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.