Pics from Sapporo

Sapporo TV Tower in Odori Park, Sapporo

Odori Park, Sapporo

My Bedroom (as you can see, I'm getting nice and "settled")

My Kitchen/Living Room/Dining Room (more proof of "settling")

View from Apartment

Park in Chitose, Hokkaido (outside of Sapporo)

Park in Chitose, Hokkaido

 

 

 

 

Lake Shikotsu, Chitose

Settling in Sapporo

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.

Language School in Hokkaido!!!

Final details came together last week while I was doing relief work in Ishinomaki for language school in Hokkaido.  I will leave for Hokkaido on Monday right after the retreat we have this weekend (starting later this afternoon).  Things have been pretty hectic and unsettling this past week, as details have come together and plans finalized, but at least we've got progress!!!  Orientation is next Thursday and classes start the following Monday.

I'm definitely excited to start language school and to start establishing a greater level of competence i this country.  It's definitely funny at times, but I'd definitely prefer to not go about living in this country as a Kindergartener (if even that) ;).

It's another real short blurb, but I'll be off to the retreat soon, then to Hokkaido soon after to hit the books hard...and the ski hills harder!!!

Shedding Light on a (more) Solid Direction

So..it's been a bit more of a struggle, as of late, dealing with the uncertainty of my future here in Japan and what the rest (the bulk) of the ministry is going to look like.  When I first arrived in Japan, I came with none of my own expectations, just that God was going to lead and that I'd simply follow.  Having only a very basic understanding of Japan, it was much easier to step back and just allow things to happen.  But as I experienced fruits of the relief work in Ishinomaki, I thought about different opportunities and possibilities for ministry, making it harder to wait and be open to going wherever He wants me.

During this past week, God shed some light on the future, and there is a pretty solid direction for us to grab onto.  Things are definitely not set in stone, and there are still a lot of details that need to be ironed out, but the direction would be to enroll in a language school through the end of the year, starting in October, while my placement gets ironed out.  The direction for placement would be a church in Tohoku.  The new network kicked off this past week and some churches are "ready" to take on a missionary, but other A2 missionaries aren't ready to move there quite yet, and it really wouldn't be best for me to be there without the support of a regional team.  With this, we are hopeful to form a team by the beginning of next year, which opens up the opportunity for me to attend language school in the meantime.

Before starting language school in October, I have one more opportunity to return to Ishinomaki for 10 days.  I'm excited for this time and am excited to see the continued improvements and the people we've built relationships with.  Please pray that the time in Ishinomaki would be fruitful, that we'd have opportunities to share God's love with those hurting and in desperate need of it.

Please pray that with this direction, God would iron out the details and specifics for when and where it takes place. Pray for knowledge and guidance for everyone involved in the decision making.  That we'd seek and see His guidance, and that we'd be faithful in following whatever He has in store for us (me, A2's mission in Japan, and Japan in general).

Special Newsletter: Tohoku Relief

My New Haircut

So, I decided to go get a haircut today.  I'd been just shaving my head myself, but I wanted something different, so I went to a place to get it done...

1)  The place is called "QB House," and on the sign it read "10 minutes Just Cut."  Awesome!!!

2)  As I walked in, I was greeted by someone who was already cutting someone's hair, and so he pointed to a vending machine near the entrance.  On the vending machine, it said "10 minutes, 1,000¥."  Double awesome!!!

3)  I took my printed receipt to another guy who was gonna cut my hair, and then he asked how I wanted it cut....after a bit of fumbling with language, some hand gestures, and some blank stares of confusion, we were ready to go and he grabbed the clippers.  A real good start!!!  Still awesome....

4)  He finished with the sides and back and moved towards the top, which I think we agreed he'd keep it similar to what it was, but to just make it shorter.  I could keep describing it, but I think pics are just better at this point in time...

5)  After he finished, he whipped out a vacuum cleaner and started going to town on my head.  I hadn't had the feeling of a vacuum cleaner to the head in such a long time, so this was definitely a pleasant surprise!!!  So awesome!!!!

So...one of the reasons I wanted to get my haircut somewhere and not shave my head was to look less like a punk kid, and a bit more "mature" (not sure if that's the right word, but "professional"is def not the right word).  Anyways, I'm not sure this really accomplished that, but at least it'll be cooler with less hair...

Safely Back in Sanda

...so, apparently, "soon" can be a very relative thing...

It's been a busy (or crazy) and awesome 6 weeks, but I am now back safe and sound in Sanda.  The last 4 weeks of the time in Tohoku were awesome, as we got to continue doing work and building relationships in the same communities we started in.  There was a bit of a sad and empty feeling as we left last week, but we know that good work is continuing to be done up there, and it's "only" a 12 hour drive away ;).

There's too many stories and pics for a post here, so as I unwind and process, I'll work on a special relief edition of my newsletter.  I look forward to sharing the awesome stories and experiences of the past 6 weeks with you all!!!