Prayer Update #4

Hello!  Megan here to give you snapshots of Day 2 and Day 3 of the American Homestay Program!  

We feel God strengthening us further and further each day.  The days are running smoother from setup to English lessons to shortening transition time to takedown!  The one thing that seems to be consistently tiring is activities, haha.  We are always sweaty and tired but happy to see the kids having fun and laughing.  

Day 2: New Day, New Location 

Harmony Hall (about a 10-15 min drive from Otawara Church) was a blessing, providing a more open space for our activities and beautiful natural light to bring a bright atmosphere.  The building has a concert hall, art gallery rooms, and community center of sorts.

Each day faithful Otawara church members come to teach from the Bible (see story cards) through very animated storytelling. 

Each Bible lesson ends with a worship song :)  Nathan on guitar was a former Harvest Berkeley Church member who decided to move to Japan and teach English to discern whether God has called him to long-term missions.  His participation in last year's Japan mission trip was a stepping stone to now being a member of the Otawara Christian Church!

Crafts!  The theme of the camp this year is "We are friends of Jesus."  Students made a bracelet for themselves and then made another to exchange with a friend or family member.

Kano & Aya posing with the bracelets they made for each other!  They put such love & care into making them.  My other students made bracelets for their moms :)  One student even took the effort to ask how to spell his mother's name (romanized) so he could personalize her bracelet.    

Snack: Ritz Cracker Spiders!  I laughed with this student, Fumiya, because I noticed it looked like a smiling sun.  His mother, who is not a member of the church, has been volunteering with us everyday.  We've been able to build good relationships with her.  Last year, Fumiya attended the camp and his mother kept in contact with the previous team through email.  

Day 3: More Energy, More Active

Warm-Up Game: Mother Hen 

Japanese people are highly punctual, in fact they always come ~15 minutes early.  Although we're still in the process of setting up, we've found this extra time to be a great opportunity for breaking the ice (shyness) with the younger children and for the parents to see how much fun their kids are having and be put at ease or reassured that they can trust this church.

We were all sweating so much after running around trying to protect the students at the end of the baby chick chain.  We were all the ferocious, protective mother hens at the front. 

Lunch: Submarine sandwiches!  Every meal is made by the kids - they assemble everything :)  A great idea from the Otawara church that has been fun and engaging for the kids.

Praise God for the Otawara church members who faithfully volunteer to prepare all the ingredients for our 45 hungry kids.  Chopping, packaging, and rushing over the food has been stressful but they continue to serve and provide.

Xinxin with Mami during Activites.  We've noticed a number of our kinder students (who actually range from ages 3-5) are sometimes shy to participate or get scared of competition which allows us to get to know them and show them love and patience while we sit with them.

Me with Mom, Saho (my 1st grade student), and sister Riko (in Xinxin's 2nd-4th grade group).  

One thing we are thankful to see is that our students like/love/have fun with us!  During our craft (popsicle stick Mother's/Father's Day cards) a couple of students made extra cards for us.  The cards said "Thank You" or "I love you," which were some of the phrase we showed them they could write for their parents. 

Whistle while you work - Will, Pat Ohashi, Cat, Pastor Tomio Ohashi, Karen, Xinxin, Nathan (left to right)

We had 9 brooms and 1 dustpan, haha

At the end of each day, we have to return whatever meeting space we're using to it's original condition. Praise God for helping us to be more efficient each day about cleaning & transporting supplies to and from the church.

Prayer

- Pat & Tomio Ohashi:  Pray for their rest in the Lord and for opportunities to talk with parents and form positive relationships. Pray also for God to continue to supply them with faith to obey His call wherever He may lead in Japan.

- Otawara Church members: It's put strain on members to prepare the lunch materials.  Pray that they would know that their work is not in vain; pray for the church to continue to joyfully serve to glorify Christ and reach the Japanese people.

- The children's families

• Kano's mother: Kano (1st) only attended camp one day (Tues).  Her mother is an English teacher; in fact almost all her students are attending our camp.  She came to help with lunch and stayed to watch the program.  Very impressed by the program we were providing, she asked Pastor Tomio why we were in Japan and if we came specifically to teach English.  Tomio shared that we came not only to teach English but more so to share and make known Christ.  She was visibly moved, almost to tears. Pray for her heart to be softened and prepared to form a relationship with the church and to learn more about Jesus.

• Fumiya's mother: As mentioned on Day 2, she has been volunteering everyday.  She is very happy and excited about our program, and very gracious about taking hordes of 10-15 kids to the bathroom.  Pray for conversations that will provide an opportunity to witness to her. 

• Katomi's family: Day 2, Katomi's father shared with Pastor Tomio his hesitation in bringing his daughter to a church-run American Day Camp last year (2012).  He decided to register her when a coworker who is Catholic and had attended the Otawara church on and off said that it would be a very good thing and that he could trust the people.  This year, Katomi's mother told so many mothers that we did not need to advertise the camp at all.  Pray for God to continue to breakdown negative perceptions of the Christian church and barriers to the gospel in Katomi's parents' hearts.

- Team:

• Continued dependence upon God: pray against us boasting or treasuring up in our hearts the positive things we see.  Pray for humble hearts and being able to die to ourselves that Christ might truly shine.

• Rest: using our time well individually and as a team so that we can sleep and have time to personally meditate on the Word and pray

•  Accountability and encouragement among the team: pray for grace & forgiveness to abound and cover our sin and shortcomings.  Pray for us to not grow impatient, overly task-oriented, or program-driven as we struggle with tiredness.