Since the Japan Mission Trip I've been thinking continiously on what to put on this blog. There were so many things that stood out for me. I, myself have never really left the U.S. since I was six years old. I've grown accustomed to American food, fashion, words, and lifestyle. Going to Japan was definitly an incredible, new experience for me. It opened my eyes and made me see that there is a bigger and more different world out there than ours. Going through with this trip, I'd have to say that it was all worth it. I was able to experience the life of an typical Japanese person and try out their amazing cuisine; as well as learning about certain traditions and customs they are pressured to follow. As the days passed I began to fall in love with this place. Tokorozawa was indeed a more peaceful, and humble place as compared to the place I live in now in Washington. The people who live there are overly respectful and have a great sense of humility, people who I myself look up to and try to be. I'd have to say the people I met on this trip are one of the top three things that stood out for me on this trip.
The Top Three Things that stood out for me:
1. THE PEOPLE I'VE MET
The people I've met on this trip are people I hardly see in my life. Not only the Japanese children and mothers, but Richard, Chieko, Jon, Joy, and everyone else I've met on this trip. The Japanese children we had in VBS were truly obedient and though they were a bit hesitant at first, they were willing to interact with us in spite of the language barrier. They sat down quietly and listened to our skits, and followed respectfully when we asked them to follow the dance moves, create crafts, or play games. Of course not all of them stayed like quiet little angels, but you can see that they were raised to be respectful of others, especially their elders. They were at times chaotic, mainly because we had a large group, but in my honest opinion it never got too chaotic for us to handle.
The mothers also made a huge impact on me. From the very begining Richard told us that it might be hard to reach out to these families, one of them being the adults. During the first day of VBS, the mothers were very cautious and mostly sat at the back during the whole time of our VBS session. They were respectful of what we were doing and very nice whenever you approached them. Of course, my conversations never lasted after I went through all the basic phrases I memorized in Japanese. Nevertheless, they came each day, and each day I believe they began to feel more comfortable around us. They began to help around, buy snacks or drinks when we were running low, and there to also talk to the children. To me, they were not only amazing helpers, but people who our team had a tremendous impact on. I was amazed at the fact that they were becoming to be so comfortable with us so fast. I witnessd this and by the last day of our vbs each of the mothers were talking to at least one member in our team. That sight truly touched my heart because I feel that our team in a way fulfilled what Richard said was hard to do. Which was to make a true connection with these mothers. On our last debriefing, our team was planning to create special, fun events for the whole family to celebrate. So both the Japanese mothers and fathers may be able to come and we can have a time to build a closer relationship with them. :]
Other than the Japanese children and mothers, our missionary hosts and new friends also made a huge impact on me. Richard, Jon, Chieko, Joy, and Tina were people who I have never met in my life. They were each strong, kind, and passionate individuals who truly lived for Christ. They each played a humoungous part in serving Christ, and for me to see what they do was life-changing. I was able to see Richard host his home church; Jon share his sermon about hardships in both Japanese and English; Chieko translate with such great fluency and share honest constructive opinions about our VBS so the children will have an easier time knowing more about God; Joy spreading her love for God through home churching and fulfilling her mission in Japan.; and Tina spreading the word of God through her Thailand Mission team and trying her hardest reaching out to the people of Japan. At first impressions all these individuals I met were amazingly kind and had a glow to them. I saw just by looking at them, that they had their own shares of hardships, but they've all grown to become mature, wondrous people. I believe that each one of them were images of a true follower of God. I've never met any other person with such a passion for God as them. These people will always stay in my mind and in my heart. I hope that one day that I can grow to have that same passion and maturity that they carry within themselves.
2. THE PRAYER WALKS
The prayer walks were defintily a new and life changing experience for me. Before going on these walks I seriously didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what we would be praying about and I didn't have a clue what the place would be or it's incredible history. Going through Richard's prayer walks were very interesting, and I learned so much more about the top Japanese religion. I saw what these people do, how they pray, and how they had the utmost respect for their Gods. There was one old man who kept urging Richard to see these two demonic statues in front of the temple. This old man had such an enthusiastic attitude towards his religion. He was ecstatic and quite serious to show us how you wash the statue, touch the statue, and pray in front of the statue. He had such a deep passion for his religion that I see with Richard, Jon, Chieko, and Joy. I saw that it would be very very hard to convince him to follow the way to our Lord. He was the only Japanese man that I've met on these prayer walks with such a deep passion for his religion. We all prayed for this man, that he can be saved and will one day find God.
In Asakusa, I saw loads of Japanese people flock to a giant temple. Around that temple were three stations. In the middle of the pathway was a giant black pot of incense that continously released giant puffs of smoke. The people would waft this giant smoke among themselves, their children, their spouses, and their friends. There were also tourists around who did so because they saw others doing it, but most of the Japanese men and women I saw were really into it. They would sometimes dip their head above the pot so a giant puff of smoke would puff at their face. The other station was at the right of the smoke/incense station and was filled with water. In the middle was a statue of an imperial man and a dragon. Here many people dipped a little bowl into the water and washed their hands, faces and sometimes drank or gargled it. Again, most of the people here were really into it. Inside the temple were multiple people throwing coins onto a well of some sort and praying for long amounts of time. Most of the people I saw in these stations were doing this seriously and almost routinely.
Seeing these people opened my eyes about the people of Japan. How most of them had the greatest respect towards their God and the things they would do to show their compassion and loyalty to their God. I prayed for these people, that one day their eyes would open and they can see our true God.
These prayer walks stood out to me because it truly opened my eyes and made me see a different side of Japan that I never clearly saw. From these walks I also noticed that praying, although not very interactive, could be very powerful in it's own way.
3. The transformation of the children in our VBS
In the begining of our VBS, we could all see that many of the children in our VBS were very shy, hesitant, and some felt out of place. It was hard on us to make them feel comfortable because most of us couldn't have a real conversation with many of the children. All I knew to say to the children was "Arigato", "Jyozu", and "Hai". Those words meant "thank you", "good job", and "yes". I knew that my words were very limited so instead of making conversation I began to play with them like they were my own little brother and sister. Many of us did the same thing. During our free time we would play tag, tickle them, teach them how to high five, and overall just have fun and in the process many of us were able to get in touch with our inner kid. I guess the more comfortable and kidlike we became, the more comfortable the kids became. Each day they began to talk more to us and to their fellow classmates. They began to memorize the dance moves, and were having the time of their lives during Tom's games. As the last day approached, all of them had a significant change in their attitudes towards us. They weren't overly shy and respectful, but now playful, comfortable, and happier in way.
In the begining there were two girls who our team thought wouldn't come back because they didn't feel as comfortable as most of the children. They were tall 6th-grade girls who at times looked uncomfortable and wouldn't participate as much as the younger kids. But suprisingly they came each day and with another friend as well. They began to come out of their shells as the days passed and began to feel more comfortable doing the crafts, games, and dances. When the last day approached these girls had a glow to them, they would smile many times and in one point I saw Sharon play beach volleyball with them. Later on in the day we gave the kids the opportunity to win prizes as long as they answer our questions correctly. Our questions consisted of the things they learned in past lessons. One of the two girls, Mami, answered a question involving the story of the blind man... I think, and won that beach volleyball that she was playing with Sharon. These two girls, who we thought wouldn't come back after the first day, ended up coming everyday and also ended up becoming more comfortable and at home around us. These girls were little miracles, something we all didn't see coming. We all didn't realize that they would become so interactive and happy around us so fast.I think we played a tremendous role in these children's lives.
Their transformations stood out to me because we played a role in their transformations, and during that process we all built friendships with all these children. Friendships that I will cherish and many of the people in my team will cherish for a very long time. They were all amazing kids and great to work with. I think we were all a bit nervous of the outcome of this VBS, but in the end everything ended perfectly. All the children felt more comfortable, built friendships, and learned more about God in a fun, loving way.
This is one of the many amazing experiences I will never forget. I won't forget all the children's smiling faces, the passion of our missionary hosts and new friends, humbleness of the japanese people, and most of all the spiritual impact I felt throughout the whole trip. This whole trip will always stay in my heart and will help me grow to be a stronger and more passionate follower of Christ. This trip helped me realize the power of prayer and the lifestyles of the Japanese people as well as the hardships that our missionary hosts and new friends go through to spread God's word. It also pushed me to realize my spritual need and desire to learn more about God.
This mission trip has given me so much spiritually. It helped me grow closer to God and increased my faith in him as well. It also offered me the opportunity to meet such amazing people in the process that have truly changed my life. They helped me see the world differently and see a passion for God that I never really saw in anyone else. I'm truly blessed and glad that I went on this trip. I couldn't have asked for a better experience and a better team as well. This was a truly memorable experience that I will cherish for a very long time.
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