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JAPAN 2005
Japan 2005
On May 11, 2005, I left with a group of four students to spend three weeks in Kobe, Japan. We left not knowing what God had planned for us or what to expect once we landed. After traveling for 15 hours, we finally arrived (jet-lagged and tired), excited to be there! Over the next three weeks, we spent time putting church flyers in mailboxes, teaching English classes, and helping the Trim family get ready for their home assignment. In addition to doing all these things as extensions of the local church, we also spent time working within the church leading worship, sharing testimonies, and building relationships with the Japanese people.
On the third weekend there, our group split up and each went to the home of a different Japanese family. We built relationships with each family and showed them the love of Jesus. We were also able to take them to a BBQ that the church put on. During the time spent together the families shared their culture and city with us. Throughout these home-stays, the greatest hurdle that we had to overcome was the language-barrier. In each family, at least one person spoke some English, so we were able to get by, but it was difficult nonetheless. In the two days that each of us spent with our host families, they became rather attached and did not want to see us go. One little boy actually cried when his “big brother” left.
June 1, 2005 we returned to Denver grateful for the time that we could spend in ministry to the people of Japan. Some wanted to stay longer and some could not wait for the return to an English speaking world. Throughout our time in Japan, there were days with nothing to do but pray and other days where we wondered when the day would end. Looking back, God taught us how to be flexible and do things according to His plan, not according to our own!
