Wednesday, August 27, 2008
DOWN DOWN DOWN ! ! !
Well, I guess sorry won't help for the LONG delay in my update on this blog.
Many things has/had happen, been drain physically, emotionally and spiritually this month. Hope that I had not become a habitual complainer. Sigh, this is so diff from my usual happy go lucky self. Well I guess in our down times we should count our blessing rite!!! Summary of the past FEW weeks!!!
01) Retrieved my LOST wallet 4 days after I lost it
02) Naveen and family came visiting
03) Friend lent me his car to bring Naveen around
04) Dinner and desert with Joeru and Kevin
05) Completed 21km half marathon with my sister
06) Accountabilty time during cell roxs
07) Time with my BROs, Joel/Klem/WX
08) Steamboat on a rainy day
09) AOF2 video by Titan
10) Michi and Kaori Faith!!!
Well, there are definately more than these that God bless me without me knowing!!!
Take care you people and sorry for the lack of song update!!!
Depressed,
dannyboy31
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Letter of FAITH; MICHI
"I want to say thank you so much to everyone for praying for me. I could feel your prayers as I met with my family yesterday. I am totaly overwhelmed by loving messages from my BIG christian family around the world. You all have encouraged me so much. I can't see God but I feel like he is training me to be a strong christian.
My family has very high expectations about everything. If I don’t satisfy their expectations then they will be very upset. They will not be able to accept me. I don’t blame them, because they don’t know any other way. But they cannot give me any freedom for my future. The way they love me is by trying to decide my path for me. It is really difficult for them to accept something different. My two older sisters got married and the responsibility of taking over our house and taking care of our parents is left to me.
As some of you know it is 'OBON 'time in Japan now.
We do some traditional way to worship ancestors. I don't think Japanese gods or spirits are real. We do these traditions because everyone does or because it's just our custom. We don't even think if it is real or not. We just do it because it is culture.Christianity is so real. God is living. I feel him everyday now.I don't want to be so sad about Japanese way but I feel a lot of meaning in the way to live as Christian more than Japanese cultural way to live.
The more I talk with my parents the more I feel like I am a trouble maker. I think ' Why do I know and believe what they can't understand!' 'Why can't I just obey their expectations!' It is hard. because I LOVE my family.When we had our family meeting, my dad couldn’t even stay to listen. He said “It’s not worth listening to” and left. It was really difficult to talk with them because their hearts are completely closed. They cannot listen to me or accept me at this point. Please keep praying that God will open their hearts. They’ve asked me to separate myself from my Christian life, to move out of Judith’s house, live on my own, study other religions and then see if I still want to be a Christian. I am praying for God to guide me and to show me each step from here.
Maybe I’m going to cause trouble in my family, but I know it is better. I don’t regret anything. But it breaks my heart. My family laughs at me and treats me like I’m not good enough, like I’m a heretic. My life or existense in my family is so difficult. I wonder why I was born in this family. But they love me and because they are so stubborn they can not see a different way. They are afraid to be open about religion. They don’t even want to come to church and check or try to study about Christianity. They are totally closed. They feel like they are normal Japanese in their thinking and my thinking is strange. So I have to understand them, not them understand me.
But don't worry...I am ok!!!!
I promise you I won't give up. I know what I want to do. I know what I need. God knows that the most. I am sure he will make best way.
Maybe I can not be a Christian for a long time, but I will continue this lifestyle and I will continue to know about God more and I won’t stop. Because I know that there are people who are cheering me on and understand me, I can continue. I love Chrisitianity, I love God and I love this way. I am so honest and I can not tell lie. So I hope little by little my family will ask me, or I can show them God’s love. Please keep praying and keep encouraging me not to be weak and not to give up. Thank you so much! Please let me know how I can pray for you.
Please come to Japan and visit us so I can treat you like VIP =)
Love, Michi"
Friday, August 15, 2008
Updates from Japan
Michi and I would like to thank everyone for the prayers that have been lifted up on her behalf over the past 10 days.
She is getting ready to go to her parents’ house sometime in the afternoon on the 15th. Their official family meeting won’t happen until sometime on the 16th, but she’s sure the two days will be filled with conversations of her parents trying to convince her to change her mind and possibly to move back home.
Michi is thankful that her sisters’ husbands will not be in the official meeting on Saturday. Praise God for that answered prayer.
She has been encouraged by your prayers, emails, scriptures, and testimonies. Thank you for sharing with her. From August 11-13, we had our national summer church retreat in Japan. Michi wasn’t planning on going, but she was asked to share about the Thai/Japan exchange program. So she went for the day on Tuesday and ended up being able to spend the night there. We were amazed by how God worked everything out, including placing her in just the right place at the dinner table, surrounded by several young, wise and loving preachers, who listened to her story and gave her advice. They also decided to share her story with everyone, asking for their prayers and had her come forward to be prayed for with her friends standing around her. It was a powerful moment and image that will stand with her through this difficult time. Afterwards several people shared with her their stories of experiencing similar struggles.
Her sister works at an elementary school in Mito and the Assistant English teacher there is a Christian. We are praying that God may use that situation to help her sister to be more understanding.
Michi says “I am still fearful and worried that my family may break my heart. I know that I may not be able to answer their questions and I’m ok with that, but I’m worried that they won’t be able to accept me not answering and they will push me to answer even if I don’t know what to say. I want to be able to say what I really feel in my heart, not just what they want to hear. I want to be calm and to show them respect and love, but it’s difficult to say those things in Japanese.
I don’t know what is going to happen but I’m sure God will give me the words and strength and I just need to pass through this.My family has already started their journey to search for him. I took 5 years on my journey to get to this point, maybe they will take more than 5 years, but God will do something through this meeting and little by little God can make them interested in Him. I don’t feel like I’m facing my enemy in this meeting, but I know that God will set tomorrow and I just need to go through it.I heard many horrible stories about young Japanese trying to explain to their families about wanting to become a Christian. Even if something really bad happens to me, I still have many people who encourage me and I can still be happy about this struggle. It’s going to train me and help me to grow.
Don’t worry about me so much because I’m going to be ok.I’ve been praying so much and know that God will take care of me.I am so thankful for the prayers of my family from all around the world. I appreciate it so very much.
行ってきます！
Love, Michi”
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Letter from Japan ! ! ! Prayer Needed
Below is an email that I received from Judith, a missionary in Japan. She is Joel Osbourne co-partner in Sendai. Please pray for Michi, Kaori and Miki esp those who know them personally during AOF2.
Over the past few weeks Michi has been seriously considering getting baptized. A few weeks ago she called her parents to tell them she wanted to be a Christian, but they told her to wait. On Sat. night her oldest sister called trying to convince her not to be a Christian, telling her she'll face persucution and cause problems for the family.
In the end her sister asked her to convince the family that it's OK for her to become a Christian in a family meeting on August 16th. It will be Michi's parents, her two sisters and their husbands against Michi. She is quite burdened with this and knows that by becoming a Christian it will likely cause problems between her and her family the rest of her life.
She doesn't know how to answer their questions, she's afraid of what they might try to do to her and she's sad that this is creating such a huge barrier between herself and her family.
She's told me it's ok to ask for prayers on her behalf. I ask that if you are willing to committ to praying daily at least until the 16th that you pray that the hearts of her family members will be open, God will give her words to explain her decision, God will protect her, and will give her an amazing sense of peace that only he can give.
I'd also like to ask you to pray for two other girls from cell group, Kaori and Miki. They are both getting close to making the decision to becoming a Christian and are certain their families will not agree.
Please pray that Michi, Kaori and Miki will not give up inspite of their family oppostion, but that they will have strength and peace from the Lord and that they will choose Him.
If anyone would like to choose a specific day of prayer and perhaps fasting for these three girls, especially between now and the 16th, please let me know so we can specifically pray for you that day.
If you have anything to share from your time of prayer/fasting.... a scripture, an encouraging word, etc, feel free to send it directly to them or to me. Also, I think it would be a huge encouragement to them just to know you are praying.
Thank you all so much for your prayers!!!
Blessings, Judith
