Even as we touched down at Narita airport, about an hour outside of Tokyo, it still seemed unbelievable. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes as Kazu, Mana, and Shin, made their way towards us at the front of the airport terminal. We were really in Japan, and we really did have a whole summer ahead of us here in Japan. 

It’s been four days since then, and a lot has happened. One of the best things that’s happened is that our jet lag has begun to fade. Even though it’s almost 3am back home, I’m able to keep my eyes open without a great deal of strain (which has been a lot more struggle the past couple of days), and I managed to sleep in today past 5 or 6 AM 

It’s been crazy experiencing the Japanese culture, as I’ve been able to see just how different everything is here. Everything here is smaller, more efficiency focused, considerably more expensive, and . . . written in Japanese. But, the differences are far deeper than just the setting in which we find ourselves, the people are different too. 

Our first night here we had a great Japanese dinner of Sushi. I had a chance to go shopping for the food with Kazu, which was a very cool experience. Who would have known that raw fish, squid, shrimp, and fish eggs, could taste so good? 

On Saturday we were blessed to be able to attend an outreach ministry at Kazu and Amy’s church, where young people in the church bring their unsaved friends for an event called ちょいモジ (Choi Moji = “A little serious”). This is an opportunity for non-Christians to learn about, and discuss things concerning a Biblical worldview. Everything was in Japanese, so our friend Nohara translated for us. But this event, and the Sunday gathering of the church provided great opportunities for us to experience ministry in Japan, and to get to know some Japanese people. 

As of right now, we’re spending a good deal of time learning about the culture, the city, and the ministry of Tokyo Christ Dendokan Mission Church. We’re also getting a chance to experience what it means to live a normal life here in the city. As I learned on my mission trip to Quebec, a lot of a missionary’s life is simply living, just like everyone else. This means, shopping for food, doing laundry, washing the dishes, going shopping, enjoying fellowship, and the other simple, but essential and beautiful elements of life.

I’m really excited to see all that God has in store for us this summer. There’s definitely some challenges to being here, but overall I have been loving this incredible experience, and I know that God is going to use this time for His glory. 

 Please pray for God’s leading in our hearts as Adam and I both consider the possibility of long-term ministry here in Tokyo. Also, pray for God to open doors of opportunity for ministry, and for Adam and I to humbly, and creatively respond to those opportunities. Thanks so much for your continued prayers as we are here in Tokyo.

Keep coming back throughout the summer to hear more about what God is doing here in Tokyo. If you click the subscribe link on the left side of this page, you can be notified whenever I post something new.

God bless, Paul