Tachikawa, Japan

We bring some bad news today. Due to mechanical failure, we will be unable to update the website with pictures. This will carry on indefinitely, until a solution can be reached. We are sorry to disappoint those of you who had found this website to be informative and entertaining. From no on, it may only be informative. The good news is that we can show re-runs! I.E., here is Brandon teaching Chie, again. (Which he actually did yesterday, but you can't tell when the picture was taken, unless you are very intuitive and tech savvy) The good news is that we will have pictures up on the Tachikawa Tourism page, because we already have those pictures, thankfully. So...

Today was typhoon day. It was raining all day, and we were mostly soaked before we even got to the church. Brandon had a slight biking accident, because his bike got stuck in a wet groove in the side walk and he just slid for a good five meters before falling. He only has a few battle wounds on his hands, nothing major. However, our major event today, handing out flyers, turned out quite well, despite the rain. Tim, Christi, and Andrew ran out of flyers and kids were still coming. The ice cream party should be quite large this Saturday. We had both good and bad responses. Some kids went away chanting "Aisu Paati! Aisu Paati!", where as others didn't take flyers and said things like, "Christian, ha ha". Which we assume is translated, "Oh look, its the Christians again. Ha Ha". Well it was worth it just to hear the few Ice Cream Party chants, and to see those kids smile, even if the others didn't. The day ended with the Prayer service. Another pastor came tonight. Mr. Tateishi and his family came. They are seeking support here in Japan for their missions in America. They will be going, God willing, to Greenwich, New York, to work with the Japanese there. He will help to pastor a Japanese speaking church, on the border of Connecticut and New York. Many Japanese come to the States for short times, so if they can come and know Christianity in that culture, then they can bring it back to their country and reach their own people. It was a very interesting experience hearing his plans to help Japanese-Americans. Yoshie translated for us, but when Mrs. Tateishi got up to share her testimony, Mr. Tateishi translated for us. He was raised in the states and spoke quite fluently. We were surprised, but also thankful to be able to listen in English. Mrs. Tateishi's testimony was also quite powerful. She is a fifth generation Christian. However her parents did not come to meet the Lord fully until after she herself was saved. So please pray for the Tateishi's as they travel Japan seeking prayer and financial support for their missions work in our own backyard. We now ought to think of where we can serve in our own country, with our friends and family that we see every day. Seek every opportunity to share the gift that we have been given, because we only have a short time here to share, but an eternity to worship God. Would you rather have your friends and family be eternally separated from God, or be there with you in constant worship before His throne?

Tachikawa, Japan

Back to English lessons today. Andrew had his first lesson and his second, all in one day. The others had their usual students. Christi and Missy helped to teach a group of four Junior Highers. Andrew enjoyed his lessons today. His first group was three generation of ladies: the grandmother, the mother, and the granddaughter. He particularly enjoyed it because the grandmother had lived through World War II. She had planned to learn English at that time, but all English lessons were cancelled because of the war. She had cousins who were second generation Japanese-American. They experienced the relocation camps in the states while she supported her family in her father's absence. Tonight we also had a typhoon come in. The way home for all of us was quite wet. Mike had a twenty minute walk in the rain without an umbrella. He said that Uki's expression when he arrived was priceless.

Asakusa, Japan

Monday, our day off! Today we went to Asakusa, which is just north of Tokyo. There we toured a Buddist temple. The Asakasa temple is famous for its mish-mash of religions. There is a Buddist shrine, a Shinto shrine, and various fortune telling devices around that area. Sensei likened it to Corinth and Ephesus in Biblical times, because as we entered there was a long row of shops leading to the temple. After a little photography and discussion, we stopped on the temple steps and prayed for the lost and confused souls in Japan. These people certainly need direction if they must practice two religions to be fulfilled. From the temple, we took a boat downriver to a park. Not just any park, but a park that was once a Shogun's home. There we took that chance to have some team pictures and enjoy the beautiful gardens and ponds. We also contemplated the possibility of Godzilla meeting the local skyline. From the Shogun garden, we went to the famous Ginza district. There we window shopped and also saw the largest Kabuki theater in Japan. Then it was back to the Tokyo subway and JR line for the long ride home.

Tachikawa, Japan

Finally, Sunday! We sat in on the Sunday school classes, then finally, we got to see the church! They filled the sanctuary, and we even had some people sitting in the hallway. It was wonderful! We were able to sing along, because one of the ladies in the church wrote out the songs in Romanji (Japanese written with roman characters). So even though we didn't know the meaning, at least we could sing. During the teaching, we went up stairs and listened to Sensei Takahashi over the intercom and Yoshie translated. Then we went back down to the sanctuary and took communion with the church. After this time, we got into groups and discussed what we had learned. Fortunately, Yoshie made sure that we were in a group with someone who could translate for us. Before the service ended, the Team was introduced to the church, along with several other missionaries who were visiting the area. One of The Master's College's Professors was there too, Mr. Suzuki. He was in Japan with his family, visiting his parents in one of the northern prefectures. After the service, a luncheon was hosted by the church on the fourth floor. There we met many of the church members. Yoshie made a trivia game about us, so that the church body could learn more about the workers who had come to join them for the summer. Once lunch was cleaned up and people left, the college group, Seinen-Kai, hung out a played games. First we went on a treasure hunt for a newspaper and Hagan-Daas. Andrew's team won that. Then we competed to find various pictures and letters in the newspapers, then to play charades. Once charades were over, we played a Japanese version of Rock-Paper-Scissors. We Americans were not very good, but one of the Japanese guys, Shin, was very good. He was also quite a character, along with his crazy team.

Tachikawa, Japan

Last night many of us got to experience a bit of Japanese culture. Today is the beginning of a short summer festival, Tanabata. This celebrates the meeting of two constellations, because a meteorite shower brings them together. It is somewhat like a tragic Shakespeare play. To celebrate, the Japanese write wishes on brightly colored paper and hang them on bamboo plants. Here are the wishes at the Hosokawa's. Saturday is also the cleaning day in Japan. In homes, businesses, and even out on the street, people are cleaning. So, a few of us went to Josui Church, and the rest stayed at Tachikawa. There we cleaned and helped to prepare for Sunday services. Missy and Amanda cleaned all of the slippers. Andrew helped Seiji and Yoshio learn a song for Gospel Night. Tim just hung out with some of the other helpers. Sensei, Yo, and Uki also practiced their song for Gospel Night. When the cleaning was done, those of us who were left at the church were blessed with a dinner cooked by Yo. After some fellowship, we played a couple lively games of "Spoons". It was a great time.

Tachikawa, Japan

Today was our big day for English lessons. We had the beginning of the day to ourselves, but tonight we had five or six students on our schedule. After lunch we went to pass out flyers for an ice cream party. Though Tim and Andrew didn't see many kids, Missy and Amanda were kept busy. The kids had fun seeing Americans. Later that evening we had all of our lessons. Unfortunately, Andrew's student was unable to come. Instead he went around taking pictures of everyone as they taught. Missy had her first lesson with Mrs. Hosokawa, while Christi taught Kikuko, who is Mrs. Hosokawa's mother-in-law. Again, Brandon taught Chie. Amanda had the most difficult lesson with Mr. Tanokura, because he knows very little English at all. She says that she does well even with the difficulties, because she is able to use hand motions to describe what she is talking about.

Tachikawa, Japan

Today started with a late team meeting. Then we grabbed a quick lunch before our meeting with Yoshie. Once again we had some schedule changes. Our homestays were shuffled around yet again, and we had to add some additional English lessons. Speaking of lessons, Mike taught Mrs. Tanokura. The rest of us went to pass out flyers for our English lessons. We did this a two local schools for younger children. Some of the boys there would yell "NO!" and run by us, or the girls would just be shy and walk off in another direction. But we were blessed when one of the boys misunderstood Andrew's Japanese and instead of rejecting the flyer, he accepted it and smiled. Many times they would walk off and look at us from a distance saying "Amerika-jin desu", meaning, "They are Americans". One of the girls was bold and talked to Andrew with a little Japanese before she ran off. Christi got the chance to talk with the Yoshizawa's in Cantonese, as they were passing out flyers together. At the other school, Joshua, a seminary student, Missy, and Amanda passed out flyers. Later this week we will all go back to the schools to pass out flyers for an Ice Cream Party that Tachikawa church is putting on for the kids. Later today Sensei Takahashi met with us and we talked about our expectations on the trip and had some prayer time. Tonight some of the students are going to the prayer meeting. The Tachikawa and Josei churches do this every Wednesday. There were alot of people.