Dear Everyone,
I am sad to say that this will be my last post for this blog. It has a been a great joy to be able to share with you just a small portion of what I learned. Let me start out by describing our trip home.
Wednesday morning started out fairly quiet as members of the team awoke and finished packing their bags. By the time all of us finished packing and getting ready the farewell party arrived. The farewell group consisted of the missionary couple we had been working with, the pastor of the church, and some ladies from the church who came to cook us breakfast. In my opinion, Japanese spaghetti is not much of a breakfast item, but nonetheless it was delicious. It was a pleasant visit as we all ate and shared memories from our time in Japan. As we all finished and cleaned up it was time to head to the bus station. Everyone except a few of the church ladies accompanied us to the station.
Upon arriving at the bus station, I could already feel the weight of a bittersweet goodbye laying heavy on my heart. Once we were there and bought our tickets we had about twenty minutes to just chat and prepare our luggage. Then the airport bus drove up. It was finally time to say goodbye. We all exchanged long hugs, praises to the Lord, and blessings on each other as we loaded the bus. Immediately as we sat down many people in the farewell party and some on our team began to cry. We were all truly touched by the Lord and used by the Lord in Japan and it was finally hitting us that it was time to leave.
Once the bus arrived at the airport the mood changed from one of goodbyes to one of anxiously anticipating hellos back in the states. The Lord was with us all the way from Osaka to Atlanta. He blessed us with smooth flights and smooth transitions back into the US. As soon as we all found our luggage we prayed one last time as a group just thanking the Lord for His provision and Grace over our trip. After that I hopped in a taxi, arrived at my relatives house, ate a surfeit of American food and went to bed.
Now I sit here at the computer getting ready to return to my life. It is hard to believe the trip has already come and gone so quickly, but what can I say except that God is truly good. I have learned a great deal about what it means to trust the Lord, how to have true faith, and many other spiritual treasures. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and it is one that I will carry with me the rest of my life. Glory be to God in the highest for all He has done and all that He is going to do in not only my life, but in your life as well!
P.S. If you want to know more about the trip just give me a call and I would love to hang out and tell you more about it. Thank you for following this blog and I hope it has been an encouragement and blessing to all of you!!
Only By Grace,
Cody
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Homeward Bound...
Dear Everyone,
That's it for the most part. In just a matter of hours our team will be getting on a plane and coming back to the US. But we did a little today which I can talk about.. We started the day quite early as usual, this time heading to a museum and a scenic tour of Lake Biwa. The car ride was was long and full of disappointment when we pulled in to a closed museum. So it was off to a random Japanese seafood market which smelled something like I never have in my life. After trying one or two samples we headed out the door to meet up with the ladies of the group at the shopping mall.
Once the arduous task of shopping and eating was over it was back to the church relax before we went out for our last supper as a team in Japan. We went to Kyoto Station which is an amazing smorgasbord of people, metal, and food. It was a very interesting place and we decided to eat at an upscale Italian restaraunt. It was delicious just like everything else we have had in Japan minus some random raw seafood and pancakes :(..
Now that we are back from dinner and packed and we can do is pray and wait. Please pray that God would keep us safe as we journey home and that He would bless the church for doing so much for us. I will post one more blog after this giving my thoughts, attitudes, and reactions to the trip as a whole.. Thank for all your support and I'll talk to you on the other side :).
Only By Grace,
Cody
Monday, May 25, 2009
No rest for the weary..
Dear Everyone,
Although today was supposed to be a relaxing day for us as a team, we started early to go shopping and to a famous bamboo forest. The market we went to only shows up once a month so it was quite large and quite a treat to go to. There were over 1,000 people scouring the different stalls and haggling with the peddlers for a cheaper price. I found some nice goodies and just enjoyed walking around and taking in the scenery. The market was setup near the center of a Shinto temple so it was not all commercialized and the temple area that we saw was quite beautiful. Continue to pray for the Japanese people, that God would stir a revival in the nation and in the hearts of a people enslaved by tradition and cultural pressure of perfection.
After shopping for quite some time, we caught a bus to a famous bamboo forest in Japan. It was a very unique and marvelous experience to walk underneath and through a forest of giant bamboo. The sound of the bamboo crackling in the wind was a sound I will never forget and one that was quite soothing to a weary sojourner. We spent a little while there just taking in the sight before we headed off to enjoy conveyor belt sushi.. That's right, the restaurant we went too consisted of a seat with a conveyor belt circling the entire place. Every plate was a dollar and we easy ate quite a few plates..It was a very interesting experience and one I hope to enjoy again someday..
Once we finished eating the team split up. Two members came back to hang out with the college guys we met on Saturday and the rest of us continued shopping/walking around Kyoto.. After many hours of walking, walking, walking, and being lost, we finally found the right bus to bring us home. We had a chance to rest for a few minutes and then the guys were off to an authentic Japanese hot spring... It was a great experience and if you want to know more ask me in person because it's a bit much to blog about... All I will say on here is that it was very revealing and relaxing at the same time..
We just got back from the spa about an hour ago and are preparing to go to bed. We hope to enjoy our last day in Japan tomorrow seeing as how Wednesday we are coming home. Continue to pray for our team's safe journey home and that we would carry with us what God has taught us and used us in Japan for.
Only By Grace,
Cody
Although today was supposed to be a relaxing day for us as a team, we started early to go shopping and to a famous bamboo forest. The market we went to only shows up once a month so it was quite large and quite a treat to go to. There were over 1,000 people scouring the different stalls and haggling with the peddlers for a cheaper price. I found some nice goodies and just enjoyed walking around and taking in the scenery. The market was setup near the center of a Shinto temple so it was not all commercialized and the temple area that we saw was quite beautiful. Continue to pray for the Japanese people, that God would stir a revival in the nation and in the hearts of a people enslaved by tradition and cultural pressure of perfection.
After shopping for quite some time, we caught a bus to a famous bamboo forest in Japan. It was a very unique and marvelous experience to walk underneath and through a forest of giant bamboo. The sound of the bamboo crackling in the wind was a sound I will never forget and one that was quite soothing to a weary sojourner. We spent a little while there just taking in the sight before we headed off to enjoy conveyor belt sushi.. That's right, the restaurant we went too consisted of a seat with a conveyor belt circling the entire place. Every plate was a dollar and we easy ate quite a few plates..It was a very interesting experience and one I hope to enjoy again someday..
Once we finished eating the team split up. Two members came back to hang out with the college guys we met on Saturday and the rest of us continued shopping/walking around Kyoto.. After many hours of walking, walking, walking, and being lost, we finally found the right bus to bring us home. We had a chance to rest for a few minutes and then the guys were off to an authentic Japanese hot spring... It was a great experience and if you want to know more ask me in person because it's a bit much to blog about... All I will say on here is that it was very revealing and relaxing at the same time..
We just got back from the spa about an hour ago and are preparing to go to bed. We hope to enjoy our last day in Japan tomorrow seeing as how Wednesday we are coming home. Continue to pray for our team's safe journey home and that we would carry with us what God has taught us and used us in Japan for.
Only By Grace,
Cody
Sunday, May 24, 2009
You'll Never Guess...
Dear Everyone,
The following entry is a recap of the last two days since I have been either too busy or too tired to blog so be prepared for a lot of different activities mentioned. Let me start with a recap of Saturday.
I got up early Saturday morning to play sports with whomever might show up. We tried our best to advocate the sports day but we did not reach too many people or so we thought.. When we arrived at the park there happened to be a large group of guys our age playing soccer which screamed fellowship. Besides the group of guys we didn't know, there were 3 to 4 college students from the church that we invited. As soon we started talking to the guys playing soccer they immediately challenged us to an epic international duel of the soccer titans; US vs. JP... yeah right. Our team was average at best and we lost both games but not before I charged through three of the opposite team to score an amazingly placed goal. Forgive my arrogance but it's not often I play soccer or score a goal so you get the picture :).
After playing the two soccer games with the guys we decided to teach them how to play Ultimate Frisbee. Although the teams were mixed, my team won, which included Michael from our team, who is ridiculously good at Ultimate and competes at a collegiate level. It was a good feeling to actually win something that day. If I didn't mention already the weather was scorching so you can imagine the exhaustion by the time we were done. Once we rested and talked for a few, we exchanged info and hopefully will be hanging out with some of the guys tomorrow and maybe even sharing our purpose for coming to Japan!
When the team got we all seemed kind of pink and when I say kind of pink I mean medium well sunburnt. That was not the end of our day though. As a team we decided to take a guy out who has really helped us out as far as translation and who is a Bible study leader for some karaoke. That's right I said karaoke. Yeah 3 hours of it. I got the pleasure of Rickrollig Japan and we covered anywhere from Backstreet Boys to Journey so you can imagine the beautiful harmonies :S... Once those three hours were up and our voices toasted it was time to go.. We came back and fell asleep almost as soon as we put our heads on our pillows..
Today was another busy Sunday in the life of Kyoto Christian Fellowship.. Cory and I lead worship again which was a great chance to just thank te Lord for what He has done so far in the trip and to fellowship with our Japanese brothers and sisters..After the service we held small prayer groups and shared our concerns for around 45 minutes.. Once that was over it was time for lunch at the Italian joint again. And it was just as tasty as the first time we ate there... Phew it only gets busier... After we finished eating we got a quick rest and then it was off to the international church again. I had the privilege to sing a solo which I hope encouraged some folks. This time I sang "Jesus What A Friend For Sinners!" a Capella. After the church service which was wonderful we ate a small snack and came back to the church..
The last two days have been crazy busy and we have not had much time to rest much but we are pretty much home free now and don't really have anymore official plans until we leave on Wednesday.. Pray for our team that we would have safe travel going home and that we continue to be an encouragement to the Christians in Japan. Thank for you for all your support and I'm sorry this blog is long...
Only By Grace,
Cody
The following entry is a recap of the last two days since I have been either too busy or too tired to blog so be prepared for a lot of different activities mentioned. Let me start with a recap of Saturday.
I got up early Saturday morning to play sports with whomever might show up. We tried our best to advocate the sports day but we did not reach too many people or so we thought.. When we arrived at the park there happened to be a large group of guys our age playing soccer which screamed fellowship. Besides the group of guys we didn't know, there were 3 to 4 college students from the church that we invited. As soon we started talking to the guys playing soccer they immediately challenged us to an epic international duel of the soccer titans; US vs. JP... yeah right. Our team was average at best and we lost both games but not before I charged through three of the opposite team to score an amazingly placed goal. Forgive my arrogance but it's not often I play soccer or score a goal so you get the picture :).
After playing the two soccer games with the guys we decided to teach them how to play Ultimate Frisbee. Although the teams were mixed, my team won, which included Michael from our team, who is ridiculously good at Ultimate and competes at a collegiate level. It was a good feeling to actually win something that day. If I didn't mention already the weather was scorching so you can imagine the exhaustion by the time we were done. Once we rested and talked for a few, we exchanged info and hopefully will be hanging out with some of the guys tomorrow and maybe even sharing our purpose for coming to Japan!
When the team got we all seemed kind of pink and when I say kind of pink I mean medium well sunburnt. That was not the end of our day though. As a team we decided to take a guy out who has really helped us out as far as translation and who is a Bible study leader for some karaoke. That's right I said karaoke. Yeah 3 hours of it. I got the pleasure of Rickrollig Japan and we covered anywhere from Backstreet Boys to Journey so you can imagine the beautiful harmonies :S... Once those three hours were up and our voices toasted it was time to go.. We came back and fell asleep almost as soon as we put our heads on our pillows..
Today was another busy Sunday in the life of Kyoto Christian Fellowship.. Cory and I lead worship again which was a great chance to just thank te Lord for what He has done so far in the trip and to fellowship with our Japanese brothers and sisters..After the service we held small prayer groups and shared our concerns for around 45 minutes.. Once that was over it was time for lunch at the Italian joint again. And it was just as tasty as the first time we ate there... Phew it only gets busier... After we finished eating we got a quick rest and then it was off to the international church again. I had the privilege to sing a solo which I hope encouraged some folks. This time I sang "Jesus What A Friend For Sinners!" a Capella. After the church service which was wonderful we ate a small snack and came back to the church..
The last two days have been crazy busy and we have not had much time to rest much but we are pretty much home free now and don't really have anymore official plans until we leave on Wednesday.. Pray for our team that we would have safe travel going home and that we continue to be an encouragement to the Christians in Japan. Thank for you for all your support and I'm sorry this blog is long...
Only By Grace,
Cody
Friday, May 22, 2009
In the Garden...literally
Dear Everyone,
When I say in the garden I mean in the garden. I awoke this morning after a late night and was told we would be doing some gardening. Apparently the Japanese-English translation of that means "breaking one's back to pull weeds in the rain". Once I learned this I was kind of apprehensive about the day, but you know God can even teach you something when its raining on you and you're pulling weeds.
As I labored for two hours and pulled weeds, I had an opportunity to just sing to the Lord and think over the trip thus far. Before I knew it, I was already done with my weeding. I give the Lord praise because we had the rest of the day to catch up on our rest and just relax.
I really enjoyed the afternoon and had it to look forward to sharing my testimony, which went well. Again, I got to sing with Cory and we had a great time of worship and praise to the Lord. As soon as that was over, it was time for me to share my testimony. I really believe the Lord used it to encourage people and it was an interesting experience to say one sentence and then have it translated. But it was well worth the wait. After the service the team and I sat around and fellowshipped for a few hours. I'm fairly tired now but wanted to share with you about today. Continue to pray for Kyoto Christian Fellowship and that their ministry would continue to reap the harvest because the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Thank you for all your support and I look forward to sharing more.
Only By Grace,
Cody
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Another Day, Another Prayer Walk
Dear Everyone,
Today was one of the more relaxed days as far as what we had to do but definitely not relaxed int the sense of walking a long way. We started the day with the usual waking up a little later than we were supposed to and hurrying to eat breakfast. By the time the last person was in the shower for the day it was already time to go.. As we all crammed in the same little van we have been for the last week we discussed the places we were to visit. The Golden Temple, which is one of the most famous tourist sites in Japan, was first up.
After paying 400 yen to enter and walking through the ancient entrance, my eyes froze. I came upon a perfectly still lake dotted with several islands that were covered in small bonsai trees that were like hundreds of little arrows pointing at a central object. That central object was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my entire life. In the middle of the lake and small islands was a three story temple that was almost entirely encased in pure gold. Even though it was a cloudy day, it shone like the sun coming over the ocean's horizon. It was a truly breathtaking experience. Once the team finished taking enough pictures we split into pairs to walk around and pray/talk. The walk was short but the team offered up prayers for the different tourists and school children that were there. After we all finished we had a short rest and headed off to our next destination which was another university.
I can't quite remember the name of the college but it was a very interesting place. We stayed in our pairs and infiltrated the campus to cover it with prayer. As me and my partner were walking we passed hundreds of students all who were busy with their college studies and lives. We prayed that God would pour His Grace into their lives and over their campus. Although the prayer walks can be long and tiring it feels good to pray from a place that typically does not offer up prayer. Once we walked around for an hour or so it was time to eat and head back to the church.
As much as I have eaten it already, I just could no resist getting some more beef curry at a small noodle shop we stopped at for lunch. It was nice to finally sit down and refuel. After finishing our delicious meal we came back to the church to learn how to cook some traditional Japanese food which was a wonderful experience. We sat around and laughed at the table until it was time for our prayer and worship. Once again God brought a few local Christians and we enjoyed a wonderful time of praising the Lord. Continue to pray for our team as exhaustion can become a problem and also that we would be able to minster as our time in Japan starts to come to a close. Thanks for all you do for me and please keep reading!!
Only By Grace,
Cody
Today was one of the more relaxed days as far as what we had to do but definitely not relaxed int the sense of walking a long way. We started the day with the usual waking up a little later than we were supposed to and hurrying to eat breakfast. By the time the last person was in the shower for the day it was already time to go.. As we all crammed in the same little van we have been for the last week we discussed the places we were to visit. The Golden Temple, which is one of the most famous tourist sites in Japan, was first up.
After paying 400 yen to enter and walking through the ancient entrance, my eyes froze. I came upon a perfectly still lake dotted with several islands that were covered in small bonsai trees that were like hundreds of little arrows pointing at a central object. That central object was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my entire life. In the middle of the lake and small islands was a three story temple that was almost entirely encased in pure gold. Even though it was a cloudy day, it shone like the sun coming over the ocean's horizon. It was a truly breathtaking experience. Once the team finished taking enough pictures we split into pairs to walk around and pray/talk. The walk was short but the team offered up prayers for the different tourists and school children that were there. After we all finished we had a short rest and headed off to our next destination which was another university.
I can't quite remember the name of the college but it was a very interesting place. We stayed in our pairs and infiltrated the campus to cover it with prayer. As me and my partner were walking we passed hundreds of students all who were busy with their college studies and lives. We prayed that God would pour His Grace into their lives and over their campus. Although the prayer walks can be long and tiring it feels good to pray from a place that typically does not offer up prayer. Once we walked around for an hour or so it was time to eat and head back to the church.
As much as I have eaten it already, I just could no resist getting some more beef curry at a small noodle shop we stopped at for lunch. It was nice to finally sit down and refuel. After finishing our delicious meal we came back to the church to learn how to cook some traditional Japanese food which was a wonderful experience. We sat around and laughed at the table until it was time for our prayer and worship. Once again God brought a few local Christians and we enjoyed a wonderful time of praising the Lord. Continue to pray for our team as exhaustion can become a problem and also that we would be able to minster as our time in Japan starts to come to a close. Thanks for all you do for me and please keep reading!!
Only By Grace,
Cody
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
God is truly good
Dear Everyone,
I just got back from a wonderful day filled with fellowship, juicy teryaki burgers, and more English Bible (hope you're satisfied clay) studies. I felt much better today than I have been and I thank all of you who prayed for my well being. We started the day a bit later than usual due to a busy schedule yesterday which went without a nap that we have been accustomed to getting. After having the usual cereal and leftovers for breakfast we headed out for a KGK Bible study at Kyoto University.
As is the college custom, no one is ever one time and so we started a bit later than we anticipated and ended up just fellowshipping/praying for each others needs. After that Bible study it was right on to another which was about a mile down the street. We arrived to our second English Bible study a bit early. Just to remind you, these Bible studies are advertised all over the college campuses as a way to attract people to work on and their English while also educating them on Christianity. Today's lesson was even more powerful than the first.
We had three adults who attended, two of which were not Christian. Me and teammate got a chance to share our testimonies which was really enlightening to the two non-Christians and very encouraging to the only Christian lady. We studied the story of the paralyzed man whose friends lowered him thru the roof to Jesus. The Bible study was only supposed to run around an hour but ended up close to two and a half. I really sensed the Lord there as He spoke from His Word and thru His servants to the non-believers. It was an encouragement to me seeing as how afterwards all the adults intently desired to attend again not only for English practice but for spiritual education. The pastor from the church service we went to earlier in the week was present and asked me to share with the church again thru song. So I will be singing another a cappella song which I am very excited about. I look forward to not only praising the Lord but hopefully encouraging my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. Pray that the Lord will reveal the right song to me and that it will touch someones life.
After leaving that wonderful Bible study, it was time to eat and come home. We ate a place called Mos Burgers which was really delicious and satisfying. One of my favorite aspects about Japan right now is the food no matter whether I have had it or not. I am quite tired and looking forward to resting and getting up for a new day tommorrow. Continue to pray for the English Bible studies that the Lord would draw people to Himself thru an interest in language...
Only By Grace,
Cody
I just got back from a wonderful day filled with fellowship, juicy teryaki burgers, and more English Bible (hope you're satisfied clay) studies. I felt much better today than I have been and I thank all of you who prayed for my well being. We started the day a bit later than usual due to a busy schedule yesterday which went without a nap that we have been accustomed to getting. After having the usual cereal and leftovers for breakfast we headed out for a KGK Bible study at Kyoto University.
As is the college custom, no one is ever one time and so we started a bit later than we anticipated and ended up just fellowshipping/praying for each others needs. After that Bible study it was right on to another which was about a mile down the street. We arrived to our second English Bible study a bit early. Just to remind you, these Bible studies are advertised all over the college campuses as a way to attract people to work on and their English while also educating them on Christianity. Today's lesson was even more powerful than the first.
We had three adults who attended, two of which were not Christian. Me and teammate got a chance to share our testimonies which was really enlightening to the two non-Christians and very encouraging to the only Christian lady. We studied the story of the paralyzed man whose friends lowered him thru the roof to Jesus. The Bible study was only supposed to run around an hour but ended up close to two and a half. I really sensed the Lord there as He spoke from His Word and thru His servants to the non-believers. It was an encouragement to me seeing as how afterwards all the adults intently desired to attend again not only for English practice but for spiritual education. The pastor from the church service we went to earlier in the week was present and asked me to share with the church again thru song. So I will be singing another a cappella song which I am very excited about. I look forward to not only praising the Lord but hopefully encouraging my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. Pray that the Lord will reveal the right song to me and that it will touch someones life.
After leaving that wonderful Bible study, it was time to eat and come home. We ate a place called Mos Burgers which was really delicious and satisfying. One of my favorite aspects about Japan right now is the food no matter whether I have had it or not. I am quite tired and looking forward to resting and getting up for a new day tommorrow. Continue to pray for the English Bible studies that the Lord would draw people to Himself thru an interest in language...
Only By Grace,
Cody
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)