Today our team began volunteer work in Nasu, Japan. I have to say that before we started working, learning that we were going to be serving in a support area and not a disaster area, there were expressions of disappointment, even in myself, I have to confess. I had wanted to go to Iwate and Miyagi, Fukushima and Sendai. But we have been placed in Nasu. After today, all of my disappointment is gone away, because the good work we have been given to do must be done, even if it does not look important, it has become important to me. I am glad to be in Nasu, I am very happy to serve Japan here.
We started off at a place called A.R.I (Asian Rural Institute), where there is a huge farm and many gardens where one of the groups would be working. We met with a group of people working there for a morning meeting. The A.R.I. meeting room is a place with high rafters and circle shaped tables with many chairs around them. We seated ourselves beside old and young, kind-natured and sweet people with dispositions more friendly than I have experienced in a while. We listened to a woman share her heart about friendship and what it means to her. We sang "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" around glasses of cold barley tea.
Afterwards, my team took a short tour of the farm and met a little cow and some roosters. We made our way to the car and were off to lunch before we began work at the warehouse. We began a long drive up a mountain to go eat at an old couple's sweet home. Every Wednesday their home becomes the Concord, and they open a buffet of homemade Japanese food. It's one of those secrets of Nasu. We enjoyed various Japanese delicacies like croquette and umeboshi onigiri. Our lunch was complimented with many glasses of water, and finished with the most delicious espresso I've had in a very long time. This espresso was fantastic, I could truly rave about it. The lovely lady who owns the place was so kind, and her husband was so humble. They enjoyed practicing their English with us and were so gracious as we practiced our Japanese with them. The Concord looked straight out of a dream, in fact, Nasu is just straight out of a dream. It's a place lined with coffee shops and gardens, onsen and beauty all around. I really like it here, in all of it's unfamiliarity.
Those were the last moments we spent in paradise. I was full of energy and zealous joy to get working. I felt good. We had a project to work at two warehouses, moving blankets to the second floor of the first warehouse, and moving boxes of pots and pans from one warehouse to the next. A little bit of information about these simple items we were moving: When we walked into the warehouse, there was rows upon countless rows of handmade blankets, apparently donated to Japan from Germany. Each one was carefully woven with warm threads that will be perfect for the Japanese in the winter. The pots and pans have been donated from the United States, to go to the families who win a lottery to leave the refugee camps and live in temporary housing. My heart was touched to see boxes upon countless boxes of clothes and food and supplies from just about all over the world. So many hearts have put an effort in for Japan. It is so beautiful to see.
We started moving blankets in an assembly line, and soon we began to work quickly, our energy and encouraging spirits keeping each other together. We hardly wanted to take breaks, as a team, I felt we grew together very much in the short 4 hours that we worked. An older man, Narita-san, though he was the oldest among us, gave his very best. He was a true inspiration to me, the way he worked himself so much to be helpful, running and carrying boxes, handing off blankets and never tiring. It was an honor to work with someone with such a big heart. He made me want to do my best even more. As we drove, transporting boxes of pots and pans from one warehouse to the next, I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face.
For the first time since Sunday, I feel like I am in Japan, and I feel like the realities of the tsunami and earthquake are actually tangible in the air, and I feel like I am helping with the recovery. In the days that we have been briefing, the whole thing has felt either like we are on vacation, or like we hadn't been in Japan at all. But when we started working together, our thoughts truly did turn towards the people who would be receiving these boxes in temporary housing, and receiving these blankets in the winter. Maybe this all sounds very selfish, but it's hard to explain. And I know that our short hours of work does not make everything alright, but to even do such a small thing, I have deep gratitude. Our team spirit was up nonstop today! I hope this week we can keep this trend going and all do our best, as Japan does her best.
We also cleaned the church behind the place where we are staying, because we worked quickly and had some extra time. Then it was time for a quick shower and dinner - we had some delicious ramen and gyoza at a place called Sozuki. It was nice to sit down to a meal with everyone all together once we had worked for the day. It was like being a part of a family. I am so happy to be here, that's really the thread I feel through this whole day, I am so happy to be serving in Japan, I wish I could be here forever.
Today I continued to read 1Corinthians, and started into chapter 2. 1Corinthians has really been helpful for me to read through while doing missions work. I am learning more and more that it is really only reliance on God that I can do, so that He can work. There is no work that I can do, I can move boxes and I can move blankets, I can clean and wax floors, I can carry things and transport things, but only God can really make any of the things I do productive and true work. Even if I am successful in my efforts, if I do not have the love of Christ on the inside of my heart, it amounts to absolutely nothing. I like what Paul says:
There's really no explanation I could give for this verse that does it justice. I just think about how inadequate I am, and just how that doesn't stop God. How much hope and joy does that bring to my heart. That is the reason I was able to work today with such strength, I believe that is true. I am just happy that even though I lack so much as a person, God makes up for it, and He is faithful and His way is always the best way.
I am excited for tomorrow, working some more. But I am exhausted. I am glad though that God has blessed me with a hot shower and food to eat. Because I am beginning to become aware of the fact that has been staring me in the face for years that not everyone has that. And sometimes it makes me feel shameful, because there is nothing I can do. I want to tell God thank you for these things, but I want to do more. So, for the people who have less electricity they can use or sometimes not hot water, I am thinking of them when I work. Please pray that God's compassion would not be overrun by my tendency to entertain moral obligation or social justice. I just want Jesus, and nothing else. And please pray for strength in our team as we continue our service. Thank you.
We started off at a place called A.R.I (Asian Rural Institute), where there is a huge farm and many gardens where one of the groups would be working. We met with a group of people working there for a morning meeting. The A.R.I. meeting room is a place with high rafters and circle shaped tables with many chairs around them. We seated ourselves beside old and young, kind-natured and sweet people with dispositions more friendly than I have experienced in a while. We listened to a woman share her heart about friendship and what it means to her. We sang "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" around glasses of cold barley tea.
Afterwards, my team took a short tour of the farm and met a little cow and some roosters. We made our way to the car and were off to lunch before we began work at the warehouse. We began a long drive up a mountain to go eat at an old couple's sweet home. Every Wednesday their home becomes the Concord, and they open a buffet of homemade Japanese food. It's one of those secrets of Nasu. We enjoyed various Japanese delicacies like croquette and umeboshi onigiri. Our lunch was complimented with many glasses of water, and finished with the most delicious espresso I've had in a very long time. This espresso was fantastic, I could truly rave about it. The lovely lady who owns the place was so kind, and her husband was so humble. They enjoyed practicing their English with us and were so gracious as we practiced our Japanese with them. The Concord looked straight out of a dream, in fact, Nasu is just straight out of a dream. It's a place lined with coffee shops and gardens, onsen and beauty all around. I really like it here, in all of it's unfamiliarity.
Those were the last moments we spent in paradise. I was full of energy and zealous joy to get working. I felt good. We had a project to work at two warehouses, moving blankets to the second floor of the first warehouse, and moving boxes of pots and pans from one warehouse to the next. A little bit of information about these simple items we were moving: When we walked into the warehouse, there was rows upon countless rows of handmade blankets, apparently donated to Japan from Germany. Each one was carefully woven with warm threads that will be perfect for the Japanese in the winter. The pots and pans have been donated from the United States, to go to the families who win a lottery to leave the refugee camps and live in temporary housing. My heart was touched to see boxes upon countless boxes of clothes and food and supplies from just about all over the world. So many hearts have put an effort in for Japan. It is so beautiful to see.
We started moving blankets in an assembly line, and soon we began to work quickly, our energy and encouraging spirits keeping each other together. We hardly wanted to take breaks, as a team, I felt we grew together very much in the short 4 hours that we worked. An older man, Narita-san, though he was the oldest among us, gave his very best. He was a true inspiration to me, the way he worked himself so much to be helpful, running and carrying boxes, handing off blankets and never tiring. It was an honor to work with someone with such a big heart. He made me want to do my best even more. As we drove, transporting boxes of pots and pans from one warehouse to the next, I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face.
For the first time since Sunday, I feel like I am in Japan, and I feel like the realities of the tsunami and earthquake are actually tangible in the air, and I feel like I am helping with the recovery. In the days that we have been briefing, the whole thing has felt either like we are on vacation, or like we hadn't been in Japan at all. But when we started working together, our thoughts truly did turn towards the people who would be receiving these boxes in temporary housing, and receiving these blankets in the winter. Maybe this all sounds very selfish, but it's hard to explain. And I know that our short hours of work does not make everything alright, but to even do such a small thing, I have deep gratitude. Our team spirit was up nonstop today! I hope this week we can keep this trend going and all do our best, as Japan does her best.
We also cleaned the church behind the place where we are staying, because we worked quickly and had some extra time. Then it was time for a quick shower and dinner - we had some delicious ramen and gyoza at a place called Sozuki. It was nice to sit down to a meal with everyone all together once we had worked for the day. It was like being a part of a family. I am so happy to be here, that's really the thread I feel through this whole day, I am so happy to be serving in Japan, I wish I could be here forever.
Today I continued to read 1Corinthians, and started into chapter 2. 1Corinthians has really been helpful for me to read through while doing missions work. I am learning more and more that it is really only reliance on God that I can do, so that He can work. There is no work that I can do, I can move boxes and I can move blankets, I can clean and wax floors, I can carry things and transport things, but only God can really make any of the things I do productive and true work. Even if I am successful in my efforts, if I do not have the love of Christ on the inside of my heart, it amounts to absolutely nothing. I like what Paul says:
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
There's really no explanation I could give for this verse that does it justice. I just think about how inadequate I am, and just how that doesn't stop God. How much hope and joy does that bring to my heart. That is the reason I was able to work today with such strength, I believe that is true. I am just happy that even though I lack so much as a person, God makes up for it, and He is faithful and His way is always the best way.
I am excited for tomorrow, working some more. But I am exhausted. I am glad though that God has blessed me with a hot shower and food to eat. Because I am beginning to become aware of the fact that has been staring me in the face for years that not everyone has that. And sometimes it makes me feel shameful, because there is nothing I can do. I want to tell God thank you for these things, but I want to do more. So, for the people who have less electricity they can use or sometimes not hot water, I am thinking of them when I work. Please pray that God's compassion would not be overrun by my tendency to entertain moral obligation or social justice. I just want Jesus, and nothing else. And please pray for strength in our team as we continue our service. Thank you.
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