A New Season!

We're engaged!



My Ring



Cherry Blossoms, a popular spring attraction in Japan



Nagoya Castle

Aaron and Bryan, Aaron's best friend, came for a week in early March. Surprise, I'm engaged! Aaron and I met shortly before I left for Japan, and we kept in touch through email and skype. We became a couple about 2 months after I got here, and fell in love. Aaron proposed at a French restaurant that was divine, with a wonderful atmosphere! It felt like we were at an outdoor cafe in France. I loved having both AA and Bryan here for a week! We ate meals together, spent time in Nagoya, walked and talked. Bryan got to see many former students and church people he did ministry with here last year and encourage them, and AA got introduced to my life in Japan, friends, and students. Bryan and Aaron shared the love of Jesus to many, but probably most of all to me! The 2 weeks that followed were difficult, as AA and I got used to living our relationship on skype again. All in all, we see God's grace in action as we try to make future plans and get to know each other better during the early hours of the day and the late hours of the night due to the time difference.

A new school semester has begun! Thankfully, my schedule has not changed significantly. My new classes are one's I had taught a little while ago, including 2 classes at our new branch school at Oharu. God has allowed me to build significant relationships with my students and Oharu, and I am very thankful to continue to spend time with them and teach them! I will be continuing a Bible study with my jr. high girls class and I am excited for how God will use this time!

We had our second kids English service at Oharu church, and while it was less attended, I was very excited to be able to teach about creation to the kids, 2 of which were my students from my Oharu classes and aren't Christians. In Japan, evolution is taught everywhere, so being able to plant the seed of creation is a big blessing! The kids drew what God created on different days, and we went outside for a nature scavenger hunt. I was going to play a creation game with them at the park next to the church, but there were other kids playing there. The church kids joined the other kids, and wanted to share their prizes with them, which was my favorite moment of the service! The kids that came for the service stayed for an extra half hour to play, and then wanted to go back inside and color upstairs while church was going on!! About this time, we gained a few more kids. They colored more pictures of what God created through the entire church service. I am excited to get on a fixed schedule starting in May-the 2nd Sunday of every month. The consistency will help with promoting the event and getting more students there.

Many kids had spring break last week, so our classes were smaller, and we had a few extra days off due to national holidays. I got to go skiing in the mountains with a couple of brothers in Christ from church, and see the cherry blossoms and Nagoya castle with one of my Saturday classes! Both were great memories I will treasure always!

Snow in Nagoya

Kurt and Akane's son, Kent, greeted me with snowballs when I went to work in the morning:)



The room for our branch school at Oharu Church, where I attend! I'm so excited to have many supplies and a special room for the kids at church!


The downstairs of Oharu, where we used to have English class and where church service is held.


Snow in Nagoya only happens about once a year. It's a random event that keeps you on your toes because people in Japan don't often drive in snow. It snowed on a Saturday morning, which meant I would have to drive to work amongst the craziness. Thankfully, God cleared the roads with the sun before I left for work.

The snow in Japan reminds me of what's going on with life in Japan right now- a time of transition with random surprises. Aaron and I are seeking God's plan for our lives together, and we are planning to live in Bloomington, IL when my term here is up. While I'm confident this is the best plan for our lives right now, it's not what I expected for us to be doing. However, some time in the states will give us an opportunity to get adjusted to married life and probably prepared for our next overseas adventure. Like me, Aaron would like to work overseas for at least a year.

In addition to this life transition, Saban English School is also transitioning to a new term at the school and opening the branch school at Oharu church. I have been helping paint, decorate, and assist with trial lessons where kids can come in and have a free lesson to check out the school. It's somewhat of a stressful time, as we see new students come in, new schedules formed, and some students leave. I am looking forward to a change, and to see more students coming to our new branch school!

I also have had the opportunity to put together our first English kids service at Oharu Church. An attendance high for us at church is 29 people, and we had over 15 kids attend our first one! 7 were from our school and non-Christians. We had a Valentine's party and our theme was God's love, with songs in English, a Bible story about Jesus love for kids, and a craft and game to go with. It was such a blessing to be able to teach non-Christian kids about Jesus and God's love for them! One group wanted to sing "Celebrate Jesus" after the service was over! This was definitely something only God could do. We are planning to do this service once a month, and I am planning our next one for March 14th!

In the midst all the activity going on here, God is faithful. Just like He melted the snow for me to drive to work on clean roads, His steadfast love and faithfulness remains the same. I am so thankful for His intense love for me, and His constant and consistent provision!

Holidays

Konnichiwa!! These 2 gals attended our Japanese banquet:) My lil sis in Christ Rachel (left) hopes to visit Japan and the other hopes to be a missionary to Japan some day!


Aaron, my boyfriend, and I at the state park near my house. Please pray for him! He hopes to come serve in Japan!


My dad and my niece Annie making a snowman! Hooray for being able to play in snow!


Christmas at home came and went and what a fun, whirlwind adventure it was!! I had a student travel with me to experience American culture with a family from Eastview Christian Church. He's 11 years old and did and was a super traveler! The weekend we got home, we had a support raising Japan banquet. We were greeted by many American friends and family who were interested in our work in Japan, a huge blessing!

I spent a lot of time with my family, friends, dog, and my boyfriend Aaron. I'm attaching some pictures in case you'd like to see! My brother also helped me create a Christmas video to show my friends in Japan in case you're interested:

http://web.me.com/mcthomas22/StephChristmas/Movie.html.

This Christmas, Jesus' example of coming as a baby in a whole new land to serve gave me great comfort. He went through many of the same trials and difficulties I have, but kept his focus on his task and His father! I am so thankful for a God whose love for me never changes despite my circumstances, and who helps me adjust to a new life in Japan! Thanks God, and thanks for my wonderful support team!

As we start a new year at the school, many changes are in the air which will be implemented in March. Please pray for a big enrollment for our new branch school at Oharu Church, which will open in March. I will continue to teach at the school I'm at and my boss Kurt will be teaching classes at the new school. We need about 50 students to create a job for my boyfriend Aaron to be able to teach here! We are praying that God will bring Aaron and my path together for His glory! Regarding ministry, my co-workers and I are starting a once-a-month children's english class at the 2 churches we work with. I am leading the planning for this service. Please keep this in your prayers. Thanks and God bless!

Ministry in Japan

Our first Thurs. afternoon outreach time at the school with ladies and moms from our kids English classes. Please pray God will multiply our numbers!



Lunch with the Friday ladies English class I teach at church. This class includes a Bible study time. They wanted to take me to eat Japanese food!


Teaching full-time and living in a new culture has definitely taken a lot out of me! The moments I have to build relationships with my students, encourage the church leaders, spend time with the kids I live with, and study the Bible with women of God here are a few opportunities God has opened up for ministry.

On 2 Thursdays of each month, Akane (the mom and school director here) and I have a time lady students and moms of kids at our school can come eat American snacks, chat, do a short Bible study, and get to know us. I help Akane with ideas and spend time getting to know the ladies. We have only had one event so far, and I would love it if you would keep this event in your prayers! We want it to be a time God can use to reach out and share Christ to the many non-Christian moms in our classes.

This Sunday, I had the opportunity to speak and share a little bit about myself and my testimony at the large church we work with. The main point of my message was 'faith requires action,' and I referenced Hebrews 11:1, which talks about many Bible characters who acted on their faith. I was SO excited to hear the preacher speak after me about Abraham, and how he acted on his faith! I even heard the preacher say in English: Faith requires action. The preacher doesn't speak much English, so it was so exciting to hear how God put together our 2 messages without us planning it God is soo good!

The church I usually attend on Sundays, Oharu Evangelical Free Church, is a branch church to the large one I spoke at. It is small, but I believe God has great plans for it! They recently purchased land to build a bigger building, and last week they had a contemporary service for Japan, which included guitar music, songs like "Lord I Lift Your Name on High," and "Shine, Jesus Shine." I was so excited to see they want to try new things, and they even have song lyrics in English so I can sing along with them:) They often ask for my input on service ideas, and I love being able to help them. When I return to Japan after my break in January, I am looking forward to getting more involved with the kids and service at this church

Fun Stuff

Quite a while has gone by without a new word from Japan. Hello! I'm back and have some fun new praises and info to share with you!

Since you've heard from me last, we had our Halloween party at the school. We invited all of our students, and instead of having classes on a Thursday night, we had games and crafts! I was happy to bring over some of my Children's Ministry wisdom to help make a very fun and well attended party!

I also got the opportunity to visit Little World-which has buildings and restaurants from different countries around the world. Of course I loved this excursion on my day off, and you can get a chance to see the family I am staying with.

Finally, you will see pics of sports day. The church held an event at a park where we played various funny games, had church service, and a picnic! What a fun event! Here's some pics of my new church family.

My goal is to blog once every 2 weeks! I love and miss all of you!

Funny, Awkward Saturday

A class I teach at Saban English School. One of these students will be traveling to Illinois with me over Christmas for a home stay with a Christian family.

Shiori teaches at the school on Mondays. I met her at international student ministry in Illinois two years ago, so we were already friends before I came to Japan:)

I've been waiting for a few funny moments I could share with you in my blog. One good characteristic for a missionary to have is to be able to laugh at yourself. A couple of these moments were easier to laugh at than others while I was in the moment!

I work every Saturday here until I come home for Christmas. I teach 3 English classes at the church, and my day ends around 3:30. I enjoy teaching at the churches a lot because I also get to teach a Bible lesson, and we have several non-Christians in the classes. Naturally, since it's a church class, talk about God and faith come up.

This was my first Saturday teaching at the church. I've been driving by myself some this week, so I followed Kurt to the church. I teach at 2 churches and thought we were going to the one I'd already driven to twice this week. Kurt took a different way to the church I hadn't driven to on my own yet...you see where this is headed. My cell phone was conveniently at home. I didn't think I'd need it.

Lunch break after my first class-I wanted to go to a restaurant and asked my class helper about where I could go because I was unfamiliar with the restaurants that were in the area. The other 2 missionaries I work with weren't around. My class helper spoke to my class about it in Japanese, and the only single guy in the class offered to take me to a restaurant. I really wasn't counting on everyone in the class being involved with restaurant selection, and I felt bad but didn't want to eat with just him (I typically don't spend much one-on-one time with guys from my ministry), so I asked my class helper if he could just lead me to the restaurant. I tried to do this discreetly and just talk to my class helper about it, but it turned into my whole class knowing I just wanted him to lead me to the restaurant instead of eat with him-awkward! We got there, he insisted to help me order, and left. We were less than 1/2 mile from the church. One problem, I hadn't ordered a drink yet, but I'd eaten at some restaurants in Japan on my own, and just pointed to what I wanted. I have about a 75% success rate with this method. However, today I pointed to what I thought was water, and got a clear glass of alcohol-ooops! I didn't try to order another drink, just let the alcohol sit there.

Time to head back to the church, only if you know me well I am not the best with directions, and Japanese roads aren't exactly marked for Americans. The 1/2 mile from church felt like about 30, because I got a little turned around. Thankfully I made it to class a little late, but made it!:)

Final class is over, I just have to make it home now, only I'm driving and I can't remember every turn to the new way Kurt led me.......I got a nice tour of the city, and promised myself I would not leave home without my cell phone again:) I was desperately missing my teammates from the Philippines because my girls loved the cell phone and would never leave home without it, and my guy were experts at finding their way around.

My job for now in Japan is to learn about all the new stuff so I can teach others well, and I'm sure there will be many more funny and awkward moments to come while doing that!

Praises: First full week of classes went really well! I taught a lot by myself this week. The typhoon that struck did not last long and did very little damage to our area. I am praising God for keeping me safe and opportunities to share my faith!

Prayer requests: Please pray for boldness, opportunities to share the gospel, and for God to work on the hearts of my students who aren't Christian. Please pray for health. 2 out of the 4 family members I am living with right now are sick. Also, because I work evenings, I cannot spend much time with friends during this time like I am used to, and I have moments of loneliness. Please keep this in prayer.Thanks! Missing all of you!

Into the New

Today I drove for the first time in Japan. The roads are narrower here, and I don't really like driving in tight places. I mean seriously narrow!! I drove on the left side of the road, with a turn signal that was on the right side of the steering wheel, and up is Left turn instead of right turn. Yes, as you can guess, I prayed through the whole experience! Akane, the wife and mom I live with, is a great teacher and very nice. We were both a little stressed out:), but still fun as I ventured out on my own to get used to another part of the culture.

In pre-field training, I learned an important lesson: entering a new culture with a new job will completely reshape your life. I haven't taught for extended periods of time since my days of teaching swimming lessons at the YWCA the start of grad school. Who would have thought that method and structure would help prepare me to teach here? At Saban English school, they have fun curriculum with short prep time and work books and cds for the kids to listen and respond. The kids have several levels they can advance to. I am still learning different methods and what each class knows at their different level. I enjoy the variety of classes and age levels.

I like Japanese food, which is an extremely big deal if you knew me when I went to China and the Philippines. I did not always care for the food there, and staying long-term would be a struggle. The bread is wonderful, I can buy a lot of fruit, and many American favorites, such as pizza and spaghetti, I can find easily here:)

Akane took me to a place that is similar to Old Navy today and a mall. I love the clothes at the Old Navy and had fun looking at all the cool stuff, especially stuff for kids (future Christmas presents for the niece and nephew) at the mall! I

For the first time in a very long time, I have more free time, as I am no longer in grad school:) I have been taking long walks, started reading the Bible all the way through in a year with Akane, staying connected with friends and family online, and getting settled here, with building things like a drying rack for my clothes because they air dry their clothes here. The family I am staying with has been extremely gracious and helpful in getting everything I need to get settled.

For those of you who have been praying for friends, I am very thankful! Finding Christians around my age who speak English would be a hard task without the hand of God:) My first Sunday, God brought 3 girls around my age my way:) 2 of them were brand new to our ministry- one was at the church I was at Sun. morning for the first time. She lives with international students, and used to study in Minnesota! Another girl came to the Sun. night Bible study Kurt and Akane have. I have also been excited to reconnect with Shiori, who attended the international student ministry I helped lead 2 years ago and became a friend! She teaches at the school on Mondays so I will get to see her then. I am very thankful to make and be able to do ministry with new college friends:)

Prayer Requests: Please pray for my study of Japanese, God's provision of teammates in his timing (the missionaries are staying with are hoping to expand), and God's provision. In order to expand the team, we need to generate more business in the school so we can pay missionaries. arigato (thank you)!

I will have to hold you in suspense regarding the pictures of Japan, and blog more often so the entries won't be as long:)