The Garden Comes to the Garden of Learning
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For the past 10 days we, along with Asian Access and our Japanese church family had the great privilege of hosting a 10 member summer team from Garden Christian Fellowship in California. They spent most of their time serving Gakuentoshi Chapel and its community (Gakuentoshi = garden of learning).
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.
...
.
.
Before their arrival, there was so much to prepare. Our church plant Gakuentoshi Chapel, although supported by 2 other churches in our network, had many concerns and requests for prayer regarding hosting this team. God heard and answered each one!
.
.
How will we house them all?
.
.
The team numbered 10 members which on some Sundays is bigger than our congregation at Gakuentoshi Chapel.
.
.
Although our initial requests to our Japanese friends about housing some members of this team met with some hesitation, God opened their hearts to open their homes. And God brought about amazing connectedness and deep affection for one another even in such a short amount of time.
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.
...
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.
...
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...
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...
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.
Everyone who came into contact with this team just loved them. So, team, we've got a long list of host families waiting for you next summer!
.
.
We've never met them before. Will we all get along?
.
.
Although our church was thinking that this team was coming to do outreach in our community, they weren't prepared for what an unforgettable impact the team would have on each of our church members. They were challenged and inspired through the team's ministry of music, teaching God's Word and sharing their testimonies...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
and they constantly found ways to love and encourage them by being first to serve rather than being served.
.
.
Although it was our first time meeting, even from day one, both team and church commented on how we felt like we'd known each other for so much longer. As our church earnestly prayed for each team member God knit our hearts together so we did feel like old friends.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
How will we communicate with them??
.
.
Apart from the team leader's self-proclaimed 'gangsta' Japanese, there weren't any other fluent Japanese speakers on the team, although a couple team members were able to communicate well enough with some of the Japanese they had studied in school beforehand.
.
.
Big thanks to Peter, our Asian Access director who facilitated much of the initial conversation and set-up between Japanese and American churches.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
We're also so blessed to have Yuko (pic below far right), and Megumi (fourth picture down, second from right), servant-hearted JET teachers originally from California who are perfectly bilingual. Other than that, we saw a lot of body language and gesturing going on between the Americans and Japanese. But clearest of all was the language of God's love spoken through the team to our Japanese friends that so moved and touched them all - no translations necessary.
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...
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...
.
.
What will we do with them for 10 days??
.
.
As we prayed in preparation for the team, God led us to focus on relationships not so much on activities. As we began to recount and call upon the numerous relationships God had given to us in this community of "the Garden of Learning", our schedules quickly filled up. This was a blessing for our church since they didn't have to meet a bunch of new people, rather go deeper in the relationships that they already had as well as being able to follow-up with them even after the team left.
.
.
Many of our Japanese friends and neighbors invited the team over for a meal and prepared elaborately. For example, the H family
.
.
...
.
.
Each member of the family prepared a little something special...
.
.
Dad, became Mr. Magic Man wowing us with many of his tricks.
.
.
...
.
.
Mom, cooked an amazing meal as well as served us traditional Japanese tea and snacks.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
The son made us all shaved ice treats with his cool ice shaver machine (reminded me of my (Claire's) Snoopy snow cone machine I had when I was a kid - only his was much cooler)
.
.
...
.
.
The daughter (a regular attender of Fun with Claire) provided her own form of entertainment.
.
.
...
.
.
What a wonderful night!
.
.
...
.
.
So many other great stories to share, so will just let some of the pictures do the talking.
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The team also led and participated in many of our regular English classes with enthusiasm and joy that was contagious!
.
.
Ladies' English class
.
.
...
.
.
Men's English class
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.
...
.
.
University classes
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...
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.
...
.
.
Fun with Claire
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...
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.
...
.
.
The team even took a crash course in scrapbooking in order to host a scrapbooking class for the FWC moms.
.
.
...
.
.
The team was also able to tour some places in Kobe and Kyoto with the expert tour guidance of some of their new Japanese friends. The team used every opportunity to go deeper in their relationships.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
The team hosted a "Thank You" party to thank all the host families and new friends for their hospitality. As evidence of the team's deep impact, almost every person they had come into contact with in their short time here came out to the party to hang out with the team.
.
.
It was a night of good food (the team spent hours and hours preparing delicious food), good fun (some really creative games that surprised even the Japanese game show fanatics)
.
.
...
.
.
Many of our Japanese friends commented on how moved and touched they were by the team's music.
.
.
...
.
.
Although most didn't understand the words to the song they sang, the Spirit of God moved many to tears as they sensed the earnestness and love with which the team sang.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
Thank you God for faithfully answering each prayer and doing more than we could of ever imagined!
.
.
...
.
.
.
For the past 10 days we, along with Asian Access and our Japanese church family had the great privilege of hosting a 10 member summer team from Garden Christian Fellowship in California. They spent most of their time serving Gakuentoshi Chapel and its community (Gakuentoshi = garden of learning).
.
.
...
.
.
Before their arrival, there was so much to prepare. Our church plant Gakuentoshi Chapel, although supported by 2 other churches in our network, had many concerns and requests for prayer regarding hosting this team. God heard and answered each one!
.
.
How will we house them all?
.
.
The team numbered 10 members which on some Sundays is bigger than our congregation at Gakuentoshi Chapel.
.
.
Although our initial requests to our Japanese friends about housing some members of this team met with some hesitation, God opened their hearts to open their homes. And God brought about amazing connectedness and deep affection for one another even in such a short amount of time.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
Everyone who came into contact with this team just loved them. So, team, we've got a long list of host families waiting for you next summer!
.
.
We've never met them before. Will we all get along?
.
.
Although our church was thinking that this team was coming to do outreach in our community, they weren't prepared for what an unforgettable impact the team would have on each of our church members. They were challenged and inspired through the team's ministry of music, teaching God's Word and sharing their testimonies...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
and they constantly found ways to love and encourage them by being first to serve rather than being served.
.
.
Although it was our first time meeting, even from day one, both team and church commented on how we felt like we'd known each other for so much longer. As our church earnestly prayed for each team member God knit our hearts together so we did feel like old friends.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
How will we communicate with them??
.
.
Apart from the team leader's self-proclaimed 'gangsta' Japanese, there weren't any other fluent Japanese speakers on the team, although a couple team members were able to communicate well enough with some of the Japanese they had studied in school beforehand.
.
.
Big thanks to Peter, our Asian Access director who facilitated much of the initial conversation and set-up between Japanese and American churches.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
We're also so blessed to have Yuko (pic below far right), and Megumi (fourth picture down, second from right), servant-hearted JET teachers originally from California who are perfectly bilingual. Other than that, we saw a lot of body language and gesturing going on between the Americans and Japanese. But clearest of all was the language of God's love spoken through the team to our Japanese friends that so moved and touched them all - no translations necessary.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
What will we do with them for 10 days??
.
.
As we prayed in preparation for the team, God led us to focus on relationships not so much on activities. As we began to recount and call upon the numerous relationships God had given to us in this community of "the Garden of Learning", our schedules quickly filled up. This was a blessing for our church since they didn't have to meet a bunch of new people, rather go deeper in the relationships that they already had as well as being able to follow-up with them even after the team left.
.
.
Many of our Japanese friends and neighbors invited the team over for a meal and prepared elaborately. For example, the H family
.
.
...
.
.
Each member of the family prepared a little something special...
.
.
Dad, became Mr. Magic Man wowing us with many of his tricks.
.
.
...
.
.
Mom, cooked an amazing meal as well as served us traditional Japanese tea and snacks.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
The son made us all shaved ice treats with his cool ice shaver machine (reminded me of my (Claire's) Snoopy snow cone machine I had when I was a kid - only his was much cooler)
.
.
...
.
.
The daughter (a regular attender of Fun with Claire) provided her own form of entertainment.
.
.
...
.
.
What a wonderful night!
.
.
...
.
.
So many other great stories to share, so will just let some of the pictures do the talking.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
The team also led and participated in many of our regular English classes with enthusiasm and joy that was contagious!
.
.
Ladies' English class
.
.
...
.
.
Men's English class
.
.
...
.
.
University classes
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
Fun with Claire
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
The team even took a crash course in scrapbooking in order to host a scrapbooking class for the FWC moms.
.
.
...
.
.
The team was also able to tour some places in Kobe and Kyoto with the expert tour guidance of some of their new Japanese friends. The team used every opportunity to go deeper in their relationships.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
...
..
...
.
.
...
.
.
The team hosted a "Thank You" party to thank all the host families and new friends for their hospitality. As evidence of the team's deep impact, almost every person they had come into contact with in their short time here came out to the party to hang out with the team.
.
.
It was a night of good food (the team spent hours and hours preparing delicious food), good fun (some really creative games that surprised even the Japanese game show fanatics)
.
.
...
.
Many of our Japanese friends commented on how moved and touched they were by the team's music.
.
.
...
.
.
Although most didn't understand the words to the song they sang, the Spirit of God moved many to tears as they sensed the earnestness and love with which the team sang.
.
.
...
.
.
...
.
.
Thank you God for faithfully answering each prayer and doing more than we could of ever imagined!
.
.
...
(Impossible is nothing)
..
:::
posted by B & C at
3:58 PM
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