Thunder Storm

It is POURING outside right now as Sarah and I sit at our kitchen table. We've had a great, but tiring, week on campus. Today I went to an English Lunch Circle (a circle is like a club, and the English Lunch is put on by Japan CCC). I sat at a table with eight Japanese girls who asked me lots of questions about American food and Jon :) I got to hear all about their lives and travels, and when they left for class they all got my email address, so hopefully we can meet up again!
In the afternoon we got the chance to attend an English class put on by a Christian professor from Candada. It's actually a pretty big deal for the students to be able to talk to a native English speaker, and I think they were a little nervous; I know I would have been if the same had happened in my Spanish classes! The girls in Japan are just adorable! They are hands-down the friendliest people I've ever met and they are so open to talking with us. I have been so blessed to get to know a few this past week and I hope to meet more and become better friends with the ones I already know :)

Okay, now for some pictures:

This is Jon and me before I left. He was trying to make me smile since I was a little sad, and I think I went a bit over the top :) I mostly put this up because I know it will embarass him...



In case you were wondering, here is what a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes looks like in Japan.



I've tried some different foods, but there is something to be said for the familarity of home :)

I miss you all and I hope you're doing well!

Pictures!

Our team at Briefing in Orange County!




The 15 students are split into three teams of five, and Greg and I go with a different team to campus each day. My first day on campus was with the team at Sophia University: Sarah, Maria, Dave, Joseph, and Steve.



This one's for you, Mom! The Disney Store in Shibuya :)



We had so much fun on our savenger hunt game in Shibuya! I'll have to get the picture from Sarah of all six of us crammed into a telephone booth!

Konnichiwa

Wow. I can't believe I'm actually in Japan. I especially can't believe that my entire team is in Japan. When we got to briefing a few days ago, the team as a whole was down more than $15,000! The students hit the phones and raised the first half within 24 hours! As of dinner the night before we were set to leave, it looked likely that two of our students wouldn't be able to get on the plane the next morning because of support. In the next four hours, we managed to raise more than enough for all 17 of us to board a Singapore Airlines non-stop flight from LAX to Narita Airport. Of course, that was after one student's passport had to be rushed to the airport when it was left on a copy machine back in Orange County.

When we got here, STINTers Emily and Joe met us at the aiport and we literally RAN to catch the train (the next one left an hour later). We made the train...unfortunately, our passports did not. The people we've met in Tokyo are so nice! An employee boarded the next train to bring us our passports and actually came all the way to Koenji (where we live--several different train rides away)!

Tonight was dinner cooked by the STINT team at the Mitaka Center. That's where their offices are. It was great to hang out and get to hear more about Tokyo. Tomorrow is our first day on campus and there's definitely a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. Pray for our teams as we begin to "decode" three college campuses tomorrow!

One Chapter Closes

This is my last week in the office and it seems sort of strange. It's certainly gone by quickly. I remember getting here for my first day in August and meeting Kara. She and Cathy became my best friends at the office--even hanging out outside of work. They contributed a lot to my enjoyment of where I worked. While I will miss the people and the opportunities there is also a part of me that is ready to take what I've learned and continue on. This year offered challenges to my pride, to my emotions, and to my walk with the Lord. Hopefully through all of that I've learned and grown. I think if a first job out of college can facilitate that, then it was a winning endeavor.




I really appreciate all of the women on my original HR team. They are each filled with such wisdom and grace; From each of them I learned how to have an honest assesment of myself (good and bad) as well as how to "enter in" to another's experience. They threw me a wedding shower last weekend and got to share their thoughts, experiences, and insights into biblical marriage. It was such a blessing!

Three Weeks to Go!

In just 22 short days I, along with sixteen awesome college students and my co-project director, will be boarding a plane at LAX headed for Tokyo, Japan! So in honor of three weeks before we leave, here are the top three things I'm looking forward to:

1. Discipling the six girls going on project (that means doing Bible studies with them, training them in how to share their faith, and talking with them about life!)
2. Learning an entirely new culture through activities, meeting students, working with Japan CCC staff, etc.
3. SUSHI!


I get to meet my team May 22nd at briefing in Costa Mesa, California. I'm nervous and excited to see the amazing mix of students God has brought together for this six week project!