1. What excites you about working with Friends Network?
I love working with Friends Network! I have a unique opportunity to share my faith with both children and adults who have never heard God's Word before. I also get to live in an amazing country full of delicious food, interesting culture and wonderful people. I have wanted to travel and do mission work since I was little, and it is amazing that with Friends Network I can do both. I am excited for the future of Friends Network in Japan and seeing God's work in action.
This picture was taken at Hitachinaka Seaside Park with some of our high school students. We spent the day with them there and got to see the world famous nemophila. In this picture we are in a ferris wheel.
a huge bowl of ramen that I accidentally ordered. The worker at the restaurant asked how many grams of noodles I wanted, and I had no idea what was the right size so I asked for 500 grams. It turns out that 500 grams of noodles is about 1.1 lbs of noodles. I couldn't even finish eating 1/4 of the bowl before I was too full to continue. I didn't eat ramen again for months.
2. In what ways have you grown by serving as an evangelist?
I have a new appreciation and respect for people from different cultures. We often hear and learn about different cultural practices and beliefs, but it doesn't compare to experiencing them in person. I have learned a lot about how different communication is here in Japan, and how to ask and answer in a culturally appropriate and indirect way. It is also fascinating to have conversations about religion or Christianity and hear a completely different perspective than what I am used to.
3. Favorite new word or phrase you’ve learned:
My favorite japanese phrase is daijobu (大丈夫). It is a very common phrase here. It can be used to say no politely or to say yes or to say ok. I use this phrase probably every day at supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants. It is also a very helpful phrase to use in ESL class to let students know it is ok to speak or that their answer was correct!
4. What can we pray for?
Please pray for our mission here and the people of Japan. While there is freedom of religion here in Japan, many people face persecution from their own communities when they convert to Christianity or even learn about Chrisitianity. Community is such an important part of life and culture here so people are often swayed away from Christianity because their family or community would not approve. Please pray that God would help these people in their faith and take away the fear of persecution. Please also pray for the students in our English programs. We are so blessed to be able to share a Bible lesson with our students after each class. We pray that God Word will grow in their hearts and minds and lead them to faith in Him.
Our trip with Mito international center to the Naka river. Even though it was raining the entire time, we had so much fun trying to catch fish, playing in the river, and trying sweet fish (a famous Japanese dish in the area). I also learned that the word for raincoat is the same word as the name for a Japanese mythical river monster.
