8.28.06 - one year later . . .

this past weekend marked the 1 year anniversary of me arriving in tokyo. so far, it's been quite an adventure, to say the least. now, as i start year 2 of my journey, i have to prepare for a few big changes. recently, i've transferred back to the international department at work. this means i'll be focusing on learning about international business practices, and providing support for our overseas customers. for my first major task, i'll be traveling to the philippines to help with a machine set-up and training in sept. i'm excited about being able to try new things, and see new places.

mike, justin, and helen have all returned to the states now. josh is preparing to move back as well. i have no doubt that my transition into life in japan would not have been as smooth if they weren't here with me. i'm sad they left/are leaving, but feel truly blessed that we got to share some of our time in tokyo together. soojin & the new stinters will be here in a few weeks, so new adventures lie ahead!

yesterday at newhope, we tried a little something new, and decided to strip down the worship time with an acoustic set. acoustic guitar, piano, a cajon, percussion, and vocals. it was nice being able to worship in this style because the musical focus wasn't as much on the instruments as it was on the vocals. i loved it. as we sang out in worship, the sound of the congregation worshipping resonated clearly in my heart. preperation was hard because it was something we've never tried together as a group, but it goes to show how much we can't do things on our own, and need god to be our motivation and strength. i was exhausted from preparing and leading, but it was such a blessing and an encouragement.

it's been a crazy year, and i can't wait to see what god has in store for this coming year. miss you all very much, and hope you have a blessed week!

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all in all
japanese version

anata no chikara ga
watashi wo sasaeru
watashi no takaramono

donna toki ni de mo
anata wo motomeru
anata dake wo

iesu waga shu
mina wo agameru
kami no kohitsuji
subete no shu

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8.21.06 - good stuff

a guy sure could get used to 2-day work weeks! oh well, it was nice while it lasted. sat, after worship practice, i went over to new hope's community life center in narimasu (suburb of tokyo). the blaze teens ministry had a bbq and sleepover mini-camp for the youth group. i got to teach them the wonders of steaks flavored with just salt/pepper/garlic, and sausages wrapped in bacon! also taught them an essential lesson... "show the meat love, and it'll love you back". good fun, good food, and good fellowship! the youth and the leaders always blow me away with the passion and excitement they have for serving. it's such an encouragement to see all the various gifts that god has given each person. i've truly been blessed to be a part of the teens ministry at newhope.

sunday, new hope celebrated their 1 year anniversary of starting the satellite service at the clc in narimasu. god's doing some awesome things there, and we're seeing lives being changed in that community. good stuff indeed!

it's hot and humid here, with the occasional typhoon blowing through. i'm trying to stay cool, but it sure is hard having to walk/ride the trains everywhere. here are a few observations from the past few weeks:

1. someone please explain to me why there are 7-11's all over, but none of them have these! i would also love to see a few of these pop up as well! i think they would be crazy popular.

2. coldstone is like a ride at disneyland! although i'm happy they opened a few of these here in tokyo, i really don't feel like waiting over an hour in line just for some ice-cream!

3. i was excited about finding one of these in ikebukuro! just like home... except more expensive...

4. someone needs to educate a bunch of people about the wonders of this product! especially those riding in hot & crowded trains.

anyways, have a great week everyone! here's a quick clip of me singing "one way" with the most kawaii girl @ new hope!

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sing alleluia
mac powell & jennifer knapp

all creatures of our god an king
lift up your voice and with us sing
sun, moon, and stars rejoice on high
praise to the lord of light diving

sing alleluia, sing alleluia
praise the father above
sing alleluia
sing alleluia, sing alleluia
for his infinite love
sing alleluia

praise to the giver of good things
merciful father, holy king
join with the angels, sing out loud
praise him who reigns about the clouds

o praise him (when the morning comes)
alleluia (for the rising sun)
p praise him (when the day is done)
alleluia (praise the lord of love)
o praise him (alleluia)
alleluia (alleluia)

all creatures of our god an king
lift up your voice and with us sing!

sing alleluia...

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8.17.06 - rested

i'm back . . . and rested up. the past few days have been really nice. a chance to let my body catch up, and allow my brain to slow down and relax for a bit. ahhhhh . . . now back to workfriendskanjichurchcommutingministryspeakingjapanese.

oh, new pics up ->

wish i could say more, but i'll save that for when my brain is back running full speed. that's all for now . . . have a great week everyone!

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everything glorious
david crowder

the day is brighter here with you
the night is lighter than it's hue
would lead me to believe
which leads me to believe

you make everything glorious
you make everything glorious
you make everything glorious
and i am yours
what does that make me?

my eyes are small but they have seen
the beauty of enormous things
which leads me to believe
there's light enough to see that

from glory to glory
you are glorious you are glorious
from glory to glory
you are glorious. you are glorious
which leads me to believe
why i can believe that

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8.11.06 - isolation

back when i decided not to come home for summer vacation, i knew god was teaching me about commitment and trust. being committed to the life that god has placed me in here, and trusting that he will be my source of strength, comfort, and motivation. this was the week that i was suppossed to go home. take a break. go to camp. refresh. prepare for the next chapter of my adventure. that was until i heard a small voice telling me, "surrender... this is your home". the more i prayed, the more it became evident to me that i had to stop relying on things from home to comfort and fortify me. i had to rely on god and the people/things he has placed here in tokyo.

it breaks my heart not being at camp. it breaks my heart not being able to share stories, face-to-face, with people that i love so much. it was also hard this week because josh and the other stinters were outta town for their own ccc camp. talk about really being alone! but that's just it . . . i'm not alone. i'm here, in an amazing city, surrounded by amazing people, serving an amazing god. praise god for knowing exactly what i need, when i need it!

next week, we have mon-tues-wed off from work for obon. you prolly won't hear from me in the next week, so don't be worried. i'm going into isolation mode during this much needed vacation. word.

have a great week[end] everyone! i look forward to hearing about camp! blessings . . .

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all my life
parachute band

my freedom, my reason
my savior, that's what you are to me
you free me completely
my savior, that's what you are

there's no other like you
there's no one beside you
you're more than my heart can contain

and i will love you all my life
for you are my reason,
the one that i live for
and i will love you all my life
for you are my reason, you're the one that i live for.

you're the one that i live for.

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08.07.06 - twentynine

after all the activities of last weekend, i was hoping for a chill week. riiiight . . . if i've learned anything about tokyo, it's that its high speed pace doesn't stop/slow down for more than blink of an eye.

mon night, i met up with josh and timmy in harajuku for some eats. josh showed us this restaurant, and my craving for good mexican food was finally satisfied! not your typical "hole-n-the-wall" mexican joint, but the food was excellent! we got the queso fundido for our appetizer. it came out a bubbling pot of melted cheese with chopped chorizo mixed in. our server continued to mix it and then wrap it in tortillas, like a quesedilla. josh and i got carnitas platters, and timmy got the carne asada platter. it was muy bueno! afterwards, we met up with 2 of timmy's friends from apu. they were nice enough to give us a ride back to josh's crib. the guys helped keep me up to work on david's new cd stuff, and i ended up crashing there.

fri was "ushi no hi", or "cow day". cow day marks the hot season here in japan. people celebrate by eating unagi. unagi is supposed to be a good source of nutrients to build stamina to battle the heat. if they eat unagi, why do they call it "cow day"? well, after doing some research, i found out that the day has nothing to do with cows. back in olden times in japan, they used to count the days of the month using animals rather than numbers. the 4th day is represented by a cow. i found it fitting that my birthday fell on "cow day". also, since i turned 29, the japanese for 2 & 9 are ni & ku. "niku" means "meat". . . so it was only right for me to celebrate by consuming large quantities of niku!

so fri night, josh, jeremiah, helen, bonnie, sunny, and timmy(in spirit) helped me celebrate my birthday by taking me to barbacoa grill for some brazillian bbq! various bbq'd meats on skewers! it was soooo goooood! woooooot! thanks guys for an awesome birthday!

sat, had worship practice in the morning and ran errands in the afternoon. in the evening, i met up with josh, jeremiah, and helen to go to a tokyo giants game @ the tokyo dome. it was an exciting game with the giants pulling out a win.

part of me is really sad that i'm not at camp this year. but i think god is teaching me a big lesson about being willing to let go of things that i hold on to. in order for me to really make tokyo my home, i need to let go of things from home-home. not to completely forget or cut off, but just not rely so much on "familiar" things to be my source of comfort. god hasn't let me down yet, so i continue to have faith that he will be my provider & my comfort.

so yeah, i'm not at camp, but i am praying for you all. have an awesome week, wherever you are & whatever you're doing!

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center
matt redman & charlie hall

you're the center of the universe
everything was made in you jesus
breath of every living thing
everyone was made for you

you hold everything together
you hold everything together

christ be the center of our lives
be the place we fix our eyes
be the center of our lives

we lift our eyes to heaven
we wrap our lives around your life
we lift our eyes to heaven to you

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