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 =)