It's been 4 weeks now since I moved to Sapporo, and things have been great. Language school is going well, I've been able to unpack and am no longer living out of suitcases, and God's been opening up some really cool ministry opportunities.
I've been in language school (札幌市国際日本語学院 Japanese Language Institute) for 3 weeks now. It feels a little different being in "school" again, but I'm liking it alright and it's providing me much needed structure and consistency. The stuff we're doing isn't really new to me, but we're moving at a quick pace, which is good...for now. Even with classes M-F afternoons, I'll have to change my mentality towards learning Japanese and constantly push myself to use it...even if it means suffering through feeling pretty useless and really stupid ;).
My living situation here has been amazing!!! Being unpacked is nice, but having my own personal space is even better!!! I basically have a studio apartment on the 3rd floor of the church （Living Hope Baptist Church リビングホープ バプテスト教会), with pretty much everything I need. The pastors' family lives in another apartment here on the 3rd floor, and it's been great getting to know them.
Ministry-wise, God's been opening up some cool opportunities here. My focus here in Sapporo is learning Japanese, but I've been seeking ways to do that in ministry as well. At church, I've been asked to help out with Youth Sunday School (right now Jr. High), and will teach my first class on November 6th!!! I've also started a weekly fellowship on Friday nights here at the church. It's for the two Youth Sunday School teachers to talk about Sunday School material and fellowship with each other. Beyond that, we're hoping it serves as a chance for them to invite their friends/coworkers to church in more of a social setting.
Things in Sapporo have been great so far, and I'm settling in well. Please pray that I'll stay focused and driven in learning Japanese and that I'll jump on the ministry opportunities that arise.
Hey bro! It's good tO hear you're settling in! Cold enough for ya? I've been in ishinomaki for the past 3 weekends...the weekdays almost seem like the in between time now. I don't know what I'm going to do when I get busier, this place is amazing.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, as far as the Japanese goes, take comfort in the fact that everybody goes through the awkward "I'm embarrassed cause I no can speak Japanese good" phase.
There's a verb in Japanese which literally means to "get through" something. がまんして、レイ!