Tokyo Reflection Continues

A week out from our return, jet lag is finally fading, but the looms of recollection and reflection are still weaving, weaving...

A song on Sunday morning spoke to me in an unexpected way.  The wistful ache of leaving our fellow laborers in Tokyo had faded by that point into a vague, gnawing prayer, and the chorus of the song provided the insight needed for me to settle into a more contented peace:

"We will work the field of souls, together you and I.
Some fields are blooming now, and other fields are dry.
We are not the same, but, differences aside,
We will work the field of souls, together you and I."

One thing we learned, as I have been reminded at the close of every short-term mission I have been on, is that the same kinds of ministry we encounter "in the field" are also here at home:  seeing the needs in an unfamiliar place sets them in more vivid relief in the otherwise comfortable clothes of our daily lives at home.

Yet we left bits of our hearts in Tokyo, and need to grieve the parting.  This undercurrent of wistful concern can inspire prayer for the "field of souls" in Japan, and has done so daily for me--because we have learned to better care for our Christian comrades in another place, and for those who are lost on that other cultural grid, searching and striving.  Because we care more, because we have tasted the fruit of that field, we miss being there and investing talents in that spiritual economy...

...but now we are called to be here, to spend our efforts on the less-vivid, more familiar fields close to home (though home is not as simple and comfortable as it used to be--some things look different now).  Sunday morning's song answered the restless confusion and spiritual jet-lag in my inner spirit:  rather than being apart from the ministry in Tokyo, we are "still there" working the field of souls alongside people like Roger and Abi Lowther, simply by continuing in prayer.  "We are not the same," but the difference matters little, for our wistful concern for Tokyo translates into a growing passion for God's calling here, now, to spend ourselves where God has placed us. 

And, through prayer, we can take part in the work anywhere.  Please keep praying for the team, as we continue to practice participating in God's purpose, and PRAY for the ministry in Tokyo.

In Christ's love and grace,
Andy

Another Tokyo Reflection

Hi Friends,

There are so many thoughts about the trip still processing, my reflecting is still a work in progress (that, knowing me, will continue for many months to come). So for now, I would just like to share a couple of verses from 2 Corinthians that I found myself thinking and praying on quite a bit during our time in Tokyo. The first is a verse that a loving supporter sent me before we left; it was a verse she prayed while in Japan several years ago.

"Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him." ~2:14

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." ~4:6-7

I encourage you to join me in finding comfort and encouragement in these verses, and praying them in praise to God on behalf of the missionaries in Tokyo (specifically Roger, Abi, and their boys, Geert and his family, and short-termers Hannah and Alex), the rest of the Belhaven team and myself (as we strive to shine God's love not just during an awesome 2 week trip, but in our every-day lives back home), and for your own life.

Thanks again for partnering with us: all of your prayers and support were/are much needed and appreciated!

in Christ's love,
~Ellie

Tokyo 2010 Reflection

Dear Fellow Brothers and Sisters,

     As I reflect on the Tokyo music mission trip several things came to mind. It is incredible that a nation such as Japan should have so few worshipers of God. They worship their own ancestors and other deities but only 2% worship the living God. As worshipers of God, we went as a team to spread the glory of God to a nation where so few have even heard of Jesus Christ. Walking through the train station and about the streets I was struck with the lonliness and hopelessness of the people in Japan. They have everything as far as earthly possessions but it is not enough. I count it a privelige to have lived among those wonderful people for a short time.

     As a musician, it was such a joy to see people connect to the music we played. Some of their musicians see it as the only way they can have fulfillment in life. However, I found out that if you lose it for any period of time your happiness in life is gone. God, however, never changes. He is the only One who will fill us with joy in His everlasting presence. God gave me such an appreciation for my salvation through Jesus Christ when I saw the results of the lack of salvation.

       The Japanese people are very intuitive people and I believe and pray that they see something different in us and in the missionaries. We have hope and freedom they don't posses. Through music, God was able to use us to connect with people and to connect them with people in the Church. People don't usually become Christians the second they hear about the gospel. They become Christians through relationships and connections. Christianity is a relationship! Pray that the relationships we made and the missionaries made while we were there will be lasting and will bear fruit for the gospel.

     Thank you for your prayers! We needed them every second! May God bless you richly in the joy of His salvation given freely to us through Christ Jesus!

Rachel Reese

 

Tokyo Diary: Long Day Home

We're back!  Today we traveled 20 blocks and six stairways of walking with all of our luggage, 80 km of subway and railway to the airport, and 8000 miles of air travel with a 5-hour layover in Detroit (and walking around in the airports adds a few more MILES). This morning at 10:00 (actually, about 8:00 pm yesterday, Jackson time), we left the hostel to come home, and were finally home by 9:00 pm, making 11 hours into 25.  Lots of attempted sleeping on the flight out of Tokyo (people and pillows in various interesting arrangements), no clear idea of time-of-day for most of the trip (the sun was down for a few hours while we were on the plane, but windows were all closed), no sense of anything but a long "now" outside of time and place.  But now we're in Jackson.  Dude.

The 'blog will continue for a while.  Team members have been invited to post reflections, and we have more stories and pictures to inspire your prayer.  For now, THANK the Lord for our safe return and PRAY for the team members as they come to terms with the last few weeks.  In our final group conversation, during that long layover in Detroit, several people mentioned how God used this trip to develop their sense of calling--and everyone agreed that we need time to rest and meditate, to talk further, and to pray for each other, even as we continue to PRAY for the lost in Tokyo, and the missionaries working there.  Some of the missionaries have a strong sense that this generation of missionaries will see dramatic growth in the Christian church, after the long hard groundwork laid by a century of Christian missions in Japan:  PRAY expectantly for that fruit to come, and for those called to the harvest.

I will not soon forget the trains (in fact, I woke up on the airplane thinking it was a train), for a variety of reasons.  The massive, spaghetti-like intricacy is beautifully organized and managed, and remarkably clean and efficient, even if it is a bit eccentric in places.  The isolated, largely impassive faces of the commuters crowding the terminals and trains, each in their own private, quiet world, speak so strongly of the culture of segmented, fragmented lives overcome with the compulsion to work long and hard to earn their place, their acceptability, their social respect.  The long, rapid strings of cars vanishing into darkness and suddenly emerging at a different station further underline (pun intended) the compartmentalized worldview evident in Tokyo culture, and the hidden depths of thought and feeling not visible in public business.  The intuitive way in which commuters navigate around one another, steering by feel and convention, without conflict or crime (yes, Tokyo is a very safe place), is truly remarkable.  And then, of course, they crush each other in squeezing onto a commuter line to make it to work on time (we experienced that intense cramming twice, thankfully without serious injury). 

All of this paints a picture of Tokyo residents, who have mutually-exclusive sets of relationships at work, at home, and at special-interest clubs, and have little time or inclination to connect these spheres.  This makes it very difficult for meaningful relationships to form in which the gospel can impact the whole of a person's life.  The places where people get intimately personal are few--but music is one significant "connector," because it reaches the inner person and draws responses out into the visible world.  People can build meaningful relationships around these simultaneously public and personal experiences, and God can use these to reveal his love and grace to those who most need to hear it.

Many of you have reported praying regularly for us and for Tokyo, for which we are deeply thankful.  The problems and difficulties we encountered were all small, which was a great blessing.

PLEASE continue PRAYING, and listening to God's heart for the Japanese people, as long as there is need.  Stay tuned...

In Christ's love and grace,
Andy

Tokyo Diary: The Long Tunnel Home

Another slightly hazy but dry day has already begun this morning, after some considerable breeze last night, blowing in through the windows and sweeping loose papers about our room.  We leave in a few hours for Narita airport (90 minutes of subway and train travel), and then board the flight for Detroit.  If it's anything like our arriving flight, it's like a long, cloistered tunnel:  time to think, wonder, and wait.  My prayer for us is that we could use the time to rest, to meditate on the last two crowded weeks, and find refreshment in God's transforming work on our spirits.  Your PRAYERS have contributed so much to our work here--but there's more to go, yet.

Yesterday saw Mrs. Bateman, Jackie, Hannah Cross, Hannah and Rachel Reese, and Shellie reach Disney Sea at 8:15, to spend the day.  I led the charge through the transit system, and nearly lost our way twice: most of the time, signs are very clear in the train stations, but sometimes a critical turn is not marked clearly enough for this novice commuter.  And imagine a large airport with several terminals and a dozen exits, twisted into a knot of spaghetti.  But we made it, and on the way home I tried an alternate route which was actually easier.  Still, while changing trains on the trip to pick them up in the evening, I found myself reflecting on the challenges of cross-cultural ministry.  Even with clear information, I still had small doubts about whether I was in the right car.  Even a trip to Disneyland can be an opportunity for service and ministry.

The rest of us went to the Tokyo Edo Museum, which told the history of Tokyo (or Edo, as it was called until recently) in models and exhibits.  Fascinating.  We also wandered the maze of shops and streets around the shrine near our hostel in Asakusa, looking for gifts for family members.  Everyone was engaged, excited, tired...but happy to be together in God's care.  I lost track of the number of birthday cards I received throughout the day--my charming wife prepared everyone with consummate skill--so turning 47 in Tokyo was a memorable and hilarious reminder of God's gracious affection for his children.

In the evening, Roger and Alex came to the hostel to see us one more time (well, half of us--I hadn't yet retrieved the Disney cohort), and it was a warm, difficult goodbye, filled with hope for a future visit (here's something more to PRAY for).  The Lowthers again communicated their appreciation and the wealth of relationships we have helped them build.  We are all continually impressed with what God has been accomplishing, and we look forward to telling and retelling the adventures.

The diary is not complete yet.  Keep listening with us, as God continues to speak, and please PRAY for the lost souls in Tokyo, as well as those working so desperately to reach out to them.

In Christ's love and grace,
Andy

Tokyo Diary: The Aftermath Begins

Monday morning saw us in the Lowthers' apartment, overlooking a rainy Tokyoscape, talking and praying through the adventures a day at a time, sharing stories and requests, reflecting.  Brent Kooi was there, as well as the Grace City pastors and some family members.  It took us three hours to walk through the experience, and much of it was with sober joy at the new connections and successes of each event, relationships made and built up by our musical presence, and so many reminders of the vast need Tokyo has for Jesus.  Sadly, Anna and Richard were both under the weather, so we missed a few stories and comments--but I doubt our debriefing is over.  We are filled with thoughts and feelings, more than we know what to do with.

So, this afternoon was spent in three different places:  some returned to Sakura Hostel to check on the "sickies" (who are already feeling better at the day's end), others went to the Oriental Bazaar (actually a single store) and Harajuku (a district full of shops catering to the "alternative" youth culture in Tokyo--a different kind of "bizarre"), and Ellie stayed at Roger's apartment to be with the children:  this evening, she and Alicia babysat while Roger and Abi spent some time together (their first opportunity to stop working and see each other in several weeks). 

Most of us were back at the hostel by 7:00, going various directions to get supper, to traipse around in the rain under umbrellas, to get wet feet (well, not intentionally), and to decompress.  The sense of urgency has left us, for the most part, but we still anticipate the trip home--another abnormally long day, in which we arrive in Detroit about three hours before we fly out of Tokyo--and have much to ponder.  Please PRAY for us as we sort out what God has been doing through our service, how he is transforming us, and how to respond over time.  Lord willing, we will not soon forget what we have seen and heard, and we pray for wisdom and perseverance as we continue to listen and meditate on God's works.  In many ways, they are difficult to fathom, and we are grateful for what little we have figured out in these last days.

There is no need to ever stop praying for God's work in Japan.  We look forward to sharing more with many of you in person and through the 'blog, as the next days pass.  And many of us dream of returning, should it please God's perfect purpose, to invest more in His kingdom here.  Please PRAY without ceasing, as God gives you grace to do so, for the people of Tokyo.

"On the seventh day, God rested...," setting a welcome example for all of us.  Six of the team are planning to rest by taking a trip to Disney Sea tomorrow, while others have a museum in mind, and others still some time to simply exist in peace for a while.   This, too, is a matter for prayer.

In Christ's love and grace,
Andy

Tokyo Diary: Oregon Sunshine

This Monday morning the hostel lobby is nearly empty.  Rain has been falling since yesterday morning, a light drizzle which reminds me of the Pacific Northwest weather I know and love--but this is on the other side of the Pacific.  It fits our mood--or, at least, my mood.

We are officially done with musical events.  Some of the group would like to do a concert in the lobby here tonight as a gift to the hostel, who have watched with detached interest as we lug instruments in and out every day, and we will use it to advertise Grace City Church's services and Bible studies.  Today and tomorrow we have some time to meditate on our experience together and enjoy a comparatively restful bit of sightseeing.  It begins today with a prayer and debriefing session at the Lowther's apartment, which I expect will be difficult to squeeze into the two-hour period we have set aside for it.  We are SO full of thoughts and experiences.

Yesterday morning, five of us returned to Emmanuel Fukagawa Christ Church (the same five who had attended the week before), not to play but simply because we wanted to connect with the people once again.  It was a beautiful and strange experience:  ten minutes late (we missed a train by 15 seconds) umbrellas in the stand outside, shoes off at the door, ushered into the second row, humming along with familiar tunes setting unfamiliar syllables, watching two adult baptisms, receiving a string of sheets of paper from the assistant pastor (who summarized the Pastor's warm, amiable Japanese in fairly good English with the help of consulted an electronic dictionary), being greeted during the service by name and having to stand up to bow, talking with the high school Sunday school class, and eating a quick lunch of curry and rice before having to dash to catch the train to Grace City Crch to join the rest of the group for the afternoon service there.  For some of us, the goodbye was deeply moving, the subsequent train ride somber, as we reflected on the fellowship we found among Japanese Christians, a world away--Oregon sunshine. 

This rain is beautiful, thoughtful, and heartbreaking.  As much as we hope for some clearing for exploring Tokyo further today, I can't seem to soak up enough of the warm, soft rainfall. Perhaps I should close my umbrella...

Please PRAY for the Christians in Tokyo, and lost souls surrounding them.

In Christ's love and grace,

Andy