Limitless

Wow.. It’s been over a month now, and how much have I seen already. God has been doing some amazing stuff here. How dare me to think so pessimistically about evangelism, the short amount of time that I’ve been here, and the power of friendship. God can use anything, any time, any one, and any place whenever He wants. Forgive me God for thinking that there is a limit to what You can do…You are limitless! Hallelujah!

So many things have happened, but I will give you just the highlights of my week 

1. Tuesday Bowling with Gaidai and non-Gaidai students. We were honestly expecting maybe 2 students to come out, but we ended up with 6! By the end of the day, they were saying how they wanted to keep hanging out with J-House people. (5/6 students are non-Christian)
2. Friday, I led a worship/prayer night for people who just wanted to come worship and pray without having to do the typical loud/charismatic worship/prayer that J-House normally does (nothing wrong with that, but it’s always nice to just be still and know that God is God in our lives) and at first it was going ok, I was kind of worried that it would be too different for everyone, so I ended the whole thing after just an hour, but I said if anyone wants to stay longer and continue praying, to feel free to stay, but not feel obligated to stay either. Expecting maybe 60% of them to leave, I open my eyes to find that no one has left, so I kept playing the guitar and gave them the space to pray for different people, for themselves and wow what a beautiful sight it was! The night started at 8 pm and I finished it (officially) at 9 pm, but the last bit of people left around 10:30 pm!! Praise God. J I was definitely encouraged.
3. Sunday after the 2^nd service, we had a ministry meeting and I was glad to see so many people there wanting to be a part of some kind of ministry! It is good to see that those who believe are really excited and know the urgency to spread the Good News to people! Also, a girl that my team met last Summer, Saki, texted me to say that she wanted to come visit J-House, unfortunately she couldn’t make it to service, but she came after to hang out! So it was a good time of just catching up and reconnecting with J-House again! I took her and her friend, Kanoko who is a J-House member, to dinner and I am desperately hoping that I will continue to have chances like that with her to become a believer! She is very open and it is good to see both those people very happy and enjoying themselves. They both seem to have been going through a lot, and it was just nice to see them enjoying themselves.  Another guy named Shotaro, lately he has been coming a lot to J-House and finally we were to explain the “Bridge” diagram to him and he seems very open to it. He actually emailed his friend after that and asked him why he was a Christian (not in a bad way, but more of a curious way).
4. Today I was able to just go out with Justin (one of the main staff/Jesus Soldier) and not worry about the things I had to do today. As soon as I woke up I was just thinking about what I needed to do and get done, but Justin told me to go out and chill. I hesitated at first, but felt like I needed to get out of my room and J-House for a couple of hours. I even brought my laptop to work on this update and a paper I had to do, but didn't end up touching it. I just had a time where I could enjoy the sun (that was out for a couple of hours :D) and reflect, think, and take pictures! :) So I am grateful for that!

I know that in 2 weeks (how long I normally stay on missions) God can do MANY things, but I really see how that staying longer that relationships truly start to open up and there are a lot of opportunities to go deeper!

Please continue to pray that I will have more opportunities to share about God! Also, that my body, soul, and mind can be ready for the upcoming craziness that will come faster than I expect! Arigatou!!

P.S. There are times when I get super lonely, but please just pray that I can find peace in God and constantly remind myself that I am never alone!

(Yay for macro shots!)

Internal Clock

 Hello everyone!

I can’t believe I am going on my 4^th week here already? Only? I really don’t know anymore. The internal clock that is set in my brain and body every time I come to Japan has been telling me that it is time to go home. Why? Because every time I come to Japan it is usually for 2-3 weeks. Not that I don’t want to go back home, but things have been good here. As physically tired I am sometimes, my soul has no other choice but to cling on to the One who constantly refreshes it. When my internal alarm clock wants to go off, God always winds it back up so that I can keep going.

Things are starting to pick up in terms of events and different kinds of ministries. J-House is in a state of transitioning and learning from the experiences from the past few years. They are also starting to make good use of me. “Oh, you do this?! Then can you _________ for me/us?!” or “Can I put you in charge of this?” I feel like I am back home, but I am catching myself saying “Yes” to everything…despite catching myself, I am STILL saying “Yes” to everything… haha... Perhaps this is the reason why my days and weeks are feeling longer and longer?

So, this past weekend was what, we as Jesus Soldiers, have been preparing for all week, which was the Valentine’s Party/Event thing. I was in charge of decorating the place, and all the responses I get were either: “No way!! Only girls can design romantic things!” or “Kevin, I didn’t know you were like that!”

DON’T JUDGE ME BECAUSE I LIKE TO DESIGN/DECORATE THINGS!! ^__^ 

 

haha.. but really, I do enjoy doing things like that. Don’t ask me how my brain works, because I don’t really know either. All those years of decorating for “Bridge Services” and events at Covenant has given me the experience that I needed to do well here. J They actually liked my decorations that they left it on for the wedding that was the next day! But the Valentine’s Event was really successful, otsukare sama deshita (thank you for your hard work) to all those who were helping out!~  I was hearing from the members who participated that it was a very good mix of people, because there were the core members, new people, as well as people who haven’t been to J-House in a while come to this event! I was very happy to hear that! I honestly was a little pessimistic about this event, but God surely proved me wrong, and rightly so, it was awesome! God can use anything, anyone, any time, any where!!~

This week will be a bit busy for me, I have quite a bit of things to do… so if you can all pray that I can keep my sanity and not overdo things, that would be awesome!

Here are some of the things I will be doing this week:

• Tues: I am playing a couple of songs during Morning Prayer every Tuesday now, so please pray for that. Also, we are going to meet with Kansai Gaidai students to go bowling. It might seem like we are just playing, but at same time, trying to get them to really open their lives with us and for us to find a chance to share about God to them.
• Wed: I have to do a morning devotional every Wednesday also. This week instead of our usual Prayer Meeting at night, we will have time to be with our Life Groups. To pray that it will be a meaningful time for all of us.
• Fri: I will be leading a worship/prayer night for those who want to just worship! Please please pray for this, I think there are a lot of people who are in need to just Be still and know that God is God and just be in quiet meditation. Not the usual loud charismatic worship they are accustomed to.
• Sat: Cooking for this Sunday with my cell group!
• Sun: I will be doing a short “recommendation” for offering, and just sharing how God has blessed me through offering…

Thank you all!!

P.S. I miss Mexican food and I need a haircut.

夢の世界 (Yume no Sekai: Dream World)

Hello everyone! Genki desuka? (Are you doing well?)


First of all, I am going to be a typical Californian for a second...


SNOW~ too bad it lasted only....30 minutes or so, and it also melted as soon it landed on the ground. :T

These days, it seems as if things back at home were only a dream and what I am doing here in Japan is the real life that I have been living. The J-House members treat me as if I have been going here all my life and I guess to a certain extent, that is what I kind of hoped for, but I can already tell that I am doing too much. Whether it is doing the sound system, doing worship, filling in spots when people do not come on time or don’t show up. I was hoping to transition into these positions slowly and smoothly, but (maybe out of habit) I put myself in that position. This has caught the attention of the staff here, and I guess they want to make the most of my stay here. I actually don’t mind this, and in my heart I am actually excited to be such help to people of this church, but my body and mind has been in agony telling me to stop doing so much. Yesterday and even now, I feel the aftereffects of it all already (hence I had a pretty big migraine). I was planning on updating my week last night before I went to sleep, but I couldn’t write anything…so I went to sleep early. I woke up this morning, with my body and head feeling better, so I sit in front of the computer ready to update my week. However, 2-3 hours pass and I am still staring at this blank page. Not a single word. My brain was dead, it didn’t want to cooperate with me, and it just wanted to rest.

Now that it’s a bit better and I left the comfort of my room, I will tell you all about my quiet, yet long week…

It feels like months since the second Korean Mission Team left, but it was actually this past Tuesday that they left… It was very nice to see them interacting with the students and inviting people to come to J-House and such. They were a blessing, but for me to not be able to actually rest and settle in was a bit hard (I had to go straight to work since the day I got here, because the first Korean mission team came on the same day, then the second one came right after the first left). Now that I had some time to settle down and take care of some things that needed to be finished, I thought it would be a bit more calm, but I realized I had to prepare a morning devotion (every Wednesday, actually), a testimony for the first service on Sunday, a Bible study on Friday, meet with a student on Saturday, etc. I don’t want my heart to feel like this is work, but an act of worship instead. 

Though it looks like I am exhausted, I am actually quite blessed with things that are happening here. I am getting to know more and more members/students here and I hope to get to know them more personally. It is quite hard for me, being the introvert that I am, to be so active and extroverted. It drains a lot out of me, but I have to realize that a lot of people here are actually even more shy/introverted than I am. I have to really come out of my comfort zone and initiate conversations or be inclusive. However, every time I do, it usually turns out to be a pleasant time. J

This past Sunday (yesterday for me), I did a testimony about why/how I came to decide to come back to Japan as a Jesus Soldier. It indeed was a long journey for me to finally decide to come back; God has shut many doors and opened many other doors that I did not know of. I guess the main point of my testimony was this: that even if I don’t understand everything right now, as I obey and trust God to lead me, He will reveal things to me, even if it didn’t make sense at first.

God is good. He won’t leave me or anyone astray, but being the great Shepherd that He is, I just need to hear His voice and come running back to His amazing grace.

This was a very long post or maybe it's my brain telling me to stop again, so I think I will. I hope all of you are doing well! I really do miss you all.~

P.S. It was really really nice talking with Rebekah! It’s been a while since I have been able to catch people online at the same time, please if you see me online on Skype, Gmail, or Facebook, a “Hi” would really make me happy. 

Thank you all you intercessors!! You have truly given me strength to go do God's work every day!! <3

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

Blurring

Hello there!

It’s been two weeks since I’ve have been at J-House, and man…I don’t even know if it went by quickly or slowly… It feels like all the times I have been here before (in 2006, 2008, and 2009) are just blurring together...I feel like I have been here for a long long time, but I guess that just means that I have adapted to this place and the people already. Praise God.

The past two weeks since I’ve been here, there have been two Korean mission teams back to back, and so I never actually had a chance to “settle in”.  Samil Church and Oryun Church in Korea. They are all wonderful people and we were glad to have them here. We were able to get in the last few Funky Clubs in these past two weeks before they went on winter break. I enjoy meeting the students and also actually seeing them come to J-House, whether it was for Funky Party, some Korean event the mission teams hosted, or Sunday worship.

God has really blessed me by sending me specific people my way. There are several guys that have started to open up to me, both Christian and non-Christian, and I am truly blessed/grateful to be apart of their lives! As I look back at all the things that had happened to me throughout the years, I finally seeing that I am able to share these things and realizing that some of the students actually relate to a similar situation. God really doesn’t waste any experience that has affected me personally, good or bad. I know there is still a lot more months to go, but I am starting to see (kind of) why I have been called here…

Ok, so this past Friday, J-House had its very LAST Funky Party. :,( Here is a video of part of the worship that night…

Though the Funky Party era has gone, a new wave is coming… It is called the “Big Wave.” I don’t know exactly what the main purpose of it is yet, but around February we will be planning and deciding on what the purpose/vision of “Big Wave” will be. (It is called “Big Wave” because that is the logo of J-House, it comes from Isaiah 51:15 “I am the LORD your God, I stir up the sea and make its waves roar.”)

Please continue to pray for J-House!! Also, I have to do a testimony on 2/7 Sunday 1^st service. If you could just pray for the same things as last weeks’ prayer request, that would be awesome!

I really miss you all! It’s pretty lonely here sometimes, but I know that God is with me wherever I go.  I can use some words of encouragement too :P Arigatou!

Long But Fast?

Konichiwa mina-san!

What a long week, but at the same time it has gone by really quickly! God has truly given me a peace that has transcended all understanding. I am a bit jet lagged, but now I think I have finally adjusted to the time schedule here. I have been busy and I know that if I wasn’t, I would be thinking about home, CUMC, and all my friends too much. As much as I love you all, I think God wants me to love the people of Japan as much as I love you all, so please pray that my heart capacity will be bigger than it is now!



I will start from Day 1…







So when I arrived at KIX (Kansai International Airport), I was picked up by Saya and Justin (two of the staff/Jesus Soldiers) and was welcomed warmly by them. At that point, it still hadn’t sunk in that I am in Japan now. The car ride was filled with praise songs in English as well as our conversations; this did not help my brain to realize that I was in a foreign country many miles away. However, once the car pulled up by the familiar 5-story building and the bright, big sign that says “J-House” did I finally realize that I am at my new home. The sounds of the bells ringing as I open the front door brought a nostalgic feeling. “This is my new home,” I thought in my mind. I go up to the second floor, where I would be staying by myself for a couple of months, and make a right turn passed the kitchen into “my room”.  A small yet cozy room, as I envision how I will place my things in a Kevin-style way. As I am arranging my room, I hear footsteps echoing down the hall and have the “new” Jesus Soldiers that I have not met before peek through to see how I look like. They are very nice and fun people. ☺ Since I arrived on Monday, it is usually the day off for the staff, so I was able to just rest and settle down to prepare for the week!

Well, straight to work I go… Morning prayer from 7 AM all week. Tuesday through Thursday we went to these different universities to the “Funky Clubs” but since it is exam time for the students, not everyone was able to make it to all of them. I am going to Kandai, Kansai-Gaidai, and Kangaku University. I met many new people and I am desperately trying to remember their names as well as their faces. I think I am starting to remember most of their names, and I hope to learn everyone’s name in a couple of months!! God has been gently showing me who I should pay more attention to and to be in constant prayer for everyone that I meet. It seems like a lot of work, but I actually find myself doing so naturally as I go through the day or even as I am meeting the students. I’m usually the type of person who doesn’t go to total strangers and just talk to them, but for some reason, I found myself doing that a little, so praise God for giving me courage to do so! The people I am meeting are all so wonderful, but I hope and pray that I will be able to portray God’s love to them through my actions and words!

On Friday, we were preparing for Funky Party (which is a night where both Christian and non-Christians come together and fellowship, sing songs, play games, and share with one another). There is actually ONE more Funky Party left, before they start a new Friday ministry called “Big Wave.” I was able to play guitar during the “jumping worship” time, and what normally takes a lot of courage for me to do in America, I was able to do it as soon as we sang the chorus without caring what others thought about it. Something about this place where I am able to be so carefree in worship and just enjoy being in His presence.

Saturday I just did some small errands here and there, and walked around the city to see if I remember how to get to places. Haha…Surprisingly, I remembered. It's as if I have been living here the whole time.

Since it was my first Sunday since I got here, I didn’t really have a “job/task” to do, so I just went around helping people as I go. I met some more people and still trying my best to match names and faces together.

Still getting used to Pastor Katsuya being so…Pastor Katsuya haha (he likes to put people on the spot and assign you to do things and then asking for permission…lol) But all in all, I am doing great so far! I appreciate ALL the intercessors that are supporting me and have been supporting me from even before I came to Japan. I <3 you ALL!!!~ I have you guys in my prayers too! Every night before I sleep, I pray that God may watch over you and reveal Himself to you everyday!

Prayer Requests:
1. That each encounter I have will plant a good seed in their hearts. Not by my own power or words, but by God’s grace, mercy, and love for His children.
2. I have to do a testimony on 2/14 so please keep that in prayer
3. Confidence in what I believe in and in my abilities/talents, so I may be an encouragement to people.
4. Courage to come out of my comfort zone in all aspects: talking with new people, doing things that I normally don’t do well, etc.
5. To not do put too much on my plate right now. I need to realize I am here for a year and not two weeks. To do things slowly and efficiently, so that I don’t burn out.
6. For my parents who are home alone for the first time. They seem to be really missing my sisters and I now that I am finally out of the house. Pray that they can be strong and use this time to get to know God more!

On The Plane

[Written while I was on the plane]

Nine hours have passed since I left LAX and all those beautiful faces that saw me off. My heart truly ached when I was giving everyone hugs and saying goodbye. I could hardly say a word because it was hard. The love and support I am getting from everyone back home will be one my greatest strengths during this mission. Not only does God love me, I know that my family both blood related and church, and also my dear friends who have been by my side for so many years, love me so much. (My eyes are teary now...)

Well, here I am on this Asiana airplane stuck between two grandmas and a crying baby in the next row and watching 500 Days of Summer. I’m looking at the time and it’s saying it is Sunday 10:32 AM, and my mind and my heart goes out to the people in California. I should be finishing practice with my Youth Praise Team and right about now just chilling with P. Rebekah and P. JP talking what we will be doing during the worship service. I pray that both the Youth and EM(gD) service goes well.

I am almost arriving in Korea for my layover, and I will meet a dear brother of mine, Joe Lim, for only a short period of time, but the fact that he will wake up early just for me and see me off. I didn’t know so many people are willing to support me. What did I do to deserve such love and support? I am so grateful, so blessed, so loved that it’s mind-boggling. No words can even come close to explaining how I am feeling and how thankful I am for everything good and bad thing that has happened. God has truly been opening doors for me and I don’t want to miss what He has in store for the things ahead.

I will be updating weekly (maybe even more than that) so I can let you all know what God is doing through me and to the people of Japan. I love you ALL, I can’t believe I’m gonna be gone for a year, but I pray for new challenges, new passions, and new encounters with God!

I have some prayer request that I would like you all to pray with me for…
• For me to manage time and work well so I won’t overwork myself. I tend to want to jump in and do everything I can all at once, so it is imperative that I learn to spread out my work otherwise I won’t make it past a month.
• To fight against any loneliness. I know that I have so many supporters back home, but please pray that I find people in Japan who I can live, share, and grow with too! I will be the only guy missionary until at least March on the guys floor. I want to take advantage of this time and get intimate with God even more.
• Personal health. You all know me and my work ethic, and sometimes ridiculousness, so please pray that I will stay healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally.
• The people of J-House. These are people who are either uninterested in Christianity, somewhat interested but not sure what it’s all about, or gung-ho followers of Christ! Pray that they can see God for who He is and what He’s done for all of us! Also, the full-term missionaries (a.k.a. Jesus Soldiers [JS]) to have strength to do be the hands and feet of God and to see these people through His eyes and love these people with His heart.

Looks like service has started and I am about finished now too. An hour and 40 minutes to go, then a layover in Korea for 3 hours. Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!!~ Arigatou! (I would write it in Japanese, but I don’t know where I have to go to type it on the Mac. Hahaha)

P.S. My precious youth group students, if you are reading this, please PLEASE encourage and always pray for your pastors! They love you so much and work so hard for you, always encourage them and pray for them not only at home, but sometimes just even go up to them and pray for them whenever! They need your love and support too! Always know that I am praying for you all too!!

P.P.S. It is cold in Korea, but not as bad as I expected. I am also very hungry. haha

I will update again once I get to Japan!

S.I.P. (Still in progress)

I have been writing a song recently and I think it is almost finished... I have no title and I need to revise/correct anything that needs to be corrected.

It's about me asking God to give me bits of his character so I can see, feel, and experience what He experiences daily. Everything that I thought was good and worthy of praise is nothing without God's love and mercy upon me, so I want to be so dependent on Him and being secure in His presence. Something like that...lol

But here is what I have so far...


Give me Your eyes
Show me a glimpse of what You see.
Give me Your heart
Show me how great Your love can be.

Give me wings
So I can soar over the seas.
Give me light
So I can shine in the darkest nights.

Everything I'm holding onto is nothing without You...

I want to be so dependent on who You are
Cause nothing in this world compares
I know that You will never ever leave
So I'll fix my eyes on you,
And never turn away.


I think it still needs modifications and stuff. I wish I had some kind of recording device so I can remember the melody and chords... :/

Anyway..that's it for now.