June 2, 2011

I finally got to go up to Tohoku this past weekend. A mission trip on a mission trip! It was just a 24 hour trip. Ishinomaki, specially, (which is one of the hardest hit regions). Jenna and I, and members from the Oyumino churches and Grace City Tokyo went.

Jenna and I got to Honda by 10:00, “geared” and ready to go. At 11 (ish) we loaded up and left! Jenna and I were assigned to a really nice mini van, it was so clean  and new!! Corrie Rainsford (the mom of one of my students) and another girl, Elisa, (?) were also with us. 2 guys, Motto San and Satoshi shared the driving. Jenna and I passed out as soon as we were on the toll roads, headed away from Chiba.

Before we left, and as we were driving, I was so excited and scared!! I was finally getting to go! But how bad was it really going to be? How was a going to be able to minister to the people when I can’t speak any Japanese??

We got there about 7 in the morning. The smell of fish greeted us when we got out of the van. Duh! Water, fish. No water, dead fish.

We set “camp” up about 8 in the community center. Inside said community center a tarp was lain down and clothes, food and personal items were set out, which Jenna and I helped with. The Japanese are super perfectionists. We had to redo the presentation like 5 times! I had a hard time understanding why, because the people were just going to come in, take what they wanted, and leave and…. As soon as we were done perfecting the presentation (before we were told to do it again), Jenna and I went outside to see what we could do out there.

Outside in front of the entrance to the building a whole bunch of tents had been set up. One side was set up for roman and another side was set up for bento’s. The roman was being hot right there, the bento (a ready made meal in a container?) was also being made right there. At about 11 all the people that had been lining up were finally allowed to go inside. When they came back out, they were allowed to either have a roman or a bento.

I helped Karen (one of the missionaries on the team) pass out the bento’s. It was total craziness for a little while, but the good/ exciting kind. She would ask them how many or if they wanted kimshe (very Korean hot, spicy coleslaw). I would put them in bags and make sure that there were hashi and wipe in each of the bags. After awhile we ran out of bento’s, so people just took roman. There was SO much of it left! And it’s been voted like 3^rd (?) best in the country. 

At about 2 we packed up “camp”, and about 4 left for Chiba. It was kind of sad; we came, did our thing, then left again. But I had this huge peace about it. I really hadn’t done very much, but it was enough. I think I thought it would be adequate for me getting go once. But I’ve realized it’s not. I really want to go back. Like HAVE to!!! The one thing that I have to do before I go home again.

So yeah, didn’t take any pictures. But basically it looked just like the pictures in the papers. I do have to say though, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It reminded me of Mexico. But it’s not Mexico, its Japan. Oh yeah, and Mexico doesn’t have random ship and demolished cars just at random. That was a little strange.

Because the journey home was started at 4, instead of 11, we were all actually awake and talking. I actually got to see what Motto San looked like from the front. :P (We were all in the same vehicles and with the same people on the return trip.)

No one had eaten lunch (because that’s when all the people had been there), so we all ate together in the car. Everyone was sharing snack. “Douzo” became a very common word. Jenna and I felt bad because we didn’t have any snacks to share. But we did have an extra apple. So from the far back Jenna handed forward with a “Douzo!” (go ahead). Now Japanese people don’t eat apples whole, or the skin. So they were all like “Douzo” “Douzo”. Then they saw ours and there was this sudden silence… Then we all just started laughing!!!!

By the time we got home, I felt so close to those people the van. Even though I never had much of a conversation with any of them……

So yeah, that was my little 24 hour mission trip on a mission trip!!!! 

Algebra Class?

I always get asked the most random questions in Algebra class. Often I’ll be in the middle of explaining a problem and Jeri (my doodler student, that’s in love with birds) will ask me something completely off the wall. I think her favorite is asking if I’m homesick. Do I look homesick? Oh it will be some weird geography question. It gets a little frustrating, because I know they totally wasn’t paying attention. But at the same time, I love seeing what kind of random question they're going to come up with.

Today they (my students) asked what I’d majored-in in college. I thought they were asking because that would explain why I was so bad at teaching Algebra. So I told them, very cautiously, that I hadn’t been to college yet (which they knew already). They were taken aback by that a little. They’d thought I had a degree in teaching, due to how I was explaining something on the board. Then they thought it was cool that I was 20 and hadn’t been to college. That totally made my day!!

Algebra was not a strong subject for me in school. So it’s ironic that I’m teaching it. Carol Iverson (the principle and team leaders wife) has a gift for stretching her short term teachers, and then believing in them enough to get them through it. I just wish I understood it well enough to really teach it to my kids, so they could really get it….. 

May 22, 2011

Before I opened my eyes this morning, I had decided that it was cloudy, had to be almost 6 and I was still tired. But it was Sunday. I didn’t have to be anywhere very early! Opened my eyes and found that I was right on all accounts, except it was 4:45 AM!!!!!!! And it’s not actually cloudy either; the sun just isn’t up very yet. Can not get over how early the sun rises here!

Rainy Season Saga

My story begins on a Tuesday. Actually it ends on a Tuesday too... but anyway. It looked like rain all day. But it wasn’t till I was trying to leave that it actually started to try and rain. So I grabbed an umbrella and started on my quest to get back home, excited to get to use an umbrella. As I took the gravel path home (opposed to the street) I realized it wasn’t even raining. Why was I using an umbrella?? However, I got to the street and suddenly it started to rain. Two minutes later the bottom came out and my Converses were no longer blue. Within ten minutes my skirt was totally soaked too…. Let me just say, puddles are fantastic! But maybe even more so in actual rain boots….??

One more thing I just have to get out there. I love rain!!!! Actually, let me change that, summer rain. Not such a huge fan of rain in the winter. But here if it's not raining, it's hot and sticky. So really, I'd rather the rain.

Sharon (my Japan mom) freaked out when I got home. Why hadn’t I called to get a ride home?? She wasn’t convinced when I told her I had this thing for walking in the rain, (as in loved it!!).

Side note; I’ve really had a hard time getting along with Sharon. But God’s been so good, and I can tell that Sharon's and my relationship has really grown, and I feel really close to her. :D 

Homesick

Since I got here in January I’ve been reading the book Prodigal God, by Tim Keller, with Carol and the other intern girls, (which by the way, is the best Bible study EVER!!). The week we read about home and heaven and the Father’s feast was the same week, I’d found out about the tornados in Alabama, and had no idea how my family really was. We talked about how home wouldn’t be the same as when we’d left it, because it will never be what memories say it should be. We talked about how much we’ve changed, and how hard it was going to be going back. I suddenly realized that I was really homesick. But home wouldn’t be what it was, (not only will have been 6 months, but a lot of natural disasters have happened in those months). So I really wasn’t homesick for my home in America, but rather for my home in heaven and my family reunion that will happen then. Kind of a strange feeling, let me just say…. 

April

March finally ended bringing April, the sakura and Ohanami, (the cherry blossoms and the celebration of the cherry blossoms).

Along the bike path that I take every day to get to school. For months I imagined  what the cherry trees would look like when they were in bloom. Then suddenly one day, I was no longer imagining them!! It just like a fairy tale, just as I imagined them to look.

April brought with it the start of school again, and only 2 students in my class. In fact the first day back, I only had one student!! It was so sad!! By the end of the month though all 6 were back. :D

My class room first day back.

The Japanese school year starts in April and ends in March. So the first weekend in April brought the entrance ceremony for the school and new students, new Japanese students that is. Two 1^st graders and one 3^rd grader, SO cute!!

Jenna, Jes and Melanie all dressed up for the entrance ceremony 

The following weekend after the entrance ceremony, Sunday, I went on a very spontaneous picnic lunch with Melanie, Micah and Seth to celebrate Ohanami. We had yakisoba (Japanese noodle dish, that’s so good!!), and smoothies. The weather was perfect!!! 

After we got back from our picnic we (Melanie, Micah and I) went to a bilingual worship service in Makuari, which is right on the bay. The town that the church specifically is in is called Bay Town. Oh my word!!! Such a beautiful community! Not very Japanese, but still beautiful!!!

After worship Mary (an mk and student at the school) actually went to the beach, and I got to experience the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life!! It was dark by this time and still April, so it was a little cold!! But I can now say that I have seen the Pacific in Peru, flown over coming to Japan and actually touched it in Japan…. Maybe someday I’ll experience it from the West coast After the little beach excursion we went and played on a play ground, also in the dark. Which just meant that it was that more exciting!! Then we rode the train back to Chiba and “hiked” home from the station.

  

Mary and I

First time in the Pacific!!

At the playground!!

Monday. After a long hike along the river Mary and I got to go to another park, to continue celebrating Ohanami, with another missionary family. This park was HUGE, with tons of cherry trees, all in bloom too!!! There was also this crazy long slide, with rollers. So of course we did the slide!! Let me just say, it hurt SO bad!!!! Thought the rollers were going to burn a hole through my pants!! But it was so much fun!!

Down by the river.

Fish banners were everywhere!!!

April also brought a new intern to teach at the school, Rebecca.

There's just something about a playground that we just haven't quite grown out of yet.....

Rebecca and Jenna 

Jenna and I 

Somewhere in the middle of April Easter snuck itself in. Which we (the interns) spent in Tokyo. Prier though to my going to Tokyo Easter Sunday, I went to a sunrise service that one of the churches does every year. It was SO beautiful!!! We were on a hill under a tree. Just read the Easter story from the Bible, sang some songs.....

Now a couple moths prior to this, Debbie (one of the career missionaries) had given the 3 of us inters tickets to go to Disney Tokyo, and she was going to go with us…. But that was all before the earthquake. After the earthquake they’d had close Disney. It opened again before our tickets expired!! But instead of Debbie taking us, the now 4 of us interns went, Easter weekend.The first time I’ve ever been to a theme park!! Totally had a blast!! And it was a really fun way to get to know the new girl. Since we went on a Monday, and it was still kinda just after the earthquake, there really weren’t that many people there. So the lines were incredibly short, meaning we did like all the rides!!! I was impressed by how lame most of the rides were…. Even though I did have a lot of fun, I’m very grateful that that wasn’t something that my family did….. 

Still Standing

Basically I can't believe it's been more then 2 months since I last wrote. Instead of my telling you all that happened after the earthquake with relief work, I'll let my pictures speak for themselves.

One of the hallways at the school, stuffed full of donations to be taken up north. It was incredible how much was donated!!!

Sorting through all the donations.

Organizing, sorting and sometimes even pitching donations.

There were some pretty wacky stuff donated!!

                      

Making onigiri (rice balls) to send up north for the refugees.
So easy to make, and very filling!!

Onigiri. In about a week we'd made a couple 1000 of these guys!!

Bottled water!! Another answer to prayer.

        

Fuel!! Huge answer to prayer. Don't realize how much we rely on  things like gas and kerosine till you can't just get it.....

                                                                                                                                                                   It was very cool getting to help with the relief work. Feeling like I was on the ground work of something much bigger then myself. Which obviously is true, but.....

A lot of people from America came to help during the first couple weeks. Mostly people that had been here before as missionaries. So it was pretty exciting getting to actually meet the people that everyone always talked about. I struggled though with feeling resentment toward them. They were going to get to go up north and help out, and I couldn't (because I'm a girl) and they hadn't even been here during the earthquake!!!! After my mother and a 15 year old mk explained to me, or reminded me that they were instruments in the Creator's hands and God had brought them here for a purpose and I needed to respect them for that.... it was cool!!

Yeah, so it wasn't just work all the time.

Mary. One of the 10th graders at the school
as well as mk (missionary kid).

NINJA'S!! Oh something weird like that....
Micah and Hannah, 11th graders at the school, also mk's.

ICE CREAM RUN!!!

But don't worry, we're masked up,

so we wont get radiated. :)

Hannah and Jes

I also got to do some babysitting. 

Huddy, 2 years old

Huddy's big brother, Liam, 3 

Amid all the bad that was happening around us, spring didn't forget to come to Japan.