I love it when things don't go to plan...

お久しぶり！
In Japanese, that means, "Long time, no see!" :D

Indeed, it's been a long time. For the longest time, I was (and still am) working on a post summarizing my time in Japan. I held off posting anything else because I wanted to finish that first. However, several months have passed since then, and I've passed on chances to update everyone on some of the smaller, but still amusing aspects of life in Japan. It's something I regret, but I want to make up for it now, so here it goes!

Today (and more so, this evening) was one of those days that you planned to go one way, but God had other plans. And thank God he did!

The day started off a little differently than it has lately; for the first Sunday in probably 3 months, I stayed at my home in Kakogawa (recently I've been staying in either Ikeda or Shukugawa w/ friends on Saturday evening), and so I had to get up a little earlier than normal to make it to church on time. And this morning I left even earlier than usual because I thought I had a meeting before the service (which I ended up not having lol), but on the train ride over to Nishinomiya (where my church is located) I sat next to an older Japanese man who, just by looking at him, I could tell he would probably be willing to chat w/ me if I asked. I hesitated for the longest time, debating whether I should, trying to think about what I could say, etc... I could almost feel God (or the Holy Spirit) tugging at me a little, gently encouraging me to at least try. Finally, I gave in, and sure enough he was open to chatting! It was kind of a difficult conversation for me as the whole thing was in Japanese (and despite me asking him to repeat things over and over, he never really got the hint to try speaking more slowly). But it was still fun (and good practice!).

Church was also great :D I arrived a little over an hour before the service started, which most people were floored (unfortunately, I've gained something of a reputation for being perpetually late >.<). But it allowed me the chance to get a little early training on helping out w/ the sound ministry (the P.A. system), as well as talk to some new friends. The service itself was equally awesome! The worship was good, and Fumi's message was simple, but still very "meaty". He talked about how there two main kinds of churches: "brick wall" churches, where everyone is molded into (essentially) the same shape: looks the same, acts the same, is given the same responsibilities. Churches like this are easy to build (just as brick walls are easy & quick to build), but they can also deteriorate quickly (just as brick walls can easily be knocked down), and since not everyone is made the same way (we're not all "bricks"), trying to build a church this style is not healthy, or self-sustaining. A "stonewall" church, on the other hand, takes a much longer time & more energy to build (just like a wall made of stones), but you're using people "as they are", with their unique gifts (and quarks). With a stone wall, big stones AND little stones play a vital role in the construction of that wall; neither is more important than the other. So as it should be in the church; no one member (not even the pastor) should be seen as a "celebrity" and given a higher status than anyone else in the church. Like stone walls, "stonewall" churches are longer-lasting and more capable of withstanding even the most treacherous of disasters.

After church, I was supposed to watch a movie w/ some friends from church (a couple of gals), but they ended up needing to pass, so instead I went with a Japanese friend of mine who I hadn't seen in a couple weeks. The movie itself was alright (we saw the new "Alice in Wonderland" movie; I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of 10), but getting to talk w/ him afterwards (he's as crazy about studying English as I am about Japanese) easily made it worth the $21 I spent on the movie (yes, going out to movies in Japan is EXPENSIVE), and in hindsight, I'm glad that it was just the two of us.

On the way home, I had another "should I/shouldn't I try talking to them" moment on the train, this time w/ a Japanese lady. You have to understand, folks, Japanese tend to be very shy & keep to themselves, particularly on the train (and even more so with foreigners). So I'm usually pretty reluctant to start a random conversation w/ a Japanese woman whom I don't know. However, she was sitting next to me, playing games on her iPhone, so I couldn't help but at least TRY to start-up a conversation. To my surprise, she was actually game (YES!! 2-for-2! Woo hoo! lol), and her & I (and also the gentleman sitting across from me) chatted for about 5min or so before her & I had to get off @ our stop in Kakogawa. For me, it was my last stop before walking home; for her, it was her connection to a local train going to Houden, the next station over. So we said our goodbyes & went our separate ways.

God, I thank you for knowing what I need, and not just giving me what I want. Thank you for having a greater plan than I, and for loving me enough to put your greater plans ahead of my own.

神様が本当に感謝します！