Revelation at the Hammock Café

Wow! It has been a long time since last I wrote anything on here. Sorry for that, by the way. I've been either exceedingly busy, sick and/or too tired to write anything worthwhile. But now, I feel that I have reached a place where I am well rested, in good spirits and without any work to worry about. My time here at Torchbearers, Yamanakako has come to an end at last and I am quite ready and eager to begin headed on the next phase of this trip. A missionary friend will be picking me up tomorrow at 10:00 to start the final week of my stay here in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Now that I have reached this point, I am forced to look back on the past four weeks and even the past few months leading up to this trip. I have come a long way. 6,907.509 miles to be exact! Despite even this staggering venture, I have been prone to doubt and question my purpose for being here. Ever since I have had the desire to go into missions in Japan, I have wrestled with myself over whether this is my desire or God's desire in me. I try very hard to not let people know that despite my stubborn determination to go ahead with my plans, I really go back and forth on this all the time. "Am I called to be a missionary in Japan?" "Am I even being called into ministry?" "If it turns out I'm not, then what will all the people that have supported me think of it?" I greatly fear letting people down, so I also take into consideration that I'm forcing myself to go into this because I've come so far already and people expect it of me to finish strong, right?


I have had a lot of this sort of pondering especially in the past few weeks. It wasn't until yesterday that I reached any real conclusion about any of this. It was a day off for me, which meant that I was going to spend the day relaxing and regaining the vital mental sanity that had been stolen from me due to a mind-numbing 12 hours a day/ 6 days a week volunteer work schedule. And we all know the classiest way to relax is either in a café or in a hammock. So I combined the two by going to the Hammock Café (yes that's a real place - here's a picture of my friend, Ben in one of the hammocks)

Anyway, I spent a good hour and a half in focused prayer asking God why he had put me here and why He was letting my trip go so poorly (as were my thoughts at the time). I felt like I was a failure because the main goals I had set in place weren't seemingly being fulfilled. After praying and looking over some scriptures, I realized that perhaps I didn't get the trip that I wanted, but rather the trip I needed. I feel as though I have matured in some ways, gained experience and came out better for it. By shattering my plan, I believe God orchestrated His own instead and allowed me to be continually tested. I have learned a great deal from these experiences. I think that I may have been too spoiled going into this, because many of my plans tend to work out well, and I figured I had this one nailed down. Now God has shown me that He can make better plans. I just need to be mature about when my plans don't always work out. So through this, I have realized that I am not a failure for the state of my trip and that God's sovereignty affirms the fact that I am meant to be here at this time. I also keep getting a stronger feeling that He wants me to come back. Only time will tell. Until then, I'll just continue to learn from mistakes and not take myself too seriously.

Japanese phrase of the day:

Nattou

Translation:

Fermented Soybeans (try at your own risk)

Muzukashii

The past few days have been rather difficult physically, emotionally and spiritually. My optimism is being defeated at every turn and it seems like I'm forgotten by the people around me. It has been quite a challenge keeping up a chipper demeanor, and an even greater one to convince myself that all is well. The physical labour here hasn't been the worst, but 12 hour days for 6 days a week begins to really wear you down. If you have been following my facebook page where I post all of my pictures and some of my experiences, you know a little of what I've been doing. That aside, that emotional stress and spiritual exhaustion have been far more of a weight on me. Earlier tonight, I spoke with my mother via facebook chat and told her of all the things that had been going wrong on this trip and how I felt like I was being constantly pushed off to the side. After every complaint and negative word was spent, she calmly reassured me of God's sovereignty and pointed me to a passage of comfort:

Psalm 37

 1 Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;
dwell in the land and live securely.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and He will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act,
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.
7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the man who carries out evil plans.
8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.
13 The Lord laughs at him
because He sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the bow
to bring down the afflicted and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 The little that the righteous man has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord supports the righteous.
18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.
19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.
20 But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.
21 The wicked man borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.
22 Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land,
but those cursed by Him will be destroyed.
23 A man’s steps are established by the Lord,
and He takes pleasure in his way.
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do what is good,
and dwell there forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon His faithful ones.
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.
32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and seeks to kill him;
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
and He will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.
35 I have seen a wicked, violent man
well-rooted like a flourishing native tree.
36 Then I passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright,
for the man of peace will have a future.
38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future of the wicked will be destroyed.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
their refuge in a time of distress.
40 The Lord helps and delivers them;
He will deliver them from the wicked and will save them
because they take refuge in Him.

Praise the Lord! I don't think I've ever felt anger, bitterness and frustration melt away any faster than after reading that passage. Thank you, Mom. Though the next day is going to be filled with its own troubles and frustrations that will try to trip me up, I am going to try my hardest to keep things in perspective. I know now that I will most likely not serve long term with Torchbearers, but my desire to serve God in Japan is still alive and strong. Thank you all for your continued prayers. It means a lot to know that there are so many of you out there that are still cheering me on.

Japanese for the day:
頑張れ
Also written as
がんばれ
Ga-n-ba-re

There is no direct translation for this phrase. It is commonly said to someone to positively motivate them to do their best and to persevere. I learned this word today. Go figure!

Tsukareta...

Whew! The past few days were filled with hard work from dawn till dusk. (Which is partially why there haven't been as many blog updates as I would have liked.) We had our first training sessions last week and my mind is still in scrambles from all of the information overload. It's almost like 'syllabus shock' back at Moody. There are three main jobs I will have throughout my stay here in Yamanakako: Kitchen staff which includes everything from meal prep to cleaning and sanitation, maintenance crew which is mostly cleaning and checking inventory and such and finally working with setting up rooms for the guests at the camp. It may not seem like a whole lot from how I'm describing it, but it's quite the work load.

Although it is very hard work, (and from what I hear it will only get harder) I couldn't help but be thankful the entire time for just being here and being able to take part in this servant ministry. I've always thought that servant ministry is one of the most humble and rewarding ways to serve God. I'm glad to be here for it. Though I can't say that I can see myself in this particular area of ministry in the long term, it is always a rewarding experience. I sat down and talked with Steve Frentz, the director of the camp, about his ministry both in the camp and in the community. He basically told me that the point of the camp in the summer is to provide a good atmosphere for fellow Christians to come and fellowship with one another and take a break from the secular world. He also told me about his ministry in the community were he and his wife invite neighbors and people they have met over and try to establish long term relationships with them that will hopefully lead to opportunities for a more receptive response to the Gospel. It takes about 8 years for the average Japanese person to open up and become a close friend. This really spoke to me. At first, I was terrified of the possibility of being in a long term setting with such a long time before any fruit was realized. 8 years is a long time to invest. But then I thought of just how genuine a transformed life would be after that much effort and prayer were put into it. Also, how rewarding it would be to see someone over whom you had spent so much praying and encouraging finally come to the point of repentance and acceptance of Christ as their personal saviour! It is still quite a task, but if God is calling me to it, then I know that it will yield fruit. It may not be realized in the immediate future, but it is still precious.

Currently, I've been tossing around the idea in my head that if I were to end up in Japan in a full-time position, what sort of things I could see myself doing. One idea to which I keep coming back is to start a sort of café ministry. I would start up a church sponsored coffee shop where not only would I provide an environment where Christians could openly fellowship, but where nonchristians would also gather. There would be exposure and invitation to Church for the unbelievers and it would also make me a recognized member of the community where I would meet plenty of people. I could also use the café to host Bible studies and ministry workshops and such. The idea would mainly be to be working on establishing myself in the community, discipling and fellowshipping with other believers and building long-term relationships that could lead to the acception of the Gospel message in unbelievers' hearts. Of course, this is all hypothetical, but I've been thinking about it for a good while and it seems to be getting to the point where I could seriously see myself doing this. I know it's a long way off, but looking back five years, so was this trip. I just need to be seriously praying and preparing myself for whatever comes in the next five or more.


Japanese phrase of the day:
コーヒー
Kō-hī

Coffee =)

The Land of the Rising Sun

Sugoi! I've been in Japan for 4 days now and it seems like I've been here for a month already! There have been so many new experiences and things to see and try. It'll be difficult for me to write about it all so you'll be getting quite a watered down version of it all. (hope you don't mind.)

Traveling to Japan takes a good long time. I started for Charlotte, NC at 9:00 Saturday and finished my journey in Yamanakako at around 21:00 Sunday. Woof. After a 2 hour flight, a 13 hour flight, a 5 and a half hour bus ride and a half an hour car ride, I was beat to say the least. As an interesting side note, buses are heated until Japan's first day of summertime. I arrived one day before it and it was around 90 F and they still had the buses heated. Atsui desu yo!

My arrival was short lived as I collapsed into my bed from jet lag exhaustion after a short tour of the Torchbearer's camp facilities. The next day I found myself packing again for a four day trip to Karuizawa, Nagano. After yet another 5 hour drive and a spectacular view of Fujisan later, we arrived at a camp retreat center where we spent the next few days preparing for our work this summer and getting acquainted with one another.

Karuizawa is quite a famous little town. John Lennon and Yoko Ono traveled to it every summer and the Emperor courted his wife through a match of tennis just a short walk from where I stayed. There are dozens of shops and little restaurants that line the main street including a Hayao Miyazaki store. (He's a famous Japanese animated film maker. You should check out his work sometime!) Yesterday, I traveled with some of my team to see an amazing stone church that could only be described by a poet and a beautiful waterfall with water so clear you can see through to the bottom of its pool. It was also some of the freshest water I have ever tasted.

Stone Church

Shiraito no Taki waterfall

Speaking of taste, I've had a few interesting things to eat on this trip so far. Although I haven't had too much actual Japanese food yet (most of the staff here are Canadian), I was still able to get some interesting treats from the local stores and such. The sodas here are way different and canned tea and coffee is in pretty much every vending machine. If you ever get the chance, try a tasty little snack called mochi. It's made of a sort of jellied rice ball with a sweet red bean paste in the center. Easily one of my favourite snacks. Today I tried a pack of vinegared squid tentacles from a convenience store. Not too bad actually. It was like chewing on a fishy, sweet, vinegary twizzler almost. I have pictures to prove it. I got one of my Canadian friends, Ben, to try a tentacle. He thought it tasted like lobster. No idea how he got that though haha.

Ika (squid)

Me about to eat the squid tentacles

"Not too bad!"

Most of the staff here are Canadian. They are all delightful folks that love the Lord and have a real heart for people. They've left such a good impression on me that I now want to plan a road trip across Canada some day! There are four Japanese staff members here. Two of which speak fluent English. One of the other ones that don't speak English fluently is Kota-san. We've been helping each other learn the other's language. He's miles ahead of me. There is also one Filipino woman whose English is probably better than mine. Apart from me, there is only one other American - and he's Hawaiian so we aren't sure if that really counts yet haha.

Japanese of the day:

いただきます
I-ta-da-ki-ma-su

Translation:

I humbly receive
(It's customary to say before a meal)

Leavin' on a Jet Plane~

Well, this is it. The last night I will be spending in America before I go to Japan. I will literally be so far away from home that I couldn't get much further away before I start heading back. My flight from Charlotte to Detroit leaves at 12:42 So I am getting a bit anxious as I count the hours down until I say goodbye to everyone for five weeks. I am so thankful for everyone that has supported me either financially, spiritually or just rooted me on. Planing, organizing and preparing for this trip has been quite a task. Thankfully, God has placed in my life people who are willing to step up and help out. I don't think I've ever met any more generous, Godly people than those in my home church, Calvary Baptist in Altoona, PA; or more supportive people than my friends back at Moody Bible Institute; or more loving people than my family. God has truly blessed my life. I am reminded of a hymn I once heard that had the repeated line, "I'm drinking from my saucer cause my cup has overflowed."

I was given the privilege this past week to speak at my church's Sunday evening service. I was interviewed by Pastor Larry Weaver concerning this trip. Most of what I had to say was already covered in previous blog entries. However, I would like to reiterate one thing that I had brought up later on that evening. The children of the Church. As I had said before, my interest in ministry began when I was a child. Through constant nurturing and education, I grew up with the desire to serve God. This must be a main focus in our churches. In our families. Of course not all will be called to the mission field, but that is merely one part of the Body of Christ. There are so many other ways to bring glory to God. We need to be encouraging our children to seek out and pursue opportunities for ministry. Who knows? That child to whom you give encouragement might end up being the next Billy Graham or John Piper or C.S. Lewis!

Japanese for the day
This is the verse I recited Sunday evening.
初めに言があった。言は神と共にあった。言は神であった。

Hajime ni Kotoba ga atta. Kotoba wa Kami to tomoni atta. Kotoba wa Kami de atta.

Translation:
John 1:1
(look it up)

Don't Panic.

Hey folks! I just wanted to give a little heads up concerning the funding for this trip of mine. As it stands, I have about 60% of the support that I need by this Sunday. Not to panic! I have discovered alternative ways to make sure that this trip is still happening. God is good and He provides. If any of you still wish to donate, you may do so here. (I will provide instructions at the end of the post)




When I was first faced with the task of gathering support, I was completely overwhelmed when I saw just how little time I had to raise quite a substantial amount of money. It didn't take long for me to start doubting this trip's possibility. I remember driving back to my house in North Carolina one Sunday after a visit with my girlfriend thinking 'how on Earth am I supposed to come up with almost $4000 in less than a month??? It's just not feasible.' Moments later, I received a call from my mother. She told me that three people had spoken for me in church earlier that day, showing their support for my trip and future plans as a foreign missionary. There was also apparently an overwhelming response from the congregation when asked who would help me in the supporting process. After I had hung up the phone, I nearly bawled my eyes out. How could I have doubted that God would provide a way for me if this was His will for me?! And He certainly has provided. I never would have gotten this far without His guidance step-by-step each day. Everything has fallen together so perfectly it couldn't have been planned better. Right now I am typing this while staying at the house of one of my pastors in Altoona, PA where I have recently been working odd jobs around the church and other such areas to help earn funding for my trip. I suppose that is why I hadn't been offered jobs in my area in North Carolina. I was meant to come back here. I was meant to work for my funding at my home church. I was meant to go on this trip to Japan. So am I intimidated by a 40% lack of support as of now? No. I am, however, very much excited to see how He will work through this. Thank you all for your prayers and love.




Japanese for the day

紫
also seen as
むらさき
Mu-ra-sa-ki

This is my favourite Japanese word to say. It means 'purple', but sounds dang cool. (sorry no video clip)

If you wanted to send support online go ahead and click the link earlier in the post or just click right here. Once you get on the page, go ahead and fill out the information until the section entitled: Categories & funds. Once you get there, click the drop-down arrow and select Short-Term Missionary Support. Fill in the amount to which you feel led and go down to the next box where you will type in 'Austin Parker 2013940wv'. The rest, you should be able to fill out. I hope that it all works well and if you have any problems, please shoot me an email, FB message or call. Thanks again!

History of Austin Parker, Part I

There are basically three questions that I am asked when I tell people about my upcoming trip to Japan. I'd relate it to retelling the story of how you got your broken arm to the five hundred people that ask on any given day, but my Japan trip is something that I consider more pleasant to retell to people. By all means, if you want to hear me tell you more about the trip in person please ask and I will gladly talk about it Also, if you are one of the people who has asked me about the trip, don't worry I was happy to talk with you about it! Regardless, I still feel as though I have not answered the three questions in their entirety to any one person. So what are the three questions?

Why missions?
Why Japan?
Why now?

Well, I guess to fully answer these I will have to go back to when I was a young child. I became a follower of Jesus Christ at the early age of five during a Sunday School lesson. I was led through what is commonly called the 'Sinner's Prayer' in which I told Jesus how I was sorry for my sinful actions, that I knew He had died for me to take away my punishment, and then asked Him to come into my life and save me from my sin. My Christian walk had begun. I had always been raised in a God-fearing home, regularly attended church and was involved in ministry. My first exposure to missions that I can at all remember was when a missionary named Natalie Beck spoke in front of our Sunday School. As a side note, Natalie Beck is a missionary to Japan, but thinking back I can't consciously peg that as my reason for choosing Japan. A few years later, I was able to go on my first mission trip to the Dominican Republic through our church puppet team. It was a fantastic experience in which I saw God work through our team to not only reach the lost, but to bring me to a point where I began to really take my faith seriously for the first time. Two years later, I went to the DR for a second time and had a very similar personal growth experience. Around this time I began to involve myself in other ministries even outside of my local church. After some much-needed pressure from my mother and from my friend and mentor, Steven Tini, I was roped into working for Child Evangelism Fellowship as a Summer Missionary. During the training, I felt an urge to go into foreign missions.  It was the strongest conviction I have ever felt. I prayed to God and devoted my life to serve Him in a cross-cultural setting. It was about half a year or so later when I would feel a calling to go to Japan. This seemed very out of place seeing as I had thought that my field would be in the Dominican Republic, a place with which I had become familiar and attached. However, with the prodding of the Spirit, I knew that this was His will and that it would probably not be a good idea to ignore it. See Jonah for details. For the next five-ish years I studied off and on about Japanese language, culture and ministry. I was even able to sit down and have lunch with Natalie Beck as well as two other missionaries to Japan and talk with them about ministry. With each passing day, I somehow feel more driven to realize this goal. After coming to Moody Bible Institute, I found a multitude of ministry opportunities. But which one should I focus on? It struck me that I really didn't know what I would do when I got to Japan, I only knew that I was to go there! This sudden uncertainty really took its toll on me and I even began to loose sleep over it. After a long talk with Steven Tini where I vented on him about how anxious I was about everything, he simply asked me why I didn't just go this summer. 'Huh. That's probably a good idea. I think I'll look into that...' So I prayed about it and it seemed like this is what God is leading me towards at this time. With the encouragement of my family, friends and especially my girlfriend, Sandi Dalton, I scheduled a trip through World Venture's partner, Delta Ministries International.

And that about brings us up to the present! Currently I'm in Altoona, PA working to pay off quite a support bill. I still have a good bit of it left to pay off and only until the 16th to do it, so if you plan on sending any support, please send it in as soon as possible. Also if you remember, please pray for me being spiritually prepared for this trip. It will be a long, intense five weeks with minimal outside contact in a completely new place. The Enemy would probably love to use this to my disadvantage. I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. More posts yet to come!

Japanese phrase today is:
もちろん

Mo-chi-ro-n

See translation below

A Most Excellent Adventure!

Kon'nichiwa! This is my first post on my first blog leading up to my first mission trip to Japan! As many of you know, I will be keeping a blog leading up to and (hopefully) during my trip to Japan. Now, I have never done this sort of thing before so I am not entirely sure what makes good blog material, but we will discover that sort of thing as we go along. I am hoping to use this blog as a way of keeping everyone informed of my progress with gathering support, spiritual growth leading up to and during the trip and just overall mission-related stuff. These posts may be infrequent, but I am hoping that they will become enjoyable enough for me to write that I would be able to pump a few updates out every week or so. Hope you enjoy!

Also, I will post something in Japanese at the end of every entry so you can learn some Japanese along with me! Note: not all of the Japanese I will be posting will be entirely practical, just whatever I feel is fun to say or know =)

素晴らしい

also written as
すばらしい
Su-ba-ra-shi-i


See translation below:

No more Bill and Ted references... I promise....maybe.