What’s daily life like in Japan?
Michael: Well, we sleep on the floor. We go shopping several times a week because our refrigerator is smaller and because we use bikes to carry groceries from the store. While we can get a variety of Western food, sometimes we eat new things—Kim was at a party with the ladies she plays volleyball with and she had fried chicken cartilage!
 
We ride trains, which can get very crowded. To see how crowded, watch this video (1:21) of passengers getting crammed on to our local train. Be sure to watch it all the way to the end!


 
And on TV, you can see cool magic tricks. For example, here’s short video (1:14) from Japanese TV of a guy taking hamburger out of a plastic store sign and eating it!


 
Kim, what’s Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ) like?
Kim: CAJ is similar to Christian schools in the US—same school calendar (Sept. – June), same language of instruction (English), same course (Bible, US history/literature…), and same activities (drama, BB…). What’s different about CAJ might be the diversity of students. For example, next year I’ll have 12 nationalities represented in my English 10 class (Japanese, American, Korean, Canadian, British, South African, Ghanian, Indian, Indonesian, Norwegian, Peruvian, and Australian). CAJ makes efforts to address this diversity in its curriculum.
 
I’ve got a short slideshow on CAJ—want to watch it?
 
What do you like about teaching at CAJ?
Kim: Teaching at CAJ gives me the opportunity to equip my students to impact the world for Christ, to support the mission effort by assisting missionaries with the education of their kids, and to assist Japanese Christian parents with the education of their kids—we have over 125 Japanese students at CAJ.
 
One of the missions that sends its kids to CAJ is TEAM. Here’s a 5-minute video from TEAM about sharing the Gospel in Japan.
 

 
Michael, what do you like about working at CAJ?
Michael: I enjoy empowering Christians to pursue God’s calling. And that’s what I get to do through the coaching, consulting, and training I do for CAJ staff. For example, I help the administration with school improvement, I contribute to curriculum development, and I provide teacher workshops on helping students apply a Biblical perspective. Here’s a slideshow of a CAJ teacher workshop I did in May. And here are some online tutorials I put together for CAJ staff.
 
Seems like your work is also outside of CAJ. Is that right?
Michael: Yes, that’s right. As part of CAJ’s effort to support the spread of the Gospel, I provide coaching, consulting, and training for missionaries and for other Christian school staff. The name of this ministry is Close the Gap Now. In May, for example, I facilitated 2 days of strategic planning for a mission (slideshow) and I led a coaching workshop for 22 participants representing 7 missions.
 
How is God blessing His work in Japan?
Kim: I’m excited to see my English 10 students learning about God and His creation. I’m excited that they’re applying a Biblical perspective to what they study. The people Michael coaches and trains say that they feel encouraged and are more productive. Japanese are coming to know Jesus, and churches (slideshow) are being planted!