Dear Loved Ones - It is Tuesday morning, August 2nd 5AM, and the remnants of the mission team are in a hotel in the city of Aizuwakamatsu. There are five of us traveling together and sightseeing. Yumiko and Charlie Chen, from the Crossway Church, joined us Sunday morning in time to worship with the team. Danny gave his testimony and the team shared a song we sang at EEC. Two children who attended EEC were there to help present the song with its dance movements. I then gave the morning message. You know these people have great trust in God when they allow me to stand before them and speak for 20-30 minutes. But it is always a great blessing when I'm allowed to share with my brothers and sisters - whether it is 20 minutes or 20 seconds. Because I don't have the Bible knowledge of Shizuka, who gave the sermon last week, my message was more of an extended testimony. After the service, the church members gave us a going away luncheon. Just like the welcoming luncheon last week, we sat at four clusters of tables - with church members and mission team members sharing lunch and spending time in conversation together. At the end, we went around and everyone shared some thoughts about EEC, the mission team, and other personal thoughts. It is always wonderful to hear from the church members, and it is always an emotional time for the team members to say thank you and goodbye to our hosts. After the luncheon, Kumi, Tsuguru, Rhemus & Mielee were taken to the train station to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo. Tsuguru has lived in Japan this past year to attend college and has been interning at a church there. He is already back at work assisting Aiichiro-sensei there. Sensei was the one who drove the seminary students to Sendai to work together with us for EEC. Mielee and Rhemus have reunited with their mother, Hiroko, and relatives. Hiroko left the team after EEC ended to join her family in mourning the passing of her sister and to attend the funeral service. She received news of the passing last Wednesday, during EEC. In a letter, Hiroko gave me permission to share this information with you. It is still heartbreaking to think about HIroko, Mielee & Rhemus and the loss of their loved one. Please keep them in your prayers as they grieve and go through the healing process. When the team left Sendai yesterday, Lauren stayed behind to join Yumiko to travel in Japan to connect with missionaries our church supports and to visit with pastors/churches that might be possible mission opportunities for the future. Lauren and Yumiko represent our church's Missions Committee and serve as wonderful ambassadors for us. It feels so strange to be in a group of only five people now. But we are very blessed to have this opportunity for rest and relaxation - to sightsee and do some shopping to take gifts back home. After sleeping on a futon for eleven nights, the mattress provided welcome support for these old bones last night. After sightseeing today, we will go back to stay at the Sendai church for the night and then take the Shinkansen to Tokyo to do our last sightseeing until we leave from Haneday Airport just after midnight. I don't know if I'll be able to write you again from Japan - if not, the next post will be from my Northridge, California home. I'm going to take a short nap before joining my teammates for breakfast in the hotel lobby. Danny, Koby & I shared one room last night, with Monica & Shizuka sharing the other one. Thank you for covering us with your prayers and love for the past two weeks. It will take time to process and reflect upon all that has happened - and I will not attempt to do it now. God be with you forever and ever. Love, Don
P.S. - I will send more photos later.
No comments:
Post a Comment