Uncreative

It has been very busy. We have been leading group from Texas Super Summer, which comprises of 123 high school age teenagers. Hence why I have not blogged for so long! But have no fear! Awesome things are still continuing to happen here, even when I do not have time to contrive a clever blog. God has used the students in great ways, and has reveled Himself through various means. From real life people to the tale of Toy Story 3, our Father has taught us through many means. Even in these times were we are at the end of our rope, we still wake up and lead our teams, because in our weaknesses, He is stronger. I hope to write a few more stories become I come back, which is sadly, soon. Continue to pray for the people of Japan, that they might personally know their maker.

The Better Dessert

It was similar to I-Hop, with a Japanese Country twist: Their main and most famous dishes were omelets. Its a Thursday night, and sitting across the table from me is a very unlikely contact. He is a high class professional businessman in Shibuya, Tokyo. The company he works for is an immense pharmaceutical giant in the world of medicine, and here he is, sitting across from me.

The beginning of our relationship is how many should start, but countless times never do. I am at Starbucks, drinking my overpriced Japanese coffee, when out of the corner of my eye, I see him holding a piece of paper with Kongi and English. This was my segway for conversation. As we began to talk, I soon found out he would travel to New York, Chicago, and LA to close deals for his company. You do not send a low level businessmen to represent your company in America. He was so delighted to talk and interested in my story that he offered to take me to dinner in the future.

We connected at this local Japanese casual restaurant, and it is here the mystery of the Gospel was presented to him. As we dove into the topic of religions, I knew my work was cut out for me. Most Japanese do not believe in a religion, but most believe there are 8 million gods, and everything around you is a god. Not to limit the amount of gods, for the 8 stands for infinity. This man believed somewhere along these lines. So then, after intently listening to his thoughts and views, I begin to layout a case for Christ.

We discuss a multitude of topics, from the historical accuracy of the Bible, the nature of God, and the differences between Christianity and all other worldly religions. But as I found through personal experience, numbers of manuscripts and theological philosophy will not fully capture the image of Christ to those who are lost. The most personal and powerful story of the Gospel is not found in an academic book or in statistics - it is found in us. The story of how Jesus’ good news saved and changed us.

This story comes from the heart. As I began to pour out my life of how Christ changed me, I could see true understanding in his eyes. My friend was not bored with the story. I quoted the end of the beatitudes in Matthew were Jesus calls us to be salt and light in the world, to let our light so shine before men that they will see our works and glorify our God who is in heaven. I told him how I want my life to be different.

This was the sticking point to move into a metaphor of how I wanted my life to be. I heard this example many years ago, and through the years, it has flowed into the context of my conversation. But never before as perfect as this.

“Imagine I am eating a dessert,” I said. “Its just so good, the cream, the chocolate, the little nuts that tie the flavor together...This is perfect.” (Cue waiter, walking to table beside us with breathtaking dessert.) “But wait, look at that dessert over there. It makes mine look like nothing! Look at the precision, the creativity, the flavors, the art. After looking at it, I feel like mine is missing something. I wish I could have that something which makes it different. I want the better dessert.”

God’s perfect timing spurred me on to drive home the point. When people see my life, I want them to see me as the better dessert. I want them to look at their life and say, “What does he have that I don’t?” In this world of darkness and despair, in this world of seeker and sinners, every person is looking for something to fulfill their life. As the believers in Antioch whom first were called Christians, may we be salt to a tasteless life, may we be light to the dark places, and in a world searching for something more, may we be the better dessert.

Pray for my friend, as I connect him with a missionary who lives here, he will continue to have a thirst and desire to know the one and true God of the Bible.

Supernatural

Birds eat worms. Or so they have for as long as I could remember. I was going to meet T, my contact from Hosei University in the afternoon to go to a breakdancing club competition, so I stayed close to home and was doing park ministry in Kichijogi. We had shepherded the group to the park, and dispersed to start-up conversations through frisbees or other means. And yes, I do mean any other means.

As I sat down to read more of "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel, the person on the bench next to me moved. Great, I thought, another person running for their life. I looked down on the ground to find a worm willowing in the mud. There were birds over by the pond - this could be fun! The little 10 year-old child came out in me, and with mud crusted fingers, I walked my prize over to a group of greedy and clamorous pigeons. I threw the worm onto the ground, waiting for the immediate demise of the poor worm, but to my surprise, the birds did not even notice it. They continued to jump around, not even acknowledging the miraculous gift I bestowed on them. The early bird gets the worm, right? Birds eat worms, right? But not these! These were the birds who did not eat worms.

I had a quiet audience of one sitting on a nearby bench, quietly smirking and internally laughing as he read the distraught in my face and actions. He pointed to the pond and said, "The fish." Inside the pond, there are fish bigger than your cat. So I threw the worm, who only thought he has escaped fate, into the pond, to be eaten by the abnormal size fish. Since he was the initiator of the conversation, I sat down beside him, and we began to talk.

Talk we did, but communication came easier than it should of. This poor fellow, currently a young businessman, spoke as much English as I do Spanish. For those of you who know me, thats not much at all. But God had used ancient work in this mans life - He knew of Christ and of the Sesisho, or the Bible. I thank God for "The Passion," for by this movie, the Japanese people actually know of the story of Christ. Talk about background information taking coming to life!

He knew of the cross, and made the gesture of a nail going into the wrist of his hand. As I gave him the Gospel of John in Japanese, I would find verses in my English Bible and would have him look it up in his own language. He was open to learning more, so I pulled out our bi-lingual Steps to Peace with God tracts. He heard the gospel and was able to read it in his own language.

He understood. One of the last verses we use is Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and lets me in, I will come and eat with him, and he with me." We then ask the person, "Where is Jesus knocking? Where is the door?" He answered with the gesture of his heart. Many Japanese do not understand this very fact.

He did not become a Christian, but wanted to learn more of the Bible. I told him I would find a Japanese Christian who he could talk to and teach more of the Bible. For this I am glad, because many people push for salvations on a mission trip so they can check the box and move on with their life. I do not want this for the people I invest in - becoming a Christian is a big deal. It is not a prayer you simply pray. Becoming a Christian will change every day after for eternity. Praise God the people I have ministered to do not want to so blindly place their faith in God. Our God does not want a blind love. But that is a different story.

Supernatural means superseding the normality of nature. The birds who would not eat worms was a supernatural event. Even in the smallest ways, God uses supernatural events so the ordinary may experience the extraordinary love He freely gives. As we are commanded, make use of every opportunity. Especially the supernatural ones.

Pray for the contacts I have here! Sonya (J-girl) and I had dinner with N, my woman of peace from the begenning of the trip. It was amazing! She has so much love in her, but it is misplaced. She went to a Baptist church while living in the states and has had SO many God moments in her life. What a powerful testimony of divine appointments she will have will God calls her to Himself!

Pray for S, a man from Laos whom I was able to pour into. A case for Christ was laid down, and the gospel was presented. He too wanted God very badly, but He wanted his decision to have value to it. Praise Jesus for that. I am going to call him tomorrow to set up a time to meet and study the bible more.

Pray for T, my contact from Hosei University who took me to a club for breakdancers, not a university breakdancing club. Talk about translation error. But our relationship increased from time spent together, and pray God would give me wisdom in how/when to share the gospel with him.

Pray for T, the business man I spoke of from the park. Pray I will find the right Japanese Christian to connect with him!

Pray for H, a co-mamager of marketing at a huge international pharmaceutical company. God let me meet him at Starbucks, and we have dinner on Thursday night. May I be able to connect him with a fluent Japanese missionary who works with business men and professional baseball players here.

Pray for Y, a contact with great english pronunciation but lacking vocabulary. He learned english from music, and was very interested in Bible and wanted me to teach him. Pray I will be able to stay in contact for him, and so he will not fall off of the map.

Pray for T, a Japanese Olympic trampolinist who will be competing in Canada this week for the Canada Cup. He is interested in hanging out with me, and was interested in the Bible. Pray for times and opportunities for when he returns.

Pray for A, an American fluent in Japanese who works here. Pray I would be able to meet with him and pour the love of God into him.

Pray for Y and M, two contacts who were good ground but have totally fallen off of the map. Have not heard from them in weeks, which is sad. Pray that if I am to connect with them, God would do so.

Finally, pray for Me. Literally, pray for Dan. It is hard to juggle all these people and relationships. Sometimes I feel like I am cheating on a friend as I try to maintain these relationships all over Tokyo. It would be so easy to shut-down and do nothing. But living a life of purpose comes at a cost. Sometimes we walk into the harvest of another, and other times we sow what we will not reap. We in Japan are sowers, and take joy in being sowers. But the life of a sower is difficult - we must continually look at our life and work through heaven's eyes. Not always an easy thing for us as humans to do. Pray God would use me, and ignite me to further love these people.

Thankyou for your time in reading and for your prayers. Prayer is the number one goal and weapon of the mission in Japan - something you can help us in, even 7,000 miles away. Grace and peace be with you from our Lord Jesus.

Freely Falling

It never fails to happen - something always falls out of your Bible as soon as you open it. Or so is the case with me. Today marks the 37th day I have been on the mission field in Tokyo, Japan, and although the work done here has been amazing, living life here has been a challenge like none other.

I live in an underground apartment floor, split in half for girls and guys, with 27 other people. There is only one place where we can get wireless internet access, which is the winding hallway between both sides of the cave (clever name for the underground apartment floor). We eat, sleep, and do ministry with each other 24 hours a day. Few of us knew each other before we came to Japan, we range from ages 17-22, different colleges, different states, different personalities, and different walks of life. As one of the journeymen missionaries said, "Just add cameras, and you have Christian reality TV. The saddest part is I would actually want to watch it!"

Thus is the story of our lives here. But, through all the differences, we have our common thread - Christ. And what a powerful thread He is. We have had no divisions of unity or any notable strife. I say nothing notable, for the hardest challenge we face is for everyone to wash their own dishes! But pouring our hearts out to the Japanese every day, as well as walking a few to several miles every day within Tokyo, we much be careful. So our head missionary planned a 3 day retreat for us to relax in the mountains and grow as a team, for we still have work to do here.

Here we were, in the valley of the beautiful mountains, so far out (but still inside Tokyo), you have to push a button to make the train doors open. At a Christian camp focused on reaching military kids and serving MKs, we found our place of renewal. I open my Bible, and, almost on cue, I have Hope tracks and Steps to Peace tracks fall out. I annoyingly reached over to pick them up, when a though ran across my head. How ironic it was to have peace and hope fall from my Bible.

But the illustration goes much deeper, as the parables of Jesus often do. As Christians, we have Jesus who lives inside us. As John the Baptist puts it, I must decrease, so He might increase. We are in a process of dying to the old self and putting on the new self, the self which has Jesus as its very core. From John the Apostle we know Jesus is the Word - For in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. The same Word by which light, and all things were created, in the beginning. And by the hand of Paul, we are called to be imitators of Christ, imitators of the Word.

We are the Word to a lost world, a world which so desperately needs purpose. A world which needs hope. A world which needs life.

May those who open the pages of our life find peace and hope freely falling upon them; and as they kneel down to pick it up, may they lift their eyes to see the eternal giver of it all.

Conductors

It feels good to be loved. This week has been very busy and hectic, for in the cave, our under-ground apartment complex, we just added another 15 GoTokyo interns (high school age). This is a great addition, for we will be able to minister to more people here in Tokyo! But this also causes changes and additional confusion. We are in the process of training them - taking them to the mission sites, showing the train lines, and helping them figure our the winding streets of Shibuya, all while they are adjusting from being away from home, in a different time zone. Today, I was the only guy on my team, so after we arrived at our mission site in Tachikawa, I let the girls have their “girl time,” while I just walked around and inside the station.

I went to my favorite super market - it is hard to find, stuck in the basement of a building outside the south exit. They have amazing prices on everything, including chips, bread, sodas, and their best item, meat. I had bought my sodas, bread, and snacks from this store, but I could not buy meat, for Tachikawa is 45 minutes away from Shibuya (on a good day). As I saw a wonderful deal on meat, I flagged down a worker in the store, and through english and a spectacular display of charades to see if I could freeze the meat and come back later, he took me to an ice machine and said “free.” I had nothing to put ice in, but he changed that. After speaking to an employee, a nylon green freezer bad was brought out to me. The perfect solution to get my meat home safety. Even though he could not speak a word of English, even though I was (and have been) the only foreigner shopping in the store, he went out of his way to help me. I felt so humbled and loved by this.

My adventure continued to the gourmet food court of Tachikawa station. It is one of the most beautiful culinary sights I have seen in my entire life. Lines of perfectly lit food stands with every kind of Japanese food and more. I ended up at a cheese stand, were 3 employees greeted me and offered me samples they were handing out. As I looked over the selection, I began to name of cheeses I had previously had, and in simple English, tell them of Christmas traditions and my favorite kinds. I even told them I could not buy anything they had, they still talked to me and offered me samples of the different foods they possessed. Even though I was only able to share such a small part of my life with them, they made me feel loved beyond measure. I had a handful of other experiences such as these while I walked around, seeing what other Japanese would make true eye contact with me.

The Japanese, though having a cold and hard exterior, are the most warm and beautiful people once you are able to get inside. They have so much love to give. So much love, I have been blown away and been blesses beyond measure. I was humbled and thankful that God would let me come and serve people such as these.

Today was a reminder from God. Our call as Christians is to love people. Countless verses in the Bible speak of love - They will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another, abide in faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love, love your neighbor as yourself... It is a dominant theme of the Bible. While I am here, in Japan, God has called me to love people. But today, God used unbelievers to love me. And it felt so wonderful to be loved. It truly moved my emotions. Love is powerful. But the love of God is even greater. These people, who loved on me, were only loving in part. For it is only through the love of God that true love can be made whole. This is the love instilled into our very being - the love which will radiate from us, if we are willing.

Being loved today moved my emotions. But being love to the people around us - it moves people’s lives. May we be conductors of His love.

Unglamorous

I remained in my seat, sulking in a sense of disbelief. Was this really happening to me? Today is the day when Amanda, an intern I am serving with, and I will walk onto the Japanese Technological Hosei University campus. Our goal is to enter the campus without being stopped by campus police, for the IMB Missionaries who work here in Japan are always denied access due to their age, and eat lunch at the cafeteria, meeting students and beginning to cultivate relationships.

But today, things were not going my way. I attempted to text two of my contacts whom I had exchanged information with a few days ago, but my Japanese phone kept flashing error reports I could never hope to read. It was raining on the walk over, and both Amanda and I were without umbrellas. Once on campus, we finally bought lunch and went to sit a reasonable distance from two Japanese guys, only to watch them immediately stand up, grab their gear, and leave the area.

In my heart, I was telling God this was not the way it was suppose to happen. I was here to meet people, to be the social butterfly, not to send people away. Discourage would of taken the heart of me, but Amanda, in her wisdom, spoke the message God was trying to so desperately show me.

What if our purpose at Hosei University was different from God’s purpose? I had one goal, to meet people. But God has one purpose for us all- to be the gospel. And being the gospel is not always as glamorous as we want it to be. We could be light at the campus just by being in prayer for the people who attended, and we could pray for God to soften the hearts of those who will one day hear the good news. Even if we are not the ones who receive the harvest. God called us to this place, and our God wants obedience, not results. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians , What then is Paul? And what then is Apollos? I planted, Apollos watered, but God causes the growth.

We sat there in silence, praying for His work to be accomplished, not our own. As we were taking our trays back to the kitchen, I was stopped by a Japanese guy who wanted to talk. I did not initiate the conversation, I did not even make eye contact with him, he stopped me. And he was not the only one. By the end of the hour, I had five new contacts, all wanting to talk and hangout outside of the University. God provided people for me to begin relationships with as soon as I surrendered my will and began to seek for His. After a few cell phone pictures and many laughs, Amanda and I walked off of the campus, seeing how the not so glamorous work pleases our faithful God.

The Japanese woman who helped me get to Shibuya on my first night has finally contacted me! I will meet her for dinner on Saturday or Sunday night with one of the Journeymen, Sonya. Pray for the meeting to go well! God is faithful!

The Pursuit of Perfection

Its a compliment - really. The fat rich man, a common japanese card game, clearly portrays the culture here. This game is played with 4 or more people, and all the cards in the deck are dealt. The goal of the game is to get rid of all the cards in your hand. At the beginning, the person with the 3 of spades (3's are the lowest card) starts. He will lay down a single 3, or a pair of 3's, or if he has it, three 3's. Then going in clockwise order, the next player must lay down a higher card than the one on the table. So if a single 3 was laid down, the next person would lay down a single 4 or higher, a pair of 3's, a pair of 4's or higher, ect. If you cannot play a card (either you do not have a high enough card or the right number of cards) you say "pass." Once everyone "passes," the person who laid down the highest card then starts the entire process again. It is a game of strategy, between laying down the right cards at the right time. The first person to get rid of all of their cards by this process becomes "The fat rich man." The rest battle it out for second, third, and fourth.

Now here is the catch - The "rich fat man" will take the head of the table, and everyone will sit in order of their position. Then, after the cards are dealt, the rich fat man will take the highest 2 cards of the person in fourth place, giving them their 2 lowest cards, and the second place person will take the third person's highest card, giving them their lowest card.

This is the mentality the Japanese are born into. Those who rise to power stay in power, and those who aren't "good enough" are continually bashed into the ground. This is in all aspects of life - from academics to sports. For these reasons, the japanese students push themselves beyond all reasons. Their entire worth in life is how they can succeed, how much money they can get. But the pursuit of perfection can have drastic ends.

Japan has the highest suicide for any nation in the world. Business men who do not get the job, students who do not make it into a select school, or even those who get trampled in the rush for success all decide there is nothing more to live for. They become jumpers - throwing themselves in front of the fast moving trains. And the saddest part of all is the way the Japanese view this. The loss of a life is not disheartening to them. No, they are now late to work. There is an inconvenience. They are more worried about the stopped train system than the stop of someone's existence.

We come with a message of Hope.

Jesus.

Continue to pray as we make contacts here. I have a new contact thanks to the CBU Music team - Y. He is struggling between choosing Buddhism and Christianity. Pray God will use me to reach him for the glory of Christ.

Cilantro

I finally found meat. Because of the expensive food costs in Japan, we normally have to eat one meal a day from the cave (the place we stay). Because of some really delicious and expensive meals, we may go for a few days packing sandwiches and such. I bought what I thought was ground beef for some hamburgers, but I’m not sure what kind of meat it actually is. Maybe ground pork? None the less, the price was right, 105 yen for 100 grams. But the chicken breasts, well, not sure of that, but it was chicken, cooked nicely.

One of my other food adventures was to find the ingredients for the world famous dish, guacamole. I went to 3 different stores before I found the cheapest and best quality avocados I could find (128 yen), some, not many tomatoes (138 yen), white onions, for there are no onions on the island so it seems (198 yen), and the hardest ingredient to find, cilantro. In previous weeks I had found the garlic powder, the salt, the pepper, but nowhere could I find my precious cilantro.

I was at a speciality food store I had stumbled upon on a different trek, and thought I had seen cilantro there before. But this time, there was none anywhere. After a through search, I began to attempt communication with one of the employees, to no avail. Laugh if you must, but next time you play sharades, I want to see how you act out “cilantro.” But thankfully, there was a local who spoke wonderful English to help me. She translated for me, as we soon found out they only receive one packet of cilantro a day, and even helped me call another store close to my station to see if they would have it. This whole process took over 10 minutes, and after she finished on the phone and had bought a few things, offered to walk with me as far as her path home would take her.

She was a single mother who had a son about my age. She lived in LA for 5 years, but later came back to Tokyo. Once finding out my purpose in Japan, she was very respectful and open to conversing about religion. Shinto is her religion, and she believes because her family before her also believed. The walk was short, and we were not able to get far into the conversation. She was a very polite and nice woman, and I hope I will be able to meet her again to talk about the differences in our religions. I pray that through the adventure for finding a simple food, the Lord will continue to bring more to Himself.

Japan Video Update 1

double click for better viewing

Chronicles of the First

We serve a huge God. A God not built by human hands, a God who loves us, and a God who has sent us out to share His love. Here are the stories from Day 1 of being on our (my teams) part of the field. Acts 3:12 "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” May God always receive the glory. [and im having an AWESOME and FUN time here!!]

My first real day. Well, as in doing what I will be doing for the rest of the summer. We are all split into our teams of 3 (until the HS inters arrive), and today was Amanda, our student leader, day off. So Melanie and I get to hop the trains from Shibuya to our mission site at Tachikawa. It was a really good trip, even if we caught the slow metro. While in line at Shibuya, I looked behind us, and there was a girl who was looking at a folded piece of paper, and I saw english words on it. Perfect!

I was able to ask her if she was studying English, and thus start the conversation. She was going to school 7 days a week only for English. Even though she has only been learning for 3 months, her comprehension and her ability to understand was astonishing. Melanie was able to give the girl her contact information. We then eventually made it to the right station to meet our missionaries, Julia and Martin. They are an older couple who have lived in the area for 8 months, and they are amazing! We distributed Hope packets, which they could mail in for a free DVD about Christianity (which is very cool movie indeed). We then rode the tram across the town (45 minutes round trip) to pray for the city and the people. On the way back, a young Japanese guy sat by me, and we engaged in conversation. He knew nothing of Christianity, but was so interested. Even to the point where I brought out the books of Luke and Acts in English and Kongi, he excitedly said “Is that the Bible?” I was able to get his information, and left him with a Hope tract that he could fill out to send in for a Hope DVD. I was so happy for what God had done! After an awesome lunch and exploration of the station, we began 5 minute English.

This is where we hold signs which say 5 minute English, written in Kongi and English, so the Japanese can read it. We also put it is free. So we stand there, asking people who walk by if they would like to practice their English. It took awhile, for the Japanese are a shy people, but I had 3 conversations while we were doing it. First girl was flirting with me. Or so Melanie claimed. But she received a Hope track from me, so ha. I win.

The second person I talked to was an older gentlemen, who after reading the sign, asked me for the number of the university so he could become a teacher there. I explained to him how we were not from the university, but how there were 20 of us college kids around Tokyo, who were all Christian, who wanted to make Japanese friends and share our faith (the word religion is more commonly understood there, so I use it more) with the people we meet. He was a religious Buddhist who was going to a cleansing ceremony tonight, but was greatly interested in talking to be about the differences of our faith. I throughly explained to him how we would have a discussion, and not a debate. He gave me his number, and I hope to meet with him on Sunday! Pray for the conversation!

The third person I met was the best. He was a student in America for a year, and loved to practice his English. But as the conversation turned to why I was here, and eventually to Christ, this man was a clean slate. No religion, because he was too busy. Then we began to talk about why we work - to get more money. To buy things that in the end, do not make us happy. To re-cap the entire conversation would be next to impossible. But we spoke of many topics of Christianity, and I was able to give him a Hope tract (I hope to bring him a hard copy of the DVD when I go to meet him) and I gave him the gospel of John in his own language. After I had spoken of Jesus for a while, he said he has seen “The Passion.” Thank you Lord. I told him how the story was real. And he could hardly take it in. I hope to meet with him sometime soon, I have his information, and he will text or call me. Pray for him and the conversations we will have in the future!

Pray for what has already happened, what is happening, and what is to come. From ancient work to predestined appointments, God is amazing.

The Adventure

As many great men have said before me, the adventure is not in the destination, but the journey. How true a statement in our faith! Even in the most practical ways. I spent all day yesterday traveling to the mission field in Tokyo, Japan. But it was not without its bumps and glitches.

First, my plane from Minneapolis to Tokyo, which was a 12 hour flight, was delayed 4 hours on the ground. Why you might ask? Because of "a strip of aerodynamic rubber" had come loose. But this too was a blessing. The Chinese girl next to me was a believer, and she needed truth spoken into her life concerning how Jesus spoke and lived out forgiveness. Even one of the airplane stewardess was a believer who had lived in Japan for a time. I met a group of 7 Americans who were on their way to China to watch children as their parents learned more about the gospel. Would I ever see them again? Most likely not. All I could do was assure them I would see them on the other side. What an awesome day it will be.

After getting through customs (and the 4 hour delay), there were no more buses going to Shibuya, but there was a train leaving in less than 10 minutes. I had to run to a phone, let my supervisor know I landed and I was taking the last train to the station. Run down a couple flights of stairs, have a wonderful Japanese woman at the ticket machine to quickly get my ticket to the destination, run to my cart, and step inside with 15 seconds to spare before we took off. And I had no idea where or when we were going to get to Shibuya!

But our God provides. There was a young Japanese woman who came on the train right after I got on, and was sitting in the row directly across to me. She was kind enough to talk to me, and after telling me she was getting off at Shibuya too, would help me out. Then we had a purposeful conversation. She was kind enough to help me, so I wanted to know more about her. We ended up talking for around an hour, and I was able to infuse Christ into the conversation at certain points. She knew why I was here and my purpose for doing so. She is a newly graduated nurse who works no more than 10 minutes away form where we are stationed, and used the train station every day. I do not have my field phone yet, but she took down my information, and I cannot wait to bring one of the girls I'm working with to meet her again! She knows a little of the faith, but I cannot wait to see what God has in store! She was the man of peace (more so the woman of peace) for me in the time I needed it most. I praise God for what He is already doing! Even before I am moved in, God has placed opportunities and people before me. O how the journey is the adventure.

Heartbeat

Well. What a heck of a summer. I just got back from the Canaries, Portugal, and Spain with One Voice, and tomorrow I am leaving for Japan. It is still not real to me yet.

While in Europe, God did several small things to remind me of his sovereignty. To remind me of how great He is and how small I am. Every concert we sang at was amazing. It just clicked. I have never been so humbled or blessed through singing in my entire life. The people poured their hearts out to us as they told us how beautiful we sang...in a language I could barley understand. All I could do as to reflect all glory and praise to the maker of my song.

We did one concert for a gathering of all english speaking churches in the area (somewhere in Portugal). Crosby, our director, asked during the semester if anyone would like to give their testimony during the concert - he needed two people. We had one girl commit to giving hers, but I did not think about this again until one day before the concert. On a whim I remembered about it, and ask Crosby if he still needed someone to speak. So here we are at the concert. Do I really know what I'm going to say? Are you kidding me? Of course I don't!

As it is time for my testimony, they put up a slide with my name and all my information. It was so fancy I was surprised and got to joke about it with the people. But then I began to speak about what God had been showing me this entire trip - His glory. From the creation of the mountains and the beaches, to the sunrises and the sunsets, it was evident how God was reveling Himself through that which He created. And it was not only in the mountains we see God, but also through the little children at the orphanages. Even in them we see part of our God. No matter where we go on this earth, God is truly all around us. Especially in the form of the church body. Throughout history, no matter what time or place, there has always been a remnant left. God has continually up kept the church. He has kept His church. And the beauty of this is how we are not expected to carry the survival of the church on our backs. We are not called to save people. We are called to tell.

We are sowers of the seed. Paul writes I planted, Apollos watered, but God causes the growth. So what then is Paul? What then is Apollos? It is God who saves, not us. We are called to sow the seeds. We are called to be faithful. In Colossians, when Paul is finishing up the letter, he leaves certain instructions behind. He asks the church to pray for them there, so even while they are in prison, the Word would go forth. He then instructs the people in Colossae to be full of grace in their speech, and for their words to be seasoned with salt, so they would know how they should respond to each person. What an idea - to have our words seasoned with salt, so much to the point that they would yearn for living water. We dare not trust in ourselves for the advancement of the church - We trust in God.

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

These were the words God spoke through me. This is what God infused in my heart with passion. After this, we sang the rest of our songs, and sat down to hear the reading of scripture. Tears silently rolled down my face - It was 1 Corinthians 3. The very same verses I spoke of above.

How appropriate for God to infuse the same passage and message for the speaker whom I never met nor spoken to. Out of 66 books in the Bible, our library, out of 1,230 pages, out of us coming form different backgrounds and different denominations, we had the same message. We had the same heartbeat. It knows no bounds of ethnicity, of age, of location, of language, or of denomination. Its center is the same - the heartbeat of Jesus.

out loud

Talk about staying busy. I never would of thought the spring semester would of been this hard. But its all good - pressing toward what is ahead. Finals, Spain, and then finally, Japan. Lord give me strength. I really can't believe all that I will be experiencing and doing this summer. For Japan - its going to be awesome. We will be doing real mission work the entire time we are there. Our life in Japan will be the mission. As it should be in our everyday lives.

Today I had my application/interview for MLC (Ministry Leadership Council, or Major League Christian as one of my BSM guys said) and it went great! I knew all of them except for one, and it was great. Just to hear myself think out loud is a good thing.

What if we were to think out loud more often? You see, when we think to ourselves internally, we are still inside our own little world. Im still in the world of dan when I speak into the expanse of my consciousness. But what if I was to think out loud more often. What if I was to take my ideas, and instead of keeping them inside the world I create, to let them out into the real physical world.

Some ideas would be freaking amazing. Some ideas would seem plausible. And some ideas, well, lets say we would see them in a new light. Aka some ideas would be stupid. But how much better to say the idea and find it to be stupid than to live it out in the quiet of the mind. Speaking it out makes the idea more real to us.

What if this is a side benefit to sharing our faith? Now I know the main fact of why we share our faith is so that God can be glorified, so He might bring more into his fold. Salvation is for the glory of the Lord. But what if it by sharing our faith, by speaking what we believe on the inside, our faith becomes more real to us? The more we speak of what has happened inside of us, the more real it becomes. And the more real it becomes, the more we continually life it. For James 1:22 says "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. "

We are called to live out what has happened on the inside of us. And as for me, the more I speak about that which Christ did in me, the more it becomes real to me.

the irony

I just finished watching a House episode where the patient obsessively blogged about every aspect of her life. And now here I am, about to blog about personal things I experienced over this spring break through the love and grace of God. Go figure. This patient said she had no secrets in her life, that she blogged about anything and everything, even her personal problems with her boyfriend. But there was one thing she did not blog about - her crap. Literally, she did not blog about her fecal material. It is through this that House figures out her colon is not absorbing all the necessary nutrients her body needs, thus causing her appendix to explode with lymphoma like cells, which had led the doctors to the wrong diagnosis, and would of eventually killed her. She was open about every part of her life, except for her crap. The junk in her life. How often the case with us.

We go through life being "open" and "transparent," but in essence, at one time or another, there is something we hide and never let see the light of day, for we are scared of what people might think. We follow the lie that other people don't talk about it, so we cover up and hide in a corner, living our truthful lives behind a mask of insecurity. And eventually, it will kill us. The dam will break, and the cancer cells of life that we so well hid will plunder and ravage in every part and relationship of our life.

Over my spring break, I went with a group called Beachreach to South Padre in order to share the love of Christ with the drunk people. Straight up. And while there, our group of 39 was split into 4 different teams. God had his way in doing so, for as I have seen and what I have heard from other people, each team was beautifully and wonderfully put together by the hand of God. And on my team was a girl who, well, like the rest of us, was special. As I quickly learned, she had (and I quote) "irritable bowel syndrome." And basically, she had no problem at all talking about her condition and how she had to poop. No lie. So on our van, (as you know, we had basically no sleep the entire week,) when we needed a laugh or something to keep us up, we would talk about poop. And I never thought I would be able to say that talking about poop brought us together. Our team opened up to eachother on so many levels, that we could even talk about the poop in our life. Not only physically, but spiritually. We could come to eachother with our spiritual crap, with no masks, and ask for prayer. And because of this openness we shared with one another, God was able to use us for great and mighty things. He sent hard circumstances into our van. He send van loads of springbreakers from UMHB whom i knew by name. And we gave them rides to the clubs and bars they were heading to. Our hearts were broken. We saw past their laughs and shallow smiles, but in their eyes, if you truly looked with all the love in your heart, you could see hurt. You could see a longing to be filled and accepted. A longing to be loved. To see them try to fill that hole with things of the earth......It shattered us. After the springbreakers left our van, we pulled over. And we cried. We cried.

We poured out our hearts to them, we told them how we do not judge them, and how much God loves them. We prayed over them, and we tried to be every bit of Jesus we could be to them. And off into the world they went, trying to fulfill that which only Jesus can cover. As my team, the part of us present on the van, came and met eachother in the middle of the van, we cried and held eachother. For we each knew the hurt pounding in our hearts. We each knew how broken we were.

But yet, in our brokenness, God still works and moves. For you see, there was still an island full of people who needed rides to somewhere, and we could take them there, while pouring over them the love of Christ. So as we all held eachother and prayed, I felt as if God had me in this team for a specific plan and purpose. He was using me as His strength. Yes, we were heartbroken. Yes, our spirits had been moved. Yet through this, we still had a job to do. You see, when Jesus was walking the earth living his ministry, there are several places where Scripture says Jesus was moved by the crowds. I do strongly believe I saw the heart of Jesus which was moved by the crowds who did not know him. But when Jesus was moved, he took action. He would talk to them, he would take care of the crowd. Yes, the van load full of UMHB students hurt and broke us, but God still had a plan. There was an entire island of people here who had similar stories, who all needed Christ. There is a time for everything, but right now God, give us the strength to continue to love. You have set before us a plan and purpose - so may the love and joy of Christ be on our faces, for there is still a world who needs to know you.

That was the heart of my prayer. I could never re-write what God moved in me during that moment, but through prayer, He used me to bring strength to the team. He used me to be an encouragement, a reminder of how much there was to be done. And I give all praise and glory to God for that moment, because I am nothing but a jar of clay, so that the all-surpasing power is from God and nothing of me.

This was just one of the many ways God moved during the trip. There are so many stories and so many people who we came into contact with while on the island. If you want to know more, I would be more than happy to talk to you about it. I like to write, but there is something about the face to face that the internet cannot replace. One thing to take away from everything you read? Be real with your christian friends about the crap in your life. We can't carry it forever.

Support Letters!

The support letters are finally done! Well, most of them I do believe. And if you are one of the 2 people who did not get a return envelope, I really am sorry! It was not intentional! Just a little too much paperwork for the guy with ADD. I am so excited now! I am praying for God to provide for my every need, and all I can do is wait and trust in Him. I have also been talking to the two churches I have been involved with about supporting me.

I can't believe I am not freaking out right now. Maybe reality has not quite set in. Or on the other hand, maybe it has.

You see, I fully believe God has called me to His plan and His purpose this summer in Japan. I do not know how I will get there, all I know is that I will. I am still looking for different opportunities to gain money for both Japan and for Beach Reach this summer. I know He will provide - so praise God for helping me not be anxious.

Was I Faithful?

Today was a Monday - and it started early. Even though I was in bed before 1, the alarm clock sounded way too early. I really should buy some of the coffee I'v been thinking about. My workouts for the Human Performance Lab are going ok, but not as well as I would like them to. I guess I'v always tried to push my body further than it wants to go. But its only when we go beyond the normal that we truly accomplish something of value.

Think about it. What gives an accomplishment prestige? What makes an act of compassion special? The fact of going beyond and over what is normal. To reach the same goal over and over again in life is nothing special. It means we have figured out a way to rival the system. It is when you go over the goals of your past, the true challenge has been won. To go and overcome what you once did before.

So we can say that surviving and getting through another day is no accomplishment at all. It is just another repeat. Its living your life on a repeat. It is being lazy. But to go into each day and conqueror, now that, is noteworthy.

Maybe I should reevaluate my thoughts on a bad day. What if bad days are so much more.

What if the bad day is a challenge.

A challenge. A challenge to rise above the average and normal, a challenge to see what your true colors are. A challenge of character, of drive, of decision, of purpose. A challenge to see who you really are behind the christian t-shirt and the grey toms.

The bad days let us know who is in control - or who we have or haven't put in control. They let us know how much we really love people. It is one thing to say "I love you," and a complete difference to actually do it.

These are the days I take my remote and rewind through my entire day. These are the days I need to study and think about, not try to forget and yearn for tomorrow. Did they see Jesus in me? Did I love those whom society has labeled and casted out? Did my attitude to others portray a false image of the Kingdom? Was I His hands and feet today? Did I live the purpose and will of God set before me?

In this day, was I faithful?

To Japan We Go!

I got my GoNowMissions email...and they have appointed me to go to Japan!! So happy!!

It is one thing to sign up for a mission trip, but having to go through interviewing processes at the local and state level, and then have a group of people who see the whole picture, through prayer and guidance of the Holy Spirit, appoint you where they believe God will be most glorified - thats awesome.

Now I get to start the support letters! Goodness. Maybe sleeping in till 12:01 today was not the best of ideas...but o well. I'm in college. I have to let my body rest atleast once a week, right? I can't wait to see where God will lead through this whole process of fundraising! Its really exciting, and I know I will have to trust Him more than I ever have before. And thats a really good thing. =]

Be still

A world of voices. From every street corner to every hallway, we are surrounded by voices. Voices which encourage, voices which tear. Voices overlapping, rising, twisting, and crawling over each other to form an un-seemingly untamable monster. Voices trying to get to us. What can we do? They surround us. No matter where we go or where we hide, the sound follows us. Pounding, slamming, churning, and crashing around as water beats against the rock. How can one listen? How can one be sane?

Stillness. Quietness. Soundless. Motionless.

What strange concepts in our runabout lives. Where can these be found?

In the empty building? No - the lifeless metals somehow speak. In the secluded forest? No - the leaves and breeze continually converse. In the highest of highs, or the depths of the deep? No. We can never escape the sound.

Yet we are told to be still. To be still and know that He is God. To be still and listen to His voice. To be still and simply be, not necessarily do. To be quiet, to silence our thoughts and hearts.

To stop.

To realize this life is so much more than going from point A to point B. To realize we do have a purpose, even though we may get lost trying to finding it. To realize how much we really don’t understand. To realize we are not god. To realize the sun does not rotate around us. To realize there is more than what we can see.

To realize there is more without sound.

What if our greatest questions, our greatest fears, were to be answered in the stillness of a moment instead in the vibrations of the air. What if we stopped speaking and simply listened for more than sound. What if we listened for God.

God did not come in the great whirlwind. God did not come in the earthquake. God did not come in the storm and the thunder. In the still, quiet voice He came. In the silence.

Our every answer could be waiting for us in the silence. Our wants and needs of the soul could be found not in the melodies, not in the harmonies, not in the voices of beauty, but in the silence. The realization of listening for God. Of being still.

In His stillness, we find our escape. We find our hope. We find our answer. Even if the answer is different than what we were looking for.

We are commanded to be still. To be still and know He is God. To stop looking for our answers and begin to listen to His solutions. To know we can not do this on our own. To realize He is, and we are not.

To not say, to not speak - but to know He is God.

May we be surrounded by His silence.

May we be still.

To Trust in Faith

Well, its been a long road. Getting from there to here. But it seems like I still have an even longer path before Japan. From jumping between different mission organizations to making calls and skype calls, this mission seems far away. I am still waiting for GoNow to call me back, and to see if they will even appoint me to go. There are so many things that are still out of my hands - and I have to accept and trust in the knowledge that they are in God's capable hands. Much easier said said than done.

So now, I am in a time of waiting. Waiting to be appointed by GoNow, waiting to start the support letters, waiting to begin planning for this already busy summer. I cannot wait to get the word "its time to go." This whole process has been emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually trying. I can only cling to the hope that in the end, it will be all worth it.

I am still trying to find a job on campus. Scratch that. Trying to find a job anywhere. The work-study jobs were full from day one, and other jobs I applied for on campus closed up too. I have no idea where God wants me to go to work, or what He has in store for. Or if He even wants me working right now. Guess we're going to just wait and see.