Perhaps we chose the wrong day to climb FUJI.

I think it's accurate to say that the 21 interns who purchased Mt. Fuji bus tickets a few weeks ago have been eagerly and anxiously awaiting our trip! The thing is...

We had no control over the weather conditions that were brought our way. Boooo.

So...we set off to Shinjiku, awaiting our bus ride to Fuji. We hopped on the bus, and had about two and a half hours to our glorious infamous destination. Of course, I managed to fall asleep on the bus, and awoke to dark, gray, looming thunderstorm clouds. I mean...When we left Shinjiku, there was a light drizzle...But this didn't look like good Fuji weather at all.

We finally arrived, and walked into the Fuji convenience store, to purchase our rain-suits, oxygen, head-lamps, walking sticks, etc...

So after purchasing all of our needs, we heard the man in the store telling some interns that there had been a death on the mountain earlier on in the day. A man had climbed to the top of the mountain, and passed away from Hypothermia. Sad.

We knew it was dangerous out, but we decided to go slow and attempt the climb anyway, not really thinking too far into the future. We just thought we'd check it out for ourselves. We start climbing in the pouring rain, and came to the realization of how tough the climb would be. Our feet were slipping upon the rocks, the wind was blowing rain in all directions and seeping into our clothes. It wasn't miserable at all actually. The unbearable part would've been when we reached the top of the volcano, where the temperature is literally freezing, with strong and aggressive winds. So...We climbed to the first station, where we were advised yet again, not to climb the mountain. He said in Japanese that he was "very worried" about us. We decided to be smart and turn around. I was super bummed at this point, but quickly appeased by the fact that we were turning around because I plowed through two little pools of rain by accident. :)

We got to the bottom of the mountain, and tried to figure out when we could catch the next bus back to Shinjuku. Bad news. There was one more bus coming for the night, and it didn't go to Shinjiku. Also, we'd have to cram on it with about twenty other foreigners. (We met people from Rome, England, Australia Korea, etc...) After standing in pouring rain for about thirty minutes negotiation with the bus driver, we finally got on. And we finally got to the train station. Which turned out, to be our hotel for the evening.

We spent the night in Kawaguchi Train Station. We pulled an all-nighter. We took walks to 7-eleven to stay awake. We ate a meal at a Chinese Restaurant at 2 a.m.

We arrived back at the station, and I tried so hard to fall asleep. It was FREEZING. The train station was completely open, with a subtle cold breeze blowing. I mentioned to Jennifer how much I missed Cheeto, and how I could really use his kitty chub to warm me up. To which she replied...

"I want a big blanket. Made of dead kitties."

Hahahaha this night made no sense at all. There were also drunk people sprawled out around us (the foreigners we convinced not to climb the mountain). WOW WHAT A NIGHT!!!!!!!!!

But...I still climbed a little beebee part of Fuji. :)

We have a NEW Japanese sister!!! :)

Yesterday was such an awesome day, far exceeding my expectations for a "typical" day of ministry in Tokyo. We saw an incredible situation unfold right before our eyes, while we were completely unaware of the things that would take place for our evening. We were doing 5-minute english in the largest train station in the world, Shinjuku! It was about ten minutes after 6, so our bellies were anxious to finish up and get some dinner! We ended up meeting a girl after we finished with 5-minute english, named Eiko. Tyler, one of our high-schoolers, told Eiko we were Christians and excited to meet Japanese people and share our faith and develop friendships with them. They continued to converse with one another for about twenty minutes, sharing conversations about the bible and about Jesus. She was full of curiosity, inquiry, and solid questions to give us the impression that she was seeking something.

We invited her to dinner, and asked her to take us to our favorite place. (By this time, it was myself, Tyler, and another awesome intern, Cara). We arrived at a traditional Udon noodle restaurant, and enjoyed our time together so much. After dinner, Cara made the statement, "This girl is gonna be a Christian." We didn't realize how SOON she would make that decision! After our stimulating and really encouraging time together, we invited Eiko to church. She was so excited to come.

We met her at the train station this morning and walked her to the park where we have church together. I was so blessed by her excitement...

We sang songs, and she tried her best to follow along even though the english was exhausting her. (Imagine sitting in Japanese church for three hours or more, not hearing your own language and constantly trying to translate in your own mind). Afterwards, we talked a lot. She was introduced to Jeff Burns, our favorite fieldworker, and he asked her some questions to make sure she understood the decision she was making. She repeatedly said, "yes, yes, yes," to each question he asked her. She understood that she was "repenting," and exchanging her old life for a new one. It was such a sweet time. She asked me, "Why did you become a Christian?" I told her bits of my story, being mindful that I needed to use simple, elementary language so she could understand fully. I told her I used to be "bad," and I had many scars from doing bad things. I even gave her specific, personal examples. We talked about alcohol, drugs, boys, loneliness, emptiness. At the end of revealing the nakedness of my soul, I told her how God still loves me despite anything I've ever done and invites me to be a part of His plan. Which doesn't make sense. Not even to me. "I am so humbled to be a part of your plan." These are the words we all sang this morning in church. I really am humbled by the fact that Christ chooses to take simplicity and turn it into beauty. Though we don't speak the same language, there was nothing misunderstood about our conversation, she knew very well the decision she had made. And she was excited!!!! Later on, we went to Starbucks and her and I went over some scripture with her. We talked about the story with the Samaritan woman, and how Jesus offered her living water despite her living conditions with five husbands. He offered her a way out, an invitation to a better life, with him. It was precious, because as I was trying my best to communicate the story to Eiko, her eyes had a concoction of wonder, admiration, and confusion. The next statement that followed, blessed my soul...

"The bible is so deep..."

SUPER quick update.

Today energized me like CRAZY! Even though I had about four hours of sleep and woke up at 5 a.m., my high schoolers gave me so much inspiration to go, go, go today! I'll just update you on some brief highlights! So it was day 2 with my awesome team of high schoolers, the "Red Trek," which we like to call "BLOOD!" Creepy, I know. :)

There are sixteen of us total, counting myself and two other college interns. It's such a fun group. (Perhaps I should update you on this-I left one of the high-schoolers in the bathroom yesterday and got on the train without her while miscounting heads. Quite a teachable moment for me. So glad everything turned out okay! It's moments like those where I know God had a purpose in that happening-to test MY character as a leader, and to build some individual courage for this particular high-schooler).

Back to today-

I had an incredible conversation today with a woman named Yumi. She was passing through Shinjuku to look for a job, because she had been jobless for the past 8 months. I met her during 5-Minute English and couldn't believe how God directed my steps in that conversation. She had told me about her experience living stateside in a pastor's home, and what that was like for her. She described to me how Christians are "bad," but some of them are good. I asked her to elaborate on that, and to tell me why she felt some Christians are bad. She kept apologizing for her honesty, and I said "dijaboo," (or "it's okay, you can be honest with me"). We ended up going further into that-she didn't like that Christians cannot except Buddhists. To which I told her-Yumi, Jesus loves Buddhists. I explained to her the verse 1 Timothy 2:4, how it's God's desire for all men to be saved. But there is only one man that has the power to save. Our conversation was cut short but she agreed to have dinner with me on Wednesday evening. I asked her if she'd allow me to pray for her job process, and she said, "Yes, I am pleased to have met you." (Such cute proper english).

:)

Our BIG ROCK of the summer.

So, I just thought I'd tell you a little bit about this week. Today, we picked up 123 high-schoolers from the airport. Woa. Surprisingly, things went very smoothly! Sweaty, sleepy, sweet high-schoolers. I really enjoyed them tonight. Most of them range from the ages of 15-17. The name of this group is entitled, "Texas Super Summer." They will be here for one week, sharing the good news with Japanese people here in Tokyo. I'm really excited to see how God uses each of them uniquely. Tonight we were able to take them out for their first real Japanese family-style dinner, at Zawatami. (My personal favorite). They were introduced to sushi, Okanomayake (however you spell it), pork, chicken, and so many other great dishes. They were pretty adventurous, I was impressed. :)

Oh, also...

Story time. I bought this shirt for eight dollars that says "Samurai," in Japanese and English. Bad choice. EVERYONE either whispers, or points and laughs at me. The other day, I was alone on Mt. Takoe journaling, and five or six Japanese guys walked by, and the leader of the pack snickered under his breath while observing my shirt and said, "OHHHH, samurai???" To which I nervously and hesitantly replied, "Uuuhhhh, yes, eggo-wa-doko-deska?" (I accidently said: "Where is the english?") Haha! I meant to ask him if he spoke english. I wanted to find out why my shirt was so funny! Anyway, they continued to giggle at me and my broken Japanglish. :)

I wore the Samurai shirt again to dinner tonight and asked our waiter. All he could say was, "Ohhhh, samurai bad. Sorry."

No more Samurai until I reach America. :)

Goodnight! Pray for Texas Super Summer high school students! And for us interns to have some energy-since we'll be having about 12-14 hour days...

Thanks!

Rainy Tuesday's in Tokyo.

I don't know why, but I feel it necessary to inform you about the happenings from this past Tuesday! It was such a good day. Pretty much none of our plans stayed in tact. Just goes to show you who's not in charge... :)

So our plans were as follows:

10:00 a.m: Distribution.

12:00 p.m: Lunch.

1:00 p.m: Personal Time.

3-5:00 p.m: 5-Minute English.

My favorite thing about the weather in Japan, (Please heed my completely facetious condescending attitude when I say this) is that rainfall doesn't exactly mean cooler weather. In fact, it typically means more perspiration in crevices I don't prefer to find sweat in. Also, the weather is completely moody and bipolar. Okay, done whining about that. :)

What's special about the weather from this past Tuesday...is that I momentarily forgot I was in Tokyo! I actually felt like I was on a one day retreat to San Francisco. Low 70s, 10 mph breeze...and a medium rainfall with profoundly pregnant raindrops. :)

So due to the erratic weather-our schedule took a quick veer in another direction. Guess what that means? Starbucks. Coffee ministry is the best! I met a girl named Miki. I was playing Japanese Speed with Jordan, and Miki looked over at me and timidly attempted to speak english. "Su-me-ma-sen?" I said, with a patient grin. (Excuse me?) We got to talking, and though her english was very broken, she was excited and eager to practice with me, and even more excited when I handed her a Japanese Manga! (Which is narrated in the form of the Gospel of John). Miki was very sweet, and so grateful to receive a "presento."

After Miki left, another woman sat down next to us. Maybe about 27, with kind eyes, defined cheekbones, and delicate skin. Also, a little baby keeping her company inside her tummy. We looked over, trying not to be obvious about the fact that we were studying her, and couldn't help but notice the novel she had opened. It was in english!!! Perfect conversation starter. "Su-me-ma-sen?" "Yes?" She asked with a tender smile. (Sigh of relief-she really does speak english). We carried on in conversation, and exchanged information about ourselves. She had mentioned living in Spain a few years, and studying abroad at UCLA in Southern California. I prayed that God would lead and guide the conversation. He did, but unfortunately she wasn't interested in knowing much more about my purpose in being here in Japan. I gave her my contact information anyway, and she said she would let me know the next time she decides to enjoy a Grande Caramel Frappuccino inside of the Starbucks in Tachicawa. (I told you I studied her). I hope we get the chance to meet again. :)

Though rainy days may be spent indoors, they are not always spent in vain...

"The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps..." Proverbs 16:9.

Sunday Love.

Sunday's are one of my favorite days of the week here in Tokyo. It's kind of our "family day," at least that's how it feels to me. All of the interns, missionaries, and volunteer teams gather at Koganei Park for some good 'ole church! We usually share a few testimonies & stories about the things God is doing in Japan, followed by singing and usually a word from Jeff. After church takes place...We eat delicious Turkish Kebabs & stuff ourselves until we're corpulent little piglets, & then we attempt to burn it all off by playing a rather competitive game of Capture the Flag. (Oh yeah, I should mention-sometimes opponents don't honor sportsmanship and do a little sneaky cheating here and there). Not butt-hurt or anything.

:)

Today we had our usual family time, followed by Capture the Flag in the rain. The rainfall really started to come down. I thought for sure we'd leave the park & do coffee shop ministry, or something else indoors. Well I thought incorrectly. Apparently more rainfall translated to: Let's play a game of Ultimate Frisbee! Although I love this game...

I must admit, I wasn't too enthusiastic about running around some more, especially in the slippery grass (which is certainly due for a trim). Nevertheless we divided up into teams, inviting some Japanese people to play with us, by the names of Kiroji and Mika. (They had another friend but I can't remember her name!) We had a BLAST. I even got the wind knocked out of me in the first five minutes of the game. Took a blow to the rib-cage. Not gonna lie...I started to quietly shed a tear but then attempted to walk it off like a man. HA. Gosh, this was one of my favorite days. You know it's a good day when there's a combination of Tokyo rainfall and sweat in and through your clothing. Also bright green grass-blades in strange regions of the body. What a great day of fellowship. Less than 4 more weeks here. Yikes.

Tokyo Teachings. :)

Well...I decided to update you all on a few of the things I've been learning this week here in Tokyo! Sometimes I feel like I'm not learning much, but when I really stop & think about it, I'm honestly paralyzed with gratitude to think about the things God is teaching me. This summer looks a lot different than I thought it would have, but I am still so thankful to have the opportunity to be here in Japan. I have had some experiences this summer that certainly can't be taught from a book. :)

Okay. First thing's first. God has given me a love for the church, that sadly, I have been lacking for quite some time. I struggle to love Christians. It's easy to miss the purpose of the church. So, how about this for conviction?:

"...to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood," Acts 20:28.

This summer God has given me a beautiful perspective of what the church is supposed to be. The first three to four weeks I was here in Tokyo, I couldn't figure out why I didn't want to be close with any of the College Interns. I thought they were all awesome people. Funny. Witty. Some with colorful personalities. All with a true, single-minded passion for the Lord. But for some reason, I just didn't really have the desire to get to know them deeply. My attitude was rather arrogant, now that I think about it. I wanted to spend time with the Japanese people, not Americans! Well...the Lord was really challenging me in my time spent alone with him. And I started to realize that he blessed me with these college interns (and wonderful fieldworkers) for a purpose greater than I can understand. He placed each of us here in Tokyo this summer, so that we could be his church, HERE. (I know, isn't this something I should've known instinctively, like before I got on the plane??) Anyway, to sum it up...How could we be effective to people around us that need to hear the gospel, if we can't be effective to our own brothers and sisters within the church?? The church is a gift. The church should be honored, treasured, and protected. The Lord has shown me, this is beauty:

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through Him."

Colossians 3:12-17

Now that you know some of what the Lord has been showing me individually, I can update you a little more about the JAPANESE! Well, let's be real here. I'm going to be transparent with you. I have been somewhat discouraged lately, about the impact that I'm making for Christ's kingdom here in Japan. I've still had the opportunity to plant seeds, through distribution, 5-minute english, and activities as such. But as far as meeting individual "contacts," on a regular or weekly basis, I've been doubtful of myself, wondering if I'm really engaging with the Japanese in the way that I'm "supposed to." It's been difficult not to compare myself to other interns, who are vibrant social butterflies, meeting contacts left and right! While I've struggled with this, the Lord has also been showing me that as long as I am obedient in planting seeds anytime he provides an opportunity, the rest is up to him. He just desires my faithfulness. I plant; he waters. He just desires me, having a passion for him, & being READY when he presents an opportunity to share. So...if you could continue to pray for me not to lose heart, or get discouraged, but to have full confidence that HE is in charge and is the one who directs my steps. And also, HE is the one who appoints us to do his good work. (John 15:16).

On a happier note, the soil is softening here in Japan. It has been awesome to see our volunteers being the hands and feet of Christ, meeting Japanese people and inviting them to share meals together, sing karaoke, and much more. (Oh yeah, you should know this too: Our main ministry as interns is to pour into our volunteer teams that come through Tokyo, and to encourage them in their work of sharing the gospel. When they leave Tokyo, we follow up with their contacts!)

Thanks so much for reading my updates. I appreciate all of my friends and family that have chosen to support me in different ways. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for your love and faithfulness. You're all wonderful and I MISS YOU!!!

When a woman is loved well.

Sometimes...I have to remind myself to sober up. When I say sober up, I mean get real. I have to remind myself that the world portrays things in a way that most of the time isn't true or objective. The world tries its best to allure it's captives with offers that don't quench, don't satisfy. Like LOVE. I honestly grieve the way that the world sees love. I can remember the painful days of longing and pining for love that is intimate, romantic, and personal. I can remember placing stress on past relationships with guys (expecting extremely unrealistic things out of them). Like how to read my thoughts, how to be spontaneously romantic, how to challenge me intellectually, & of course how to be a goofball...

(P.s...Not that each of those things DON'T matter, because they totally do to a certain extent).

Anyway, I remember reading this once out of a book. Forget citation, I can't remember where the heck I read this. :) But the quote said:

"When a woman is loved well, she opens up like a flower..."

I have been pondering that so much lately. Old relationships never satisfied. Because they didn't have Christ. I have literally never felt so much freedom in my life than I do now. Of COURSE I look forward to the day when I can live life side by side with a man. My husband. I can't wait to cook breakfast for dinner, exchange awkward sleep conversations, and grow closer to the Lord through loving an imperfect person. I am just as much of a cheese-ball as any other girl, although I'm stubborn to admit that. Extremely. But I guess, through all this jumble & ramble, I am trying to say that I am already loved well. Yes, I look forward to having a relationship and a marriage with a man one day. But I am content with His love. It's enough for me. I am already known and loved beyond any depths that my own brain can even fathom. God loves His children with an everlasting love--love that's limitless, unrelenting, and literally cannot be shaken by ANYTHING. Not even the ugliness that is sometimes in my heart. There is too much grace in Jesus for anything to come between myself and His love. That is a concept that I press to know and seek and marvel at, for the rest of my life.