Tohoku Trip 3 Post #6

As I mentioned in earlier posts the main emphasis of this trip was prayer and our last day was especially marked by this.  In our morning time after sharing together we broke into twos and prayed for one another.

Even our new friends were prayed for.  We had to say goodbye and head off to Sednai Baptist Church to pick up Jason.  Here we introduced our team members to the Pastor who played his flute for us and shared some more of his story.

Not only were we privileged to pray for him and his assistant but Jason took time to wash their feet to express a little of the Love of God for them as individuals and to thank them for all their serving of the volunteers who were comng to Sendai.

One more trip to Tohoku brought  many more lives touched, much more understanding of God and His love for the Japanese people and His ways is sharing love and compassion.

We brought Jason and Jack back to Tokyo for some rest and relaxation and they will return in  a week. Peter, Mike, and Jacky also returned to Hawaii to begin planning for more teams  It will not be until next month that I will get to go again but in the meantime much will happen to enhance our future trips.

In-Be-Tween

In case you are all thinking that recently  all I have been doing  is taking trips to Tohoku I thought that I would post a little about what happened between trips two and three.

Recording the  financial details of running the DTS and making sure all is balanced at the end of the day is one of the main things that has been keeping me busy.  Bob & Carolina have been working alongside  me in keeping things shipshape and humming along.

Unfortunately all the account records are held on my 5 year old second hand computer.  It is good to see, though, that when I am away the finances are in good hands and all is handled with the utmost efficiency.

This week we also took on the project of putting together 120 kitchen kits that contained all the things in the picture.  Staff and students helped Rhonda and me make several many trips to the local 100 yen stores to collect all the needed supplies.

We involved our local neighbourhood English Club mothers and their children in putting these kits together.  It was quite an assembly line and JP, one of the DTS students, was our point person for collating and assembling all 120 of the kits.  You can see many of the mums busy helping.

Each bag also contained a personal note written by both mums,  their kids and the other DTS volunteers.

We managed to get all 120 kits assembled and included a “Manga Messiah” booklet with each pack which we took up to Kamaishi to bless Mr. Oikawa and the community.

Some of the children were very interested in the Messiah manga, reading it and asking to have their own.

Finally the packing was finished and we all gathered together feeling we had all contributed to the lives of those who had been affected by the tidal wave.  The photo we took was printed out the next day and inserted with a message to be put in each bag.  The bags were packed along with other supplies, ready for the next trip to Tohoku.

House Hunting

Typical Japanese Room

We have been looking since December for a house for the upcoming DTS which starts in April.  Today we received a phone call from the Real Estate agent saying yet again that the owner did not want to rent to a group rather than a family.

We need to be able to house up to 15 or so more students in addition to the 13 staff on the team.  The present house and apartment easily accommodated last year’s  7 staff and 5 students. Our numbers have grown, though, and we will need more room.

The room on the left is one of many, many we have looked at since December.  Its owner also said no to a group rental.  The Rental Agents, including our present one, have been very kind and done their best to represent us well to the owners, but there is an understandable risk involved in having a group of young people rent one’s home.

Would you please pray with us that we can find a house

Rhonda and Maria househunting

for our female staff and students to rent?  We would like to find a house in which they can all live as that is part of the DTS experience of community living.  This is something that we have faced since moving into Tokyo and will face again.  In the long run, we would like to have a building which is always available for staff, students, and incoming outreach teams.  Please pray towards that long  term goal as well!

Raising funds for CRASH

I am sure all of you have heard of the earthquakes that have recently occurred here in Japan.  This blog reports on a few highly motivated High School boys who took to the streets in Shibuya to raise funds for the CRASH network.  This was initiated by Noah Bastable – the tallest boy in the group – son of Bob who works with us here in the Tokyo Team.

These young warriors collected money all afternoon and eventually raised 34,000 yen. They were sooooooooooo encouraged that they plan to go again on Thursday and would welcome as many of you out there in cyberspace who are free and able to, to stand with them.    Please contact Noah Bastable on Facebook.  If you are unable to go then just post on his wall to encourage his efforts.

Here you can see someone actually caught in the act of offering a donation.  This gentleman was working for a Spanish TV company and talked with the boys on film.  So if you’re used to watching Spanish TV then you will get to see them soon!!!

BTW we have a contact person for YWAM Japan for all of you who are interested in praying for, supporting financially or even volunteering here in the nation.  Please email Derick Domae at this address:  derick@ywamtokyo.org

High School Ministry 3

Kosuke

Yeah we are not finished yet.  Here is Kosuke, affectionately know as Ko in the small group.  Ko’s father is Japanese and his mother is from the United States.  Ko went to Taiwan  on the youth ministry summer mission trip this year and shared last Sunday that this was the high-light of his life for this current year.  Even though Ko is one of the younger members of the high school group his dream for next year is to be in the worship band.

Phillip

On the right is Philip.  This remarkable young man LOVES music.  He thinks music, talks music, dreams music, eats music and breathes music.  He plays bass in the band and is a great example for aspiring members like Ko.  Both of Philip’s parents are from Malaysia and have full time work here in Tokyo.  Philip has two brothers, William and Andrew, who also attended the high school ministry but have now graduated.

Japanese Language Test

December is here and once again we have all our staff take a Japanese test to see how their skills have improved. On the left you can see one set of the papers that we prepared for those taking the level three test.  Up until this year there have been four levels available.   One would start with level four and work their way up.  If you achieve level one fluency then the Japanese Universities will  accept that as sufficient to be able to study here in Japan.

As a mission we are challenging all of our staff to work toward achieving the level two test as a minimum language requirement.  This year however, the JLPT group that provides the test have decided to add a new level between the old levels three and two.

The picture above right shows Rhonda taking the level two test in preparation for actually going to the official location on the first Sunday to take the actual JLPT test.  Rhonda will have to wait until February however, to receive her results.  Even though it is computer checked it still takes awhile to get the official results.

On the left you can see Derick who is also trying out the level two test.  Derick will probably try to official test next year.  On the right you will see four of our staff, Bob, Maria, Jae-Hyun and Matthew trying the level three test.  Jae-Hyun did very well and will be trying to move up to level two next year.

We also had seven staff taking the level four most of whom had only arrived this year.

Bit of a late Welcome for Jae Hyun

Jae Hyun

Let me introduce our newest staff member Jae-Hyun from Korea.  I usually get this done shortly after a new staff person arrives but in this case I kept on meaning to take a picture with Jae-Hyun but also kept on forgetting to do it unitl the beginning of Advent.  Jae-Hyun really liked our Merry Christmas sign we put up outside our apartment so I took advantage of her being there to photo the event and slip in a time to take a shot with her.

So even though Jae Hyun arrived in October here I am in December finally posting her welcome post.  Jae Hyun has been in YWAM for several years now so brings a lot of experience to our team.  She has already been studying Japanese before arriving in Japan so did not join our team’s Japanese class but studied on her own to prepare for level 3 in the practice tests we took as a team.  Welcome Jae Hyun!

Tokugawa Village

There is a three block section of Tokyo called “Tokugawa Village”  It is a small remnant of land that belonged to a branch of the Tokugawa family.  The Tokugawa Family ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 in what was know as the Edo period.

We went on a prayer walk in this village through a series of “coincidences” that were amazing to experience, bringing together some long term YWAMers from times gone by.

Tokugawa descendants still live in this village along with several ex-pat families here for business.  One of those families hosted our time there and they joined

us on the prayer walk.  During the walk we passed the residence of a current generation Tokugawa descendant.   On most Japanese houses the name of the occupant is on a plate outside.  We were amazed to read the name and later hear the meaning of the Kanji.

The family name “Tokugawa” means “River of Virtue” and the descendant’s first name holds the meaning of “Worship” and “Righteousness”.

In the picture on the right you  can see us praying blessing on the family living in the Tokugawa village who  opened  their home for us to pray in the village.  We prayed for them as ambassadors of Jesus living day by day as a testimony to the source of the River of Virtue and the only one whose Righteousness is worthy of all our worship

Do Justice

It was last year at this time that we  facilitated the tour of Susi Childers of Voice for the Voiceless as she spoke at different churches of the plight of the voiceless.   The issue of women and children being trafficked, especially for sexual purposes,  has stayed with us.  Every third Monday of the month we have an open worship meeting here in Shinagawa to which you are all welcome to come. At the end of the worship time we take a moment to pray for this pressing issue.

The verse from Micah 6:8 has been one of my life verses for many years.  It says….”He has shown you O man what is good and what does the Lord require of you?  but to DO JUSTICE to love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

I have often wondered just what is meant by “DO Justice”?  Last spring I found this shop right here in Tokyo.  Unfortunately it has nothing to do with doing justice but as I pass this store every time I go downtown  it is a timely reminder of what God has called me to do in this city.

I am looking forward to the time when the Church here in this nation produces a real “Made in Japan” expression for doing Justice.   We are seeking ourselves to know what the situation in Japan is.  Recently we have had a few of our team learn more through attending meetings held by “Polaris”  an NGO that works here with the issues of the sex industry and especially with those who have been sold into sex slavery.

It seems that the law here in Japan is very vague and does not give much power to the police to do much to actually help those in slavery to be set free.  In fact we were told that if we became aware of the possibility of a woman being used as a prostitute in a human trafficking situation one would  actually have to sleep with her in order to provide the necessary evidence for the police. This and other complicating factors especially in the issue of child pornography are frustrating for those wanting to see justice done for others.

Polaris also told us of the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 results which included Japan.  We are learning much and looking to the Lord to know what our part with the Body of Christ in Tokyo is in carrying His heart and salvation to these people.

The Body Shop here in Japan as well as elsewhere in the world is making efforts to stop human trafficking.  It was very encouraging to see the poster on the right at a local Body Shop store.   It is good to see that efforts are being made in the business world to ensure that slavery in any form is not perpetuated in the world today.

My heart is to understand this issue especially as it is in existence right here in Japan and see how we as the body of Christ can “DO JUSTICE” for those who are oppressed and cannot act to defend themselves.

Voice for the Voiceless has a 30 day prayer journal highlighting the issues of human trafficking and slavery that are happening in the world today.  While this book focuses on women and children there are also situations of men being held in slavery, too.  If you would like a copy of this book they are available at Photogenx/Voice for the Voiceless.

The 2010 DTS’ Love feast =)

A love feast is a term that is often used in YWAM … let me explain. A love feast is basically a big meal that we all share in-the idea being that we enjoy each other’s company and affirm that we love each other =D

I, personally, am a big fan!

This year’s love feast was a little sad as it was the last one that we would ever have with this group of people =<

To the right we have Mr.McDaniel cooking up the steak which was AMAZING!!! 0_0

Here is a picture of some of our students , staff and friends after the meal =)

… and here are more pictures of some students and staff!!

Thank you for checking out this post!

Sarah Somers-Harris