Home Sweet Home...

Dear Everyone,

I'm finally home. Well not actually, but close enough. One of my best friends, Taylor Martin came and picked me up at the airport at 7:15 am and we came to his house in alpharetta. We will spend the night here and then head to Athens tomorrow. Wow. The trip is over. I can't believe how fast it went. I left Kansai on July 20 at 9 pm and then flew to Honolulu, then flew to Los Angeles, then finally to Atlanta. I arrived at 7:05 am eastern time today. There are not enough words to describe how amazing of a trip I had. God provided and blessed me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I truly got to see His love for the Japanese people and had a chance to serve in a variety of ministries which I all loved. I can't wait to go back and continue to seek God's will as far as living and doing ministry over there in the near future. I can never say enough thank yous and am so blessed to have all of you in my life. Sorry this post isn't too long but there just isn't that much left to say. In the end, God is good and has a plan for His people. I have grown in my faith and owe everything about this trip to God. He is so good and deserves all glory and praise for every part of this trip. I'll be posting all of my pictures on facebook so that everyone will have an easy way to access them. Thanks again for all your prayers and support and I look forward to seeing you soon. Until next time...

Only By Grace,
CP

Didn't know I could cry that much...

Dear Everyone,

24 hours from now I'll be on an airplane back to America. Wow. Did 3 weeks really just go by or am I crazy? God has blessed me more than I could have ever anticipated and I give Him praise for His awesome grace and love. He opened the door for this trip and has been with me EVERY step of the way. Before I get to the sad stuff let me tell update you from my last post. I finished up the English classes at Kyoto Assembly Church and had a wonderful time. I left to come back to Kyoto Christian Center early Saturday morning. After a joyous reunion with the YWAM team it was time for me to enjoy my last free day out in Japan. My friend Carmen took me to an area of Kyoto known as Uji. It was amazing. You will see a whole lot of pictures from there. I went to the Byodoin Temple, Had homemade matcha ice cream (green tea flavor), saw the Tale of Genji museum and rode a bus, train, and subway. It was an amazing day. Saturday night was a youth fellowship which rocked! There were so many people who came who don't know Jesus and they got to some great fellowship first hand and have some delicious BBQ. Yes they have BBQ in Japan, but it's a little different from what you are used to...It was great and I made at least 10 new friends. Once that was over it was bed time. I was really exhausted. I helped with over 14 English classes and had finally caught up with me. Yesterday was another fantastic day of worship and fellowship at Kyoto Christian Center. God is doing incredible things through this church and He is blessing them left and right. They are so faithful and such an inspiration. Persecution is something they face everyday. And I don't mean the kind where someone is just rude to you when you mention Jesus and you feel bad. This is serious. They could loss everything at any moment for their faith. Family, job, friends, etc. Even though it's a free country, cultural it's the most tradition in the world and that can create some incredible pressure. How bad is the pressure you ask? 30,000 people commit suicide every year. I have been so inspired by my brother's and sister's faith. Anyways, after a great service and fellowship, it was time to rest and then prepare for the children's camp. The children's camp was crazy! The Lord definitely confirmed the fact that I work better with high school or college students. I love to play with children, but not teach them. All went well and I pray that the children had a great time and that they will be drawn closer to the Father. The camp ended today around 1:30 and everyone who helped was really tired. We all ran for our beds to take a nap and just recoup from a crazy 2 days. Once the camp was over it was time for the last supper.
The last one with the YWAM team and Leena that is. The team prepared a delicious meal of pasta, spicy pasta, bread, and some other Asian foods which I don't know the name of. You will see some pictures of the supper and some special table markers they made which said "Cody and Leena's Night, You are special". The supper was awesome. After that, it was time for a program. I had no idea that they had planned this, but they wanted to sing me and Leena some songs and just pray for us. Wow. I cried like a baby sasquatch. I didn't know I could cry that much. They sang me a Christian song called "You are special" and all just looked at me with smiles. Then they sang a song that I wrote for them and also threw in some of their own sweet dance moves.. One of the best nights of my life. You will some pictures of me with everyone after crying so don't judge. Next time you make a family across the world and then have to leave them and don't cry, then we can talk. Now we are just sitting around relaxing and getting ready to go to bed. My flight leaves tomorrow at 9 pm and I'll be heading to the airport at 430 pm. There will be 2 more posts and then it will be over so I hope you will finish the blog strong! I hope you enjoy the pictures and will keep praying for me. Please pray for my travels and that I would be drawn closer to God in whatever way possible. Also pray for the YWAM team. They will be here for another 10 days. Pray for their remaining ministry in Japan. I will miss them dearly. Last but not least are the shout outs for the day and you know what, there is only going to be one shout out left for the rest of the posts. And that shout out is to God. Thank you so much Father for everything. Wow. You have provided and blessed me more than I deserve. I give you ALL the glory and praise for this trip. Thank you for your incredible love and grace for me. Thank you for all of the wonderful people you have blessed me with meeting and serving with. And most of all, Thank you for Jesus and the sacrifice He made for me on the cross. I pray that you would draw me closer to you and use me however and wherever you desire. Amen. Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. Enjoy the photos and don't forget that there will be 2 more posts!

While I have some free time...

Dear Everyone,


I hope all is well with you and I'm excited to update you very briefly. I only have about 40 minutes until the next English class. They have been incredible. I have had many opportunities to share my testimony and really discuss my faith with non-believers. Many are searching and want to believe in Jesus and just want to learn more about Him and what the Bible says. Yesterday I went to a campus slightly outside of Kyoto and had a time of prayer walking and fellowship. The most important part of ministry here in Japan is patience. The Japanese don't like pressure and want time to deeply consider an issue before they decide on it. So even though no one came to one of the Bible studies at the University, they will continue to go out there and be patient and minister. After the University time, I came back and had a small English Bible class with one guy about my age named Taku. He has so much energy and just loves life. I had a chance to share my testimony and got to just talk about my Savior. He told me he was deeply moved and that he could tell that I was serious about what I believed. He said there was something different in my eyes and said I had the "believer's eye". I was leveled. God not only was using me to share Him with Taku but also to encourage me to keep going strong in the faith and follow His leading. Taku isn't a believer but he wants to learn more about Jesus and spend more time studying the Bible. Wow. After that class, I came back up to the house for the night and just enjoyed a delicious supper of Okonomiyaki. Today is my last day at this church and there are 4 total classes. I have already been to two and have the last ones at 2 and 7pm. I will be sad to leave this church and the ministry here but it will be good to see the Korean YWAM team again. I have missed them! I really wish I could express how amazing this trip has been so far. God has really been encouraging me and speaking to my heart. I am starting to believe that God is calling me to come and live in Japan and do ministry. Through various people, experiences, and personal devotions I have come to the following conclusion. I could serve God in many different areas but wouldn't feel as though I was giving Him everything and He deserves and demands our everything. Read Luke 14:25-33. It's obvious that God has given me a special love for Japan and it's also obvious that I enjoy the ministry here. In order to do serve Him fully here I would have to literally give up everything and trust Him. To leave the only life I have ever known, the people I love, and come to a place where less than 1% of the people know Jesus personally, and live in an environment that I am completely foreign to would be the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But the beauty of it is, God will always be with me. He would provide for my every need, sustain me, and guide me by His Spirit. I have already experienced God's perfect provision for this trip and have met some amazing people who can testify to God's faithful over and over and over again. There is a DESPERATE need for the Gospel here and for Christians to be willing to share life with the Japanese and minister. As Jesus said, "the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few." My true treasure and hope is in the promise of the next life and so why not give Jesus everything in this one and be used for His glory? The Bible says "Set your mind on things above and not on earthly things." Eternal perspective is key in this life. Please pray for me as I continue to seek after God in all of this. There is a lot for me to think about and pray about as I approach the end of my trip. Continue to pray for me as I go back to do ministry with the Korean YWAM team and as I prepare to leave for America on Tuesday. There will probably be at least one or two more posts, so don't stop following just yet! Last but not least are the shout outs for the day. The first shout out goes to... Ginger. Miss you pal and I know you are having a blast in Peru. I can't wait to see you again and look forward to chatting about God's work all over the world. I'll be praying for you! The second shout out of the day goes to... HelenTeam. I hope yall have had an awesome time ministering and have been moved by God. I'm sure there are some crazy stories and I can't wait to hear them. Thank you everyone for your support and I look forward to updating you soon...

Only By Grace,
CP

Tsukarete Imasu...

Dear Everyone,

If you are wondering what the title means, it's Japanese for "I'm tired". And I really am. The last 3 days have been incredible, but extremely exhausting...Since my last post I have been involved in at least 2 or more English classes or Bible studies every day. The age of students ranges from 6 years old to 70. It's an amazing moment when you see someone learn something new and be excited about it. Monday was my first full day of English ministry and I had 3 English classes. The first consisted of kindergarteners (hyper much?), the second was 5th and 6th grade, and the last class was adults. I was going nonstop from 9am until 9pm. Phew. Tuesday was a Doshisha University Bible study day and was very enjoyable. Another 9am start but didn't go to bed until 11pm. Me and my dear friend Wataru stayed up and talked about Jesus. It was awesome. We shared our prayer requests and our hopes for Japan. Pray for Wataru. He has such a heart for Jesus and his people. Pray that God would pour our His Spirit on Wataru and that he would be an effective vessel for his God to his people in Japan. After our time of chatting, it was time for bed. I have really been exhausted at the end of every day and the time is going by so fast. Today was another 9 am to 9 pm day. Had 2 Bible classes at Doshisha University and most of the students who come who aren't Christians are interested in learning more about Jesus and desire to know Him more. Praise God. He is really doing some awesome things here in the college students. Although it's a slow process, the point is that God is STILL moving here and that He has a great plan for this country. It's not about results, it's about people starting the most important relationship of their life. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE JAPANESE PEOPLE! They are so caught up in materialism, tradition, and themselves that they have no idea that they need Jesus. He has so much love for this country and is truly using the willing hearts over here. Less than 1% of the people here have a personal relationship with Jesus and confess Him as Savior. There are 127,000,000 people in Japan. Do the math...Wow. Even though it seems impossible God is doing amazing things here. One person at a time... After the classes I finished off the day with an adventure. I went with Wataru and some of his friends to the Gion Festival in downtown Kyoto. It's an annual festival that occurs that is extremely traditional and that had been going on for countless years. Wow. It was beautiful. There were thousands of people (some tourists) walking in a light drizzle to view many beautiful floats with lanterns and musicians on them. There were also countless locals peddling their tasty treats and hand made goods. I really enjoyed myself and I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Tomorrow should be another great day. Will be another day of English Bible studies at another university which is outside of Kyoto. Yay! I get to get out of this giant city and see some more of Japan, but I have to get up at 7am. Don't know how long I'll be out there but I am excited about another day of serving and loving. Continue to pray that God would use me as a vessel to serve and love the Japanese people with the attitude of Jesus. It can be hard at times due to cultural and linguistic differences. It can also be hard due to exhaustion. It's hard for me to believe that I only have 5 days left here. It has flown by!!! May be a few more days before the next post due to my schedule, but I hope you enjoy the new pictures. I know this post may not be as lively as some of the others, but they all can't be. Sometimes ministry is tough and may see like it's not going anywhere, but trust me. It is. God is truly amazing. Last but not least are the shout outs for the day. The first shout out goes to...Mom. Miss you and love you very much. Thought of you as I bought some things at a recycle shop the other day, basically a Japanese Goodwill :). Hope all is well and that you are enjoying the countdown until I come home. 5 days! The second shout out goes to...Owen. Miss you bud and hope all is going well with work and Meg. Was reminded of you as I passed by all the Starbucks here and thought about how Connection Cafe is way better. Such good memories over maymester. I am truly blessed to have you as a brother in my life. Take care and I can't wait to hang out! P.S. the pictures are of my new house, English Bible classes, subways, friends, and the Gion festival. Thank you everyone for your support and I'll update you the next chance I can...

Only By Grace,
CP

Another Week, Another Ministry...

Dear Everyone,

It's great to be on the blog again and I am excited to tell you what I have been up to and what I'll be up to this week. Saturday was a fairly relaxed day compared to the previous week. An evangelist from Norway came and spoke during an afternoon service and we went to the same Japanese noodle shop for supper that my team went with last year. It was delicious as always and this year there were no baby fishes/eels! Once we finished supper we came back and all just collapsed after a very busy week. Sunday was long but amazing. I sang a Japanese choir song with the YWAM team and then we had great fellowship after the service. Then we had to prepare for a small gospel concert where we were singing the same song. Then I had to leave halfway through the service, pack up, and head to the new church where I have ministry this week! Once I arrived last night it was time for another church service and fellowship after. Wow. Even though it was a day where I had one thing after another and no time for rest, God blessed it. Had a wonderful day or worship and just realizing how much praise God deserves. More than I can ever give in a lifetime! Once the night service was over at the new church, I was reunited with an old friend named Wataru. We are about the same age and have very similar personalities and have nothing but laughs when we are together. He is on fire for Jesus and I enjoy every minute I get to spend with him. His father is the senior pastor of the new church I'm at and they live directly above the church. It is a wonderful house. My room is very spacious and I didn't expect such amazing accommodations. God continues to show me His love and teach me about His perfect provision. Wow. Supper was delicious and after some guitar playing and singing it was time for bed...
I got up around 9, had breakfast, and then it was time for meet Pastor Joseph for a tour of the local area. I worked with Pastor Joseph some last year and he is the associate pastor at the church I'm at now. We made our way around to the mall and we had a tasty lunch at an Italian buffet. I just got back to the church a little while ago and the English classes will start soon. Please pray for me. This is going to be my busiest week and probably a very trying time in my ministry. Teaching another language is a difficult thing and it can be a slow and hard process for both the teacher and the student who speak different languages. I could be working in as many as 17 classes over the next 5 days and will need a lot of energy! Also pray for the people in Kyoto. Pray that there would be revival in their hearts and that God would lead them to Himself. Last but not least are the shout outs for the day. The first shout out goes to... my sunday school class back at FBC. It was such a joy and encouragement to speak to you last night. Your support has been incredible and I miss you very much. I can't wait to see you again and share in person what the Lord is doing here. The second shout out goes to... Emily Martin. Hope all is well em and I miss you. Couldn't help but think of you as I went to that nursing school last week. I still think you will make the best nurse in the world and I hope class in going well for you. Ps, tell Bryce I said hey and for him to represent for all the man nurses! Thank you everyone for your support and it may be several days until I can post again due to being busy, but I look forward to updating you when I have time!

Only By Grace,
CP

Multi-task Much...?

Dear Everyone,

Hope yall are doing well and are ready for some awesome updates! Yesterday was phenomenal.. We started the day with another small breakfast of toast and eggs then had a little time to get ready for prayer walks at Kyoto University. We had to take the city bus from the church which is always an adventure and we arrived at KU in one piece. Before we started our prayer walks we passed out some tracks off campus with information about the Kyoto Christian Center and a few thoughts for the receiver of the track to ponder. I'm not a big fan of just handing someone a track and walking away but it wasn't about me. It was about being willing to serve God in whatever way I could or that He provided. We handed out the tracks for about 30 minutes or so. Once they were all gone, we went to various areas of campus in pairs and prayer walked for around 45 minutes. I prayed for all kinds of issues and trust God with what He is doing on that campus, in Kyoto, and all across Japan. Continue to pray for this country!
Once our prayer walks were over, we all met up for lunch and I got to see another friend from last year named Sunhwa. We shared a lot of laughs and enjoyed catching up from last year. After lunch was over we can back to the church and had a couple hours free time until Friday Night Fellowship. During that time we all took naps, practiced our Japanese choir song, and Sensei challenged me to a few games of ping pong. I was stoked. All that preparation at the Cone house had lead up to this epic match. We warmed up for a few minutes and I felt pretty confident. Sensei won the first game 21-17. I told myself it's alright, you know his weak points and can take the second game. Sensei won the second game at a score of 23-21. That was the back breaker. His forehand spin was unstoppable. I tried every trick in the book but once he got going, there was no stopping the onslaught. I wanted to play one more game to salvage my dignity...Yep, you guessed it. Sensei won the third game 21-13. I was utter decimated on the ping pong table. I had nothing left. So far in Japan I am 2-3 in ping pong matches and I am determined to leave with a winning record. I am going to challenge Sensei to a rematch in order to redeem myself so updates to come!
After my epic fail at ping pong for the day, it was time for Friday Night Fellowship to begin. I knew that I was going to be sharing my testimony and singing, but there was some news from Leena right before the service started. "So tonight you will be sharing your testimony, singing a song, and THEN sharing a message with everyone." Wow. I was speechless for a few minutes.. Thankfully, I had a message prepared for another time and wasn't concerned about preaching. It was just having to do all of that at one time. God blew me away. Sharing my testimony went well and I am so humbled every time I get to share the incredible work God has done in my life. The song was even better. I am currently learning guitar and the only song I can play half decent is Revelation Song. God truly strengthened me as I played and I had an incredible time of worship before the Lord in front of everyone. All I can say is wow. Immediately after I finished the song, I had a sip of tea and then it was time to preach. Hyato translated on the spot which was great for the crowd since many of them couldn't understand English that well. I preached from Acts 17 about turning the world upside down. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. God gave me the words to say, some of which I hadn't even thought of or written down in my preparation. I pray that God was glorified through my message and I trust Him with everything I did last night. I thought I might be tired afterward, but was filled with joy and a lot of energy!
I also got to see Yusuke last night. I had been waiting over a week to see him and we had a wonderful reunion. Yusuke is one of the guys I met last year who I got very close to and someone I have kept up with over the year I have been gone. I gave him a UGA t-shirt and he loved it. We even rode bikes to Mister Donut after the service around 10 pm and then went to the grocery store after that to get some milk for breakfast today. Once we got back he left and I went to bed not to long after. What an incredible day! Thank you God for using a willing heart and for blessing in ways I don't deserve...Now I am just waiting for a very relaxed day to begin. I helped with breakfast this morning and cook some scrambled eggs. After that I came upstairs and am now writing to you. Pray that God would continue to use our team and that God be with me as I move on to another church tomorrow afternoon. Pray for the college students in Japan and that there would be a revival and outpouring of the Holy Spirit...Last but not least are the shout outs for the day. The first shout out goes to...Dustin. Miss you buddy and wish you could be here with me. I finally went to Mister Donut. I couldn't remember which one you told me to try so I bought several. I'm sure I knocked out your recommendation...Hope all is well and I can't wait to see you bud. The second shout out of the day goes to...Kevin Pope. Happy Birthday Bud! Sorry I couldn't be there for your celebration and I hope you are enjoying your special day! Maybe you will win a game of nerts! ps. Go Ravens! Thank you everyone for your support and I look forward to updating you soon..

Only By Grace,
CP

It's a small world after all...

Dear Everyone,

Today was an awesome day. The post will probably be pretty short just because there are a lot of pictures to enjoy but I want to describe a little bit of the day. Today was my free day and I decided to meet up with Natalie (UGA friend) and then climb to the top of Mt. Daimonji. I left the church around 11:45 and took a bus a little ways from the church to Kyoto Station. Was a pleasant 45 minute bus ride. I felt so small as the bus drove across Kyoto to get to the station. It blew my mind to think that in a city of around 1,500,000 people less than 30,000 are Christians. Wow.. Once the bus arrived I took a few pictures and then met up with Natalie at a coffee shop. We had a great time of fellowship and she took me to lunch. She said she loved supporting missionaries and I was so thankful. She didn't have too but wanted to and we had a great time chatting about how awesome God is and what He is up to in each of our lives. Once lunch was over we had a short time of prayer and then I left to catch a bus to Mount Daimonji. Was another pleasant bus ride and as I approached the mountain I began to pray for an great time with the Lord and it was. I spoke to several people on the way up and had about an hour long chat with a Japanese Jehovah's Witness near the top. I had an opportunity to share my testimony and he asked me various theological questions which God gave me the words for. It was incredible.. We simply looked at the Word and had some pleasant discussions. The man was very appreciative for my time with him and encouraged me a great deal. God was showing me His love yet again, and reminding me of His love for Japan. We exchanged contact info and I hope to keep in touch with him. Once that was over I finally made it to the top of Mount Daimonji and had a great time of prayer and worship. The view was breathtaking and the world really seemed small from up there. Indescribably beautiful! Thank you God for your beautiful creation and all the blessings you give us that we don't deserve. After that time was over I climbed down the mountain and walked to the church. Had a delicious supper with the team and Soma sensei and his wife. I am EXHAUSTED. I hope the pictures do Mount Daimonji justice because it was a very strenuous hike. I am about to go to bed and I hope yall enjoy the photos! Pray that God would continue to use our team to minister to people and that there would be a revival in Kyoto. The people are so blinded by cultural tradition and material distractions that they don't see the God who made them and who is desperately in love with them. Pray that their hearts would be moved by the Holy Spirit. Last but not least are the shout outs of the day. The first shout out goes to... Harrison. Miss you buddy and thought of you while I was climbing Daimonji. I know that it's nothing compared to Ranier but it was quite a hike and you would have enjoyed. You can come with me next time to Japan and we will do it and Fuji. Deal? Can't wait to see you soon. The second shout out of the day goes to... Cory. Thanks for letting me and Natalie know that we were in the same city almost 10,000 miles away from Athens. Miss you man and the memories from last year are all around me and I am almost moved to tears. God is doing some amazing things over here still and I know He has plans to continue that work. Hope work is going well and hopefully we can meet up soon. Thank you everyone for your support and I'll be in touch soon..

Only By Grace,
CP