Japan has a population of over 125 million in the land space of California. 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).

Classes start at CAJ in 15 minutes!

• 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.

I like summer! I'll bet you do, too.

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...

Our vision is to equip students to impact the world for Christ and to empower Christian leaders to pursue God’s calling.

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...

During the past 2 weeks, we:

• 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.

Kim, 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...

Read More...

Michael, what changes have you noticed at CAJ since you started in 1987? The student body has grown from 280 to 460, the curriculum now includes Advanced Placement courses, and buildings (constructed in the 1960s) have been refurbished or replaced. What’s stayed the same is CAJ’s commitment to providing Christ-centered education. Read More...

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.

As teachers, we ask questions. This strategy doesn't always work, as this video shows.

Here's what's gone well for us:

• 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.

Praise God for providing a band director and a home economics teachers. Ask God to provide a middle school English/social studies teacher.

Thanks for praying for us:

(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 in Japan—cherry blossoms, good weather, and 6 baptisms on Easter Sunday!

I was deep in the mundane stuff of everyday life—insurance forms, to be precise—when the doorbell rang.

“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...

Here's how ours went:

• 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.

Kim just got done teaching English 10, and now we're off to Starbucks! 

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.

By targeting Biblical perspective, teachers can help student apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.

If you want to achieve your goals, get a coach. Your coach will listen, ask questions, and provide the support, encouragement, and accountability you need to achieve your goals.

Tokyo is on roughly the same latitude as Atlanta. We have 4 seasons, and we rarely get snow. To see the local weather forecast, click here.

CAJ needs teachers, including elementary teachers and secondary teachers (Bible, ESL, science, home economics).

What are 10 reasons to serve at CAJ?

Kim's students are really enjoying their grammar unit.

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?

Michael, how did you see God working in 2007? God continued to answer prayers. There were baptisms, including the baptisms of 7 middle schoolers on one Sunday at Kurume Christ Church, baptisms at mission posts (including Mr. and Mrs. Shimizu), and the baptism of Yuga Takizawa, Kim’s Sunday school student. Read More...

Though our home computer died this week, we have much to be thankful for:

• Salvation
  
• Health and safety
  
• Autumn colors
  
• Turkey and stuffing

What are you thankful for? 

Each afternoon, music plays to remind children that it's time to go home. To hear the music, click the link.

TimeToGoHome

I’m in the Japan Alps, supervising CAJ 10th graders during leadership training. I’m sitting in a circle with my group of eleven 10th graders, talking about the experiences of the day. Read More...

Our week went well:

• 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!

Here are some things you can do:

• 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.

16 inches of rain in 24 hours. That's the weather prediction, assuming Typhoon 9 continues toward Tokyo. In 20 years of being in Tokyo, I can recall 1 typhoon that hit Tokyo, so my guess is we aren't going to get hit. If we do, we won't have school, and we'll stay safe and dry in our home. How's your weather?

You are? Good. Try going for 1 hour without asking or thinking a single question. That’s right, not one question. How do you think you’d do? Read More...