So, this past weekend, I traveled to Tokyo for the annual Young Laborers conference. It is a conference for the Japanese student Christians in the various BEST clubs in Japan. Since there are very few Japanese Christians in Japan, let alone student Christians, it is a great time of fellowship and encouragement for them, and also for staff, like me.
It's unfortunate that there were no students from Shizuoka BEST that could attend. Utsunomia BEST has quite a few Japanese Christians in their club, and it was fun to meet them. Since as of now, there are no student Christians here in Shizuoka, it was really encouraging to interact and talk with Christians that can share their experiences about what it is like to live as a Christian in a Japanese culture. I think it also helped to start to have a vision for what Shizuoka BEST can become, and how God can work in the lives of our students as well.
The picture is of our small group for the weekend. Each morning we would do a small Bible study. One of the joys of being in a foreign country is that, because the mind of the Japanese thinks differently, the discussion that comes up in a Bible study is so refreshingly different. There is nothing more humbling and exciting than hearing a perspective about a passage that I would never have thought of, or have thought in my many years of doing Bible studies.
And I had to take the train (actually trains) home by myself! NIGHTMARE! Specifically, a 5 hour nightmare! I realize now that the feeling is akin to that of a two year old trying to take public transportation from Philadelphia to NY by himself. (In terms of communication level and ability) ...but I made it. I thank God for my nominal Japanese... -_-
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