Prayer

Dear Lord,

Please always let me see In everything befalling me, A spark of light that I may know That through it all You will it so.

May every silent pain I bear Become for me a golden stair, That rises high above the woe Our human hearts were meant to know.

May every little heartache felt, Each disappointment roughly dealt, Uplift my soul that I may be A fire that brightly burns for Thee.

And through life's waters dark and deep, May Thy blessed presence keep Afloat the boat in which I ride Until I reach the other side.

For I am but a timid soul In need of Thy dear hand to hold, Ever trusting Thee to lend The strength on which I can depend.

Amid the trials Thou has sent, However plaintive my lament, I know my tears and sighs and groans, Are only little stepping stones.

(poem by Grace E. Easley)

What Has God Done?

“God?!” he shouted indignantly, “What has He ever done for me?”

Slamming the door, racing down the stairs, and grabbing his bike, he took off for his friend's house. I watched in quiet sorrow. His words stabbed straight to my heart; they have lingered in my mind. They're the words spoken by a 19 year-old Japanese Christian who feels like he's “all alone” in his distress, discouragement, and disillusionment.

So, what HAS God done? What has He done for each one of us?

'When I think about the Lord -- How He saved me, How He raised me, How He filled me with the Holy Ghost, How He healed me to the utter most. When I think about the Lord -- How He picked me up and turned me around, How He placed my feet on solid ground... It makes me wanna shout, "Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus! Lord, You're worthy of all the glory, all the honor, all the praise!”'

That's what He's done – And that's the response each of us should have.

It's easy to become weighted down in discouragement, though – and that's why 1 Kings 19 is one of my all-time favorite Bible passages. Elijah was discouraged – he even wanted to die! But God helped him overcome his discouragement by helping him to 1.) catch a glimpse of Who God is, 2.) hear the task God had for Him to do, and then 3.) go out and follow God's leading.

It's the same for us. If we are feeling discouraged, it's because we have lost sight of how great our God is – we're focusing on striving to do things in our own strength. But if we continue to catch a glimpse of Who God is, continue to seek His leading, and continue to trust and obey Him, then He will help us overcome all our discouragement.

Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus!

One step at a time...

Rachel <><

True Love

What does it mean to truly love someone? I keep asking myself that question. Working with Sophia has proved to be quite a challenging blessing. While I want to do everything in my power to see her succeed, I have also been having to re-evaluate what success truly means. Is it in Sophia's best interest to hold her hand through every challenge and never let her experience downfalls? Is that truly loving her? I've been realizing more and more each day what true love entails.

--True love means putting aside my own thoughts and desires to care for someone else.

--True love means staying up late and getting up early, even when I'm exhausted, to pour my time and energy into someone.

--True love means giving everything I have for someone else's benefit, even if I never get anything in return.

--True love means confronting someone when they're in the wrong to help them find the best way, even if they don't always appreciate it.

--True love means distancing myself from someone and letting them find their own way, even when it hurts.

And that's the kind of love that God has been teaching me to have – towards Sophia, my homestay hosts, and others I come into contact with each day. True love is sacrificial; true love is HARD; true love comes only from God.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:7-12).

Please pray that God's love would overflow from my heart and be apparent to everyone I come into contact with.

One step at a time...

Rachel <><

One Month!!!

I'm one month into my stay here in Japan! Already I've experienced so many things – the generous hospitality and servant's attitude of the Japanese people, the threat of Swine Flu, the contrast of smoggy Shibuya & Shinjuku with the tree-laden “rural” town of Motokaji, the cultural pressures, the discouragement and fear associated with sharing your faith, and the reality of loneliness in the midst of thousands of people.

But I think the greatest discovery God has given me during the one month I've had in Japan so far is this small but monumental fact:

I've been paralyzed.

It's a deep, dark spiritual paralyzation that has stealthily crept over me: silencing my praise to God, blotting out my witness, and suffocating my joy. Quietly. Almost unnoticed. It just happened. (NO, I ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN.) But praise God that He has put people in my life who pointed it out to me and that He has kept my heart sensitive enough to Him that the problem has been pin-pointed: I lost sight of God.

In this religiously apathetic culture, I have been depending on myself to keep my fire going. All too soon I lose my zeal, forget to look to God, lose sight of His majesty, and then fail to give Him the glory He deserves. Most people would look at my life and think, “No, you're serving God so much – it's great!” But honestly, I have the same fears, the same doubts, and the same sins as anyone – and that keeps me from serving God to my greatest potential.

“You are holy, great, and mighty! The moon and the stars declare Who You are. I'm so unworthy, but still You love me. Forever my heart will sing of how great You are” (“Cannons” by Phil Wickham).

That's my desire: to sing of the greatness of God forever! But even when I fail to praise God, creation continues to praise Him. To me, that shows even more how unworthy I am of God's love – and it makes me think how it must break God's heart when I become spiritually paralyzed and don't praise Him!

I don't want to be paralyzed any longer; I don't want to get caught up in the things of this world and lose sight of God's plan. I don't want to place anything or anyone (including myself) above my relationship with God.

I give up my own desires, and I give myself fully to God's master plan as I learn to trust Him...

...One step at a time.

Rachel <><

The Difference is Jesus

1 Corinthians 9:16b-17 – “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.”

I knew what I had to do...

“But he doesn't speak English,” I reasoned, “He won't be able to understand me anyway.”

I knew it wasn't a good excuse.

“Well, at any rate, I'm his guest and so much younger than him; I have no right to preach to him – I might offend him,” I continued, “That might turn him off to the gospel even more – and we can't have that, now can we?”

I still hadn't sold myself.

A battle raged in my mind. I tried to fight any emotion, but alas tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about the kind, elderly man who had been hosting me in his home.

“He is going to hell, and you are more worried about yourself than him,” I chided myself.

I ran into the bathroom, latched the door, turned slowly to examine myself in the mirror, and watched as streams of tears flowed down my cheeks. Splash! They plopped into the sink. My breath came in gasps as I choked on that thought. How could I be so selfish?! Finally, I prayed, “Lord, I surrender to You! I'll do whatever You ask me to do – but help me! It's too much for me; I'm overwhelmed!”

My heart was heavy as I walked into the dining room at 6:00pm. “Hai, doozo,” he motioned for me to take a seat at the table. I sat. I don't remember what we ate – it could have been chalk for all I knew. In my mind, the battle continued.

My heart pounding, I prayed for courage. “I don't know what to say, Lord,” I choked, “But I'll dive in and open my mouth – please fill it with Your words!”

“Shimamura-San?” I blurted out. There, I had taken the leap. He looked up, surprised. Then I continued, “What do you believe?”

“How stupid!” I thought to myself, “He doesn't know English...”

To my surprise, he answered. In English. Not only did he understand what I told him, he answered in English. We talked for half an hour – about God, about creation, about Jesus, about absolutes, and about other religions. I shared the gospel as clearly as I could, but after listening politely, Shimamura-san told me what he thought.

“Jesus was a good person, but He was not God,” he stated, “There is no difference between Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.”

“The difference is Jesus,” I told him emphatically, “All those other religions rely on working your way to God – doing enough good things to reach God. But that's impossible. So, that's why Jesus came – to make it so that we can have a friendship with God again.”

Firmly, he set down his glass. “It's over,” he informed me.

Stunned, I looked at Kyoko-san. “He no want talk anymore,” she said, “Very sad for me.”

Pushing back his chair, Shimamura-san stood stoically and walked out of the room. I didn't see him the rest of the night.

Kyoko and I talked about it a little after he left. And I prayed. What was he thinking? Would he remain hardened forever? Had that gotten through to him at all? I was relieved to think that it's not my responsibility to save souls – I can leave that up to God! But I was obedient in doing what God asked me to do... and I can only pray that Shimamura-san was taken one step closer to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, even as He travels along his pathway...

...One step at a time...

Rachel <><

Sayama Kyokai

In 1947, Douglas MacArthur said, “Japan is a spiritual vacuum. If you do not fill it with Christianity, it will be filled with Communism. Send me 1,000 missionaries." He asked U.S. missionary societies to send "Bibles, Bibles, and more Bibles.”

Both my mom's grandparents and my dad's parents heard MacArthur's plea for missionaries to Japan's impoverished land and responded through the love of Christ. In the fall of 1950, my dad's parents arrived in Japan by ship. As she stepped onto the pier in Yokohama Bay, my grandmother said, “I feel like I have just come home. This is where God wants us to live.” For their first year in Japan, my grandparents learned Japanese, did street preaching, and taught at the Tokyo Bible Seminary.

However, in 1952, God opened the door for my grandparents to found the Sayama Church of Christ.

This Sunday, I went to visit it! Now, Sayama Kyokai is a well-established, thriving church that supports its own Japanese pastor and his family.

Pastor Takeshi Aida.

Pastor Aida & his wife Donna with the youngest of their three sons.

English Class

Me? Being a teacher? Well, that's a scary thought... but it's true.

I began teaching a beginners' English class today to seven 9-10 year old Japanese girls. My cousin, Serene, helped me a lot by translating, as the girls don't speak very much English, and I don't understand Japanese. We had a blast!

Since it was the first day of class, we had introductions; I told the girls about myself, and then I learned as much as I could about each of them. I had each of the girls write their name on a piece of paper, and then write/draw some of their favorite things in each of the four corners. It worked out pleasantly.

We sang the song "Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes" and then used those vocab words to play "Simon Says." The hour-long class went by far too quickly, which was a good thing.

The purpose of this class is twofold: to reach out to the girls, and to minister to the mothers. Three mothers actually stayed to visit with Aunt Junko during today's class! One of the ladies was even interested in attending the international church on Sunday! Almost unbelievable... but I know that that's God working, right there! How neat that I get to be a small part of it!

One step at a time...

Rachel <><

Outsider

Early morning at Kotesashi Train Station. I meet Sophia, and we catch the Commuter Semi-Express train bound for Ikebukuro. Thousands of other people are commuting to work and school as well. Everyone has such a dismal, miserable, worried, hopeless yet blank expression on their face. Each expression is the same.

I glance around the crowded train, taking in the atmosphere. No one talks. No one looks around. No one laughs (heaven forbid). Only the clickity-clack of the train can be heard above the nasal tone of the intercom.

Nishi-Tokorozawa.

Tokorozawa.

Akitsu.

Kiyose.

Higashi-Kurume – it's our stop.

As I hurry through the throngs of people, someone's reflection in the glass of a shop catches my eye ...

...It's me...

Taller than most of the people, wearing “American” clothes, and confidently striding along with my head held high and eyes scanning the scenery around me, I stick out like a sore thumb.

“Obviously a foreigner,” Kyoko-san (my hostess) tells me.

There's a famous Japanese saying that goes like this:

出る杭は打たれる。

Deru kui wa utareru.

Literally: The stake that sticks out gets hammered down.

Nothing and no one should stick out or be different. Everything has its place. There's an order to everything that needs to be followed without exception.

But not me. I don't stick to the rules, and despite my best efforts, I never fully will be able to – I don't even KNOW the rules! It hit me today – I'll always be an outsider. It reminded me of Philippians 2:14-15, which says I'm to “shine like a light in the darkness.”

For the time being, God has placed me in Japan. I'm here for a purpose – to stick out. As an outsider, I am excused from the expectations that are placed on the rest of society. Japanese can let down some of the walls & barriers in their lives and share deeply & honestly with me from their heart. I have been given such a privilege! And so, I push forward.

One step at a time...

Rachel <><

Only You.

To keep Your lovely face

Ever before my eyes,

This is my prayer.

Make it my strong desire

That in my secret heart

No other love competes,

No rival throne survives,

And I serve only You.

One step at a time... Rachel <><

Lead By Example

God calls each of us to be leaders – and we are to lead by example. It's a struggle, but we have to remember that people are watching us, even when we don’t realize it! I've been reminded of that over and over this past week, as I'm working with 32 fourth grade students. They watch my EVERY move! I've been shocked as so often they bring up things they've heard me say or seen me do – and it reminds me to strive to live above reproach in every area of my life. (The following pictures are of some of the 4th grade students) Some specific areas of concentration: PURITY (God calls me to be pure and holy. I demonstrate my love for God by living in a pure way – my thought life, the TV/internet/movies I watch, the music I listen to, what I wear, the way I treat others, the language I use… etc.) “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." --1 Peter 1:13-16. LANGUAGE (Does every word that comes out of my mouth glorify God and edify others?) “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” --Ephesians 4:29. RESPECT for others (I need to watch myself closely – look for “little” things that show my disrespect: like rolling my eyes, squinching my nose, sighing in impatience, etc. The students pick up on every little thing...!) THANKFULNESS (I need to be sure to always display a grateful heart – this could be through a simple, spoken “thank you” or expressed in a card/email. Also, encouraging Sophia and the other students to display thankfulness.) Guy-Girl RELATIONSHIPS (Probably one of the most important, and hardest, areas to live out. But I must live in absolute purity and above reproach in this area. I will ask God to give me wisdom and seek the counsel of godly mentors, especially my parents.) WALK THE TALK (Spend time DAILY in prayer and Bible study. When life gets hectic and I feel like I don’t have time or energy to invest in my relationship with God, that’s when I need Him the most – make Him a priority. I can't only make my relationship with God a priority, I need to make it my EVERYTHING.) Prayer: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” -- Colossians 4:2. Bible: “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.” --Proverbs 4:7. And so, in His grace and love, God keeps teaching me... He has given me a position of leadership over all these fourth grade children and the high schoolers at HiBA – what an incredible chance to model all-out, single-hearted faith and trust in God by living in line with Him! I'm praying that God will help me to lead them by my example. One step at a time... Rachel <><

Mind Over Matter

I'll admit it: I love food! But sometimes eating can be quite a chore. The past few meals have been no exception... My hosts are quite generous people. They are always thinking of the best, most exotic foods to feed me. How kind! :-) It started with ikura (SALMON EGGS). They looked okay, and as everyone was expectantly watching me, I grabbed my chopsticks and plunged them into the sticky red eggs... but instead of getting just a few eggs, they came off in a glob. No turning back, though – so, I shoved them into my mouth and tried to clear all expression from my face as a squishy fluid of some sort popped out. Crunchy. Salty. Interesting... Then there was the sushi restaurant... It was like Sushi Boat: the sushi came around on little plates on a conveyor belt. I started out safe with tamago (egg) and inari. When I felt a little more courageous, I tried ika (SQUID). It came thinly cut on some rice. Harmless, right? ha. Underneath was a nice layer of WASABI. Oh it burned! Then there was the nato sushi... NATO is fermented beans... slimy and smelly... enough said. But I didn't gag! Thank You, Jesus! Back at my home stay, everything is slathered with Japanese mayo – scallops, bamboo shoots, and even pumpkin. I'm actually learning to appreciate how the mayonnaise drowns out all other tastes. But I think it would be better if they wouldn't give me such humongous portions! But God has been good to help me keep it all down! It's all mind over matter anyway, right? One step at a time... Rachel <><

HiBA Kickoff!

For me, there's nothing more exciting, energizing, and encouraging than meeting together for worship and fellowship with other believers. Something about it just gets me every time. Maybe it's the fact that we are all worshiping the same God with the same mind and the same passion. Or maybe it's the fact that it brings God praise and pleasure. At any rate, I love it! Last night's (Wed.) HiBA was no different.

Who wouldn't just LOVE to go to youth group?! It was one of the highlights of my week back home, and I figure that if people here give it a try, they'll like it too. So, I've been busy trying to invite everyone I meet to HiBA.

As it turned out, about 20 high schoolers showed up to this week's HiBA – a great turn out for Japan (normal attendance is 10-15)! The schedule is similar to that back home: Ice Breaker (this week, we played “Four on a Couch”), Small Groups, Worship, Message, Refreshments. I loved meeting everyone!!! The four senior girls in my small group are really nice and striving to dig deep. I felt such connections with people and enjoyed good conversations about high school and growing deeper in our relationships with Christ.

Paul Suzuki's message hit home for me. As it is the start of a new school year, he talked about ways to stay the course in order to finish well. Trust. Obedience. Humility. It came down to those same three things... Walking the road of single-hearted, single-minded passion and devotion to God leads to all-out faith and trust in God. I don't want to cruise along in my spiritual walk – that only leads to blindness towards my pride, self-reliance, etc... I now am determined to wholeheartedly pursue God and then trust that, in the end, it is He who will find me.

One step at a time... Rachel <><

God is Going to do Something!

That is the overwhelming thought that keeps coming to mind when I pray... Japan has been resistant to the gospel. Even with its 127 million people, Japan has less than 600,000 protestant believers; it is one of the least evangelized countries in the world. Churches are small and often isolated. Furthermore, the number of missionaries and resources available in Japan is shrinking. (ICCS, where I've attended the past two Sundays.) People are asking, “Why should we continue to exhaust human and financial resources in a place where the gospel has been rejected when we can use those same resources where people will readily accept the gospel?” It is a valid question. Yet the missionaries have not lost hope – God has not given up on the Japanese people or abandoned the believers here. I am expectant that the Holy Spirit is preparing the way for God's great work in Japan. The unknown is “when?” and “how?” When? I don't know the answer for sure, but perhaps the answer is NOW. How? Well, God works in ways we least expect. Perhaps the answer is closer than we realize. Is it possible that the Japanese will realize their spiritual desperation as they face the swine flu epidemic? Swine Flu. This past week, 150,000 new cases of swine flu were reported in Japan alone. It is uncontrollable. I've heard that by the end of September/early October, 750,000 Japanese will become infected with this virus EACH DAY. I've been meeting people who have had swine flu, and Saitama (where I'm living) has the second most number of cases in the country... 1/5 of the population is expected to contract the virus. Yes, there's a good chance I'll get it, too... Yet what can I do about it? “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matt. 6:27) It's completely out of anyone's control, including the Japanese. Is God, in His grace and mercy, using the swine flu as a catalyst to reveal their need for Him? Japanese society today does not see their need for God; they think they are self-sufficient. Please pray that God will open the eyes of the Japanese people, humble them, and draw them into a personal and living relationship with Him! Please pray that I will make the most of every opportunity to share the reason for the hope and peace God has given me. God is going to do something! ...And He allows us the privilege of joining Him! One step at a time… Rachel <><

B.U.S.Y.

I believe that every person is a leader. You are an example to someone, no matter where you are in life. People are watching you. Live your life in such a way to encourage others to follow Christ. Becoming a godly leader requires a conscious, prayerful effort to dig deep, challenge yourself, and allow God to grow you. But sometimes things get in the way. The following are four ways in which I'm striving to follow God and become a stronger leader:

1. DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DISTRACTED FROM YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL: TO GLORIFY CHRIST.

--A hectic schedule, lack of sleep, lack of prioritizing – these all lead to distraction. INSTEAD: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” --Philippians 4:13. I need to confront those distractions so that I can be effective in my witness for Christ.

2. DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME TOO "BUSY" TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH GOD.

B eing

U nder

S atan’s

Y oke

--All too often, Satan uses my busyness and hectic schedule (even when I'm doing things to serve God) to keep me from spending my quality time with God. INSTEAD: At 6 AM every morning, I am waking up early to make my quiet time with God a priority. He needs to be my focus. He needs to be my source of strength. Otherwise, Satan will get a foothold.

3. DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME DISCOURAGED OR TO GIVE UP.

--Satan wants me to feel discouraged. When I don't see progress in class with Sophia, when people are hardened to talking about spiritual things with me and would rather be apathetic, when things aren't going the way I think would be best – it's easy for me to feel discouragement. INSTEAD: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” --Galatians 6:9. God's will is perfect. It's my job to trust Him and continue to follow and obey His leading.

4. DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME PROUD.

--Pride gets in the way of my relationship with God and my witness to others. I need God to help me truly understand that all things come from Him and through Him. I am not self-sufficient. INSTEAD: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall.” –1 Corinthians 10:12. I need to practice coming before God in deliberate humility.

Leadership is something I'm still learning SO much about. Please pray for me – that God will continue to grow me, especially in these areas.

One step at a time...

Rachel <><