Howdy Y`all!  These keyboards are really funky, so sorry for the typos.  Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that it:s really sunny here today, which is a nice change in weather.  Today we have our second TX night.  Please pray that today as we pass out fliers advertising the event on the college campus, that hearts are softened and that we are given the right things to say to a people who are so closed.  We love you, and thank you for the comments – we anxiously await more!

Love,

Amy

Sunday~

Ahhh… what 8 hours of sleep can do for the body!  We woke up this morning and felt refreshing and excited about today. This morning we got ready and then made our first adventure out on our own – we went to the Daily Yamakazi market to buy some soda nd get change for our large Yen bills. The language barrier has posed a probelm as far as being able to ask questios. Fortunately, the people at the church have been helpful translators. We also have free internet, which is a thrill.  also have free internet, which is a thrill. One o hte missionaries came to pick us up and showed us how to take the train and get to the Honda church. It is comparable to the train system in NYC.

When we arrived　to the church, we prepared the food for TX Night and then went to the worship service. It was so fascinating – it is such a testament og Gods sovereignty to see what He is doing in Japan. The whole concept of many tounges and all the nations becomes very clear when you listen to an entire service in Japanese! The people are so convicted – it is against their culture to accept Christianity - but they are totally gungho.

Is – 43:9 – All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble.

Is – 55:5 – Behold, you shall call a nation that you – Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did you do not know, and a nation that did not know you, shall run to you.

The leader of the college ministry in Japan is Nobu – he is so very peaceful. He is incredibly kind and certainly has his hands full. He is a pastor at the church, works with the college students, and has a huge family! The church building is less than a the college students, and has a huge family! The church building is less than a year old and has the fresh scent of pine. The kids are so cute – they love to see the Americans – The kids are so cute – they love to see the Americans – they just stare at us, which is adorable.

Our TX night was also successful. The church was packed. The food was edible too, so that was a plus. Terry arrived safely in Japan too, which was thrilling – having the team Japan too, which was thrilling – having the team at 10 which was thrilling – having the team at 100% is priceless.

In the evening we went to the Sento, which had a restaurant and a to the Sento, which had a restaurant and a Bath house.  Let us just say that what happens at the Sento stays at the Sento.  It was fun though – quite the cultural experience.

MONDAY~

Today we went to a women:s Bible study. Gods hand was truly at work with every breath we took. Two of the 6 women wｅｒｅ not believers but had been coming for quite some time . As I shared my testimony and we tag teamed the questions, we saw ｔｒｕｔｈ come to life as one woman who is NOT a believer told us that she felt goosebumps as we told our stories. We are hopeful that we are planting seeds with each step we take.

Additionally, we explored Tokyo a little bit today. WOW WOW! Love it. Went to Starbucks too! Gotta love it.  Shopping was fun, but the real exploration day is Thursday.

The team is doing delightfully well. We has the real deal sushi tonight for dinner. Yum.  Yum. We are slowly, and I mean slowly, picking up the language. I think I can say maybe 5 words confidently. Anyway, we are quite tired and will be going to bed shortly.

Thank you all foryour prayers – we ｋｎｏｗ that God is with us; Tuesday is a VERY intense day for us – so make sure to pray that everything go smoothly and that we have purpose in the lives of those whom we touch.

In Him,

Amy

click here for a snapshot (several actually) of what the Japan trip from last year was like

Note also the very interesting phenomenon in that article of Hikikomori.  Seeing any parallels in American culture?

why go?

1. 1. you know you want your life to matter, and while going to Japan certainly isn’t the only way to have your life matter, it is one way; so why not go? Jesus said “go”
   2. two words: bath house (The public bath house is called the “Sento”… Last year we only had one rule: “What happens at the Sento stays at the Sento”)
   3. at what other time in your life will you have the opportunity to travel and serve alongside friends in a very unfamiliar place whose people will actually find you so very exotic?
   4. a cool stamp in your passport!
   5. you will have the opportunity to share the gospel with people who have never even heard the name Jesus… Imagine – you get to be present for their first hearing of the Truth… What a privilege to be even a small part of God’s plan for someone else’s life!
   6. we’ll get to cross the International Date Line a couple times, so that’s basically the same as time travel
   7. better understanding of a culture that is community focused, not individual focused… sharing the community of Jesus with those whose religion/spirituality is more individually focused. Hmmm.
   8. karaoke and feel like a celebrity
   9. you get to throw your own version of a Texas party
   10. sumo wrestling and samurais
   11. hi-tech potties (**Suggestion: experiment with the various buttons before sitting down)

let the word go forth: several from 20+ are headed to Japan June 8-16th…