"How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it." -G.K. Chesterton "He must increase, but I must decrease." -John the Baptist [John 3:30]
Name:Aiko Country:United States State:California Metro:Bay Area
Interests:People, books, quality music, traveling, missions, massage therapy, ethnic food, stargazing, eating rice with tofu and seaweed...and that barely scratches the surface. Want to know more? Ask me. Expertise:Tying my shoes, wasting time, smiling. Occupation:Education/training
I thought I ought to get in at least a fourth post before the new year. If you rely on reading my blog to know what's going on in my life, you're way behind, and that's my fault. Apologies. Maybe to blog more often needs to be a resolution of mine for 2008? To catch you up, the last few months have included lots of learning and fun times from work, Soquel campmeeting, AFCOE, GYC, and holidays. I'm looking forward to another year of Bible work for the same church.
2007 has been a very different year. Good different. I have learned so much about God, about people, about life, about myself. I'll have to blog about the specific experiences and lessons...sometime. Right now they're jotted down in my personal journal, far from being ready for the public eye.
Although I'm very thankful for what God has done in my life this past year, I also welcome a fresh beginning. I have a hunch that there's much more in store for this year.
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9
Today in History 0 years ago: 3 men swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco for the 500th time (short article | video) 1 year ago: Midori & Jason were pronounced man and wife 45 years ago: Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers escaped from Alcatraz 53 years ago: Uncle Mark was born 135 years ago: King Kamehameha Day was first celebrated
This Year So Far It's been quite a few months since a real update on what's been happening in my life, so here we go. Just so I don't get bogged down and you don't get bored, it's only a list of a few highlights.
Our church held cooking classes for the Saniku parents. They were extremely well-received.
Many friends visited! Thanks Staci, Cristy, Haley, and Heather for your uplifting friendship. (Staci wrote a very nice, thorough update of the wonderful weekend on her blog.)
Esther and I went to see the San Francisco Symphony perform Mendelssohn's Elijah with Herbert Blomstedt conducting. It was well worth the $25 tickets and $20 parking!
My family came! Mom, Dad, Midori, and Jason weren't here for long, but it was nice to be all together.
"Uncle" Ron made a harpsichord and he and the buyer had a "Harpsichord Party" with a free concert to showcase it (along with yummy food). Amazing!
Tiffany, Michelle and I walked through a swarm of bees and emerged unscathed. Neither of them had ever been stung by a bee.
I said goodbye to my nearby Bible workers Michelle and Heidi, who are moving on to ministry elsewhere.
I cooked for 17 CCC colporteur leaders for a couple days. It was fun and spiritually rejuvenating. Time with Janet Page was precious!
This is all general, surface stuff though. There has been so much more going on--and there's much to come! Don't touch that dial...
Those who surrender their lives to [God's] guidance and His service will never be placed in a position for which He has not made provision.
Whatever our situation,
if we are doers of His word, we have a Guide to direct our way;
Of Mothers and Magnets A second grade teacher gave her class a lesson that, among other
things, covered the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written
test, she included this question:
"My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?"
When
the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that
almost 50 percent of the students answered the question with this word:
M-o-t-h-e-r.
Though I can't deny that my mom has picked up after me on occasion, she has done and still does so much more
than that for me. Countless times she has done favors for me at
considerable expense of her time, energy, or sleep that were totally
undeserved. Her example has been one of the biggest (well, actually the biggest) influences in my
life. I admire her:
- love for God - compassion on the underprivileged - selflessness - submission - appetite for learning - industriousness - consistently positive outlook about life and people - cheerful attitude
Thank you, Mommy!
"Her children arise up, and call her blessed..." Proverbs 31:28
Nippon & Nihonjin
I'm sure you've heard it said (usually as an excuse), "but the USA needs missionaries, too!" Sure we
do--but how many Americans could and should be missionaries in their
home country but aren't? Compare that with the number of people willing
to pick up and go overseas. Then factor in the needs of some of these countries, and you will begin to see why I believe in foreign missions.
Since I'm working at a Japanese church, I've been learning about the needs in Japan. Less than 1% of the population is Christian (including
Catholic). Two weeks ago I met a girl in her late 20's who said she had only met one Christian in her lifetime.
The mindset is completely secular and godless, the consequences of which show up in
these interesting results of a Gallup poll released March 2006:
22% of U.S. teens in previous Gallup surveys often wondered why they existed, but the number for Japanese teens was 85%.
76% of U.S. teens always see a reason for their being on Earth, and only 13% of Japanese teens agreed with the statement.
3% of U.S. teens wish they had never been born, while 11% of Japanese teens do.
In addition, consider the social disorder called hikikomori, where
individuals withdraw from society and confine themselves to their
bedroom for years. Japan's Ministry of Health estimates that
over 1 million Japanese, mostly male, are hikikomori. In short, it's typically brought on by a failure to measure up to parental or societal
expectations and sustained by parents who want to "take care" of their
child. (Here's a long but fascinating article in NY Times on hikikomori.)
Another startling statistic: this video states that the homeless population has doubled in the past 7 years. (Do yourself the favor of watching this video with the music turned off.)
Without a doubt, there's a need in Japan. But even if people are searching, there is an excruciating dearth of Japanese literature. Bibles are expensive and from what I've heard, it's impossible to find a translation that's accurate and understandable. There's nothing close to a magabook* there or Bible study guides in Japanese. Something MUST be done. It seems to me that this is one reason why close to nothing is happening in the church in Japan. Just like Europe in the dark ages, because the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy are practically inaccessible to the common people and church members, they are kept bound in chains of ignorance.
The question is: what can I do? I'd sure like to know. I'm still not sure where God is leading me, but a burden to do something for the Japanese is being born in my heart.
I finally began receiving Time again; the first issue came yesterday. Here's a quote I found interesting:
"...Sugarcoated Christianity, popular in the 1980s and early '90s, has caused growing numbers of kids to turn away not just from attending youth-fellowship activities but also from practicing their faith at all." -Time Magazine, November 6, 2006 Issue, In Touch With Jesus (Also related: How to Get Teens Excited About God)
And my own selection of quotes from Lift Him Up:
"The soul cannot be satisfied with forms, maxims, and traditions. The cry of the soul must be, give me the bread of life..." (p. 110) "The Bible has been robbed of its power, and the results are seen in a lowering of the tone of spiritual life. . . . [Yet] there are many who are crying out for the living God, longing for the divine presence. . . ." (p. 108) "Man, created for fellowship with God, can only in such fellowship find his real life and development. Created to find in God his highest joy, he can find in nothing else that which can quiet the cravings of the heart, can satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul. He who with sincere and teachable spirit studies God's Word, seeking to comprehend its truths, will be brought in touch with its Author; and, except by his own choice, there is no limit to the possibilities of his development." (p. 122) "The last message of mercy is to be given to the world by the proclamation of gospel truth. Truth, Bible truth--this is what the people need. On our knees we are to claim the promises of God's Word, asking that we may receive pure, unadulterated truth, and that we may realize the necessity of giving this truth to others. Then men and women will be converted. The hand of God will be recognized in the raising up of new churches. The Lord will baptize with the apostolic spirit many who will go forth to do missionary work in places where the people know not the truth." (p. 123) "The Bible should ever be the Christian's textbook; of all books it should be made the most attractive to the young. If they drink deep of its spirit, they will be prepared to withstand the wiles of Satan, and to resist the temptations of this infidel age. By its simple beauty of language, its elevated sentiment, its unerring truthfulness, its tenderness and pathos, the word of God is well calculated to impress the mind and impart rich lessons." (p. 127) "The time devoted to a study of God's Word and to prayer will bring a hundredfold in return." (p. 111)
I'm so glad the theme for this year's GYC is "By Every Word." You really, really ought to be there. :)
