1. I am officially on spring break from school. However, I decided not to take off somewhere and use up my vacation time. Instead, I’ve been using the time to do some much-need Japanese review. It’s great to have the extra time to study alone and to focus on the things that I have the most trouble with.
2. I’ve also been cleaning house, planning for a visiting short-term mission team (and by “team” I mean two people) and generally just getting caught up on stuff, while at the same time taking it slower than usual. It’s great when you can be productive but not feel rushed all the time, eh?
3. Tonight I’ve been pre-posting some stuff here on the blog. I’ve got weekly SkitZo MaN posts lined up from now ’till June. That’s right — June. Of course it helps that this is stuff I’m re-running…
4. This coming week I’m going to be in Yokohama for the church’s annual conference (nenkai). That means four days in a row wearing a suit. But it also means a good time of connecting with Believers from across Japan, as with some fellow-missionaries who will be there.
Here’s what’s on my scattered brain this Friday afternoon…
1. I’ve recently instituted an “office day”… actually more of a “desk day” since I don’t really have an office exactly. But I’ve set aside a chunk of time each week to get work-stuff done that’s hard to focus on during the week because of Japanese studies. I chose Friday afternoons because there’s no pressure to get homework and stuff done for the next day. However, Friday afternoon is a hard time to work… because, you know, it’s Friday. In fact, part of the reason I’m blogging right now is to try to get my brain in gear doing something that at least feels productive.
2. Tomorrow I’m going strawberry picking with a group from my church. Weather permitting, of course. Today’s been rainy all day. But even without the rain it still feels way to early for strawberries. It’s technically spring here now but it doesn’t feel like it… well, maybe a Canadian spring…
3. My buddy AJ is blogging again after a short hiatus. This is a happy thing.
4. Doodze may be late or not-at-all this week. I have a big to-do list I’m supposed to be working on at this moment, and the aforementioned strawberry picking going on tomorrow. And next week is a crazy test-full week at school, so…
5. Speaking of school, I did my speech today, and it went pretty well. Didn’t win any prizes or anything but I remembered most of what I’d written, more or less.
6. Not looking forward to the multiple tests next week. Totally looking forward to the couple of weeks after that without any classes at all.
7. My grades have been way less than stellar, but I had dinner at the home of a family from our church last night. The pastors were there too. And none of them speak English. But I had a good time, and though I didn’t understand every word they said, I did manage to communicate and understand when the conversation was coming in my direction. So, that’s one sign of progress anyway. School can be discouraging sometimes, to be honest, but it’s real life where the language skills matter. I have a long long way to go, but I’m thankful for the progress I’ve made, and for nights like last night that remind me of that.
Here’s what’s going on in my life and what’s on my mind… At least what’s worth sharing. Numbered for your convenience. Special thanks to Kevin, from whom I stole the term “Brain Dump” and plan to use on a regular basis now.
1. As I write this I’m listening to my latest iTunes music store purchase: Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison (Legacy Edition). Folsom Prison was already a classic album. This version includes basically all the stuff they recorded during his two shows in the prison; 51 tracks (including some intros and stuff) for only about 11 bucks. Not bad.
2. I posted a new prayer letter to my missions blog, and you can go there to read it if you’re interested.
3. Do you all back up your hard drives? I do, and I’m glad, because with my previous computer I had a hard drive die on me. I think a lot of people put it off until it’s too late. Why do most of us wait until there’s a crisis before we think of such things? Of course I’m talking about life as well as computer use. I think too many followers of Christ wait until they’re at a crisis point before they ask for help — from God or anyone else. Maybe that’s why there are so many cases of spiritual leaders failing and losing their ministry. Fellow-Believers, let’s not wait till we’re in trouble to seek the Lord, read the Word, or pray for each other.
4. The new U2 albums hits this week. Ask me if I’m excited.
5. I am.
6. Apparently I inspired the next episode of JaviLand with my previous post about my artistic philosophy. I consider this a pretty big honor, ’cause I’m a fan of the show. Check it out if you’re an artsy type, especially a comic creator.
As I reported in last month’s letter, I’ve recently started teaching a new English class at my church. Thank you for praying with me about that. We’ve now had classes four weeks in a row, and it’s been a lot of fun. The challenge has been in figuring out what level everyone is at and trying to teach accordingly. Adding to the challenge is the fact that so far there has been a different mix of people every week. On the bright side, this shows that there is a lot of interest; only time will tell who will keep coming back regularly, though.
Please pray with me about the following things this week and throughout the month to come:
1. Please continue to pray for me as I teach English, and pray that this will be a good “bridge-builder” between this church and the community.
2. Pray for my continuing Japanese studies, which are a huge challenge for me. I have definitely made progress in the past year, and I am thankful, but still have a long way to go!
3. The national Annual Conference (Nenkai) of the Immanuel Church is taking place in Yokohama from March 23-26. I will be attending and bringing greetings (in Japanese). Please pray for this event, as many from across Japan gather for worship, and our pastors and leaders “do business” and receive their assignments for the coming year.
4. I’m also getting more involved in some other areas of church life, mainly involving music and youth ministry. Please pray for these opportunities as well.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support on my journey so far! You are definitely appreciated! May God bless you as we enter Spring together — a time of new life and new beginnings!
I haven’t written much here lately, so I thought a personal update was in order. This will be completely random, though, so list-form it is…
1. Studying Japanese is interesting and even fun, but at the same time really, really draining. Some days, four hours of class feels like a full 8-hour work day. But I soldier on.
2. If you’ve been following this blog, this won’t surprise you, but in the last year I’ve really re-discovered my love of comics. I’ve got a couple of solid ideas in development, and hope to launch one soon, but I basically only have time on my one day off each week to work on it. Of course, if I was better at managing my time, I might be more able to squeeze it in, but that’s a topic for another time…
3. My new English class for youth starts this Sunday at my church. We’ve got about 5 or 6 kids planning to join us, which is a good-sized group to start with, I think. Should be fun. But I’m not sure what level their English is at, so the first two or three weeks will be pretty experimental. I found some good curriculum, though, so once I get into the swing of things the prep time should be minimal.
4. Apparently I’m supposed to pay taxes in Japan this year, if I understand the law correctly. But fortunately (again, if I understand things correctly) I don’t have to pay taxes in Canada if I’m paying them abroad. I really have to look into this and get some clarity, though. It’s on my to-do list…
5. Speaking of clarity, since I’m now in the second year of a two-year term in Japan, I’m praying for clarity about what happens next. I have no doubts about continuing on in Japan, but where and in exactly what capacity I’m not sure. I have some crazy ideas, and believe a vision is forming. But how this should play out is not year clear. I have 11 months left, but I’m sure that will fly by quickly, and I’ll need to plan at least a few months ahead. So year, I’m praying…
I hope this email finds you all well; hard to believe we’re a month into 2009 already, isn’t it?
January has been a busy month getting back into the swing of things after the holiday season. As usual it has been my Japanese studies that have kept me most busy. It is always a challenge, but I can definitely see a difference from last year. Of course, I still have a long way to go, so your continuing prayers about my studies are much needed and appreciated.
Next week I am starting a new English class for youth at the church. It will be held on Sunday afternoons. It looks like there will be about 6 students to start with, but we are hoping in time it will grow and multiple, becoming a way for the church to build relationships with people outside the church. Please pray for me as I prepare this week and teach in the weeks to come. Also pray that God will use this ministry.
By the way, the attached photo is from a recent evening I spent, along with my pastors, having dinner with a family from our church, the Yashidas. They are a really nice family, and some of the many people who have helped me feel at home the past year.
This morning I had an almost two-hour conference call on Skype sharing dreams with a couple of fellow-ministry-minded creative-types. It was inspiring and gets me excited about the future when I think about it. I left home immediately after that and met up with my fellow-Canadian, Hooch (whose blog is so out of date I’m not sure why I bother linking to it — hint, hint, Hooch), and went to Gifu Castle (as seen in the photos above and below). Great view. Good times.
I got back from Gifu with about a half hour to spare before our young adults’ prayer and planning meeting. After being out all afternoon sight-seeing, I was feeling rather tired, and honestly kind of wishing I didn’t have a meeting to go to. But I went, and of course I was glad I did. Not only was there some great food to be shared, but some great people to share it with. Have I mentioned how much I love these people? They’re a pretty amazing bunch.
All in all, a refreshing and fun day off. And I’m thankful.
Here in Japan one of the traditions at the beginning of a new year is to do a thorough housecleaning. I guess it’s kind of an “in with the new, out with the old” kind of thing. Seems like a good way to start the year, so this year I decided I should do that.
In addition to my semi-regular vacuuming, dusting and such, I cleaned out my closets, sorted through papers, books and other clutter; sorted, filed and threw a lot of stuff out. It’s amazing how much junk one can accumulate over the course of one year. I still had boxes from when I moved here that hadn’t been thrown out. With only a year till I move again, it almost seems silly to throw them out, but they’ve been sitting out on my balcony in the weather, so they were getting to be in pretty rough shape.
Have you ever noticed (or is it just me?) that when you do a good housecleaning, you’re extra careful to keep things neat and clean? You notice every speck of dust or lint, you don’t let stuff pile up on your desk, and you’re careful not to make a mess when you’re cooking… At least, for the first few days. But it doesn’t take long before you start to slack off (or, again, is it just me?). The dishes and papers pile up, there’s a layer of dust collecting, and before you know there are a tumbleweed-sized dust bunnies rolling through the room.
I think we’re the same with New Year’s resolutions, too, aren’t we? We vow that this year will be different, we make pledges to ourselves to do things differently, and we start off on the right foot… but before long, we lose our footing and fall right back into the same old ruts. We do this not just at New Year’s time, but any time we try to make a fresh start… in our own strength.
I’m feeling pretty good about how this year is starting off. There are definitely some things I’m planning to do differently. I think I’m off on the right foot, too. And I’m praying for grace to follow through.
I’m officially free from language school for the next two weeks. And let me tell you, it’s going to be nice. Studying Japanese full-time is a lot like drinking from a fire hose, and I don’t always get the time to digest everything like I should. Hmm… maybe that’s mixing metaphors; do you really have to digest water? Anyway…
This will quite likely be my last post till after Christmas, unless I take my laptop to Tokyo with me and get bored/inspired. Though it looks like my vacation time will be pretty full and fun. So, one last time, here’s a Christmas greeting by a Japanese person who’s obviously a genius. Merry Christmas, everyone.
I haven’t said much here lately, have I? I guess I just haven’t had much to say. Maybe in the new year after I’ve had a break from classes and enjoyed some ministry events and some time away, I’ll have something to say. Until then, the above is a poster I designed for my church’s youth Christmas thing, which takes place tomorrow afternoon. I made some no-bake cookies for the occasion, which turned out OK considering I didn’t have the ingredients quite right. I’m sure there will be lots of other goodies to enjoy, though, as well as fun people to spend the time with. So I’m looking forward to it.
