Our second week in Japan has been a busy one. This Sunday was especially full. I preached on the topic of prayer. More than simply making requests of God, prayer is a powerful avenue for deepening our relationship with Him. I even featured prayer in the children’s sermon as a way to talk to God relationally (like using the phone in the picture above). Most of the time, when prayer is seen in Japanese society it is someone who approaches a shrine with some sort of request (a good harvest, success in a business venture, health for a family member, etc.). Many shrines even venerate a diety who “specializes” in answering one particular type of request. So, I wanted to impress on the kids this week that prayer is actually more like the conversations we have with each other. It’s relational.
Like last week, there was a new visitor! He spoke Chinese, so another member sat near him and quietly translated the service to him. There were also some friends visiting from Malaysia and California, too. If I counted correctly, there were people from at least six different countries attending service that morning. I am reminded often of how relatable Christ is no matter our background, language, or culture. I believe Paul refers to something similar when he uses the phrase “mystery of the Gospel.”
Thursday morning we welcomed our first Family Music Class participants. Some of the families are returning from last Summer, but there were some new faces as well. A year makes such a difference at this age! We are grateful for the opportunity to connect and form relationships in such sweet moments, and we are looking forward to future classes when we are joined by those who couldn’t come this week.
Our first Casual Party was held Sunday afternoon and it was a fun time of fellowship! Last Summer we featured a display on Tennessee for the participants to interact with. This Summer we decided to feature my home state – Texas. Some months ago, when Emily and I traveled to see my family, we made a stop at the large visitor’s center in Texarkana and (with their blessing) took a large stack of plastic bags, posters, postcards, and brochures from all across the state. I also introduced the group to Tejano music! Everyone was especially curious about some facts regarding distances and speed limits. 🙂 During the party, we served popcorn, caramel creams, and trail mix along with two flavors of Kool-aid. I also guided everyone through a party game called “Google Translation Mix-up.” I asked everyone to write an amusing sentence about themselves in their native language and then gathered their statements for the game. For each statement, I used Google Lens on my iPad to translate their handwritten sentence from Japanese to English. Then I pointed my iPhone at the iPad and used Google Lens again to translate the English back to Japanese! Sometimes the translation was amazingly accurate. At other times, it resulted in some rather funny mis-translations. A great time was had by all.
To round out the very busy schedule Sunday, we met with two groups for meals. Emily and I joined the Tachikawa servants committee meeting to enjoy a bento lunch together and discuss future mission plans. We are grateful for the hospitality and welcome shown to us by our brothers and sisters here, and we look forward to the possibility of returning next year full-time. Many details are still to be decided, and the next steps in finding full-time support are on the horizon. It is a daunting process, but we are trying our best to listen to the Spirit and trust in God’s timing. If He wants us here, then I’m confident that He will give us the means to accomplish what needs to be done.
For dinner Sunday evening, we were invited to join a meal with the group visiting from Malaysia and California. Sue Ling (pictured behind Emily) and her husband Shuichi (in the red shirt) took us all to a restaurant in the local mall serving traditional Japanese fare. The couple in the back right are from Malaysia where he is a preacher. The couple in the back left are good friends who now live in California. Sue Ling knew them when she also lived in Malaysia. The lady in front of Emily is a Tachikawa regular who spends part of each year in Malaysia as well. It was a good evening getting to know everyone a little bit better.
Tuesday afternoon, we braved the hot conditions and got out to visit a couple of shops that we went to last year. One location (first three pictures above) was a sushi and dango shop that Emily remembers from her childhood. The shop is a simple counter right there facing the curb with a second space behind it for preparing items for sale. The rest of the building behind and above is their home. If you look carefully, you might notice that she is adding up our purchases using an abacus. She was quick! Since most of it was handmade that morning, she urged us to make sure and eat it within a day for it to taste the best. It was delicious! The other location (the fourth picture) is an old-style, traditional sweet shop where we purchased some treats to bring back as gifts (and a couple to enjoy ourselves). The lady running the shop remembered us from last Summer!
Although the last couple of days have been sunny and hot (95°F), we are technically still in the rainy season here in Tokyo. We managed to get out for a nice long walk through the neighborhood and another one down to the local mall before the heat set in. Emily is always on the lookout for interesting things to see, and she snapped some pictures of flowers alongside the road (and an interesting-looking manhole cover). Space is very limited here in the city, so it is common for people to grow flowers in places where everyone can enjoy them. The white hydrangeas above are a good example. Of course, some flowers are “volunteer” plants growing in common spaces or other opportune spots. The beautiful passion flowers above are actually growing up through a hedge that runs along the sidewalk in front of a local civic gymnasium.
It feels like Mt. Fuji has been playing hide and seek these first two weeks. So, for my parting shot(s) this week here are a few snaps of Fuji-san that Emily managed to capture from either the roof of the church building or one of the monorail platforms. You know it is always there, but often it can be hard to see. It’s worth stopping for a moment when you notice it showing. There’s a kid’s sermon in there somewhere, I think!
~ Clay
Fowlers in Japan 