5.31.07 - new surroundings . . . sort of

no, i'm not playing with pandas in china (unfotunately). the past week and a half have been spent in transition. my company has its head office in shinjuku, but we also have a factory out in a town called hadano (a little over an hour southwest of tokyo). i'll be learning/helping out at the factory for the next few months, so i've been aquainting myself with my new surroundings. the biggest difference is the atmosphere. here in hadano, the town is more "country", and everything moves at a slower pace (actually, not too many cities can keep up with tokyo's pace). the surroundings here are definitely a lot more comfortable. the commute takes about the same time, but it's the opposite of the rush, so that in itself relieves a lot of stress. the air is clean, and the mountains are close by. fuji-san is beautiful from here on a clear day! we have a lot more space here in this office, so we aren't all crammed close together. my coworkers here are pretty chill, and there are more people around the same age a me.

all these factors have lowered my stress levels, which in turn has resulted in me not being as tired everyday. but along with the positives, there are a few negatives. the main one being convenience. because the factory is out here in the boonies, everything is farther away. there's no restaurants or shops close by. gone are the days of running to the convini to pick up a bite to eat, or to the local mom & pop obento-yasan (lunch box shop). also, my options are a lot more limited if i need to go run errands after work. but the thing i'm most weary of is the distance from my friends. i guess i sometimes took for granted how nice it was working in shinjuku. since it was pretty central to most of my friends, i never had any problems meeting up with people for a quick bite to eat after work. now, i'm almost 2 hours away from shinjuku.

this reminded me about community, and how important it is. i'm blessed to have found a wonderful community of brothers/sisters here. we share/play/encourage/bless/amuse/pray/support each other in so many different ways, and on so many different levels. i miss seeing them during the week, but it makes me look forward to the weekends all the more!

well, this week has been quite busy and trying. i was in charge of training some engineers we had visiting from thailand. by the time i got home on wed night (around midnight), i was totally wiped and exhausted. it would've been easy for me to shut down and go into task-oriented-robot-mode. but i was reminded about something god had been teaching me lately. ungrace. how easy it is for us to not show grace to others, despite being the recipient of ultimate grace. that in itself encouraged me to change my attitude, to live & act to reflect the love & grace thas has been shown to me.

i'm still a work in progress though . . .

-------------------------

show me your ways
hillsongs

show me your ways, that i may walk with you
show me your ways, i put my hope in you

the cry of my heart is to love you more
to live with the touch of your hand
stronger each day
show me your ways.

-------------------------

talk to me |

5.23.07 - chiiinn

weary, yet excited about the unknown.

take it for what it's worth . . . got a lot to think about, so just a quick thought while i update pics from this past weekend. hope you are blessed, and a blessing this week!

-------------------------

i offer my life to you
don moen

all that i am, all that i have
i lay them down before you oh lord
all my regrets, all my acclaim
the joy and the pain, i'm making them yours

lord i offer my life to you
everything i've been through
use it for your glory
lord i offer my days to you
lifting my praise to you
as a pleasing sacrifice
lord i offer you my life

things in the past, things yet unseen
wishes and dreams that are yet to come true
all o fmy heart, all of my praise
my heart and my hands are lifted to you

what can we give
that you have not given?
and what do we have
that is not already yours?
all we possess are these lives we're living
and that's what we give to you, lord

-------------------------

talk to me |

5.14.07 - stories

i'm fascinated with stories... personal accounts of events and observations that are shared for various purposes. stories are told for many reasons: amusement, illustration, teaching, commentary, sympathy, humor, to share information, just to name a few. the wonderful thing about stories, is that they can be told through various mediums. narratives, testimonies, illustrations, photographs, plays/dramas, music/songs, dance, etc. and each story will be unique to the person conveying the message. this past weekend, i had the privilege of hearing/seeing/experiencing many stories... wonderful stories of how god is working in the lives of brother and sisters. don't get me wrong, every day is filled with stories, but for some reason, this weekend's stories are what stood out as i thought about the past week.

fri night, i went to a christian music festival (gotcha @ ueno koen) organized by some of my friends. i got held up at work a little bit, so unfortunately, i missed out on jeremiah and lauren's solo performances, but was delighted that they went back up for a closing worship set. i was also blessed by tomi, who was on-hand to do a live painting. amazing stories were told through music, songs, dance, painting, and even mc'ing!

sat night, i went to funky saturday night, a monthly outreach event geared towards sharing the gospel through song, dance, drama, testimony, and sharing. my friend yukka was asked to be the guest musician, and she asked a few of us to go and play/sing with her, as she shared not only her music, but the heart behind it. the drama team, and the speaker, ali, did a great job sharing about talents... which lead us into a great time of discussion. thank you to my small group, i really appreciate your insights, ideas, blessings, struggles... your stories. even riding home on the train, i was blessed to share stories with yuuki & hiromi. it was a wonderful evening.

sun, after service, i went and had dinner with a few friends. as we finished up our delicious burgers at kua aina, we ended up sharing our testimonies of how we each became christians. it's amazing to to see that even though we each come from different places, with different stories, we can still be brought together in the knowledge & experience of god's love for us.

personally, my story telling method of choice is through the use of images and photos. for some reason or another, i ended up not really taking any photos this past weekend (which is a rare occurence). but all the awesome stories will definitely remain with me. arigato! to everyone who continues to share your stories with me. and i will continue to make an effort to share my stories as well.

korekara mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu! have a great week!

-------------------------

i'll always love you
tim hughes

i just want to love
i just want to sing
to the one above
who has touched this thirsty soul

and now i'll never be the same

i'll always love you
i'll always sing to you, jesus
i long to worship you in spirit and in truth

everyday i'll come
spend my life with you
learning of your heart
and what you're calling me to do

my every breath belongs to you

and with this song
we'll lift the name of jesus higher
and with a shout
we'll raise up one voice

-------------------------

talk to me |

5.08.07 - normalcy

after working last tues/wed, the rest of my golden week was packed with various activities. some highlights include going to the zoo, bbq luau and leading worship with the blaze team. it was busy to say the least.

back at work this week, and my schedule has seemed to finally be back to "normal". well, kinda. anyways, i wish i had more to say, but i'll let the pictures do the talking for now.

jah ne, until next time . . .

: we believe :

-------------------------

you said (excerpt)
reuben morgan

you said,

ask and i'll give the nations to you
o lord, that's the cry of my heart
distant shores and the islands will see
your light as it rises on us

-------------------------

talk to me |

5.01.07 - day of exploring

yesterday was showa no hi. i took advantage of the holiday by spending the day in kamakura & enoshima. one of my first stops in kamakura was to see the giant buddha statue. it was indeed giant. i was taken back by the elaborate construction of not only the statue, but also the temple grounds. although i would never worship something like this, i appreciate the cultural and historical significance of different shrines here in japan.

later on, a thought crossed my mind as i walked along the beach. i was taking in the sights of the kamakura/enoshima coastline, and i was held speachless at the sight of a ghostly mt. fuji looming in the background. i was left to marvel at the beauty of god's creation. though man can make amazing and beautiful things, nothing can come close to touching the greatness of what god creates.

after trekking around kamakura, i made my way down to enoshima to do some exploring, and eventually meet up with some newhope peeps who were surfing and chillin at the beach. capped off the day by eating a delicious kasien-don (fresh sashimi over rice) uummmaaii!!!, and catching a glimpse of another beautiful sight... a silhouette of mt. fuji just after sunset. i spent all day on my feet, and in the sun. face got a little burnt, and i was exhausted from all the walking, but it was definitely worth it.

2 days of work, then a 4-day weekend! woot! have a great week everyone!

go warriors!

-------------------------

your glory endures forever
charlie hall

you ride on wings of wind;
you are beginning and the end
mountains melting in your flame,
creation pulsing out your name

you are forever, you are forever

your glory endures forever;
your beauty outshines the heavens
and we will declare your wonders,
your splendor, your majesty

earth rotating in your hand,
galaxies in your command
you make and sustain the breath of man,
your deeds go on forever

you are forever, you are forever
you are forever, you are forever
you are forever, you are forever

-------------------------

talk to me |