New Schedule and More Info

I just received an updated schedule that the Japanese pastors made minor adjustments to. A few classes were added. I don't know exactly what a Rejoice Class is, but I'll be finding out soon enough. On Sunday, the day after I arrive, they will be having a welcome luncheon for me. After the luncheon they informed me that they will do an orientation of how to teach the classes and assured me not to worry about teaching. That helps to boost the confidence a little.


The name in the parenthesis is the location where I'll be teaching the class. The church locations are Kyodo, Sagamihara, and Kobuchi. Yamazaki is a satellite site where I'll be teaching, but is not the location of a church.

Here is a list of the churches and the pastors that I'll be working with:

*Kyodo Grace Church
Rev. Dr. John Y. Masuda
Assistant Pastor Rev. Kenichiro Sudo

*Sagamihara Grace Chapel
Rev. Nobuo Abe
Mrs. Keiko Abe

*Kobuchi Mission Chapel
Rev. Teiichi Arita
Mrs. Mieko Arita

Dr. John Masuda is the head pastor over all three churches and is the one I've been in most contact with. I met Dr. Masuda along with Rev. Nobuo Abe and his son Tomoyuki (who is living in the U.S.) at the E.C. TEACH conference in June where I first spoke to them about my calling to go to Japan. I will be staying at the home/church of Rev. and Mrs. Arita, who has a 24 year old daughter I will likely become good friends with. The Aritas as well as the assistant pastor Rev. Sudo will be meeting me in the airport when I arrive in Tokyo. They all can speak English to some degree so that won't be too much of a challenge.

The Plan (as I know it)

Well, now I have just a few more days until I hop on a plane to the Land of the Rising Sun. I will be spending these next four days packing everything that I think I'll need for the next three months.

I'd like to give an overview of what my time in Japan will look like as far as I know at this moment. Below I've attached a copy of the schedule that Dr. Masuda and the church board of the three E.C. churches in Tokyo have put together for me. (If you click on it, a new tab will open with a readable copy of the schedule.)



Their desire was that I'd be involved with all three churches so I will spend some of my traveling by train to each location. I will be teaching a number of age groups which will be a challenge as well as keep things interesting and different. I will also be leading two bible studies on Sundays along with the English conversation classes during the week. So I will be spending a lot of my free time planning lessons.

I have been told that the attendance of the English classes may fluctuate day to day and week to week since they are rather informal classes based out of the churches. There may even be class times when no one will show up at all. This is definitely where our prayers will need to get attention. The Lord knows who will be interested in learning English and also who is ready to hear about Him. May He lay it on those specific hearts to come and learn not only English, but a little bit about God's love for them at the same time.

Oh boy

Alright then, hear we go. I'm going to shake things up and make them a bit more interesting with this here blog. I hope you all approve, are inspired, even question me, and most of all---enjoy!

And now for your viewing pleasure: my boyfriend Mike and I singing "God Will Make A Way" in his church on the island of Roatan (Honduras). Sorry we are so little, but the sound is pretty good. You be the judge.




Well, now after listening to it once more for myself I think that this song, in its quiet simplicity, expresses a beautiful promise. In that promise there is complete and utter rest and oh...it's the kind of rest that you think you might just actually float away (or at least defy gravity) on that promise. God will make a way. Yes, He will.

Not that most people do, but I didn't really have any goals planned out to have achieved by the time I was 24 (which will happen in just 13 days). I might have had the least bit of hope of a goal in the back of my mind to be making my way on having my own family if it was the Lord's will for me to even have a family which I did question...but I guess you could say that I am actually making pretty good progress with my goals then, ha. But I never expected life to be what it is at this moment. What the crap has God gotten me into? You could say it's all my fault for listening to Him, but then who else could I trust my life with, really? No offense, but I definitely wouldn't trust any of you reading this right now with MY precious life. No thank you, you selfish people...just kidd...nope not kidding at all. ha.

I was talking with a good friend yesterday and we were both just laughing at ourselves/each other for the choices we are making in life (in that I-can't-believe-I'm-actually-doing-this-what-kind-of-idiot-am-I? kind of way while KNOWING that we can't do anything but succeed even though the future doesn't always look promising). What the crap do we think we are doing? Am I doing? Sometimes I wonder if God had me sign up for missionary while I was blindfolded or distracted, the way the failing kid always does with his parent on all the family sitcom shows. That trickster. Ah, but don't you know He ALWAYS knows best and He ALWAYS provides the way.

Yes, God will make a way. But then there is that line that comes after about God working in ways we cannot see. That's where the patience comes in and where God uses His wisely secretive ways to build my character and faith in Him, because though I can't SEE where my life is headed, when I get there I always find out He's prepared things perfectly. But it's still hard sometimes, as it should and will be. Let joy be my strength, good thing my joy is in His promises and not anything that isn't so certain.

So I hope that in some small way you can hear this song again and be reminded of God's promises to you. It is a good reminder for me, particularly where I am in life right now.

Here are the complete lyrics: (at least the way I learned it)

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way
He will make a way

On the roadway in the wilderness He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His word will still remain
He will do something new today

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way
He will make a way