by Whitey | Apr 25, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
This Week:
1. I didn’t blog much, as you can see. I’ll try to make up for it next week. I do have some unused videos and photos.
2. I connected with some new mission-minded Christian friends — one in person and one via email. I’m always amazed at how we’re all connected somehow. It’s like the whole “six degrees” thing; only with Christians in Japan it’s more like two degrees, which is probably due at least in part to the relative smallness of the Christian community here.
3. I helped pass out flyers to kids near a couple of local elementary schools. We have a kids’ event tomorrow we were inviting them to.
4. I realized I need to study even more. Last week we started studying Kanji — the complicated characters borrowed from Chinese which represent words instead of sounds. There are literally thousands of these things, and I think we’re supposed to learn about 300 in the next five months or so. On top of that, we’re quickly coming up on grammar that I’m less familiar with, and soon enough will be into all new stuff again. So, as I said, more study required. I figure about 3 hours outside of class would do it.
5. I also realized this week that I don’t get enough talk time in class, and I’m thinking I need to do something about that. Meaning I need to seek out more opportunities to practice my Japanese, or take advantage of the opportunities that are already there.
by Whitey | Apr 18, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
Is it Friday again already? Life seems to be moving pretty fast these days. The days fill up quickly and the next thing you know it, another week has passed. It makes these Weekly Re-Caps hard to write. But here goes. This week I’ll talk about my new routine…
I’m getting into a pretty regular routine now that school’s full-time: I get up at around 6:30, have a shower, then have breakfast, coffee and quiet time. I leave for school between 8 and 8:30, depending on whether I’m biking or taking the subway. Biking takes more time and effort, but it’s good exercise, and I enjoy the trip. The subway is faster but really crowded that time of day, and more depressing; just picture a train car full of sleepy salarymen, office ladies and students, crammed in like sardines, most of them going somewhere they don’t want to be going, especially that time of day. Yeah, biking is better.
I’m in class from about 9 AM till 12:35 PM, then in the afternoon I need to spend at least 2 hours studying and doing homework. Then I have “missionary stuff” to do, which means anything from preparing for an ESL Bible study, to emailing supporters, to internship work. So there’s always something to do, whether it feels like ministry or not.
As I said, the days fill up pretty quickly.
Prayer Points: This week the new pastor, Uchiyama-sensei, arrived. His first prayer meeting was Wednesday night. That same night the outgoing pastor’s family left, and the moving company took their stuff away the next day. Pray-ers, please continue to pray for the church as it goes through this transition time. Pastor Uchiyama’s first Sunday as Nagoya Immanuel’s pastor is this weekend. Also, please keep praying for my studies (we’re moving quickly into new and uncharted territory!) and God’s guidance for my ministry here. Thanks!
And that’s a wrap for this week. If you haven’t been here all week, scroll on down and see what I’ve added — there was a bunch of new stuff this week. See you next week.
by Whitey | Apr 11, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
This week…
1. I had my first full week of full-time language classes. Lots of review for me, since it’s the same stuff I took in January, but it’s moving much more quickly. I’m trying to take advantage of the ease of the current workload and memorize the words I missed the first time. And hopefully get ahead and stay ahead. Soon enough we’ll be into uncharted territory.
2. Things at the church have been chaotic, as renovations were being done, boxes and furniture were being moved in and out, and lots of stuff went out with the trash — all part of pastoral transition time.
3. Fellow missionary Zach came to Nagoya. I haven’t seen him yet but we’ve made plans to meet up and see some sights together tomorrow. Expect to read about the fun here.
If you’re a pray-er, please pray for…
1. My language studies
2. Pastor Saoshiro and family — this coming Sunday is their last one here.
3. Pastor Uchiyama and family — the new pastor, who begins next week.
Thanks! That’s a wrap for this week!
by Whitey | Apr 4, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
Last week I was away and off-line for a few days, so I didn’t get to post a re-cap. So this week I’ll attempt to sum up the past two weeks concisely, in point-form.
- Last Wednesday afternoon, I hopped the Shinkansen to Yokohama and found my way to the Wesleyan mission house, where I was hosted hospitably by the Probsts, WGM missionaries.
- Thursday was spent hanging out with fellow-GP-missionary Andrea, and our boss’s boss’s boss Wesleyan General Superintendent Dr. Jerry Pence, along with his two sons, sight-seeing in Tokyo. Photos will follow when I get around to it.
- Friday, Saturday and Sunday I attended several sessions of the Immanuel Church’s annual national conference. Friday night I gave a testimony in the evening service, and Saturday I gave greetings — in Japanese! — during one of the business meetings.
- Sunday night after conference I came back to Nagoya. Tired.
- Monday morning I wrote, survived, and passed my Japanese exam.
- Tuesday morning I had orientation and a placement exam for my full-time course.
- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (today) I had class in the morning and studied in the afternoons. So far the new class is super-easy because we’re back to square one, covering the stuff I was doing in January, which was already pretty easy since I’d studied it before. But it’ll get much harder pretty soon I’m sure.
- Yesterday I also shot some photos in Nagoya Central Park and did some recording for a soon-to-be-released (maybe even tonight) podcast, in which I talk more about conference, the needs of Japan and the Japanese church, my studies and what’s going on here at the Nagoya church. Check back soon!
And that’s a wrap for now.
by Whitey | Mar 21, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
Highlights of my week, in convenient, numbered form:
1. Sunday we had a “mina kuukingu” (Cooking Together) event at the church, where we broke into groups and enjoyed a time of making Indian flat bread, and then eating it with a super good Indian curry. For dessert — crapes. Yum. There was a great turn-out, a few of whom were not regular attenders or members.
2. Monday I studied for what I think was my all-time high for one day: 6 hours. That’s about one hour before class, three hours in class and 2 hours after. It was tiring but much needed and beneficial.
3. Wednesday after class I met up with my friend Kenji for lunch, a visit to a music store (he wanted to stock up on guitar strings), a Starbucks session and various other wanderings. Not a big deal, really, but it’s nice to have friends here, even better to have Japanese friends in my own age bracket. In Osaka I hung around expats mostly, and my Japanese connections were mostly students who were older adults or kids.
4. Speaking of my year in Osaka, my former bosses Hideki and Kayoko are scheduled to be here in Nagoya tomorrow, so I’m getting together with them in the afternoon.
5. Last but not least, I got to do some good, old-fashioned idol smashing (see previous post for the full story).
by Whitey | Mar 15, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
I’m getting pretty bad at keeping up with these weekly re-caps, aren’t I? Either I’m a day early or a day late or I just don’t know what to say.
Honestly it’s been a pretty quiet week in real life as well as on this blog. That’s not to say I haven’t been doing anything, just that even while living in a foreign country you get into a routine. Routines aren’t bad. In fact, I’m looking forward to getting into more of a routine myself. It helps me get things done.
Life will have more routine for me starting next month when I’m a full-time Japanese student and when I take on more ministry stuff through the church. In the meantime, I’m trying to enjoy the flexibility and freedom I’ve got now. I’m also trying to use my free time more constructively and creatively. It’s good to exercise the other half of my brain at least once a week; it’s refreshing. It’s also, I believe, good preparation for potential future ministry (see previous post).
I’ve got some new ideas I’m toying with, now that SkitZo MaN is going into retirement. I haven’t given myself any deadlines or anything, though — that would make it too much like work, and I don’t need more stressors. I just need something relaxing to do when I’m not nose deep in Japanese textbooks.
The next couple of weeks I’ll be busy with preparations for my final exam, the annual conference and the full-time course. That may or may not mean fewer web updates. In the meanwhile, if you’re a pray-er, please keep me in your prayers. And have a great weekend, wherever you are.
