Sharon: Some moments to remember...and prayers to continue

here it is, 2:20am (Seattle time) and i'm still awake...and not just because of the Olympics either. =P although i'm getting back to west coast time, i sit and read and re-read the blogs from our trip and pray for all those we have left behind; for all those we have had the opportunity to meet, talk with, sing with, share Bible and faith stories with, eat with, laugh with, cry with and pray with...i want to remember the people and the missionaries and the children...and not stop praying...
The other day, kelly found himself recycling like we did in Japan and i found that "PET" symbol on the bottom of a fruit carton. wherever we went in Japan, we were looking for those recycle containers to throw away our empty bottled waters/drinks we had purchased from one of the many drink machines along the way. we gave one of our TMK members a hard time as he unknowingly walked up to a cigarette machine to get a drink! lol! he was tired! =P silly memories but the recycling alone tells a little about the nature of Japan and it's desire to be clean and efficient.
i know we were asked to do "highlights" but after reading everyone's blogs along the way, i remember so much. as i read the earlier blogs about when we went to the govt building, i remember kelly thinking they might not let him past the check point because he had his leatherman with him. but, praise God, they let him in!
i remember being squashed like sardines into the elevator (plus backpacks) how many stories up! how many of us were in there??? and i thought they only did that on the train! Mei-Ling and i were like, more?? lol! and the doors closed! We were just cracking up on the ride up to the top. =D ( a memorable laughter moment!)
at the top of this building, as we looked out over the city, i remember Richard Nakamura sharing about the shrines and temples. we could see one of the largest ones below. ironically, Richard said that President Bush also offered incense there not long ago. that made me sad. there is a need to be loving and caring and, yet, stand firm in our faith. as Richard shared, i began to gain a deeper understanding of the need to pray for the people of Japan. they are such a kind, courteous, hardworking, generous and giving people, yet, there is so much that stands between them and God (many gods--work, maybe too much technology, pride, shame, guilt, and so much more). it all makes it so difficult for them to freely come to know Jesus; to want to come and seek Him. letting go of traditions they have grown up with is hard to do for fear of shaming their family or being shamed.
Heavenly Father, asking that You would break those barriers down. like the story in the Bible about the blind man who had to choose to obey Jesus' instructions to wash the mud from his eyes. like the blind man, that they might see Jesus for the first time and believe. that they might want to come to Him like the 10 men who shouted for Jesus to help them. that they might experience the physical and spiritual healing of Jesus, and know it is Him and only Him they need to give thanks. or like the paralyzed man, that we might be people that can help bring people of Japan into the presence of Jesus so they can be, not just physically healed, but spiritually forgiven of their sins by a holy and loving God and have eternal life in heaven.
this trip has grown my heart in prayer. not just for the people of Japan but the missionaries who give their lives to share God's love and message of salvation. as i looked on the websites for the Lighthouse Cadence and SEND International and read about the Nakamuras, the Reasoners and the Bowdens, and remembering the Tamuras, i began to pray. praying God's equipping and annointing of His Holy Spirit for them to love His people and share His truth. asking for God's Holy Spirit to fill them, encourage them and help them persevere. asking God to raise up workers to come alongside and help them in ministry. that they might see even a glimpse of the fruits of their labor for the Lord as He begins to touch and transform lives; as He begins to draw people to Him. dear Jesus, as they seek to love and obey You, carry them on Your wings and help them soar for You. be their shelter and their mighty fortress. in all things, that You might be glorified.
those words, "carry them on Your wings", remind me how one of the boys Richard has been building relationship with is deaf. that was another God-sighting that day. the TMK team had split into 2 groups to prayer walk the area on the way to the Kashiwa's home where service is held. Mrs. Kashiwa took one group and Richard took the other. (that was a very HOT day!) along the way, our group just happened to run into this young man as he was out riding his bike, and Richard invited him to the Sunday service. and, shortly after we arrived, this boy came! :) as we closed our time with songs, one of the songs was the one with the hand motions (hold me close, let Your love surround me)...part of the song talks about "eagles wings"...as i did the motions i could remember, i realized that this boy who was deaf was watching. at that moment, i thought, Lord, how cool to be able to share some of that song with signing!--something i felt God did just for that boy! :) praying God would help him to understand even a little of what that song was saying.
on that prayer walk, Richard also shared how there were now 24 hour internet cafes (where you could even shower!) popping up all over Japan. one more thing to draw people away from family and home. that also made me realize how technology, even back here, can keep us from hearing or spending time with God. while we were in Japan, although we were on the computer to blog or download pictures, we didn't watch tv or use cell phones...and, although at times it would have been nice to have a couple of cell phones just in case we got lost, that wasn't always possible. less technology was good for connecting with each other more and use more of that time to pray through the train stations, along the street and in the stores.
at the end of our trip, when both our teams were trying to meet Richard at one of the busier, bigger train stations, we had taken the wrong train so we got off on a different platform than planned. although we tried calling Richard's cell phone from a pay phone, for whatever reason, we were not able to get through to Richard. after waiting for a bit and no success in finding Richard, i appreciated Mei-Ling's reminder to stop and pray. so we did. we asked God to guide Patti and help find Richard on the platform above. and, lo and behold! Thank you, Jesus, for answering our prayers! that made me realize how we can sometimes rely on our cell phones instead of on God to guide us. Thank you, Mei-Ling, for reminding us to go to God in prayer to show us the way! :)
ok, now it's 4am...and time to sleep...but my brain is buzzing with thoughts and prayers...there is much more but time to sleep...or at least try. maybe that's why i overslept this morning! =P
Thank you, Jesus, for the opportunity to go on this mission trip! please help us to remember what You have taught us and help us to keep in touch as we are led. please continue to water the seeds that have been planted, both in our hearts and in the hearts of the children and moms from VBS. please watch over each of the team members too and help them get some rest.
oyasuminasai!