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.

 

Shaken, but still Standing

I feel as though it’s taken me a really long time to actually write this blog post about my experience during the earthquake. I made the mistake of not writing about it right away. For some reason I thought that Friday’s experience would be it, but it's not. It was only the beginning. But for what it’s worth here’s my tale of what happened Friday the 11^th of March, 2011, at 2:46 Japan time.

I was about to end what had been a really good day with teaching elementary Bible, along with Kumiko, who was translating. I was reading the story about Paul and Silas being in prison and singing praises to God, when suddenly there was a great earthquake and they were free. Right on cue there was an earthquake!!!!! This isn’t unusual here. However instead of the earthquake ending like it usually did, it got worse. Kumiko told all the children to go under the tables where we huddled together. When we saw the older kids running outside we followed suit. We ran to a little field out in front of the school. Everyone from the school and a couple of people that where in the chapel (next to the school) where all outside huddled together in little groups praying, crying and just holding onto each other. As the earth shook I had the need to hold one of the little kids or be held by someone. I really wasn’t scared though, mostly just thought it was exciting. I knew my family was safe in America, (they didn’t even enter into my thoughts till later). But looking around and seeing all the kids scared to death, I realized I how extremely self-centered. I was. I was surrounded by all the people I loved, while most of them had no idea where the rest of their family was. Besides that, this was their country that felt like it was being torn apart….

When the ground finally stopped shaking we went back inside the school. There was about 15 minutes before school was technically supposed to be over, but really? What do you do after you’ve just survived what was the longest and worst earthquake on record in Japan (9.0 on the richter, 7.8 where we were)???? Well, I don’t know what you would do, but we just started checking the class rooms and seeing if there’d been any damage done… A couple minutes later, the aftershocks started and we all ran back out to the field. The first aftershock was bad, and almost as soon it stopped another one started. While we all huddled in the field together, we all suddenly realized we smelled gas!!! I envisioned the school and chapel just suddenly blowing up!! Carol, (one of the missionaries and head mistress of the school) and another lady went to go turn the gas off. I almost freaked out!! I wanted to scream “don’t go!!!!” I contained myself though. Knowing my imagination was just working over time and the kids did not need freaking out more than they already were… We heard that a tsunami was coming now and to get to higher ground…. While all this was happening the sun was shining so brightly and the sky was a beautiful blue, the heavens looked so peaceful. For the first time I experienced, literally, the world in utter chaos, but God is always there, always faithful, always stable. It was hard imagining that somewhere a tsunami was happening and people’s world was coming to an end.

Slowly parents started coming and picking up their kids. Those of us that didn’t leave went into the chapel where some moms cooked rice and pulled some other food together for everyone to eat. We huddled around laptops and iPhones to watch the news. It was scary watching the news and seeing all that the tsunami was doing right then!! It wasn’t like at home where you hundreds of miles away… this was only like 200 miles north of where we were!! As we prayed for the lives of those people, I cried. I remember a time, not very long ago, when that sort of thing wouldn’t have even phased me….

Jenna, Melanie and I had been planning a sleepover for Friday night and then to go shopping Saturday. Jenna and Melanie did spend the night with me Friday. But instead of watching a movie as planned, we all had our laptops out and were communicating with family and friends back home and watching the news. There were 6 people in the house that night doing this, looked like H.Q.!!! We watched a video that one of the guys on our team took during the earthquake. The ground looked like it was a living creature, breathing, and moving. Water and mud came up out of the ground. CREEPY. So glad I didn’t actually have to see it first hand. I imagined the ground opening at any minute, but to have actually seen it….?? At about 10, we interns decided we needed to go to bed. Together in my room we talked about our experience, and then read Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the sea, though the waters roar and foam though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when moring dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations

-Psalm 46

Then we prayed for a long time after that. The tremors having continued during this entire time, Melanie prayed that God would please stop the shaking so we could sleep. We understood and appreciated His awesome power, but we’d really like some sleep… Right at that moment another really bad aftershock hit the house!! God has such a sense of humor...!!! Finally midnight came, and what was the longest day of all 3 of our lives finally came to an end! After waking up every 2 hours, due to aftershocks, I decided at about 4:30 I really had to go to the bathroom. So after carefully crawling over Melanie and Jenna and was successfully in the bathroom, this REALLY creepy, eerie music starts playing outside, then this man start talking in Japanese (duh, we’re in Japan), then the music starts again….!!! Totally ruined my bathroom experience!! We all went downstairs after that to wait out whatever that announcement had been. It was freezing!! After about an hour of trying to sleep, we (Jenna, Melanie and I) went back upstairs to try to get some more sleep, being told we’d be gotten up if anything happened. Thankfully, nothing further did.

Here in Chiba, where I am, you would never know there had been an earthquake. Just a little further west there’s huge damage! One of the team’s families is living on reclaimed ground that tried becoming ocean again during the earthquake!! They are without water now, and there whole city is pretty shaken (as in sidewalks and parking lots that are now nice and rippiley, huge gaping holes in the ground, etc). Unlike with Katrina or any other really bad hurricane, where it was terrible, but that was it. Here, it’s not that way. The shaking doesn’t stop, the tsunami’s don’t stop, plants/ factories don’t stop blowing up…. It’s horrible!!! Every time I watch the news, or read the newspaper, my heart just breaks for the people of Japan.

It’s been 4 days since this all started. I keep thinking about passages in the Bible that talk about “the plans of man” and “My plans are not your plans”. I feel like we make plans and do all these thing, but when it comes right down to it, what does it really matter? Not that the plans we make are “bad”, they’re just not God’s plans…. When the Bible talks about “if the Lord wills”, it’s serious! Friday morning and all that I did; it seems so petty and insignificant now. I remember praying that God would take me out of the equation, to be less self focused. Does it really take an earthquake to wake me up and move me out of myself???!!!

So many people have died or are missing. But yet the missionaries are all safe, why? Because God still has need of them, (the only conclusion I can come up). Please pray for the missionaries here! A couple of the guys from the team have rented a truck and have been taking it up north with water and food for the refugees, please pray for protection as they do this. Earthquakes and tsunamis are still happening where they’re going. Due to a nuclear reactor blowing up, there’s a concern for radiation poisoning. Please pray for a wind to blow it away…. And of course please continue praying for the people of Japan. I keep thinking about the fact that I was reading about Paul and Silas in prison when an earthquake came, both in the story and in real life. Was it just a coincidence, or….???

I feel like I’ve just been rambling. So many emotions, so many thoughts, I feel as though they're only half thoughts at that…. Thank you for your prayers!!!! Can’t tell you what a world of difference they really do make, (prayers that is). =D

Not the Exception to the Law of Physics

Every year CCSI’s the jr. and sr. high get to go on a ski trip to Nojiri. The Alps of Japan. Since I teach to jr. high kids, I was “required” to go on the trip. Which sounds like I didn’t want to, but I totally did! I was thoroughly excited about getting a chance to get to know the kids away from a teacher/student relationship.

The whole adventure started with a party at the Iverson’s the night before the “big” day. We left Monday morning at about 6 in the morning in pouring rain. I rode in Sally’s car, later christened Baby Red, with Carol driving, Melanie (intern), Elizabeth and Hannah (11^th grade students). We got to the cabin in Nojiri at about 12 in the afternoon. The boys stayed in the Iverson’s cabin. Which is very rustic, tiny, no running water, no heat no… You get the point. The girls got to stay in a different cabin, it was SO nice! Heated, “big”, running water, heated toilet seats, on the lake, etc. The rest of Monday was spent just hanging out at the cabins playing games and just goofing off. Later we went to the onsen.  What is that? Natural hot springs. Basically the public bath house. All the rage during the age of the Roman Empire. Unlike in Rome, boys and girls baths are separated. Quite the experience. There were a couple girls that I didn’t know very well yet, suddenly we were very intimate and close.

Tuesday found the whole CCSI gang out on the slopes either snowboarding or skiing, or attempting to be. Someone told me that they snowboarded first, because it “looks cooler” when you crash. But that skiing is the easier of the 2 to do. Snowboarding first wasn’t even an option in my opinion. I was going to ski!! This was the first time I’d ever been able to have the chance to ski. So I was pretty pumped about getting to make a fool of myself. This was a good thing; because I did just that. It was Melanies first time to ski too, so together we mastered the “bunny” hill and decided we were totally ready to handle a real slope.

Before I say more about skiing, let me just say, I loved riding a ski lift! I’ve wondered for years how you actually get on and off one, now I know!! One more thing I can check off of my bucket list.

Once at the top of the slope, I suddenly realized I wasn’t ready for it. My skies thought differently. Basically, I was GOING, regardless of the fact that I was not mentally ready for it. I crash landed, losing a ski. I was convinced that was it. I was going to have to go down the rest of the way on my you know what. While all this is going on Melanie is still at the top of the hill, mentally preparing herself. Next thing I know there comes Melanie, head first on her stomach, with her poles at least like 10' behind her on the hill! I laughed so hard. Aren’t I just the greatest friend ever??!! I somehow managed to get myself over to where she landed, we both decided we’d go down the mountain on our you know what’s and practice some more…. One of the guys, Matt, found us at this point and was like “you’re going to do what? No you’re not.” He showed me how to get my skies back and explained yet again how to break and cut. To always lean forward and lean into the hill/ mountain. Physics. I tried again. Fell again. Put my ski back on again. Tried again. Fell again. Thought about not trying again. Thoughts of my older brothers popped into my head. Up again I went. About the umpteenth time I fell, I decided I really like falling. It’s so exciting! One minute I’m going, vertically. The next I’m still going, but horizontally. That split second I’m no longer standing, but I’m not landed yet, not knowing what kind of awkward position I was going to land in this time, was I still going to have my skies on…. The suspense! So exciting!! Basically, I am a pro at falling. :P 

After lunch I tried the slope again. This time both Melanie and were going to do it. Long story short, Melanie wound up taking the lift back down, leaving me to make my way down the slope by myself. I figured though that since I had these skies and poles, I might as well make use them. I mean hello? So I went for it! Fell more that time, but I got back up faster. This time I had the experience of going backwards down the slope. That was exciting!! Let me tell ya. I got to the bottom tons faster then the first time. Suppose that’s why I fell so many times. Did I mention that ski boots are really uncomfortable? But I was so thankful for them every time I fell. I’m pretty sure they’re the only reason I didn’t break an ankle.

After the onsen we went back to the cabin. For dinner we had Curry rice!! Afterwards we had a teaching led by Matt. The majority of the girls ended up on one couch for some reason, which was fun. It’s warmer that way. When we ran out of room to “sit” on the couch, we just lay across laps. It was great!! It was decided that we’d sleep in the next day, then put in a half day at the slopes. Then head for home.

Being able to sleep in was amazing! Let me just say. After a semi lazy breakfast we did devotions, packed and cleaned the cabin. The guys were supposed to pick us by 11:30. We were ready and waiting by 11. So we did each others hair, to pass time. It’s 11:30 now and still no guys. Since hair was done, the next best thing to do is massages! So we got in a massage line… it was awesome!! Then the guys came…. Time for lunch and more slopes!!

The slopes were beautiful!!! Much higher than the day before…. But it looked like there may have been some easier slopes to do. However there was a miscommunication and I didn’t actually get to ski. Sad face. But I did get to spend some quality time with one of the students, Hannah, and Melanie, they also didn’t ski/snowboard that day either. We did get to ride the ski lift to the top of one of the mountains and back down again, that was amazing!!

After that we packed up and headed for home. We all rode in the same cars we’d ridden up in, which naturally was fun. It was late before we got back to Chiba, so the high school kids (and myself) spent the night at the Iverson’s. We all went to school together the next day. What could have been a really rough day turned out to be one of the best! We were all still on such a high from the trip!!!

The best part of the entire trip I think was all the girl time. Might sound strange. There was such a close safe feeling that I've never felt before... It was really incredible. Not explaining that very well, am I? And I'm not going to. :P