Morning Devotions

I had the best morning devotions the other day. I was walking this main road and praying for the Lord to find me a nice spot to sit and read. Maybe a bench of some sort. I came across this awesome "fort" like structure that looked abandoned. I climbed up it, sat, read from Isaiah.


On the way back, I met a man who was sitting on the sidewalk and smoking a cigarette. He asked me how old I thought he was. I said I didn't know. I asked him if he lived in the neighborhood and he said he lives in the apartment building behind him. I told him if he's ever free on a Sunday, to come meet some nice people at our church just down the street. He said he'll think about it.
It was a good morning :)

Sunday services in September

CCBC Okinawa students get to serve at five Calvary Chapels on the island during the semester. We get a lot of ministry experience, travel around the island, and really learn what it means to serve God "with all your heart" (1 Samuel 12:24). A team of two or three serves at a Calvary and rotates every month. My team this September split our Sundays to serve at two churches - Calvary Chapel Nago and Paradise Chapel. These are both Japanese Calvaries, meaning all services are in Japanese.

At Calvary Chapel Nago, we held a Sunday English study night with seven students. It was a lot of fun playing games and talking with the students. Pastor Tim and wife Ayu gave a short gospel message at the end, using Genesis 3. This brought back my memory of reading the Gideon Bible in a hotel room as a child. I remember reading Genesis 1-2 but never getting to chapter 3. Chapter 3 really is the chapter that saves souls.

I was also very blessed to serve at Paradise Chapel in Naha City. We were able to do a short English class for some natives right before service started. We were then able to invite those that stayed, for church. Pastor Kazuto led the congregation in a special bilingual worship for us. His wife Michiko and church member Mei-Lee were so loving and considerate. They held a lunch after service on our second Sunday there and blessed us with plate after plate of chijimi!

God also gave me the opportunity to share my testimony to the congregation... in Japanese! It was a great experience, both in preparing and in presenting it. It always amazes me how the Lord uses us to do things for the present purpose, but in reality, His plans are so much greater. Because I prepared this message in depth, I was able to share the gospel to two Japanese women a week later at a street witnessing night!

Memorial Peace Park

Every monday is cultural day at CCBC. A group of students and staff went to the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum this week, located on the southern tip of the island. The memorial is in respect to the people who died in the Battle of Okinawa during WWII. An estimated 200,000 people, including more than 100,000 civilians and 12,500 Americans were killed in the battle. A very sobering place, we spent time at the park and museum. The park itself has small monuments that represent all of Japan's 46 prefectures. It also has the "Cornerstone of peace," a collection of large stone plates with the names of all fallen soldiers and civilians.
The museum itself has a lot of photos and videos from the war. I totally took advantage of the free English audio service they give you when you enter. Overall, it was educational and beautifully done, much like the Hiroshima bombing memorial in Hiroshima. I always love the conceptual thinking behind Japanese architecture and design. You definitely don't leave the place happy. But it made me think of Isaiah 26 - the prophet's vision of the Messiah coming back and reigning over Israel. God's promise is a place that's never going to be destroyed because it's a godly city, and it will stand and be a place of peace. A life in Christ on this earth is a life that's able to withstand any trial or war we will ever face because we're assured that there's more to it than this."You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You" (Is. 26:3).

Karaoke

The weather is as hot as ever! After a week of classes, many of us all went to karaoke last Saturday. I've been a few times in life, but it's not on my top favorite things to do. I never understood the fascination with singing cover songs in dimly lit rooms, to all hours of the night. This time, however, I found it to be a great bonding experience with the CCBC Okinawa family. We had a blessed time!

First 10 Days in Japan

Hello from hot and humid Japan! I finally made it to Okinawa and it's been an awesome week and a half so far. I arrived on Monday in Osaka (in mainland Japan) and spent time with relatives and a friend for the first four days. My friend lives in Gifu, so we went for a little sightseeing in Nagoya last Wednesday. This is me in front of Nagoya Castle.



The four days were perfect because I was able to visit people I hadn't seen in years, adjust to being in a foreign country, and get over my jet-lag!

On Friday, I left mainland and headed to Okinawa. Upon getting off the plane, I noticed a LOT of Japanese people with towels, beach clothes, and picnic baskets. Apparently, Okinawa is a popular place for Japanese people to go on vacation, or just to get away for the weekend. It's known to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world but foreigners rarely visit because they don't seen to know about it. However, Okinawa has tons of American military families stationed all over the island, so it's a pretty diverse place.

Pastor Tom Ruiz, director of CCBC Okinawa, picked me up and we headed to the campus. There are 5 new students to Okinawa this semester, including myself, and many more returning students. The ratio of Japanese and foreign students is pretty even. One of my prayers this semester is being able to experience Japan from a Christian perspective (how to pray and minister, Christian vocabulary, the church life in Japan) but God has amplified that prayer into allowing me to, first off, relearn the entire Japanese language! I grew up speaking and living in a Japanese family but everything outside of that was American. You can only go so far when you're not fully immersed in the culture. However, as broken as my Japanese is, it's been a blessing to be able to speak with the Japanese students in their native tongue but still be able to talk with the English speaking students. Here's a picture of CCBC Ginowan, the hub of Bible College life. We eat, study, and hold services in this building. The Bible College classes are also here, as well as other midweek ministries the church does (such as teaching English to high school students and having fellowship nights).

So far, it seems like its going to be an awesome semester. My classes are great and the students here are all amazing and welcoming, as well as the CC Ginowan family. This fall, I'll be serving at three Calvary Chapels on the island, as well as serving in the coffeeshop at the Bible College on Wednesday nights. In the coming months, we'll be going to Korea to serve at a Calvary Chapel and then flying to northern Japan to help with the tsunami/earthquake relief effort. I'm excited to be able to serve the Lord in Japan and really, truly, literally be an ambassador for Him (as in out of the country, the comforts of home, and the familiarities of life). few people get this opportunity, so I'm so blessed to be here.