In Summary

Hey everyone,

It has been two days since our team returned home from Japan and it is at this time that I would like to present a quick summary of our mission trip while the majority of it is still fresh in my mind.

The first two days in Yokohama were utilized to introduce our team to the culture and give us some practice interacting with people. Thanks to the Hwang family and Auntie Judy for both orchestrating this trip and for helping us at each step of the way in providing shelter, food, and translation.

The majority of the first week though was spent in Tohoku, the region of Japan that was greatly affected by the 3/11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami. Even though it snowed on the way up, Scot, our volunteer driver, safely brought us up north. By God’s grace, we were able to stay at the Nishikiori Baptist Church, a small church that was just inland enough to escape the devastation. The church is led by Pastor Fujioka and his wife, Sachiko. Together, they are providing God’s love to all those who are around them. The first day that we arrived, we helped host a party for the preschool children of the town in which both Fujioka-sensei and Sachiko volunteered. The party was wonderful since most of the kids and teachers went up to the front and were able to talk about their enjoyments and hopes for the new year after 3/11.
After the party, we were able to visit a temporary shelter for the first time. These shelters are at least half an hour away from the church, but we visited them everyday. The days leading up to Christmas, we had the privilege to team up the Klaus family, a family of missionaries that moved up to Tohoku after the earthquake and have been working with Fujioka-sensei. In addition, we provided encouragement for the church and pastor by having its first candlelight service and first contemporary music service. The five days that we were able to spend in Tohoku were eye-opening, but also happy as we provided the people there with music, gifts, food, and most importantly, hope.

Then we moved to Tokyo, specifically Ayase for the second week. This experience was completely opposite of what had met us in Tohoku. In Tohoku, we were structured, almost always working on something, and usually together. In Ayase, Andrew and I were thrown into a YWAM group that initially knew about as much about us as we knew about them: nothing. At first, I was questioning my presence there when I felt like I should have stayed up north to do more work, but I believe God had a bigger purpose. This portion of the trip was more focused on learning and deciphering Christianity and its meaning to me. The YWAM leader from Canada provided some very insightful ideas that focused on portions of the Bible that many neglect. Overall, I felt much more “equipped” and have created new friendships with the 26 people that we had the opportunity to meet and interact with.

Note that this is only a summary of what I want to talk about and I hope to get more in depth in the future. In the meantime, please pray for the people of Japan, that they might place their hope in Jesus Christ.

頑張ろう日本
Stay Strong Japan