"Sunny days...chasing the clouds away"

Sunny days, that's just a metaphor for today cause it actually rained hard all day. Sometimes you just have a really good day that helps to chase away a few clouds. Today was one of them. One of those days that stands out above the others in a particular month, or week, or year.
I got to talk to my mom for a long time and that was really nice. Right after that the phone rang and it was one of my best friends calling with the news that she and her husband are expecting their first child :-) (This is a record year for pregnancies and births in my circle of friends!) I got some quality Japanese studying in and then went to see a really funny movie with a friend from church. And, on top of all that, it was a few degrees cooler than yesterday! Hallelujah! I had some really good coffee today too.
"I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods. I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I will give thanks to your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness, because your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need." ~Psalm 138:1-3
Happy Wednesday everyone!

Uh...

I saw "Star Wars: Episode 3" yesterday. Anyone else seen it yet? I imagine there are plenty of positive answers to that question. I was getting pretty worried about fifteen minutes into the movie thinking "is it going to be this cheesy the whole time?" There were some seriously disappointing parts, and I'm not even an expert. It turned around some eventually, and I was glad I saw it. You just shouldn't miss one in an epic series such as Star Wars, right? I kept hoping George Lucas would suddenly change the plot (subsequently erasing all his previous work) and protect Anakin from the Dark Side. It was certainly the first time I ever felt sympathy for Darth Vader.
I think this is the first time I've written anything without mentioning Japan. I'm still here though, have no fear. But the fact is, missionaries live their own lives too apart from regular ministry work. I'm learning that you have to take time for yourself away from the busyness of ministry, no matter how much you enjoy it. It's only healthy, and Biblical I might add.
A little more personal...I've been a little homesick today. The good thing about homesickness is that eventually it goes away. I think it serves a good purpose though. When I feel homesick I start to look at pictures, which brings back memories, and though I may miss people the memories that I have bring a smile to my face and remind me how much the Lord has blessed me.
In light of that...to Mom and Dad, Natalie, Tim and Katrina, all my other family members, all my Chicago crew, my Hokkaido team, my wonderful friends in TN, GA, AR, IN, and NC (you know who you are)...I LOVE YOU.

Good food, good fun

Ok, here's a picture of last Friday night when Haruna and Maichi came over. We had tacos, and whoever says Japanese people don't eat a lot has probably never been to Japan!



Last night (Wednesday) my two Japanese teachers came over for dinner. Shimada Sensei (that's the word for 'teacher', and you always use it) is a Believer. She's my teacher for grammar and speaking and I love her. Rina Sensei came with her husband, Masataka. She is a friend of Shimada Sensei so that's how I met her. She's not a Christian yet. There are three groups of characters (alphabets) in Japanese and Rina Sensei helps me with the most difficult of the three, Kanji. I really enjoy studying and hanging out with them. But I was pretty exhausted after they went home :-)


(left to right: Rina, Masataka, Shimada)




Different subject...Today I was reminded of the difference between Eastern and Western cultures. There are certainly many, but one of those is the importance of the process of an action (Eastern) as opposed to the result of an action (Western). I was standing in line at a fast food restaurant today (yep) when I realized that in the States it would've taken half the time to get my food (but at least I know I've not been poisoned by a stanger's germs). I started watching each employee and I chuckled inside when I saw how much attention they paid to each detail of their job, it always amazes me. Another perfect example is a certain coffee shop chain I frequent...frequently. When I worked for SBUX in America a great deal of stress was placed on the speed of delivery. Not so for Japan's SBUX. Here it's all about HOW you get the job done.
Who knows which way is best? I'm just making an observation, although, we could all learn and benefit from each other's ways.

Good stuff

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures this time. My computer is giving me trouble :-( But anyway, Friday night my friends Maichi and Haruna came over. We ate tacos and watched a movie. It was a really fun time and they said they wanted to come over again. I'd like to have them over a couple more times before Haruna goes to Canada. They went to church this morning for Ben Bailey's last Sunday (he's leaving for the States tomorrow). It was Maichi's first time in a worship service.

Yesterday was the Gospel Choir Concert. I was working as a staff member with a friend so she and I were at the concert hall from 11:30am until 8:30pm. It was a LONG and HOT day. It was a terrific day though. Coming together with all the area choirs and seeing them together was something else. Many of us there were Christians and the director, Ken Taylor, continually made it clear to all the choir members that we were there to sing to God. What a great way these choirs are to share God with the Japanese people! Belonging to one of the many choirs means that they are surrounded with prayer, the Gospel, and examples of others who love God and desire to praise Him. It's awesome and God is using it.

I can't believe I ate crab

This actually happened last month, but it's definitely noteworthy. My entire life I have had a strong dislike for fish or seafood of any kind. I have had to eat it of course, but it's always been hard. And then I moved to Japan. Surely the irony is not lost on anyone, right? It's not been that bad actually. Rarely have I been in a situation where there was no other choice. Before I go any further let me explain about 'souvenirs' in Japan.
Basically, whenever you go on vacation you are expected to bring back what is called an 'omiyage' (a souvenir) for nearly everyone you know, or at least people you see on a regular basis.
So a few weeks ago the pastor of one of our churches returns from Hokkaido (famous for its seafood) with a TON of crab. The delivery truck pulls up to the church and out comes a cooler nearly the size of one of my suitcases. We take it inside and open it up and there before my eyes are about ten whole crabs, along with their smell. All day the students used every adjective they could find to describe their excitement about this gift (and Japanese people get REALLY excited about gifts). It was hilarious. There I was, having to eat crab twice in one day and having to smell it from 10am until 8:30pm. 'National Crab Day' as my friend Joni called it. Certainly a day remember. Life is funny. :-)


(Top row, left to right: Ben Bailey, me, and Keito. Bottom row, left to right: Haruna and Maichi)

On a more serious note, please pray for Keito, Haruna and Maichi. They are all in high school and attend one of my English classes on Monday evenings. We have lots of fun together. Keito is a Christian but has very few Christian friends his age. Haruna and Maichi will be coming to my house this week for dinner and I'm really looking forward to it. Haruna has expressed serious interest in studying the Bible, but she is moving to Canada as an exchange student at the end of July. Pray for some fruitful times with her before she leaves. Maichi will be here and I'm excited about what could happen in her life this year. Pray, pray, pray.

what is yutakana seikatsu?

My bad! I've been meaning to explain the title of my blog for non-Japanese speakers. It is the equivalent of 'abundant life'. Do I need to explain abundant life? If so, just email me.

Good times

I've had the opportunity to start singing with some of the Gospel Choirs in the Tokyo area and it's a blast! Ken Taylor is a missionary with TEAM and he is the director of a large network of Gospel Choirs, several hundred of them. The choirs all practice separately, with anywhere from 10 to 30 members, then come together periodically for a joint concert. Usually about 200 people participate. It's amazing to watch so many Japanese people (mostly non-believers) singing, and learning, about God's grace and involvement in our lives. I told Ken once that I wouldn't be able to make it on a certain night because I was getting ready to go out of town and was a bit stressed out. His answer was 'Bethany if you're stressed out you ought to come. This will be your stress reliever.' Well, I didn't go that night and later realized he was right.





Our joint concert is on June 18th and I'm really looking forward to it. I've met some really neat people through this.

We`ve fallen, and we can`t get up

I just had an interesting English class that left me even more disturbed at the human condition, particularly that of the Japanese people. Somehow we got on the subject of counseling and psychology and I began to talk about the need that God has been showing me in Japan. I was surprised, but relieved, to hear that there are Japanese people who recognize this need as well.
One of my students, Yumie, shared about the three families in her neighborhood who have a history of domestic violence, and of the depression that so many students suffer from as a result of their strict environment (her own son included). She spoke honestly of the pain that so many Japanese are burdened with. We would be fooled to think they suffer quietly however.
The condition of our heart comes out in our actions and you don`t have to look far to see this in Japan. Domestic violence, sky-high suicide numbers, alcoholism, gambling addictions, all sorts of corruption, and a sickening sex industry which most of the world seems unaware of. Three weeks ago the Tokyo public transportation system instituted 'women only' train cars that run daily during rush hour. Read that again. They're to be commended for taking this step to protect women, but how sad that it is even necessary.
Japan is a nation of people living a lie, and it's destroying them from the inside out. But there is Hope. God is gradually opening the eyes of the Japanese people to see the emotional and mental drought they are dying in. They are realizing their desperate need for love, peace, and healing; their need for Heavenly Rain. Let's pray for a Flood.

New friends

Living in Tokyo is a different world than Hokkaido. My daily activities don't naturally find me around people my age, much less Christians my age. Fortunately our career missionaries encourage those of us on short-term assignments to attend an English worship service once a month. It didn't take long for me to decide on the Jesus Lifehouse church; a committed, energetic church made up of mostly young people. It's been great to meet them and make some new friends as well as learn from their ministry and how they work. A great reminder that God truly cares about ALL our needs.


We had dinner last night with about 15 people-mostly Japanese people, several Australians, and one American (me). (Maybe half are Believers) You can't tell very well in the picture, but this house is huge.


Ok, apparently there's a national rubix cube contest in Japan. Who knew? The guy on the right is the second place winner and he actually owns about 30 rubix cubes.


(Left to right: Takahiro, Luke, Bec) I attend Bec's cell group once a week and have already learned a lot from her. She's very supportive and encouraging. Once again, the picture doesn't show it so well....but can you see just a bit of how big this house is? (If you've ever lived in Japan you probably can) A house like this can serve a number of different purposes and it seems to me that we Free Will Baptists ought to invest in something similar...anyone on board for raising some money?

First time...hopefully not the last.

This is kind of weird. I'm always reading other people's blogs but just now thought of making my own. I guess we'll see what happens. I heard someone say that the average number of posts for a blogger is one. That's kind of crazy, so I'll see if I can successfully publish more than one. I'm not even sure how this whole thing works! Let's see if I can get a picture on here....


Operation Sonshine, a.k.a. OS9, visiting the Hokkaido Shrine with a knowledgeable Japanese pastor.


This was the arrival of all the members of OS9. We already knew each other before hand and we had an awesome ten days in the Sapporo area (Northern Japan).


Brandon and I goofin' off in a playground of sorts. I wish we had a picture of Rusty's crazy stunts!