Good day to you, my dear friends! It's time for a long overdue blog update (April Fools not counting), so let's get right into it! The famous sakura, or cherry blossoms, have come to Sendai, covering the entire city with lovely shades of pink and almost a light purple. And with this entourage of new beginnings, we are proud to announce that we have finally welcomed our newest teammate to Japan: Miranda! Hailing all the way from Canada, she's been waiting over two years for the borders to open, and was finally given the opportunity about three weeks ago! We're thankful to God that she's finally apart of our team in the land she's been called to! Here is all of us at a hanami (flower viewing) picnic in a park not too far from my apartment!
Speaking of homes, we were able to secure an apartment for Miranda in the same building as Gary and Naoko, so she's currently settling in! Please pray for her language learning, culture integration, and ministry opportunity as she settles into her new life in Japan.
Here are some Sakura pics:
Speaking of studying Japanese, just the other day, Miranda and I were on the train returning from checking out furniture at IKEA (yes, there is one in Sendai), when a Japanese girl, sitting directly across from us, started to speak to us in English. I could tell she was struggling a bit to converse, but speaking a bit of Japanese myself, we were able to meet halfway and have a full conversation! She asked us if we lived in Ayashi, what our favorite anime (Japanese cartoon) was, what we're doing in Japan, etc. I could tell she was earnestly interested in learning about us, which was delightfully refreshing, as most Japanese on the train are quiet and keep to themselves. It's how things usually are. According to her, she participates in Judo at her high school! Man, wish my school clubs were that cool back in the day.
After saying goodbye to her and going our separate ways, it dawned on me how hard on myself I can be when studying Japanese. When studying becomes frustrating, or when a vocab or grammar point doesn't make sense at the time, it's so easy to be cynical and think out loud: "I'll never be fluent in Japanese..." But with this random and wonderful encounter, where I could use what I know to actually speak, listen, and learn; to actually converse in the tongue of the land, and make a connection... That's the reason why I study. I study not just to get by in daily life stuff, not just to check off my things-to-do list, not to show off or be boastful... But to connect to the hearts of the Japanese, and speak of the goodness and mercy of Christ to them in their own native language. For if we don't make the effort to learn Japanese to share the Gospel, who will...?
Please pray for this girl, that she may encounter our team again and meet other Christians, for more wonderful encounters with those who are curious about some big bald foreigner from the States, and for continued progress in learning Japanese, because the message of salvation should be spoken to the people in a clear and understandable way. Thank you all so much for your continued support, and have a wonderful day!
Revelation 7:9
"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;"
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