Mori-Mori-oka

Keeping a regularly-updated blog is hard work, folks. That being said, I am genuinely sorry that it has taken this long to have any sort of update on my internship and goings-on in Japan. In a nutshell: it went well. Very well. I'm stateside now and currently sitting in a cafe in Indianapolis, kicking myself for not being more regular about my updates because now I'm going to have to summarize approximately six weeks of internship... Lovely.

Last time, I talked about my experience with the coastal areas and how I felt optimistic about the future of Japan. I would continue this theme with the knowledge that I met well over 50 missionaries (mostly from Singapore) during my time in Morioka. It is very encouraging to know that Japan, particularly the Tohoku region, is getting more attention from the Church lately. With each positive encounter with Christians, the Japanese culture becomes more and more willing to listen and be accepting of Christianity. Call me crazy, but I've a deep suspicion that if Christians act like Christ and show His love to everyone, that people will be attracted by it. After all, did not many enjoy spending time with Him during His years on earth? We have the ability to reflect His character. Yes, the message we spread is very important, but if we live disingenuously and don't actively show people Christ, why should they care what we have to say? The Gospel is more than words spoken from a pulpit or printed on a tract; it is a living, active part of our lives that people can see. I can see it, too in the Christians serving in Japan. I am GREATLY encouraged by them and I pray that God would bless them immeasurably for their faithfulness. I wish to count myself among their ranks someday soon.

I was glad to have established friendships with these beautiful people. They know that I am Christian and they know that I have brought many Christians into their cafe. They seem to have a positive view of Christians and I pray that God uses that to bring them to Himself.

Throughout the entirety of my internship, the most challenging thing that kept presenting itself was the language. If you have never been in a context where you were the only English speaker, it will be very hard for you to understand just how draining it can be. If you are one of those people who have told me that they actually enjoy that kind of environment for that very reason, you must not have spent more that a week or two or you are lying to me and/or yourself. I was fortunate enough to have some adept English speakers around me, but I often found myself in situations where I had to rely on the little Japanese I knew. While this was great for my language-learning, it proved very stressful for me and I found myself trying to avoid or escape some social situations. It's much easier for me to separate myself from people actively, rather than be separated via language and cultural barriers. Eventually, I did get over it to a degree, but my anxiety manifested itself in my health and I found myself suddenly sick on occasion or without appetite. I would consider myself to not be a very emotionally-driven individual, but even for me, the stress was enough to cause bitterness and cynicism toward everything around me. Thankfully, God was merciful on me and these lapses in emotional contentedness were not terribly frequent nor destructive in any way that I could perceive. I'm also thankful that I noticed fairly early on how I was thinking and feeling due to my Intercultural Communication course I had taken the semester previous. It was a great help in understanding where these feelings were originating and how to deal with them appropriately. I think some of the biggest helps in dealing with this stress were my Japanese friends in Morioka. They really helped me get back on track and see things in a better perspective.

The highest point of the trip was getting to celebrate Independence Day with my Japanese friends. Even though none were American, they still seemed excited and happy to celebrate with me, just because it was good fellowship. Everything is so relational and meant to strengthen the bonds between us. I really made me feel loved that they were willing to celebrate something with me that didn't have any personal connection to them directly. I dressed up in a ridiculous red, white and blue outfit and cooked some fantastic hamburgers for dinner and played with fireworks afterwards with the children.

             

Mori Mori Basketball was another bonding activity that we all enjoyed each week. I was absolutely terrible the first time I played, but gradually got better as the weeks went on. One of the games, I was called MVP which I think was just their way of saying 'Most Improved'. They were all very nice about my lack of skill and I could tell that the game was all in good sport and really brought everyone together.

Come on and SLAM! And welcome to JAPAN!

 Well, this is all I'm going to post for now. There's a lot of content to put up including plans for the future! More to follow in the coming weeks.

Japanese of the day:

モリモリ

Mori Mori

Meaning:

In the sense that I have used it, 'mori mori' is a sound effect used to demonstrate muscle pumping. 

Borantia

I've now spent a little over two weeks here in Morioka. I'm surrounded by beautiful mountains and warm, welcoming people. The highest mountain in this prefecture, Mt. Iwate, is only a few kilometers away and there are decent cafes all over the city. Morioka is also a clean city with breathable air, plenty of green, growing things and is considered to have the nicest people in Japan. It seems like a great place to live.

Not a single Starbucks in sight! =D

However, despite all that this city has going for it, the population is decidedly Non-christian. Japan itself is about 0.3% Christian. The region of Japan in which I am staying: 0.1%. Before the 3/11 disaster, this region called "Tohoku" had so few missionaries and so few Christian that some mission agencies considered it to be a lost cause and didn't want to risk any missionaries to go there for fear of rapid burnout. Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing this to bash any mission organizations, but it does seem a bit contrary to the power of the Gospel to keep it from people who desperately need it. But, I digress. What is in the past is in the past and we must now use the present circumstances to move on towards the future.

So what is the future for Tohoku? Well, only God truly knows, but it seems that since the 3/11 disaster there has been a renewed interest in this region. Many missionaries are flocking to the coastal regions where the tsunami devastated many towns and villages nestled on the edge of the ocean. Immediately following the disaster, Christian relief aid and missionaries went to help the survivors. Many other secular organizations helped as well, but I have been told that they seemed disinterested in the people and more focused on doing a job. Many Non-christian, Japanese survivors have noted that it was the Christian workers who showed them the most compassion and were genuinely invested in helping them. I heard one story where many of the secular workers were clearing rubble and throwing everything away. One missionary found a coin collection in the remnants of the house that was being discarded. Instead of leaving it in the trash heap, she found the man who had lived in the house and returned it to him. He was amazed that someone would care that much about him that they would preserve his coin collection. Now this seems very small, and granted, it doesn't change the man's circumstances, but the gesture demonstrated to this man that he was cared about. He wasn't just a statistic of survivors. He was a person. And he now knows who gave him a small piece of his life back and more importantly, he knows Who sent her.

In Tohoku, Christians were generally distrusted as strangers, but now are regarded in a positive light. It was Christians who showed up when things were at their worst and it is Christians who continue to come when everyone else has forgotten. I have gone and witnessed firsthand the ministries that are continuing after these four years. Some of these areas are still barren and temporary housing units are abundant, but some are finding joy in the community they have rebuilt with the ongoing help of Christians who volunteer. There is one ministry in particular in which I was able to participate - the ministry cafe, Ippo Ippo. There, some of the elder survivors come together on a daily basis to keep a sense of community that was taken from them four years ago. Many of them have lost family members, friends and livelihoods to the tsunami. This ministry is just a small shred of happiness in their lives, made possible by the continuing efforts of Christian volunteers. And their religious affiliation is no secret either. The regulars that come to the cafe get to have fellowship with Believers and hear the Gospel regularly. From what I understand, some are getting closer to making a decision for Christ. The average length of time it took for Japanese people to establish a deep enough relationship with a Christian to the point of being open to to discuss the Gospel and possibly make a decision is about seven to ten years. It is a lot of hard, diligent work. Since the tsunami, it seems as though this figure is being cut in half. Be praying for ministries like Ippo Ippo.

Ippo Ippo means one step at a time or baby steps. This has the double meaning of taking small steps on the road to restoration of the community as well as steps toward Christ.

This cafe is completely not-for-profit and doesn't cost anything to those who come in. It is also run completely by volunteers. Volunteer. That word carries a lot of meaning here in Japan. Not only in the coastal regions, but in Tokyo as well. There is a high respect for those who go to the coastal regions to help out with the survivors. When I introduce myself to new people outside of the church, if I introduce myself as a volunteer, their faces immediately light up and they express how thankful they are that people are coming to help out. This word: Borantia (Japanese pronunciation) also carries with it the implication that you are a Christian. I don't even have to say anything that would hint at my faith. I have had people ask me what church with which I was working without mention of anything besides being a volunteer.

To bring this blog post to a nice thematic close, I'm optimistic about the future of Japan. I'm optimistic about Tohoku. I'm optimistic that God has in store for me something that will bring Him glory.

Japanese of the day:
ボランティア
Borantia

You really don't need a translation because I already gave it to you in the second to last paragraph.

Eriya Yogensha

Today is my last full day in Tokyo before I ship off to Morioka, Iwate. It amazes me that I only just arrived here less than two weeks ago! It feels like it has been much much longer than that, to be honest. Not that that means I've been having a dull time, but rather that there has been so much going on in every day that it feels like multiple, full-days have passed in the space of only one. I have learned so much already--far more than any class at Moody could offer. It's all a bit difficult to put into words, really. I don't think I've ever been this excited about learning and ministry! I'm getting great oppourtunities to learn from real missionaries in the field and how they approach ministry. I'm also getting to learn from Japanese Christians who do their best to spread the message of Christ in their communities. God could not have given me a more fitting internship this summer. I could probably write a book with all the knowledge I've accumulated thus far, but I'm really only just beginning. I'm not even a quarter-way done with this internship yet!

I've also picked up more of the language, both spoken and written. It is very hard to learn the language here, even through immersion. Most Japanese won't go out of their way to speak to a foreigner like me and when they do, it is often far too fast for me to understand. I have hearing loss so it takes about a half a second for me to figure out what people are saying to me even in English! It takes much longer with a Japanese tongue. Despite this, the Lord has been good with blessing me with a slightly better understanding of the language even during the short time I've been here. I'm even able to navigate the train system entirely in Japanese with relative ease.

This is only about half of the lines here

I think that more than anything, however, my love for the un-reached Japanese has grown the most. Every time I get on a train car packed with people, I get the feeling that I'm the only Believer on that entire train. It's heartbreaking. In America, 70% of the population at least claims to be Christian. I know that that figure isn't even close to reflecting the real statistics of the actually-practicing Christians, but it's not like anyone could really feel truly alone in their faith there. I have felt alone here. In a city of 13.35 million, It can be lonely for a Christian desperately trying to serve God in such a heathen land. I am sure that many Christians here feel like Elijah in I Kings 19 when he cries out to God that he feels alone and abandoned. In this story, God encourages and reminds Elijah that He has preserved seven thousand Israelites from worshiping Ba'al. There are still some precious few here in Japan who claim Christ as Saviour. I pray that if I could do anything on this trip, I would be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters here in Japan. 

Japanese of the day:

エリヤ預言者

Eriya Yogensha

Translation:

Elijah the Prophet

The Samurai Gospel

So my missionary friend asked me to come up with a Gospel presentation to use while I'm here in Japan. After a lot of rewrites and revisions this is what I came up with. (It still needs a good bit of work) Let me know what you think!

The Samurai Gospel

Ever since I was a child, I have loved watching movies. My brother, Luke, was a film student. He taught me how to analyse and appreciate films from all around the world. Old Japanese Samurai movies were particular favourites of mine. Even though I loved these movies, I didn’t always understand what was going on. I particularly didn’t understand the act of seppuku. In American culture, nearly all forms of suicide are generally considered shameful. Sacrificing yourself to save another person’s life is an exception. I couldn’t understand why a samurai would kill himself, especially in such a gruesome way. Then someone told me that this was a way for the samurai to preserve their honour. If a samurai had brought shame to himself or his master, he was able to commit seppuku in order to save his honour. I thought about this for a long time. Eventually, I started to understand the concept of seppuku. It reminds me of how Jesus committed seppuku for us.

            Man was created by God to bring Him glory and honour. In the beginning, man was perfect and able to do this. However, man decided to honour things other than God, including himself. Only God is worthy of our honour. In doing this, man was taking honour away from God. God is the master of the universe and deserves our highest respect. However, man decided that other things were more important. Today, all of humanity continues to put other things before God. Daily, we dishonour Him by following our own desires or the desires of others without considering what God wants from us. God wants us to put Him first in our lives. However, many times we choose to put other things like education, relationships, careers, possessions, hobbies and even our own dreams or goals as a greater priority and weight in our lives. By doing this, we take honour from God. This is what sin is like.

            Now imagine that God is a daimyo and you are a samurai in His service. If you showed no respect towards your daimyo and you began to serve and honour other daimyo, you would disgrace your true daimyo. You, as a samurai, would become a great disappointment. The only appropriate action for you would be to commit seppuku in order to restore your honour. This is an accurate picture of our relationship to God. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” By honouring other things rather than God, we are disobeying His commands. This disobedience to God is severe enough for us to need to commit seppuku. This is a harsh reality for each of us. However, we still have one hope.

            So if God is our daimyo and we are disrespectful samurai, what can be done other than commit seppuku? We cannot restore our honour on our own in any other way. What if I told you that our daimyo loved us so much in spite of our disobedience that he committed seppuku in order to restore our honour for us? You might be thinking, “That’s absurd! No daimyo would ever care that much about such a disrespectful samurai to do that!” The simple fact is, however, that God did this for us.

            God knew that there was nothing we could do to save ourselves from the consequences of our disobedience. The only One able to save us is God, Himself. God loves us so much that he sent His Son, Jesus to save us. He became like us in every way, except He never put anything before God and showed honour in every way. He became the highest example of honour we could have known. He was the perfect samurai. However, we are still unable to follow such an example as Jesus. We can do nothing but dishonour God. Jesus knew that the only way for us to be saved from needing to commit seppuku, was for Him to commit seppuku for us. Jesus let dishonourable men execute Him by hanging Him on a cross. This form of death is considered to be one of the most painful experiences imaginable. Jesus committed seppuku so that we could be made honourable again. The story doesn’t end there, however. We serve a living Saviour, not a dead one. Three days after Jesus’s death, He came back to life and is now reigning in Heaven.

            So what will we do with this knowledge? Will we continue to honour things other than God? Or will we give Him our fullest devotion? II Timothy 2:15 tells us, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” We must continue to act honourably in all areas of our life. We must resist the temptation to go back to our old ways like giving honour to other things in our lives that are unworthy. I, personally still struggle with devoting myself completely to Him. However, as I look back on my life, I can see the progression of change within me. Every day, I strive to be as honourable as Jesus Christ, our ultimate example. This is an ongoing struggle that we must face daily in the Christian life. Fortunately for us, we do not have to face it alone. Philippians 1:6 promises us that “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…” God will be with us and will help us to live a life that honours Him. He is our Master and we are His samurai, whom he loves. He will not abandon us. We have been restored so that we may please our Master who has shown Himself to be the only one worthy of our honour.

Quick Update:

Okay! So it has been almost a week since I arrived in Japan (sorry about the lack of updates) and wow has a lot happened! So right away I need to let you all know that instead of going to Fukushima as planned, I will now be going to Morioka in the Iwate prefecture. I will be doing more or less the same thing as was planned for Fukushima, but honestly I don't have a whole lot of details to give you folks because the decision was made only a day before I arrived.

After the first few days of being back in Japan, I realized something very strange. It wasn't any particular aspect of the culture nor was it anything that I saw on a plate. It was that I didn't feel the same sense of wonder and amazement as when I first came to Japan. Back then, everything was new and exciting and I never knew what to expect. Now, I'm experiencing a different kind of excitement. Not one that is based on the infatuation with a culture and experiencing its perceived differences, but one that is founded on the opportunity to learn and contribute in any small way to the advancement of the Kingdom.

That being said, I did enjoy getting to explore Tokyo again and I do enjoy the culture here, don't get me wrong. It's just not why I'm here. Tokyo is a great place for vacation, but I'm not here on vacation. It's time to get to work, and I couldn't be more excited about it. More updates to follow.

Japanese of the day:
教会
Kyoukai
Church

Land of the Risen Son

Wow. That crept up rather quickly! I can't believe I'm about to leave for Japan today! It's my second time going to Japan and I'm still not entirely sure of what to expect. I do however know exactly what today holds: sitting uncomfortably between smelly, annoying strangers 36,000 ft. in the air. Traveling aside, Japan as an experience is one that is both foreign and familiar to me. I have had a lot of interaction with the Japanese culture here in Chicago, so not all of it is completely new. I'm also studying the language slowly but surely so I'll be able to maybe just scrape by with what I know, but the thought of being surrounded by nothing but Japanese is starting to weigh intimidatingly on my mind. Perhaps it's just nerves, but the gravity of what I'm about to do this summer has always been unmistakable. This is a huge milestone in my life. This is a giant leap toward full-time ministry, and I get the oppourtunity to learn from experienced missionaries in the field and get to actually participate in small ways! I know this is all rambling and a bit of an unfocused blog entry, but I wanted to get my thoughts this morning on the page as fresh and raw as I could. I am currently waiting to be driven to O'Hare airport to fly to Los Angeles and then directly on to Narita, Tokyo. Words cannot express my gratitude towards you, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It is because of your support that I have been given this great oppourtunity. The Lord has shown me time and again how He is able to supply my every need according to His will. I have learned great lessons on submitting to God's will through this experience of preparing for Japan. At one point, I wasn't sure if I were going to be able to go at all this summer. I won't go into too much detail, but I remember asking God why He would give me a desire and purpose to serve in Japan if He weren't going to follow through and get me there. I knew that if He wanted, He could make it rain money and I would have enough to go a thousand times over. There really wasn't a lack of faith that was experiencing. I knew He was capable, but I didn't know if it were His plan. That's what scared me the most. Not knowing what the will of God was and knowing that it could possibly mean not being able to go to Japan. I prayed hard. I prayed that He would send me to Japan. I prayed that everything would fall together nicely and neatly as I had planned. It was almost as if God were responding with "Austin, do you trust Me?" I felt utterly defeated and worthless. Then I remembered what someone had told me a few years back: 'Do not worry about where God will have you or what you will be doing once you are there--only worry about whether or not you are striving to find yourself in the center of His will.' I had been making my ministry in Japan an idol and was more focused on serving in Japan rather than serving God (that just happens to take place in Japan). Finally, I prayed to God and asked Him to have me serve where He willed this summer. "If I can't do ministry in Japan, let me serve You some other way this summer." Less than a half hour later, my prayers were answered in full. In the perfect, most fulfilling way. Again, I am sorry that the details of this are few, but it would be in poor taste for me to reveal the entirety of how He accomplished this. What I can say, is that I am leaving on a trip for Japan this morning and it is because of His will for me. There are great things ahead.

Japanese of the day
緊張しています
Kinchyou shite imasu
Translation:
I'm nervous (I kinda am)

Preparations

Have you ever had that anxious feeling you get when you look at the calendar and you see that something is not as far away as you had previously thought? I just checked my calendar and saw that I will begin my journey to Japan in twenty-one days from now... wow! What an incredibly amazing and intimidating thought! I am so amped to serve and learn, but I almost wish that I had a few more weeks to get things in order before I go. I honestly don't think there is really enough time in the world to adequately prepare for something like this. There is so much uncertainty and possibility that comes with just traveling to another country, being immersed in another culture and serving in ministry that the best thing I can do to prepare is to simply trust in God's sovereignty. Only through trusting Him have I made it this far--and He hasn't let me down yet! I'm just so excited to see what He has in store for this internship and how He will use what I've been learning in my classes and life experiences to continue to shape me into the man He had declared me to be before the foundations of the Earth were laid. These are exciting times and I am so glad to be able to share them with you folks who have been beside me, praying for me and cheering me on! I thank you all for your support!

Now, a few things have changed and new information has come to me regarding the internship itself. My trip is pushed back three days, so I will now be leaving on the 20th of May and will arrive back in the States on the 15th of July. During this time, I will spend the first ten days in the Tōkyō area, working with my missionary friend from World Venture, Kevin Laverman and other missionaries in the area. Then, I will be traveling north to Fukushima City in the Fukushima Prefecture for the remainder of the trip. If this name sounds familiar to you, it is the same prefecture where one of Japan's nuclear facilities had a meltdown during the 3/11 earthquake/tsunami disaster. I will be working with Hokushin Calvary Church and other local churches in the area. To all of my friends in the Tōkyō area, if you want to meet up at some point, let me know and I'll see what I can work out! I'd love to see all of you, but I'm unsure of my schedule's finer details, but I will definitely try to keep some room open to connect with you! I'll try to keep details as up to date as possible throughout my trip but as for now, this is most of what I know.

As for support, many of you have been so generous and have blessed me tremendously with support both in prayer and monetary contributions. Truly, God has placed in my life Christian folk of the highest calibre who will no doubt take great share in heavenly rewards! Currently, we have raised about $2,450.00 as of last Friday! Praise God! That is nearly 60% of our goal of $5,333.31 (the goal has gone down due to cheaper air rates)! The remaining support needed is $2183.32. I am more than confident that we will be able to reach this goal. God has called me to this field and will not abandon me to fend for myself. His provision will come and He will glorify His name in wondorous ways in the process! If you have thought about joining me in ministry by supporting me in this trip, please pray to know if you are called to do so. The deadline for support is quickly approaching, so if you have decided to give support, please don't wait any longer! Send a check made payable to DELTA Ministries to the following address:

DELTA Ministries International
1400 NE 136th Ave Suite 201
Vancouver, WA 98684

Please do not send the check to me, it will only delay when the support comes in.

Please know that all monetary contributions are income tax deductible! Here is a link to the response form for you to fill out and send in with the check so that you will be able to have it count towards tax-stuff. <http://pdfsr.com/pdf/austin-parker-rc.pdf> if you follow this link, it will bring you to a page that has the response form displayed. Scroll down, and on the right-side column there is a button that you must click that says "Download to Computer". Once it is downloaded, print it, fill it out and send it in the envelope with the check.

If you would, be praying for God to use this trip to teach me so that I will be prepared for full-time service in the not-too-distant future. Finals are also coming up for me here at Moody Bible Institute and I would greatly appreciate prayer for that as well!

If you have any prayer request for me, please feel free to Email me at austin.parker@moody.edu and I will make it a point to pray for you consistently. I want this to be partnered effort where we support each other in prayer. I don't want to merely be on the receiving end. I truly care about you people.

That's all for now!

Japanese for the day:
あなたの髪型が好き。
Anata no kamigata ga suki.
Translation:
I like your hairstyle.

I have been hearing this from my Japanese friends after I recently cut my hair in preparation for Japan. I guess it looks okay.

I also recently cut my thumb with a knife and had to get stitches. It looks less-okay.

Blowing Away the Dust

Hey! Remember this 'ol thing? ...Yeah I don't hold it against you. Well, I used to use this blog for updating you folks about my trip to Japan back in 2013. I haven't really used this blog since then, but I figured it was time to dust off the keyboard and let all of you know what has been going on in my life for the past few years and what is in store for this summer! I'll try to remain more or less consistent with these posts and I would really love for them to be interactive. As I share my life and experiences with you and ask for your prayers, I want to be able to pray for you as well so that we will grow stronger in our faith and closer as brothers and sisters in Christ. This will be especially important in the upcoming months as I prepare to intern in Japan this summer for eight weeks. That's right! I will be returning to the Land of the Rising Sun on May 17th and will be working in the country until July 12th. I won't go into too much detail here, but I will post my _support letter_ that explains more about the purpose of the trip and I will keep all of you updated through this blog as more information comes through. One thing I would like to mention, however, is that this is a sizable trip, lasting longer than any other on which I have gone. While this is a fantastic opportunity for me to learn and grow, it also presents the obstacle of raising about $5,800 in support to fund this trip. Though this is an expensive trip, I am confident that God will supply the funding as He has so many times in the past (see previous blog posts for clarification). If you would like to be an instrument in His provision by partnering with me and making a monetary contribution, you can send a check to that is made payable to DELTA Ministries, fill out the _Response Form_ and send it in with the check to:

DELTA Ministries International

1400 NE 136th Ave Suite 201

Vancouver, WA 98684

All contributions are tax deductible if the money is given through DELTA and any amount is greatly appreciated!

Now, as much as it is important to fulfill the monetary requirements for this trip, it is also supremely important that I have a dedicated prayer team who would consistently pray for me at least once a week. If you would like to be a part of my prayer team, please let me know either by commenting on this blog post, Emailing me, calling me, texting me or Facebooking me (please choose one for my sanity) and I will pray for you the same day that you pray for me so that we can be sharing with each other our praises and our prayer requests and this doesn't become an impersonal ministry. Thank you all so much for your support!


Japanese for the day:
誕生日おめでとう!
Tanjyoubi omedetou!
Translation:
Happy birthday! (Because today is my birthday!)