Thursday, June 12, 2008

The 'Busy' Week

Well, after our first week, which was already intense by most standards, we’ve started what the Ghents are calling our ‘busy week’. We finished off by hosting a Canada Harvest Day where we cooked for about 80 people some of our own home-grown recipes. All of us were cooking from 9 am to 4pm to prepare ham, broccoli slaw, twice-baked potatoes, and butter tarts. (It was the last day before I did my laundry so all I had was a nice dress shirt to wear. Needless to say, I felt like one of those television cooks running around.) This week is mostly ministering to pre-school kids and their teachers, in the hope to reach out to families and inspire the younger generations. A couple days ago, we were doing a concert up at an elementary school with over 400 kids (imagine the influence for the sake of the Kingdom!!). After each encounter, we’re given a chance to greet the kids and ‘cause some havoc’ as Martin Ghent would describe it. Many handshakes have been given, hi-fives exchanged and kids hoisted and carried around in the hopes that they would see Christ through us. On a side note, it’s an interesting experience to have children rush you for your autograph… no, we’re NOT rock stars, that’s not why we’re here.
It has been inspiring and encouraging to hear from all of you back home and know that you are uplifting us in your thoughts and prayers. You are joining with all the missionaries, parents, and volunteers here that have been interceding for us before we arrived and since we’ve been here. We have just come off a stretch of heading up concerts in seven preschools in the last two days and there is plenty in front of us to do. Our last week holds another Canada event/concert tomorrow, an overnight youth sleepover at the church tonight, a larger concert and BBQ on Sunday at the new church site, and a four day OMF conference to end off our last bit of our trip.
Here in Japan, there is much freedom to express the gospel message and proclaim Christ, literally to the nations. People will probably listen, but may not accept. The songs we sing are mainly in English and we’re able to sing them in schools that are even strongly opposed to any Christian influence. Most of the kids would not comprehend our language, but we trust that they will see our passion and joy in what we’re doing and as a result, see Christ through us. For all of us, we are doing our best to remember that each new day brings opportunities to witness before new groups of kids in a way in which they will know that they are seeing something real and true and that there is a God who cares for them. May the tenth time we sing a song or dance a routine be as full-hearted and committed as the first.
In getting to know and minister to the Ghents, the team has learned not only a lot about what goes on in church planting in this part of Japan, but also the darker side that is rotting away the underbelly of this culture. There is a lot of hurt and pain in the people here, though most would not admit to it or would rather turn a blind eye. Some people are gripped by their Buddhist or Shinto animistic beliefs, praying and worshipping to everything under the sun, to the sun itself. The large mountain that looms over this entire area is considered to be one of their greater gods. In talking with the Ghents, it is evident that many are coming to the church looking for a sense of refuge, protection, or escape, rather than spiritual curiosity or longing. Some are drawn in by the services, by the promise of learning English, ballet, parenting classes and youth programs and as a result families start to attend. It’s heart-breaking to hear stories of abused families, teachers impregnating students and children being raised more by themselves than their parents. It becomes that much more important for the message we’re sharing; and of the work that the Lord is doing through us, even if it is just witnessing to hundreds of kids by a simple song to let them see some joy and hope.
Pray for strength, health, spiritual formation, team harmony, and a continual focus on the ministry God has called us to. Please also pray for the events and everyone God will lead to them. Look for more personal blog blurbs soon!

Sayonara,
Jon

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Personal Blogs #1

Jono’s Blog Blurb
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I still love being here; every day has something new and exciting to experience and do. Today we went to visit a 400 year old Shinto shrine at the bottom of Mount Iwaki; it was really beautiful and very educational. On our way out we stopped to talk to the head priest of the shrine,. He was the kind of person with a perpetual smile on his face and a joyful glint in his eye and a tricky sense of humour. We ended up chatting with him for half an hour about whales and living in harmony with nature and all the other things you would expect a Japanese Shinto Priest to talk about. When he found out we were a music team from Canada he asked us to sing him a song. So we sang “Nothing but the blood” for him and Martin explained the words of the song to him. We should probably pray for him. For lunch we went to the beach and ate raw Sea Urchin, freshly barbequed squid and some kind of snail. Every meal that we’ve eaten here in Japan has been more delicious than the last.

I’m very happy to be here in Japan – the country is beautiful, the people are beautiful, and God is beautiful. It’s exactly the kind of change that my tired self has needed for a while now. I’m feeling much better about things since I’ve been here and figuring out a lot about what I want to do with my future. I’m fairly sure that I’m going to end up coming back to Japan for a longer period of time after I graduate. There are a lot more things I want to explore here. We’re just in a small rural (Well, if half a million people is considered small and rural) province of Japan and there are so many things to learn that you could spend your lifetime in just this one area and still learn new things. It’s really cool.

As for prayer requests… You can obviously pray for Japan which is one of the most secular nations in the world and which is having a lot of internal struggles. Pray, like the Shinto priest, for world peace; peace between people and themselves, and between people and nature. Pray for the team, that we will continue to be excited as we have to visit 7 schools in three days; we are going to need a supernatural amount of energy. And pray that we can live in the present and not be distracted by the future or the past.

Jess' Blog Blurb
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I think one of the most important lessons I've learned while being here is that as a result of the nature of work that is done here I've learned how to praise God for the little things. Because it takes on average about 10-12 years for a person to become a baptized believer even being able to start a simple conversation goes a long way in planting the seed. By doing all these concerts, the Ghents are able to meet people and invite them out to the various ministries that they do; whether it is English class, parenting class, cooking class or even Bible study. By seeing the excitement on the faces of Ruth and Martin in meeting someone new I have seen tangible ways in which God can be praised, even if by everyone else's standards it seems insignificant. I hope that I will be able to carry this new mindset home with me so that I can be truly thankful for everything that God blesses us with.

Friday, June 6, 2008

What we see....

Here are some pictures to enjoy:


Joanna and Abby with butter tarts

Colin and Jono making broccoli salad


Pre-schoolers doing 'Deep & Wide'

Beat, the Ghents, Jono, Abby, and Jon overlooking Tsugaru region

Colin and Jessica demonstrating hockey

Ruth and a teacher from a Jr. High school


The Ghents and Armin at the chapel

Teachers and students from concert

Jon and Jessica with children from the concert

Concert

Leading worship on Sunday morning

Joanna and Emily

Jon and Hironami

Colin and Abby at a japanese restaurant

Blogging away...

Thursday, June 5, 2008

The First Week

We’ve hit the Aomori soil running and God has used us in many great ways. The days have been filled with preparation, practice, traveling, and performing. During this first week, we’ve had the opportunity to minister in church services and schools to parents, teachers, and of course, students.
On Sundays, our responsibilities are at Tsugaru church, mainly teaching English and leading worship in service. After service last weekend, we traveled up to the Kanagi township, put on a concert at a community hall and then led worship at a small church plant. In that region we’ve been working with Armin Messer and his family; German missionaries with OMF. Yesterday, they organized a short assembly at a preschool where we got to interact with and play worship music for hundreds of kids. Their hope is that these concerts will be able to connect families with the church and the programs they run.
Last Tuesday, the team played before approximately 400 elementary students and today we were at a Jr. High school. One of the ways we are wishing to bless the students here is not only to represent the joy in our hearts while we worship, but also to invite them to evangelistic events and to get them in contact with the missionaries and church planters here in the area. In the evening, we bake many batches of cookies to take with us to hand out to the children as well. Since we’re representing Canada, all the cookies we’ve made so far have either been maple leaf-shaped or moose-shaped maple-pecan!
We’ve been working hard to use many different forms of art in our presentations. There are action songs led by Jessica and Abby; a contemporary dance to the song ‘Before The Throne of God Above’ done by Joanna and Abby; a hip hop dance to the Mary Mary song ‘Shackles’ involving Joanna, Abby and myself; and a skit done by the whole group to the Lifehouse song ‘Everything’. We also have self-introductions and a brief blurb about Canada, normally done enthusiastically by Jono. If anyone is wondering, the worship songs we lead and play are mostly modern contemporary ones, including some of the popular ones from the last decade.
As I write this, there is an English class that half the team will be helping out with this evening, many cookies to be made for tomorrow’s preschool event, and a concert we are prepping for tomorrow evening in Kanagi. Please pray for continual strength, a renewal of spirit, and as always, a committed focus on God and His purposes. Every little bit goes toward advancing His Kingdom!
Check the blog in a couple days for some personal blurbs from the team an our prayer requests.


Sayonora,

Jon