Behind Closed Doors

Hello again!

It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve written on this blog, but it has only been a week. Many things happened that has drained me quite a bit, but I guess this was a way for me to see how I would act in this kind of condition. From each encounter to each responsibility I had to do I felt like I just wanted to “close the door” in my heart, physically, and in my mind. I felt like I was shutting doors whenever someone tried to knock or come near me. I’m usually not like this, but some reason this week I have been like this and I don’t like it.  I have been thinking about the reasons why I am like this, but I really can’t think of anything. So, I am trying to “open my doors” both internally and literally. I realized something that has been bothering me, “what do I do behind closed doors?” Am I hiding? Am I closing myself off from the others? Maybe I am just over thinking, but I certainly want to share about my life and experiences with people in a deeper way, or am afraid that when I open up, it won’t happen the other way around?

HMMMMM…..

Anyway, enough of that. This weekend we had an event: Hawaiian Night! It went really well and a LOT of people came out! Not everything went as planned, but nonetheless, people had a good time (I hope). Here are some pictures from it.

(Jesus Soldiers + Tomoko-san!)

That’s all I could really squeeze out of my tired brain, today is my rest day, so I would like to just rest today. Have a nice day!

P.S. I went to Costco :D I felt like I was in America, but then I realized that there were only Japanese people everywhere. Hahaha 

Refreshed

父の日おめでとう！　Happy Fathers’ Day!

I just want to say that my dad is awesome; I am not just saying this because it is Fathers’ Day, but he really is. He is so talented, smart, has a heart of giving (even when he cannot give), and best of all, he is a follower of Christ. When my dad finally started coming to church about what…7-8 years now? I simply couldn’t believe such transformation and could only believe that it was God’s doing. I am very proud of you 아빠! I wish I could do so much more for you, but I am certainly trying my best. I love you!

This week was my first week back in Japan. I got my Visa!! Now I am back and ready to serve the people here in Japan and J-House! This week has been quite refreshing. I have experienced and seen things (that I always did before I went back to Cali) in a new perspective and a fresh heart. To not worry about what it was like before, but to keep being positive and to not be discouraged by what the enemy throws in my way. And as I was doing this, things just seem a lot lighter on my shoulders. I didn’t care if someone didn’t want to accept a flyer that I offered them, or if someone totally just ignores me when I ask if they spoke English. I feel like I can do much more when I don’t let things discourage me. So far, it has been working refreshingly well!

This week also, Sam Song from Cali came and it has also been refreshing for us Jesus Soldiers. He is here to kind of check out J-House and see if he wants to come back as a Jesus Soldier in September. He has a few very good options and opportunities back home as well, so the Jesus Soldiers and I are all keeping him in our prayers. He indeed brings a very refreshing attitude to J-House that we desperately need. It is also fun to have another guy in this lonely 2^nd floor. Haha :D

God has certainly been working, and I know that it is not only here in Japan. I am praying for my youth group and P. JP and Rebekah for their Cambodia mission outreach! I hope that all goes smoothly and even the preparation time will be fruitful and that their hearts will grow more and more for the people of Cambodia!

I am really hungry now, so I am going to out with Sam and Kyle!　またね〜

Perfect Timing

God, You have been so gracious to me. I don’t want to think of this time as “cheating” from my one-year commitment to Japan, but I want to think of this time as You showing favor towards me. My short time here in California has made me realize how special this place and the people are (not that they weren’t already special). Oh, how much did I take for granted, but I know that this time is not only just a time for rest, but a time for me to gather myself and refocus my heart and mind for the next 6 months to come. During these past two weeks, I had asked myself questions that I asked myself before I left to Japan the first time:

“What do I want to accomplish in Japan?” and “What is God trying/going to teach me during the rest of my time there?”

I guess my answer (I think) to that is to just have an open heart/mind as well as a spirit of awareness. Through doing that, I can accomplish what God has in store for the people of Japan and for me. I don’t want to think for a minute that everything I do there is by my own ability, because if it weren’t for God, I wouldn’t even have had an opportunity to go to Japan or have the gifts that I have for that matter, in the first place!

“Jonathan’s focus was not, ‘What is God’s will for my life?’ but ‘How can I give my life to fulfill God’s will?’ He had no certainty concerning his personal well-being, that he was moving in line with God’s purpose was the only certainty he needed. He didn't presume upon the fact that God can be trusted by trusting Him for things He never promised. He understood that to move with God is to accept a life full of uncertainties.” –Erwin McManus, Chasing Daylight

I certainly don't know what is ahead of me, but I am not going to just sit here and wait for something to happen. This journey, this time was God allowing me to go to Japan, but as for what I do there, that adventure is up to me to make it either very memorable and awesome, or it could be a very long 6 months. 

I am so blessed to have so many people here at home who support me and love me. Words truly aren’t enough to express how much I am thankful to all of you. I know that when I feel tired or weak, that the prayers you all send to me will push me and pick me up to keep pressing on!

I really enjoyed my stay back home. God’s timing is so perfect and now I believe that when I return to Japan, it will also be a time for God to use me in His perfect timing. I know I didn’t get to see everyone I wanted to see, I didn’t get to eat everything that I wanted to eat, but those I was fortunate enough to meet up with, thank you for making my short time in Cali so special :D I am currently in San Francisco finishing this blog up, but there is no Internet connection here…(only t-mobile.. bleh) I am also very thankful to meet the leader of the KCM team that will come out in a couple weeks to J-House, also Edwin and Sarah (Last years KCM team).  I was also able to go to a Graduation Party and also our Church’s Grad Banquet, but I think especially being able to see and spend time with my whole family. None of this was planned, my older sister happen to make plans to come to Cali for four days, my little sister came home from Syracuse on summer break, and I happen to have a Visa problem and we all came back home. Truly amazing, it has been so long since we all were together with our parents. Thank you God for that time we had!

Maybe all these things wouldn't have been possible if I came a week earlier or left a week early? I guess it didn’t really make sense why I had to go back home just to pick up a Visa that literally took 5 minutes to get, but I can truly say that I am blessed and that God really really really loves me!~ I know even when the road ahead is unknown, I can trust that God will provide for me! It may not be in a way I expect, but God’s ways are far better. Hallelujah!

Now…

Gotta go strong for 6 more months! がんばります！Bring it!~

Bye Cali (though you can't see the ground)

Hello humid Japan

SURPRISE!!~

Haha, some of you might be wondering, “What surprise?” Well, I am actually in California right now.  Why? Well, here is the story…

So before I came to Japan, I didn’t have all of my documents sent in to J-House, but I still went anyway; so as I was waiting for my documents to come in, they couldn’t start my Religious Visa process until everything was turned in and translated into Japanese. So when it finally came, the process began and things were going well, but the Japanese government started to become a bit more strict about Visas after I came to Japan. So when J-House told the Immigration Bureau about my situation, they told them that I was the last person who will be able to change a Tourist Visa into some other type of Visa (J-House has been doing this for quite some time, and the Japanese government finally told them to stop doing it that way). You are supposed to get a Visa from your home country first before going to the country you want to stay at. Did I know that? Nope. So now that everything is “finally” settled, I can just wait for my certificate of eligibility to come in and finish my Visa process (this was around February). 

Now, in March, Jesus Soldiers have a week off for break, and coincidentally, my parents were going to Korea at the same time! What an opportunity! So we arranged to meet up in 3/15. So I go and come back, however, I didn't know that before I even left to Korea, my certificate of eligibility has been approved. No one called J-House or even me to tell us that the certificate of eligibility was approved.  We received this after I came back from Korea 3/20. This wouldn't be a problem, but it’s just that when you get the certificate of eligibility approved, you cannot leave the country until the Visa is completed and in my hands. … … … what?!

So now, because I left to Korea, the Japanese government pretty much told me that I have to go home and get my Visa and come back. So to avoid going so far away, the J-House Secretary and I have been trying to see if there were any alternative ways of doing this. Ways such as going to a country closer to Japan like Korea, Guam, or Philippines, but that didn’t work out either.

So what else could I do? Nothing, just go back. So…here I am, I have been here for a week now, but I leave on the 14^th. I believe my Visa is ready to be picked up and I will either do that today or Wednesday.

Whew…

Other than that craziness, it has been pretty nice to come back home! I feel like I’m cheating because I committed to 1 year in Japan, but I guess God has other plans. It is a bit めんどくさい (Mendoksai: Troublesome) but what can I do? I just want to know what God wants to teach me or show me during this time. Maybe it’s rest? Who knows, but I will just trust that God knows what He is doing. Because of this whole Visa thing, all the financial support that I received before I left Japan is now all gone because of my plane ticket here. I will also trust God with this also. He has always provided, so why not now?

It was sooooo hard not to tell anyone about me coming back. Haha, I wanted to surprise people and it worked for the most part. Their reactions were pretty priceless. :D

I’m glad that I can come back and help out and encourage people as much as possible before heading back out. I really love the people back home, I just wish I had time to hang out with all of you.

Anyway…

I am at Rebekah’s place just chillin’. It has definitely been a while since I’ve been here, yet I feel like as if I never left. Not just here, but California in general.

I think I can understand what the saying “home is where the heart is” means.

P.S. Sorry, no pictures this week :( maybe I'll put some up later.. it's just one long update.

Victories

Konnichiwa!

This week has been pretty good :D

Many battles taken place, but many victories to celebrate about! You see, in Japan, since everyone knows the infamous statistic “There are less than 1% Christians in Japan,” well, I want to be optimistic about it and say that there has been 1-2 new students who have been coming out to J-House, one comes only on Fridays to Big Wave, but the other comes on Sunday too!! Praise God! If less than 1% of people in Japan are Christian, and someone consistently keeps coming out, then I say that is a victory! One step at a time, ne?!

This week I got sick a bit; I felt a bit disoriented and just dizzy, but I didn’t want that to be an excuse to go out to the campuses and miss opportunities to reach out to the students. So even a bit sick and dizzy, I go and God certainly gave us opportunities, boldness, and even a new area in the campus to reach out at. I would say that that is another victory, no? When we thought it was so hard to evangelize and approach people, God gave us a different perspective and different way to approach people, and so far it has been pretty good.

At J-House, I have been able to talk with more and more people that I don’t normally talk with, and it has been awesome! I love these people here and their heart for J-House and God. They are also just really fun to hang out with and talk to. Yeah there is a language barrier, but it has been about 5 months since I have been here and surprisingly, my Japanese listening skills have upped a lot! Maybe it is hard for me to talk to them in Japanese, but that’s when translators are helpful :P I thank God that there are quite a bit of people who are able to translate! If not, I’d be having such a hard time here! God bless you all! Hahaha…

Anyway, I look forward to more and more relationships, both new and old, to grow not only with each other, but also with God! Keep praying for us here in J-House and Japan in general! We need your prayers (and missionaries :P)!!!

Jah ne~

Remember Your People

Have you ever heard something meaningful/impacting so often that it doesn’t register in your head or heart anymore until God smacks it right in front of your face again? Well, that happened this past week and especially this past weekend.  Me and 6 other people (plus 5 more in Tokyo) drove from Osaka to Tokyo (approximately a 7 hour drive) Friday night around 11:30PM and arrived around 7:30AM Saturday to go to Passion World Tour in Tokyo International Forum! What a night it was to see Japanese people worshiping God all at once!!! There were about 5000 people who attended that night! Here are some pictures from the Passion blog 268generation.com/blog

When I saw these people worshiping, I started to cry. That rarely happens to me, but I started to cry when Chris Tomlin started to sing “So remember Your people, remember Your children, remember Your promise, oh God.” Also, when he sang “How He Loves Us” Oh man, it was such a beautiful sight, I wish I could have recorded the worship time, but they took our cameras :P Either way, I think I just needed that time to just worship and remind myself that God loves me too and he knows everything that I am going through! Hallelujah! This was a night filled with joy, challenges, excitement, crying, laughing, dancing, reverence, and of course God!!! Words can’t really describe what I experienced and saw at Passion, but God is truly here in Japan too!!

Besides Passion, this week has been filled with opportunities to improve myself in areas that I thought I wasn’t very good at.  Talking with people I don’t normally talk to, going up to strangers, speaking in public (still don’t like it :P), etc.  I’m being molded so much that I feel like a different person sometimes. I see the good and the bad sides of me as I am going on my 5^th month here in Japan. I can’t believe its almost June…

I am super tired; I had about 4 hours of sleep total this past weekend so I am just recovering today. Here is something I heard from Louie Giglio during Passion:

“God is BIG, but he is not TOO BIG to know your name.”

So simple, yet at the same time, so beautiful. Thank you God. 

(Mt. Fuji!)

Blessings Amidst Trials

こんにちは！

How is everyone doing? Things here have been busy, but good!

This week was filled with many blessings despite, as some of you might have heard, the visa problem that I have…

This week I didn’t really know what to expect other than the fact that we had a lot of stuff to do.  On Wednesday, I woke up around 5:15 AM to get ready to go to a prayer meeting in Shin-Osaka with a bunch of other pastors from the Osaka area. It was really cool! I actually went 2 years ago to this place with our mission team, but I went again this year too! It was a blessing seeing that there are people doing God’s work here in this city. I was asked to lead our Jesus Soldiers + Tomoko-san in one song in Japanese. We sang “How Great Is Our God.” I picked this song because I wanted to sing about how great he is and that he is even in the midst of us here in Japan.

On Fridays we have our Big Wave event and this week went pretty well I think! There were a lot of people and Justin blessed us with a good message about “Modes of Life”: Success Mode, Jellyfish Mode, and Bible Mode. Good time talking with people, singing songs, and fellowship.

Saturday was Justin and Tomoko’s Wedding Party in Japan (for those who couldn’t make it to the Hawaii Wedding). I was in charge of making their slide show and I was the cameraman. :P It was a lot harder than I thought.. A lot of pressure to take good shots and a lot of running around, but it was really fun! I just hope I took good pictures for them. I will post some on here. I hope that God may continue to bless your marriage and that you will both fall more and more in love with God and with each other! おめでとう！　

(such a cool/fun entry!)

Sunday, service was good; there is always something to learn. Our cell group, Rhino, is going deeper than our usual, just hang out and chill, but now we get to talk about some stuff that we struggle with and just have questions about. I’m glad we are going in this direction. Then after service, Justin and I went to go play Basketball with some Kandai students in a tournament. We still are not that good, but we got close this time! I made a 3-pointer to tie the game and go to overtime, but from there we lost by like 3 or 4 points? Haha, whatevers…it was fun!

Side Note: I am pretty sad that I missed out a chance to see Janice and Sonia perform in LA this past week, but maybe God will cross our paths someday! Check out their performance this past Saturday!