Beauty

If there's one thing that has certainly held true about Japan, it's the observation that everything moves so quickly. People are rushing to trains or scurrying down escalators, all while staring down at their phones or catching a few z's during their commute back home. Everything is fast-paced and it's difficult to keep up.

Back home, I always find myself just doing life as it comes and not paying attention to the beauty around me. Sometimes it takes a trip somewhere to open my eyes to see the wonderful things God has created on this earth, otherwise, I'm stuck thinking about the "next thing" while driving alone in my car (This is partly why I love public transportation, but that's another story for another day).

Yesterday was our first day going out and about in Japan, eating, exploring, and observing. I still felt like everyone was in a hurry but when I finally tried to look beyond that, I found people looking for something and that something turns out to be beauty. Last night after going to Odaiba with Stephen, Soo and the kids to see a gigantic, 3-ish story Gundam statue, we sat and watched the sunset near a bridge. It was so nice after a long day to just sit and enjoy something so beautiful on a Monday; a day that would normally be a work day and I would find myself just eating dinner and sleeping early to prepare for the next day. As we sat and watched, I noticed that people started to gather to watch as well. Maybe it wasn't as big of a deal as I was making it, but to see people start showing up to watch the sunset, to point at it with huge smiles and taking pictures, to see the joy on their faces as they observed the beauty in their own lives, was an incredible experience. 

We all agree that the people in Japan are looking for something. Let's give them something to fall in love with. 

More to come! Thank you for your support.

#nofilter

Jet lagged!

Up bright and early!

So We Begin.

Hello from 東久留米市 (Higashikurume) Japan at the Bay's house.

We made it across the Pacific in around a little over 10 hours (we arrived at Narita at 2:00pm, when our expected time was 3:00pm), and enjoyed bonding with our buddy Hank, who you'll be seeing more of during our trip. ;)

Once we went through Immigration, Baggage Claim, and Customs, and we managed to make it from Narita to Higashikurume without getting lost too much. We had a few very nice Japanese people who understood English and saw that we were out of place and lost. Praise the Lord! Stephen Bay picked us up from the station and it was so great seeing a familiar face in a new city!

Tomorrow we have a full day ahead of us. In the morning, we are attending two services that Stephen is speaking at IBF, eating lunch with the congregation, and then attending a worship/fellowship night at Shin-Akitsu Christ Church at night. It'll be a great day of meeting new people, hearing their stories, and seeing how the Lord is working in Japan.

For me personally, it's been surreal to be back in Japan. It's only been a few years, but I feel like it wasn't that long ago I was here. I'm excited to see what God is going to do in these upcoming days and what He's going to reveal to us.

Please pray that we would get lots of rest tonight, that we'd see the people that we meet the way that God does, and to continually have a servant's heart and mind.

Thank you for all your prayer and support! We'll try to keep you as updated as we can. :)

Waiting at the Airport

Eek! We are currently waiting at our boarding gate! Thank you all for support!! So excited to see what God is going to do!

Here are some prayer requests for you to keep in mind as we begin our journey! Thank you so much!

- Spiritual protection

- For God to give us the eyes to see the joys and pains of the people in Japan

- For God to interrupt our lives

- Protection over our loved ones back at home

- Serving out of an overflow of what God is already doing in our lives

- Logistics – luggage to get there and back, transitions in transportation goes smoothly, and overall safety of our team

- Health and team unity

Love you guys!