tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36987982992933788232024-02-20T09:59:22.664-08:00Operation Arigatou JesusMelanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-54210323332195489312016-03-23T16:18:00.000-07:002016-03-23T16:18:20.161-07:00Blessed Are All Those Who Wait
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It's amazing what the Lord can do in 3 months. When last I wrote a
blog post, I believe I was at 18% of my needed budget. I am now at
29%! Praise the Lord! However, this past January, I was talking to my
team in Chiba, and we discovered – through some confusion – that
my original budget was set far too high. (It's always nice to hear
that!) The team has been adjusting my budget since then, and I am
waiting to hear the final number.<br /><br />It has not been easy to wait
through this process. I have felt discouragement, impatience, and
anxiety. For a long while, I wouldn't admit to myself that I was
feeling that way, and it really started to take an affect on me. The
main reason that I have been antsy about this falls on going to
Belgium. I have said this before, but as a reminder, I need to be at
50% of my budget by April 15<sup>th</sup>, or I will not be able to
go to training in Belgium come July. This means that I would need to
wait until January for the next training session. That would hold me
back from going to Japan until after January, but the team is very
much hoping to have me in Japan by September 1<sup>st</sup>. Based on
conversations I have had with the team, it sounds as though I may
already be at 50% (or more) with my adjusted budget. I still need to
wait for it to be sent in and approved by MTW, though.<br /><br />I am
not by nature an anxious person, so when I start having foreign
emotions, it really messes with me. I couldn't process how I was
feeling, all the while not admitting that I was nervous in waiting to
hear from the team. Earlier this week, I finally realized that
something was wrong, and cried out to the Lord. I have been reading
through Isaiah in my morning devotions, and yesterday I was reading
through chapter 30. As I was about to read verse 18, there was
something about it that seemed to stand out to me on the page. I felt
like that Lord was saying, “This is for you, Melanie. Listen.” So
I listened:<br /><br />“Therefore the Lord <i>waits</i> to be gracious
to you, and therefore <i>he exalts himself to show mercy to you</i>.
For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all <i>those who wait
for him</i>.” - Isaiah 30:18<br /><br />I read this verse over and
over, and felt God's peace pouring into me, quieting my emotions and
making me be still in His presence. I realized that I am not okay,
and that I have been trying to shoulder everything on my own. So I am
casting all my anxieties on Him, because He cares for me.<br /><br />You
know when Jesus is trying to teach you something and that theme
recurs throughout your daily life in strange ways? Well, another
lesson He has put on my heart is the power and necessity of prayer. I
am not a gifted prayer warrior, but I've been struggling a bit more
than usual recently. I am so thankful that I have been reminded of
the most important weapon in my arsenal. I was listening to a sermon
on the theme of prayer by John Piper this morning. Here are a couple
of quotes that stood out to me:<br /><br />“Prayer moves God to change
people's wills.... Do not neglect the world-shaping influence that
you have through prayer.”<br /><br />That is my prayer right now –
that I would not neglect the influence I have through prayer. I would
like to ask you to join me in crying out to the Lord. Please pray
that my budget would be finalized quickly, and that I would be able
to make it to Belgium this summer! Thank you, brothers and sisters.
You are a constant blessing to me, and I am thanking the Lord for
you!<br />
Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-39764436106037499092015-12-31T15:18:00.000-08:002015-12-31T15:18:54.360-08:00New Year, New Creation<div class="msg-body inner undoreset" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1451602064577_2634" role="presentation" tabindex="0">
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Every year, my mom buys me an ornament at Christmastime. This year, I wanted to make sure I chose something that reflected this past year. As a kid, I'm not sure why I thought reindeer, oddly shaped objects, and SpongeBob ornaments were excellent representations of years past. (Okay, let's be honest, I do understand the SpongeBob ornament.) Over the past few years, I'd like to say that I've been getting better at choosing sentimental ones. So as I was talking with my mom and thinking back on 2015, I searched for what stood out most to me about the year.<br /><br />This year, I have been incredibly blessed to have met and made so many new and wonderful friends. A lot of my new friends are going to be or currently are serving on the mission field all over the world. As I met these people earlier this year, I was overwhelmed at the beauty there is in the Call placed on their lives, and mine as well. To hear about the extreme need for the gospel in so many different lands was heartbreaking, but I was ecstatic as I came to see "how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"<br /><br /></div>
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<br />So I decided on an ornament I found that says, "Friends make the world beautiful." But they are not only my friends, they are the body of Christ. That's what makes this world beautiful. We are called the aroma, body, light, new creations, chosen race, royal priesthood, workmanship, friends, ambassadors, and so much more of and for Christ! We are His! <br /><br />Do friends make the world beautiful? We need to do our best to make the world beautiful, because we have been called to reflect the Creator of all beauty! <br /><br />We have each been given a Call, and may we follow that call with joy and gladness. I wish you all a happy and blessed new year. May you be encouraged as you move forward into another year of His beauty and grace.<br /><br /><i>"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." - 1 Peter 2:9</i></div>
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Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-77681269561822964382015-11-02T21:59:00.002-08:002015-11-02T22:03:26.638-08:00Fall for Japan<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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A few weekends ago, I had the absolute
pleasure of attending an event called Fall for Japan. It was put on
by the MTW Japan Partnership, which I didn't know existed prior to
the event! Apparently this was the first event to be put on by them,
and due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback received, they are
hoping to do more in the future.
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To sum up the event in one sentence, it
was a chance for people to meet missionaries to Japan and to learn
about the ministries and need there. I was incredibly encouraged by
the time I was able to spend meeting other missionaries to Japan,
reconnecting with friends, connecting with those I'd only ever heard
about from my friends in Japan, and sharing with others about what I
will be doing in Chiba. I had some wonderful conversations as I met
prayer warriors and supporters of the work being done. (I'm beginning
to realize that attending events like this will mean meeting many
friends-of-friends, as so often I was asked, “Oh, do you know
so-and-so?!”)
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I can't begin to explain the joy I had
in that room, surrounded by brothers and sisters, each with a desire
to talk about the needy land that makes my heart sing and break at
the same moment. I was blessed and moved to tears by the prayers said
for those of us there who were in the process of support raising. I
laughed as we swapped stories about Japan, funny foreigner moments
and general Japanese oddities. It was refreshing to talk to those
support raising, as we are sharing in the same struggles and lessons
learned, but also to encourage one another.</div>
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Overall, the event left me feeling
blessed and encouraged beyond measure. As I drove home, I reflected
on all I had heard and learned, and was eager to continue support
raising with new excitement. Please join me in praying that I would
remain with this attitude!
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Now, on to support raising updates: </div>
<ul>
<li>I
recently got over a nasty sickness that knocked my energy out for 4
weeks, so I am praising God for my current health and ability to get
back in the swing of support raising!
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Praise the Lord for providing 3 new
supporters just within the past few days!! (I just hit 16% of my needed monthly support!)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Some of you may know that there is a
month of training I will need to complete in Belgium some time next
year. The training is offered twice a year, in January and July.
Unfortunately I will not be able to make it in January, but I can see
many positive reasons for going in July. Please pray that I will be
able to make it in July!</li>
</ul>
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As always, I am grateful for the
support and encouragement I've received! The Lord has blessed me
greatly. </div>
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<i><b>“And my God will supply every need of yours according to
his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory
forever and ever. Amen.”- Philippians 4:19-20</b></i></div>
Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-5771536767519934332015-08-14T16:15:00.000-07:002015-08-14T21:19:38.443-07:00Suffer for the Name<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27089"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESVUK-27090"></a>
<b>“And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and
charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then
they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were
<i><u>counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name</u></i><u>.</u>
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not
cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” - Acts 5:40-42</b></div>
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I'm pretty sure we're all
familiar with the image of a team of athletes after winning an
important game, running into a huddle, jumping on top of one another,
slapping each other's backs and chest bumping, cheering and whooping,
dumping a tub of Gatorade on the coach, celebrating their victory. As
I read this passage in Acts today, I had this mental image of the
disciples acting similarly, only by society's standards, they <i>hadn't</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
experienced a great victory. They had each been lashed close to forty
times, were threatened, and sent on their way. Where was the victory?
Here is a group of men, not jumping on one another but probably
leaning on each other for support, lacking the strength to run, bleeding
together, groaning through the pain, tending one another's wounds –
and they're </span><i>rejoicing?</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
</span>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Yes.
They're rejoicing. Jesus told them this was to come, that they would
be hated, that they would be beaten, that they would be cast out. But
He also told them how precious each of them were, how valuable they
were, that by acknowledging Him before men, He would acknowledge them
before His Father in Heaven! </span><i>Think of that</i><span style="font-style: normal;">!!
Immediately after being told not to speak the name of Jesus, this is
the first thing they do! Covered in blood, bruises, and forming
scars, they go from door to door saying, “Look at our Jesus!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!” and Jesus comes before the Father
saying, “Look at Your disciples, your faithful servants. How
beautiful.”</span></div>
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<i>How beautiful.</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
I think of the disciples as they stumble away from the council, in
such great pain. But then they look into each other's eyes, and they
smile together, tears mixing with sweat, knowing they were fulfilling
God's calling in their lives. </span><i>How beautiful! </i><span style="font-style: normal;">I
think of them exiting the presence of the council, standing together
looking over the city, taking a deep breath and saying, “Now, where
were we?” They grasp the fists of their brothers, ready to go, and
they pick up where they left off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">The
Lord has given each of us a call. It's difficult, it's challenging,
it requires stepping out of one's self and following where He leads.
He has called me to Japan. It can be so easy for me to get
discouraged, to beat myself up for not doing well, to groan inwardly
as I struggle to support raise. But what a reminder that I have been
given a Call, that I am to power my way through difficulty, through
adversity, that it is not by my strength that the money will come
in, that He will provide in His timing, and I am to carry on! I want
to wake up each morning and say, “Now, where was I?” I want to
continue to follow His leading and </span><i>rejoice</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
through this process! Praise the Lord for His promises! Praise the
Lord for His perfect plan!</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Please pray for:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-style: normal;">Boldness in support raising (currently at 12% of needed monthly pledges)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-style: normal;">Encouragement</span></li>
<li><span style="font-style: normal;">Patience as I wait to hear back from potential supporters and churches</span></li>
<li><span style="font-style: normal;">My ability to balance between work, support raising, and ministry here in the States</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span class="text Jas-1-4" id="en-ESVUK-30254"></span></b><br />
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<b><span class="text Jas-1-4" id="en-ESVUK-30254"><b><span class="text Jas-1-2"> "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,</span> <span class="text Jas-1-3" id="en-ESVUK-30253">for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.</span> <span class="text Jas-1-4" id="en-ESVUK-30254">And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." - James 1:2-4</span></b> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="text Jas-1-4" id="en-ESVUK-30254"> </span></b>
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Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-56111381853468056992015-07-03T15:23:00.000-07:002015-11-03T13:19:37.802-08:00Whatcha Gonna Do?<i><span class="text Prov-20-24" id="en-ESV-16979">"A man's steps are from the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>; </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"></span><span class="text Prov-20-24">how then can man understand his way?</span></span>" - Proverbs 20:24</i><br />
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Last weekend I was able to spend time catching up with Dan and Carol Iverson, missionaries to Japan and my host family both times I served in Japan. I was so thankful for the time we had together, and to hear of all the exciting things happening in Japan and how God is at work. <br />
<br />
I also had time to sit down with the two of them to brainstorm how my time in Japan will be spent. Of course all plans are liable to change at some point in time or another - such is missionary life - but it was so encouraging to get on the same page and join our thoughts together to map out a basic idea of what I will be doing.<br />
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My main ministry will be serving at Covenant Community School International, the school where I have worked twice before. (Elementary - high school.) The school is supported heavily by interns coming to Japan to teach for a school year at a time. (I was an intern my two previous trips to Japan.) These interns are a <i>tremendous</i> blessing, but one of the issues in having this constant flow of teachers coming and going is how it weighs on the students, especially the younger ones, as they transition to a new teacher each year, and the lack of consistency and unpredictability in teaching styles. Each intern that comes through is blessed with wonderful gifts, but each gift is different, so there is a constant game of Jenga as the school tries to find the fit for each teacher.<br />
<br />
Because I will be in Japan for 3 years, this commitment will allow me to
keep up with my students and track their progress over these three
years. My focus within the school will be with the Japanese ESL students, most of whom are elementary age. I am so excited to be working with the ESL students! It is something familiar for me, and I am excited that the younger students will have the same teacher for a few years at least. I'm sure there will be other classes I will teach within the school, and I will also help with church ministries and may end up teaching some additional ESL classes outside of the school.<br />
<br />
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is, "where will you live?" I am very excited to say that I have been invited to live with the Iverson's yet again! This will make transitioning back to living in Japan that much easier as I am already accustomed to this family, house, and city. <br />
<br />
I am so excited that the vision of my time in Japan is becoming a bit clearer with each bit of new information. I'm still unaware of when I will be able to leave, since my leave date relies on my monthly financial support being raised 100%.<br />
<br />
Please pray that:<br />
<ul>
<li>My support would come in quickly, Lord willing (I'm at about 8%)</li>
<li>I would be patient in this waiting process</li>
<li>I would balance my time wisely between work and support raising</li>
<li>I would not be discouraged in this slow process </li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdE26e168aWvbDGpvaIMAkue3qwObEjCaBBVoZcJFulqBpPv23H258i-vopdd4svAFT9dbbXFuuvcnx_moR02tzWj-1R39C-diWzFIDzRu4onvCjxcwqPcaS2uzaGZ5ib1KqSladAmSXyX/s1600/11659551_10155648045775018_2825058467148262671_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdE26e168aWvbDGpvaIMAkue3qwObEjCaBBVoZcJFulqBpPv23H258i-vopdd4svAFT9dbbXFuuvcnx_moR02tzWj-1R39C-diWzFIDzRu4onvCjxcwqPcaS2uzaGZ5ib1KqSladAmSXyX/s400/11659551_10155648045775018_2825058467148262671_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan, Carol, Melanie, Andrew, Megan - Iverson's with the interns from GPC</td></tr>
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Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-16714553661987325902015-06-09T06:22:00.000-07:002015-06-09T06:26:33.532-07:00Living In Grace<span style="color: #cccccc;">
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Unless
the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless
the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It
is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the
bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep."
(Psalm 127:1-2)<br /><br />What
if I don't raise my support quickly? What if I'm ill-equipped for the
mission field? What if I "mess up" in sharing the gospel?
What if I'm not as helpful as I wish to be? What if, what if, what
if! It can be so easy for me to ask these questions of myself. It can
be easy for me to ask these questions of God. "But thanks be to
God, who in <u>Christ</u> always leads us in triumphal
procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of
him everywhere." (2 Corinthians 2:14) Yes!!
Thanks be to <i>Him</i>! It is only because of Him that I am
able to do anything! Without Him, I am laboring in vain! It is only
because He is leading me "in triumphal procession"! He is
leading the way, not me! Oh, thank the Lord I'm not leading the way!
Be still my anxious heart. The Sovereign Creator is guiding me, using
me as His instrument.<br /><br />Last
week I was yet again blessed to meet and befriend those going into
all the world to spread the good news. My heart was so full of joy as
we talked, prayed, cried, and shared together. Christ was so evident
to me in those people. "And I am sure of this, that he who began
a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus
Christ." (Philippians 1:6) God has
certainly begun a good work in the people I met this week, and I am
so excited to hear how He continues to use these people to further
His kingdom in the coming years.<br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some
of the highlights of my week included: getting to know and spending
time with my small group for the week, many rounds played of Settlers
of Catan, hiking to a waterfall in the rain, the abundance of
adorable babies, praying together, being able to speak with
someone in Japanese, thought-provoking lectures, and enjoying
the beautiful scenery all around us. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cDAKhVCJ2BI99QkT2SZNd8zdk4CCPINIhyphenhyphenREf1suEv1hWwL1oZ_kAAAjMbHyijXc8yaIPkVD61rKGuNLRPzzQWZnxuBjMJi0D5Ss4IcX6dJCuSM22dKwB56K10q1GiHVPzblY2yDZB1l/s1600/11427203_10155556818300018_5112353148995682545_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cDAKhVCJ2BI99QkT2SZNd8zdk4CCPINIhyphenhyphenREf1suEv1hWwL1oZ_kAAAjMbHyijXc8yaIPkVD61rKGuNLRPzzQWZnxuBjMJi0D5Ss4IcX6dJCuSM22dKwB56K10q1GiHVPzblY2yDZB1l/s320/11427203_10155556818300018_5112353148995682545_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My small group at Living in Grace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank
you so much to those of you who were praying for me and the specific
prayer requests I had in my last blog! My car and I both came out in
one piece after the drive to and from North Carolina, and God was
definitely showing himself to me in new ways throughout the week!<br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As
for support raising, I am excited to say that I am at 4% of my needed
$4,500 a month for the three years I will be serving in Japan! (For
those who are unaware, I need to have 100% of my budget pledged
before I can buy my ticket to Japan.) Now that I have finished all
the busy activities of the month of May, I'm excited to be able to
focus on support raising! I would greatly appreciate your prayers,
especially as I balance between support raising and work. May He be
glorified!</span></span></div>
Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-2248184339005440382015-05-27T11:34:00.000-07:002015-06-11T11:53:27.617-07:00The Busy Month of MayMay has been quite the month! Since last I wrote, I have attended my church's annual retreat, written and sent out support letters galore, visited friends giving a presentation to their church on the missions work they will be doing in the Czech Republic, visited and caught up with many more friends, was invited to be involved in a photography/videography project for a retreat center our church youth and young adults visit each year, co-planned/led a high school girls' weekend retreat to that same center in the mountains of Pennsylvania, then two weeks later was again at this retreat center for our church's Young Adult's Retreat.<br />
<br />
In short, there was a lot of driving involved in May! And I'm not done just yet. This coming Sunday, I will be driving down to Ridge Haven - a camp in Brevard, North Carolina - for an MTW* seminar on "Living in Grace." While this will be quite an exhausting drive (7+ hours), I am very much looking forward to this trip. If it is anything similar to Launch, the training I attended in Atlanta back in March, I will be meeting many more people with hearts for global missions. My favorite part of Launch was hearing from new friends about the needs in the countries where they were preparing to serve. I came away from that week blessed with a vision for how God is using His body all around the world. I look forward to the people I will meet, the talks and exercises planned for the week, and whatever God has in store for me.<br />
<br />
As for support raising, I am so thankful for the people God is already raising up in joining my financial support team! What a blessing! There is still quite a long way to go, though. To get to Japan, I will need to have $4,500 pledged each month for the 3 years I will be serving there. So far, a total of $150 has been pledged a month. (PRAISE THE LORD!!)<br />
<br />
The needed pledges remaining would look something like this:<br />
<b>24 giving $100 a month </b><br />
<b>27 giving $50 a month </b><br />
<b>24 giving $25 a month</b><br />
<br />
Would you please pray that God would give me boldness in reaching out
and inviting people to join my support team, and prayerfully consider if
He may be calling you to join the ministry in Japan in this way? (Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dln7AePELtE" target="_blank">HERE</a> for information on how to donate online.)<br />
<br />
Again, I want to thank the many who have been praying for me and encouraging me. God has done some pretty awesome things this past month, and has shown Himself to me in so many unexpected ways!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span class="text John-15-16" id="en-ESV-26704"><span class="woj">"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.</span></span> <span class="text John-15-17" id="en-ESV-26705"><span class="woj">These things I command you, so that you will love one another.</span></span>" - John 15:16-17</b></span><br />
<br />
<b><i>Prayer summary:</i></b><br />
<ul>
<li><i>Safe travels to and from NC, that my car would handle the trip well</i></li>
<li><i>That God would continue to show me His power and grace during the LIG** seminar </i></li>
<li><i>Peace and patience through support raising</i></li>
</ul>
*Mission To the World<br />
**Living In GraceMelanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-36830690663559518752015-03-19T21:35:00.001-07:002015-03-19T21:35:58.471-07:00Launch Recap
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last week I had the extreme pleasure of
joining 24 other missionaries for a week-long conference in Atlanta.
The conference (“Launch”) was held at the home office of Mission
to the World, the organization I will be serving alongside while in
Japan. I cannot say enough how much of a blessing the whole week was.
Thank you so much to those of you who prayed ever so faithfully for
me – your prayers were felt throughout the week!
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
</div>
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</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="en-ESV-18704"></a>I mentioned
briefly in my last update how excited I was that I would be meeting
new people with hearts to spread the gospel in so many different
parts of the world. Little did I know just how wonderful of an
experience meeting these people would be. “How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes
peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'” (Isaiah 52:7) I want you all
to know, it isn't just the feet of these people that makes them so
beautiful. To see these hearts with a passion for the nations to call
on the name of our Savior; the love they have for those they have yet
to meet, for those who have yet to know our King; their desire and
earnestness to GO – how <i>beautiful!</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
From day one, friendships were established and stories after stories
were told. (A majority of those at this event had previously been
involved in overseas missions.) </span></span></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbrkSgnsZasn7EuQ7nfZhyeCmCdBAvVQpe6SIFRhtt9DO2igSsRJqUWpVqGvtN9G0JWyoU9uDQAa7SxsrBqVI4rPC4ibigmt1fugXrhFOyuisLwfwxeS6mrBbvlEoGnaqFUE6M7vSTYyz/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbrkSgnsZasn7EuQ7nfZhyeCmCdBAvVQpe6SIFRhtt9DO2igSsRJqUWpVqGvtN9G0JWyoU9uDQAa7SxsrBqVI4rPC4ibigmt1fugXrhFOyuisLwfwxeS6mrBbvlEoGnaqFUE6M7vSTYyz/s1600/image1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Out to dinner at a Greek restaurant with new friends!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
purpose of Launch was orientation for preparing to go on the mission
field. The talks, strategies, and exercises were challenging in the
best ways possible, and I am beyond thankful for the MTW staff that
dedicated so much time to bless us. I enjoyed getting to talk with
the staff over meals and break times and building relationships with
those who will be helping me specifically as I head to Japan. It was
really neat to see the gifts God has given each of these individuals
and how they use them in assisting missionaries far and near.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">During
Launch, a Vision conference was taking place in the same building.
This was for those who felt called to missions, but weren't
particularly sure where God was calling them. Team leaders from
mission fields all over the world came together to give a better
vision of the work being done in the countries they are serving.
Thanks to these overlapping conferences, I was able to reconnect with
Dan Iverson, the team leader of Japan, who also happened to be my
host dad both times I served in Chiba, the city to which I will be
returning. It was such a blessing to catch up, laugh, and speak
Japanese together. It was encouraging to be so involved with Launch
and have someone there to remind me of the place and people I will be
serving. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57290mUp5d-nxGAje1jsWq_jiueEWqq_dlFxxKg9Gav7Y8TMqAC_TVunW57J9WlS8C4JWl0Y52YGIMETT_LdGdkJ9695qK3zWeOpYkqfDHnHmTYX5rzk7eOSyz9WvuCBv6syG0wCKlexb/s1600/10959804_10155200702880018_8768317513138846675_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57290mUp5d-nxGAje1jsWq_jiueEWqq_dlFxxKg9Gav7Y8TMqAC_TVunW57J9WlS8C4JWl0Y52YGIMETT_LdGdkJ9695qK3zWeOpYkqfDHnHmTYX5rzk7eOSyz9WvuCBv6syG0wCKlexb/s1600/10959804_10155200702880018_8768317513138846675_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Catching up with Dan</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Thanks
to the Vision conference, I also got to meet a couple that is
seriously considering becoming missionaries in Japan, maybe even in
Chiba! It was such a blast to talk with them and answer their
questions about Japan. (I'm all about getting people excited for
anything Japan related!) It would be neat to meet them in Chiba.
Here's praying!!</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
whole experience was truly remarkable, and I am thankful for the
abundance of friends and information I gained. (It's amazing all the
connections I made with friends of mutual friends. I long to see the
day when we all meet in the throne room and rejoice together in the
presence of the Ultimate Connection!) I am excited to share with you
all how you can be involved in my ministry to Japan, and how
important of a role you hold! For now, I continue to ask for your
prayers as God continues to lead me down this road. There are many
unforeseen struggles ahead, but I believe in a big God who will carry
me through and guide me in His steps! I pray I will continue to look
to Him for guidance, and that I would honor and glorify Him with my
life.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him
who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter
2:9)</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRFDXlS4l9rJTNYJpaauHw7vzXPd8vOSuW8p8O4aMbxnys-mj_qG2t_3bjufrPfooDBXH7Qs3TSyW9cRGCTKSUB8FGzRa8ZfvxQx27czy3b_Z2NbOsLcFu7Ce9LehoIUzl2y96sVArHDR/s1600/IMG_5774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRFDXlS4l9rJTNYJpaauHw7vzXPd8vOSuW8p8O4aMbxnys-mj_qG2t_3bjufrPfooDBXH7Qs3TSyW9cRGCTKSUB8FGzRa8ZfvxQx27czy3b_Z2NbOsLcFu7Ce9LehoIUzl2y96sVArHDR/s1600/IMG_5774.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last day of Launch - Introducing 25 newly approved MTW missionaries!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-51932567015624793002015-03-01T19:16:00.000-08:002015-03-01T19:16:58.767-08:00Here We Go Again!
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Over the past few months, I have been
in the application process with Mission to the World to return to
Japan as a two-year short-term missionary. It has been a long,
thorough journey so far, but I am very excited to tell you all that this week I was approved by MTW to return to Japan!
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A week from today, I will be flying
down to MTW's main office in Atlanta for a week to meet with the
staff and be involved in discussions on support raising and other
topics. I will be down there with other missionaries in the same
stage I am. (I am very much looking forward to meeting new people who
will be going all over the world with a heart to spread God's good
news!)
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I do not currently have a set date nor
timeframe for returning to Japan, but I will most likely have more
information to share with you all when I return from Atlanta. I can
tell you that I am looking to go back for at least 2 years, and I
will more than likely be serving as a teacher in the school where I
worked previously, along with helping the team wherever there is a
need.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I am incredibly excited, and am beyond
blessed that God is calling me back to the land I love so dearly. I
can't wait to see how He works, and when it is that He wants me to
return. I would greatly appreciate your prayers, as there is lots to
be done before I can go back. Please pray that I would patiently
await His timing, and that I would further seek Him and ways I can
glorify Him.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In Him,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Melanie</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ
always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the
fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of
Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are
perishing.” - 2 Corinthians 2:14-15</div>
Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-74446913070740647372013-07-04T02:55:00.001-07:002013-07-04T03:00:11.019-07:00Going and Coming ~ 行ってきます!<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Last week, I surprised
quite a lot of people by coming back to America. Yup! I'm back! It
was a lot of fun showing up at my old job, a wedding, and at church
to the surprise of my friends and coworkers. The reactions were
priceless, and surprisingly they were almost exactly the same. First,
my friends would see I was someone they knew, generating recognition
in their eyes, but once they processed <i>who</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
I actually was, the reactions were too great. Some of the more common
remarks were, “Why/How are you here?” “You're on the other side
of the world!” “How did you get here?” But the most frequently
asked question - asked by literally </span><i>every</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
person I've talked to - has been, “How long are you back?” </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">This
has been a very surprising reaction for me, one that I never even
thought would occur. The frequency of this question is even more
surprising! It is so touching to think that everyone can tell that
Japan is of such importance in my life, that they can tell that that
is the place God has called me to be. It's one thing to feel myself
that God is calling me to Japan, but when that feeling is confirmed
by the sweet remarks of my friends and family here in America, my
heart is overwhelmed with blessing.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Before
coming back to America, I was preparing myself in so many ways for a
very difficult adjustment back to American culture. Reverse culture
shock was a big problem for me two years ago when I returned to
America from Japan the first time, so I anticipated the same
difficulties this time. But by God's grace, this time has been so
much easier! I didn't know if it was because I knew what to expect
this time, or because I was gone for a longer period of time making
it exciting to come back and see everyone again, or because I truly
believed I would be going back someday, or something else. But it is
so obvious to me now that it is only because of God, not because of
anything I've done, and I am so thankful to God for giving me peace
about being back. I am ever learning to trust in Him and lean on Him
in the difficult times and in the times of joy. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Now,
to catch you up on all the activity of my last month in Japan. It was
non-stop to my last day, for which I was very thankful. I was
thankful for the normalcy of keeping busy. My friend Tara and I had a
combined goodbye party at school, and the students and parents all
said very sweet things and gave so many gifts. As I looked around the
room, my eyes filled with tears as I had so many memories with each
person and I thanked God for the blessing they had all been in my
life. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Tara
left two weeks before I did, during our last full week of classes at
school. The last day of school was a mixture of emotions for me, but
more than anything I felt incredibly proud of all of the students for
working so hard and doing incredibly well all year. It was such a
blessing to have been able to teach so many wonderful students and
make tons of memories together. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">That
weekend, we had the school talent show, of which I was in charge. The
day of was a bit stressful for me, but the show itself was loads of
fun! It was such a blast to watch all of the students show their
God-given talents in various ways.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">That
Monday, I had the opportunity to go to Tokyo with a large group of
people. The fun part for me was that I didn't have to play tour-guide
for once, and I had no clue where we were going. It was awesome! We
ended up going to Tsukiji for lunch. Tsukiji is a very famous fish
market, known for its tuna auctions. I was so excited to be there
because that was one place in Tokyo I had always wanted to go but had
never been. We went to a very nice restaurant for lunch that felt so
incredibly Japanese. I loved it! We sat at a low table, but there was
a deep space under the table for our feet to hang down. We were
served a variety of things to eat, including delicious, fresh, raw
fish and tempura. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">After
eating, we wandered around the market, got coffee, walked around a
small garden on a balcony, then went to Asakusa for some sightseeing
and shopping. After that we went to Tokyo Sky Tree and spent the rest
of our day there. A couple of the summer intern girls and I spent a
while jumping around in a fountain, getting super wet, then we got to
watch Sky Tree light up as it got dark outside. It was a very fun
last outing to Tokyo for me.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">That
week, the summer interns planned our school's Spirit Week – three
days of fun Bible-based activities for the students. This was such a
blessing, because it allowed all of us teachers to spend the whole
week doing final grades and student assessments, which always takes
quite a bit of time.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">That
weekend we had parent/teacher meetings, school cleaning day, and I
took my 7</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
grade class out for ice cream. It was a lot of fun getting to hangout
with these kids one last time with all of us together. Teaching that
group was always the highlight of my day. We had so much fun, and I
loved seeing how God was working in each of their lives. I already
miss them so much. That evening I had a nice low-key goodbye party at
home with the teachers from school. It was a very sweet time
together.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">My
last Sunday in Japan was bittersweet. It was a whole lot of fun, but
at the same time it was full of goodbyes, which was very saddening.
After worship, a group of my Japanese friends took me out for lunch.
It was so much fun getting to spend time with only Japanese people,
practicing my Japanese, and eating Japanese food. I saw it as a huge
gift from God. I always cherished the times I got to spend with these
friends. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">After
lunch, I was taken home, and then I went back to the church building
to gather up my things from that building and the school next door.
While I was there, the worship team was practicing for a praise day
happening the following Sunday. This made me ecstatic, because I was
so incredibly disappointed to be missing this praise day because I
loved listening to and singing Japanese praise music. I saw this as
another huge gift from the Lord that I was able to listen to them
practice. (In my mind, I saw it as my own personal concert present
from God.)</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">That
Monday, I went to lunch at a friend's house, then went to school to
finish grading some papers and things. After that I went to my
favorite ramen shop for the last time with a large group of people.
That was </span><i>loads</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> of fun!
Afterwards, some of us went to karaoke together – the perfect way
to end such a fun day.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">On
Tuesday, I got to say goodbye to almost all of the students from
school, who were doing summer studying together at Oyumino Chapel
(one of the church locations.) I went to the school building to tidy
up some classrooms, then some Japanese friends of mine took me out
for coffee as a last goodbye. They gave me very sweet goodbye gifts,
then took me home. One of my students, Anne Mie, came over and helped
me pack a little bit, then we went to dinner at a sushi restaurant
with the summer interns and the Iversons. This ended up being my last
meal in Japan, and it was perfect. Anne Mie and I walked home
afterwards, and I finished packing up all of my things. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I
got about two hours of sleep, then I was taken to the airport by
Carol and Anne Mie early in the morning. It was a sweet goodbye, then
I headed through security. When I got to immigration, I was pulled to
the side to fill out a form saying I agreed that I was ending my
religious activities visa. The man helping me was very kind, and I
was able to speak to him in Japanese the whole time, which was a lot
of fun for me. I was sad to sign the paper saying I agreed to the
canceling of my visa, because I knew that meant I would have to turn
in my Japanese residency card. A silly thing to be sad about, but it
really was a cool looking card! I gave the man my card, and he smiled
at me, turned away, punched a small hole in it, then handed it back
to me and said in Japanese, “This is a souvenir for you.” I
almost started crying as I thanked him ecstatically. I didn't even
tell him I wanted to keep the card! I saw that as yet another gift
from God.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">As
I was waiting at my gate to board my plane, I asked God if He could
please seat me next to someone on the plane who could speak Japanese.
A silly request, but I didn't want my purchasing something at a small
shop in the airport to be the last time I would be able to speak in
Japanese with a Japanese person. Well, when I got to my seat on the
plane, I found that I was sitting next to an older Japanese couple! I
was awestruck. “Thank you, God!!!” I said a few little things to
them in Japanese, apologizing as I would get up and have to move past
them, thanking them for things, whatever. Later on, when the husband
stood up to walk around for a bit, the wife leaned over and started
speaking to me excitedly in Japanese. She said she was surprised at
how good my Japanese was, and asked why I had been in Japan and where
I had studied Japanese. I got to tell her I had been teaching at an
international school in Chiba and about studying Japanese in America.
We talked a little bit more, then we went back to watching movies and
things. When her husband came back, the woman started trying to get
my attention, so I took my headphones off and she started ranting to
her husband saying, “This girl was living in Chiba and speaks
Japanese and she sounds like a Japanese person when she speaks
because her pronunciation is perfect! She was teaching at an
international school! Etc.” The two of them were super cute and it
was a whole lot of fun to talk to them. Another gift from God!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I
had a layover in Frankfurt, Germany, then had an 8 hour flight back
to the States. Overall I had safe travels, and made it back to
America on only two hours of sleep. My family was waiting for me at
the airport, we went to dinner, and I went to bed around midnight
that night. I haven't had any jet lag, which is normal for me. As I
said in the beginning, it's been so much fun seeing my friends and
family and catching up with so many people.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">This
blog concludes my logs of my second trip to Japan. I can't begin to
express the blessings I've received from my Heavenly Father in
countless ways, through so many people and situations. I have met so
many people over the passed year, taught many different subjects to
many different students, learned more about Japanese culture, the
language, the people, and about my King. So many things have taken
place, and only a fraction of them have made it into my blogs. To
give a very simple summary: I believe God used His steward in the
best way she could have been used, and I pray that I will have been a
blessing and witness of my Father's love. I know I failed in many
ways, because I am a sinner, but I praise God for my weaknesses, for
He has shown me how His power is perfected in weakness, and how I am
frail and can do nothing without Him. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I
cannot thank you enough, those who have supported me prayerfully,
financially, relationally. Thank you for your friendship, your love
for me. Thank you for your interest in the work I was called to do,
your interest in my life, your interest in Japan. I hope you are
encouraged as I am to see Christ's church growing worldwide, His name
being proclaimed to all nations! Please keep Japan in your prayers!
It is such a spiritually dry, needy land. I like to believe that this
was not my last time serving in Japan. It gives me joy and excitement
to think about how God may use me in this country in the future. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;">“<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">But
thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal
procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of
him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who
are being saved and among those who are perishing.” - 2 Corinthians
2:14-15</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Melanie</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">メラニー</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal;">芽<span style="font-size: medium;">来<span style="font-size: medium;">新</span></span></span></span></span></div>
Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-20275451409904374962013-06-11T06:47:00.002-07:002013-06-11T06:47:26.321-07:00Hello, GoodbyeRecently I've come to appreciate the people around me a lot more than usual. It can be so easy to take relationships for granted, and I'm made more aware of that as so many friends of mine have left Japan recently. Within the passed month alone, I've said "hello" and "goodbye" to so many faces. People are flowing into Japan with the arrival of summer, and at the same time dear friends are leaving the country. For a while it was a bit overwhelming and confusing for me, as I was trying to adjust to so many things happening at once. What a whirlwind of emotions! On one hand, new people were coming and I wanted to make them feel as welcome as possible and be happy at their arrival; on the other hand, some of my close friends were leaving, making me very sad to see them go.<br />
<br />
While it is incredibly sad to see so many people leave, it's given me so much joy to look back on the time we've had together and see how God has truly blessed my life because of them. What a blessing is the gift of fellowship!! With every departure, there is always a "bye bye party." I really enjoy these, because there is always a time for people to share how they have been blessed by so-and-so in their time here. It is so incredible for me to see how God can use a single person to affect so many! Praise God for the beauty and love of our Savior seen through these saints!<br />
<br />
Along with the joy of Christian fellowship, I am also thankful to God for the close friendships I have here with Japanese non-believers. I was talking to a couple of my Christian friends yesterday about how different it is for me to have close friends who are non-Christians. All growing up, I had the same group of close friends, all of whom were from my church where we knew each other from the diaper days. I really didn't have non-Christian friends until I entered the world of workers when I was 15. It was such a different environment for me, and I didn't really know how to respond to non-Christian coworkers. Because of this, I never got very close to anyone at work. Now, here I am on the other side of the world with close friends who are non-Christians and I'm realizing how different it is! With my Christian friends, there is something - someOne - who connects us, creating this bond between us that is very difficult to break. Is it easy to have these relationships? Of course not! Every relationship is going to have its hardships at some point or another, but thanks be to Jesus Christ for His grace and mercy bestowed upon us! I may say things or do things that hurt those around me, and vice versa, but I am thankful for my grace-based friendships. Yes it can be hard, yes we can become impatient with one another, yes we can hurt each other - but if my God can forgive my dirty, rotten, sinful heart, surely we can forgive one another! <br /><br />It is so easy for me to have a conversation with my Christian friends. It almost seems like these conversations require no effort at all. Now, as I converse with my non-Christian friends, I realize how important every word, every action is! I don't want to say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, because these relationships are <i>so</i> important! Oh, how badly I want to see these people in the kingdom, rejoicing around the throne! It is heartbreaking to be close to these people and know that they don't yet believe in the most important person in my life. But I also praise the Lord that they have an interest in the Bible and are attending worship every Sunday!! I pray that God would give me wisdom in what to say, and what <i>not</i> to say, that He would use me as a witness. <b><span class="text 2Cor-5-20" id="en-ESV-28881">"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."</span> - 2 Corinthians 5:20</b> Please join me in praying for these friends, and for Japan as a whole - a country where only a fraction of 1% of the population professes to being Christian.<br />
<br />
To give you all a very brief update - I've been keeping busy as usual! This passed weekend we had our school's annual bazaar to raise money for the Japanese track. It was a lot of fun with a flea market, craft corner, and <i>lots</i> of international foods! My job was to help with the craft corner, which was a whole lot of fun! It required talking to a lot of little kids in Japanese, which I absolutely love doing. The day after the bazaar, we had graduation for the high school seniors and one boy graduating from elementary school. It was a whole lot of fun, but definitely a tiring weekend! This Saturday, we will be having our school's talent show, which I have been put in charge of. I'm really excited, and it's been so much fun hearing about all the acts the students will be doing and watching them practice at school. This week is the last week of school, and next week we have three days of "Spirit Week" where the teachers and students dress up in costumes, and we have fun Bible-based events scheduled. It should be a <i>lot</i> of fun! I can't wait!<br />
<br />
As always, thank you for your love, support, prayers, and interest in my life here in Japan. I am blessed every day beyond belief, and still find it hard to believe that God has called me to be here in this land my heart sings about. May His name be proclaimed to ALL nations!<br />
<br />
Melanie<br />
<br />
P.S. I recently had the pleasure of doing a home-stay with a dear Japanese family from the church I attend here, and while I was with them they helped me come up with kanji (Japanese form of Chinese characters) for my name! Normally, foreign names are written in the Japanese form of writing called "katakana" which is designated specifically for foreign words. (In katakana, my name looks like this: メラニー and doesn't translate to anything buy "Melanie.") However, this family decided to give my friends and me Japanese kanji characters! I absolutely love this, and have wanted my own kanji for so long! So, here it is: 芽来新, which translates to "new coming bud."<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqVAcX_yBDbimmlXxTCTiq5_30ldsg-NSm4fxY7_07ME3MfSjpSrn873Qs2MEXsShDQJKyh15tjePi7EfbC6Mkr_fw1zq5eVGrbW9VYySCLpe1LJmojIngIDm3xzAPBoc9_9K2M9jmiYI/s1600/936246_10151414665246641_1629254319_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqVAcX_yBDbimmlXxTCTiq5_30ldsg-NSm4fxY7_07ME3MfSjpSrn873Qs2MEXsShDQJKyh15tjePi7EfbC6Mkr_fw1zq5eVGrbW9VYySCLpe1LJmojIngIDm3xzAPBoc9_9K2M9jmiYI/s320/936246_10151414665246641_1629254319_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My housemates/sisters, all of whom I've had to say "goodbye" to over the passed month! :(</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnzM-814wDTy931y0dNwztvZk53SpOBMFabWwbulO7c0haxEw-LPUaf9v5VhnOO-H5zn1hjqb9ZRNQDZhQIp2l2GbpLIwSELp4TeqDDrF5Rc5IqpsF3xe2VIFbY2G0CSce1mEVlBs3W-O/s1600/180230_10151656789772489_2120560206_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnzM-814wDTy931y0dNwztvZk53SpOBMFabWwbulO7c0haxEw-LPUaf9v5VhnOO-H5zn1hjqb9ZRNQDZhQIp2l2GbpLIwSELp4TeqDDrF5Rc5IqpsF3xe2VIFbY2G0CSce1mEVlBs3W-O/s320/180230_10151656789772489_2120560206_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spending time with friends at Chiba Zoo on our day off!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kld2ZQbfe66gtS_rutM-7iFDgCQguwEdCMakQOR5rx3IbW-ElDQ7w5sPjh997r9SkCKo3jZ4SPPl2ZfAbEf_7-tsdu-9yeiLMwWLggQr7GNSPceBSlaUr1tfnTxJVGV2O4GOReVdokv2/s1600/181273_10152807411185018_1332122097_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kld2ZQbfe66gtS_rutM-7iFDgCQguwEdCMakQOR5rx3IbW-ElDQ7w5sPjh997r9SkCKo3jZ4SPPl2ZfAbEf_7-tsdu-9yeiLMwWLggQr7GNSPceBSlaUr1tfnTxJVGV2O4GOReVdokv2/s320/181273_10152807411185018_1332122097_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disney Sea!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vqwBTHW_iVJW6fX-TLwKAVumupp_FVOav1KxQR4Uu_4juYyctqoybcoXECjb6930vYK-dYuc2mYmv12EA9NibCZn6L2383w_IJAFLRfLbRW9iB_RcBs5oKVeuU6TP8fzxrsvmK8IXSPq/s1600/5872_10152807410895018_2035962145_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vqwBTHW_iVJW6fX-TLwKAVumupp_FVOav1KxQR4Uu_4juYyctqoybcoXECjb6930vYK-dYuc2mYmv12EA9NibCZn6L2383w_IJAFLRfLbRW9iB_RcBs5oKVeuU6TP8fzxrsvmK8IXSPq/s320/5872_10152807410895018_2035962145_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W1xlPhAhtgcJG40-9zoGjPwaQH3rGreNdmdHYV1JjxvxtJl8DOAp7vC1nHfl1Hzm_hzgBe1RxTrae2rJGHkK0CyKTVmrw89xXtqnIWprzKsQOA1LkIzAmNUrFPYa5IA8VTSkQUgxD1TD/s1600/404521_10152810590300018_18478232_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W1xlPhAhtgcJG40-9zoGjPwaQH3rGreNdmdHYV1JjxvxtJl8DOAp7vC1nHfl1Hzm_hzgBe1RxTrae2rJGHkK0CyKTVmrw89xXtqnIWprzKsQOA1LkIzAmNUrFPYa5IA8VTSkQUgxD1TD/s320/404521_10152810590300018_18478232_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Japanese teachers at CCSI invited Tara and me over to try on beautiful kimono!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixzh068p1GAtKD0xt3Wy7FrSvRPkMX9bIwCbFKJJjkKBM4wI1aan3QU2aullUqTL1mYconZZFW1vV9lGnpkW6R5Kz_AKVJmcLUEP4qkM7TGNhiAXcvIq_ZkB7OYGWa3XjwTsso89HibKh/s1600/972249_10152810598380018_755480107_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixzh068p1GAtKD0xt3Wy7FrSvRPkMX9bIwCbFKJJjkKBM4wI1aan3QU2aullUqTL1mYconZZFW1vV9lGnpkW6R5Kz_AKVJmcLUEP4qkM7TGNhiAXcvIq_ZkB7OYGWa3XjwTsso89HibKh/s320/972249_10152810598380018_755480107_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So thankful for the opportunity to try on kimono and have a traditional Japanese tea ceremony!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMgGg8hX6X56KCFh9pnkNGYB0v3uYVgurbhSFgwv2Bl6NcDy8e6WIax__tHIVCJMek-ioMuWl5WEnykNIHf6zFWTDbKdKAIRM4823S0KbZUNPbiNzfVa9oUkeNyS6zDtF2vrrooie0_Uc/s1600/9992_10152810598995018_785537049_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMgGg8hX6X56KCFh9pnkNGYB0v3uYVgurbhSFgwv2Bl6NcDy8e6WIax__tHIVCJMek-ioMuWl5WEnykNIHf6zFWTDbKdKAIRM4823S0KbZUNPbiNzfVa9oUkeNyS6zDtF2vrrooie0_Uc/s320/9992_10152810598995018_785537049_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It doesn't get more Japanese than this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUw_AIetB48B1eAC5bL-sP91BAEnrPULKNeKLhuCGbC3Tah2OTvoqzELvoha1nAzKU_qxHijAgVaZ4A7C_7LgfWOj4pVsAw0abnkyrtThUTxv2nn6I3slxGSi7_QW4sBqZv5sdOL7jV-s/s1600/580401_10152832100570018_606606124_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUw_AIetB48B1eAC5bL-sP91BAEnrPULKNeKLhuCGbC3Tah2OTvoqzELvoha1nAzKU_qxHijAgVaZ4A7C_7LgfWOj4pVsAw0abnkyrtThUTxv2nn6I3slxGSi7_QW4sBqZv5sdOL7jV-s/s320/580401_10152832100570018_606606124_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating DELICIOUS food (boupan) with friends at our school's bazaar</td></tr>
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<br />Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-67308874281495451102013-05-16T05:48:00.003-07:002013-05-16T06:13:46.263-07:00Busy, Busy, Blessings<div id="yui_3_7_2_27_1368701217826_40">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why yes, it has been two months
since I've written an update! I am truly sorry about that! But hopefully
after reading a bit further in this post, you'll understand why I
haven't been able to write in so long. Saying, "I've been busy" just
doesn't seem to cut it. :)<br /><br />Over the passed two months, I've been
able to experience so many new and exciting things, meet tons of new
people, and even though it's been exhausting and unbelievably busy, I've
been so blessed by everything and continue to see God working in the
circumstances around me. So, here I go giving a very condensed account
of my life over the past two months! (As always, pictures and videos are at the bottom of this post.)<br /><br />On March 9th, I had my first
opportunity to go north to an area of Japan that was affected by the
March 11th, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The team I went with was there
to help with a 2nd anniversary memorial service concert. I was so
blessed by the short time we had there, meeting people and seeing both
the destruction and the things that were rebuilt. The thing that stood
out to me most was seeing some buildings completely run-down and
destroyed, but right next to them there could be a building that looked
like it had just been built the week before. The contrast between the
destroyed and the freshly built was incredible. I'd never seen anything
like that before. I thank God for the opportunity I had to serve up
there for that short amount of time and have a bit more of a vision for
the work being done there.<br /><br />Adding to my regular teaching
schedule, I have begun teaching a kids' English class in the city once a
week after school. It is an hour-long class, 45 minutes of which are
teaching, and the last 15 minutes are Bible time. I currently have 4
students, but that number has fluctuated many times since I took over
the class. No matter the number of students, I've really enjoyed
teaching this class. Understandably, it's made me a bit more exhausted
during the week, but I'm so blessed after every class. I truly enjoy
working with children, and it gives me such joy to see the interest the
students have had in the Bible time, some of them hearing scripture for
the first time in their life. Please pray that God would work in their
hearts as these seeds are planted, and that He would give me wisdom in
what to say and what not to say!<br /><br />Interns just seem to keep
rolling in and out! In March we welcomed Tara to the team. She is
working at the school as well, which seems to be the norm for interns.
:) In April we said good-bye to Mary Beth, who returned home to Virginia
after having been in Japan since September. This past week we said
good-bye to Joseph, who was going back to South Carolina and was here
since January. Next Sunday we say good-bye to Emily, who is going back
to Missouri and has also been here since September. As difficult as it
is to say good-bye to many people, I am incredibly grateful to God for
blessing me with so many wonderful friendships this time around! I've
enjoyed getting to know these interns so much, and I've learned so much
about myself and Christ from their friendship.<br /><br />Over spring break,
I was able to spend four days in a south-western part of Japan called
Kyoto. Mary Beth, Emily, and I found unbelievably cheap plane tickets
and decided to take a mini vacation to this very old and cultural place
and visit with friends of Mary Beth and of Emily. I absolutely loved our
time there! It was such an exciting adventure, and I really saw God
working in our trip. Our first day there, while we were riding a train, a
Japanese girl named Miki came up and started a conversation with us.
Apparently she had studied in Canada for a while. After talking, she
said she really wanted to spend time with us sometime during our stay.
Our final day in Kyoto, we were actually able to spend the whole day
with her until we had to leave for the airport, and we were able to
share the gospel with her! She had so many questions about our beliefs
and was so interested in other religions because she wanted to know
"what makes religious people so happy?" She talked about how she would
love to have a Bible, so when we got home to Chiba, Emily was able to
mail her one. Please pray that God would open Miki's eyes to the true
Word, and that she would come to understand what joy is!<br /><br />As soon
as we got back from Kyoto, we hit the ground running in preparation for
our friends' wedding. I was asked to sing in the wedding, which was
something I had never done before (especially not in Japanese), and was
such an honor to be a part of! The wedding was absolutely beautiful and
such a wonderful witness of Christ's love for us. It was so encouraging
for many people, and very exciting to think of all the non-believers
there who heard the scripture and so many other things that echoed the
gospel!<br /><br />After spring break, we started back at school, which was
actually the beginning of the school year for the Japanese students,
meaning we had new students! It's been so much fun having new faces and
personalities in the school!<br /><br />The biggest, most intense project since I've been here was all the preparations for our school play: <span style="font-style: italic;">the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe</span>.
It was an insanely busy, stressful, time-consuming experience, but good
nonetheless. We had two performances, which were last weekend. There
was so much work that went into the sets and costumes (all of which were
made from scratch) and memorizing lines and blocking. It's hard for me
to believe we pulled everything off on time for the performance! (Some
of us were at the school until 3 in the morning still making costumes
the night before the first performance.) Praise the LORD, everything
came together so well, and the performances were wonderful!<br /><br />With
the busyness of life here, I can't tell you how much I look forward to
Sundays. Every Sunday I am so refreshed and uplifted by the friendships I
have here. Sundays are usually full of some kind of crazy adventure
with a bunch of us scallywags from church. ;) I always go home on Sunday
night feeling encouraged and blessed to the max by the wonderful
friends God has put in my life, and feel ready to tackle the week with
that encouragement, which if such a gift from my heavenly Father! I can
do nothing without His strength.<br /><br />I thank God for the
opportunities my friends and I have had to have wonderful, deep
conversations with our non-Christian Japanese friends who are full of
curiosity about who God is. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as we
love them and share our faith with them, and that they would come to
accept Christ as their LORD and Savior!<br /><br />In regards to my Japanese
language skills, I am so excited to say that things recently have just
seemed to click, and I understand a whole lot more of Japanese
conversation. It's still a little difficult for me to communicate
myself, but I certainly have a new confidence in using the Japanese I
know! I thank God for the blessing of being able to communicate,
something that shouldn't be taken for granted. I am also thankful for
the many "non-official" Japanese teachers I have here, who are so
incredibly patient with the other interns and myself as we seem to ask
them never-ending questions about this language! What a blessing they
are!<br /><br />Like I said in the beginning, this is a very condensed
version of the things that have happened over the past two months, and
even these are just the highlights.<br /><br />In conclusion, please pray
that I would be a blessing, not a burden; a help, not a hindrance; an
encouragement, not a discouragement; a joy, not an Eeyore; a witness,
not a hermit; a friend, not a thorn; an example, not a bad influence;
and most of all, a light for all to see, not a flame hidden under a
bushel.<br /><br />As always, I can't thank you all enough for your love and
support in my being here and working to further God's kingdom! I am
reminded daily of how much I am loved in that there are people praying
for me, supporting me financially, and taking the time to send me
encouraging emails. I am truly sorry for not keeping you all updated
like I should. I can't believe how blessed I am to have such a wonderful
family, and to see that family stretched all across the world. Praise
Him from whom all blessings flow!<br /><br />-Melanie<br /><br />Oh, and to answer one question that I am asked literally <span style="font-style: italic;">every</span>
day by someone-or-another, whether Japanese, American, or otherwise: I
honestly have no idea when I'm going back to America. All I know is that
I am here now, and that's where God wants me and is using me. My
passion for this country - its people especially - grows every moment of
every day, burning inside me with such intensity, and I thank God - who
sparked this fire in me long ago - that He has put me here at this point
in time. I may not know when I'm going back to the States, but I trust
in Him to use me however He may up to the last minute I have on the soil
of this country. I also trust in His timing to send me back when it is
absolutely right to do so. Thank you to those who so sweetly tell me how
much I'm missed - you are certainly missed in return! How beautiful it
will be one day in Eternity where we will be together forever, dancing
around the throne, shouting praises to our King of Kings! Hallelujah!!</span></span></div>
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<div id="yui_3_7_2_27_1368701217826_158" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, I have to wrap things up with silly conversations I've had.<br />#1<br />ME: Okay, new word of the day! "Weekend!" What does "weekend" mean?<br />STUDENT: WEEKEND DO IT!!!!<br />ME: *pause* YEAH WE CAN!<br /><br />#2<br />While
ordering at Starbucks, the super friendly employee girl asked (in
Japanese) if she could have my name. I told her, and she then asked me
to write it on a piece of paper for her to spell. I wrote it in
Japanese, which seemed to surprise her, and she asked in Japanese, "Oh,
is it okay for me to write it like that?" I told her of course, and she
very excitedly said, "OK!" in English. She then proceeded to write me a
note on my cup, and draw an adorable bear on the bottom. Her enthusiasm
definitely made my day. :)</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note from Starbucks employee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spending time in Tokyo with interns</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZAz6bgrnwtAZ4z9z5C2UV24a_BCv0Sz6NUeGp4o05XXMmXwZYVEqxNxCfhDar0bXSmw9z_tadao3y3uvxtgzBx58puMBQUB2wQlp0LR340nawJ5wpL87KlXqQhfSRzX4wpFJeM2xGWJC/s320/625536_10152610991250018_131311918_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School field trip to Tokyo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CCSI teachers (my coworkers!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry blossom season came early this year!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My drink of choice - milk tea!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interns in "Cherry Blossom Park"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Mary Beth's friend Whitney in Kobe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPl-itqbe9wh4cvBD5k5vN7Xwk8YpPaFjT3Q95xqvkMlZK9AddqZ6NNoEF6UXBf16IbKdKRPmnxYTjKvZscuWFSJvDqm5P0b11miVUtqeiPfpg36CoPV5IvypZPWl2zQU0PMVxUx5Xly1Q/s1600/1744_10152639533680018_870154864_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPl-itqbe9wh4cvBD5k5vN7Xwk8YpPaFjT3Q95xqvkMlZK9AddqZ6NNoEF6UXBf16IbKdKRPmnxYTjKvZscuWFSJvDqm5P0b11miVUtqeiPfpg36CoPV5IvypZPWl2zQU0PMVxUx5Xly1Q/s320/1744_10152639533680018_870154864_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying all sorts of delicious food in Kyoto</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9lLghi9T9tshEaac1ACqf5eBP8tikF3yIX_zntFNh52mX-ahmfUgj2R67Ocv4cGGyTaUx-Lb-j4TI9yQbXWI3fpvpMBTmX3mhV3lFCa4m-me2TVrpXk8euG0zQ3Ur37JGBw-7VIfn4fP/s1600/31900_10152639532580018_1343973723_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9lLghi9T9tshEaac1ACqf5eBP8tikF3yIX_zntFNh52mX-ahmfUgj2R67Ocv4cGGyTaUx-Lb-j4TI9yQbXWI3fpvpMBTmX3mhV3lFCa4m-me2TVrpXk8euG0zQ3Ur37JGBw-7VIfn4fP/s320/31900_10152639532580018_1343973723_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Om nom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmrt7xJQj2-82KOnhBtgsUfYLyQHkXki62pzHlG6gt_Km0te7QnlkzgPbrGQdx7X5FcovSuryFgtr33UrXjUyCDdOr7zuxRFjDPwwrEbTw6QIZnL9P-BFAnJbrO55At6SV9mQpspq0WKa/s1600/63031_10152639545995018_916783686_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmrt7xJQj2-82KOnhBtgsUfYLyQHkXki62pzHlG6gt_Km0te7QnlkzgPbrGQdx7X5FcovSuryFgtr33UrXjUyCDdOr7zuxRFjDPwwrEbTw6QIZnL9P-BFAnJbrO55At6SV9mQpspq0WKa/s320/63031_10152639545995018_916783686_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new friend Miki, and Emily's friend Hisami took us to the famous Golden Temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKcvRcFerVIoOWZIc7_VaEO6YkkKaYILXdn3dHttCmjbUwCaI00R6fvM9bdTPtIRJe03bmyjWOCc8-GIyNO6ZQKTbdqyYTn1DQfh2rxta6toXKT2IKkkBKbj5cnbTz1ur3zCoOa8hsbt6/s1600/579119_10152639524425018_495686703_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKcvRcFerVIoOWZIc7_VaEO6YkkKaYILXdn3dHttCmjbUwCaI00R6fvM9bdTPtIRJe03bmyjWOCc8-GIyNO6ZQKTbdqyYTn1DQfh2rxta6toXKT2IKkkBKbj5cnbTz1ur3zCoOa8hsbt6/s320/579119_10152639524425018_495686703_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Beth, Emily, and I at kiyomizudera</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuwK9TDCJlzTnBLbbi0ofIVF1Dt8KPbYmSihAimcmKPDnmzNmAgismd5DGBF42jheSwo3UgH3ek86hImMNgU1XparUtXOvHbJ3zk0GRw_5DMCjzAGgLoZKz3BIA631t10TLo1Izuje4f0/s1600/553097_10152639542270018_1070444059_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuwK9TDCJlzTnBLbbi0ofIVF1Dt8KPbYmSihAimcmKPDnmzNmAgismd5DGBF42jheSwo3UgH3ek86hImMNgU1XparUtXOvHbJ3zk0GRw_5DMCjzAGgLoZKz3BIA631t10TLo1Izuje4f0/s320/553097_10152639542270018_1070444059_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first experience in Japanese summer kimono (yukata)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJIR7c8ot7HcmU6hnueBqljAaNPstuprLtmOI6N4Q-qK0G-5gfxx29Q5shid9KF8wDwBXRq_7EI9M4l1O6R8mj7pJ_99zXYsy7TPUmo4UbCylkfPF9unc0vzAt0evg4u8HLnz-UCgaGV2/s1600/69222_10152611274435018_903128647_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJIR7c8ot7HcmU6hnueBqljAaNPstuprLtmOI6N4Q-qK0G-5gfxx29Q5shid9KF8wDwBXRq_7EI9M4l1O6R8mj7pJ_99zXYsy7TPUmo4UbCylkfPF9unc0vzAt0evg4u8HLnz-UCgaGV2/s320/69222_10152611274435018_903128647_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my students graduated from middle school!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvseD4f77D_37NaXfKaX2odbJG6SyYWxu7d0zgfyWGgtP8zxRbTim5mwD6JF58IyEcXcYwtfeg8pJ9r2lVRp-yFFcddyKsT-dST-XQnUGse3tDUpf8dVx2rcDEupr-83nGfM1PKUGjaAo/s1600/60428_10152611280195018_751925720_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvseD4f77D_37NaXfKaX2odbJG6SyYWxu7d0zgfyWGgtP8zxRbTim5mwD6JF58IyEcXcYwtfeg8pJ9r2lVRp-yFFcddyKsT-dST-XQnUGse3tDUpf8dVx2rcDEupr-83nGfM1PKUGjaAo/s320/60428_10152611280195018_751925720_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congrats, AnneMie!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpfT9rnrF7troOGpIuugqxA1RkxmdKzxDUNGQDl4FF5tCdYGS0FtSbfwZMzPFvQ7I2LOKsySQEtZqAB4mQNVIeWBqeEWENf65FkZlNypmxURTAEuLbX8s8cSGvRPlhoTbhpnEsGHSWf4p/s1600/426422_10152611277900018_1376959654_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpfT9rnrF7troOGpIuugqxA1RkxmdKzxDUNGQDl4FF5tCdYGS0FtSbfwZMzPFvQ7I2LOKsySQEtZqAB4mQNVIeWBqeEWENf65FkZlNypmxURTAEuLbX8s8cSGvRPlhoTbhpnEsGHSWf4p/s320/426422_10152611277900018_1376959654_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Jo being adorable with a flower on his head</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdu0FAUeDfMII7RdibqLJoXa3YqfgMdf34VHfrAZSLhbVbNaKP2Go_r4cs5_LW9z-9zfVxam94WQ02rcPL1lvHkev6EfadAPTa0HVORKpqbL3NnCF0yXFx1vAfOUd4G77qD7cqSv9obEFe/s320/555118_4141816682982_973574378_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worship team practice for wedding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtheNDs2MZ3d37O8REK_fBSyiZdGvrtilcnWg34XySRoPfjzHpqgHT4nMrtW0yeK63SoyhQEBUvZSxsbafDR2sdnoAgOTDjjiLXV1qkS6sEt4wSiml65tjMcF1kYjcA-CstPus-tuJCpgg/s1600/564737_10152666706310018_788429977_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtheNDs2MZ3d37O8REK_fBSyiZdGvrtilcnWg34XySRoPfjzHpqgHT4nMrtW0yeK63SoyhQEBUvZSxsbafDR2sdnoAgOTDjjiLXV1qkS6sEt4wSiml65tjMcF1kYjcA-CstPus-tuJCpgg/s320/564737_10152666706310018_788429977_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wedding "sanbi"/worship team!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpmYdN4lSaK_g89FnuCdt5c9BBq7eSDeXgwclSgcIdnBDkjhZsziEE_IQbzkosIsjLOjUPtTgyGpUjZ5_SplmE9eYd5aRXD9YgjhwKzlfYADH7OYo8Hw8l9JWREZ1-fHhzb3YDxdXyNm2/s1600/539228_10152666716150018_1327623226_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpmYdN4lSaK_g89FnuCdt5c9BBq7eSDeXgwclSgcIdnBDkjhZsziEE_IQbzkosIsjLOjUPtTgyGpUjZ5_SplmE9eYd5aRXD9YgjhwKzlfYADH7OYo8Hw8l9JWREZ1-fHhzb3YDxdXyNm2/s320/539228_10152666716150018_1327623226_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of my students, AnneMie and Bianca. <span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">I love seeing how God is working in them all they time, and watching them grow in their relationships with Him!</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQx9ybXmhIN0XUWcuLrsDVKq4aEkschXDxizLjKgA_rT6WhxKxAQv8JH7FC5fb4HHhmybJ2n3gsvegt2eONDLCODax1W6xtTykMkDfldt9u89N8gz2vZEsx8Zc3oRqkgF2nicdwGLrh_b/s1600/541465_10152666719475018_1610772047_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQx9ybXmhIN0XUWcuLrsDVKq4aEkschXDxizLjKgA_rT6WhxKxAQv8JH7FC5fb4HHhmybJ2n3gsvegt2eONDLCODax1W6xtTykMkDfldt9u89N8gz2vZEsx8Zc3oRqkgF2nicdwGLrh_b/s320/541465_10152666719475018_1610772047_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bride and me! Congratulations, my dear friend Megumi!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdtE5ZX4Lf5OT5SKsLoRhvJYqv-Dl-SuYaP3h2RiSxJZboVCvM6ob_ZRMRbzryL30yMbqLxchos3Ij8pGqMnd2Ag1070SEvGPdXK-F3CZ3qVG43fT39ZiSeZqUr360tnfu22Jn9ToZIa-/s1600/543711_10152666713330018_1598165857_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdtE5ZX4Lf5OT5SKsLoRhvJYqv-Dl-SuYaP3h2RiSxJZboVCvM6ob_ZRMRbzryL30yMbqLxchos3Ij8pGqMnd2Ag1070SEvGPdXK-F3CZ3qVG43fT39ZiSeZqUr360tnfu22Jn9ToZIa-/s320/543711_10152666713330018_1598165857_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Sunday morning Sunday school class (our Sunday school teacher, Mark, is the groom)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPR-sFfQrtLlcMViSuBdFaI3-hkLl8mScIEPRWBnFCCamhGH-B6bPOHUhN8T4Sab0E6RyN9zSrLrEeqgb0MH_TmYH0oUEWgfOcurzeu38F_6zdQfhAZtY38sT_FEP6Aw0orTm90jdqBYQP/s1600/155761_10152666713360018_1277938543_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPR-sFfQrtLlcMViSuBdFaI3-hkLl8mScIEPRWBnFCCamhGH-B6bPOHUhN8T4Sab0E6RyN9zSrLrEeqgb0MH_TmYH0oUEWgfOcurzeu38F_6zdQfhAZtY38sT_FEP6Aw0orTm90jdqBYQP/s320/155761_10152666713360018_1277938543_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interns with the newlyweds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgJBLedNAwUCMN_ijYix-BczNczreNUEy97RjFbBJhDuWIxypSzJp2PGtcZXfr1fMEgaWikoEzjr6HGdJiW3Wa70UfjKVIeRwm5G-84u_Ahek8WphmJ2WqQLek5CaSQmQ0hoMNzsxMjeW/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-16+at+9.03.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgJBLedNAwUCMN_ijYix-BczNczreNUEy97RjFbBJhDuWIxypSzJp2PGtcZXfr1fMEgaWikoEzjr6HGdJiW3Wa70UfjKVIeRwm5G-84u_Ahek8WphmJ2WqQLek5CaSQmQ0hoMNzsxMjeW/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-16+at+9.03.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The face of a teacher. :) (Lesson planning for the week)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKUBZVX51L94MbmNwMgJA5x9QpwwEYf2NPf58Ss0i2EzEOlRnPvdVQ3x39-Ifr-k5zI-R_3E2AVO2YU8zZOxCH5jXWjt8Rl_NN8OmvzFlmYFAZnof1SZUno5qCNDvuPNWJSipkbJ0SzR6/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-16+at+9.01.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKUBZVX51L94MbmNwMgJA5x9QpwwEYf2NPf58Ss0i2EzEOlRnPvdVQ3x39-Ifr-k5zI-R_3E2AVO2YU8zZOxCH5jXWjt8Rl_NN8OmvzFlmYFAZnof1SZUno5qCNDvuPNWJSipkbJ0SzR6/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-16+at+9.01.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afro English class</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Normal day at the office</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXwpLLeXRaitWJ27A6AlcKGlhbjESy9B3JzPZoFyJAwuQReu9yOnqNZbcOPonNmteuylk9qNBM-pjVf7PNTwQ6_O8gj2AdfgG_rCklvFRfSWBXV-RvoBn6llo94C8s8PETSZW0t3h-IkZ/s1600/941529_369465876497523_729790918_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXwpLLeXRaitWJ27A6AlcKGlhbjESy9B3JzPZoFyJAwuQReu9yOnqNZbcOPonNmteuylk9qNBM-pjVf7PNTwQ6_O8gj2AdfgG_rCklvFRfSWBXV-RvoBn6llo94C8s8PETSZW0t3h-IkZ/s320/941529_369465876497523_729790918_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stage crew for Narnia!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3QjjEWWxB8sEup0fZwLR0a2oh_bvt9xp0_-PiPB-7ENlfEfiOBMVTI_TcLMyVtsS3StVhLCYdjfnS-_oumnzm40aItVuykpoJjh7-8s6dW_DSdetTMweA8RF8kJJkvv8Mb8_f39vVXwB/s1600/255791_10152738306370018_1538103845_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3QjjEWWxB8sEup0fZwLR0a2oh_bvt9xp0_-PiPB-7ENlfEfiOBMVTI_TcLMyVtsS3StVhLCYdjfnS-_oumnzm40aItVuykpoJjh7-8s6dW_DSdetTMweA8RF8kJJkvv8Mb8_f39vVXwB/s320/255791_10152738306370018_1538103845_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the costumes for Narnia I spent most of my time hand-sewing together. MINOTAUR!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo lights</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5Efp7TteQaouSrGajUHdgS-vmFGz-QmirEaiQ0zTGWSZPfjrl7nYDRLMO4GYZb1PhXsKXuKyoIkHjbRA5a7tiNmBbFkriBzz3xKuh1HHKRUQdYZwyyBGDVzCsWCiV3sZ-GvzJsMAsDvU/s1600/968924_10152758090305018_1016062299_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5Efp7TteQaouSrGajUHdgS-vmFGz-QmirEaiQ0zTGWSZPfjrl7nYDRLMO4GYZb1PhXsKXuKyoIkHjbRA5a7tiNmBbFkriBzz3xKuh1HHKRUQdYZwyyBGDVzCsWCiV3sZ-GvzJsMAsDvU/s320/968924_10152758090305018_1016062299_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramen with friends</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really do love these people so much!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping a construction crew from America work on Oyumino Chapel</td></tr>
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Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-51989647819517282712013-02-23T08:57:00.000-08:002013-02-23T09:14:45.100-08:00Devote Yourselves to PrayerThis ended up being way longer than I expected it to be, and I apologize for that! If you would just like to look at pictures and/or videos, please scroll to the bottom of this post. My prayer requests are listed just above the pictures as well. Thank you!!<br />
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To start with, I had the wonderful opportunity of having my brother Jeremy come and visit me over New Year's break! I am beyond blessed to have someone from home who has seen my world up close and personal. While Jeremy and I did a lot of sightseeing and other fun things, I was content just having him here. Next to spending time with him, my favorite part of his being here was that he got to meet the people who stoke the fire and passion I have for this country. Friends, students, and our Japanese brothers and sisters in Christ. What a wonderful experience it was to have him see the gift of relationships I've been blessed with in my time here!<br />
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On Jeremy's final day in Japan, it ended up snowing incredibly hard in Chiba. It was snowing so hard that the highway was closed and we were unable to drive to the airport. So, we were dropped off at the train station to take a train there instead. Unfortunately, every single train was extremely delayed. It ended up taking us about 3 hours to get to the airport, where it normally takes about 45 minutes. <br />
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As we were boarding the final train that would take us into the airport, I discovered that my passport was missing. I had absolutely no clue as to where it could be, seeing how the last time I remembered seeing it was two weeks before then when Jeremy arrived. My mind kind of blanked after that. There was too much happening in such a small amount of time, that everything flat-lined. <br />
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Jeremy's plane was scheduled to leave at 5pm, and we arrived at the check-in counter at exactly 5 o'clock. But praise the Lord! His plane ended up being delayed!! Our goodbye was very quick, and I'm so sad that it was such a rushed and stressful way to end his time in Japan, but I am so thankful that he made it to his plane (which ended up being 4 hours delayed) and made it home safely. <br />
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I took time in the airport to sit down and recollect myself. I can't say I was looking forward to the train ride home. The snow was still falling, and I knew it would be another lengthy journey to get home. Eventually I talked myself into leaving, and I was surprised to find out that the normal train line I take to get home was suspended for the evening because of the snow. Thank God I was familiar with the other (lengthier) train line! I was shocked to see hundreds and hundreds of people standing in line with their luggage, waiting to purchase tickets for the train. I can't tell you how relieved I was to have a train card that makes it possible to get on the train without a ticket, meaning I didn't have to wait in line but got to go straight to the platform!<br />
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My train ride home could have been a rather stressful event, but God gave me such a peace of mind throughout every ordeal. Through the difficulties, stresses, and sadnesses of the whole day, I heard God speaking to me through it all, telling me there was absolutely nothing I could do to change and/or control the circumstances, that all I could do was lean on Him, trusting in Him completely. There were times when I didn't know if I was going to be able to get home, but I knew that God had a plan for me, no matter what happened, and if I got stuck in a blizzard, that was that. (I ended up getting home all right, it just took 3-4 hours.)<br />
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A verse kept going through my head over and over again the entire day, and that was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 where it says, "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." With that reminder, I was able to find joy in the small things happening around me; I found myself praying nonstop throughout the day, and I was convicted of how dry my prayer life had been prior; as I rode home, most of my prayers were those of thankfulness. I was thankful for the time Jeremy and I had to spend together, of the many opportunities I had to use my Japanese that day, the ability to understand Japanese in such an overwhelming situation, and that my "sisters" had made me change my shoes before I left in case I ended up having to go walking in the snow, which was exactly what happened. God taught me so much that day, and I am so thankful for the experiences I had that He used to show me more about myself, my failures, and about Him and His perfection.<br />
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The day after Jeremy left, the other interns, Carol, and I all started dieting together. (We've been dieting ever since, but the diet has had different stages.) I can say that it has been very successful and all of us feel healthy and excited about our progress! It's so encouraging to work with these ladies to be more healthy and to support each other in this way.<br />
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Along with supporting each other and holding each other accountable with our diet, there is the added encouragement of doing the same in our spiritual walks. I'm so blessed by our girls' weekly Bible study. Carol, Mary Beth, Emily, and I go to Starbucks every week and read through a book together. (We are currently reading though a book called "Idol Lies" by Dee Brestin, who is a Christian author and Emily's grandmother!) I love the discussions we have, and I love growing closer together as we read more into the Word.<br />
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Work has been going very well! I wish I could summarize my job in a quick description, but as I realized the other day as I was putting together songbooks for the school's morning devotions, that is basically impossible to do. I am a teacher, yes, but there is so much that happens in-between that I can't even think of everything myself. All I know is that I love my job(s), whatever it/they may be. Intern? Yes. What does that mean? Open to interpretation. :) I can summarize my main job, though!<br />
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Teaching is going smashingly! Teaching ESL is such a joy. My first students of the day are learning prepositions - or, "purple-zishins" as they were referred to at the end of the first day we started studying them. ;) Because of how cold it's been recently, and seeing how there is no central heating in Japan, we start every morning off by doing jumping-jacks around the table to warm us up a bit as we wait for our classroom's heater to start up. It's loud and probably bugs other people in the school, but the students love it and, hey! they remember what "around" means! <br />
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The next class of ESL students is older, and they are focusing on grammatical structure at the moment. I'm really enjoying teaching them the uses of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, etc. I taught them how to diagram sentences this past week, and they absolutely loved it! I'm so impressed at how quickly these kids are learning, and I can already see their English improving as they think through how to form sentences with adjectives and adverbs. Every week I am so excited to see how far I can stretch their quick minds with the help of God!<br />
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The Japanese school year will be ending in March, and in April the new school year starts, bringing new students along with it! I am so excited about having younger siblings of my current students in class! They all seem so excited about starting school, and I already know all of them and they are comfortable around me, so I don't think it will be too difficult to teach them. This is going to be so much fun!<br />
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The 7th grade class in E-track is a blast as always! Unfortunately, we said goodbye to Bob-Scott (our class plant) yesterday. We had a memorial service for Bob-Scott behind the school, and buried/planted him there. (The students already want to get another plant - Bob-Scott jr.) But a part from plant things, class itself is going well too. I always look forward to grading papers, because all the 7th graders are such great writers! I also got to go with the junior and senior high classes as a chaperone on their annual school ski trip last month. It was a great time together! I'm really excited about what the rest of this school year holds.<br />
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Maybe I should finish telling the story of my lost passport now? Yes? It's a little bit humorous, actually. (For this story, please keep in mind that Japan is a very honest country! I have heard countless stories of missionaries here who have lost money, wallets, and other things, and all were turned in to the police by everyday people.) <br />
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After discovering my passport was in fact lost, I completely flipped my bedroom upside down, inside out, looking for it. It took quite a long time to sort through everything, but I didn't find it. So, the next step was to call the airport to see if I had lost it there when I went to pick Jeremy up - that being the last time I remembered seeing it. I talked to the airport staff, who were unable to find it but gave me the number for the train lines that they suggested I call in case my passport fell out on the train. I called them, but they couldn't find it either. <br />
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The next Monday, I called the U.S. embassy, but they were closed for a Japanese holiday. I was busy the rest of the week, so I called them the following Monday, which was this past Monday. They were closed for an American holiday. That made me laugh, and many jokes were made about the fact that the next time I called them, they would probably be closed for another country's holiday. I tried calling this Wednesday while I was on my lunch break, but I was informed that they were closed until 2. I could barely believe it at that point. It seemed too ridiculous. So, more jokes were made, like the fact that they would probably invent a holiday that lasted from 2-5, thus making them closed for the day; or maybe there just wasn't an American embassy at all! Needless to say, I called back after 2 o'clock… and found out they were closed on Wednesdays. It was so absurd, that all I could do was laugh hysterically. <br />
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Thankfully, I was able to get a lot of information from their automated service. Unfortunately, I found out that to replace a passport, it would cost $135. That was incredibly discouraging. Along with a lot of paperwork and the fee, I was supposed to take a police report to the embassy before they would let me apply for a new passport. So, I asked one of the Japanese teachers to help me call the Japanese local police. Well, wonder of wonders - someone found my passport and turned it in to the police, and it is now back in my possession!! PRAISE GOD!!! The only place I can imagine I lost it is at a mall I went to with Jeremy while he was here, based on the police station it was turned in to. I'm so happy to have my passport back, and that I didn't have to get a new one! Thank you so much to everyone who was praying that I would be able to find it! God is good! :D<br />
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And now, for my Engrish story of the month! ("Engrish," being the term for "Japanese English.") At the Starbucks that I go to near my house for our girls' Bible study every week, there is an employee who always speaks to us in English. The other day I grabbed a sandwich out of the little refrigerator and was trying to decide what I wanted to drink, when the guy came up to me from behind the counter and said, "If you are going to buy that, I want to eat it for you!" I confusedly responded, "Um... sorry?" He repeated, "I would like to eat that for you!" I stared at him for a second thinking, "But if I'm buying it, I want to eat it...!" I tried to think what he was trying to say. Was he saying he wanted to eat with me? Awkward. Was he saying he wanted me to buy him a sandwich? Also awkward. Just as I was getting uncomfortable with his forwardness, he started again saying, "I want to eat... wait... no... heat! I want to <i>heat</i> that for you!" I happily relinquished hold of my sandwich, then started laughing hysterically.<br />
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Thank you so much for caring about me enough to read this novel-of-an-update! I'm afraid my apologies are getting repetitive, but I truly am sorry! Once I start typing, I just can't seem to stop! God bless you and your poor eyeballs that are probably burning from reading all this!! I will finish right now with a few quick prayer requests, and then I am DONE!! (I will include some pictures and videos below this post should you care to look at those.)<br />
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> Please pray for my students, that they would have a heart for Christ first and foremost, and that they would also have the desire to learn. I've been so blessed with how I see God working in their hearts, minds, and lives, and I am so excited to see how he will grow them and shape them!<br />
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> For the new students that will start attending CCSI in April, that the teachers and students would all be patient with one another as we all adjust to new routines and schedules.<br />
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> A friend of mine committed suicide here about a month ago, and it was very unexpected. Please pray for her family, who are non-Christians, but came to a memorial service the church held and seemed very touched by it. Pray that God would work in the hearts of her parents and her husband, that their eyes would be opened by this experience. Please pray for my coworker, who was very close to her and is understandably saddened by the loss of such a dear friend.<br />
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> For the comings of new interns! (Praise the Lord for sending us Joseph, a 19-year-old from South Carolina, last month to work at the school!) Another intern will be arriving next month to help at CCSI. Please pray that she would be a good fit for the school, and that she would adjust well.<br />
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> For interns leaving. The next few months will be so sad as we say goodbye to Mary-Beth - who is leaving April 1st, Joseph - who is going home on May 10th, and Emily - who is going home at the end of May. Pray for them as they prepare to go home after spending such a long time in Japan, and that they would adjust well to life back in America and all that God has planned for them. Please also pray for me, as I will definitely have such a hard time saying goodbye to them all - especially the girls, who I've known, worked, lived, and basically done everything with for over 5 months. I've truly come to see these girls as sisters, and it will be heartbreaking with them gone. Pray for our fellowship over the next couple of months.<br />
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Thank you so much, and may God bless you!<br />
-Melanie<br />
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"<span class="text Col-4-2">Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." - Colossians 4:2</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E42QUErbFQuarFwk99kbzB5qEuG7N1Hf_C-N3-3tT5-YGjqjhdX13ChTkOlvpEwPcqJ2d1fgnc-I27J1YP_KROVyVabfhU4u3i5p1GagjmSYtKFaJiqas5n0SBI2UduUE7uSex-yiQEW/s1600/14945_10152399934980018_595856486_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E42QUErbFQuarFwk99kbzB5qEuG7N1Hf_C-N3-3tT5-YGjqjhdX13ChTkOlvpEwPcqJ2d1fgnc-I27J1YP_KROVyVabfhU4u3i5p1GagjmSYtKFaJiqas5n0SBI2UduUE7uSex-yiQEW/s320/14945_10152399934980018_595856486_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow at the train station</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9teyHFEscMkhyphenhyphenCadbCJV759xn44UgneyqXzUePJK2k5AS0KVo119dQw941oTBJwoCkRISAcKnfdWOsYM-dTAyX3BtNKZSdo6u9dysAM3h5wADQjkhSzoAQ2iSX26ZYHBBCn-a1gCFPja/s1600/486929_10152399930080018_1723693615_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9teyHFEscMkhyphenhyphenCadbCJV759xn44UgneyqXzUePJK2k5AS0KVo119dQw941oTBJwoCkRISAcKnfdWOsYM-dTAyX3BtNKZSdo6u9dysAM3h5wADQjkhSzoAQ2iSX26ZYHBBCn-a1gCFPja/s320/486929_10152399930080018_1723693615_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremy and me in Tokyo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FC_E8HHFgcTchIgCpDxQbdRLBH6bDorG_yfE22oSm1KViXWhH1svaUSEMMXM4l-w_EEyZ5IaiAMD0zG8RLfEo2v0U38sDVAeTXLArmq4ViMeAWPhOwNYPzYNO9N4jUjl-BGwwpoAMlLS/s1600/Jeremy+and+me+on+train.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FC_E8HHFgcTchIgCpDxQbdRLBH6bDorG_yfE22oSm1KViXWhH1svaUSEMMXM4l-w_EEyZ5IaiAMD0zG8RLfEo2v0U38sDVAeTXLArmq4ViMeAWPhOwNYPzYNO9N4jUjl-BGwwpoAMlLS/s320/Jeremy+and+me+on+train.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily took this picture of us on the train</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitP5B7U3QRehuT1Kx2HCHKG3TWkyivnE-3IixUtGGeDQRaYUF7cx5raWlbY-zHjMPaPAoId3XRGVhm09Cbjh5JsBGn-kuj4v7rbRSWjUk77piQxZpjhwTGDGdfohYPGzSZXWvzXxXW0GCH/s1600/45521_10152399930110018_1585778002_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitP5B7U3QRehuT1Kx2HCHKG3TWkyivnE-3IixUtGGeDQRaYUF7cx5raWlbY-zHjMPaPAoId3XRGVhm09Cbjh5JsBGn-kuj4v7rbRSWjUk77piQxZpjhwTGDGdfohYPGzSZXWvzXxXW0GCH/s320/45521_10152399930110018_1585778002_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So glad Jeremy got to hang out with the students!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCBM5JyZIuZl6qHviBLp0sOqFzU5zAzKncs8GIVv2hVoqpAirjrrxFZFkhQxhCNPA8cUf-8O6VyzXgeF2kyCvM5lRN85e_O6eIKkR5yvPxQAiRxpWRmkCmMDlKU6KFfQZQluBvzYTW6Js/s1600/149350_10152399903210018_1781926767_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCBM5JyZIuZl6qHviBLp0sOqFzU5zAzKncs8GIVv2hVoqpAirjrrxFZFkhQxhCNPA8cUf-8O6VyzXgeF2kyCvM5lRN85e_O6eIKkR5yvPxQAiRxpWRmkCmMDlKU6KFfQZQluBvzYTW6Js/s320/149350_10152399903210018_1781926767_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An engagement ceremony for friends Mark and Megumi!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxrGVVA2PbHotqu_C29fi-yQ31GzcW_Ij8HluhObjZZiFLsDi0Z8fnnM9-eZ6x5mpSGrMOoR4G2JWHXY5ZOVjqZxNptoGCNVYIJgwBCuSKMskogyJYw5Ok28y6l_MWAGtPqBUtPYpRT6K/s1600/551397_10152533117330018_1678435437_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxrGVVA2PbHotqu_C29fi-yQ31GzcW_Ij8HluhObjZZiFLsDi0Z8fnnM9-eZ6x5mpSGrMOoR4G2JWHXY5ZOVjqZxNptoGCNVYIJgwBCuSKMskogyJYw5Ok28y6l_MWAGtPqBUtPYpRT6K/s320/551397_10152533117330018_1678435437_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ski Trip</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibK6p4FQ9kxYLcd9mD1GjGjsBHJQ_Oc2Fi3jYBKAAvJwLTqTrgTLX7OjBxA4L9JVMhmGGvbGBW_P0zeku7xDQz8Ds23ExRLrBe87_XupCcT0eVU0mbnHL88wva6TkgvDQ0kA0P_fj2yXVG/s1600/267832_10152533117955018_1898723866_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibK6p4FQ9kxYLcd9mD1GjGjsBHJQ_Oc2Fi3jYBKAAvJwLTqTrgTLX7OjBxA4L9JVMhmGGvbGBW_P0zeku7xDQz8Ds23ExRLrBe87_XupCcT0eVU0mbnHL88wva6TkgvDQ0kA0P_fj2yXVG/s320/267832_10152533117955018_1898723866_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily, Mary Beth, and me</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBN1M2WwMkhIcpaz7nGsYYoEZLYKLq8zCMgUh66P6064znGX0HmXlqnYt54FBBqNclgUnyIqYB85EimV3Q-iRgJgqv9v6jhLkNrtGs3GZv7Ly4BGQTNVWcH5xCT_w7kH3VomkJvMjHBwSP/s1600/488107_10152520350695018_1081706635_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBN1M2WwMkhIcpaz7nGsYYoEZLYKLq8zCMgUh66P6064znGX0HmXlqnYt54FBBqNclgUnyIqYB85EimV3Q-iRgJgqv9v6jhLkNrtGs3GZv7Ly4BGQTNVWcH5xCT_w7kH3VomkJvMjHBwSP/s320/488107_10152520350695018_1081706635_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out to lunch at McDonald's with the interns and Seth</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aySzqQ1vnOGwnRqX8i6FJUx9n1yfYew03Bvgzy64go-RF_AmRQX67VY-lbgZK-tuqAnrJITD6CUkhpB0W23Mtsexbz1b8LzIazO5YIjWAdFHqPHZRwRJDSzVg_B85Dd7hn7fL_BxxOcL/s1600/543952_10152532994345018_1440488439_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aySzqQ1vnOGwnRqX8i6FJUx9n1yfYew03Bvgzy64go-RF_AmRQX67VY-lbgZK-tuqAnrJITD6CUkhpB0W23Mtsexbz1b8LzIazO5YIjWAdFHqPHZRwRJDSzVg_B85Dd7hn7fL_BxxOcL/s320/543952_10152532994345018_1440488439_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out to dinner with friends</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLqM_25QEEpZgidV98OAJy6CXsR70J-uMpB_CpX0FR61yJiCb49lirtTs9Hh3m5_L4r7XF96qRmZ3zevsBR_HjSO9iDLbwICpg0DKvlYz1bSINQ8z8NmFQz8LKQ3agB2Ydxi9bETBogPW/s1600/559908_10152532997430018_1252648897_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLqM_25QEEpZgidV98OAJy6CXsR70J-uMpB_CpX0FR61yJiCb49lirtTs9Hh3m5_L4r7XF96qRmZ3zevsBR_HjSO9iDLbwICpg0DKvlYz1bSINQ8z8NmFQz8LKQ3agB2Ydxi9bETBogPW/s320/559908_10152532997430018_1252648897_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese snacks for Carol's kids and grandkids in America</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrd8eiAS_PIlZV_vSQ5YRj34ZCT54Ra3ewYgPh7aVAJ1MY8KMvakVHZz62yvvlOIX36MKDlZCYZbTV8QvkZlVbLFXEoLVocnwcE4ZBGtKt8WnpYma-Rsa3iCp6ecoi1WtJAcSfZmH97a2/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-24+at+1.29.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrd8eiAS_PIlZV_vSQ5YRj34ZCT54Ra3ewYgPh7aVAJ1MY8KMvakVHZz62yvvlOIX36MKDlZCYZbTV8QvkZlVbLFXEoLVocnwcE4ZBGtKt8WnpYma-Rsa3iCp6ecoi1WtJAcSfZmH97a2/s320/Screen+shot+2013-02-24+at+1.29.10+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute siblings of one of my students (Megumi and Ena)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIem0tiwhym3DiWnDQqqh1nZ4U9K-KZgWpLa0oB9tVV0drbhWaFA-JmmcFiSghaLMZHLYsKnpMfr9smhNnHoG1HkjYDW19b235SNLhlJnsbg7cxedmROOyuKLIuYromycS4mVwQecc9sdB/s1600/488035_10152530243085018_302895895_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIem0tiwhym3DiWnDQqqh1nZ4U9K-KZgWpLa0oB9tVV0drbhWaFA-JmmcFiSghaLMZHLYsKnpMfr9smhNnHoG1HkjYDW19b235SNLhlJnsbg7cxedmROOyuKLIuYromycS4mVwQecc9sdB/s320/488035_10152530243085018_302895895_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honami</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdgpP_OQ8PUHSIwijfAJY2pyvgPuHsOicrI7KgtTr-Es-CQHQriEeqwMA7M11SgUEUwPWx8qvNaNw048b3ybaR3Vp7UsZDPPjX6Sy4kBgjxgWsSCnfBPQ2qxtd_y3A5m5000FFfFOl02j/s1600/560805_10152404875885018_1734339656_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdgpP_OQ8PUHSIwijfAJY2pyvgPuHsOicrI7KgtTr-Es-CQHQriEeqwMA7M11SgUEUwPWx8qvNaNw048b3ybaR3Vp7UsZDPPjX6Sy4kBgjxgWsSCnfBPQ2qxtd_y3A5m5000FFfFOl02j/s320/560805_10152404875885018_1734339656_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aira</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZeM11P1E6frwfayFqNuyrlO2yAuGgBxzJz8DwklNI_GrngouAaWG2HPuqubc8s-aiGrlhyphenhyphenlpNcjZyevsllxCFDqN5W6EprZ-0yb-bBfgmU3m0oMLV1KXyp0cRXXMVsx0hbGT8Kmdpfw9/s1600/1850_10152532995465018_138535129_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZeM11P1E6frwfayFqNuyrlO2yAuGgBxzJz8DwklNI_GrngouAaWG2HPuqubc8s-aiGrlhyphenhyphenlpNcjZyevsllxCFDqN5W6EprZ-0yb-bBfgmU3m0oMLV1KXyp0cRXXMVsx0hbGT8Kmdpfw9/s320/1850_10152532995465018_138535129_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seira</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgCS3BaG1oHvIYtdI-_c_tOevGhTLrtQV-s4PlANlrAhhyphenhyphenM9Ht1PiIMrhyphenhyphend-MtvFx-xNs1NSNvS7QIFO4FtQXG4FhSVO-_nOTOti4afy_bjVtUO8SNqYzk5nvO7D5klcaCQN38P5AAtDd/s1600/560825_10152399967100018_1294616102_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgCS3BaG1oHvIYtdI-_c_tOevGhTLrtQV-s4PlANlrAhhyphenhyphenM9Ht1PiIMrhyphenhyphend-MtvFx-xNs1NSNvS7QIFO4FtQXG4FhSVO-_nOTOti4afy_bjVtUO8SNqYzk5nvO7D5klcaCQN38P5AAtDd/s320/560825_10152399967100018_1294616102_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo night life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KuzhwRBsVtWfJfYkhQNz2MhSG3owV9u1a2QeuK48JEvMLltp7j6KXDd5huIiobKHju810oJNV2vUB6_PIUwP8Z0Lz_Xb-vWARbkKXMPoyvk9JZo77FyFx4nclkzmk0FcLOZbjCHcMMJW/s1600/58818_10152527829160018_1508740938_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KuzhwRBsVtWfJfYkhQNz2MhSG3owV9u1a2QeuK48JEvMLltp7j6KXDd5huIiobKHju810oJNV2vUB6_PIUwP8Z0Lz_Xb-vWARbkKXMPoyvk9JZo77FyFx4nclkzmk0FcLOZbjCHcMMJW/s320/58818_10152527829160018_1508740938_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial to Bob-Scott. Rest in Peace!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVgXAwDA57hGSlSG1fgfy66PVmEwTgnIggUCcdWDrGzLVXGx2MGGTKY-rO6-1LbyzvXZnthBx1shqEPH2APP6_1knZN-o6Q5Q0inj5UJU4CQt2a_UiuQyJn0M3e9YQqvTa_hI6q380ucB/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-24+at+1.28.26+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVgXAwDA57hGSlSG1fgfy66PVmEwTgnIggUCcdWDrGzLVXGx2MGGTKY-rO6-1LbyzvXZnthBx1shqEPH2APP6_1knZN-o6Q5Q0inj5UJU4CQt2a_UiuQyJn0M3e9YQqvTa_hI6q380ucB/s320/Screen+shot+2013-02-24+at+1.28.26+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McDonald's is doing their "Big America All Stars" right now. This is the "Idaho Burger." It's got a hash brown and everything!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrUHGpOJ1SJdv4PgpiW7eInXkvhFrXOhAla5nEQzFJsLrpBMYSXFLxpesLZ5MUS4wj56YI0zvN5krYpNbegiwqXkAAJqCsMSbbdGWK8KUJjMWsLmUmHhEXjjcaEBooJbNhkaRa8i2izzv/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-22+at+11.17.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrUHGpOJ1SJdv4PgpiW7eInXkvhFrXOhAla5nEQzFJsLrpBMYSXFLxpesLZ5MUS4wj56YI0zvN5krYpNbegiwqXkAAJqCsMSbbdGWK8KUJjMWsLmUmHhEXjjcaEBooJbNhkaRa8i2izzv/s320/Screen+shot+2013-02-22+at+11.17.06+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dieting with the girls! (Photo cred. to Emily)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYhBSCvZIAAswtJCCtPPpSoqP_WYVmuhjgykoJqWGkWLVyd0QSlJVsYZNpnE84bm-vK_l_51yTfMNvpCYH7QUZKld-rSVx4iak2qDjqyNyZ_QVFxjN424Y8pi83n0fkvJfue2MqYWADXI/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-22+at+11.19.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYhBSCvZIAAswtJCCtPPpSoqP_WYVmuhjgykoJqWGkWLVyd0QSlJVsYZNpnE84bm-vK_l_51yTfMNvpCYH7QUZKld-rSVx4iak2qDjqyNyZ_QVFxjN424Y8pi83n0fkvJfue2MqYWADXI/s320/Screen+shot+2013-02-22+at+11.19.05+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our girls' Bible study! (Photo cred. to Emily)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKknQLPE3rgQtLN03-1jQ7U9El80aCRs_qNAw_zl5KzQfwTqofZ2K7OdQAPPlylpCVWcEWm7aN_6yvezBFd7o9rpOehs-rSP84KVL6JVhDVZVjFkoeHzI9b2pKDBhYPGY92FUV0K-hVgp9/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-24+at+1.27.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKknQLPE3rgQtLN03-1jQ7U9El80aCRs_qNAw_zl5KzQfwTqofZ2K7OdQAPPlylpCVWcEWm7aN_6yvezBFd7o9rpOehs-rSP84KVL6JVhDVZVjFkoeHzI9b2pKDBhYPGY92FUV0K-hVgp9/s320/Screen+shot+2013-02-24+at+1.27.34+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It snowed at school, so we ha a half day!! (Some of my students and me)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /><br />Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-84145729091010636942012-12-29T23:21:00.001-08:002012-12-29T23:21:33.316-08:00Christmas In Japan<div class="_38 direction_ltr">
My dear friends,<br />
<br />
So
many different things have happened since last I wrote: the school's
Living Nativity, non-stop Christmas shopping (or that's how it felt,)
being asked to face-paint for a kids' event at church, a big earthquake
that happened while teaching an English class, one of my very good
Japanese friends getting engaged(!), getting to go to the Tokyo church's
first service in their new (bigger) location, finishing school for the
semester, saying goodbye to two interns, a spontaneous chance to sing in
front of the church here, Christmas Eve services, Christmas day, and
traveling to the mountains.<br /><br />
There was a lot of work and preparation
that went into the Living Nativity. It was a lot of fun getting
prepared, though. After each performance of the Nativity, we had a
coffee shop set up at school where people could have a cup of coffee, a
slice of cheesecake, and enjoy live entertainment. I had told my 7th
grade students that we should do something for the coffee house, and we
all agreed to sing “White Christmas” together. (Other students ended up
participating, too.) It was a complete blast! I had so much fun
practicing and performing with them.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
A couple of weeks after the
Nativity, everyone began preparing for the last week of school before
winter break. On the last day of school, the day was split up so that
the first half of the day we had normal classes, but for the second half
we had Christmas parties in our classrooms. I created a scavenger hunt
for my 7th grade students to find their Christmas presents that I had
hidden. It was hilarious watching them run around the school and outside
looking for them. Apparently they had fun, so that’s good! After that,
we opened presents and watched a movie together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQc386YJ0q_XFYpIi9Q6gn9o6_vMroWtQv12ecStXidp0o14nWEvfbW0V4CuQknRExpw4VhXHwT2JVAtiOY5YXtfNokrsRP-QoEI_xDYXBbGRYXTP615amHU3AtpI3_uHvQ8pFqmz9N-5/s1600/382933_10152312650790018_1348752794_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQc386YJ0q_XFYpIi9Q6gn9o6_vMroWtQv12ecStXidp0o14nWEvfbW0V4CuQknRExpw4VhXHwT2JVAtiOY5YXtfNokrsRP-QoEI_xDYXBbGRYXTP615amHU3AtpI3_uHvQ8pFqmz9N-5/s320/382933_10152312650790018_1348752794_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7th Grade class watching Elf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0QFEbCteOZZmeyKUn7poy0lxqhovwCjtvovav7sf9X-1T1fo-9dPxvNXCPNX8bVGcA08f_JRpvAVep-0VmuRxyMlQXusnn2GTuOgwbMJbUrUo1nYYYkLAO2dwezvFbYIQML3C22AQss8/s1600/281762_10152312651115018_1525448039_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0QFEbCteOZZmeyKUn7poy0lxqhovwCjtvovav7sf9X-1T1fo-9dPxvNXCPNX8bVGcA08f_JRpvAVep-0VmuRxyMlQXusnn2GTuOgwbMJbUrUo1nYYYkLAO2dwezvFbYIQML3C22AQss8/s320/281762_10152312651115018_1525448039_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole class with Bob-Scott (our plant)<br />BACK: Kenta, Gloria, Bianca<br />FRONT: Kei, Me, Megumi</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYkPWBagRaOf1aoVTo2DIKI00-5cVfwmn6JZR1o43QZn0wNWIzdSeloQIaDfK97yUX2iQBwFnssMeqzhDDYa1OUo7UCJkebf-e1JZuvdfOP_dUIiy2g978-_wjq3W5ol4MoDgiCNiaz3e/s1600/163379_10152312651665018_315291001_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYkPWBagRaOf1aoVTo2DIKI00-5cVfwmn6JZR1o43QZn0wNWIzdSeloQIaDfK97yUX2iQBwFnssMeqzhDDYa1OUo7UCJkebf-e1JZuvdfOP_dUIiy2g978-_wjq3W5ol4MoDgiCNiaz3e/s320/163379_10152312651665018_315291001_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bianca, Gloria, and me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I got a very
sweet card in my Christmas stocking at school that almost made me cry.
It was from one of my 7th graders who had marked the letter as
“anonymous,” but they knew I would be able to recognize their
handwriting. They had written so many kind things to me, thanking me for
being their teacher and friend. These students are such a blessing to
me. They are so much fun to teach, and it’s always the highlight of my
day to do so! <br />
<br />
One thing that always impresses me is how sure they
are of the fact that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. Their faith and
relationship with Him is so important to them, and I always learn so
much from them. I am so honored that God would choose to work through me
to help them grow in their education and their walk with Christ. At the
end of every school day, our class comes together after they clean and
we pray together. It’s a very important part of the day for them, and
it’s always hilarious if I ever forget to come up and pray with them
right at 3:30. One (or more) of them will come hunt me down and
literally drag me to the classroom saying, “You’re late, Melanie! We
need to PRAY!” It’s an important part of my day as well.<br />
<br />
It was
kind of sad saying goodbye to my students after school on the last day.
Breaks and vacations are really good, but I always miss everyone so much
after just a few days. But I am so thankful to God for this chance to
rest and gain back energy. After school on the last day, the teachers
and I went out to dinner at a very nice French restaurant to celebrate
together. The restaurant had unlimited bread they would bring to your
table, and there was someone playing some music from my favorite
Japanese movies on the piano, so I was having the time of my life!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUslj09UKg7THbQjZFLQZf2rMKWKPCLUC2Auoinm6IffnOiuUQ7IQQ8FKVWk0Zxt8D8zOT9bXq5YJFQjy_h5X8fttxq5gGv5wrXkS0lsJ_Fs-Hya8AnJiCTaavK3ho0DxLX8WJZLZBCzSA/s1600/563606_10152312655565018_685661454_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUslj09UKg7THbQjZFLQZf2rMKWKPCLUC2Auoinm6IffnOiuUQ7IQQ8FKVWk0Zxt8D8zOT9bXq5YJFQjy_h5X8fttxq5gGv5wrXkS0lsJ_Fs-Hya8AnJiCTaavK3ho0DxLX8WJZLZBCzSA/s320/563606_10152312655565018_685661454_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner with the teachers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After
dinner, we all went to see Les Miserables together. (It came out in
Japan a week before it did in the States, so I had some friends who were
a wee bit jealous about that fact.) It was so good, and it was a lot of
fun seeing it with everyone. We (meaning me, while everyone else
laughed) were singing it in the parking lot afterward, and my friend
Mary Beth and I have had the soundtrack stuck in our heads ever since
then. <br />
<br />
The day after we all saw the movie together, I was supposed
to be joining a team that was going up north to the disaster area that
was hit by the tsunami, but unfortunately the trip was cancelled. (The
driver’s wife was 8 months pregnant, and she had to go to the hospital
due to high blood pressure. She was induced a few days ago, and both she
and the baby seem to be doing very well, praise God!) But, because that
trip was cancelled, that meant I was able to go to the airport to say
goodbye to two of my friends, Emily and Heather, who were going back to
the States. Heather is back home after completing her 3 month internship
here in Japan, but Emily is just home for the holidays and will return
to Japan the first week back at school in January. I’m so glad I was
able to go to the airport to see them off with everyone. We were also
able to squeeze in one final Bible study at Starbucks together before
they left!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
As we were sitting in the airport, I became so relieved
and overjoyed that I wasn’t the one getting on a plane to go back to the
States. I am so thankful that God has given me a heart for this
country, and He has given me such a love for what I am doing here and
who I am spending time with. Obviously I miss people back home, but for
now I am so content and full of joy about where God has put me. I so
look forward to the months ahead and how He will use me and grow me in
that time!<br />
<br />
This past Sunday, Honda Chapel (the church I attend
here) had a Christmas party after the service. It was a lot of fun! I
just recently taught Mary Beth how to play a few songs on the piano
after she informed me that she was “musically challenged.” Obviously
that isn’t the case, because she’s been practice these songs so much and
has been doing so well! So, on the way to church on Sunday, I jokingly
told her that she and I should play/sing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
for the church party. Well… we ended up doing just that. Mary Beth
played the piano so well, and I fumbled through the Japanese lyrics of
the song. Despite my mistakes in the song, I had a lot of fun doing it!<br />
On
Christmas Eve, I attended two candlelit services. At one, Mary Beth and
I were asked to shoot off party poppers from the balcony as the choir
finished singing the “Alleluia Chorus.” It gave it just a bit more
dramatic flair!<br />
<br />
On Christmas day, there were some people in the
house who hadn’t done any Christmas shopping yet, so they went shopping
while the rest of us prepared Christmas dinner. We had some friends over
for dinner, and then we all opened presents together.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4zGJybnbt7wRBB1GFiRSInGdbCWuLQmIbdLJGKZbtSeoeee-iiA6YHEXic0vWvhm6vcMQdWUYHCdCi8HIVTjycu9OR-zFcdA0m1wqS0AXs5u2cxUgHct9tagMwlgFjLLFViwWUHtvOzM/s1600/13729_10152331786570018_1003340870_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4zGJybnbt7wRBB1GFiRSInGdbCWuLQmIbdLJGKZbtSeoeee-iiA6YHEXic0vWvhm6vcMQdWUYHCdCi8HIVTjycu9OR-zFcdA0m1wqS0AXs5u2cxUgHct9tagMwlgFjLLFViwWUHtvOzM/s320/13729_10152331786570018_1003340870_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Beth and me staying warm in front of the heater on Christmas morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMdVmEvkz9fLEqvUG58SZZR0YNRViG4KiBjcsYOPsgAq0TrK3cjSYD2ZGPCSp6-bRISTYtRnMY6aLbf8DIPjA8Bc32mjI_0yVQvWCzvLLFi1HMEzufmGQ-e_y81nDM9twzkBdtwk58-dz/s1600/36509_10152331787735018_1547404706_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMdVmEvkz9fLEqvUG58SZZR0YNRViG4KiBjcsYOPsgAq0TrK3cjSYD2ZGPCSp6-bRISTYtRnMY6aLbf8DIPjA8Bc32mjI_0yVQvWCzvLLFi1HMEzufmGQ-e_y81nDM9twzkBdtwk58-dz/s320/36509_10152331787735018_1547404706_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iverson family Christmas tradition - picture on the stairs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3hBvmDzwPIJ-HSnxic6tqx5WjzQJWctd67RwjpWGuj9wcT_shGswNxwne2bQ4NBk_MwXWnmxos6U2o60O34mdtC1QodybklTgFcpR7sBTrLZCtalx7UNuq33gKg4oPtcE3Mj8vdKphHh/s1600/406686_10152331786935018_1168286601_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3hBvmDzwPIJ-HSnxic6tqx5WjzQJWctd67RwjpWGuj9wcT_shGswNxwne2bQ4NBk_MwXWnmxos6U2o60O34mdtC1QodybklTgFcpR7sBTrLZCtalx7UNuq33gKg4oPtcE3Mj8vdKphHh/s320/406686_10152331786935018_1168286601_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A couple of
days after Christmas, the Iverson family, their nephew and his family,
Mary Beth, and I all drove up to the snowy mountains of Nojiri (where we
visited in October) to spend time in the Iverson’s cabin, and to ski
and snowboard in the Japanese Alps. I sit in the Iverson’s cabin now as I
type this. I’m passing up skiing and snowboarding to respond to emails
that I have been longing to respond to for so long, and to update you
all on my life over the past month.<br />
<br />
Thank you all so much for
praying for me. Like I was talking about above, I am so full of an
inexpressible joy for the opportunity I have to be here! God continues
speaking to me through His Word and is showing me His goodness in all
things. <br />
<br />
Recently I’ve become more aware of the importance of
memorizing scripture. A challenge within my Bible study a while back was
to memorize Psalm 148. (“Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord from the
heavens, praise Him in the heights.”) I knew the first few verses thanks
to a song sung by my church back in the States, but it has been so
exciting memorizing the parts I don’t know! A part from Sunday schools
and Bible camps, I’ve never really set aside my own personal time to
memorize scripture. Now it’s one of my favorite parts of the day! I plop
myself on the counter at home at the end of the day with my Bible and a
pen while I wait for the kettle to finish boiling water for the hot
water bottle I put in my bed, and I recite the verses to myself, writing
the difficult ones on my hand. I love having this routine, and two
nights ago as I was writing a new verse on my hand, Deuteronomy 6:8
popped into my head, where it says, “You shall bind them as a sign on
your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” It made me
laugh remembering that.<br />
<br />
Thank you for reading this update! I’m sorry, as always, that it’s so long! God bless you all, and have a fantastic New Year!<br /><br />
-Melanie<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRebpVk7eJIbm2ZAQbAtPNpjnUbMsm6s-3WrtO9uNGdzRngi0LJlO0NkvUGQnYKCW3yBRXIlkuHtrtqmIpunsqp7G9DEjqPU91Se9GzJzpiinenkeEIjEFAzCjhjXRerHKM_UL3RXEgiBY/s1600/148665_10152312657730018_890901254_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRebpVk7eJIbm2ZAQbAtPNpjnUbMsm6s-3WrtO9uNGdzRngi0LJlO0NkvUGQnYKCW3yBRXIlkuHtrtqmIpunsqp7G9DEjqPU91Se9GzJzpiinenkeEIjEFAzCjhjXRerHKM_UL3RXEgiBY/s320/148665_10152312657730018_890901254_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iverson's and interns<br />L to R: BACK - Seth, Carol, Dan<br />FRONT - Me, Mary Beth, Emily, Heather</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWeYIT1vv3Lvdol5jV3FF9Z_pay57J0qJKV6Ieytaqw1YlfqNOEhjNn2CLzooDjT2AuwbiKL4sZ_1lTzIhxhe08LKjotwa3FmgmP1Mxd2jRXukvyEUU-cVRtjSjxb-F2zhXv9XdLEN9c5/s1600/14618_10152312640300018_1724912075_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWeYIT1vv3Lvdol5jV3FF9Z_pay57J0qJKV6Ieytaqw1YlfqNOEhjNn2CLzooDjT2AuwbiKL4sZ_1lTzIhxhe08LKjotwa3FmgmP1Mxd2jRXukvyEUU-cVRtjSjxb-F2zhXv9XdLEN9c5/s320/14618_10152312640300018_1724912075_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping in Harajuku</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhe71GcGBoV51xniQOdxac9_cPW6V8Lj4XGaO1JFP_-K-V0hjy73ep82di0b8i9iB3KdNq-yadaqRbGKuj3qWykz7INNbrczCIB3CIGaRGo4aOBcg80N18gP4t955hZWWPX8qFg_PKkei/s1600/312577_10152312640735018_864398500_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhe71GcGBoV51xniQOdxac9_cPW6V8Lj4XGaO1JFP_-K-V0hjy73ep82di0b8i9iB3KdNq-yadaqRbGKuj3qWykz7INNbrczCIB3CIGaRGo4aOBcg80N18gP4t955hZWWPX8qFg_PKkei/s320/312577_10152312640735018_864398500_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily and I found slurpees at a 7-11 in Harajuku!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3Ta5LZWUcdlErvh_jeO8PzmmKqbSppn3hkYhOE7LokITgGk3PUVnlOHogOmy5lWGH6MmiNkhR5wMhA62qNmYOmWYtG4plHWicy1lyS-_ocjhj8qUqAkoLD_fIDvLL4kYNP58F8DwvpvH/s1600/29591_10152312647460018_1213600465_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3Ta5LZWUcdlErvh_jeO8PzmmKqbSppn3hkYhOE7LokITgGk3PUVnlOHogOmy5lWGH6MmiNkhR5wMhA62qNmYOmWYtG4plHWicy1lyS-_ocjhj8qUqAkoLD_fIDvLL4kYNP58F8DwvpvH/s320/29591_10152312647460018_1213600465_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese Domino's :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="_38 direction_ltr">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApaG-S3tSnLvZ2zYJwxzinkMx-YJaiQbjUExhwGLy4ddSj0UgduOLL_W2KOdfJm6cFlBFRCwq_zrISbLGhyphenhyphenLe7H6x1UC5jmfI2M3EWkOEGUbMNdihSFuWyNHR9CgNxM8PmgGr7r4yii0V/s1600/75239_10151162528802869_1865757318_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApaG-S3tSnLvZ2zYJwxzinkMx-YJaiQbjUExhwGLy4ddSj0UgduOLL_W2KOdfJm6cFlBFRCwq_zrISbLGhyphenhyphenLe7H6x1UC5jmfI2M3EWkOEGUbMNdihSFuWyNHR9CgNxM8PmgGr7r4yii0V/s320/75239_10151162528802869_1865757318_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Face painting for a kids' event</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SysIQy8wqcxQeKCKWW4cZQSfHSxLI_AcZpWTaSZ-YASfA_wTg-eftnMTsUcELnfNswlotpHR3NKabusGGJzxvhbE9tQPW6VgBvoY9JFThG61mFhK5opYPQIVO_cRApwzkKDaVfkimQ_u/s1600/521561_10152312646005018_1501085608_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SysIQy8wqcxQeKCKWW4cZQSfHSxLI_AcZpWTaSZ-YASfA_wTg-eftnMTsUcELnfNswlotpHR3NKabusGGJzxvhbE9tQPW6VgBvoY9JFThG61mFhK5opYPQIVO_cRApwzkKDaVfkimQ_u/s320/521561_10152312646005018_1501085608_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting some friends' home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDWKfNa2bOTn6sf1DLkgB2w3yKB_rLHSWThmVsoU52p1nQmI7t4JJWER7AS5s8nMI-Z6_Ywk5fC02RObPp1YCMorOpZDtC5wN7rqv6bjqDnFCMJDneZ_rnEU6txGuYYc2sBKnED7V5-SF/s1600/537725_10152312641880018_1325897160_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDWKfNa2bOTn6sf1DLkgB2w3yKB_rLHSWThmVsoU52p1nQmI7t4JJWER7AS5s8nMI-Z6_Ywk5fC02RObPp1YCMorOpZDtC5wN7rqv6bjqDnFCMJDneZ_rnEU6txGuYYc2sBKnED7V5-SF/s320/537725_10152312641880018_1325897160_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating three teachers' birthdays</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqb8bKBlxeOLWISbDzI2VJJtn0zDqqpZ-JLEVUcWrBZnRErqV10YEdyeunXRcWjL-xujQ3TVuRkxIhDdPJwKaKdsiwrQW-lhz1U-UE4qwd7zg1E2AOdoy_IvBlBiRALu-EAiemoewST1fL/s1600/61009_10152312645450018_646287625_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqb8bKBlxeOLWISbDzI2VJJtn0zDqqpZ-JLEVUcWrBZnRErqV10YEdyeunXRcWjL-xujQ3TVuRkxIhDdPJwKaKdsiwrQW-lhz1U-UE4qwd7zg1E2AOdoy_IvBlBiRALu-EAiemoewST1fL/s320/61009_10152312645450018_646287625_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I find it hard to believe that NONE of these bicycle riders noticed the "no parking" sign...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyC4uuqTFvtaHszKAxPVDiHRfpup4I5ob2E_cE33fnsLVdu3LhdM8msdMSowMRK1KKth27zebp-nhBDpSXJp_W4zzvvVRDmQgZYKYw7ZFK_7CkAyHp7BKSktmPjdUI63lGjjQwbHEvUZG/s1600/540376_10152312648480018_2018114998_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyC4uuqTFvtaHszKAxPVDiHRfpup4I5ob2E_cE33fnsLVdu3LhdM8msdMSowMRK1KKth27zebp-nhBDpSXJp_W4zzvvVRDmQgZYKYw7ZFK_7CkAyHp7BKSktmPjdUI63lGjjQwbHEvUZG/s320/540376_10152312648480018_2018114998_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas sandwich!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_UKVh6iSl1iaEWuVRvLK_FsvrrjZWaQ1awmqAjS8MroqiTx9FzkqiEG44oSemhPDLVft8-WYQdymoVYuGowYBRap65NiJ8DYnj57oDnoFupDeQSZJR1c5YpLGgmEiuQjRlqKU0I1bgH1/s1600/418037_10152312638860018_146613259_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_UKVh6iSl1iaEWuVRvLK_FsvrrjZWaQ1awmqAjS8MroqiTx9FzkqiEG44oSemhPDLVft8-WYQdymoVYuGowYBRap65NiJ8DYnj57oDnoFupDeQSZJR1c5YpLGgmEiuQjRlqKU0I1bgH1/s320/418037_10152312638860018_146613259_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorating the Iverson's Christmas tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interns</td></tr>
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Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-48579933765736358912012-11-25T00:34:00.001-08:002012-11-25T00:43:39.526-08:00One Blessed Girl<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">There is nothing quite like brushing your teeth after a crazy
Thanksgiving dinner! Last night we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at the Iverson's home for 50 people on the team here. It was so much fun! Carol and us interns started prepping the food, dining room, and living room on Friday evening, and worked all day on Saturday to have everything ready by 5:30 that night. It was a lot of work, but we were all so joyful about all we had to do, that it made the work a lot of fun! It was great working together in the kitchen, laughing, singing, dancing, and goofing around. It made the time fly to be working with such fun people.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">Everyone arrived at 5:30, and at 6, us interns and Carol started serving soup and salad to everyone. (I love serving people at dinner events! Especially friends.) A while later, the turkey was carved and we were able to join everyone and eat. The food was absolutely amazing! We got three turkeys from Costco and a ham! I'm not a huge fan... or even slightly inclined to enjoy turkey, so I was extremely excited to have ham on the menu. Of course there were gobs of mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE!!!! All the usual Thanksgiving things. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">While 50 people on the team were over for dinner, only about half of them were American! There were Australians, Koreans, Japanese, and a visitor from India all at the table! (I must say, it was pretty funny seeing them all saying "Happy Thanksgiving!" to each other. One of my new Australian friends, who was enjoying his first ever Thanksgiving meal, said later that it was like an "eating marathon!")</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">At the end of the night, after everyone had gone home, every room was cleaned, all the leftovers had containers, and every single one of the gajillions of dishes we had were washed, my friend Emily and I collapsed on the floor in the living room and released the familiar post-Thanksgiving-dinner moan of full stomachs. As we were lying there, I commented about how I felt like we had a glimpse of what God must have felt like after he created the universe and saw that "it was good." Thinking about all the work that had gone into making that evening happen, how much people seemed to have enjoyed themselves, and all of the after-party cleanup, one couldn't help but sit there afterward and look at everything and think that it was good. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">As I was looking around the room at dinner last night, I realized how blessed I am to know all of those wonderful people! For that evening, my big thing that I was thankful for </span><span class="userContent">was the fact that God called me back to Japan so soon after
returning to America. I am so blessed that I get to work with these
team members,</span><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"> that I get to teach such amazing students and see them all week,</span> that I get to live with this wonderfully godly family
again, that I get to live in this country, and that I am learning so much
about the Lord through the people and circumstances around me. I am
beyond amazed at His plans for me! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">I am also incredibly thankful for my family, for loving and supporting me so much and
letting me return to this country I love so dearly! Without their support, I think it would have been unbearably difficult for me to be here. And while they joke all the time about bribing me to stay in America, I know that they love me and will always support me 100%, even if I'm living on the other side of the world. I am one blessed girl!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">Another thing I'm thankful for is friends who are patient enough to skype with me, even when skype crashes all the time! I've been able to have long conversations with friends back home recently, and I'm always so encouraged by these people God has put in my life. I'm thankful for the lessons God teaches me about cherishing the people in my life, and to love everyone, just as He first loved us.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">S<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">KYPING WITH SARAH<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">, EMILY, AND HANNAH</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">Thank you to everyone who reads this updates, to those who support me financially and especially in prayer! You are all instruments God has used in my life in some way or another, and I am so grateful for your friendship!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">Love,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent">Melanie</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="userContent"></span><br /><span class="text 1Thess-5-16" id="en-ESV-29621">"Rejoice always,</span><span class="text 1Thess-5-17" id="en-ESV-29622"><sup> </sup>pray without ceasing,</span><sup> </sup><span class="text 1Thess-5-18" id="en-ESV-29623">give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">50 PEOPLE GATHERED IN OUR DINING ROOM & LIVING ROOM</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text 1Thess-5-18" id="en-ESV-29623"> </span></span> <span class="text 1Thess-5-19" id="en-ESV-29624"></span></span>Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-6059167528052738982012-11-18T06:12:00.002-08:002012-11-24T22:24:56.337-08:00Remembering the Past, Thankful For the Present<style type="text/css">
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Recently a lot of people here have been asking me how this time in
Japan compares to my last time here. Well, this time is very
different from the last. In good ways? In bad ways? Definitely good.
<i>Very</i> good. Now, my previous time here wasn't bad, but since
I've returned I've realized just how different I was last time I was
here and how much I've grown since then.<br />
<br />
Since being back, I've heard from quite a few people about how
much I've matured since I left Japan. I was kind of shocked the first
time I heard this, because I had only been in America a little over a
year before I came back here. How much could I have changed in a
year? Thinking back on the past year, I've realized how much God was
teaching me in America through my anger, bitterness, and lack of
contentment. (I wrote about this in my first update being back here
in Japan.)<br />
<br />
Last time I was here, I was just out of high school
and experiencing life away from everything I knew for the first time.
I was very immature. I had a hard time with my relationships with the
other interns a lot of the time, and that made things very difficult
for me. This time, I have been so blessed with fellow interns whom I
feel so close to already, and am able to get along with so
unbelievably well!<br />
<br />
I must admit, when I first found out I would be living with so
many girls, I was not thrilled. I'm so used to living with guys
because of having four brothers, so I was really worried about having
to work and live with these girls. Plus my experiences from last time
made me very skeptical that we would all be able to get along. But
despite my doubting spirit, God decided to bless me with wonderful
housemates/coworkers/sisters in Christ that I get to spend everyday
with! With these girls, I get to grow closer to the Lord and learn
more about Him and His love for me. Our Bible study together is so
rich. I am so thankful to be surrounded by such godly women who have
been blessed with wisdom in different ways and who encourage and
inspire me so much.<br />
<br />
Along with the great relationships I have
with the interns, another reason this time seems so much better is
because of how easy it was to get back into the routine of things at
CCSI. Lesson planning was so familiar that is was a breeze when I got here, and I already
knew all of the students, so I didn't have that awkward first couple
months of transitioning and getting to know everyone. I love my job.
Why wouldn't I when I get to teach such wonderful students and when I
get to work with my best friends and family in Christ?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;">Last
time, I spent most of my time sightseeing and doing touristy things
with the other interns. This time I am so happy to be building up
relationships with the students and people at church. I've been
helping with a lot of church, school, and team events, which I absolutely
love doing! Last Sunday I was a judge for a fashion show for the
kids of the church I attend here, and all of them were dressed up as
Bible characters. This past Friday I was able to observe a children's English class I will be helping take over for a couple of weeks after the current teacher leaves Japan. This weekend I will be helping with a face-painting
booth for a kids' festival. The weekend after that, we will be having
our school's Living Nativity and coffee house. There is so much work
to be done for that!</span><br />
<br />
One other thing that gives me so
much joy this time around is being able to understand a good deal of
Japanese. It's so exciting to learn new things everyday and to
communicate with the people here. Now, I'm not very good at <i>speaking</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
Japanese. I have the mindset that I need to say something perfectly
or not say anything at all. So, I don't speak in Japanese very much.
I'm trying to do better, though! The best way to learn is to try,
succeed or fail, and learn from my mistakes.<br /><br />I'm trying to
keep this “short” because of my knack for writing novels every
time I do an update. These are just some things I've been thinking
about recently. With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I've been
thinking about how thankful I am for the chance I have to be back in
this country - to work with the people I do, to make so many new
friends and build on old friendships, to practice Japanese everyday,
and to learn more about this culture and the people who live here. I
am thankful for His blessings, which come in such abundance! <br /><br />There
is so much God has taught me recently, and I am so eager to write about it. But I'm going to save writing
about it for another time, because that will definitely be long one!<br /><br />Adding to my list of things I am thankful for,
I want to let you know how thankful I am for you. Words cannot
express how overjoyed I am to be surrounded by such a wonderful
friends and family! Though distance separates
us, your love and prayers are heard, felt, and answered across the
land and sea, touching my heart and comforting me in all I do for and
because of Him.</span><br />
<br />
God bless you!<br />
Melanie<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“<span style="font-style: normal;">Oh,
how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who
fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of
the children of mankind!” - Psalm 31:19</span></span></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something to put a smile on your face. :)</td></tr>
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<br />
VIDEOS!!!!!!<br />
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Trip to Asakusa </div>
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Power Rangers at a school festival</div>
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Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-13575105763903077202012-11-06T00:07:00.000-08:002012-11-06T00:20:58.339-08:00A Voice in the Wind"Waaaaait a second... Melanie is posting two and a half weeks after her last update? WHO IS THIS IMPOSTOR?!" I know, I'm surprised too! :O<br />
<br />
Well, when we left off, I seemed to be coming down with a bit of a cough. The day after I posted that blog, I woke up with no voice at all. I ended up not having a voice for about a week. It was incredibly frustrating in the beginning, seeing how my job description requires me to be able to speak. All of my students and the teachers were very patient with me, but I was impatient with myself. I kept trying to speak, and that just made me lose my voice even more. Eventually I came to realize that it was God telling me to shut up and listen. Now, I know I talk a lot, but I never realized how much until I was unable to do so. It was a very humbling week, to say the least. (Especially during our school's sports day, where I had no voice, but had to cheer my team on... we won, by the way... GO RED TEAM!)<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"Let the wise listen and add to their learning, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and let the discerning get guidance" — Proverbs 1:5</span><br />
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I got to "attend" a wedding over the phone/through Skype a couple of weeks ago, which was a very interesting experience! I'm so glad I got to listen to the ceremony for my friends Megan and Louie. After seeing them and being able to talk to a lot of my other friends at the reception, it made me miss everyone so much. I remembered from last time I was here that the times when I missed home the most was whenever there was an event back home where lots of people from my church were gathered together. But I was thankful for the ability to be a part of the wedding in some way. Technology is truly amazing.<br />
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A week and a half ago, our fall break began at school. My host family and my intern sisters and I all went up north to a cabin the Iverson's own in the mountains, right by the Japanese Alps. It was absolutely beautiful. Coming from Virginia, it's been pretty depressing going into fall and not being able to see trees changing colors in this "forest of steel," as one of the other interns put it. It was absolutely amazing leaving the city, going into the mountains, and seeing the beautiful fall colors everywhere.<br />
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<br />
We basically spent five days in solitude, sitting around reading books and working on puzzles. During that time, I really felt like God was speaking to me and was working in my heart. I read through "A Voice in the Wind" and "An Echo in the Darkness," both by Francine Rivers, while I was in the cabin. Both books made me look at a lot of things in a new perspective and think about things I'd never thought of before, while also hitting me at such a personal level. Those books, combined with the scripture I was reading through at the time, really grabbed me and gave me a sense of peace about a lot of things that had been weighing on my heart for such a long time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Iverson's Cabin</td></tr>
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<br />
To add to all of the things racing through my mind that God was teaching me that week, we came home and had another seminary class that weekend. It's like I was a parched plant in the middle of a desert, and all of the sudden a typhoon came, nourishing me and giving me what I needed, but then there was so much that it just swept me away. God has been blessing me so abundantly with the food that I need, but there's so much of it now that I'm having a hard time swallowing and balancing it all out! It's kind of hilarious. I feel so at peace, but at the same time I'm trying to understand everything I'm learning. It's hard to do that though, because there are so many things that I'm learning and it's making it hard to focus on one thing and figure out what He's telling me about that, and then move on to the next lesson.<br />
<br />
While we were in the mountains, we listened to a sermon by Tim Keller about our heavenly Father. He talked about how we're never satisfied with our "home" here on earth, how we always seem to be looking for that thing or place that makes us feel at home. Then during our intern girls' Bible study, this topic was brought up again. It's such a good reminder for me that my home is not on this earth, but it is in Heaven, where I will spend an eternity with Him. Hallelujah!<br />
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This week I went with some of my friends on a fun little escapade to Tokyo. We went to the Imperial Palace, but apparently you aren't allowed to see it... so... oh well. It was a lot of fun, though! After that, I took everyone to one of my favorite places in Japan - a city called "Tsukishima" that lies in Tokyo prefecture. We all got dinner together and then I took everyone to a place by the river where you can see party boats float by, and Sky Tree in the distance.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/406898_10152186239455018_1880203008_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/406898_10152186239455018_1880203008_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsukishima</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I can't remember if I've said this before in one of my previous blogs, but every Sunday, I try not to plan anything a part from going to church. My reasoning behind this is that every week, without fail, something random happens that ends up taking most of the day. It's always fun going into Sunday without a clue what's going to happen. Sometimes it could be something sad like my host family's dog dying, but most of the time it's something fun and spontaneous. This past Sunday I got to spend time with friends in the afternoon, attended a young adults' worship service in the evening, and went directly from that over to a singing and dance show at Honda Chapel. It was such a fun day, full of God's blessings!<br />
<br />
I keep seeing online that people are writing one thing a day that they're thankful for in November, leading up to Thanksgiving. I like this idea a lot, but I just want to say one thing that I am have been so beyond thankful for recently - my intern sisters. I'm so amazed that God has blessed me with such wonderful new friends who I already feel so close to and look forward to spending the entire day with. I wake up excited every morning, because I get to work, learn, and live with my best friends. I am so encouraged by these girls, and I'm thankful for the relationships we have because of our relationship with our common Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!<br />
<br />
"But he replied to the man who told him, 'Who is my mother, and who are
my brothers?' And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my
Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'" - Matthew 12:48-50<br />
<br />
"So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." - Romans 12:5<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily, Mary Beth, and Me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
In closing, I ask that you would llease be praying for me, that I would seek my Father's wisdom and
guidance about the things He's teaching me, and that I would apply them
to my life in a manner pleasing to Him. At this moment, I'm sitting in
an apartment in Tsukishima (same place in the pictures above of the
party boat,) and I have a lot of time to myself. I'm looking forward to
the things I may learn while I'm here, and I pray that I would grow in
this time alone. Because there is always something to do with the team
here, it's basically impossible to be alone. I pray I would see this
time as a gift that God has given me to better understand Him and my
purpose here in this country. Also, please be praying as we start back at school tomorrow. I'm very excited to get back to seeing the students throughout the week again! I've missed them a lot. Pray for us as we all adjust back into school life.<br />
<br />
"Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" - Psalm 37:4-7<br />
<br />
THIS IS BOB-SCOTT, BY THE WAY! My 7th grade class' plant.<br />
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Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-73328671459440820372012-10-18T08:31:00.002-07:002012-10-18T09:00:18.647-07:00Teaching, Touring, and Things<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
doesn’t come as a surprise to me that I haven’t written a blog in ages. I’m
still disappointed in myself, though! <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why</i>
does this always happen?! No matter how strongly I want to write a blog post,
something always interferes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
suppose that’s a good place to begin this post: ever since I arrived here in
Japan, I hit the ground running full-speed! Thankfully, I didn’t have any
jetlag, just like my previous time here. I am so thankful for the fact that I
didn’t have jetlag, because there was so much that needed to be done and not
enough time to do it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
week before school started, I spent a lot of my time at the school moving
furniture. Because there were so many missionaries arriving and leaving, we
kept a lot of furniture in the attic at school, then we would play musical
chairs *ahaaaaa pun…* by moving furniture from one person’s house to the
school, then from the school to another person’s house, and on and on. It was
one thing that we were lifting ridiculously heavy pieces of furniture, but add
to that the unbearable heat and humidity, (especially on the third floor at
school, which was basically a furnace,) and it was just such an exhausting
task! Thankfully we were able to empty out the classrooms of the unneeded
furniture, though!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
week before school started, the teachers and I went out to lunch. It was a lot
of fun being able to spend time and catch up with these people I hadn’t seen in
so long!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
few days after I arrived here, I began battling a very bad cough and a fever.
Carol took me to a drugstore, and explained my symptoms to the nice man behind
the counter. He found us a box of medicine, and assured us that it was, in
fact, the “most popular cough medicine right now.” So don’t worry everyone – I’m
only taking the popular drugs!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
first week of school, Carol and I were the only teachers in the English track
at school. (It was a lot of work, but thankfully God provided another intern
who arrived the following week!) It was nice getting back into the familiar
routine of things at school. I am teaching English to the Japanese students in
1<sup>st</sup>-5<sup>th</sup> grade, tutoring one 6<sup>th</sup> grade Japanese
girl in English, and I am teaching elementary art, but I am mostly focused on
teaching the 7<sup>th</sup> graders in the E-track.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Teaching
English to the Japanese kids this time around is so much easier! Last time I
taught them, I didn’t know Japanese at all, so it was quite a challenge. This
time, I know a lot more Japanese, and it is so useful in that class! (The looks
on the students’ faces when they realized I understood what they were saying were
absolutely hilarious!) This class is definitely not completely easy, though. It’s
taken a lot of work to figure out where each of the students is linguistically,
and now I’m at the point where I’m trying to assign the right kinds of material
to match their abilities. It’s a challenge, but so far God has given me the
strength and provision I need to make class happen every week, and I have full
confidence that He will continue to provide!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I love tutoring this one girl, Annemie,
in English! We became very good friends last time I was here, so I’m happy that
I get to teach her again!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/6070_10152051164650018_2035294740_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/6070_10152051164650018_2035294740_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annemie and me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Elementary
art has been a struggle for me. It’s a bilingual class, so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> of the elementary kids are in this class. It’s hard
communicating with them sometimes, and it requires a lot of (a LOT of) patience.
Someone has graciously decided to take over that class for me, so I am
incredibly thankful!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
absolutely love teaching the 7<sup>th</sup> grade class! This is definitely my
favorite class! I have five students in this class: two Japanese boys, two
Korean girls, and one Filipino girl. It is so much fun teaching these kids! I
laugh so much everyday thanks to them! Every time I have to read something
aloud out of a book, they ask me to read it in an accent. (So far their
favorites are the Chinese accent and the Valley Girl.) We have a plant. I told
them to name him, and two of the students shouted names at the same time:
"Bob!" "Scott!" So, its name is Bob Scott. They love that
plant so much, it's great! We're all so protective of it. This past Friday we
had a pretty big earthquake during class, and as we were all getting under our
desks, one of the students screamed, “BOB-SCOTT! GET UNDER THE DESK!!!” So, I
rolled out from under my desk, leaped across the room, grabbed Bob-Scott, and
dove back under my desk. Then there's Perry, the rubber Dingo Dog one of the
younger students at school gave me. Perry didn't make it very long. He lasted
about two weeks, then Perry "died." (AKA, one of the students took a
red sharpie and drew all over Perry as "blood.") So, we buried Perry
in Bob Scott's soil. Every day we mourn over the loss of Perry. The other day I
gave the kids a homework assignment: I told them they had to find things to pin
to this empty cork board we have at the back of the classroom. I was getting
sick of looking at it because it looked so boring. So I told them to get things
to pin to it. So far, we have a picture of a ghost, a drawn wanted poster with
my face on it, a poster of a red panda, a drawing of two guys in a rocket ship,
a picture of dinosaurs terrorizing a city, a drawing of a unicorn, and one of
the kids ran home and came back with a Legos Pirates of the Caribbean poster.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A few weeks ago, I was able to attend my
first Japanese wedding. It was so beautiful! It was a western-style wedding,
but it was all in Japanese. I really enjoyed it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/542025_10152074135825018_1833813438_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/542025_10152074135825018_1833813438_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my students and I at the wedding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Recently,
God has really provided for the needs of CCSI. As of right now, we have a total
of four interns, including myself, working at the school! (They are all living
in the same house as me, as well.) It’s been so interesting adjusting from it
just being me in this house with my host family, to having three new “siblings.”
It’s definitely an adventure!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ve
started a weekly girl interns’ Bible study, which I am so thankful to be doing
again. It is led by Carol Iverson, and we are currently reading through the “Prodigal
God.” Last time I was here, we read this, and apparently the interns that came
the year after me did it too, but didn’t finish. One of those interns, Mary
Beth, is back again for this school year, so we decided to just pick up where
she and Carol had left off. So, every week we all meet at Starbucks, read our
book, and enjoy fellowshipping and growing together.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Through
some strange series of events, Mary Beth and I are now taking a seminary class
together. We were asked if we wanted to start taking this course, but it was
very expensive, so I didn’t think I would be able to. But God provided the
funds for us to be able to take it, so here we are! It is being streamed to the
school we work at from Christ Bible Institute in Nagoya, Japan, and is being
led by a man named “Michael Oh.” We have had two classes so far, and both have
been challenging in a good way. I am very excited that I have the opportunity
to be a part of this class! The course is on “Personal Holiness.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last Monday, all of us interns went to a
university festival with some friends of ours. It was at Tokyo Christian
University, so all of the events there were God-themed, which was very cool. (I
mean, it’s not every day that you get to see Power Rangers jumping around with
a guitar and giving thanks to God!) One of my very good friends is attending
this university this semester, so it was fun getting to see her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
past Monday, I played the role of “tour guide” and took the new interns to
Tokyo for the day. We went to a place called “Asakusa,” where a very popular
Buddhist temple is (the oldest in Tokyo.) The street leading up to the temple
is lined with little shops and vendors. Thankfully, we went on a Monday, so it
wasn’t as crowded as it would be on the weekend, which I was very grateful for!
(There was still quite a large amount of people there, though.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">While looking
around one of the shops, my friend and I were both buying t-shirts. The man
running the shop came up to us and tried to help us find the right size shirts.
When we both decided on the shirts we wanted to buy, he said, “Wait one moment!
I go wrap it beautifully for you!” in the cutest broken English. It was so
funny! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
we got closer to the temple, I started to get very sad. As we approached the
steps to the temple, I looked around and saw people gathered around what looked
like a fire pit where incense was being burned. The people were trying to fan
the incense smoke onto their bodies. They believe that the smoke has healing
powers. Near the incense was a fountain with ladles resting against it. It is
believe that you must purify yourself before entering the temple, so people
poured water from the ladles to clean their hands. They also poured water into
their cupped hands and put the water in their mouths, rinsed, and spit to “rid
them of impurities.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
entered the temple, and people were gathered around what I thought at first was
a giant fan. They would bow, toss a coin in, clap their hands, and then say a
prayer. As I was watching all of this, the monks inside were performing some
ceremony, and then began to play ominous sounding drums. It was so eerie. (I
was reminded of an Indiana Jones movie.) I went outside and started praying so
fervently for the people inside. In America, I never really saw much of other
religious practices outside of the Christian faith. Sure, there are so many
different kinds of churches in America, but I had never visited a place like a
temple and seen people worshiping false gods like this. Every ounce of my being
wanted to run through the temple screaming, “STOP! Jesus loves you!” It was
painful to watch. While everyone was throwing money into the fan thing and praying, I started thinking about the God I believe in. Instead of me paying Him for my salvation, He sent His Son to pay the price it cost for my sins to be wiped clean - all because He loves me! Instead of me saying, "Okay, I've given you my money, now answer my prayer!" He says, "I paid for you to be clean - ask and it shall be given to you! If you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains! I don't need your money!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After visiting the temple, we all decided
to walk to Tokyo Sky Tree, which was just recently finished being constructed.
(Last time I was here, they were just starting to build it, so it was cool
getting to see the finished project!) It is the tallest tower in the world, and
the second tallest structure. As we were walking there, we stopped and took a bunch
of goofy pictures. There was one place where we stopped and this Japanese man
came up to us and kept trying to help us get the angle right to make it look
like Emily (one of the interns) was holding Sky Tree. Eventually the man just
took the camera out of my hands and took the picture himself. It was so funny!!
Every time he didn’t take it quite right, he would say, “Ah! Mistake!” and would
try again.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/284021_10152148330045018_880690266_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/284021_10152148330045018_880690266_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily holding Sky Tree</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After
Monday, I ended up being extremely exhausted. I haven’t really had a day off in
about two weeks, so I’m very tired. I was going to take the day off on Monday,
but my host dad really wanted someone to lead the interns around Tokyo that
day, so I volunteered when he couldn’t find anyone. I’m paying for it now. I
have a cold and a slight cough. Normally, I wouldn’t be too put off by these
two sicknesses, but I have also lost my voice, which is incredibly frustrating
when you’re a teacher.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yesterday
was my birthday, and I am very grateful that I wasn’t too sick then. The
teachers and some of my friends “surprised” me that evening by coming over for
dinner. I say “surprised” because one of the teachers was talking about it in
Japanese at school during lunch the day before my birthday, and she forgot that
I speak Japanese now. They all tried to cover it up, but it was really funny!
So they all came over and we had a wonderful time! I felt so incredibly
blessed. I was asked what my favorite thing about the past year was, and I said
that it was definitely coming back to Japan. As my mom said to me, “<span class="usercontent">I'm pretty certain the best birthday present ever happened
when your plane landed in Japan a couple of months ago.” This is the truth. I
am still so shocked and amazed that God led me to return here.</span></span><span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I will stop here, and hopefully I will be
able to find the time to write blogs more frequently so they are not so long! I
apologize! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. Please pray for
my health, as I seem to be getting sick a lot recently. Please pray that I
would have wisdom and patience with the students and for my relationships with
the other interns – that we would grow in our relationships with Christ and
each other.</span></span></div>
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<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In and through Him,</span></span></div>
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<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Melanie</span></span></div>
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<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here are a couple of videos I’ve made
since I arrived here. The first is a few random clips I took my first couple of
weeks here, and the second is all about some very interesting food I’ve had the
pleasure of eating! Enjoy!</span></span></div>
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Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-43517575436241309302012-08-27T09:02:00.000-07:002012-08-27T09:02:31.545-07:00ただいま!I'm Home!<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That's right - I'm home. My first couple of days here felt like I was floating through a dream. Mostly because I've had countless dreams about this place, so it would make sense for it to be a figment of the hopes that once filled my sleep.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I came home from Japan last year, there was an indescribable hurt, a longing, that filled every part of me. I went through such a dark period for a long time, and I don't think I was ever really clear of it. Things didn't seem right where I was. I kept telling myself that God wanted me to be home for a reason - but why? What reason could He have had for me being home? I wanted to go back. I wanted to go back <i>so</i> badly! It hurt me so deeply. I've never been in a relationship, but I think I can say with certainty that I experienced my first feeling of a broken heart. (I explained this to one of my friends later as a "geographical breakup.") I had countless dreams of me going back. I woke up sad each time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was bitter and angry. No one understood what I was going through. How could they? Especially after all that had happened while I was gone. No one had experienced an earthquake like that! No one knew! But that was because I didn't tell anyone. I didn't open up. I locked myself up inside, putting barriers all around. I was full of anger, bitterness, and hurt, yes - but also pride. I didn't <i>want</i> anyone to know. I assumed all they would try to do would be to sympathize with me, so why bother? I didn't want sympathy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After months upon months of these feelings, there came a time where I mentioned something to a large group of people about Japan. Someone made a remark about the earthquake, and I suddenly found myself pouring out my heart about the whole experience. I felt a giant weight lifting off of me as I talked. Afterwards, a few of my friends approached me individually and told me how meaningful it was for them to hear that and how much it impacted them. I stopped in my tracks and realized how self-absorbed I had been prior to that day. I kept thinking of how it would affect <i>me</i> to tell people these things - how it would make <i>me</i> feel. I never once stopped to think of how it would affect others because of the experience God put me through. It's all for <i>HIM</i>! His name be praised! <i>"</i></span><span class="text 2Cor-12-9" id="en-NIV-29032"><i>But he said to me, <span class="woj">'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ' </span> Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little while later, God landed an absolutely incredible passage of scripture in my lap. </span><br />
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<i>"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
troubles, <b>so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves receive from God.</b> For just as we share abundantly in the
sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. <b>If we
are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are
comforted, it is for your comfort, </b>which produces in you patient
endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is
firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also
you share in our comfort." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were two occasions where I sent this passage to friends who were hurting, and when I did, it affected me so powerfully. God put me through the pain of leaving the land I loved so I could comfort others later on who would experience similar hurts. God shares in my sufferings. He shares in my comforts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This summer, I really feel like I grew so much closer to a lot of my friends - many of whom I had grown up with my whole life. In the past few months I feel like I really came to know them better than I had in the past 5, 10, 15+ years. I think it was because my being gone from them for six months made me appreciate so many things about them that I never stopped to take the time to notice before. I have such amazing, beautiful, wonderful friends. They are such blessings to me. And that worried me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the time drew closer for me to return to Japan, I became sad. I felt like I had just gotten to know everyone so incredibly well, and then I was leaving. I didn't want to leave them behind - I loved these people! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last time I went to Japan, I couldn't get out of America fast enough. I was beyond excited and was throwing myself full steam ahead. I had just graduated high school, and I think I had that feeling of, "I need to find myself," along with the fact that I loved everything I knew about Japan. Two weeks after my 18th birthday, I moved to Japan. (Nothing like graduating into adulthood by moving to the other side of the world.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time, I was sort of oblivious to the fact that I was going to Japan. I mean, I knew I was going, it just didn't <i>hit</i> me that I was going. I figured that until it did hit me, I would just assume that my feelings and emotions would be the exact same as last time. So, while I waited, I acted super excited (which I was in a way,) and kept telling people I couldn't wait to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One week before my plane was set to leave - it hit me. But this time, instead of throwing myself as hard as I could against the reigns to go, I dug my heels into the dirt with such intense vigor. I was having an internal war with myself. "How can I leave?! I can't leave! I'm just getting so close to everyone here! I love these people! How can I leave this?! And for a <i>year? </i>Impossible. But no, I miss my students in Japan so much. No! I want to stay!" It was mayhem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then I had a talk with one of my dearest friends, who knew exactly how I was feeling. After talking to them, I felt so encouraged and comforted. I was excited to go back. Sure, it wasn't with the same intensity as last time, but I was excited.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day I left, I was at the airport surrounded by my family and a few friends who braved the early morning hours to see me off. I felt loved. As I was sitting there with them, I felt at peace. Peace with the relationships I had, peace about leaving, peace about what God had in store for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I entered dreamland. I was on a plane to Japan. But was I really? There was a close call at LAX (my connecting flight) where I was told I wouldn't be allowed to go to Japan because I didn't have a return-home ticket. After countless prayers and what seemed like ages, things worked out just fine and I was allowed to go to my gate. I was ecstatic. It hit me then that there was absolutely <i>nothing</i> that could get in the way of me and Japan if that was where God wanted me to be! I was so confident as I boarded my flight. I knew I would have to go through immigration when I got there and that I had had issues with that last time, but I didn't care. I knew that if God wanted me there, I was getting in! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the plane drew close to Tokyo, I peeked out the window to see if I could catch a glimpse of the city. We weren't close enough to see it yet, but I did get an eyeful of the gorgeous star-strewn night sky! It was absolutely beautiful. The moon was shining brightly on the ocean and made such a beautiful image. I stared at it for about 10 minutes... and then the city came in view. I can't remember the last time I smiled so big. There it was - the place that caused so many tear-filled nights and my broken heart. It was there. It was waiting for me! The lights of the city were shining so brilliantly. I could feel God's love for me in the lights of a city. I almost burst into tears as the plane hit the airfield. I was back. I was <i>home</i>. (I almost screamed this in Japanese, but thought better of it as I looked around at my fellow sleepy passengers.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got off the plane and bolted to the bathroom. There it was - a Japanese toilet! Yes, this may sound odd, but that was the first thing I saw that really made me aware that I was in Japan! The insane amount of buttons on the side, the strange stream noise that goes off as soon as you sit down so as to drown out any "embarrassing sounds." Yeah, it's weird - but it's Japan!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After that, I walked to immigration. There were so many people there, so it took a really long time. There was a lady going through the crowd checking everyone's passports and forms to make sure everything was filled out correctly. She came to me and I was able to use a little bit of Japanese, which was awesome. When it was my turn, I walked up and confidently gave the person there my passport. 2 minutes later, I was walking through customs with all my luggage (PRAISE GOD, MY LUGGAGE WAS THERE!!) and a huge smile on my face! But... no one was there waiting for me. Uh-oh. That was unexpected. I meandered about for a couple of minutes, but found no one there. I pulled aside for a second and tried to figure out what my next step should be. I was just convincing myself to exchange the few dollars I had into yen to I could make a phone call when I spotted my ride. Apparently, my flight was a little early. My host mom and my roommate from last time (she's studying at a university in Tokyo this semester and came to visit) came to pick me up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we started driving, I realized how normal I felt. Yes, I was excited to be back in Japan and to see the two of them, but at the same time things felt completely normal. Last time I couldn't keep my eyes off of the street signs and buildings and cars and everything. This time, it felt like it was a normal day in my normal life and I was driving to my normal home. It was good to be back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We got to the house and I sat down with the rest of my host family and we all caught each other up on the goings-on in our lives. After that, I unpacked all of my bags (into the same room I had before, so I knew exactly where to put everything) and then plopped down on my Japanese futon. I had missed that so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just like last time, I had no jetlag. What a blessing! I woke up the next morning and was ready to conquer the day! Carol (my host mom) and I drove to the school where I will be working again. I spent most of the day going over the curriculum I will be using for English class. I got to see the other teachers and a couple of the students as well! It was so good to see everyone again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That evening, Jenna (my roommate) and I went to the city to get one of the greatest Japanese foods of all time - ramen. We took the bus there, and I had my first stupid foreigner moment. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was getting off the bus and paying, but apparently I was putting my
money in the wrong slot. Every time I put a coin in, it shot out a ton
of coins, and I was SO confused! Apparently there was a place to pay,
and a place to make change for yourself. Ugh, the poor bus driver - he
was so nice and patient as he told me how it worked. I felt like such an
idiot, though. The embarrassing part was that there was a line of people
behind me waiting to get off, and they were probably thinking, "stupid
foreigner." Oh well, we learn from our mistakes! And I was due for a moment of humbling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We walked to the ramen shop, which is owned by one of my very good friend's dad. He was very welcoming and excited to see us. He kept thanking me, because his daughter had come and stayed with me in America last month. (He ended up not charging us for the ramen. The only thing better than ramen is <i>free</i> ramen!) One of the other members (who is also my neighbor here) of the team I'm working with just happened to be at the ramen shop as well. It was fun being there with people I know and laughing together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That evening I came home and took my host family's dog, Rusty, for a walk because he was whining a lot. While I was walking him, someone pulled up and parked their car right by me on the road. It was the wife of the man who owns the ramen shop I had just come from! It was such a random encounter, but it was so good to see her!! One thing I love about Japan is that I feel like I'm always running into someone I know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The next day I went to the school again for more lesson planning and saw even more of the students! They never fail to bring a smile to my face. :) I had to go to the post office to get some money out of the ATM, so I decided to walk there from the school. I was asked, "Do you remember how to get there?" I don't think I could forget. I walked around so much last time I was here. I loved walking along the familiar road, stopping to get one of my favorite drinks out of what would be a randomly placed vending machine by America's standards, but here is completely normal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That evening, some of my Japanese friends dropped by to say hello. They brought me delicious Asian pears and Japanese snacks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Sunday morning, I awoke to the familiar smell of coffee cake for breakfast. I had forgotten - every Sunday morning, this was what was eaten in this house. I am so excited to be a part of this routine again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After breakfast, we went to church in the building right next to our school. I joined in on an adults' Sunday School before the church service. It was in English, which I was thankful for, because the church service is entirely in Japanese. Right now they are talking about Romans in SS. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that out. It's been a desire of mine for maybe two years to be a part of a Sunday School or Bible Study focusing on Romans. It's so cool that God has given me that opportunity, even if it has been two years since that desire of mine began.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During the church service, we sang well-known worship music in Japanese. I can't tell you how much I had missed this. I have such an attachment to Japanese worship songs, because that's how I taught myself one of the Japanese alphabets last time I was here. It was so cool being able to sing and actually understand a lot of the words this time, though. I even understood a good amount of the sermon, which was also in Japanese!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After church, so many people came up to me and welcomed me back. I got to see more of my students from last time, as well! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">God also answered another huge prayer of mine that day! Last time I was in Japan, I feel like I spent a lot of time hanging out with the other interns - going to do lots of fun things together. This wasn't exactly a bad thing, but I knew a little bit then and think back strongly on it now about how much I wished I could have spent more time with my students and the Japanese people. Last time I would work hard at the school during the day, but at the end of the day and on the weekends, the interns and I would go out to eat or go to Tokyo or whatever. I realize how much of my free time was spent doing fun touristy stuff, instead of getting to know the people here more. This time around, I've been praying that God would provide opportunities for me to spend time with more people. Well, after the service on Sunday, I had multiple people come up to me, people I didn't really see much last time, and they said how much they wanted to hang out with me! I was blown away and <i>so</i> excited! God is answering my prayers in such unbelievable ways!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I went home on Sunday afternoon, and got the urge to go on a photographic extravaganza. The rice paddies right by my house were in bloom and looked absolutely beautiful! So, I packed up my camera and my iPod and went on a walk. As soon as I stepped outside, I was amazed at how cool it was. The weather has been in the 90's since I got here with so much humidity, but a breeze had rolled in and made it feel wonderful out! I decided to walk to the park about 5 minutes away by foot. I found a little grassy spot in the middle of this pond area that was secluded and beautiful, and just sat there for about half an hour, enjoying the day. (I couldn't help but think of Winnie the Pooh and his "thinking spot" as I sat there.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That evening, I asked Jenna if she wanted to come with me to the Starbucks just down the road. It's a favorite spot of ours, so we walked there together. It was fun ordering my usual drink in Japanese again. Last time I didn't speak much Japanese, but man, did I know how to order my Starbucks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I spent most of the day today setting up and organizing one of (yes, this implies more than one) my classrooms at the school. Today I focused on the middle school room, where I'll be teaching pre-algebra, language arts, Bible, and tutoring someone in English. It was fun organizing desks and shelves how I wanted them organized. :D</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The rest of this week, I will be lesson planning in preparation of school starting next week. There is lots to do, so please be praying!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, I seem to have come down with a nasty cough. I absolutely <i>detest</i> coughs more than any other illness, so obviously it makes sense for that to be the first sickness I catch in Japan. Please, <i>please</i> be praying for my health! I would hate to not have a voice the first week of school, and it's just not fun being sick!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am about to keel over from exhaustion, so I'd better go. I apologize for the length of this blog. I really didn't expect it to be this long! If you read it all the way through, you are a champ!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thank you for your prayers and messages and comments and all of the wonderful things people have been messaging me. I am one blessed girl. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Melanie </span>Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-83865695154752315412012-07-22T23:07:00.000-07:002012-07-22T23:07:06.789-07:00Yard Sale Update<div style="text-align: center;">
I can't believe how much stuff was donated for this yard sale!!! We ended up raising over $2,100! AMAZING!!! God really does provide! This brings me up to about 42%. So grateful for all of the donations brought in, the people who shopped around, and the people who donated their time to setting up on Friday night and running the thing on Saturday! I know some absolutely wonderful people. I could really feel Christ's love for me through these people this weekend. :) Here are some pictures:</div>
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These are some people who came in to shop before our official "open" time! Who knew yard salers were so hardcore?! CRAZY!</div>
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<br /></div>Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-79044134598047187572012-07-19T01:26:00.001-07:002012-07-19T01:26:19.200-07:00The Support, the Friends, and the Yard SaleHi friends! I'd say it's about time to write an update, wouldn't you agree? Let's get crackin'!<br />
<br />
So, support raising is a bit sluggish at the moment, but it's thanks to my previous learning experience with support raising that I can say that I am really trusting God through this whole process. If He taught me anything from last time, it was that He has a plan and timing for everything! It could be so easy to feel heavyhearted that the support isn't coming in very quickly, and there are times when I begin to get discouraged, but at the moment I am so thankful that He has provided any support at all! I feel confident that He wants me to go back - I'm just unaware of how long He wants me to be there. But that's okay, because however long I will be there will be by His timing, and I can only pray that I would glorify Him through the whole experience and that He would use me in whatever way He chooses.<br />
<br />
About a month ago, I had the wonderful opportunity of having one of my
good friends from Japan visit with me for a few days. It was so
wonderful being able to see someone from Japan after being away for over
a year! I loved having my two worlds - my American family and my Japan
family - together! And it was all through Christ that it was possible!
While she was here, I was able to practice my Japanese, and she her
English. It was so nice having a one-on-one tutor to answer all of my
silly questions, and to teach me origami. :) It was also fun introducing her to many new things!
We went to the D.C. Zoo together, made pizza at my house (her pizzas
looked so much better than mine, which is a little embarrassing
considering my occupation is making the stuff ;-)) and she got to
experience her first American wedding! Having her here made me
appreciate the little things about my everyday life that I take for
granted. Every morning when I woke up I would find her looking out my
bedroom window at my yard, and she would always say, "So green!" I had
forgotten how much I had loved when I came home from Japan last time to
find the beautiful green of Virginia, and realized how much I had missed
it while being away. Having her here also fed the fire of my excitement
of going back to Japan. It was so cool when we were saying our goodbyes
and were able to say, "Bye! See you in Japan!" and talk about the plans we've already made of what we're going to do together when we both return.<br />
<br />
I'm very excited because my church is hosting a giant yard sale this Saturday as a fundraiser event for my Japan trip! It's going to be so much fun, and I am so overjoyed and grateful for the (literal) mounds of donations my church and friends have brought for the yard sale! Please be praying that it would be a successful event, and that the weather would stay nice!<br />
<br />
One thing I've been realizing recently is how much more difficult leaving will be this time. When I returned from Japan last year, I think I realized how much I had taken all of my wonderful relationships here for granted. I feel like in the last year I've become so much closer to so many people than I have in the decade or more that I've known them. It's so wonderful, but at the same time I am sad to be leaving so soon after building these relationships up even stronger. When I left for Japan for the first time, I honestly wasn't sad at all. I was so incredibly excited beyond belief, that there was no trace of sadness. It was a wonderful, adventurous experiment that I was looking forward to braving through! This time, it's so familiar and yet new at the same time. I am a changed person from the last time I left. This time will be different on many levels.<br />
<br />
Yes, I will be sad to leave this time, but I am still incredibly excited to return to the country I love so dearly! I can't wait to see my old students! I can't wait to walk the streets of Chiba and Tokyo again! I can't wait to be able to speak and learn more Japanese! I can't wait to see my friends and Japan family! I can't wait to worship in Japanese again! I can't wait for the new experiences God has in store for me!Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-20443566142520195622012-06-08T11:55:00.000-07:002012-06-08T12:12:30.976-07:00Update: Japan Round Two!This past weekend I had the wonderful privilege of
spending some much needed vacation time at a young adults’ retreat in Pennsylvania with my church friends. While I
was there, I had some great conversations that made me realize I haven’t done a
good job at communicating exactly what I’m preparing to do in regards to Japan, and felt very
compelled to write to you all when I returned.
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I can’t even begin to describe the joy God has given me at the chance
to return to Japan! Every day
I get one step closer to returning to the land God has put on my heart to love
so dearly. At this point, the only duties I am aware of receiving upon my
arrival will be teaching and tutoring English. I will be teaching first-sixth graders, a
majority of whom are past students of mine, which I am absolutely thrilled
about! I will also be tutoring two of my previous Japanese students in English
as they begin to take all of their seventh grade classes in English for the
first time. I will be helping them conversationally and with writing as they
start to write essays. There is always the high likelihood that I will take on
many other tasks while there. I am so excited about the new - and yet familiar -
duties I will be taking on!</div>
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My prayer is to be able to stay in Japan an entire
school year, unlike last time where I was only there for six months, meaning I
left in the middle of the school year. I have been invited and welcomed with
many loving and open arms to this idea. My correspondents and I have been
talking about me leaving in late August of this year and returning in early
July of next. In order for me to stay this long, I will need to raise a total
of $20,000. (With the funds I have raised so far, that leaves about $16,000 I still need to raise.) This will cover my travel, housing, utilities, food money, on-field
transportation, and other on-field ministry expenses. With this in mind, I ask
that you would support me in prayer that I would be able to raise these funds
before I leave. I ask that you would also pray to ask God if He may be calling
you to support me financially. While this may seem like a large sum of money, I
have assurance that God will provide for however long He wishes me to be there,
and that the support will come in His timing. </div>
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Should you feel God is calling you to help support me financially, please feel free to email me at flipflopsinwinter7@yahoo.com and I will give you the information you need. To put the amount of money I have to
raise into a different perspective, if 50 people pledged $30 to my account
monthly, this would cover all of my costs of living in Japan.</div>
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I would also like to ask for prayer for some friends of mine in Japan whose
daughter, Maia, has been experiencing heart issues since she was born almost
one year ago. She has a doctor’s appointment today, and they are praying to
finally receive a surgery date to repair the hole in Maia’s heart. (They
haven’t received a surgery date in the past because of other health issues.)</div>
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I would like to thank you for your prayers and support as I prepare to
leave. I can’t thank God enough for the loving church, family, and friends He has given me. I
have received so many loving words of encouragement, and I am incredibly
grateful! </div>
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If you would like to contact me about Japan, please
feel free to email me:</div>
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<a href="mailto:Flipflopsinwinter7@yahoo.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flipflopsinwinter7@yahoo.com</a></div>
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<b>“I will instruct you and teach you in the
way you should go;</b><b> I will counsel
you with my loving eye on you.” – Psalm 32:8</b></div>
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Through
Him,</div>
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Melanie</div>Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-66448186374648186522012-02-29T02:22:00.000-08:002012-02-29T02:22:57.307-08:00Insomniatic Realization<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I can’t sleep. I can‘t stop thinking about Japan! As soon as I think one thing about Japan, my mind immediately goes into Japan overload and I start thinking about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">everything</i> Japan related! <br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I want to go back. That’s a definite. Of course, I wanted to go back the day I got back to the States in May. I knew I would go back, but when? My ideas for when to go didn’t seem at all as concrete as the last time I felt compelled to go. Every time I came up with a date, the idea would crash and burn harder than the Titanic vs. the iceberg. I got in contact with MTW about the possibility of me going for a month in July. I was told there wasn’t a need at that time. Hrm, okay, God was telling me no. That’s all right. Oh, but they asked if I’d be willing to stay for a longer period of time because of the need for teachers the next school year. I was kind of planning on studying Japanese next school year so… no? But then I started thinking about it.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why couldn’t I stay later? Was it crucial for me to study Japanese at that exact time? Wasn’t it silly to say, “No, I can’t come to Japan because I’m busy studying Japanese”? Why did I feel more inclined towards the idea of staying longer than I did for going for only a month? I was pretty set on only being there for a month, and then this request was made of me and I suddenly felt more confident to do that? Okay, God was definitely telling me <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">something</i>! But unlike the first time I went, I wasn’t sure with every ounce of my being that this was what God was calling me to do. Okie dokie, time to pray, Melanie! So I did.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve been praying about it, and although I don’t feel the same fiery, intense, I-know-beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt-that-this-is-what-I’m-being-called-to-do feeling behind going as I did last time, I really am starting to think that this may be what God is calling me to do.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I became sure of this just a few minutes ago as I realized that God was showing me for the bazillionth time that it’s His timing - not mine - that matters! When am I going to lock that away and remember it forever? It’s so dang <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">important</i>!<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And so, while Melanie frolics about saying, “I’m going to Japan in July for a month and then I’m coming home to study some more, blah, blah, blah-“ God decided to roll up a newspaper, smack her across the nose (in the most loving way possible, of course) and say, “Oh, nu-uh girlfriend! You’re going to go next school year and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">teach</i>!” To this Melanie responded with an articulate, “Wha-?” God nodded. Melanie looked puzzled, and proceeded to impress the masses with the beautiful use of the conjunction, “But!” God shook His head and finger and said, “Get the picture, girl! <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You</i> may want to go in July for a month, but guess what? What <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>want and need is for you to go for the whole school year.” Melanie nodded slowly, still not grasping His words entirely.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m finally starting to get it. “His will, not my wants.” I said this to myself about an hour ago, and it finally hit me. This is what He wants, and if it’s not, then it’s not going to happen – I’m sure of that.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So I could use some prayer, because I’m going to be saying “yes” to working at CCSI next school year – and I can’t tell you how excited that makes me!<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I initially decided to write this as a journal entry to myself in an attempt to organize the thoughts running through my head, but as I kept writing, I realized this is stuff I want and need people to read so they can be praying for me. Would you mind doing so?<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve already begun the application process, now it’s just a matter of letting the right people know that I really do feel like this is what God seems to be leading me to do.<br />
<br />
“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” – 1 John 2:17<br />
<br />
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” – James 1:5</span>Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-85484019869751803772011-03-13T01:14:00.000-08:002011-03-13T01:16:35.734-08:00Shaken, Not Stirred<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> I was teaching English class on the second floor of the school when it all happened. At first, we all noticed the rumbling and didn’t think much of it because earthquakes happen so frequently here. But then it started gaining in intensity. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and you could see it in everyone’s faces as the realization hit that this wasn’t just another earthquake – this was a <i>big</i> one! The building started shaking like nothing I’d ever felt before. Everyone bolted for the stairs. We all ran to a small field right outside of the school and stood or sat there, feeling the earth shaking beneath our feet. A few of the younger students ran straight at me when we got to the field and they wrapped their arms around me, clutching my coat with all of their strength. I sat on the ground with them, holding them as tight as I could. So many scared faces could be seen in clusters all around me. <br />
As we were all sitting there, prayers could be heard in English and Japanese coming from small groups of students and teachers alike. I had my Bible out at one point and started reading Psalm 46 aloud. A few people came over to listen, including some of the Japanese kids who could only understand limited amounts of English.<br />
If I had to describe what the earthquake felt like, I’d say it reminded me of when I was little and I used to spin around in circles very fast in my living room and then plop to the floor. The ground beneath me would feel as though it were twisting and turning back and forth. It certainly doesn’t make you react the same way when it’s happening without you being dizzy.<br />
When the initial earthquake was over, which lasted a little over five minutes, we were told that where we were it had reached 7.8 on the Richter scale, and that the epicenter was at 8.9. Most of us rushed into the school to see if everything was okay. Some of us went to the third floor of the school where we keep all of our books and curriculums. They were strewn across the floor. Pieces of shelves lay there with nails sticking up dangerously. It was a mess. We all went back downstairs and I watched as the students tried to call their families and weren’t able to get through due to the lines being busy. I felt odd not calling anyone, because the only people close enough to me that could be in danger were all in that building. (Thank God my family was home in Virginia, safe and sound!)<br />
As I was in the building, the first aftershock hit. We all ran back outside to the field. The aftershock was long and intense, a lot like the earthquake. At one point, we could all smell a dangerous amount of gas. A couple of adults ran into the school and church to turn off the gas so the buildings wouldn’t explode. Lots of kids were crying, so a couple of the teachers and I were doing our best to comfort them. I was going from student to student until I was sure they were well enough that I could go to another person. There was one little boy in particular who was standing alone covering his face and shivering, so I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly. After a long time, I could finally feel him relaxing. <br />
When the earthquake and aftershocks were happening, I didn’t find myself scared at all. I was more in awe than anything else. I kept thinking, “Whoa! My God <i>made</i> this!” I could really feel His power as He shook the earth! The lyrics to “I Lift Up My Eyes” kept running through my head as well: “He will not let your foot be moved. He who watches over you will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord Himself watches over you; He is your shade at your right hand. So the sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by the night.”<br />
Parents began to show up at the school gradually and took their kids home. Those who were still at the school went into Honda Chapel next door because it was a very cold day going on an even colder evening. Everyone had cell phones, iPods, and laptops out to keep trying to get in contact with loved ones or to read articles and watch videos from the news. At one point most of us were crowded around one laptop and watched live footage of the tsunami and all the destruction it brought with it. We watched as a giant wall of water chased after cars that were desperately trying to escape on the roads. At one point it showed an aerial view of the water encircling a few cars that immediately stopped driving and just stayed there as the water closed in around them. The video feed ended just before it hit the cars. We all started praying right then and there and many of us were crying, including me. It really changes your perspective on things when you’re in such close proximity to a historical natural disaster as it unfolds. The footage we’ve been seeing has looked just like something out of a natural disaster movie. But this was really happening. Real people were dying and it was happening so close to where I was staying. And the chances of those people being Christians was so slim. We were all praying for them, that somehow God would have made Himself known to them in their last moments.<br />
I was able to pull my computer out and Skype with my family at one point. As I was talking to them and assuring them that I was okay, everyone in the chapel went crowding over to the windows. I looked out and saw a mound of fire shooting into the sky. An oil refinery just five and a half miles from the house I’m staying in had exploded. 100 foot high flames could be seen easily from the chapel. I was able to show my parents some of the flames as it was happening. I talked to one of my English students and he told me that he was counting when the explosion happened, and five seconds later the doors to the chapel slammed shut with the force of the explosion. I saw two other explosions after the first one come from the same refinery.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyc-jav9o_h9hkhuNYfUsjAzMAGhzdN3k2OoxBjZI6ybC6hiwhZLitQ5_oGghoj98NhEeCuoGVrhWS4TP-0KBbKYMYvxp_OAs1RY6DOmG0yp6hjLQmTzkcyMl8v_CWHM-gH5taHeag_twc/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyc-jav9o_h9hkhuNYfUsjAzMAGhzdN3k2OoxBjZI6ybC6hiwhZLitQ5_oGghoj98NhEeCuoGVrhWS4TP-0KBbKYMYvxp_OAs1RY6DOmG0yp6hjLQmTzkcyMl8v_CWHM-gH5taHeag_twc/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmh4cvGLsrzRBrsd78Kr8VsI8WBYq6vIA2UlfpJdGwbEpE9spxLpJoaUsIbH_RlFtG_a_C3xX3Pz9eS53iiXr1RBZ5NKWEVLU1MYyKVtgWi7n8PCNsFk25RUWseQ5krK9YAs7HhkBrIp4S/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmh4cvGLsrzRBrsd78Kr8VsI8WBYq6vIA2UlfpJdGwbEpE9spxLpJoaUsIbH_RlFtG_a_C3xX3Pz9eS53iiXr1RBZ5NKWEVLU1MYyKVtgWi7n8PCNsFk25RUWseQ5krK9YAs7HhkBrIp4S/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmh4cvGLsrzRBrsd78Kr8VsI8WBYq6vIA2UlfpJdGwbEpE9spxLpJoaUsIbH_RlFtG_a_C3xX3Pz9eS53iiXr1RBZ5NKWEVLU1MYyKVtgWi7n8PCNsFk25RUWseQ5krK9YAs7HhkBrIp4S/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmh4cvGLsrzRBrsd78Kr8VsI8WBYq6vIA2UlfpJdGwbEpE9spxLpJoaUsIbH_RlFtG_a_C3xX3Pz9eS53iiXr1RBZ5NKWEVLU1MYyKVtgWi7n8PCNsFk25RUWseQ5krK9YAs7HhkBrIp4S/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvbMYrEPL_45zQ6WYIn9rt7rq1Cli7DvfGDlvzlBkue7dWqC5h6rCkcs_FEkDF1xpe9j303VvddmgEcjlSKgnD1zQt1dv1vV_5P8fR2lyT5CGr_kC814dbdNKPqIExTaQvWtw0tTGMR-1/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvbMYrEPL_45zQ6WYIn9rt7rq1Cli7DvfGDlvzlBkue7dWqC5h6rCkcs_FEkDF1xpe9j303VvddmgEcjlSKgnD1zQt1dv1vV_5P8fR2lyT5CGr_kC814dbdNKPqIExTaQvWtw0tTGMR-1/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMl_7HEtlKcQja_hstUDXXdf199785Hg6wHuZg7pfJQ4T0h11Q9OkFvGX4-j0PxMujSZ8fAorWZgtVBRJMpq7UUVT9JQ5JaZMnInLKF6g6ghyzjw9ju_xTf-i3g4CIpWDHgvxMhuFXbZb/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMl_7HEtlKcQja_hstUDXXdf199785Hg6wHuZg7pfJQ4T0h11Q9OkFvGX4-j0PxMujSZ8fAorWZgtVBRJMpq7UUVT9JQ5JaZMnInLKF6g6ghyzjw9ju_xTf-i3g4CIpWDHgvxMhuFXbZb/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMl_7HEtlKcQja_hstUDXXdf199785Hg6wHuZg7pfJQ4T0h11Q9OkFvGX4-j0PxMujSZ8fAorWZgtVBRJMpq7UUVT9JQ5JaZMnInLKF6g6ghyzjw9ju_xTf-i3g4CIpWDHgvxMhuFXbZb/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> We think this may have been the sun setting behind the fire</span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Aftershocks just kept coming and we would all run out of the building if it were a particularly strong one. Those of us still there at the chapel were fed by some of the moms there who cooked up some rice and heated up whatever other food there was on-hand. We entertained the little ones so they would be distracted and not scared.<br />
After what felt like ages, I left the building with my host family and Jenna and Jessica. Jenna and I were spending the night at the house where Jessica is staying. We had been planning on having a movie night and shopping this weekend. That was the last thing on our minds then. We spent the entire night informing family and friends as they began to wake up in America that we were safe and sound, and also kept reading and watching the news. There were six of us in the house and each of us had our laptops out, spitting out facts and statistics whenever we’d find something new online or sharing pictures we’d find of the damage. One of our team members here had taken video footage of some disturbing cracks in the ground where he was working. You could see the ground moving as the cracks increased and decreased in size. The ground looked like it was breathing! His video was picked up by CNN, so some of you may have seen it.<br />
At 10:00ish, Jenna, Jessica, and I decided to try to go to bed. There were still frequent aftershocks, so we didn’t know if we’d be able to sleep or not. We were exhausted enough to try, though. As we were climbing into bed, we decided to read the Bible, pray, and just talk about some things that really impacted us that day. We all came to the agreement that it was the longest day of our lives. We started talking about some things that had happened earlier in the day prior to the earthquake, things that had bothered and irritated us. Those things seem so petty and insignificant to us now! We prayed for a long time after that. After shocks just kept coming, so I prayed, “Lord, could you <i>please</i> have these aftershocks stop soon? We’d really appreciate some sleep-“ and at that exact moment, a <i>huge</i> aftershock started, so I continued, “or, that works too!” We all started laughing so hard. (God really does have an interesting sense of humor!) I looked down at my watch at one point and saw that it was midnight. We all sighed in relief that the day was finally over. We fell asleep a little bit after that.<br />
At 4:30 in the morning, I was awoken and told that we were all going to go downstairs to the living room. There was a loud announcement we could hear, but we didn’t understand it because it was in Japanese. We decided to be safe and stay on the first floor just in case. It was <i>freezing</i>. We all bundled up in blankets and waited. An hour later, nothing had happened except more aftershocks, so we all went back upstairs to sleep.<br />
We slept until 8:15, then we got up and Skyped with our families. After that, I went to the grocery store to buy some things with the wife of the couple we were staying with. The lines at the store were ridiculously long. There was absolutely no bread or eggs on the shelves.<br />
I’m now back at my host family’s house. For those of you worried about the close proximity of this house to the oil refinery, things are just fine here! Just a few things fallen off of shelves and a little bit of broken glass. Aftershocks just keep coming. I’ve lost count of how many have happened just as I’ve been writing this. I was woken up a couple of times last night by some pretty intense aftershocks. We were listening to the news today and they’ve said that the 8.9 earthquake was actually a 9.0! After going over the seismic waves, they realized it was more intense.<br />
Today has been the warmest day we’ve had in a while. There are no clouds in the sky, but instead of a bright blue clear day, there’s this dark hue to the blue. The sky looks dirty. It’s a little scary. We’ve been warned that if it starts raining sometime and we get rained on, we need to wash ourselves off <i>immediately</i> because of toxins in the clouds. Please keep us in your prayers that we would all stay healthy and that we would not get affected by the toxins or radiation in the air. We’re far enough from the coast that we haven’t had any effects from the tsunami, thank God. <br />
Thank you to those of you who have written to me to see if I’m all right, to those who have called my family for updates on my safety, and to all of you who have been praying! I love each of you dearly, and I’m so glad you all are safe back home in America!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*~*Melanie </span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">PSALM 46</span></b><br />
<br />
<sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">1</span></sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> God is our refuge and strength, <br />
an ever-present help in trouble. <br />
<sup>2</sup> Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way <br />
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, <br />
<sup>3</sup> though its waters roar and foam <br />
and the mountains quake with their surging.</span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">4</span></sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, <br />
the holy place where the Most High dwells. <br />
<sup>5</sup> God is within her, she will not fall; <br />
God will help her at break of day. <br />
<sup>6</sup> Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; <br />
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.</span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">7</span></sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> The LORD Almighty is with us; <br />
the God of Jacob is our fortress.</span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">8</span></sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> Come and see what the LORD has done, <br />
the desolations he has brought on the earth. <br />
<sup>9</sup> He makes wars cease <br />
to the ends of the earth. <br />
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; <br />
he burns the shields with fire. <br />
<sup>10</sup> He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; <br />
I will be exalted among the nations, <br />
I will be exalted in the earth.”</span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">11</span></sup><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> The LORD Almighty is with us; <br />
the God of Jacob is our fortress.</span></div>Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698798299293378823.post-12402507360850816322011-03-06T19:16:00.000-08:002011-03-06T19:18:05.557-08:00Internationally Traveling Oompa Loompa My goodness, it’s been quite some time since I’ve written anything here on this blog! My apologies! I just know this is going to be a rather lengthy post, as usual, so I may as well just get started! My last update was at the beginning of January, so I have two months of activity with which to catch you all up to date!<br />
Our school had a mochi pounding event a while back. Rice was boiled then put into a large wooden basin where it was then smashed with a very large hammer. In the end it is smashed into a doughy consistency and is rolled into balls and then topped with various edible things. I can’t say I enjoyed it very much. It was far too sticky and difficult to chew! (Apparently a certain amount of people die each year due to choking on mochi. And when choking on mochi, I was told the only way to get it out of your throat is with some kind of vacuum. Hm, that sounds pleasant…) Overall it was a very cool cultural experience!<br />
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The church in Tokyo here wanted to start a youth group, so I went to Tokyo one weekend and helped in the decision making process of the group. We were all trying to come up with a name for the youth group, and eventually I came up with a name that everyone really liked: Band of Grace. (The church’s name is “Grace City Church Tokyo,” so they wanted “grace” in the title. And everyone in the group loves music. Tada!) I love witnessing youth groups come into existence! And it really made me excited that one was starting in Japan while I was there! That was super cool!<br />
God answered a lot of prayers and sent a new intern to our team here to help at the school! Her name is Jessica, and it’s been so wonderful meeting her and fellowshipping with her. She and I really hit it off when we first met, and we’re growing closer and closer all the time! God also sent yet another teacher (not an intern) to help at the school! The Lord has definitely been providing!!!<br />
A girls’ Bible study has finally come into existence after about 3 months of talking about it! Carol, Jessica, Jenna, one of the other teachers at the school – Megumi – and I are reading through the “Prodigal God” together. It’s a much needed time to grow together.<br />
While Jessica has been here, she has wanted to go to as many of the churches planted by the team here as possible. I tagged along with her because I’d only actually been to 3 churches, and I wanted to see the other ones. It’s been really neat seeing how God is using each church here for His glory!<br />
Back in January I went to kabuki, which is Japanese theater. It was definitely another cultural experience! It was all in Japanese and very, very odd, but I loved it! (I’m always a fan of weird stuff.) I think the only way to describe it is to say that it was like watching the members of the rock band “KISS” performing a play… with spears and a giant spider thrown into the mix.<br />
At the end of January I flew to Taiwan for a week because of my visa situation. It was the week of Chinese New Year, so there were many festivities going on. I stayed with one of Carol’s close friends, who was very kind and hospitable to me! The MTW team there tried to recruit me, but I had absolutely no draw to go there as a missionary. We can just say that country isn’t exactly my cup of tea. I tried many different foods while I was there, one of which has me permanently scarred to the point where I would not be disappointed were I never to mention it to anyone ever again! (Just this subtlety is grossing me out!) I was very happy when I was on a plane back to the country I loved so dearly! I literally got teary eyed as the plane descended over Tokyo. “Lord, I love this country! May Your love be made known to all of its inhabitants!” I prayed these words aloud as I gazed excitedly out of the plane window. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAc9wgBX0PNdlIT76azg4mGt8iEFv4cQbvOuGUz6wcKBOi06cNcLNeqQxKIEITGraqYZrxGTrYJqn6EkL4bHh7ZSwGLab6QQtYRovLeSbkTgEi45CfOgrPP3VuHoFtUpxwFb1tasokxYI/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAc9wgBX0PNdlIT76azg4mGt8iEFv4cQbvOuGUz6wcKBOi06cNcLNeqQxKIEITGraqYZrxGTrYJqn6EkL4bHh7ZSwGLab6QQtYRovLeSbkTgEi45CfOgrPP3VuHoFtUpxwFb1tasokxYI/s320/011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Taiwanese dollars, Japanese yen, and US dollars.<br />
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My excitement to be back in the country was shattered when I was pulled aside at immigration and was questioned in a side room as to why I was coming back into the country for another 90 days. That definitely scared me out of my wits! But as I was sitting there, I was praying the whole time that God would give me wisdom in what to say. I wasn’t keeping track of how long I was held there, but it was probably half an hour or more. Then they let me pass through with another stamp in my passport! I was shaking as I ran for the escalator down to customs. So many emotions and I didn’t know which to express first. So I just shook. As I was lying in bed that night, heart still racing furiously, I wanted to pray so many things, but I could only pray this prayer over and over: “God, hug me, please! I need a hug, and You give the best hugs! Please hug me!” My heart rate began to steady itself, and I felt God’s comfort enveloping itself around me like my blanket, which I pulled tighter around me. Then this single thought raced through my brain: “God wants me in Japan, and He’s bigger than immigration!”<br />
The day after I returned from Taiwan, I went to school in the morning and was waiting in the teachers’ office for the other teachers to show up. As I was in there, a bunch of the younger kids ran into the office just to hug me and welcome me back. God is awesome! He really does hear our prayers, and then tops it by giving us things we didn’t even ask for! He gave me physical hugs along with the feeling of His hug. <br />
I’ve gone to two more college ministry events, and one jr. high/high school Valentine’s Day event, where I received the title of “Best Oompa Loompa.” Band of Grace had a fellowship time in Tokyo at karaoke. I’ve really enjoyed all of these events where I get to meet new people, especially when they’re closer in age to me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DZoUKtyc6BbAbq3uRh3-pfMB2WxV2BRHhyphenhyphenXXq7yH6OxFku6birenvrNCePMnZT6K0GDkeoxIdOz3x5H1X4z_LefHg-Lj1QP1ab6tDPiz72BL0WZm9X-oKnkgGn5iOe0_FVDthfsJJYVH/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DZoUKtyc6BbAbq3uRh3-pfMB2WxV2BRHhyphenhyphenXXq7yH6OxFku6birenvrNCePMnZT6K0GDkeoxIdOz3x5H1X4z_LefHg-Lj1QP1ab6tDPiz72BL0WZm9X-oKnkgGn5iOe0_FVDthfsJJYVH/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Jessica and I at the college Valentine's party.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5bfE5gXFQqqnbcWZyON918gssydY7cDTEtZGOSrGzVefc7gcffClQTyce7QKbISLIFLe3wVJW8dNq8jv32oMylYocY13klf_V3k6JhGtRX6N_RnEF5ZFZer6CBsTcM4mre50KZIK9BVz/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5bfE5gXFQqqnbcWZyON918gssydY7cDTEtZGOSrGzVefc7gcffClQTyce7QKbISLIFLe3wVJW8dNq8jv32oMylYocY13klf_V3k6JhGtRX6N_RnEF5ZFZer6CBsTcM4mre50KZIK9BVz/s320/017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Friends at Crossway Valentine's party.<br />
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On Valentine’s Day I went to Harajuku, which is a fashion capital of the world. It was Jenna’s birthday, so Jessica and I were spending the day with her. We did lots and lots of window shopping, and occasionally bought a couple of things. It was a lot of fun! <br />
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My mom has been sending me sermons by Pastor Jack, my pastor back home, which has been so wonderful! For a little under an hour I feel as if I’m sitting in church back home with those I know and love dearly. (I love when the congregation laughs and I can pick out the different voices.)<br />
One day at school I took my 7th grade algebra 1 class out for ice cream when they finished all there work. It was lots of fun, and everyone kept exclaiming that it was the "best math class EVER!!!" Haha! I really love working with these kids!<br />
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Last week I went on a ski trip with the middle school and high school classes from school. It was a lot of fun! I attempted skiing this time, and it was much less of a failure than my attempt at snowboarding! Yay! Although it wasn’t a complete failure, I did have an encounter with one of the slope patrol men. Apparently you aren’t supposed to walk down the slopes. Hm, who’d have thought? So, Mr. Patrol Man and I had a nice adventure back down the mountain on the ski lift. Hehe! Well, Mr. PM was very nice! He spoke to me in broken English, and I spoke to him in what Japanese I knew. It was such a fun trip overall!<br />
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I’ve been put in situations where I’m watching kids a lot since I’ve been here. It’s so awesome! There are all the school days where I’m surrounded by youngsters all day, and on top of that I’ve babysat, I’ve taught younger kids English outside of school, and I’ve watched over kids while their parents are in meetings and things of that sort. As I watch over these kids, I grow more and more attached to them. The kids at school always run up and crowd around me to hug me if I’ve missed school for any number of days, whether it is because I was in Taiwan, I was on a ski trip, or there were holidays where there was no school, they always act like it’s been forever since they’ve seen me. This makes it so hard for me to think about leaving.<br />
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It seems like we have a date nailed down for my departure. It’s been decided that I will probably come back the first week in May. Now that I have an actual date of departure instead of all this uncertainty, I feel like there’s a huge load off of my back. While there are very positive things about me coming back in May, I can’t help but grow sad at the idea of leaving. These kids definitely have me wrapped around their little fingers. A piece of my heart is definitely going to be here in this country for a long, long time!<br />
Well, I think this is a good place to stop. I’ll leave you with these prayer requests:<br />
1) Please pray for my emotional state of mind as I grow closer to leaving. It’s going to be so difficult to leave this country.<br />
2) Please pray that there would be no complications with getting me a ticket home.<br />
3) Please pray that new interns would come in May! It sounds like there is at least one girl who wants to come then, which would be wonderful to have someone replace me!<br />
Thank you all again and again! I love you all and I’m definitely looking forward to coming home and seeing my America people!<br />
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-Melanie =)<br />
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*~*Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.” – Acts 10:34-35*~*Melanie Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963694974239710489noreply@blogger.com0