2013

T R I P

U P D A T E

L U K E S J A PA N T R I P

JAPANESE GARDEN (LEFT)--MY HOST FATHER AND I AT THE IMPERIAL PALACE

Homestay and English Camp Experience

Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you for taking an interest in my Japan trip and my life! It is because of your love and support of me that you are receiving this trip update on Japan. My trip to Japan lasted 20 days from July 13 through August 1st. The rst week of the trip I stayed at the Tamaki house. Their son Tama had stayed at the our house at Easter. During this week of homestay, I had the opportunity to sightsee in Tokyo and spend time with the Tamaki family. Sightseeing included Japanese history, gardens, public bath, and eating out. The Tamaki family was very kind to me and made me feel at home! I am so very thankful to them.
One of my favorite parts of the homestay week was visiting with three of the Japanese students that had homestay experiences at my house.

TAMAKI FAMILY AND I AT A JAPANESE RESTAURANT

FIREWORKS

ENGLISH CLASS

English Camp
Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the beautiful Japanese gardens and visiting Tamas college English class at Waseda University.
After the week of sightseeing, I headed off to English camp in the Mt. Fuji area. During this week a few Americans, many Japanese teachers, and a few Japanese teens completed three English camps with about 100 Japanese kids. These kids had a wide range of ages from early Elementary to Junior High. During English camp the kids learned about the history and geography of the USA. In learning this information, the kids, with the help of the teachers, would complete a 90 second skit (this was my favorite part of camp). Additionally, the kids enjoyed playing around the camp, campre, BBQ, swimming at Lake Yamanaka, a fashion show, singing some Christian songs, and eating lots of good food.
The camp took place at Torch Bearers Christian camp. The director Steve Frentz and his wife Jen do an excellent job at running the facility. Steve said that although the camp has many different aspects to it (including a Bible camp), his goal is to share Christ with the community. He also said that he is always looking for staff to help at the camp (during the English camp, two staff members were from Pennsylvania). Additionally, right now Steve is looking for prayers for his family as they have only been directors for one year and it is hard to have family time with all the busyness of camp.
In this last part of the letter,

PAST EX CHANG E STUDENT G O

VISIT WITH PAST EXCHANGE STUDENTS: SHU, LUKE, DIKE, AND TAMA (LEFT TO RIGHT)

S WIMMING AT L AKE YA M A N A K A

C AMPFIRE

F U N AT E N G L I S H C A M P

SIGHTSEEING

The future...
I would like to share about my current ideas for my future. In visiting Japan I learned that my true interest is to get to know the people with the hope, of course, of sharing Jesus. However, it was hard to get to know the people in Japan as I did not know Japanese. So, currently my plan is to learn Japanese with the hope of returning to Japan for a possible two year mission experience after college (four years at Kentucky Christian University for a major in Nursing and Bible). However, this plan is impossible for me to do without Gods help. Without God, there is no possible way for me to learn Japanese (as I strongly dislike studying language).Yet, if this is Gods plan for me, He will give me the endurance to learn this language which is so very different from English.
My friend had asked me, Why Japan? Why not another country where they speak English or a language that is easier to understand? In asking God about this, I believe He told me that His plan for me is Japan because it is so hard. In it being so hard, I am going to have to give Him all the glory for whatever ministry I do in Japan. If I did ministry in the states or another country I picked, I would think I did it on my own strength and it would be difcult for God to bless it.
However, this is all just hypothetical and subject to change.Yet, I wanted to share with you what I think God is currently planning. I would appreciate your prayers for the future that I would be following Gods plan and not my plan.

THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for your support and love! Right now I have no concrete plans for returning to Japan, and so I am not looking for or raising support for returning. However, I am trusting God that when He wants me to return an opportunity and circumstances will come together to allow for me to go back. I know God has a ministry plan for me, but the exact details are still out of focus. I will try to keep you, my family and friends, updated on Gods plans so that you can be praying for me and supporting me through it all. Thank you!

HOST BROTHER TAMA AND HIS FAMILYS DOG (KOHAKU)