Wednesday, August 7, 2013
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 2, 2013
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.
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.
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 31, 2013
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.
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！！！
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 30, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Correction
Dear Friends - Changing time zones and late night writing have gotten me confused. The previous blog was written on Monday night - not Tuesday. You'll get Tuesdays tomorrow. Good night.
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