** Advent 2010 - What are you waiting for? **

At Tokyo Lutheran Church, Yushi and I change the banner from Pentecost Green to Advent Purple (as opposed to Advent Blue which is what I’m more familiar with).  During the 11:00 service, I find myself thinking about Advent and about waiting.  I laugh as I begin a rather lengthy monologue:

“What am I waiting for?

(1) I am waiting for homesickness.  So far I haven’t suffered from this ailment.  However, everyone here has told me that it hits hardest during the holiday season.  I’m waiting in anticipation for it to strike me and leave me crippled.  The only trigger I’ve noticed is Christmas music.  When I listen to it I either get sad or start to laugh.  It’s sad because it reminds me of nights at home in front of the fireplace with snow gently falling outside - none of these are here.  It makes me laugh because Christopher hates it and because of the time that Manda pointed out a weird horn noise in one of our Mannheim Steamroller albums.  However, this homesickness is much milder than what has been explained to me.  So I wait…

* Oh, Christmas Music... *

(2) I am waiting for comprehension.  “It’ll just click!”  That’s what people have told me again and again.  I leave class everyday feeling like I think I learned something, but then get out into the world and I’m suddenly not so sure anymore.  We’ve been in class for 2 months and I can’t seem to understand the most basic parts of the language.  When will this “click” happen?  Will it happen soon?  If I never really had a “click” in Spanish, does that mean I won’t get one in Japanese?  So I wait…

* Take away the English and I wouldn't be able to understand... no "click" here *

(3) I am waiting for a semi-permanent change.  In March, language classes will end and I’ll move down to Kumamoto where I’ll spend the next 2 years of my life teaching in a junior high and/or high school.  This change is both welcome and dreaded.  Welcome because then I’ll begin what I’ve been called here to do.  Dreaded because I’ll be leaving all the people I’ve come to know and love.  So I wait…

* Just some of the people in Tokyo that I've fallen in love with *

This waiting business is hard.  I think I’m a fairly patient person.  However, I fear that all of this anxious waiting has made me impatient.  I need to learn patience again and to remember that waiting is part of the journey.  While waiting, I can prepare.  I can prepare to conquer homesickness, to bask in the glory of understanding, and to live in the present with those whom I love.  As I prepare for all these things, I will also prepare my heart and mind for Christmas.  I will prepare my heart and mind for Christ’s coming. 

Advent is a season of hope, repentance, watchfulness, preparation, expectation, and anticipation.  I can check all of those off my mental list as I live each day and experience each of those feelings.” 

And when that thought goes through my mind, I come to and realize that the service is nearing the end.  I leave the solitude of my mind and join others in worship and waiting.  I love it when my life coincides with the church calendar.  

* Christmas is good, but don't forget to enjoy Advent too! *

** Experiencing Both Sides of History: WWII **

こんばんは！　Good evening and Happy Thanksgiving to all! (by now it’s a day late… sorry!)  Seeing as it is this time of year, I would like to share some things for which I am thankful: (1) my family, whom I love (2) the English language, which I also love (3) and technology that connects people with their loved ones (technology that my grandparents have conquered!  Right, Grandpa & Grandma?) 

* I am very thankful for y'all - my family! *
* I'm so very blessed to have you all! *

Along those lines, I am quite thankful for the opportunities I have been given in recent months to visit historical locations.   Experiencing history is very different than reading about it in a textbook.  In August I traveled to the great state of Hawaii and visit Pearl Harbor and just this past weekend I visited Hiroshima.  These places are the bookends of U.S. involvement in WWII, and for these visits/learning experiences, I am very grateful.

* USS Arizona @ Pearl Harbor - August 2010 *

It was hot outside; the sun was high over Pearl Harbor.  After looking at various historical maps of the harbor, we hopped on a ferry and went out to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.  In a separate room of the memorial was a wall containing the names of those who perished the day Pearl Harbor was attacked – December 7^th, 1941.   I was drowning in sorrow as I read the names of fathers, brothers, sons, etc. that were on that wall and I began to wonder what life would have been like if one of my immediate relatives had been on that list.  It was a somber experience.  At this place, many people died and were helpless to do anything about it.  War is cruel.

* The names inside the USS Arizona Memorial *
* (I couldn't capture all the names in one picture) *

This past weekend I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and experienced the other side of history – it was just as solemn as my previous experience.  I walked around the museum, reading about Japanese military history, the U.S. decision to drop the a-bomb, the immediate and long term affects of this decision, and the desire to live in a world free of nuclear weapons.  On August 6^th, 1945 the first a-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  4.7 sq. miles of the city were destroyed and approximately 70% of the buildings were destroyed.  I then walked to the various spots on the museum campus dedicated to the memorial – a mass grave, a surviving building, a statue devoted to Sadako (and the thousand paper cranes) – the list goes on and on.  Thousands of people died here and they all were helpless to do anything about it.  War is beyond cruel.

* Hiroshima >> Before the a-bomb was dropped *

In both places, tragedy occurred.  In both places, lives were lost.  In both places, the other was made to be the villain.  And in both places, I felt an atmosphere of forgiveness and hope.  Both sides realize that they each took on the role of victim and of villain at one time or another and have come to understand that what happened in the past was a tragedy, but that dwelling in it will not do us any good today unless we take the lessons learned and bring them to the present and the future.  In these lessons, I find hope.

* Hiroshima >> After the bomb was dropped. Total. Devastation. *

Let’s learn from the past, live actively in the present, and work toward a better future living in this hope.

* Outside of the Peace Memorial Museum - Hiroshima, Japan *

** Trip to a Mikan Farm: This Post Looks Like a Book (sorry!) **

I think I’ve finally fallen into the syncopated rhythm of life here in Japan.  Although the weeks are starting to look very similar to one another, there’s always some accidentals found in the daily melodies.  Take, for instance, this past Sunday…

* On the train to the mikan farm *

I arrived at church ready for another typical day at Tokyo Kyokai.  However, my plans were foiled when, after the 9:30 children’s service, I was informed that the kids were going to a mikan farm (Japanese oranges) and I was to go with – which I happily and eagerly agreed to.

* Singing on a bench on our way to the farm *

We hopped on and transferred between numerous trains, walked a ways, stopped for a sack lunch, continued walking, and arrived at a small farm about an hour and a half later.  We each got our own basket and mikan-scissor-thing and were set loose amongst the trees.  We picked mikan, ate mikan, and sat under the mikan trees.  When we had to leave, we hopped on a bus, transferred to a train, and went back to church.

* Stopping for lunch & surveying the landscape *

I was overwhelmed by the hospitality, kindness, and curiosity I experienced throughout the day.  I was warmly welcomed into the group and treated as if I had been part of it for years, not weeks.  Some of the youngsters in the group were so comfortable with me that they would grab my hand and start talking to me in rapid Japanese.  They would then stare blankly at me when I couldn’t respond in Japanese and couldn’t for the life of them figure out why I couldn’t speak Japanese.  I was no different than anyone else… or that’s what they thought.

* Mikan Farm! *

But the thing that amazed me the most that day was the fellowship and love that came in the form of Yui-chan and Kohe-kun.  Both of them patiently spoke to me and patiently waited for me to respond.  Yui-chan was my buddy, staying close to me, talking to me, and teaching me new things all day.  Kohe-kun, while playing Pokemon on the bus, leaned up against me as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.  I couldn’t help but smile as I marveled at how comfortable he felt with/around me.

* Intergenerational mikan eating *

After these experiences I realize how incredibly maternal I feel toward all of these children and am amazed at how fast these bonds have been formed between us – despite the fact that we can only communicate on the most basic level.  But that’s God for you.  He can uproot a 24-year old, Minnesotan girl and put her in the midst of a Japanese Lutheran congregation, give her little to no language experience, and cause amazing things to happen. 

* Introducing Kohe-kun *

Right now I am frolicking in bliss as these relationships grow and I learn more about the people and the culture.  My goal: to be able to communicate with these most beloved people before I have to leave them, whether that’s in 5 months or 2.5 years… but that’s not so much a goal as a prayer – my most sincere and heartfelt prayer.

* Reformation Sunday 2010: BEST DAY EVER *

This past Sunday was one of my favorite days of the year: Reformation Sunday (it's right up there with the entire season of Lent). 

My day started with the Children’s Worship Service followed by Sunday School.  I was chillin’ with the kiddos, drawing and such, when Yui-Chan (a girl from the older class) came in and poked me in the side.  She sat down next to me and taught me kanji for the rest of the Sunday School hour (including how to write her name).  She’s such a sweetheart and I love her oh-so-much!  Oh, and by the way, she doesn’t speak English.

* You've probably already seen this picture before from a previous post... *
* but this is Yui-Chan! *

Then it was time for the Reformation Worship Service, complete with a mandolin ensemble (since Luther wrote hymns by lute/mandolin).  The ensemble played Amazing Grace and I found myself missing my violin… a lot.  I thought the bagpipes were the way to go, but mandolins trump bagpipes hands down!  Also, two adults were baptized during the service.  It’s amazing what God is doing over here!  And in true Japanese style, A Mighty Fortress was played very politely (irony?).

* The Mandolin Ensemble *

Afterward, the congregation held a special lunch welcoming the new members of the church: the 2 who were just baptized… and me.  I didn’t know I was going to be a special guest at this shindig, so I got the opportunity to give an impromptu introduction in Japanese – EPIC SUCCESS!  Toward the end of the lunch, we heard some words of wisdom from the eldest members of the congregation (I didn’t understand any of those words) and received a small bouquet of flowers (now there’s something alive in my room besides me).  God is opening doors for me left and right!  And that concluded the church activities for the day.

* The flowers I received * 

I think my greatest victory thus far in Japan came Reformation Sunday Evening when a bunch of us, American and Japanese, went to a restaurant called Izakaya where we ordered a bunch of dishes and shared everything.  It was a really great time of fellowship and much needed unwinding.  The victory is in the fact that I, being a semi-picky eater back in the States, ate oyster, squid, octopus, and raw horse meat that night.  And in the end, none of it was bad… I have been reformed!

* Oysters! *

And here ends the Chronicles of Reformation Sunday 2010.  I hope yours was as Reformationtastic as mine was!

Mata ashita!

** An Anecdotal Post: You Know There’s a Language Barrier When… **

A couple weeks ago during the Children’s Message, Sekino-Sensei was attempting to get everyone to do a repeat-after-me prayer to end our time together before going back to our seats.  This was the week that the family from Holland visited, so there were 3 of us non-Japanese speakers up front for the message.  Sekino-Sensei starts saying something and all the Japanese kids repeat after him.  He then turns to the 3 of us and says, “Repeat please.”  We then proceed to mumble the sounds we hear.  Language barrier.

* The Pastors at Tokyo Kyokai *
* Guess which one is Sekino-Sensei... *

Two Fridays ago I sat in on the Beginners English Bible Study at the Hongo Center.  I was supposed to be the resident native English speaker who was to help out Etsuko-san with any vocabulary, theology, etc. that she needed.  However, when trying to describe Grace, Latin phrases, Greek phrases, and the Trinity, my obvious lack of Japanese left me feeling frustrated.  I didn’t know how Etsuko-san was explaining these deep theological concepts, or if she was even translating what I said correctly.  She could have 1) not understood what I had said 2) lost some details in translation 3) translated something wrong or 4) translated everything right… but I guess I’ll never know.  Language/translation barrier.

* Coffee Hour After English Bible Study at Hongo *

A couple Sundays ago, it took 3 Japanese people (volunteers that teach Sunday School) 5 full minutes to come up with the phrase/question: “Juunigatsu ??? … eto … Kurisumasu service … ano … kodomo no party … lady Santa … cosplay … ne?”  Translation: On Dec ??? there will be a special Christmas service with a party for the kids afterword during which we’d like you to dress up as Santa (even though you’re a girl) and give out presents.  Ok?”  Haha – that one’s my favorite!  And yet another language barrier. 

* The view of Tokyo Kyokai that I wasn't ever able to capture... *
* Thank you internet! *

Some of you have probably heard these stories in some way, shape, or form over the past couple weeks, but they’ve really stuck with me.  When I think of the language barrier I reflect upon my progress in my language classes and feel hopeless; however, there is indeed hope.  Although it’s not much, I can form complete sentences (although not very many) and I can more-or-less communicate with many friends and church members.  It’s not much, but it’s a start.  However, the best part is that God can work through the barrier and speak through me when I am unable to speak for myself.  And in that fact, I find hope and strength!

* Calligraphy Class at Tokyo Kyokai *
* He doesn't speak English and I don't speak Japanese... yet here we are! *