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