Devote Yourselves to Prayer

This 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!!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.)

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.

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.



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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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

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 heat that for you!" I happily relinquished hold of my sandwich, then started laughing hysterically.

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.)

> 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!

> 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.

> 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.

> 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.

> 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.

Thank you so much, and may God bless you!
-Melanie

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." - Colossians 4:2

Snow at the train station

Jeremy and me in Tokyo

Emily took this picture of us on the train

So glad Jeremy got to hang out with the students!

An engagement ceremony for friends Mark and Megumi!

Ski Trip

Emily, Mary Beth, and me

Out to lunch at McDonald's with the interns and Seth

Out to dinner with friends

Japanese snacks for Carol's kids and grandkids in America

Cute siblings of one of my students (Megumi and Ena)

Honami

Aira

Seira

Tokyo night life

Memorial to Bob-Scott. Rest in Peace!!

McDonald's is doing their "Big America All Stars" right now. This is the "Idaho Burger." It's got a hash brown and everything!

Dieting with the girls! (Photo cred. to Emily)

Our girls' Bible study! (Photo cred. to Emily)

It snowed at school, so we ha a half day!! (Some of my students and me)

Christmas In Japan

My dear friends,

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.

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.

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.

7th Grade class watching Elf

The whole class with Bob-Scott (our plant)
BACK: Kenta, Gloria, Bianca
FRONT: Kei, Me, Megumi

Bianca, Gloria, and me

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!

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.

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!

Dinner with the teachers

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.

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!

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!

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!
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!

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.

Mary Beth and me staying warm in front of the heater on Christmas morning

Iverson family Christmas tradition - picture on the stairs

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.

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.

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.

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!

-Melanie

Iverson's and interns
L to R: BACK - Seth, Carol, Dan
FRONT - Me, Mary Beth, Emily, Heather

Shopping in Harajuku

Emily and I found slurpees at a 7-11 in Harajuku!

Japanese Domino's :)

Face painting for a kids' event

Visiting some friends' home

Celebrating three teachers' birthdays

I find it hard to believe that NONE of these bicycle riders noticed the "no parking" sign...

Christmas sandwich!

Decorating the Iverson's Christmas tree

The interns

One Blessed Girl

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.

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. 

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!")

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. 

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 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, that I get to teach such amazing students and see them all week, 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!

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!

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.

SKYPING WITH SARAH, EMILY, AND HANNAH

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!

Love,
Melanie

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

50 PEOPLE GATHERED IN OUR DINING ROOM & LIVING ROOM

 

Remembering the Past, Thankful For the Present

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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. Very 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.

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.)

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!

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.

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?

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!

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 speaking 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.

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!

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!

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.

God bless you!
Melanie

“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

Something to put a smile on your face. :)

VIDEOS!!!!!!

Trip to Asakusa

 

 Power Rangers at a school festival

A 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

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!)

"Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance" — Proverbs 1:5

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.

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.

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.

The Iverson's Cabin

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.

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!

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.

Tsukishima

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!

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!

"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

"So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." - Romans 12:5

Emily, Mary Beth, and Me

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.

"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

THIS IS BOB-SCOTT, BY THE WAY! My 7th grade class' plant.