Photos from the Chino 13 mission

Here are some pictures from the mission.  Sorry you weren't able to get them along with the posts during the mission.  I'm not a photographer - but I hope you get the spirit of what was happening.

Friends and family members see team off from LAX.

Arrival at Narita/Tokyo airport.

A friendly face at the Narita airport.  A welcome sight after the 10 hour flight.  Louis,  you cannot get out of the picture.

Chino church members greeting us at the Chino train station.

This was either a publicity poster for our activities at Chino Christ Church, or a wanted poster.  It was on the bulletin board at the Chino train station.

Our greeting at Chino Christ Church.  Sanae-san, Chi-chan, and Chihoyo-sensei share with Monica, Shizuka & Diane.

The front of Chino Christ Church.  Our home for ten days.

Kawano-sensei with other members of the Taishokoto group giving us a concert.  He is the only male member, as well as its youngest member.

Fumi receiving instruction on the taishokoto.  

Daniel and Timothy (Louis Yang's son) trying to make music.

Tsuguru and Shizuka playing a duet.

Shizuka giving a heartfelt testimony to our taishokoto guests.

Some of the volunteers from Chino who helped out at EEC.

Tsuguru and Erica introducing Joseph, Mary & baby Jesus to the campers at EEC.

Crafts in the upstairs room.  Volunteers from the Chino church helping with the Pre-K group.

A happy camper.

Feeding lunch to 70 campers and many adult helpers.

Yes, it was as crowded as it appears in the photo.  Yet, there were very few accidents and everything went smoothly.  I doubt that many of us could feed two children as efficiently as they fed 70.

The adults taking a quick break to have lunch.  Yes, those are hot dogs in their hands and mouths.

Those "reserved" Japanese people joining in with the singing and dancing.

Don't you wonder what in the world they are doing.

A beautification program gone wrong.  I believe it is Shizuka, Chihoyo-sensei, Chi-chan, Daniel and Fumi behind those moisturizing masks.

Lunch on the second day - curry.  Everyone is wearing their camp t-shirt.

The line for "seconds."  The kids love curry.

Crazy Hair Day - Louis and Daniel

Watermelon at lunch on the last day of EEC.

Each of the four groups presented a song for the campers and their parents at the closing of the last day.

The helper standing at the left is a former camper at EEC.  She asked if she could come back this year to help out. 

The "babies" are so cute.  They could just stand there and count to 10 and everyone would applaud.

How many things in life bring you that kind of joy?

...five, six, seven, eight, nine.....

There was a barbecue after the last day of EEC.  Church members and families from EEC were invited.  Cooking in the carport.

Sightseeing in Matsumoto.  A forty-five minute train ride from Chino.

The Matsumoto Castle.  One of four castles in Japan considered national treasures.  It is as beautiful and magnificent as this photograph.

Preparing to leave Chino.  Chino church members come to say sayonara.

Aina-san, Egawa-san, Tsuguru & Monica posing for one last photo.

I hope these photos give you a small sense of what the team experienced in Japan.  Thank you, once again, for your prayers and financial support.  Please give serious thought to joining the team in 2014.  God bless you all.

Fumi's Recollections from Chino

These are the recollections Fumi Stark shared at SFVHC on Sunday morning.

Good morning.  First of all, thank you for all your support and prayers for our mission.  I really physically felt your prayers, when I was there in Chino.  The kids there were wonderful, and the support we received from the Chino church members was unbelievable.  For this sharing I would like to report on some of the things that happened and that I personally experienced, which I may call “miracles”, through this mission.

1) Mission team:  I was a bit uneasy at the beginning because only 4 people out of the 10 were from San Fernando, and I was told that two more people from the South Bay would join after we got to Chino.  Well, it was a blessing to work with these South Bay brothers and sisters.  They were all wonderful, and each one was uniquely talented.  We worked together as a team, and just as if we had known each other for a long time.  At the beginning we were assigned to do some housework, such as cleaning tables, dishes at meal time, helping prepare the meals and shopping for groceries, cleaning bathrooms, etc.  Everyone helped everyone else whenever needed and in whatever work was needed, regardless of our assignments.  We truly were able to work together as one body of Christ.

2) My roommate:  I had a special person as a roommate.  She and I started working together from the beginning, since she was getting our transportation and lodging ready, and she needed some English help from me for translation to let Don and Diane know what she found out and what she did for arranging trains and hotels in Japan.  She is a person who is very enthusiastic about sharing her faith with people.  She would find a chance to talk to anybody who came to the Chino church, for example, church members, parents of the campers, and even people on the street.  If somebody was in trouble in life in general, or in his or her Christian life, she would listen to these people.  Then she would pray to God to ask what she could do to help these people.  One day I was surprised that she came to me and asked me to pray for her because she felt that her attitude was not in the right place, and she was uneasy talking to one person.  She told me that instead of helping and understanding the person’s situation, she was afraid that she was beginning to criticize and judge the person.  Since I am not good at choosing the right words when I pray, I was hesitant to do so.  Well, God provided me with something.  When I finished praying for her, she told me that my prayer gave her peace, and now she could go back to listen to that person.  I was so surprised that, first of all, she asked me for help; and second, that I was able to help her in this way.  I think I gained a friend for life on earth and in heaven from this mission.

3) Weather:  After the first day of the EEC, it started raining that evening; and the rain got heavier.  I was so worried, because our English Conversation Class was held in the carport.  Because of the heavy rain, the floor of the carport was getting wet, even though the floor was covered with plastic mats.  The rain continued till the next morning.  At the 7 o’clock prayer meeting, Kawano-sensei told us that God gave us abundant rain to cool down the weather, since the first day of the EEC was very, very hot and we had all complained.  He added that God might give us too much blessing, and then everyone laughed.  But I was seriously worried that our English class might have to be moved inside, which would mean that we would have to use our 6-jou room (6 tatami mat room) with 17 kids plus three or four sub-leaders, and Monica and I.  Well, by 9:30, the rain stopped.  With the help of Kawano-sensei, Yamada-sensei (who came from Sendai), and Louise, who was a member of the mission team, the carport was cleaned by 10:00, the starting time for the EEC.  Monica and I were able to teach the kids in the carport.  Moreover, because of the rain, the weather got much cooler on the second day.

4) Kawano-sensei’s message:  Every morning at 7:00, we had a prayer meeting with Kawano-sensei.  On the first day when we had our prayer meeting, Kawano-sensei quoted from Joshua, chapter 6, (where Joshua obeyed God’s instructions to walk around the walls of the town for 7 times on the 7^th day at Jericho, and then the walls of the town fell down and Joshua was able to defeat the enemy).  And Sensei told us the importance of this being the seventh time for this Chino mission.  As you know, Shinto shrines have strong influence in Chino City; however, he told us that the walls of Chino City were breaking down before us on this seventh mission.  The Board of Education of Chino City had approved our English Experience Camp for the first time.  Because of this approval, Kawano-sensei was able to distribute 1,600 EEC fliers to three local elementary schools, and also to put up posters to invite the local people, in public places, such as the Chino train station. Our EEC capacity was limited to 64 students; however, over 70 people applied to get into this program.  We accepted 70 students, but unfortunately some on the waiting list weren’t able to join this year.  Kawano-sensei jokingly told us that next year they could distribute the EEC fliers to more schools (to over 5,000 students); and he might ask the city to build an auditorium to accommodate us!  Well, we have seen God’s work throughout the history of this mission, so I think that Kawano-sensei’s vision might not be an unlikely story, and should not be dismissed lightly.

As it’s said in Philippians 1:6 ‘And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work with you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.’

I believe that God will continue blessing this mission to accomplish His kingdom.

Thank you.

Don's Recollections from Chino

   On Sunday morning, I shared with the San Fernando Holiness Church some of my thoughts about the recent mission to Chino, Japan.  This is what I intended to share before abandoning my script.

                     Good morning.  It’s a great blessing to be able to share with you this morning about our recent mission to Chino.  First of all, thank you for your support, both prayer and financial, that made this trip so blessed.  Your financial support allows us to focus on the planning of our sharing and the programs we will be involved in without the stress of having to raise funds.  And it is your prayers that help us prepare for the mission and allows the Holy Spirit to guide and sustain us while we are in Japan.

                  This was my third trip to Chino, having gone in 2009 and 2010.  The passage of four years since first going allows me to see some of the changes that have occurred in this mission.  When I first went, I believe there were about 50 children attending - this year there were 70 with some more on a waiting list.  The Chino church members have become more plentiful in helping out with EEC, their VBS-style program that is at the heart of our service to the Chino church - and they have become much more active in their participation.  The MEBIG program - a type of Sunday School session before the worship service has grown in size and the manner in which it is presented.  The leader is a young woman, not that dissimilar to our own Amy Nagatoshi, who is in charge of our KidVenture program, and she is a ball of energy.  What a great role model for the children with a servant’s heart for reaching out to them.  We were invited into the homes of church members twice this trip for dinner.  I had never been in anyone’s home on either of my prior trips.  What gracious and generous hosts they were to invite so many of us into their homes.  Team members were also invited into one of the member’s home for a calligraphy lesson.  This woman actually teaches calligraphy and her home is set up to conduct classes.  She had samples of hers and her husband’s artwork on the walls of their home.  But the biggest change that I see is the quality of the time spent with the members of the Chino church.  More than just bringing us meals and transporting us around town, it is the time spent with them in conversation, sharing meals, bathing at the onsen, and activities like playing with fireworks that will always be deep within my heart. 

                  We have also seen the growth of our team to include South Bay Japanese Christian Fellowship.  Last year there were four team members from South Bay and this year there were six - over half of the Chino team.  I thought this might mean that I would be more of an outsider to this team, but I was very wrong.  Just as with other teams I served on, we became very cohesive and very close.  I would gladly serve with this identical team again.  The hard part is that I won’t see six of the team members very often in the future - unlike when the entire team came from San Fernando. 

                  What is in store for the future relationship between San Fernando, South Bay, and Chino Christ Church?  My guess is that Kawano-sensei will want to continue this program and this partnership for some time to come - it seems to have been successful so far.  And with the certification from the Chino Education Department, it allows for even greater publicity for the EEC program, directly to students in Chino’s public schools.  This certification reminds me of the growth in the ZOE ministry in Thailand, and the opening of doors in our service to Montague and Sara Coughlin elementary schools.  While we were there this year, a pastor from a church in Sendai (the region hard hit by the tsunamis) came with his family to observe and participate in the EEC program.  He hopes to begin a similar program next year after talking with Kagiwada-sensei, who started this program six years ago, while he was the nichigo-pastor here at San Fernando.  So this modest program has seen growth each year in Chino and is possibly the model for a similar program elsewhere in Japan.  I don’t know if anyone could foresee this when we first went to Chino in 2007. 

                  With such a rosy picture for this mission’s future, what are you going to do?  First of all, I ask for your continued prayer support.  There are things that occur that are not because of our talents or desires.  They happen because God has placed us there and has prepared our hearts and the hearts of the Japanese people for that occasion.  Your prayers ensure that our minds are unburdened by the world’s woes, our hearts are focused upon God alone and not our own selfish desires, and our bodies are rested and free from illness or aches that bring our focus back to ourselves.  And your generous financial support year after year has been fundamental to sending a team these past seven years. 

                  But more than thinking about your support for future teams, I want you to give serious consideration to going to Chino.  We have a church full of people who would be fantastic ambassadors for Jesus.  We need young people, full of energy to match that of the children who come to EEC.  We need mature people with the life experiences and the Christian experiences to share with the Chino church members - and not just the super-Christians.  On the last Sunday we were in Chino, a member who came to our parent workshop and brought her young son to EEC and helped out with the pre-k group, gave me a warm hug as she left the service and said good-bye.  I thought it was just my radiant personality that charmed her, but I later learned that she had been away from the church for a while and had recently returned.  My sharing at the first Sunday service we were there, was about the Prodigal Son and my own return to the church.  I assume that was part of the reason for the hug.  But it wasn’t my perfect life that connected with her - it was the real-life experiences that we all share with one another as forgiven sinners.  You never know who is going to connect with your story - and I know that we all have a compelling story to share with others. 

                  There will always be reasons and excuses for not going and serving on a mission.  Probably all of them are valid and reasonable.  But the thing you have to ask yourself is, “Does God want me to go?”  “Is God calling me to serve Him?”  Those are the most important questions of all.  I would love to see all of us go to Chino and have the blessing of serving our Lord and Savior, and to receive the abundance of blessings that all the team members in the past have received - but I will settle for ten of you next year.  Will you be one of those ten?  Thank you.

EEC1日目 ①

ブログのアップができないまま日にちが過ぎてしまいました。。。無事に茅野ミッションも終了し、メンバーのほとんどもアメリカに帰国となりました。みなさまのお祈りに心から感謝します。

英語ブログでも細かく報告していますが、メインとなったEECプログラムを振り返って紹介していきます。

EECは、英語体験キャンプ（English Experience Camp）のことで、3日間のプログラムです。朝10時からランチも含めて2時までで、英会話クラス、ゲーム、クラフト、日本語でのバイブルクラスの4つのアクティビティがメインとなっています。参加する子供は、2歳半のプリスクールから小学校6年生まで。今年は過去最高の70名が参加となりました。20数名からスタートした7年前から考えると、すごいことです。年々口コミで人気が高まり、今年も予想人数をはるかに超えながらもさらにキャンセル待ちが出るほどでした。

私達はどんな子供達が集まってくるか、子供達がみんな喜んでくれるか、神様の福音を伝えられるか。。。ドキドキしながら準備を進めてきました。

当日は、ボランティアの方々も含めてのミーティングを9時にスタート。教会のメンバーの方もいますが、まったくのノンクリスチャンの方もたくさん奉仕をしてくださっているのが、大きな特徴です。子供がこのキャンプでお世話になっているからという保護者の方もいました。子供達のみならず、このような保護者の方々にも神様の愛を伝えられれば・・・という思いで、準備してきました。

10時からのスタートですが、9時半頃には、子供達が続々とやってきました。受付と同時に、写真撮影も進めていきます。これは、最終日のお土産バッグに入れるフォトフレーム用のもの。初日のせいか、ちょっと緊張気味の子供もいます。

そして、いよいよ10時からプログラムがスタート。70人の子供達が集まるのは、圧巻！つぐるとエリカが司会で、踊りや振り付けを交えた英語の歌を歌ったりしながらすすめていくと、子供達は目をキラキラさせて喜んでいます。その日のテーマのミニスキットをつぐるとエリカが演じたら、40分ずつのクラスがスタートです。

Wednesday, August 7th

Dear Friends, Sisters and Brothers – It is now 5:30AM Wednesday morning, our last day in Japan – our departure time is after 7PM tonight.  Again I’m wide awake when I can be sleeping in, so I’ve decided to get out of bed and write to you one last time from Japan.  Being in Tokyo is a great adventure of seeing new and different things and trying to make myself understood while only speaking English.  We visited the Edo-Tokyo museum which shows displays depicting Tokyo from it’s earliest days.  I could’ve spent more time there to read all the captions for the displays and to try and take in more of Japan’s history – but this was a good start, very informative.  We also spent a lot of time wandering through stores to shop for omiyage (thank you gifts), to bring back for our loved ones.  It is fun to window shop and to compare the stores with those in the U.S. - but I most enjoy trying to find things that will help express my thanks and my love for those who supported me for this mission.  A very generous gift from my parents allows me to buy things without having to stick to a strict budget for spending.  Last night after dinner, the young ones wanted to visit the Akihabara area of Tokyo.  This shopping district is known for being a center for Anime books and memorabilia.  They went along with a friend of Tsuguru’s who he met on a mission to Japan last year with the Holiness church youth choir.  Shizuka and I acted as chaperones for their excursion.  At a couple of the stores, I waited outside to enjoy watching people and to just reflect upon our trip to Japan.  Sitting there watching hundreds of people walk by me, I was struck by how different this experience was from being in Chino.  Being in Chino was a slight taste of Heaven – and I’m not exaggerating.  I think of the times I have mixed cookie dough batter for my wife, Janis, and have used my finger to scoop out a small sample of dough.  Although not even baked, it is very tasty and gives a glimpse of the sweetness that will soon come out of the oven.  Being with our brothers and sisters in Chino offered us a very small glimpse of what we can look forward to when we are called home by God.  Being in Tokyo, where I am surrounded by millions of people, I felt very much alone on that sidewalk.  I’m sure all of you have experienced this at times – but it was all the more evident to me because of how crowded Tokyo can be in the shopping and business districts and while riding on their subway and train systems.  How do we share the experiences of Chino with the people of Tokyo and throughout Japan?

            Yesterday was the 68^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.  Before going to breakfast, Louis and I were watching some of the ceremonies to remember this horrible tragedy and to honor the victims.  It is a reminder of the horrific pain people can inflict upon each other.  It is a reminder of the choices available to all of us – relying upon man’s lack of wisdom and lack of humanity or relying upon the truth and love of our compassionate and gracious Heavenly Father.  

I’m starting to get sleepy now and am having trouble thinking and writing – I think I’ll get a little catnap in before breakfast.  In case this is my last post from Japan, I want to thank everyone who took time to read these messages.  I hope they gave you a glimpse into what our mission has been like.  It would take hours to thank everyone properly for your support – your generosity and love are appreciated far more than you may realize.  Make sure to talk with all the team members when you get the opportunity.  I’m sure our experiences and recollections will all be different and unique.  God bless you all as we have been blessed in Japan.                 

Tuesday, August 6th

Dear Friends, Sisters & Brothers – It’s Tuesday morning, the beginning of our last full day in Japan – it’s hard to believe, the time has gone by so quickly.  It’s 6AM and both Louis and I are wide awake so we just got up out of bed and turned on the lights.  We don’t have to meet the others until 8:30AM for breakfast yet our bodies won’t allow us the luxury of sleeping in late when we have the opportunity.

            It has been such a blessing to serve on this mission.  Before coming over here I was concerned that my lack of Japanese language skills would cause me to miss out on a lot of conversations and make me an outsider to much of what occurred here.  Seven of our team members are bilingual – allowing us to interact so much more with the people of Chino than I have witnessed with the first two missions I served on.  And of the three of us who are not bilingual, Diane knows a great deal of Japanese and is able to communicate if not converse at all times.  And Monica has learned more and more Japanese each year and makes a great effort to use the language she has learned.  She is fearless in speaking and learns quickly from the corrections given to her.  I appreciate all the team members for interpreting and translating for me when I have asked them.  Their patience with me made my experience this year so much more blessed than I think any of them may know – Thank you, thank you, thank you.   In past missions I knew most of the team members before we began preparations since we were all from the San Fernando church.  This year there were six members of the Chino team from South Bay Japanese Christian Fellowship – and the only one I knew from before was Tsuguru.  So again, I was concerned that I might again be the outsider to all these people who knew each other from before.  But I have been overwhelmed by their friendship, generosity, and especially their love.  My heart is so deeply touched by them all as my eyes began to water right now.  I should not be surprised, but this team was very close to one another and much of the credit goes to the South Bay people – but of course great thanks go to our loving God.  I was always confident that the activities would go well, everyone put in so much time and effort into the preparations and we had so much prayer support as with all of our previous missions.  And I knew that the team members would do a great job – the team members whom God called to be on this mission were wonderful people, carefully chosen by God for their skills and talents that would blend to serve the people of Chino, to serve their fellow team members, and to serve God with excellence.  But I have been most impressed by the depth of God’s love in each of the team members.  It has been clearly evident as they have interacted with the children who attended EEC along with their parents, and it has been so well expressed in their interactions with the people of the Chino church.  When we return home, it will pain me to no longer be in the daily presence of these wonderful team members – these dear brothers and sisters will always be embedded within my heart.

            And I want to thank all of you for your financial and prayer support.  Without that support, none of this is possible.  I’ve heard other people say that when they serve on missions, that they take all of their supporters with them as they serve.  All of our brothers and sisters in Christ help mold us into the people we are.  Your friendship, grace, and especially your love has been used by God to make us better people than we could ever hope to be by our own efforts alone.  I could keep writing for hours and hours, but I think I’ll take a break for now.  Again, thank you so, so much for your love and support.  God bless you all.        

Sunday and Monday, August 4th and 5th

Dear Friends, Sisters & Brothers – It’s 4PM Sunday and things have finally slowed down.  We started the day with a prayer meeting and then had breakfast.  After cleaning up, we set up for MEBIG (Sunday school) and welcomed about 25 children for an hour of games, Bible lesson, and memory verses.  It’s a lively and fast-paced hour, but very well planned and executed.  Next was the worship, done by Chino this time.  Erica and Louis gave their testimonies – both sharing from the heart and touching the hearts of the Chino church members.  After the service we had a wonderful farewell luncheon – matching our welcome lunch just a week ago.  The food was, of course, wonderful – and I know I ate way too much food for a single meal.  As good as the meal was, the sharing after the meal was even better.  They go around the room and everyone shares something about the past week.  People shared about the activities and how well the children loved the program; some shared about how much they enjoyed and were blessed by working with the children; and many shared about how great it was that the three churches worked together so well and the blessings from new and old friendships. 

            Had to quit this report– we treated some of our hosts, who fed us and transported us this past week, to a dinner and I never got back to you until now.  We went with the Yumotos and Higuchis, who invited us all into their homes for dinner; Egawa-san who has been transporting us every day when we’ve gone out to eat or to the onsen at night; and of course the Kawanos.     It’s 5PM Monday, now, and I’m sitting in our hotel room in Tokyo.

            After the sharing at the farewell luncheon on Sunday, we were given a performance of a Hawaiian dance by Kiyomi – who leads the MEBIG program at the church every Sunday.  This young woman has been studying for five years and her performance was fantastic.  So much of her heart was expressed through her movement and her face.  She would fit in so well with the church members who’ve danced at the San Fernando church.  After dinner we went outside and had some fireworks.  We mostly played with sparklers but also had a few fountains to shoot up into the air.  Living in the city of Los Angeles, where fireworks are banned, it is has been many decades since I could play with these legally.  Boys will always be fascinated by fire no matter how old they are.  It started to rain when we were nearly done – I think even God was a little scared by what we were doing.  The church building has been around for eighty years and He doesn’t want us burning it down while playing with sparklers.  After seemingly finishing up for the day, some of us went to a used bookstore – Bookoff, I believe.  Everyone else seemed to know about this store but me.  We were there from a little after 10PM until 11PM when it closed.  I actually found a few things to buy with the help of Daniel and Tsuguru.  We went back to the church and I went to my bed (actually my futon).  A few people were still up talking and doing some things. 

            We woke up early – had to have all our sheets, pillowcases, and towels ready to take to the coin laundry by 7AM.  We had a prayer meeting given by Kawano-sensei again – our last one for this stay in Chino.  Giving our prayers after the message was an emotional and blessed time.  So much happens in the ten days we spend in Chino, and it all goes by too quickly.  I look forward to the day we are reunited at the Lord’s return and we will spend eternity together – and I will no longer need an interpreter to talk with them.  After cleaning up the church, we went to the 7-Eleven to buy our lunch for eating on our 2 hour train ride into Tokyo.  I know, I know – 7-Eleven.  But you can really get a good meal there in Japan.  Tsuguru is leading the competition to see who can buy the most food with their meal allowance.  He’s too young to know that a measure of a good meal is it’s quality, not it’s quantity. 

After getting our lunches, it’s time to go down to the train station to go to Tokyo until Wednesday.  Many church members come to the station to say good-bye and they stay with us on the platform until our train arrives.  It is so hard to release our hugs and board the train.  Tears are coming as I think of all these dear brothers and sisters.  So many more of you have to start seriously thinking about joining this mission some day.  There is not a certain type of person that God is looking for – just a person willing to be a servant for God.  As we leave the Chino train station I put on my earphones for my iPod, and after a short time on comes “Leaving on a Jet Plane” sung by Peter, Paul & Mary from a hundred years ago, or so it seems.  The sweetness of the song matches the pastoral scenery streaming by me as I gaze out the window.  Slowly, the scenery starts to change as we get closer to Tokyo.  My heart started to drop as it became more and more of an urban setting.  And then Bruce Springsteen came through my earbuds singing “Thunder Road.”  For whatever reason, it lifted my spirits, filled me with energy, and I was ready to face Tokyo.

After arriving at the Shinjuku station in Tokyo, we transferred to a local train line to get to our destination.  We had to walk a block or so with our luggage to the hotel.  Kumi was able to find us a place to stay and it was well worth the hike.  The rooms are spacious and very comfortable – and we got them for a cost much less than we would have found on our own.  We will all be meeting in about a half hour to go out for dinner.  Louis is taking a nap and keeping the wild animals away with his bear impressions.

I’m going to stop for now and get ready for dinner.  I’ll come back later.

I’m back – it’s 9:30PM and we went to a nearby shopping center and selected a Japanese restaurant to eat at.  Kumi and Fumi have left the mission team to visit relatives and Daniel has an aunt visiting him, so only seven of us from the team had dinner together.  But Shizuka’s mother, Erica’s grandmother, has joined us through tomorrow night, so we had three generations of women from one family sitting at our dinner table.  It was great eating in Chino the past 10 days, with great fellowship around the table.  But it was also very nice to have some of my favorite foods in the land where they come from.  Sashimi and soba noodles.  I won’t say another word about the food…it was delicious…yes, it was…I love the food in Japan.

            After dinner, we split up and went shopping inside this shopping center/mall which is 11 stories tall.  Louis and I are back in the room now, getting ready to go to bed – which I haven’t slept in since being in Chino.  I had no trouble sleeping on the futon, but it will still be nice to sleep on a bed again.  It’s nice to be able to have a nice meal in a restaurant, buy some gifts, and to sleep in a bed, but it still feels strange to not be in the midst of our Chino brothers and sisters.  All the niceties of visiting a big city like Tokyo and staying in a nice hotel mean nothing without friends and relatives.  Thanks to God that we have the other members of the mission team here to experience these things with.  It’s great to be here in Japan, but I also look forward to returning home to be with family and friends.  See you soon.  God bless you all.   

Saturday, August 3rd

Dear Friends, Sisters & Brothers – It’s Saturday night, 11PM, and I’m wiped out.  We had a free day and went to Matsumoto; leaving the train station at 9AM, it took us about an hour to get there.  Once there, a few of us took a tour of the Matsumoto Castle, one of four castles in Japan considered national treasures.  We got a guide, offered to English speakers at no cost.  He gave very good explanations and insight into the castle, things we would never would have gotten on our own.  The rest of the time was spent sightseeing, shopping, and having lunch.  It was great fun wandering around this medium sized city, but it’s not the same when done without our Chino brothers and sisters.  But…for dinner we were invited to the home of church members.  They prepared a meal that we’d never be able to get in a restaurant.  Their home is something you’d see in a magazine – not large by our standards, but built with great care and many fine details.  And the couple finished our evening together by singing us a school song from the Nagano prefecture.  The whole evening was fantastic.  Kaoru and Haruko Higuchi showed a generosity and thoughtfulness that has been given to us by everyone from the Chino Christ Church.  Tomorrow is our last full day in Chino – it’s so hard to believe.  We’ll have a team prayer meeting in the morning at 6:45AM, breakfast, clean-up, then present the MEBIG, which was explained last Sunday.  Next, we’ll have a worship service with the church members and then a farewell luncheon.  I’m going to sleep now, so I won’t fall asleep during all the activities tomorrow.  God bless you all.

Friday, August 2nd

Dear Friends, Sisters & Brothers - It is Friday night, 11PM (actually Saturday morning, 5:45AM - I wasn't able to get online last night).  Almost everyone is in their room now receiving restoration from the busy day we had.  The day began with a message from Kawano-sensei as usual - Philippians 1:3-6. "I thank my God in all my remembrances of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel form the first day until now.  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."  It is the last day of EEC - it lasted only 3 days, but for some kids and parents it may last forever.  30 of the 70 participants were new, even to Kawano-sensei.  Some who have worked at EEC a long time may miss some children who are not here this year.  God's plan is for some who have never been in church before to be here this week.  The limit for EEC was first set at 60, but then expanded to 70.  The program has been approved by the Chino Education district, so the Chino church was able to send out letters to 1,600 students in Chino.  If they could accept everyone, their church would not be big enough - they might need the City Hall auditorium to accompany everyone.  They might need to build a stadium to accompany everyone.  Kawano-sensei trusts that the 70 children who came to EEC will go out and share what they learned with others.  Sensei asks us to keep the children in our prayers as we go back home.  There is a school song titled "I Remember When Summer Comes," Sesnsei hopes the children will remember EEC when their summers come.  As Paul shared with the Philippians, God will keep doing this good work in us, and only God can complete this good work in us.
     EEC was fantastic today.  In the debriefing, people told of how well the activities went today:  the closing assembly was wonderful with each of the 4 groups singing a song for the parents; 2 children from each group shared what they liked about the camp; and there was some very heartfelt sharing from some members of the Chino church who helped out at EEC this week.  I know this doesn't tell you a whole lot about EEC, but it's hard for me to recap what happened today and to pick out just a few things above the rest right now.  Maybe I'll be able to say more in a future report.  We had a karaoke machine set up this afternoon and some of us sang some songs with a few people from the Chino church.  Egawa-san, a 71 year old fellow was singing "La Bamba," "Edelweiss," and other songs from the 60's and 70's for us.  One gal who appeared to be in her 30's was singing Beatles songs.  More than a little strange to witness this.  Following that was a barbecue with cooking with cooking on the bare ground in the carport.  The carport is hard-packed dirt and the charcoal is put directly on the ground, and there are a few cinder blocks to hold up the three grills.  There were various meats, vegetables, and noodles cooked - it was a great feast.  You will never hear me belittle or complain about meals served at SFVHC, but this was a meal that would be hard to top.  There were many families whose children attended EEC that came to join us.
     Everyone was tired from all the activities of the day, but all the regulars perked up when they heard the call for sento.  It was great taking the cleansing shower, before soaking in the bath, to clean off the sweat and dirt that had accumulated today.  I also got a chance to clean off the hair stuck to my body.  Today was "Crazy Hair Day" and I had Erica clip the hair from one side of my head, leaving the other side with a week and a half's growth of hair.  The problem is the two sides weren't all that different from each other - there's less and less hair on my head every day.  I don't know if anyone noticed what I had done with my hair.  Oh well, I tried.  I need to get to sleep now as we will go sightseeing in Matsumoto tomorrow.  It's about a one hour train ride from Chino.  There is a castle there that we will visit and then do some sightseeing and shopping, I think.  Thanks to all of you for your prayer support. Everyone was doing well today and everything we did seemed to be blessed by God.  There has been a lot of rain but it hasn't impacted our programs, and the heat and humidity has been very bearable.  Time to hit the futon.  Good night and God bless you all.

Thursday, August 1st

Dear Friends, Brothers & Sisters - It's 5:30PM on Thursday and not too much is going on right now.  (This was actually written yesterday, but I've only now been able to get online to write you.  It's Friday, 5:30PM)  A few people are getting dinner ready, the young people (minus me again) are out somewhere, and I've just returned from a walk and a little shopping.  Some of the young ones told me how to get to a store with just a short walk.  It ended up being a bit more than a short walk, but that's okay - I found my way there, anyway.  In this store, it's like a department store, market, and 100 yen store combined.  100 yen is about 95 cents.  I found a few things to get, but I won't tell you who they're for - I don't want people to know how little I spent on them.  (You'll like your gift, Marc)  I guess I look like the natives - the store clerks speak to me in Japanese; I smile and say, "Hai." (yes); they hand me my change and I say "Arigato" and leave with a smile on my face.  I know I really haven't deceived them into thinking I'm Japanese, but it's fun to pretend I did.  It's so strange to be walking down the street in a residential area and to see vending machines.  It's nice to be able to get a Gatorade-like drink seemingly anywhere and anytime you may be out for a walk or run.
     I was looking at yesterday's blog and was appalled by all the errors.  It was late at night when I was writing and there were other people waiting to get online.  We can only have one person online at a time.  Sorry.
     This morning we started with a message from Kawano-sensei again.  His Passage from the Bible was 1 Corinthians 3:5-9.  What then is Apollos?  What is Paul?  I planted, Apollos watered, But God gave the growth.  He who plants and he who waters are one.  and each will receive his wages according to his labor.  "For we are God's fellow workers.  You are God's field, God's building  This is the seventh mission to Chino.  We accumulate experience from each mission, and each mission is unique - mission members change and church members change.  2007 was the first year of the mission and we were thankful that God would allow us to do His work.  The carport at the church was used for English Conversation and had a very large rock there in the ground.  Kawano-sensei says he can still see Pastor Kagiwada and Hayato, members of that first team, trying to dig it out.  It took all day - there were a lot of rocks there, but that one was huge - it took 2 people to remove it.  Each member of the mission wonder, "Why was I sent here?"  Some wonder, "What can I do?  Who am I?'  People are finishing the missions and see why they were sent.  In the passage from the Bible today, Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God grows the plants.  God's plans we do not understand, but it is clear that He has a plan for each of us.  Kawano-sensei ended with, "I appreciate that we serve here and use God-given talents.  I know this team can do things other teams cannot do."
     EEC went well today - everyone had good reports during our debriefing meeting after the children left.  The kids seemed to be much more comfortable today, and all you teachers know what that means - more mischievous behavior.  It's hard to believe that we only have one day left of EEC - we've already been in Japan for a week.  It seems like our mission team has been together for much longer  - I'll leave it at that.  As Kawano-sensei shared with us, it is becoming clearer and clearer why each member of the team was chosen by God to be here.  There are talents, skills, and personal qualities that were not apparent during the selection process - there is a far greater depth to each person on the team than can ever be captured on an application form.  We are in the process of putting together bags for each child - containing a certificate, framed picture of themselves, and assorted goodies.  It is late, 10:50PM, but everyone is upbeat and working joyfully.  Please pray that this energy and enthusiasm will continue tomorrow, and that it will be a memorable time for the children.  Great thanks for your prayers - they make such a difference in all that happens here.  God bless you all.　　

Wednesday, July 31st

Dear Friends, Sisters & Brothers - It's 3:30PM in the afternoon; all the kids form EEC have been gone for over an hour; some of the gals have taken our t-shirts to the laundromat so we don't smell tomorrow when we wear the same shirts; all the young people, except for me, have gone out to do some sightseeing and shopping; and I'm one of the few people left here at the church.  It's a good time to write down some of my thoughts so I can get to sleep earlier tonight.
     We began the day again with another message from Kawano-sensei - the scripture was John 6:27 - "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.  For on him God the Father has set his seal."  This is the seventh mission and the kids await something special each year.  The t-shirts change each year and the kids always say, "This year's shirt is the best."  They anticipate what next year's shirt will look like.  The adults on the mission await the food - it is always special, just like last night's meal with the Yumotos.  Our t-shirts, there is no other shirt like it.  Our food, there is no other food like it.  In Japan, it is not common for people to go to a church.  The number of people who attend church and have heard the Good News of Jesus Christ is very limited.  In the past seven years more than 400 Japanese people in Chino have had a chance to hear the good news - a rare opportunity in Japan.  Kawano-sensei says this mission is worth 3 years of labor.  Sensei says that God concentrates His purpose in this mission.  And God prepares food to nourish the spirit of the people.  30 of the 70 are new participants at this year's EEC.  This may be their only experience to be nourished.  The "sister" that was baptized last year before passing away, first heard the message about Jesus 60 years ago.  We must make sure our food will nourish us for everlasting life.  We give thanks to God for providing us with the opportunity to nourish with food for everlasting life.
     Today we finally began EEC.  We've been planning for this for nearly 4 months, now.  All the activities seemed to go well and all of the groups had plenty of people to oversee the kids.  There were people form the Chino church who have been helping for many years and others who are helping for the first time.  We have a seminary student from Tokyo here to help us with EEC who will then return to Tokyo when EEC is over  There is Ryoko Kashiwagi, now living in Japan, who will be coming to help us the next two days - she attended SFVHC while attending school in the U.S. and was part of a couple missions with us.  We have a young mother helping out, Minori, who speaks English very well. She attended UC Santa Cruz a few years back.  I wonder if her parents knew UCSC's reputation before sending her there.  This does not seem like a school Japanese would consider for their children.  Oh well, the experience did not seem to cause any lasting problems for her.  There is Mr. Egawa, the husband of the woman who died recently form cancer - a non-believer but trying his best to understand and believe in Christianity.  He is the leader of a group of about 18 kids.  Egawa-san has kept a friendship with Stan Date from SFVHC - it is easy to see why.  He seems to have the same "drive" as Stan.  He carries a map of the San Fernando Valley and has the location of Stan's home marked, as well as the home of Roland Hazama, pastor of SFVHC.  I understand that Egawa-san suggested to Stan climbing Mt. Baldy as training climb in preparation for climbing Mt. Fuji in Japan.  The people of the Chino church would easily fit into the family of the San Fernando church - their hospitality and generosity matches that of our church family, and there seems to a few quirky characters as well, just like...I'm going to lie down and rest for a while now.  I'll continue the report to you later today.
     It's 9:30PM and we've just gotten back form the...you guessed it the sento.  Everyone's sitting around just relaxing now and things are winding down.  Have a wonderful day - it's 7:30AM in L.A. now.  God bless you all.

ごちそう

今日は７月３１日（水）の朝、６時２０分。
教会のインターネットは一度に一人しか使えないので、きのうはブログのアップができませんでした。
午前中に大正琴のコンサートがあり、１０名ほどのボランティアのメンバーが来てくださり、茅野ミッションチームのために演奏してくれました。７年前から始まったこのミッションのために、毎年コンサートをしてくださっています。懐かしい日本の曲や賛美歌、アメリカでも親しまれている曲など、選曲もいろいろと考えてくださっていました。３０分ほどの演奏のあとは、体験演奏の時間をとってくださり、私たちも大正琴をさわったり、簡単に弾けるアメージンググレースの楽譜（？）を用意してくださっていたので、曲の演奏もできるようになっていました。弾いてみると、ピアノとギターを合わせたような感じ？？とても楽しい時間でした。大正琴は日本で考案された数少ない楽器だそうです。
今年は、詩吟をされている方が、特別に詩吟と踊りも披露してくださりました。日本の伝統文化に触れるひと時ともなり、感謝でした。
メンバーの中に、お母様が茅野教会の最初の受洗者という方も含まれていました。朝のデボーションの時間に、河野先生が教会の歴史をまとめた本を見せてくださり、その中の写真に写っていました。演奏をしてくださった娘さんは、クリスチャンではないのですが、小さい頃はサンデースクールに通っていたと、話してくれました。
コンサートのあと、チームから私、教会から野口兄がそれぞれ救いの証しをさせていただきました。大正琴グループのみなさんの心に、どのような形でそれぞれの証しが響いたかはわかりませんが、きっと種まきがされたことと信じます。

午後からは、明日からのEECに向けての飾り付けをしました。会堂はベツレヘムに変身！入り口にも飾りをして、いよいよミッションも山場です。。。チームメンバーは教会に泊まらせていただいてますが、その部屋もいろいろと飾り付けをして、盛り上がってきました。

夕方は、教会メンバーの湯本ファミリーが自宅に招待してくださって、ごちそうタイム！！なんと、たくさんの種類の食べ物が用意されていました。教会のポットラック並みのごちそうの数でしたが、それをほぼ一人で用意してくださった早苗さんには心から感謝です。（チームの他に、仙台から参加されている中田牧師一家や、神学生も含めて総勢２５人分！！！）EECを控えて、できるだけチームの負担をなくすために（通常は食事の準備や後片付けなどみんなで手分けしているので）、ただごちそうを食べて準備に専念できるようにとの心遣いなのです。。。決して広いとは言えない日本の一般的な台所で朝から準備をしてくださった湯本ファミリーに、チーム一同ただただ感謝です。。。
そして、食事を堪能したあとは、後片付けをすることもなく温泉へ直行です。いつもの温泉がお休みなので、なんと露天風呂がついている温泉でした。縄文土器が発掘される地域なので、名前も「縄文の湯」、まわりはのどかな水田や畑が広がっていました。地元の人との語らいも楽しみですが、何と言ってもお風呂上がりの牛乳がおいしい！
９時からは、最終的なミーティングとなりました。リーダーのDianeがダウンしてしまい早目にベッドへ、サブリーダーのDonを中心にみんなであれこれと打ち合わせ。
大分みんな疲れがたまってきているので、夜９時からのミーティングはかなり厳しいです。暑さは思ったよりもひどくはないのですが、それでもカリフォルニアの気候とはかなり差があります。Dianeも疲れはもちろん、リーダーとしていつもみんなを率先しているので、精神的な疲労もあるようです。ひどくならないでEEC初日に備えられるようにとみんなでお祈りして一日は終了しました。

みなさんのお祈りのサポートを心から感謝します！いよいよスタートするEECについては、また次回にお知らせしまーす！！！

Tuesday, July 30th

Dear Friends, Sisters & Brothers - It is 11PM Tuesday night - I think I got it right this time - and everyone is getting ready for bed or already there.  It's been a day of final preparations for the beginning of EEC tomorrow, and also a little relaxation.  As always, the day began with a message from Kawano-sensei, with the Bible passage from 2 Corinthians 13:5.  "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves, or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"  Kawano-sensei reminds us that this is the 7th Chino mission with the focus on EEC.  There are many programs planned for EEC by the three churches; SFVHC, SBJCF, and Chino Christ Church - planned with God's leading.  Through the mission, each member of the Chino church examines themselves - sensei asks, "Is their faith in the right place?  The Bible tells us that God is with us, but is it happening in our lives?"  Kawano-sensei sees the expansion of the Chino church as a mission for them right now.  The church is 88 years old, with the church building constructed 83 years ago.  He showed us a picture from October, 1927 of the first baptism of this church.  That woman's daughter came with a group of women to give us a mini-concert today.  The church has faced persecution - they had to stop for 5 years during the war while their building was used as a factory to make military uniforms.  They had to go by the river to meet and pray during that time.  The building was returned to the church members after those 5 years.  There were other times when the church was threatened with being disbanded.  This mission has been a great encouragement to the Chino church.  Noguchi-san, the senior member of the church who has witnessed all these events said after Sunday's worship service that he is ready to go to heaven because of what he has witnessed happening with his church.  I pray that God will allow him to witness even more and greater things.  Koike-san returned to the Chino church during one of our missions after being away for 25 years.  Mrs. Egawa came to this church and was baptized, in part, because of this mission's work.  Our mission has been a big part of the revival of Chino Christ Church, according to Kawano-sensei.  It is so very humbling to think that could possibly be true.  On Monday, Nakada-sensei and his family came to work with us during EEC, and for Nakada-sensei to observe how the EEC is conducted.  His church in Sendai is declining and he wants to open English conversation classes at his church to bring children in.  He hopes to have this type of mission in place at his church next year.  If Sendai sounds familiar, it is one the places hardest hit by the tsunamis.  He even hinted that it would be nice to partner with one of our churches.  Keep Nakada-sensei and his church in your prayers.  Do we act as if Jesus Christ is in us?  Do we act as if God can do great things through us, or do we simply go through life and kill time?  Look what has happened with the Chino church - what can happen with your family and friends?
     This morning after breakfast, a group came to give us a mini-concert playing their Taisho-kotos.  They have come every year of our missions.  Kawano-sensei is the only male member of this group and he is also its youngest member.  The ladies average age is about 75 years old.  After the concert they allowed us to try our hands at playing their instruments.  Tsuguru and Shizuka picked it up quickly and played a duet for us.  Shizuka also shared her testimony with all of us.  To say that her sharing was touching does not describe it adequately.  We then shared lunch with them and had a wonderful time of fellowship.  After they left, we set about getting ready for EEC - putting up decorations, getting teaching aids and supplies ready, getting the sanctuary ready for the children to arrive.  Afterwards, some of us went to the nearby laundromat to do some wash.  Some of you may recall from previous reports from Chino, the wonderful washing machines they have.  There are a couple of machines there that you simply put your clothes into, shut the door, and put in your coins.  After one hour, your clothes have been washed and dried.  No adding softener or detergent, the machine does that for you.  The only thing you really need is a wife to drive to the laundromat to stick your clothes into the machine.
     For dinner, we were invited to the home of Hajime & Sanae Yumoto - church members.  They, along with their children, Aina, Nozomu, and Hikari, hosted about 20 of us to a fantastic dinner.  Their home is about 15 or 20 minutes away from the church, going up into the hills above Chino.  What a feast we had!  Their daughter Aina, 18 years old, will be one of the helpers at EEC, while daughter Hikari will be one of the participants.  We have gotten to know this dear family better and better every year.  After dinner we went to...you guessed it, the onsen.  This public bath was close to the Yumoto home and had the baths indoors like the other public bath we had gone to, but also had an outdoor bath.  Yes, there are walls and fences to guard our privacy.  It is so much better than it probably sounds to you.
     When we returned to the church we had a meeting to make sure we were prepared and ready to go tomorrow.  We seem to be ready and everyone is excited - looking forward with great anticipation for the children to arrive.  Diane has a headache tonight and has been in bed trying to recover from it.  Keep her in your prayers - things don't go nearly as smoothly when the Number 2 leader, me, is in charge.  Your prayers make all the difference in the world - our sincere thanks - and don't stop.  Time to go to bed and turn out the lights.  God bless you all.