Revival.. It Isn’t for the Lost..

So, we have had a very busy past couple of days. Yesterday was a sports day. For those of you that don’t know me, sports are kind of my thing. At first we got to the park and didn’t really have any plans. Plus, no one really showed up. However, there was a group of about 14 kids running around playing soccer. Eventually, they invited us to join in- Japan vs the USA, except we also had one Japanese guy and an Australian. It was blast, even though we got rocked. So, after finishing soccer we decided to turn the table on sport dominance and teach them ultimate frisbee. We didn’t do Japan vs USA, but it still turned out to be a lot of fun. They picked up the skill set very quickly and seemed to love it. The rest of the day was pretty relaxed until karaoke. Yeah, we were those guys that thought it would be fun. We took one of the missionaries out for his birthday, and he loved it. So did we.

So, today at church, Leena and Hiyato gave the message and talked on revival. This is what we have been praying for Japan since before we even got here. She made a good point, that revival is for people that were alive, but needed to be brought back to life and into more enjoyment in the Lord. Resurrection is for the dead, revival is for the living. It reminded me of the passage that says that Jesus didn’t come to save the non-sick, but the sick. The people here need Jesus- point blank.

So, in all the time we have been here, I’ve seen a lot and met a ton of people. It’s hard right now to write about what I’ve learned because I can’t sit back right now and remember everything. I’ll be able to think more about it later, and really express some of the stories that I have.

Just pray that lives have been changed. The Lord is working on some pretty specific people, and it’s been cool to see. Also, we’re leaving soon so start praying for safe travel.

Sorry this was shorter than usual,
Michael

Let it Go

We thought today was going to be a lot longer than it was. We also thought that this week would go by slowly. However, God continues to show us how wrong we can be and how amazing He is.

We got to sleep in a little bit today. That was nice, seeing as how for the past however many days it seems we have been running (rather, prayer walking) ourselves into the ground. Anyway, enough of that. The first thing we did was head to the Kinkakuji Temple (or, Golden Temple.) My first reaction was simply, “Wow, there are a lot of people here to look at this temple.” Simply observing this led me to believe that it would be difficult to actually get in the zone for prayer walking. I was right. Sure, the temple itself was very pretty (and very golden- even Midas would be proud.) However, it was very touristy. I couldn’t help but think that we were wasting our time. However, God is not one to waste time. The coolest thing that happened here was our chance to help Japanese students with their English. There were many middle and high school students that simply wanted to exchange a few pleasantries and get on with their tour, but it was still cool to be asked, “May I speak English to you?” I mean, how am I supposed to respond. I can’t speak Japanese, so clearly them speaking English to me is a great idea. It was pretty cool.

After we left Kinkakuji, we headed towards another university- Ritsumeikan University. This was another opportunity to head out in pairs and either talk to people or pray over the campus. So, Cory and I headed away from the group and started wandering around the campus. After witnessing some pretty intense (and awesome, yet scary) sword sparring in the gym, we just started making turns around the campus. Somehow, we ended up outside of the campus and at a sign that pointed towards the Toji-in Temple. Naturally, we decided to head that way. We got to experience some things that really are going to be on the proverbial high light reel of my trip. No one else got to see this temple. Sure, we had to pay 500 yen a piece, but this was the first legit, non-touristy temple we had been too. We even had to take our shoes off to walk around. The garden was beautiful. The rooms were very cool. However, we both felt a heaviness there that was so obvious to us, but not to the people that were praying there. This is the first time I had felt that in a temple on this trip. People were putting coins into boxes as they prayed- paying homage to gods that don’t exist in hopes that their prayers be heard. It made me so thankful that I don’t have to pay God to hear me. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” We simply have to call. Nothing else. We prayed over this temple on the way back to the group.

I end today thankful that I belong to a God that cares, and thankful that I finally got to a place on this trip where I felt like I accomplished something. God yearns for the Japanese to let go of their religious traditions and to know that He doesn’t require monetary payment for them to be heard. Heck, He probably yearns for most people to know that also.

Well, we have five days left. This week has flown by. Continue to pray that we finish strong and that God continues to show up during our praise and worship times and bible studies.

Thanks,
Michael

“You say let it go, You say let it go. You say life is waiting for the one to lose control. You say you will be, everything I need. You said if I lose my life it’s then I’ll find my soul.”– Tenth Avenue North

Walking the Line

Today was the day that everything seemingly caught up to us. We are tired. We have very little energy. Our spirits are willing, but are bodies are screaming at us to stop. There are days when we don’t know what we will be doing, and other days where we wonder how we will ever have time to finish everything we have been given. However, we soldier on. My coach once said, “If you want something in life, anything, you have to work for it.” So, we’re working and we’re going.

The first thing we did today was hang out with the Lamb’s club. This is the ministry for mothers and their kids to have fellowship together. Well, we thought this was going to be a lot of fun. Three kids showed up- one cried one hid behind the table, the other came late. Either way, they were like three. The best parts were the mothers. You could see how happy they were just to be there and have fun. There were a lot of mothers, haha. So, we didn’t exactly know what we were supposed to be doing until right before the meeting started. We were told we would be doing a bible story- so, we decided to act out David and Goliath. It was quite hilarious. You can see our version of David stoning Goliath later.

The rest of my day was pretty relaxed. We got to see the Imperial Palace. That was pretty cool, except we only really got to walk around the outside of it. Some of our group went to a Bible study at one of the colleges. Three of us headed back for a cooking lesson from a Japanese lady and her husband. This was interesting for Cory, Megan, and me. We speak no Japanese. They speak no English. They cooked. We watched. Cory and I commentated. The food ended up being quite amazing though.

Anyway, like I said, we’re tired. We still have a week left here, but we know we must press on. Please pray that we have supernatural rest tonight and the following week. Continue to pray for the people of Kyoto (and Japan as a whole.)

Be blessed,
Michael

Matthew 11:28- “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Isaiah 40:28-31- “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired,they will walk and not become weary.”

A Quite Engaging Day

Today was a long day. A really long day, but we got to see a lot.

We started the day off with prayer- which is becoming a norm for us. However, we did it a little differently. We prayed with partners which really helped us vocalize some stuff that needed to be said. We prayed for God to reveal his plan for this city- to break down the idols and strongholds and for the centers of “worship” to become places where his name is praised. I think that part of my heart is worshiping in places where worshiping generally doesn’t happen- such as, schools or shrines. But, it’s hard to do that when we’re going 90 miles an hour every day. Another thing we have been continuing to pray for is the Christians here in Kyoto and that they be encouraged to step out of their comfort zone and really engage the Lord they worship. So much can happen when you step out of the box that God just blows you away.

Our prayer walk for today was at the Heian Shrine. Actually, it was a replica of a shrine, but now it’s really more of a tourist trap. The gardens were beautiful, but I wasn’t feeling much like praying when we got there. I really just wanted to plug my ipod in and do some worship. However, the Lord had bigger and much better plans. Cory and I were walking together, and were taking pictures of one another when we came to some stepping stones leading across the pond. So to preface what happened next, the guys have known all along that at some point in the trip Megan and Jon would get engaged (Jon told us.) We got to these stepping stones, and Cory said, “This would be a good place to get engaged.” So, we both stopped after the stepping stones and went into high creeper mode to wait for Megan and Jon. And wait we did. Megan wanted a picture, and Jon had to go elsewhere to take it. However, he told her to wait on the stepping stone, and eventually he came to her. Mind you, I am still being a creeper at this point (it really pays to have a nice camera and a big lens.) Well, there is a lot more to the story, but eventually he got down on one and knee and popped the big question. She said yes. Our friends are now engaged. Congrats!

So, it may be hard to continue reading after all of that. It was quite happy, but we did more today. So, please bear with me.

Tonight, we went to the International Fellowship meeting at Kyoto University. This was a great opportunity to meet with the college students at the University and really learn what they had to go through on a daily basis as Christians. Also, it was a good time to share our hearts with them. The meeting really gave life to “wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be also.” It is our constant prayer that these guys and girls be encouraged. Whether they are Chinese, Japanese, Hispanic, Australian, American, or whatever… they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We sang Amazing Grace at the beginning. One guy, Jose, hit the nail on the head when he said, “It is awesome that people from all over can get together and sing Amazing Grace. Every one knows what it means.” I agree, wholeheartedly. It is powerful, and it is connecting. It is so binding. I love it.

Anyways, please continue to be praying for our rest. Also, that the Lord continue to “do a work in this nation that we would not understand. Lastly, keep the university Christians in your prayers. They need all the encouragement they can get.

In Christ,
Michael

“the hardship, the fight is what makes things worth it”– Alex Gapud

Lost (and Found) in Translation

So, as of right now, our first Sunday in Japan is not over, but I was sitting and listening to the rain and felt like it was a good time to write. Something about the rain is very inspiring for writing. I have no clue what it is.

Today was a lot different than a normal Sunday in the United States, but so much of it was also the same. We had church. We had youth group. We took a nap. The normal Sunday routine. But, the differences were found in the community that we were in. Our biggest barrier to good communication so far has been the obvious one of language. Even this morning at breakfast we ran into that trouble. Even ordering hot cakes at McDonald’s is beyond difficult to us (this is actually a funny story… I will tell it later if you ask.) It would be easy for us to become frustrated, but we find ourselves more and more willing to laugh at ourselves, and this makes the Japanese people laugh at us. For instance, I have been laughed at in a joking manner for the past two nights because I am horrible at using chopsticks. But, this is okay because I know am horrible at using chopsticks.

Anyway, today we went to our first church service at the church we’re staying at and working with. This was interesting. We obviously don’t know the language, so we were kind of fearing that the pastor would have no translator. However, he did, so we were quite relieved. He talked mainly out of Joel (which is a book you don’t hear out of often) in chapter 2. It was talking about the end of ages and how we are seeing signs of that all around us, and what the other signs will be. But, in verse 32, the prophet says “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” This I find encouraging- not only for us as a human race, but for the Christians of Japan. The Christians here are hard pressed, not because they are openly persecuted but because they have a hard time getting past the tradition that they have made into an idol. But, whoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved. These people will be saved by the Lord. They are being given hope.

And, so are we. We hung out with their youth group tonight. A youth group that two of the youth started on their own. That would never really happen in the United States, in my opinion. That kind of courage is what the people of Japan need. The generation that is going to lead the United States is the same generation that is going to lead Japan. It is the youth, the college students, the high school students that will lead the Christian communities.

Speaking of community, people never leave the church on Sunday it seems. Right after church, almost the entire congregation stayed for lunch. That never happens in what I have known in the American church. I wish it did. How amazing would that be if people wanted to stay around and see each other and talk after church instead of racing to the nearest restaurant so that they could beat the other churches? I like the idea of it…

Anyway, continue to pray that we can encourage these people. And also, that we can find rest.

You guys are awesome,
Michael

Seeing things For Real

Well, we have been here for a few days so far, and we have now beaten the tech-savvy Japanese in gaining internet. This is a very small success, and I hope you can tell I am being a little sarcastic. The past few days have been pretty busy. We have done a lot of prayer walking. To tell you the truth, we have done so much that it would be hard to update you on everything, but because we now have internet, it will be much easier to update the blog every day. Also, the San Francisco airport is very inefficient and it took us a day after we arrived to get our luggage. But, that is a whole other story that will be told another time.

So, as to what we are doing, I will explain. No, that will take too long. I will sum up.

The city of Kyoto is amazing, and it is hard to get past the beauty of it and look at what is behind everything. The people here are so ensnared by their cultured Buddhism or Shinto. It is very similar to what we have in America, especially Georgia, when we say the Bible Belt or Cultured Christianity. People are Buddhist or Shinto because their parents are. For this reason, it is hard for Christians and missionaries to talk to people about Jesus. As outsiders to the country, we see so many things that we see as beautiful simply by the architecture or colors, but these things are either to worship however many gods and to keep out evil spirits. Why not just prayer? Why not just turn to the Lord? It is not easy.

Today, we went to the Gion portion of town. This is where the traditional geishas live. Geishas are girls that are more or less used as entertainment. In Japan, as in many other parts of the world, women are not given as high a priority as a man. It is sad to hear stories of women being beaten by boyfriends or husbands. We were told very early on that Japanese women will look at foreign men (especially Americans) to treat them differently and show them love. Thus, it is hard for many Christians to find the appropriate boundary lines. In the Gion area, is the Yasaka Shrine. It was beautiful, but it was so hard to see it for what it was. This isn’t an area where people worship the Lord. This is a place where people ring a bell after praying in hopes that their gods will see them and hear them. Wow, how sad?

We did a worship event tonight at the church called Rodem House Ministry. For a majority of the team this was the first time that we really felt like we accomplished something. We made relationships. We really started doing what we came to do. Even though we don’t speak the same native language as the people we can still worship with them. This city doesn’t hear worship as often as we know it in the States, so times like tonight are touching. There was a Muslim man and his wife there tonight who said that they are coming back to this church because tonight their hearts were touched. Wow, God is good.

Anyway, this is about all I can remember for now, but now that we have internet I can update this blog more often. I do have some prayer requests for you though.

1) Pray that the churches in this city become bold. It is hard for people that are considered different to go up to their peers and talk about something so obscure in this culture as Christianity. Sounds familiar, right?

2) Pray that strongholds be broken down. God is the one true God in every city, but there are certain things here that need to be taken down so that God will be known. Deuteronomy 11 says that Israel was called “a land that God cared for.” We absolutely want this for Japan.

3) Pray for rest for our team. We are still semi-recovering from jet lag. Also, we are more or less sleeping on floors, so that is difficult.

Well, this got pretty long. Guys and girls, thank you so much. Please keep us, as well as our other mission teams, in your prayers.

God bless,
Michael

Hello Nyquil, Goodbye United States

If any of you are concerned about this post’s title, I’ll explain eventually.  Or try to anyway.

In less than 36 hours a team of six college students will be heading out of the loving, peaceful confines of home and into a completely different culture.  We’re done with finals.  We’re in our summer.  We’re saying goodbye to the United States for sixteen days.  We’re saying hello to Japan. We’re saying hello to what God has in store for the city of Kyoto.

Personally, I love travel.  I can’t wait to be in Japan.  I’m excited to see what God has in store not only for the people that we will be in contact with, but also what God has in store for us.  A mission trip reaches other people, yes.  But, at the same time it has an impact on every one involved.

So, what are we doing in Kyoto, Japan for sixteen days?

Well, we’ll be working with a church (and, as of right now, I can’t remember the name of it.)  As a whole, Christianity in Japan is at less than one percent.  Thus, it is hard for churches to really gain a foothold in their communities.  We are going to try to encourage the church we are working with. We’re going to say, “Hey, it’s tough, but God is still working and you have to keep going.”  Though it may be another country, these are still our brothers and sisters.

So, the biggest thing that we are doing in Kyoto is building relationships with college students.  As a college student, I do believe that I can say that college students are pretty stubborn.  Also, it is hard to talk about God to them.  However, our team believes that this is who needs it the most.  The college students in Japan are ready to have an impact in their country, but not only in the job realm.  If the best and brightest are coming to the Lord, and really, truly following the Lord then imagine the impact that will have on a country.  Now, don’t read that last sentence as me saying that the Lord does not use everyone- because He does.  I believe that college students- people that are about to head out of the comforts of school life and into the world- are ready to have a huge impact in Japan.  We’re going to build relationships with them, to encourage them, and to show them Jesus.

Needless to say, we are extremely excited.  It is the first trip that the University of Georgia’s Wesley Foundation has ever taken to Japan.  We are breaking new ground.

Thus, we are asking for your prayers.  We are just college students that love the Lord.  Please, be praying for us over the next sixteen days.  Pray that we are there for the right reasons and that we are focused on the Lord.  Pray for the people of Japan that we will be encountering- that, regardless of cultural boundaries we will be able to connect and show the love of Jesus to them.

Pray that we have safe travel.  We fly out bright and early Monday morning.  We will be on the plane for close to 23 hours.  We’ll be traveling for just a bit longer than that.  Pray that we sleep well (with or without the use of Nyquil and other sleep aides.)

On a personal level, please be praying for me. Pray that I have energy when I get back, and that the transition from Japan to home will be quick and easy. Getting back on the 27th means I won’t be home until about 2:30 AM the 28th which in turn means, I won’t be sleeping much because I will start my job the next morning at around 8 AM. Thus, it will be rough.

Thank you guys for reading this.  I will continue to try to update it.  Also, another person on the team is keeping a blog. You can find it here–> japanmissiontrip.blogspot.com

Anyway, we’re excited. The Lord is going to do awesome things. Please keep praying.

“Listen to me, you islands;hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name.”- Isaiah 49:1