How crowded is Japan?
Visit a 7-11 to get the feel of what it's like go shopping in a crowded store (16 seconds).
Watch this 1:45 video to see what it's like to cross a crowded intersection.
Swimming pools are crowded (17 seconds).
Train stations are crowded (8 seconds).
And don't forget how crowded trains can get (15 seconds).
It's the first day of school!
- Last week, Kim attended teacher meetings, put up bulletin boards, and planned lessons. I led biblical perspective workshops at CAJ and team building activities in Manila at our mission's EurAsia Team meeting.
- Today, Kim will be teaching English 10, and I'll be helping new staff get off to a good start.
Japanese need Jesus
Japanese like summer. Like North Americans, Japanese eat watermelon. But the watermelons are smaller and round (like the watermelon beach ball I'm holding). And Japanese watermelons are sometimes square—that's right, Japanese watermelons are sometimes square.
To see a square watermelon, watch this 27-second video:
Read More...
What’s your vision?
Now, imagine. Imagine that…
You’re a Japanese mother. You and your husband became Christians 2 years ago; none of your relatives are Christians. Your daughter Tomoko is 4. You want her to love Jesus. You go to church and Sunday school. You want more Christian influence for Tomoko and for her to think Christianly. You want to send her to a Christian school. We serve at CAJ, which provides a Christian education for over 150 Japanese students. Read More...
What did you do during the past 2 weeks?
- Shared with supporters/churches about God's work in Japan. We showed a short video of square watermelons!
- Planned some curriculum and worked on some school improvement projects.
- Visited with family—we stayed with my folks/sister and visited aunts/uncles.
- Got Caitlin her Canadian study permit.
How's your summer going?
We’re having a good time. So far, we’ve shared with supporters and churches in Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan. We’ve talked with family and friends. And we made a special cake to celebrate July 4. Read More...
We’re finishing our 21st year!
What's your weekly forecast?
Our weekly forecst is cool, rainy
weather, with sunny progress.
Cool,
rainy weather: We've
been having unusually cool, rainy weather. Rainy
weather poses problems for the many people here who use
bikes to get around (slideshow). Today's low is
48, and today's high is only 61. Feels like October.
How's your weather/
With
sunny progress:
-
Tuesday: I'm looking forward to this afternoon's workshop where CAJ teachers will be discussing "How can you increasingly target Biblical perspective?" Last week, the group discussed "How does your Christian worldview affect your educational practice?"
-
Friday: Kim's English 10 students will be writing movie reviews.
Asking questions doesn't always work...
As teachers, we ask
questions. This strategy doesn't always work, as this
video shows.
What's gone well for you this week?
- Monday: Kim talked with 2 students about
books they'd been reading.
- Tuesday: I got to facilitate an hour-long
discussion about Christian worldview education.
Fifteen teachers participated.
- Thursday: Kim read an essay in which a non-Christian student reflected on a Christian worldview.
Thanks for praying
(1) Praise God for Easter baptisms, including that of Mrs. T at Kurume Christ Church and 3 Japanese at Kurume Bible Fellowship. Read More...
Spring has arrived!
Mrs. T is getting baptized!
“Congratulations!”
It was the pastor and his wife from the church where I used to teach an English Bible class.
But what were they congratulating me for? Read More...
How'd your week go?
- Mon: No school!
- Tues: Michael
attended an all-day meeting of 70+ mission leaders,
where he gave a 10-minute presentation on ways
to encourage missionaries.
- Wed: Kim's students did
well on a poetry reading quiz.
- Thurs: Michael
submitted a workshop proposal for a
Nov. conference in Hong Kong.
- Fri: Kim's students listened to Noah Pashapa, a Zimbabwean pastor, speak.
What do you have going today?
Recent highlights for us include:
- Having one of
Kim's CAJ students write on a test that
he's grateful he's learning how to apply a Biblical
perspective.
- Getting snow.
- Finding an English
web site that gives a local weather forecast.
- Publishing a set of Biblical perspective teacher training standards. CAJ adopted them yesterday.
Target Biblical perspective
Want to achieve your goals?
What's the weather like?
Ask God for a full staff for next school year
What are 10 reasons to serve at CAJ?
Grammar, anyone?
Yes, you read that statement correctly—Kim's 10th graders really like doing grammar. Might be hard to believe. I mean, we're coming off of Christmas break and grammar wasn't something I particularly liked.
How about you?
How was 2007?
What are you thankful for?
- Salvation
- Health and safety
- Autumn colors
- Turkey and stuffing
Time to go home
TimeToGoHome
We need to collaborate
How'd your week go?
- Sat.: Mr. and Mrs. Nagai got
baptized.
- Sun.: We had rhubarb pie for
dessert.
- Mon.: Kim helped 10th graders
commit to a service activity.
- Tues.: Kim went on a 3-day
leadership training for CAJ's 10th grade.
- Wed.: Michael shared his
Biblical perspective tutorial with several CAJ staff.
- Thurs.: Michael further
developed his workshop on self-management.
- Fri.: No school today!
Come to Tokyo
- Read about the prime minister’s resignation.
- Get around on foot, by bike, and by train.
- Watch Japanese and US baseball on TV.
- Visit CAJ.
- See Christian churches.