball team, have a part-time job, are in the knitting club, and take their dog to training classes on the weekend. It just couldn't happen; not when it takes 30 minutes to bike where you need to go, or 15 minutes to walk to the station and then another 30 spent on the train and then another 15 minutest to walk to the actual meeting place. People are physically limited in the number of activities they can cram into one 24-hour period.

I'm not qualifying either culture. Each one has positive and negative aspects. But, what I did learn was to wait. I had to slow down - internally - mentally. I learned to wait - not just with my fingers fidgeting and toe tapping nervously - but to wait quietly and even happily. The physical pain that I experienced also helped instill this in me. I don't know if I can fully describe how, so I'll just leave it at that. I'm not quite sure how this patience will translate back into my life in America, but I hope to retain it in some way. I hope to be a more patient and quiet-hearted person no matter where I'm living.

Flexibility

During my trip, if we received any offer or request to meet with anybody, we took it as being opportunity from God and simply accepted the invitation. We didn't try to evaluate it. We just went in the hope of having opportunity to share the Gospel in some way. We simply assumed that these opportunities were from God and we treated them that way. Sometimes, more than one opportunity would come up and we would have to choose what to do. We would spend time worshipping and praying, and without fail, the way always became clear. I would become settled in my heart: "Let this one go, and go here instead," or "We can handle the difficult travel. We should go to all of these things." Whatever the situation, God always gave direction when we needed it. Otherwise, we took what opportunity was at hand. I see this in the Gospels when Jesus would go to people's houses at their request. He was that flexible, and not worried about "what if God wants me to do something else at that time? What if they're not really open to hearing the Gospel?" What if what if what if. What if we miss simple opportunities by over analyzing with our minds instead of walking in love and receiving people as they are?

Receiving a Perfect Jesus through Imperfect People

I met so many Christians. Each of them has a different perspective on life, God, the Scriptures, prayer, everything! I met a woman who had some really good and helpful things to say about what the Body of Christ should be like. We had a great conversation that I think really helped everyone there. But, when we prayed together I found out that she prays in ways that I think are a little off-balance. I let it go. It didn't really bother me. It's not sin. At least she's praying, and who am I to say what prayer God will or won't accept? He looks at the heart, and I couldn't really evaluate that. So, it didn't bother me. This is a change from how I've been in the past. I was so happy to find it in my heart. I can just receive what people have that I know is from God. And if there's other stuff that I'm unsure of, I can just let it go. I'm not talking about sin - just varying religious practices and beliefs and ways that we learn from others along the way. We all pick up stuff like that. But what I know is from God, I can fully receive. I can embrace my sisters and brothers in fellowship even if there are differences.

Be Given to the Whole Body of Christ

I realized that I have stayed in my own little Christian circle for too long. I have understood and agreed that we are all one Body in Christ, but in reality, I have only hung with my little portion of it. While I might not be able to be as close to everybody as I am to my current friends who I have walked with for 13 years, I want to be whole-heartedly available to the entire Body of Christ and serve them just as faithfully. I don't want to honor denominational divisions. They don't exist in Heaven. I know that, but I want to live it.

Keep It Going!!!

Our Labor Is Not in Vain

I saw that most of the students that we shared fellowship with years ago are continuing to follow Jesus and are growing in faith and purity. I'm inspired to continue reaching out to students, walking with them in the Lord, and seeing them follow Jesus in their own countries if that's what God would have them do.

Humility

Not my own, but God's. God is so humble. The Bible says that He hangs out  with humble people. Do you know why? Because He is so humble! So, He finds fellowship and friendship with humble people.

Toward the end of my trip, I started to feel like the Lord was really happy with me; like He was saying "Well done, good and faithful servant." But, honestly, I felt more like what Jesus talked about when He said "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"

This isn't just some show of feigned humility. It is the truth. The fact that God would reward us or be pleased with us for doing His work - obeying His commands - is a testimony to His profound humility and goodness. Because who of us could fulfill His commands or have strength to obey outside of His grace and provision? So if our good works come from His heart (His commands) and the strength to do them comes from Him, then how is it that we should be rewarded? But God is so good and generous to share, not only His work with us, but also His joy.

I've seen, more than ever, my own weakness and utter need for God. In that place, I more fully received the love of God for me. I don't understand it, but I sure am glad.

The Journey Continues

Only five days left! I have so many mixed emotions about that.

Of course, I'm REALLY HAPPY to go back to Denton. It'll be so nice to have a permanent residence again, and a more permanent group of people to spend time with and build relationships with.
*I can't wait to see my family again.
*I'm already planning (in my head) my friends' weekends again. :-)
*I'm already thinking about what I can do to befriend new students for the Gospel.
*I cant wait to worship God with my friends again!!!

On the other hand, I'll have to deal more with Timothy's death. I know that I'll feel his absence even more than I already do.

But also, the people of Japan have been permanently etched in my heart. They will go with me as I fly over the Pacific Ocean. They will be in my prayers as I consider my future. Even now, the question in my mind is "How soon can I come back and how long should I stay next time?"

As I get closer and closer to departure, my schedule doesn't slow.

Tomorrow and the next day, we are staying with Yuriko's relatives. They usually don't welcome guests, but after meeting us, her uncle invited us to stay with them. He seems to be a very broken man - one who knows what he is and doesn't try to deny or hide his faults, failures and weaknesses. I hope to see the glory of God's grace revealed in him.

There's also the people around me - my friends. I want the Lord to continue to use our time together.

Then, the day before I fly out I'm leading a youth worship service in Tokyo, which I've never done before. That'll take a lot of prayer and consideration for me. Bible study is easy; this is new.

So, I still have to stay focused on what is happening here and now, even though it's easy for my thoughts to be in Denton. This whole trip, my heart has been in two places.

Well, friends just showed up!
I appreciate your prayers for my remaining days here.

~Jayne

The Downhill Slope

I can't believe I only have two weeks left as of yesterday! 
These last two weeks are going to be packed.

Here is my remaining schedule:

Oct 6th: 4 hour trip to Hamamatsu to visit a friend and the American pastor and his family that she is staying with.

Oct 7th: 1.5 hour trip to Yuriko's house in Kanagawa. Crash there.

Oct 8th: Teach a bible study at a church in Kanagawa
              Take a night bus to Sendai

Oct 9th: Drive from Sendai with Tai, Yuriko and Noriko to the conference in Iwate

Oct 10th: Conference in Iwate

Oct 11th: Teach a bible study at the conference

Oct 12-14th: Stay with Yoshie in Sendai
                     Work on writing evangelistic literature about idolatry and ancestor worship

Oct 14-16th: Stay with Noriko in Sendai

Oct 16th: Teach a bible study for women at Noriko's church
                 Travel back to Mari's house in Kokubunji (Tokyo)

Oct 17th: Lead a youth worship service at Mari's parents' church

Oct 18th: Leave for the US!!! Arrive at DFW at 3:35 pm.

Here are some pictures from my recent time in Niigata and Tokyo.

Yuriko practicing Mozart's Exultate Jubilate

Apparently, I had the hidden talent of putting these white styrofoam caps on pears.

I capped almost 500 pears in one day.

My hands were so tired that I didn't want to hold my fork at dinner.

The Japanese word for pear is "nashi"

nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi nashi

In addition to 8 varieties of pears, Shoko's family also raises grapes, persimmon, tangerines,
and most of the common vegetables.

Left: Megumi, Grace, Mari  Right: Sayaka, Me, Jenae

We spent a day sight-seeing with Sayaka's mother

Yumi and her adorable mother

Me and Mrs Nomura

Gathered for prayer: Mrs Nomura, Yuriko, Mency, Mari, Me
Sayaka, Miyuki and her son Aogu, Michiko

We travel up and down stairs, escalators, in and out of trains and elevators, for hours, with all this stuff!

Fancy elevator with a mirror ceiling: Me (behind the camera), Yuriko, Homi, Mari

 

Escalator Reflection

So-long, Niigata

While things didn't go the way I had in mind, I'm really thankful for this past week in Niigata.
It was a slow week and we only met a few people, but the time spent with them was really really good. Conversation and fellowship was great.

Tonight we went to the home of a mother and daughter who pray every morning with another woman and who worship together on Sundays as well. They're not really sure what they're doing, but they know they want to try something different than the traditional route. At dinner, the daughter described it as having church "in a new way". I said that, actually, it is a very old way. :) Again, conversation was really good and we all left dinner really encouraged.
After dinner we sang worship songs and God gave me a scripture for them.

Isaiah 66:1-2
Thus says the Lord: "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist," says the Lord. "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word."

The message was not a rebuke to them at all, but rather an encouragement that the Lord looks on them because they're humble.

After I said the verse, I started praying. I prayed for walls to be torn down in the Body of Christ and for the women there to have grace to know how to walk in love toward their brothers and sisters. I started praying about how when Jesus was rejected, He received people, and when He was struck, He forgave.
I prayed some other stuff, too, about staying humble, and about ministry. I don't remember now what all I said. I just remember being impressed with how simple and pure and powerful the Kingdom of God is.

These women and others like them have already been rumored about and rejected by many who are in institutional churches. I'm just guessing that the verse and some of the things that I prayed were a result of that situation, but I don't actually know. I never fully know why God says what He does when He gives me things to say to people. It's not about me understanding; it's about Him and them. So, I just figure it has something to do with what He's already got going in their lives.

Tomorrow we head back to Tokyo for a prayer and worship meeting with a Christian woman whose body is saturated with cancer. Tomorrow night we will have dinner with an old friend from UNT.
On Sunday I'll be speaking at a small house church. What I have to say could be heard either as correction or as freedom, depending on the condition of their hearts. I really hope for the latter.

Well, it's almost 2 am.

Nighty night!

Only Believe

Hi All,

Well, we're back in Niigata. The weather has cooled and it has been raining. I LOVE this weather. I love this area of Japan.

When I made plans to come to Niigata a second time, I had hoped that I would be able to meet with groups of Christians here and start praying for evangelism. On the long drive here, I kept thinking "Is this really from God? Did I really sense His will, or was it just my imagination?" Then, as I thought about what it is that I want to see, my heart would get stirred with zeal all over again. I was going back and forth between these two basic thoughts. Somewhere along the way, the Lord spoke to me a phrase from the New Testament.

"Only believe."

One of the rulers of the synagogue had a daughter who was sick and he asked Jesus to come and heal her. Jesus agreed, but as they were on the way, messengers came and told the ruler that she had died and there was no need to bother Jesus with it any longer. Jesus turned to him and said "Be not afraid. Only believe."

What would happen if I only believed? How would it affect how I pray? ... how I talk to people about Jesus? ... how I make important decisions?

Another thing that has helped is some advice that I gave someone else. They were discouraged about something in particular, and I found myself reminding them that part of prayer is also to be watchful.

"Things are not now what they will be. The Bible tells us to watch and pray. We need to pray, and we also need to be watching for the Kingdom of God. Things change and we need to be ready for it - watching for it. Things are not now what they will be."

Again, I was praying and telling the Lord "I don`t have any physical evidence that what I have in my heart is what will happen here." Then the verse came to mind "Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is the evidence! If I have real faith for this, it is a gift from God, and that is the evidence that it is His mind and will and something that I can watch and pray for wholeheartedly, unreservedly, and unceasingly.

Well, the last two days have been spent packing pears.
My whole body is sore. My hands hurt so bad that I didn`t want to hold my fork at dinner.
It`s midnight and I am exhausted - but happy.

Wakayama

Wakayama is a prefecture in the southern part of the main island of Japan. We spent time with Yuko and her parents and did some sight-seeing. They treated us to one night in a Japanese hotel complete with an 11-course dinner and an hour of karaoke. AND I got to sleep in a comfortable bed!!! The whole experience was very fun and refreshing. Mari and Yuko and I also prayed together, and that was much needed for all of us. Sight-seeing is great, but nothing compares to time with God. "For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."

But, I'll admit, photographs of sight-seeing places are a lot more enjoyable to look at than photographs of prayer. :) 

Enjoy!

After driving on winding mountainous roads for a couple of hours, I was starting to get that pre-vomit taste in my mouth from car sickness.

This little foot onsen (hot spring) was surprisingly theraputic!

You don't see these at Rocky Mountain roadside stops.

Too bad.

:)

This is the longest rope bridge in Japan.

Yuko's mother works at a day care for the elderly. We sang Christian children's songs that have silly movements that go with them. They had so much fun! And so did we. :)

They asked me to sing a song in English, so I sang a simple song that I wrote. Afterwards they asked me all sorts of questions: What Japanese food do I like, What is the weather like in Texas, What do I think of Japanese guys, and lots of other questions. 

Funny people :)

Transition Update

Hi all. I`m at Yuko`s house in Wakayama right now. We spent the past two days traveling and visiting some really beautiful places in the southern part of the main island. It was great. Pictures to follow when I can connect my laptop to the internet.

We were able to share a little bit of truth with Yuko`s mother. She feels responsible to worship her ancestors - to make sure that they don`t feel neglected. I told her that when people die, they are judged by God. When we die, we will also be judged by God. I can understand the longing to continue relationship with them, but we have to let them go. They aren`t here any longer. Their work on earth is done and they have been judged for it. Their eternal fate has already been determined. But ours hasn`t been. We need to seek God while we are still here.

I wasn`t able to share all of that, actually. Pretty much only the part about people being judged when we die. It wasn`t much, but I hope it will have some effect.

Today we will visit a nursing home where Yuko`s mother works. We`ll sing some Christian children`s songs and do some simple activities with them.

Tomorrow we will begin our trek back up to Tokyo where Mari lives. We will try to meet with friends along the way, but none our plans are confirmed yet.

This coming Friday the 24th is my concert at a coffee shop. Quite a few people are going to try to come - Christians and non-Christians. We will spend the weekend with Yuriko (in Tokyo) and then travel to Niigata next week.

Anyway, there are still a lot of things to do and I`m getting really worn out.
Travel is tiring.
Lack of sleep.
Lack of personal time with Jesus.

That`s really the biggest problem. I think that I could handle the rest a lot better if I were getting refreshed in God`s Presence.

I keep thinking of the Rich Mullins song "You Did Not Have a Home".

Oh, You did not have a home
There were places You visited frequently
You took off Your shoes and scratched Your feet
'Cause you knew that the whole world belongs to the meek
But You did not have a home
No, You did not have a home
...
Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless Man
You had the shoulders of a homeless man
And the world can't stand what it can't own
And it can't own You
'Cause You did not have a home

It`s hard not having a home, but this was part of the cost of following Him for His first disciples. It was worth it to them just to be near Him and learn from Him.

Just writing this has been a good reminder for me to spend time with Jesus!!! No wonder I`m worn out!

Now you know how to pray for me. :)

Osaka Plans

Osaka is turning out to be full of opportunity!

There is a small international church gathering here that my friends Asuka and Luke attend. We arrived Friday night - me with tired puffy eyes from crying - and had dinner with the pastor and another brother in full-time ministry. The next day we met a lot of people, had lunch, and again I talked with the pastor. Still at this point I wasn`t sure how much opportunity I would have here to teach and preach.

On Sunday at the end of the church service, the pastor says "Jayne, if you have something to share with us, please come forward."

I was really taken by surprise, but didn`t want to miss an opportunity. So I went to the front and just started talking. I ended up talking about how God created Japan and Japanese people for His own purpose and glory, and that He created each of them individually unique for His own purpose and glory. The Church is His treasure in the earth - He died to purchase this treasure. Though the Church in Japan may seem small, it is precious in His sight. I talked about Elijah being on the mountain, completely surrounded by an army sent after him. His servant was afraid, but he prayed for his servant and his eyes were opened to see the army of God also surrounding them. "Greater are those that are with us than they that are with them." I applied this to the Church in Japan and also mentioned the scripture from 1st John: "Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world."

Yesterday - Monday - we met with the pastor again. He said "Well then, let`s talk about what we can do."

Yay!!

There are a lot of really new believers here, and I love to teach bible studies, so we set up a bible study for the following day. Then he said "A couple of brothers are free this afternoon. How about having bible study in about 30 minutes?"

Oh, uh, sure! I`ll start preparing.

So we met with one brother who was just baptized a month ago and another brother who has been around a while, and an older sister who is recovering from the loss of her husband. I taught on forgiveness; the forgiveness that Jesus offers has transforming power and gives us the strength of a new life to "Go and sin no more". I talked about the need to recognize how bad sin is, to not make excuses, to confess sin to the Body of Christ, and also about receiving forgiveness by faith when we have asked for it. Through discussion afterward, I talked about other things in response to questions that people had. Later, the pastor said that the things that I taught are the same things that he teaches. He was happy with my explanations and answers.
I`m glad that he knows he can trust me. I`m happy to be his coworker. But I have learned that, around him, I need to be ready to speak at any moment!! :-)

Here is the schedule for the week:

Monday: afternoon bible study on forgiveness (already happened)
Tuesday: afternoon bible study on prayer
Wednesday: I will preach at their prayer meeting that evening
Thursday: still uncertain. I would like to have something in the evening for people who work during the day.
Friday: still uncertain. possible bible study in the morning. We leave at around 3 or 4 to go to Yuko`s city.

This gathering is mostly Japanese, but because so many of them speak English, they do a lot of outreach to international students at a nearby university. There are also a couple of brothers that go to the train station every Friday to share the Gospel. In general, this group is young and excited about Jesus! They are hungry to read the Word, talk about God with Christians and non-Christians, and work for the Lord.

Even before I came to Osaka, I thought that God really wants to use this group to win people to Christ. Since being here, I now realize that the Lord might just be responding to their desire. I hope to encourage them in this and see them "endued with power from on high".

Timothy

One of my closest friends, Timothy Sheaff, passed away last Wednesday. I was shocked when I heard the news. God had kept him alive through so much suffering already, and there`s so much work to be done, that I thought that He would sustain him and eventually heal him and that Timothy would travel again.
I loved him like a father. He was such an intricate part of my life, that it`s hard to imagine what life will be like without him around. I know that this is true for all of my closest friends in Denton. The well of sorrow over this loss is deep, and it won`t run dry quickly.

I found out as we were departing for Kyoto and a friend called to let us know. After that, I just followed Mari through the train stations weeping. I wept on the 3 hour train ride to Kyoto. Then I wept more throughout the day at random intervals. I didn`t care what anyone thought about it.

That`s the first time that I have really wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my friends, to hug them and cry together. I wanted to sleep in my own bed and spend time with my sister. I wanted to go to his funeral.
A friend even offered to fly me home for the memorial service, but these are my thoughts:

The devil doesn`t rest for my sorrow, and the Kingdom of God doesn`t pause. It sounds harsh, but Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:

"This I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though  they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess"

It`s not that those who weep should stop weeping just like husbands shouldn`t divorce their wives, but it means that our personal lives don`t stop the work that God has called us to. Though weeping, I work.

Since being here, I have realize that I could pour out everything that I have to give every day for the rest of my life, and it wouldn`t even begin to satiate the need that there is in this nation (much less, in the world). It would be like a drop of water on desert ground. The ground would soak it up and forget that it drank. I`m not being pessimistic - this is a reality.

As I`ve felt this, I have thought about Timothy - a man of God who has poured out his life, been used to work miracles, touched thousands of lives, and yet there is so much left to do. If you look at the larger picture, it`s as though he never came.

So I called him. I was telling him "I feel like I could pour out my entire life here and it would just be..."
He finished my sentence for me "...just a drop in the bucket."
It comforted me just to know that he knew how I felt. We talked for a while, but one of the last things he said to me in that conversation was "All spiritual ministry is death".
That is how he lived. He carried his cross to the end.

Comfort:

Timothy finally gets to rest. Over the last few years, I was happy for him if he was able to get even 4 hours of solid sleep without some painful interruption. There were nights he told be about where all he could do was pace the hallway and yell in frustration. He finally gets to sleep.

Timothy can do whatever he wants! Over the last few years, he had to stop every few mintues to cough for a few minutes before catching his breath. Now he can shout and dance in God`s glory with the rest of the servants who have gone before him. Has no swollen feet or shallow lungs or malfunctioning heart to hinder him!

Yuko, my younger sister in the Lord, joined us today, and I was so comforted to see her. I wondered why. Later, I remembered a promise in Psalm 45:

"Instead of your fathers will be your sons, whom you shall make princes in all the earth."

I don`t consider Yuko a child, so to speak, but rather a sister. But she is one who I have taught and continually served.

Although I have lost a father, there is comfort in the hope of new believers growing up after me - people who I will pour my life into, so that they can in turn pour their lives into others, and a drop of water becomes a small member of an unstoppable deluge.

Schedule Update

Guess which pair of shoes is mine

:)

Schedule Update:

A few things have been added to the schedule that could use prayer.
As you pray, please pray that I will be sensitive and obedient to the Holy Spirit so that God is able to say and do what He wants at each opportunity. Pray that the people there will be affected by the presence of God. Pray for Mari and I to have boldness, wisdom and discernment. Other than that, pray as God leads.

*This week we will stay at Mari's house in Tokyo and continue meeting friends.

*On Friday the 10th we will travel to Osaka and stay with a friend for 1 week. There is not a specific plan yet, but I hope to have opportunity to speak to a small congregation there. I know the pastor and worship leader (some of you might remember Luke) and I think that I have some things from God to share with them. I'm sure that we will also spend daily time in prayer, bible study, and fellowship with Asuka (the girl we are staying with) and hopefully others.

*On Friday the 17th we will travel to Wakayama and go on a family vacation with Yuko's family. Yuko is the only Christian in her family. Please pray for wisdom and opportunity to share the Gospel in a way that will impact them.

*On Monday the 20th we will sing at a nursing home. Our plan is to sing Christian childrens' songs that have movements that the people can do. :) I think it will be fun, and hopefully a blessing.

*Plans to meet various people are still developing for the 21st and 22nd.

*On the 23rd we will go to Yuriko's house in Tokyo and I will give a short concert in a coffee shop on the 24th. I will perform songs I've written and we've made a program with Japanese translation included.

*On Sunday the 26th we leave Tokyo and go back to Niigata. I plan to have prayer meetings there that are focused on evangelism. I believe that God has something special in mind for that area.

*On Saturday October 2nd we will meet back in Tokyo and have a time of worship at the home of a woman named Mrs Nomura. She is a faithful servant to the Lord and to the Body of Christ, and her whole body is full of cancer. The purpose is to worship God, but also for me to minister whatever the Lord gives me.

*On October 3rd, it is possible that I will speak at a home church gathering in the Tokyo area. The pastor invited me to speak, but I have not yet confirmed that particular Sunday. I will see them this coming Sunday and hope to confirm it at that time. They are a new group of people who are excited about Jesus and who love each other. I hope to give them something from the scriptures and from the Holy Spirit that will empower them and establish them in the direction that God has for them.

*On October 9th we will go to the Iwate prefecture for a conference that Noriko has been helping to plan. The conference is specifically for people who met Jesus overseas and have returned to Japan. I have one hour scheduled on Monday the 11th during a time where there are multiple events for people to choose from: sports, crafts, take a break, or go to Jayne's bible study.

*Departure October 18th.

Food: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Just one of the treats waiting at the grocery store.

Some ate this plain. I declined. But it made good soup!

Another treat. Even Mari said this was gross.

It turns out that I wasn't supposed to take pictures here. Heh heh.

Fruit here is awesome!! But so expensive. The grapes at the end are about $8 per bunch.

Oh so tasty. The skin is thick, so you either peel them or just suck out the inside.

My morning friend

Shaved ice with sweet bean topping. Sounds weird. Tastes good.

This is one of the many forms of gelatin found here.

  

Sushi rice with egg, fish eggs and seaweed. Tofu salad.

The fish eggs are the little round orange things.

The Emperor's Palace and Asakusa

Anyone hungry for some beaf?!?!

THE EMPEROR'S PALACE

We didn't get to go in because it was closed today, but these are some perimeter buildings.

Watch Tower for the Palace

ASAKUSA

There are so many wonderful things about Japanese culture and society, but their idolatrous history is one aspect that makes me both sad and jealous that they would know the one true God who loves them.

The outer building of the temple at Asakusa.

The red thing is a big lamp.

The underside of the big red lamp.

Close-up of one of the idols. Not a pretty sight.

View from inside the main building.

These bars are where people throw money and pray. 

I wonder how much money this temple makes daily. Whoever thought of the idea of having people pay to have their prayers answered must have been a ridiculously wealthy person.

Coin toss.

Ceiling art in the main building above the coin toss.

And this is a different kind of coin toss: a covered street with shops on either side. 

This area is either just outside or on the temple grounds. 

I happily participated.   :-)

Coin toss. :)

Ren-chan is a really sweet and funny Christian sister who offered to take us around Tokyo. 

I'm so thankful! It was such a fun day!

Ren-chan and me.