Japan is beautiful in spring. the trees come alive, the clouds disappear, and Team Japan heads out to hand out fliers and get lost on trains. yeah, it happened a few times.
We just finished our time with the English school, teaching, fliering, and stapling our days away. Our contact is really good at making things fun though, even if handing out fliers isn`t my top pick job. we have performed for a church, who was so hospitable they did American style BBQ for us! it was so much fun to meet the young people of the church. It seems like the dads are the matchmakers over here though...
Last weekend we joined the
Tokyo YWAM base for street outreach, talking to local people, an worshipping God. It started out quietly, but ended off with a dance circle to some great Japanese/English praise! our team has learnt three more Japanese songs in the last week as well. Thanks youtube!
on our day off the staff decided they were tired, so Em, Daniel and I went to Hirajiku by ourselves. the most trouble we got in is the fact that we couldn't find our train, so the machines kinda ripped us off... we were good students. ;) Hirajiku is like the fashion insanity paradise of Japan. thrift shops and Cosplay abound!
we are also working on a couple videos, so I hope I can post them one day.
Next week we are working with a different school, and it will be a finale to our Japan trip. I have only been here a short while, but it may have stolen part of my heart. one week until Australia, seven until home. It makes me think. What`s the next step? where is God going to lead me next? How am I going to fit that Kimono in my suitcase?!
Friday, 28 March 2014
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
broken silence
I'm writing a story. I can always create the world, the people, and the problem, but the world's answer eludes me. ARGH! This story (so far) is about a monochrome world, where creativity is outlawed in order to prevent war. (No ideas, no war right?) bring in the travelling Bards, storytelling grandmother and the leader of the Red Rebels who dream of beauty....
The last weeks have been super busy with helping the ARK English school. We have handed out a lot of flyers, and eventually made it a game how many times people would reject the flyers before someone takes one.
Next week we are helping out with a kids kindergarten, and I get to fingerpaint!!!!
Today Team Japan went to he zoo, as well as did some filming. theres not a lot to say, because mostly, I tract and sleep. sorry!
The last weeks have been super busy with helping the ARK English school. We have handed out a lot of flyers, and eventually made it a game how many times people would reject the flyers before someone takes one.
Next week we are helping out with a kids kindergarten, and I get to fingerpaint!!!!
Today Team Japan went to he zoo, as well as did some filming. theres not a lot to say, because mostly, I tract and sleep. sorry!
Monday, 10 March 2014
Dragging our suitcases through Tokyo cuz that's how we roll.
Outreach has been good, and a lot of work is put into it, but I aim to bring joy, hence the bad joke.
Our last week on Osaka was full of youth outreach which involved dances, street evangelism, large amounts of participating in selfies, and no small amount of struggling to learn more Japanese. I forgot some already!
It was great to see how much God can do in just a few weeks. At first it seemed our contacts weren't quite sure to do with a MAD team, but God opened doors to youth, churches and the community in crazy ways! I found it a bit hard to get my bearings in it though, because I'm not a performer, so being onstage is hard, but not having a place onstage when the rest of the team does is equally frustrating. I have taken my role of Intercessor, as well as onstage art sometimes. It's hard to bring such large paper when your way of getting around is walking, and a train like a sardine can!
Before we left Osaka, we walked to Kyoto in the footsteps of two famous missionaries, and visited some of the shrines. I won't be going to shrines again, they hurt!
We travelled by bullet train to Tokyo two days ago. everything is noisy, full of people, and lights dazzle you every corner. It's beautiful and I love it so much! The first thing we did here was learn some Japanese worship songs, and sing them at Shibuya Harvest that evening. After that we cleaned toilets. We never had time for lunch, and we finally got to having dinner around 10 pm. Pizza that night was the most amazing thing I tasted, simply because it was long anticipated. (I had wanted pizza since BEFORE outreach and never bothered to order it, because I don't want to waste money on things I don't really need. That didn't deter me from buying green tea KitKats though! they were cheap.)
The next four weeks we are looking forwards to teaching English classes, doing some church work and performance, and there's always the element of surprise.
The family we are staying with are personal friends, and it's so nice to be in a home setting again! I have heard that they are a bit famous in Christian sphere in Japan, which makes sense, because right now the Dad is doing a crosswalk walking across America. Yup.
Our team is getting closer it seems, and hardly a day goes by without Daniel taking a picture of his food, Me coming up with a new way to mess up my words, and all of us in random outbursts of song and dance.
Our biggest prayer is that we would stay healthy, and that we would we be given the right heart and words to reach the ones God loves. Which is everyone BTW.
Japan has been good to me so far, And I really believe I grow so much every time I travel elsewhere. This is what I want to spend my life doing!
Our last week on Osaka was full of youth outreach which involved dances, street evangelism, large amounts of participating in selfies, and no small amount of struggling to learn more Japanese. I forgot some already!
It was great to see how much God can do in just a few weeks. At first it seemed our contacts weren't quite sure to do with a MAD team, but God opened doors to youth, churches and the community in crazy ways! I found it a bit hard to get my bearings in it though, because I'm not a performer, so being onstage is hard, but not having a place onstage when the rest of the team does is equally frustrating. I have taken my role of Intercessor, as well as onstage art sometimes. It's hard to bring such large paper when your way of getting around is walking, and a train like a sardine can!
Before we left Osaka, we walked to Kyoto in the footsteps of two famous missionaries, and visited some of the shrines. I won't be going to shrines again, they hurt!
We travelled by bullet train to Tokyo two days ago. everything is noisy, full of people, and lights dazzle you every corner. It's beautiful and I love it so much! The first thing we did here was learn some Japanese worship songs, and sing them at Shibuya Harvest that evening. After that we cleaned toilets. We never had time for lunch, and we finally got to having dinner around 10 pm. Pizza that night was the most amazing thing I tasted, simply because it was long anticipated. (I had wanted pizza since BEFORE outreach and never bothered to order it, because I don't want to waste money on things I don't really need. That didn't deter me from buying green tea KitKats though! they were cheap.)
The next four weeks we are looking forwards to teaching English classes, doing some church work and performance, and there's always the element of surprise.
The family we are staying with are personal friends, and it's so nice to be in a home setting again! I have heard that they are a bit famous in Christian sphere in Japan, which makes sense, because right now the Dad is doing a crosswalk walking across America. Yup.
Our team is getting closer it seems, and hardly a day goes by without Daniel taking a picture of his food, Me coming up with a new way to mess up my words, and all of us in random outbursts of song and dance.
Our biggest prayer is that we would stay healthy, and that we would we be given the right heart and words to reach the ones God loves. Which is everyone BTW.
Japan has been good to me so far, And I really believe I grow so much every time I travel elsewhere. This is what I want to spend my life doing!
Sunday, 2 March 2014
week one in Japan!
I have no pictures to show. It's quite sad, because I would love to keep all the things I see clear, in picture form.
This week we have been focusing a lot on art, music, and dance outreach. We held a meeting at a local church and performed various skits and dances, and I have begun to use large scale art in stage performance and street evangelism. I d I have begun to use large scale art in stage performance and street evangelism. I never thought art was actually a tool for God to use, but people beeline to beautiful things! I have started a series based on a red balloon in a grey world to symbolise hope. It goes along with my testimony. To me, the red balloon means being filled with Hope. Not from what you can see, but from Jesus Christ. That, with God, we can rise higher than the things that hold us down. And that God gives us the ability to have joy even when the world seems dark. The red balloon is a reminder of who God is, and how much he loves us.
I have gained so much respect for my pastor though the recent experiences, I didn't realise how hard giving a testimony or a sermon was! I get pretty nervous beforehand, but I realise God is with me, and then the only thing on my mind is "People need to know this! They need to understand how great God's love is!' and everything turns out fine.
We have been helping out the local pioneering churches(most churches in Japan ARE pioneering.) Japan has a tradition of young dancers practicing in front of windows of the city council buildings,and so we have a chance to talk to dancers on the streets, as well as teach and learn some dance steps. Yesterday was really interesting, because in Japan, there is no "Oh no, what if I offend them?" when it comes to evangelism. As our team was haltingly talking in english to a group of JR. High boys, one of the church ladies starts talking to them in rapid Japanese. Then she turns to us and says " I told them you were Christian missionaries from Australia, and if they had any questions about God, you could answer them. Would you like to talk to them one on one?" we were a bit stunned on both sides, Kids and first time missionaries!
we have also been drinking lots of tea, bearing the cold to tract at train stations, and eating a lot of rice.
The first week, we bought a really big bag of rice because it was on sale. A few days later our hosts bought us a big bag. The next day, the church we were performing at gave us two shopping bags full! We have rice almost every meal, but it's ok, because the green tea that we drink with it helps. We have tried Mochi (green tea rice candy) Natto, which is moldy beans... uhm yeah. Stomach of steel over here had a hard time keeping that down! It's an acquired taste.
We may not have a lot of down time, but we make use of what we do. We went and saw Hideyoshi's castle in Osaka, and as we were walking through the cherry trees, we got to talk to a guy from Sweden about God. We really stand out in Japan, so people are either drawn to us, or try to walk around us.
Seeing into people's lives around the city has been sad. They are wonderful people, very polite, but sometimes it seems hollow. They won't steal your wallet if you forgot it, but they also won't return it to you. They are dependant on their friends and Jobs, but won't let many others in to their self contained world. I think much of the world is like this. It's sad to think that even though the Japanese people are always smiling, they have the highest suicide rate in the world. I so want God to use me to bring hope and Joy, because sometimes, what looks like happiness is a facade.
The second week is looking to be even more full of trains, churches, and walking, and after that Team Japan is off to Tokyo! If you guy's want more info than my insight, check out Team Japan 2014
This week we have been focusing a lot on art, music, and dance outreach. We held a meeting at a local church and performed various skits and dances, and I have begun to use large scale art in stage performance and street evangelism. I d I have begun to use large scale art in stage performance and street evangelism. I never thought art was actually a tool for God to use, but people beeline to beautiful things! I have started a series based on a red balloon in a grey world to symbolise hope. It goes along with my testimony. To me, the red balloon means being filled with Hope. Not from what you can see, but from Jesus Christ. That, with God, we can rise higher than the things that hold us down. And that God gives us the ability to have joy even when the world seems dark. The red balloon is a reminder of who God is, and how much he loves us.
I have gained so much respect for my pastor though the recent experiences, I didn't realise how hard giving a testimony or a sermon was! I get pretty nervous beforehand, but I realise God is with me, and then the only thing on my mind is "People need to know this! They need to understand how great God's love is!' and everything turns out fine.
We have been helping out the local pioneering churches(most churches in Japan ARE pioneering.) Japan has a tradition of young dancers practicing in front of windows of the city council buildings,and so we have a chance to talk to dancers on the streets, as well as teach and learn some dance steps. Yesterday was really interesting, because in Japan, there is no "Oh no, what if I offend them?" when it comes to evangelism. As our team was haltingly talking in english to a group of JR. High boys, one of the church ladies starts talking to them in rapid Japanese. Then she turns to us and says " I told them you were Christian missionaries from Australia, and if they had any questions about God, you could answer them. Would you like to talk to them one on one?" we were a bit stunned on both sides, Kids and first time missionaries!
we have also been drinking lots of tea, bearing the cold to tract at train stations, and eating a lot of rice.
The first week, we bought a really big bag of rice because it was on sale. A few days later our hosts bought us a big bag. The next day, the church we were performing at gave us two shopping bags full! We have rice almost every meal, but it's ok, because the green tea that we drink with it helps. We have tried Mochi (green tea rice candy) Natto, which is moldy beans... uhm yeah. Stomach of steel over here had a hard time keeping that down! It's an acquired taste.
We may not have a lot of down time, but we make use of what we do. We went and saw Hideyoshi's castle in Osaka, and as we were walking through the cherry trees, we got to talk to a guy from Sweden about God. We really stand out in Japan, so people are either drawn to us, or try to walk around us.
Seeing into people's lives around the city has been sad. They are wonderful people, very polite, but sometimes it seems hollow. They won't steal your wallet if you forgot it, but they also won't return it to you. They are dependant on their friends and Jobs, but won't let many others in to their self contained world. I think much of the world is like this. It's sad to think that even though the Japanese people are always smiling, they have the highest suicide rate in the world. I so want God to use me to bring hope and Joy, because sometimes, what looks like happiness is a facade.
The second week is looking to be even more full of trains, churches, and walking, and after that Team Japan is off to Tokyo! If you guy's want more info than my insight, check out Team Japan 2014
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