Roehl Japan Journal May 6-22, 2001 Before the Trip There was a lot of preparation for our trip to Japan. For Tim, the biggest preparations were: * Fourteen messages/seminar sessions that needed to be written out word-for-word ahead of time. Our Japanese friends are very conscientious about translating things correctly, so they wanted everything translated for us before we arrived. That meant thinking/praying ahead 2-3 weeks...what does the Lord want me to say "now" that will be His words "then"? Are the messages the right length? Are they in context for ministry in Japan? Are these messages the right ones to serve our friends there? That was a big challenge for me (Tim). * The heart preparation. Lots of prayer, thinking, listening...our great desire was to serve our Japanese brothers and sisters and make this time a great blessing to them. A song by Audio Adrenaline ran through my mind often... "I wanna be Your hands. I wanna be Your feet...I'll go where You send me, go where You send me." Even Japan, Lord. Make us a blessing...out of our lives, may Jesus shine. For Shirley, the trip to Japan is a life-long dream. The biggest part for her was getting all the gifts we want to bring to people we will meet there, and then getting everything to fit into the suitcases! She and Aubrey worked hard at it and finally got it all to fit. Tim's folks were able to stay with our girls for the time we were gone...a real help and answer to prayer. This was one of the many things we were looking forward to with them moving back to MN after Dad's retirement. We hoped it would be good bonding time...and that the granddaughters and grandparents would be able to survive living together for two weeks! A good number of people donated money to help with Shirley's expenses. We're sure grateful for that kind of financial support. Our missions department paid for Tim's expenses to get to Japan. The folks in Japan paid for all our expenses while there and got us home. We're grateful for the invitation and provision. May 6th -7th The Adventure Begins! After the many preparations, at long last the day of departure arrives. Freeway seemed to know we were leaving...he got us up at 4 AM and wouldn't be still. He always seems to sense those things. We went to church at ChristLife. I got to preach (always a treat) there. Many people came forward to lay hands on us to commission us for this trip. We're very grateful for the support and prayers of our home church! Right after church we headed for the airport. Check-in was good...we got two seats together on the last row of the plane, so that was good. After lunch at McDonald's we waited...last minute questions, lots of hugs from the girls. Duane and Jessie came to see us off, too. The flight was long, somewhat bumpy, but good. Saw two good movies and dozed through the third. Shirley was able to sleep some, but I don't sleep well on the plane. The flight got off the ground about 4 PM in Minneapolis and we arrived on Monday about 5:30 PM in Tokyo...total time adjustment of about 26 hours. Kenichi, Midori, Mitsuru and Toshio (another pastor) were all there to meet us. Getting through customs went fine. We went out for supper at a place that was very much like one of our Country Kitchens called Royal Host. The menu is different, of course, but not as much as you would think. Shirley and I split fried pork over rice with some kind of seaweed soup. Finally arrived at Nakahara Church, our "home base" for this trip. It is a beautiful building along a street that is about as wide as one of our alleys here. Slippers were laid out for us inside the front door. We will wear them from now on while inside. (Tim was advised beforehand to bring his own slippers as most Japanese don't wear a size 11 shoe!) Upstairs in the "balcony" is an open area, a small room that serves as their seminary classroom, a library and our room. We have a small room with a sink, small fridge and two single beds put close together. In Japan, the toilet is in a separate room from the bathroom. Kenichi and his wife Yumiko and their 16-month-old daughter Magumi (Grace) live in an apartment on the upper floor as well. In addition, their denominational office and Ken's office is on the upper floor, too. We met Yumiko and Magumi and then headed for bed. Although it was only about 9:30 PM, I'd been up about 24 straight hours by that time, so we were both very weary. Sleep came easy. May 8th-First Full Day Tim woke up about 3 AM...he always seems to sleep only about 5-6 hours after a long flight. Shirley woke up about 4...we looked over our schedule and did some more unpacking until about 7, then slept until breakfast at 8. Kenichi and Yumiko are wonderful hosts. Magumi makes everything fun. We visited over breakfast, and then Ken got us online so we could check email. That's going to be a huge help on this trip. Ken also borrowed us a radio and we found an armed forces station, so we can get some news in English. Shirley and I walked a few blocks (the streets here are mostly one lane and narrow expect for major thoroughfares) to a park nearby. The trees and greenery are lovely. The park had a baseball field, tennis courts, running paths and gardens. We noticed few people would return greetings (they're in "city mode" Kenichi says). Of course, we are not from around here, too! Nakahara Church (Nakahara means "in the middle of the field" but it is heavily populated now) is in Daita (means, "not in the rice field") in a metro area of about 25 million...about 10 times larger than the Twin Cities metro area! The church has been here many years. Ken's grandfather once pastored here, and later Mitsuru Oi's father did. Ken was an associate and youth pastor for him for 3 years, and has been the senior pastor for about a year. In the afternoon, Mitsuru took us to another part of Tokyo to visit an art exhibit by a friend of theirs. Ishimori is seeking the Lord, but not a Christian yet. The exhibit was in an old style house with mud/straw walls, bamboo and wood support beams. Very interesting! The art was creative and avant-garde for us, and Ishimori is an interesting man. We had a nice conversation with him and some others who were there. We took the train to get around...Tokyo has a great train system. The stations are very busy, especially during peak travel times in early morning and late night. Thankfully, the stops are also in English, so I am beginning to get a little feel for things. One of the large stations was a huge shopping "mall" of hundreds of small shops. We looked at some "tourist" picture books and checked an electronics store. Cell phones, CD players and such are all more expensive here. We met Yurie, Mitsuru's wife and their 3 year old son and another lady on the way to the art gallery. Sure was glad they knew where they were going...the city is very busy...many people...houses and apartment buildings are small. Mitsuru says the city is about 25-30 miles from north to south and about 50-60 miles east to west (the same distance as Minneapolis Metro, but 10 times the people!). The city is also safe and clean. We did see some homeless people at one of the stations, but Yurie said they actually help keep the place clean. While on the train, I had the chance to visit more with Mitsuru about their ministry. He is a wise and thoughtful leader. The problems and joys they face are similar to ours in many ways. After the art show we went to a "welcome supper" at Club Yoyogi. It is a restaurant in a place owned by a large steel company. We met all the pastors but two...so five of the seven churches were represented. There are three women pastors among them...very capable leaders, including Mrs. Hanabusa (Yurie's mother) who has pastored for about 45 years! Mitsuru's father, Takahashi Oi, has been their leader for many years as well. Mitsuru now leads their denomination, the Uniting Church of Christ in Japan. We had a beautiful five- course meal. They extended their welcome and appreciation for our visit. We brought greetings from many in the US including our Denomination, our Conference, ChristLife and our family and thanked them for the privilege of serving them. The pastors and their spouses: Nakahara Church Kenichi and Yumiko Shinagawa Itabashi Church Mitsuru and Yurie Oi Midori and Masahiro Sasayama Yashiro Church Yoshiyuki & Mie Tanabe (not there) Machida Church Toshio & Naoko Miura (planting a church) Higashiurawa Church Myung keyn Kim (woman pastor from Korea) Edogawadai Mrs. Hanabusa Hokuraemao Church Takeo Takahashi (not there-he is pastoring a church in a village far to the north. We got home about 8 PM and I was out shortly after. It had been a wonderful first day! Wednesday, May 9th We finally got a full night of sleep and are feeling much better. We had a pleasant breakfast with Ken and Yumiko...it is good to get to know them better. Shirley and Yumiko visited a little about life as pastor's wives. It is interesting to see that even though cultures and countries are different, much of our ministry joys and struggles are very similar. We enjoyed getting email... a lifeline to home and friends far away. Lunch was very Japanese...a bowl of soba noodles with a poached egg, something like asparagus, small mushrooms all together with rice on the side. We had "new tea"-Japanese tea is green tea, although there are many kinds here. The "new tea" is green tea freshly harvested and sent. Yumiko says it is best at 80 degrees C (about 176 F)...they are very serious about tea! After lunch Kenichi and I went over our message for the evening seminar. He gave me some very helpful insights in how to communicate to Japanese folks. One great idea was to have them break into small groups, discuss and then report from the group's findings rather than ask individuals to share their thoughts. Sharing opinions is not easy for them. Sharing experiences is better. Kenichi is a great help. Later in the afternoon Rob Gill, our CRM teammate came to visit. He's been here ministering in Japan for 22 years. CRM has two families here, but it appears the team is growing. I was delighted to have Rob and Kenichi meet. It was even better to find that they had some mutual acquaintances and ministry friends! Rob had some good insights for me. He really likes Kenichi. I'm praying for a friendship and perhaps a ministry relationship to begin. I'm an "inside- outside" guy here...I'm "inside" The Evangelical Church and the UCCJ, but can bring ideas and concepts from "outside." These "outside" ideas will be safer coming from me than from someone they do not know. The more I get to know Kenichi, the more wisdom I can see in him as a young leader God has strategically placed in his denomination. Lord, please make my "inside-outside" role on this trip all you want it to be. "I wanna be Your hands, I wanna be Your feet...I'll go where You send me, go where You send me." Thursday, May 10th After breakfast, I spent time catching up on email. Ken had a "publishing" meeting with some lay people. Shirley and Yumiko did a little shopping. After lunch I spoke to an afternoon prayer meeting at Nakahara. About a dozen ladies came...more than usual, Ken said. Shirley watched Magumi so Yumiko could come down and attend. I spoke on "The Power of Praying Together." The message was well received. At the end I asked them to pray in twos and encouraged them to find a prayer partner and form a prayer team for their church. We had a good time drinking tea and conversing afterwards. Kyoko, (Yumi from our home stay's mother) is the secretary for the church and the denomination. She's a pleasant person. The next day she gave me a picture post card, writing a note in English that she enjoyed the message and had already found a prayer partner! Late in the afternoon we left on the train for Machida, the new daughter church of Nakahara. It is about 30 minutes away by train. Toshio and Naoko are pastor and wife. They served us a great supper that included a salad with octopus in it! We also had bamboo in soy sauce. Dessert was a bowl of sweet strawberries. The church meets in their home, and we had "Bible study" around the table. We sang a number of choruses with Toshio leading with guitar. He did a great job...the worship was very sweet. About a dozen people were there, including Mitsuru's father and mother, a retired pastor and former leader of the denomination. I spoke and Kenichi translated "A Kingdom-sized Promise for a Micro-sized Church" from Luke 12:32. The people received the message well. I felt the Lord strongly give me a word to encourage them that "Machida flock-God will supply your needs!" Again we had tea and pleasant conversation after the message. Friday, May 11th The girls called at 7:15 AM...5:15 PM the previous afternoon back home. The connection was clear, but the minutes talking to them (we only allowed 10-15 for each call) go much too fast. They are all doing fine, except Dad who may have a hairline fracture from a fall working on the house gutters. John Mehn from JEMA (Japan Evangelistic Missionary Association) called...had a nice visit with him on the phone and then made sure he and Ken got acquainted. JEMA also tries to bring together many groups for church planting and multiplication ministries. Their materials are the result of much "R & D" ("rob and duplicate" John says) and very good. I hope some of our leaders will take in the national church planting conference in November. John invited me to come teach sometime. We left for Shinjuku station...a central "hub" for the trains. (I found out later it is the busiest train station in the world.) Most people travel by train...they are fast and clean and efficient. During their rush hour the trains get so crowded that special conductors literally push people in...the train is crammed with people, but they don't seem to mind. People in the city don't look at each other much or greet each other...so there is the feeling of a very crowded city with people all in small self-contained bubbles. There are many businessmen in suits, women in business suits, occasionally an older woman in a kimono, and many young people dressed just like our teenagers chillin' to music on their headphones. One thing I notice is that instead of CD players, MD (mini disk) players about the size of a deck of cards are common...with remote controls inline with the headphones! They are ahead of us in technology in many ways. We met Midori and went on a tour of Tokyo for the afternoon. We saw many interesting sights including the outside entrance to the Imperial Palace, the Ginza shopping district, a large Shinto shrine, many shops, a riverboat tour that took us to Tokyo Bay, and to the top of their World Trade Center for a panoramic view of the city from 40 stories up. Very enjoyable. Ken met us back at the hotel where we started the tour where we met Miyuki (our Homestay girl) and her dad. We went to their home for a huge meal that included sukiyaki and large fried shrimp and a red rice mixture only served on special occasions. Miyuki's dad is an executive officer for a cross-country bus company. Ken said they live in a very wealthy home. We enjoyed the time with Miyuki's brothers, Yuya and Kiesuke, and her parents and their collie dog Chopi. It was a comfortable evening of food, conversation, a fun card game and sharing thanks for each other's hospitality. Miyuki is still shy, but she brightened when we brought greetings from Aubrey and Elise. Mr. Naito burned me a copy of a famous Japanese singer in their version of a Christmas CD...some Christmas music and some secular. It was a wonderful night. I left praying for the Lord to bring that family to Him. Saturday, May 12th Ken and I were up late the night before and early this morning talking about the seminar at Lake Yamanaka. I've got way too much material. We're going to cut back the amount of teaching and make it more application oriented as a workshop. I'm pleased with that change. We met Midori and took a bullet train to Nagano...cool! The trip was about 1 hour and 15 minutes for the 200k (125 miles) trip. Very smooth. At Nagano we met Yoshiyuki (Yoshi) and Mie Tanabe and their 5-month-old son Tokio. They pastor the church in Yashiro, a small city of just under 4,000 about 8 miles from Nagano. Nagano was the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. We had lunch at a noodle house-soba noodles with tempura. Soba are cold thin wheat noodles that you dip in a small cup of soy sauce, onions and wasabi (strong horse radish) and then slurp up. Slurping is not only noisy but also expected! We went to the Zenkoji Buddhist temple, many centuries old. It is a complex of many buildings and garden and shops. We paid to go in to the temple itself where some bowed on matted floors, some Buddhist priests chanted and hit gongs and burned incense. Huge statues of Buddha and golden hollyhocks were also prominent. We went in an underground tunnel under the altar. It is completely dark where the Buddhists teach that you are to walk in the darkness and get rid of worldly thoughts. Along the passage is a "key" in the wall. Touching it is supposed to bring salvation. It was an appropriate picture, I thought...wandering in the complete darkness trying to find the key to salvation-the exact opposite of what Jesus does for us. This area is very strong in its Buddhist influence, making ministry very difficult. We stayed in a very nice hotel. After a short rest we went to see the Yashiro church and then out to supper with Tanabes at Denny's. A Canadian Methodist missionary planted the church in 1892. For many years it had a strong ministry through a kindergarten, but now the city is losing young families. As in the US, many young adults are heading for the big city for work. The decline of families with young children gives this church a special ministry challenge. Yoshi and I had a good visit. He told us that the hardest thing for them is the loneliness, especially for Mie. There are no young families for them to befriend. Their building is beautiful...they had to replace the original building last year. This little group of about a dozen people, all older, trusted God for a new building that cost them 400 million yen-over $330,000! Back at the hotel, we tried a public bath. You get into a robe called a yukata; take your towels and head to the bath. Men and women are separate. Once inside, you completely disrobe and wash yourself sitting on a small stool with your own showerhead. Then you step into the pool of hot water and soak. This bath on the 10th floor overlooked the city lights of Nagano...beautiful. There was only one other man there. We began a conversation, and I found out he was a pastor! Akire Yoshimoshi is the Chairman of the Board for Tokyo Christian University. We had a good conversation... obviously a divine appointment! Midori and Shirley also enjoyed their bath and met a mom and her little girl. Shirley got to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" with the little girl. The hot bath and long day made for easy sleep. Sunday, May 13th Mother's Day in the US today...gave Shirley a Mother's Day card. We met Yoshimoshi Sensei at breakfast and introduced him to Midori. He too invited me to come teach sometime at the University. Breakfast was eggs and sausage (very western) and salad and soup and fish (eastern). Our worship experience at Yashiro Church was good. There were about 15 people, all older except Yoshiyuki and his family. Hymns were sung to an electronic hymn box. The service was fairly formal. When my turn to speak came, I preached the "Kingdom-sized Promise for a Micro-sized Church" message. The "word" the Lord gave me for this old historic church with a new building was "you've rebuilt your building with faith... now get ready...they're coming." I believe the Lord wants them to believe Him for more people coming to their church. Midori did a great job translating. Shirley shared Psalm 27:13-14 with the congregation then went out to watch little Tokio so Mie could be in the service. This really impressed the people. After the service we all drank tea and had some fruit. I asked them what the Lord has been teaching them through the process of trusting Him for their new building. They all shared their hearts and thanked me for the message. The word the Lord gave me seemed to be a great encouragement to them. They are a small, older group in a city that's getting older and in decline, yet the Lord wants to open a new chapter of life and ministry for them. May the Lord grant it! We went back to the train station. The Lord had given me a verse for Yoshi. Some many things about their ministry reminded me of our beginnings in Milwaukee...a young pastor and family a long way from all the other churches in his group...a small older congregation of faithful people...the yearning in a pastor's heart for the salvation of his city...the heartache and loneliness at times...the sense that God is building a young leader's heart...I felt a keen kinship with this young man of God. The verse the Lord gave me was II Chronicles 15:7-"But as for you, be strong and courageous. Do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." Just before we left for the train, I shared those words with him through Midori. Mie was crying with Shirley hugging her. Yoshi was crying and I was hugging him...it was a deeply moving time. I found myself praying for this young man and woman of God on the bullet ride home. That evening we visited a family from the Nakahara Church who had lived in the US for a while. We had a nice visit and supper with them, but we were sure ready for a good night's sleep. Monday-Wednesday, May 14th-16th Monday Toshio and Naoko came to pick us up to drive to Lake Yamanaka. Over the next days almost all the key leaders of the Uniting Church of Japan would be meeting at a Christian retreat center for a church planting seminar. Only Yoshi would not be able to make it. This was like having all our key denominational leaders together for a time of strategic thinking. I was nervous about it, but excited about the potential of these days together. "I wanna be Your hands, I wanna be Your feet...I'll go where You send me, go where You send me..." The two-hour drive with Toshio, Naoko, Kenichi, Yumiko and Magumi was nice. It doesn't take long once you're out of the Tokyo metropolitan area (but it takes a long time to get out of the city with the small narrow streets and crowded conditions) to get into the mountains. The freeway was just like ours, and the view is beautiful. About 11/2 hours into the trip, we got our first look at Mount Fuji...beautiful! The Christian retreat center, run by an international organization called Torchbearers, is a big wooden building with room for about 20 people. Woods surround it, although there are other homes close. There's a large backyard with a big conversation deck about 30 yards away. The host is a genial Japanese man who speaks good English. From pictures on the walls, it appears that young men and women from many countries have served as staff. There are 15 of us, so it is just right. There is a big table for community meals, a small teaching room, and sleeping rooms are upstairs. There's also a special table called a "kotatsu" table. It has a cloth tablecloth that also has a skirt around it. Benches surround the table and underneath is an electric heater. We take off our slippers, put our feet under the table, with the cloth skirt as a kind of lap blanket, to enjoy the warmth from the heater underneath. Fun! Shirley and I had a small bedroom with a steep sloping ceiling and a large window that's half skylight. It's a beautiful place. Our first two sessions on Monday went well. Kenichi and I seem to think alike as we teach, so the translation went well. We talked about an overview of church planting with the emphasis on the conception and prenatal phases and on the life cycle of a church. They asked many good questions and made insightful comments, which really pleased me. I was hoping for good interaction like this. Our second session we talked about evangelism and a bit about cell life. I also talked about narrative evangelism and finished the evening by having them give their testimonies in groups of two or three. It was neat to see them sharing and praying together. Tuesday began with quiet time out on the deck. Mitsuru says a short walk away we can see Mount Fuji! We ride down to the village with Kenichi and Toshio...and there is majestic Mount Fuji! There are swans on Lake Yamanka and the view of the mountain. Truly it is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. We have three sessions on Tuesday. I taught on spiritual mapping and had them spend time "mapping" their own ministry area in the morning. After lunch (wow, does the staff cook well!) we went into the village for some sightseeing and shopping. It was about a mile walk. I carried Magumi in her carrier down (it was a downward sloping walk) and back up. I enjoyed holding her...having a little girl around makes me a little less homesick for my own "little girls." In the afternoon I begin the session by having "Kim Sensei" (Pastor Kim) share her spiritual map from her church in Higashiuwara. She did a great job and they all seem to really grasp the concept. Our afternoon session is on "Natural Church Development/Church Health". We end the session by "grading" their church in a mini-survey, then sharing their "low score areas" with each other and praying for each other's church. Again the leaders resonant well with the ideas. Our evening was less teaching and more sharing as we talked about "Building Christian Community." They got together in small groups, sharing their hearts and praying for a long time. It was awesome to watch these leaders share so openly and transparently. Shirley and I had a delightful visit with Mrs. Hanabusa...pastor of the Edogawadai Church. She is Yurie Oi's mother, 70 years old...a graceful woman who speaks good English. She has had good friendships with some of our leaders, especially Odells and Millens. Her words were encouraging. I am very grateful for her and Mitsuru's father...as older leaders they are encouraging all that is happening in this seminar. I realize that they could easily stifle things by speaking negatively of the concepts I'm teaching, but instead they are positive and encouraging. Thank God for leaders like this! I found an English book by Don Richardson called "Eternity in Their Hearts" and read most of it during quiet times. I've got to get a copy when I get home. Wednesday we finished with a session in the morning on "vision and values." I felt led to share more personally of how God has led in my life in shaping vision. We ended with them getting alone with God to listen to His voice to hear more of His vision for their lives. Just before lunch we all gathered around the kotatsu table and shared our thoughts about the time together. I was very encouraged by what I heard. The materials were very much in line with the kind of strategic thinking they want to do and need to do for their ministries personally, in their churches and denominationally. Our trip home was good...the mountains are steep and covered with trees. Only 20% of Japan is inhabitable because of those mountains...and most of the people are crowded into Tokyo. That evening we had a reunion with some of the Homestay girls. We got pizza (from "Pizza-la") and had a great time talking about their memories of the Homestay visit, looking at pictures and what was happening in their lives now. Yumi, Junko, Miyuki and Miwako all came...some of the others were not able to come. Pizza in Japan is somewhat different. Some have corn, some fish, others were just like our pizza at home. We ended the evening with a time of prayer and hugging each other, promising to give greetings to those back home in the states and to the girls we didn't get to see. Miyuki's mom called (twice before our stay was over) to say again how much they had appreciated our visit to their home. She said that any time our girls wanted to visit Japan, they were welcome to stay at their home. Miyuki smiled when I told her that and said that her brothers only looked like they were obedient! We had a good laugh about that. However, both Shirley and I were very thankful that we made a good impression on this family. We continue to pray for Jesus to be Lord of their lives and home. Thursday, May 17th Today was our day in Itabashi. Miwako had stayed at Nakahara and had business in Itabashi, so we went together on the train station to Itabashi, northeast of Nakahara church. Mitsuru met us at the station. We took a taxi to the place where we would have the morning prayer meeting. It was Shirley's first taxi ride ever! The driver wore white gloves...a good way to be introduced to taxi rides! Our prayer meeting was at the home of one of the Itabashi families, since they are in the midst of rebuilding their church. This group was older women. I taught again on "The Power of Praying Together" with Midori translating. As with other times, I felt the Lord give me a clear word for that group...this was a group of praying women who are pleasing and precious to His heart! His message was to encourage them to keep praying and believe God for more...their prayers are sweet music in heaven! We taught and prayed sitting on the floor around a low table. Most of the women (Mitsuru and I were the only men) sat on their knees with their feet under them. My legs won't even bend that way! I sat on a cushion and shifted positions a lot...the ladies were gracious and patient with me. We had a wonderful session of prayer together. Afterward we had lunch...soup, sandwiches and scones. One kind of bread was literally laced with tea...real tea biscuits! As always, green, hot tea. We learned more about the tatami room and its traditional role in a Japanese home. Mitsuru told us that when he was a college student, he lived in a "three mat room"-about 6 feet wide by 8 feet long! We walked over to see the construction of the Itabashi Church. It is in a good location. When completed, it will be a poured concrete structure with three floors. The basement will have a seminary room, a "Japanese" room (matted tatami) for guests, a multi purpose space that can be for fellowship or made into five classes, and a kitchen. The second floor will be sanctuary and offices with the third being the pastor's residence. They look forward to being able to worship there for Christmas. May it be so! The cost for the building will be about $166,000 (about 20,250,000 yen). It's a good move for them. Itabashi is different than Nakahara's area...streets are wider, more blue- collar, a bit less educated. We walked over to Oi's apartment. It will become Mrs. Hanabusa's home when she retires next spring. It is small, as are most places. Junko has to live during the week with Yumi's family because of the cramped conditions. Mitsuru's office is part of the bedroom. We got to meet their son Shin, a shy young man of 12. We had a good visit for a couple hours. Mitsuru shared some of his joys and burdens as the leader of their denomination. He's a good man and I respect him more as I get to know him more. Yurie came home with their 3 year old son Satoshi after a class picnic (kids there often start school at 3). We had tea and cheesecake. We enjoyed our visit. We walked together over to the home of one of the ladies from the Itabashi Church. There we were the special guests for a traditional tea ceremony. Every part has great symbolism. Every movement by the hostess is practiced. It is hundreds of years old and has some Christian elements. We watched and took part with fascination. We were given a "sweet" made of chestnuts before drinking the strong green tea in a special bowl that was about the size of a cereal bowl. It was a neat experience. After the tea ceremony, we had supper with more ladies from the church, so there were about 8 of us all together. Supper came from a restaurant in "bento boxes"-four compartments with the food beautifully arranged. The Japanese say that they "eat twice," once with the eyes, then with the mouth. The food was very different...raw fish and vegetables we'd never seen before. After our meal we drove to another apartment of the widow of a pastor. There on the fifth floor about 14 of us crowded in together. There were both men and women there this time. This time we were able to sit on chairs (I think they took pity on us). Mitsuru's friend Ishimori was there. He plays a beautiful guitar. Later he and Shirley had a guitar/vocal duet of "Were You There." They did a beautiful job together. I don't think the folks here had realized what a good singer Shirley is. We sang a hymn together and then I spoke again about "The Power of Praying Together." This time the word the Lord gave me was quite different from the morning group. It was "if you want to experience God's power in your life and church, you've got to make prayer more important." We again had a good ministry and prayer time together. I continue to be humbled by how clear the Lord is speaking to me with messages for different people and groups. I'm trying to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and simply pass them along as He gives them to me. Friday, May 18th Today the morning was free. We had a good breakfast and visit with Kenichi and Yumiko, then time to catch up on email and things. We are sure enjoying time with Kenichi, Yumiko and Magumi. Shirley's trying to do things to help out around their home. They are such gracious hosts. We went for lunch to the home of a Nakahara church family, Ishizakas, just a few minutes walk. Two ladies had prepared a delicious bento box lunch for us. Afterward we were treated to another tea ceremony. This one was a bit different but still very beautiful. I still don't do well sitting on the floor! The ladies were very, very gracious in their hospitality. After some rest, the evening's ministry was the second seminar for leaders and lay people. Kenichi said there was a lot of conversation about the first seminar among people and they expect even more people for this one. This time we had over 30-a great turnout according to Mitsuru and Kenichi. Our subject is "Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts." Kenichi and I worked well together as usual and I had him lead the people through the inventory. Again I tried for less teaching and more "adult learning". The response was wonderful. The people shared their spiritual gifts scores with each other and prayed together. It was delightful to watch them. Two things stood out beyond the teaching. I wound up praying in a small group with Kenichi and two others. One was a neat young lady (Nami) from Machida Church. The other was their oldest pastor, Wada Sensei who now is Kenichi's assistant at Nakahara. As we prayed, the old pastor prayed first, and as he did I felt the Lord whisper a word for him. It was like hearing Simeon from the New Testament pray...and when we were done, I passed along this word to him: "You are like Simeon of old...the Lord has heard your prayers and you will see the desire of your heart before you leave this earth. You are a faithful, honored servant and well known in Heaven." The old man's face glowed with silent wonder, and I felt it a great honor to share those words with him. That morning while in the Word, the Lord gave me a word that I felt was for the churches and leaders there in Japan. That night, with several churches represented, seemed to be the right time to tell them. II Chronicles 30:12: "...in Judah (Japan) the hand of the Lord was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king (Mitsuru as the head of the denomination) and his officials (the pastors and other leaders) ordered, following the word of the Lord." I believe that this small group of churches has some wonderful things ahead if they work together under the Lord's leadership. I asked them if they would accept these words as a promise from the Lord. They did with nods and looks of appreciation. Naoko brought us some bonsai pots...not one, but about 8! Will David Barner ever be pleased! Saturday, May 19th We went by train in the morning up to Machida Church again, this time for a day of "fieldwork." When we arrived, there were about 10 people at Toshio's home. He had taken the teaching during our time at Lake Yamanaka and expanded it...what a delight to see him take the teaching to heart and apply it to his ministry. We spent about five hours talking through the issues of spiritual mapping, the main groups of people in their community and ways to reach out to them. It was neat to see how in this small group they have people who can build bridges to each of the main groups in their area! The sharing of the people and their grasp of the concepts I'd taught was great. Toshio also shared his vision and values for the church, and the people responded well to them, too. Toshio said that these concepts were just what they needed at this point in their ministry journey. That was immensely gratifying. As our time drew to an end, we went across the street to an empty field to pray. The people didn't seem too excited, but I felt led to ask the Lord that the property would be used for His purposes. Later, Mr. Oyama wrote me a beautiful haiku, a form of Japanese poetry, from the experience. Kenichi said it had to do with him seeing me standing against the blue sky with an upraised hand praying with a spring wind blowing. It was a powerful word picture to me. Then we drove around the community doing some driving and praying. They took us up to the top of one of the hills with many new homes going in. When we got up there, I then understood why they were a little reluctant to have me pray for the land across the street from Toshio's. They wanted their church to be on the heights! I could only agree with them...they had their vision right! Ryo, Midori's son, took us back by crowded train to their home in Itabashi. They live in a nice apartment ten stories up with a view of Tokyo as far as the eye can see. There we got to meet her husband, Masahiro. He is a quiet man, who has worked in a plastics factory for 20 years. We enjoyed meeting him. After supper (Midori had bought me a bottle of sweetened tea-she sure was thoughtful) Midori shared her heart with us for a long time about a decision she needed to make in regard to a possible change in her ministry. We were honored and glad to "hold her heart" as she shared, talk out loud with her about possible options. We prayed a long time with her and her husband. For Shirley and I, it was one of the reasons we felt sure the Lord had brought us to Japan. That night we slept on futons on the floor, Japanese style. It was yet another interesting experience. Sunday, May 20th We left early for the Higashiuwara Church, about an hour by train and then a 15- minute walk. It is a 10-year-old daughter church of Itabashi. They had bought a small house in a rapidly growing area with few churches. Early on they had gone through a split from a previous pastor. Kim Sensei had come to pastor about 7 years ago. Their family of four lives in two rooms upstairs while the church is the lower half of the house. I am humbled by their willingness to make the sacrifices for the Kingdom. We arrived to find three Sunday school classes meeting with about a dozen children total. One class was singing, "Praise the Lord together singing alleluia, alleluia, alleluia..." in English and Japanese. What a delight to see this! The service was simple, including the reciting of the 10 Commandments as well as the creed of the Uniting Churches of Japan. Their worship songs were choruses more contemporary and familiar, including "He Is Exalted." Shirley sang "All Around the World" beautifully. When I got up to speak, I was overcome with tears...this church seemed so much like home! I felt the same spirit as ChristLife and felt like we had found our "sister church" there in Japan. I told them so and it was a precious moment. Once again, the Lord had given me a word for them... "You are here on purpose...the Lord is pleased with you. What you are doing here is just the beginning of what He wants to do in His area...your light will shine and bring more churches." The message time was especially sweet and I felt great liberty to preach. What a kinship Shirley and I felt with this church! May the Lord give them the building they are praying for...and then some. We had a church lunch of sushi, soup, sandwiches and tea. I asked the people to share about their families and how they came to the church. The kids did a song for us with sign language...beautiful! Afterwards Pastor Kim invited us up for a cup of coffee with Midori. She too shared heart things with us. She will probably need to head for the USA next year for education for her kids. They also have a need to care for parents back in Korea. It was good to "hold her heart" too and pray with her. I found myself hoping that if a change came Midori could go to this church. She seemed very comfortable there. A couple drove us back instead of having to take a train. We sure appreciated their kindness, as it was an hour and a half drive. That evening we had a "good-bye" party at Nakahara Church with many people attending. We had lots of food, lots of laughter and many testimonies about our ministry there. Shirley sang again. We were very grateful for their many kind words...the Lord had helped us serve in more ways than we had realized. They gave us many gifts, including some Japanese CDs of Christian music and a Japanese/English Bible because they said I had learned so much Japanese so fast. These are such gracious, generous people. Mrs. Ishizaka gave us both yukatas and another lady gave us wooden Japanese shoes. Toshio and Naoko gave us a traditional teapot. We ended the time singing a song that left us weeping. The Japanese are a shy people, and it is hard for them to say "I love you" face to face. So instead, we all got into a circle and sang a song they call "The Song of Blessing." The words go like this: SHU-NO NA NIYOTTE AISHI MASU (I love you in the name of Jesus) SHU-NO NA NIYOTTE AISHI MASU (I love you in the name of Jesus) ANATA-NO NAKANI, SHU-NO AI WO MIRU (I see the LOVE of the Lord in YOU!) SHU-NO NA NIYOTTE AISHI MASU (I love you in the name of Jesus) As we sang we would go around to each person, extend our hands to each other, and sing the words to each other. I found myself doing that and then adding a hug. There were many tears around that circle. Then they had Shirley and I come to the front and they all sang the song to us. I couldn't sing, my eyes were running over with tears...we held out our hands to them and literally felt bathed with love as they sang. Shirley and I were weeping. It was an unforgettable experience. We said goodbye to many with hugs and tears and words of appreciation. Monday, May 21st This was our only free day because our flight schedule didn't have us leave until the next day. Kenichi took us shopping so we could get gifts and souvenirs. We found everything on our list. Late that afternoon we took Kenichi, Yumiko and Magumi out for a "thank you" supper. We went to an Italian place that Yumiko had wanted to go for a while... sure made us feel good to spoil them a little. That evening we had to pack everything...we had so many gifts including those bonsai pots that we didn't know if we could get it all in! Thanks to Shirley's expert packing, we got things packed and prayed that we would be allowed to put it all on the plane. We slept ready to head for home but heavy hearted to leave Japan. Tuesday, May 22nd Toshio, Naoko, Kenichi, Yumiko, Magumi and Mitsuru went with us in Toshio's van...I was amazed we could get all our luggage in the van! Midori met us at the airport. We had lunch at the airport and caught a different flight a bit later because it was only half full. After a long 12 hours) but bumpy ride home, we touched down at home at last...tired but very happy and thankful for all we had experienced. It was sure good to hug the girls again! Summing Up It's hard to sum up our experience in Japan-a rich, learning, growing, and stretching time of serving the Lord and our brothers and sisters in Japan.... 17 days... 15 leaders at a strategic retreat... 14 times of speaking... 12 (at least) kinds of food we've never eaten before... 6 strategic sessions with the leaders of this small but vibrant denomination... 5 churches visited and ministered in... 3 days in a beautiful retreat center at the base of Mt. Fuji... 2 seminars for lay people and leaders alike warmly received... 2 sister denominations united in ministry... 2 ministries (CRM & JEMA) introduced to our teammates here... 1 common passion for Jesus and His Kingdom. Over 60 new words and phrases I learned in the beautiful language of Japan... Dozens of new friends... Many gifts given and received... Much gratitude for those who supported this trip and made it possible... Holding the hearts of our pastor brothers and sisters, hearing their joys and struggles in ministry... The pleasure of ministering with Shirley for the first time on an international trip... The joy of worship with our brothers and sisters with one heart in our love for Jesus... Unforgettable memories... Mitsuru kept saying "When you come again..." To minister again in Japan would be awesome. We look forward to having them come to our home next year at the time of General Conference...what a pleasure it will be to make them feel at home like they made us feel at home! "We wanna be Your hands, we wanna be Your feet...we'll go where You send us, go where You send us."