Adam and Hannah Rock Cleveland

Home to Ohio...Now What?

2009-04-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well, Hannah and I landed in Ohio a few weeks ago, now. Our visit to Portland, OR with Sam and Don was wonderful. We really enjoyed hiking, biking, eating organic and local, relaxing...drinking coffee, etc. And the bikes and public transit, not to mention all the nature...were wonderful! It was really nice. Thanks guys. We finally landed in Ohio on the 11th, and it's been non-stop ever since. We spent some time with family, visited GFC, and have generally been trying to readjusted to America and figure out our next steps ever since. It's all been a little dizzying.

For those who are interested, this is what we've come up with. For starters, we'd really like to get Hannah started in a masters program for speech pathology. She likes teaching middle school language arts and social studies, and she would take the right job if she saw it available, but in Ohio teachers are required to get a masters. Her thinking is that if she has to get a masters, she'd like to do her masters in speech pathology. So we've been getting her set-up to do that. She's looking at Kent State's program and thinking that's her best option. So, she's getting things lined up to begin her prerequisites at Kent, and she has been accepted to the university but will have to apply to that program specifically at a later date. In the meantime, she's looking at teaching-related jobs she could do now and through the summer.

For me (Adam), the journey of re-entry is a little different. After considering possible further education in counseling, I came to the conclusion that it might be too much to have both of us in graduate school at the same time. And besides, I'd still like to explore church ministry. Hannah's schooling desires had us thinking we'd like to land nearer to Cleveland or Akron. So, after lots of thought and prayer, I've been looking at associate minister positions in those areas (possibly related to youth ministry). I interviewed for one such position last week, and though it was truly an encouraging experience, nothing is set in stone at this point. I'm still discerning, and so are they. It's a bit of a challenging time for me, trying to discern God's direction and calling upon my life as it relates to church ministry. I covet your prayers for peace and direction.

The fact is, even after buying a car and cell phones we aren't much more "settled" today than we were the day we got off the plane. Our suitcases are unpacked but most of our things are still in boxes from 2 years ago. If we felt God directing us, we could go just about anywhere. That's both exciting and terrifying. We'd like to settle near family, long term (and more of our family are in northeast Ohio than anywhere else) but we're really pretty flexible at this point. So that's where we are with things. We're visiting with Hannah's parents for the foreseeable future, and waiting to see the first few things drop into place before moving on other things.

Furthermore, we're still getting used to being in America. It's an adjustment moving back from Japan. Somethings are surprisingly easy for us and other things surprise us by their difficulty. And of course, we miss our friends in Japan. We're thinking of and praying for you guys! Gambatte!

Well, this is enough for now.

Packing Up, and Saying Sayonara

2009-03-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent our last days at our schools, saying some really sad farewells, and today we spent the entire day packing our belongings and cleaning our apartment. Things have really wound down quickly. We've had a few goodbye dinners and trips, some nice times with friends, and now we have just a few more goodbyes to say before we say our final goodbye to Funehiki.

It's a time filled with a lot of mixed emotions. We're really going to miss our teammates and the many new friends we've made here. It's hard to imagine saying goodbye, and possibly never seeing some of these people ever again. We've tried to make the most of it, and finish well, but we still have our regrets. Also, we're excited to head home and see family, but we're nervous about everything else that comes after that. We're trying to just take one day at a time and savor things as they come. Tonight we're savoring Tomoko sensei's Japanese curry one last time!

Our plan for our final days in Japan are to take a long bus ride to Tokyo, then Hiroshima (to see the Peace Park and Miyajima), and then Kyoto, before catching our flight on the 30th. We will be visiting with Hannah's sister in Portland for a few days and then arrive back in Ohio soon thereafter. We're looking forward to catching up with everyone we've missed these last two years. Many good cups of coffee are beckoning us home.

We may be out of contact for a few days as we are traveling but we'll try to let everyone know when we've made it safely back to the good ol' U.S. of A.

Till then, take care.

Graduation Day

2009-03-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we will watch our 9th graders graduate from junior high to high school. It's an emotional time for me. It's filled with excitement, but also some sadness. Beyond my own feelings of connected-ness or disconnected-ness with my school staff and this graduating class, it’s also a time which makes me thoughtful for individual graduating students.

This transition is quite different from its American counterpart. Students here study very hard to take difficult entrance exams for high school (like we do for college), and then they compete to get into the best public high schools. Private schools are also available for students, but they are very expensive and generally not as well-respected… and if students can’t pay the fees, they may be out of luck. They may not get to go to high school. Unlike most of America, high school isn't guaranteed to Japanese students.

I have one student whose English is superb, who will be going to an elite high school in Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan). I am so proud of him. I know he will accomplish great things. I also have another student who will not be going to high school at all, and has no idea, in fact, what he will be doing next week. It’s a lot to have on your shoulders as a 14 year-old. He may not find work. His sister wasn’t able to go to high school, either, and she works full-time at a restaurant in town.

One student is from a wealthy and respected family, and the other is from a poor, not-so-well-respected family. One had the best education his parents could provide, from an early age, and the other was basically neglected by his family…so much so that he once resorted to stealing food.

They are two kids with very different stories, and I had only a smallest glimpse into their lives. I don’t know if I made a difference, but I hope I did. Each one needs different things. Ultimately, I can’t, in and of myself, give either of them what they need to succeed in this next chapter of their lives. You look at them, and you know they have no idea what is in store for them. Older and wiser, you understand at least a little how much their lives are about to change. What can I say to them? How do I pray? I don’t know. My mind rests on the last line of the “Old Irish Blessing.” May God hold them in the palm of his hand.

February 2009 Pictures

2009-03-07T17:06:00.001-08:00

Fin de siècle - the end of an Era

2009-02-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hannah and I are now experiencing our first "lasts" for our time here in Japan. Hannah, I think, feels these more profoundly than I do, however, we are both now beginning to understand that many of the routines which have become a part of our daily lives here in Tamura are about to come to an end.

Hannah went to her favorite elementary school for the last time. We had dinner with our friend Miyuki, and got our last Japanese haircuts in her shop. We taught our last 9th grade juku class. We had our last dinner with our friend Kazue. Now we begin to think, with each passing encounter, "Is this the last time I'll see them?" "Is this the last time I'll go here?" It really makes one think.

We have just about a month left in Japan, and we're just now beginning to really feel the bittersweet joys of closing a chapter of our lives we've very much enjoyed, and opening a new chapter we know very little about. Our day-to-day emotions vacillate between anxiety and excitement about the future, and twinges of sadness about leaving. We will miss our friends and teammates. We will miss little things like food, sounds, and customs. And we have, each, our list of regrets, or "I wish I could/would have...". It's not a long list, but there is a list.

There is much we will not miss, but a great deal we will. We've learned a lot here about ourselves and about life. God has been really faithful to us. In many ways, we wish we could stay, but we know, too, that it's the right time to go home.

In the coming weeks, besides packing, we have a lot of "goodbye" saying to do. It's going to be an emotional few weeks. Also, we have a lot to consider about the "What next?" question. So, thank you in advance for all your thoughts and prayers.

God bless you.

February Update

2009-02-03T23:10:00.000-08:00

As the sun shines down on the cold and snow covered rooftops of Funehiki, I sit at my desk at school, in the final minutes of my work day, staring out the window, and I consider how simultaneously fast and glacially slow time seems to pass these days. Like the snow outside, things seem frozen, and yet already melting so quickly away. I feel I'm in a hurry but for what I do not know.

We are just under two months till our departure, and we're in that stage where we are beginning to, as Hannah says, experience our first "lasts." The "last" time we eat this, that "last" time we go there, the "last" time we see this person. We are trying our best to "be where we are" and "finish well." It's hard, however, as we begin to look toward the future and what we'll be doing when we return to America the first week of April. We're excited to see old friends and visit familiar places, but at the same time we're trying to hang on to every wonderful "last" moment of this experience.

Our team is beginning the transition, also, and it sometimes feels strange. We have had the first meeting to discuss the hand-off of responsibilities, and with it came our first feelings of "it's like we're gone already." Already, the new team is preparing to come to Japan, and we wonder what we could tell them to make their transition smoother. It's got the two of us a little mixed up, to be honest. Emotions are running high. We think of the things we are so glad we did, things we wish we could have done but didn't, and things frankly we would have done differently if we had the chance. It's the natural course of things.

And so our prayers these days are for simple things. Warmth. Winter feels especially freezing here. Grace. To walk out these final weeks faithfully. Peace. To face the future unafraid. And Contentment. To share the time we have here in unhurried and unworried peace, with our friends, savoring the gift God has given us in each other.

These are our prayers. We hope to see and talk to you all very soon, indeed.

Our Christmas Vacation in Review

2009-01-07T21:06:00.001-08:00

As many of you may know Hannah and I made a surprise visit home to Ohio for the holiday vacation. It went something like this. After more than 30 hours of travel by train, bus, airplane, and car...we finally arrived in Lexington on the evening of December 23rd. With the help of the Hange/Grieve family and the Ross daughters we managed to keep the whole thing a secret from Hannah's parents. At just the right moment, we walked in from their garage like it was the most usual thing in the world...and then watched the surprise take hold. They never saw it coming. You could tell from the look on their faces that their minds were trying to do the math, but somehow things weren't adding up. After the initial explosion of sound things managed to die down and we had a wonderful time catching up before splitting up to spend more time with our families alone for the Christmas holiday. It was a great time for both of us to reconnect with our parents and siblings after being apart for so long.

Over the next few days we did a lot. We:

Celebrated Christmas with our families
Saw our new niece, Celia, and attended her baptism
Went ice-skating with my Dad and other niece, Kathryn and the Alexanders
Went snowboarding with my mother, my sister and her boyfriend, Matt
Did a little shopping with the Ross sisters
Had two wonderful Christmas dinners
Watched a little Penn State footbal with Sam, Grandpa, and the gang
Went for a hike and had some wonderful coffee with the Kukuks
Munched a few Christmas cookies
Visited GFC for New Years Eve
Ran into a few friends at Target
Had lunch with a pal and his gal at Applebees
Ran a few miles to off-set the not so few cookies

...and that about covers it. Forgive me if I forgot anything, please.

We regret that time was so limited and we couldn't see as many of you as we would have liked. There are so many of you we wanted to reconnect with but between the jet-lag and the desire to balance quality-time with quantity-time, all we can say is that we did the best we could and we are grateful for the blessing of being able to spend the holidays with family and friends, even as little as we could. We promise to make it up to you all in April when we return to America.

And yes, we are returning to America sometime in April. We're not sure of the exact date as of yet, but we will be there. At this stage in our plans there are still a lot of questions left to be answered, but we are faithful God will lead and guide.

And now the New Year is already upon us. I know many don't make them, but we have a few New Years resolutions we are making...and which we hope to keep.

We want to "be present" in Japan for the duration of our stay here, and truly finish well
We want to take time to reflect upon what we've learned here in Japan and try to bring the best of it back with us to our life in America
We want to look ahead to the coming months of transition prayerfully, resting in the peace which only God can bring, especially in areas of finances, careers, and our futures

Thanks for reading and for all your support.

Be sure to check out our pictures in the WebAlbum linked on the right sidebar.

I Just Can't Wait for Christmas

2008-12-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

To give a little update on our December progress, we've made it through the first, busiest, half of the month. Tonight is the last night class with our English school students before the break. We've both been busy with special Christmas lessons (also involving the making of many, many Christmas cookies). We have a few more holiday lessons left, but the bulk of our work before break is finally behind us. That's good because we've both got Christmas colds. We've been coughing for days now, but we know we'll be able to rest soon.

I am happy to report that Sunday's Christmas program for the "Heart to Heart" international club was a great success. Hannah gave a demonstration in how to make Egg Nog (a Ross family tradition) and I led a group of my Gospel Choir students in the singing of several Christmas favorites (Silent Night, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Joy to the World) as well as some gospel songs (Amen, OH Happy Day, Amazing Grace). I was really proud of the group. They were nervous but they gave it their all.

This program is always very interesting because it is not just Japanese and Americans who show up. Sometimes we forget that we're not the only foreigners in this city, and it was nice to talk with them (Hannah spoke to one person in Spanish!). It was also nice to see parents with their kids having a great time over good food and some simple fun and games. We didn't organize the event, just participated, but it was really fun to be a part of. Many good conversations were had. It left us exhausted, but it was the good kind of exhausted.

This next weekend we will take part in a Christmas dinner with the members of the Funehiki Evangelical Church. Several other Christians will join the meeting, too. This is interesting because although not that many people are there at FEC from week to week, and it is the only church in town, there are other believers, or would-be believers, her who will come for Christmas every year. I spoke with one woman about this phenomenon and it was a very interesting conversation. She said many Japanese want to follow Christ, but it all but socially impossible. It often means being ostracized by family and friends in your hometown. People may respect you, but they no longer think of you as one of them, and suddenly you're on the "out" group. This is a serious thing in Japan, where so much of society depends on saving face and avoiding conflict. The call to Christ alone becomes something really radical here, where, as she says, "many believe in many, many gods and buddhas...." To add one more is not a problem, but to say you believe there is only one can be seen as divisive and arrogant. Monotheism is seen to be socially destructive (ex. cited: Islam and Christian conflicts in the Middle East). Faith faces a big challenge here. This woman herself was baptized, but has since all but quit worshipping because it would mean going against her husband and his family, and the family traditions of Shintoism and Buddhism. These religions work in Japan because, as so many have told me, in a way, they aren't "religions" at all but merely traditions. This conversation gave me much to think about.

In closing, as we round out our last full week of classes (we work the Monday before Christmas then have a break) we feel good but tired. We need the break. Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers. You're in ours as well. God bless!

Pictures from Kindergarten Christmas Program

2008-12-06T01:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is Coming!

2008-12-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

December is finally here. We had a really busy November, and now December promises to be just as busy. This week is a busy one, but I wanted to give a little update of what December holds for us.

We are currently preparing for the Yochien (Kindergarten) Christmas Program. We will be doing a skit of Max Lucado's Three Trees and singing "Joy to the World" in English and Japanese. Our teammate, Amy, has been a busy bee these last few weeks doing a lot of digital music editing for the Gospel Choir and now this drama. She's really gifted and has been a huge blessing. Anyway, the program is this coming Saturday, December 6th, so we're very busy trying to get things together in time.

On December 14th there is a meeting of the international club, "Heart to Heart," for a Christmas party. On top of introducing Christmas at this meeting, our Gospel Choir has been asked to sing a few songs. We tried to put together what we had been doing ("Oh Happy Day!") and then add some other Christmas spirituals ("Amen" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain"). We still have a lot of work to do with our two remaining rehearsals, but we're on track, I think.

Later this month, there is a performance of "A Christmas Carol" that a few of our teammates are involved with, as well. It's abbreviated, I think, but in English...so we are looking forward to that a great deal. "Break a leg, guys!"

Our team is also planning some Christmas-time activites of our own. The most anticipated (at least in our house) is the Christmas cookie exchange.

For Hannah and I, we are trying to put together an Advent calendar, pull out some Christmas music, and watch a few of our favorite Christmas movies to get us in the Christmas Spirit. We'll probably do some travelling over the holiday, but as the song goes, "there's no place like home for the holidays." As the holiday draws near we find ourselves missing our families and friends more and more.

A few members of the team have decided to remain in Japan for the break (December 23-January 4th) , so we will all do our best to make it a cheery time for one another.

Well, koko made ni shimasu! (That's enough for now!)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

Our team had it's Thanksgiving dinner last weekend. It was a great time, with lots, and lots, and lot's of food. We're so grateful for the community here. Though some weeks it's hard being so involved in each other's lives, we just couldn't do this without this team. These are some really great people we work with every day.

This coming Saturday we will host a "Thanksgiving Dessert" party for the community. We will share about our thanksgiving traditions and down a little pumpkin pie with our friends.

Also, this week I was re-acquainted with a beautiful hymn of thanks called "For the Beauty of the Earth." (Thanks Amy and F.E.C.!) The words and a link to cyberhymnal are below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

We have so much to be thankful for!

God bless!

- Adam and Hannah

For the Beauty of the Earth
Text: Folliot S. Pierpoint
Music: Conrad Kocher; Arr. by W.H. Monk
Tune: DIX, Meter: 77.77.77

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind's delight,
for the mystic harmony,
linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thy church, that evermore
lifteth holy hands above,
offering up on every shore
her pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thyself, best Gift Divine,
to the world so freely given,
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

-hear it

New Team Member

2008-11-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we welcomed another teacher to our team here in Funehiki. Her name is Ashley Z. We're all very excited by her coming and eager to make her at home. It's been a very busy few weeks with with most of us doing extra teaching/coaching for students doing a big English test (STEP/Eiken Test). We haven't had much time to think about Ashley actually joining us, but now suddenly, she is here. She and Lis arrived in Funehiki Sunday afternoon, and though she was understandably tired, she visited our Bible study meeting just to say hello before settling in.

For some time the program has been planning to add another teacher to our team of 12 (making it now 13 international English teachers working with the program). The reason for this change is that the responsibilities have slowly grown, especially for the teachers working at the English school. They currently teach elementary schools, the kindergarten, after school classes, and evening classes. It's gotten to be quite a lot of work, and though the other jr. high teachers have tried to help share the load, the time had come to add another position. We're still not sure exactly what Ashley's role will be, but it seems that she will be full-time English teacher at the kindergarten ( She's pretty lucky to see the munchkins every day). She may help alleviate some of the burden on other Wakakusa teachers as well, but I think that there are still some other details yet to be decided.

For now, we're just happy to make her acquaintence and try to help her feel at home. It's always strange, and a little refreshing, to hear the reactions of someone who has just arrived. I think the day-to-day numbs us to how strange and different this all is from our experience back home. We begin to take things for granted. When someone with 'new eyes' joins us we have a chance to relive that joy of discovery all over again, if only vicariously through them. It makes us thoughtful, thankful, and gives us a chance, by comparison, to check how we ourselves are doing in this great adventure of cultural exchange and adaptation.

Please keep Ashley, and our team as we receive her, in your prayers. We've just started reading 'Life Together' as the team Bible study, and our hope is that God will build us together as one strong, unified, and healthy team...with Him at the center.

English Camp, Halloween, Town Festival

2008-11-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

English Camp #1

2008-10-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Turns out that Hannah makes a great disco lady! We're about to finish the first of our three English camps. It's gone well so far. We're tired, but having a good time. We'll probably make some changes for next week, but overall things seem to be going really well. The kids seem to be having fun, and they're definitely being stretched in the English department. It's sad that it's almost time to say goodbye to this group. Well, it's time to head over to the camp. "See you!"

Tamura-Fuji Road Race 2008

2008-10-19T00:06:00.000-07:00

This is Hannah and I at the finish line. I was happy just to have been able to race with Hannah this year. We've been running together about 3 times a week to stay in shape. The road race was our big challenge. Hannah ran the 3k and I ran the 10k. We both wanted to work towards something. Hannah was trying her first race since high school track, and I was 1.) trying to get her to run the race, and 2.) trying to improve upon my race time from last year.

Hannah's race wasn't far, but it was fast. Unfortunately, when she was running my group had already headed out for the 10k, so I didn't get to see her. She and Denise, another teacher from our group, ran together and finished strong in 14 min. and 45 sec. She placed 18th out of some 200 women.

I ran with fellow teacher, Jared, this year. It was a high mark for both of us today. We weren't really feeling that well. Happily, I was able to improve a little on my time from last year. I went from 47 min. 25 sec. last year to 45 min. 43 sec. this year. It's a small improvement, but it was great to set a goal and then achieve it. Last year I ran well, but must have over done it, because after the race I was plagued by a sore ankle. This year, I felt like I was in better shape. Thankfully, there were no injuries. So...I guess I keep running and then set my sights a little higher for next year!

It was a lot of fun to be able to share the race and the weeks of preparation running together after or before work leading up to the race...We're truly blessed.

English Camp begins on Wednesday. It's ten days straight. Please keep us in your prayers, that we would be blessed with great teaching, fun times of cultural exchange, good team fellowship, joy, and endurance.

6th Grade English Immersion Camp

2008-10-11T01:45:00.000-07:00

One exciting new development in our work here in Japan is the advent of a new English Immersion Camp for 6th grade students from Tamura City this October 22nd - 31st.

The Board of Education has decided that it is a real priority for the students of Tamura to get a head-start on English even before they begin studying it everyday as a part of their junior high curriculum. Consequently, the B.O.E. has contracted with the Wakakusa English program to plan and lead 10 days of "camp" at a nearby camp facility. The time is split up into three two-and-a-half-day camp sessions. During this time we'll be doing dialogues, skits, activities, crafts, games, and songs about American culture and the English language.

We've already spent a few days planning the various sessions. We still have more to do. We have pumpkins to buy, craft supplies to assemble, and all sorts of final touches to make it a really great cross-cultural experience for students. Our goals are pretty simple: We hope to build upon the student's prior understanding of English, teach them more, and help show them that the study of English can be fun, exciting, and interesting.

Whereas the program is billed as an immersion camp, we know that this is pretty unrealistic for most of the kids. We'll certainly be using some Japanese when things don't communicate, but hopefully we'll be able to stretch them a little. Thankfully, there will be some of their Elementary school teachers there to help us when we get really stuck. Also, we have the option of staying at the camp overnight ourselves. It promises to be a really great time, and despite all the work-involved, another great opportunity to stretch ourselves and see what we're made of. These times are always very formative for our team of teachers. When we all work together to make something happen, often something seemingly impossible at first, we are inevitably drawn to a deeper love of and appreciation of each other. I'm looking forward to that aspect of this project especially (Adam).

Other News:

-The Gospel Choir is going well, and students have asked to change our meetings to twice a month!
-We will soon have a new member to our team, named Ashley. We ask for your prayers of blessing for her as she prepares to come and for us as we prepare to receive her.
-The Heart-2-Heart program, a sort of cultural-exchange group, has invited us to join them for a Christmas party in December.

Folk and Pop Concert Videos

2008-10-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

New Pictures from September and October

2008-10-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

"Oh Happy Day" - Gospel Choir in Funehiki

2008-09-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight marked the second meeting of the first Funehiki Gospel Choir...and I'm happy to report, it was a success!

Before you get too excited, you should know that our newly formed group meets just once a month, has a somewhat overly-broad concept of what constitutes "gospel music," and that in our whole ensemble there is just one other man besides myself (He's a keeper, for sure!) Despite these challenges, however, it seems like we have the beginning of something truly fun and exciting.

Let me fill in a few more details. For some time Mr. Maki (our boss and pastor) has been longing to begin a "gospel choir" as a sort of cultural outreach. He was always a great appreciator of the African-American spirituals and hymns (not "Southern Gospel"), and hoped that someday Funehiki might have a chance to host a "gospel" choir where not only the music, but the meaning behind the lyrics could be shared and enjoyed. This kind of "Gospel" music is very popular in Japan, though rarely are the histories or the meanings of the music fully taught or understood. This is where we come in. Oh, and, as an added bonus, it's a bi-lingual affair because the songs are in English and we speak so little Japanese (though some of us speak more than others, and all of us are studying).

Amy Spencer and I have taken on the direction of the group, but other English teachers are also participating in their free time. Also, several of the church members from Funehiki Evangelical Church are participating, and several of our groups other friends and acquaintances. It's a really facinating mix of people. Many are new to English, or music, or both...but most are pretty strong in both areas. Our goal is not to become a professional choir but only to have fun together learning this new music, so it's a very accessible program (or so we hope).

After formal introductions our first week (a necessity for any kind of activity in Japan) we introduced a popular and familiar song, "Amazing Grace" (gospel-style). It went relatively well considering in our haste to get things together we pulled the piano score rather than the vocal one. Lesson learned. We got an amazing chance to share the meaning of the rich lyrics, through translation, and the story of John Newton, the writer, as well as practicing some singing and a lot of English. As we were flying a little blind our first week, we felt like the night was a pretty good start. There were a lot of good feelings and affirmations of "Enjoy, enjoy" at the end of the night.

Tonight we introduced a new piece. We shared the meaning and music of "Oh Happy Day." We began reading the lyrics in English, then Japanese, and then a passage about the meaning and background of the piece. I'll tell you, it was a rather poignant moment for me when as a group we repeated the lyrics all together, and "with feeling." It's typical English class methodology, but when we were reading the lyrics of this song it felt more like a prayer, or a victory cry! It felt both strange and wonderful. You rarely hear "Jesus washed away my sins" with a Japanese accent. Even here as Christians ourselves, I find, we rarely say those words enough, or with adequate feeling. Tonight we did.

Oh Happy Day, Oh Happy Day

When Jesus washed, he washed my sins away

He taught me how to watch, fight and pray

And live rejoicing, everyday

It's really a very simple song, but the music has such an effect on you that you can't help but enjoy it.

Now, I do not profess to be an expert at this musical style, or at conducting a choir...but I feel really priveleged to be a part of this experience. I didn't go looking for it, but it found me, and I'm glad. I didn't even pick the song, the students asked for it by name. And yet, I'm the one going away feeling all filled up.

I hope and pray that the upcoming meetings will be still more filled with grace, and that through our humble efforts God might glorify himself, and touch peoples hearts and lives with the life that only He can give.

Pictures from the Ross Visit

2008-07-31T05:37:00.001-07:00

The "Rents'" Visit

2008-07-31T05:29:00.000-07:00

Hannah's parents, Sam and Nancy, are visiting us here in Japan this week. We've already had several fun days together and we have a few more planned. We've seen a kindergarten program, a city festival, a traditional tea ceremony, a Japanese take on Oktoberfest, Matsushima Bay, Mt. Bandai, and more. We have a lot more in store. Check out the pictures from our trip so far.

July Update

2008-07-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

So it's July. It's come so fast. Friday was our last day of regular classes before Summer break. We have a week of half-days coaching our students in their English speeches and then Hannah's parents arrive here in Japan on Friday night! We're so excited to see them and share our life here with them. We've got lots of plans, but we'll wait to see what we actually get to do. Let's just say, we're looking forward to a very exciting next couple of weeks.

One exciting piece of news is that in August we'll be starting a Gospel choir here in Funehiki as one of the evening Ekaiwa (conversation) classes. Mr. Maki is very excited about the opportunity. It's been advertised in the local cultural newsletter that there are 40 spots which we expect will all be filled.

The Japanese have a passion for the "spiritual" and "gospel" genres, and this is one more way for us to reach out to people in the community. We'll be able to have lots of fun with the music (a new style for most people here) as well as delve into the meanings behind many of these wonderful songs of faith.

Now, "gospel" in Japan is not the same as what we'd call "gospel" in Ohio. It's not southern gospel and it's not contemporary gospel, as such, but a sort of all-encompassing title for everything from negro spirituals to hymns to popular "gospel" style music (O Happy Day).

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to lead a chorus, and I know that the enthusiasm for the music is really what it's all about, so that takes a lot of the pressure off. We'll only be meeting once a month, so I don't think it's going to become a serious performing ensemble, but that would be difficult for most Japanese people (who are so busy already). This format seems like a great place to start. Please keep it in your prayers and thoughts.

More later!

Check out the new pictures in the WebAlbum linked on the right!

The Easter Program 2008

2008-06-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our team put on the third annual English Easter Program (in June)! I'm happy to say it was a success.

We did two programs. One was for elementary-aged kids and the second was for Jr. High-age students and adults. With the help of many of our friends and family (THANKS!) we were able to decorate eggs, decorate cookies, make beaded bracelets, and give out wonderful Easter baskets. We also performed a drama called "Everything" and sang "O Happy Day." It was a great chance to connect with kids and our other Japanese friends while sharing with them about the meaning of Easter.

We'll try to write more, but for now, there are pictures in our WebAlbum (linked at the right and in the slide show below). Also, we want to say a big thank you to all those who supported us in prayer and other ways. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you. God is good.

Cherry Blossoms

2008-04-24T02:43:00.000-07:00

Sakura season is here and life is good.

Just outside our apartment is a river that winds its way through the heart of Funehiki. Everyday we get to walk by it, and though it's been somewhat rainy for the past few weeks we finally had a few gorgeous days in which to get a few pictures of the beautiful cherry blossoms we're surrounded by. Spring is finally here. The sakura, or cherry blossom, is welcomed with all the fanfare and excitement of ...well, there's just nothing to compare it to in the states. All of Japan reports on the daily progress of the cherry blossoms during the few weeks they are blooming. It's on the news, everyone talks about it. There is a 1500 year-old tree near us which people from all over Japan swarm to see. The "Sakura Watch" starts in the warmer southern cities, like Tokyo, a week or two ago, and then meanders its way up the country. Just now, in Funehiki, the blossoms are full, and because of more rain, beginning the slow snowy process of losing the leaves they seem so recently to finally have acquired. It's all a little bit magical.

By way of update, we're doing really well. It's been really nice for Hannah and I to be on the same schedule. Actually, this is the first week that we're really able to appreciate it, but we're liking the extra time together. It's nice that the weather is getting warmer. We're ready for Spring. Hannah is still getting used to her new job. I'm feeling more connected to the new teachers at my school. The new teachers have settled in, and are doing great. The team as a new whole is beginning to form (though we're still awaiting the return of our friend and teammate Jeni from America). The new Bible study is under way. We're already planning for our big "Easter" program in June, and thinking over what to do with our summer vacations. We're ready to kinda find the routine again. Anyway, that's enough for now. We miss everyone and are thinking of you.

Check out the new pictures in our webalbum (linked at the right).

God bless,

Adam and Hannah

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

2008-04-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

If anyone ever tells you that change happens slowly in Japan...well, I think I might just beg to argue on that point. For us, the last few weeks have brought multiple, and dramatic changes!

To begin with, I (Adam) found out that I would not be needed to teach the extra class at Wakakusa English school (something I had been preparing for over the last few weeks). My schedule will stay the same as it has been the last few months. However, as the end of the "school year" came and went I found out that some of my coworkers at my school would be moving on to other schools, and new teachers would be coming in to take their places. This meant a couple very sad goodbyes, and small cloud of "fear of the unknown" settling in for me about my work.

But these we small changes in comparison to what followed.

Next, Hannah and I have moved from the house right by the school to a new apartment here in Funehiki (Big Change #1). Why, you ask? Well, our team has just undergone a slight shuffle in the line-up. A weeks ago we expected five teachers to be heading home to America, and five new teachers to be arriving from America to take their place. In the team of new teachers is a lovely family (the Jones') with a 3 year-old, and it was generally agreed that they would be the most in need of the extra space at the house.

So, we cleaned out the house we were living in and moved our things (with the help of Kono sensei and a van) to small, new apartment just across the river. We couldn't believe how much we had!!! Anyway, two former teachers, the Costanzos, were living in the apartment up till last week when they went back to America. Well, we love the new place. It's lots of fun. All sorts of great Japanese features. It's smaller, but ever so nice. It has everything we need and we've already had a little "housewarming party." We hope to have a lot more opportunities to play the host and hostess at the new place in the future.

Big Change #2 was when we found that one of the teachers who was set to come to Japan was not going to be able to. Our hearts go out to him, and our prayers are with him (A.MC) This, however, created a somewhat critical situation as our new teachers already had a short window to get acclimated to Japan before beginning their teaching on April 7th. Well, God knew what he was doing. One of the teachers who planned on moving back to America decided to stay on instead of leave...only in a different teaching position.

This brought on Big Change #3. Hannah was asked to move from her position at the English school to a public junior high school position as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), instead. This would mean we would both be working as ALTs. This is actually something we had hoped might happen in August, so that our schedules would be similar, and Hannah might have the experience of seeing the Japanese school systems, but we were surprised when it actually happened now! Just when we finally settled into the idea of things probably staying just how they were, we got the word that there would be some "change" coming down the pike.

Which brings me to a great piece of advice I learned from the director of my YWAM mission-training school: Flexibility is the key to success!

Sou desu ne! (Isn't it so!) Well, we didn't really have much time to dwell on all that this meant for our future because we had a lot of work that needed doing in the meantime. Besides moving-out, moving-in, and cleaning-out our old place, we needed to help get some of the other apartments "just-so" for the new teachers, buy groceries, change phone lists, plan orientations, and so-forth.

On Wednesday night the new teachers arrived, late, from their long journey...unfortunately, without their baggage. Nathan, Adam, Amy, Sebastian, and the Jones' family all arrived safe and sound. What a great bunch! We spent Thursday showing the "newbies" around their apartments, Funehiki town, and even a few of the key shopping spots and best restaurants in Koriyama. It was a full, but satisfying day.

Today (Friday), is proving even busier. We began the day with a meeting with the mayor, then moved on to the Board of Education. It was strange to be doing this again so soon after having just met both in August...but it was exciting actually to see how far we have come in the past few months, and to remind ourselves of the greater vision of what we're doing her as English teachers.

Right now, Hannah is meeting the principals and teachers of her new school. She is sad to be leaving some of her classes, and will miss her students, but is also growing excited about this new era of her time her as the reality of everything is finally setting in. Please pray for the transition to go well for her! Also, pray for our team as we shuffle to cover some extra classes over the next few weeks while our final transitions take place.

Well, that's all for now. God bless!

Wakakusa Kindergarten Graduations - O' Sleepers Awake!

2008-03-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

This poor little guy could hardly make it through the final address. The young ladies on his left and right are at a loss to how to help him stay awake. The cuteness quotient runs high.

We're rounding out the end of the school year at our respective schools and getting ready for a few days break. We'll probably be moving to a different apartment, and maybe taking a few day trips. We hope to make some phone calls and talk with our friends and family back home.

Peace be with you!

Funechu Graduation & March 2008

2008-03-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

This week I experienced my first Japanese graduation. It's a little strange to us to have graduation at this point in the year, and begin a new school year in two or three weeks, but it also feels somewhat natural considering that winter is almost over and spring is already beginning. To be honest, I'm going to miss several students quite a lot. I've had only a few months to get to know them, but it's been great to see them change and grow in this short time, and now they're ready to move on to high school.

The whole system of education is very different from our system in America. Here, junior high students take difficult and competitive exams to get into the best high schools whereas we take our most competitive tests to get into colleges and universities. If these 9th graders don't score well enough to make it into one of the top public schools then they have to pay extra for some private school (the reverse of what is typical in America). The system has its merits, but it can also put a lot of pressure on students at a very young age.

Yesterday, a most interesting thing took place in my school office. All the 9th grade teachers drove to the high schools their students applied to pick up by hand those students final test scores. At the office, you could feel the tension in the air. Everyone jumped at every phone call. The teachers, principals, and office workers were all anxious to find out if certain students had passed their exams. Finally, one-by-one, the 9th grade teachers returned, victorious, with manila envelopes filled with the scores. The principal and vice principal read off results with excitement. Teachers smiled and laughed and congratulated each other over the students who were right on the edge. It was great to recognize a few names, and realize that all the work these teachers and the students themselves (not to mention the parents!) finally paid off. The whole atmosphere surged with the electricity of success.

Every year a few students do not pass their exams. Teachers usually can predict who will have the greatest difficulty because they've already met several times with students and their parents to discuss their high school choices and their academic performance in that year. Some of these students will have to pay extra to attend high school, or will have to go to another school to work up to take their tests again. But some will not go to high school. It's a sad story.

For all the students, I hope and pray they will live lives of meaning. It's easy to just do the next thing. But after all the work, all the studying, all the competition, at some point they all have to decide what their life will really be about. I hope they form their life around something that will last.

To all the graduates, God bless you guys!

Wakakusa Kindergarten

2008-02-27T04:43:00.001-08:00

Hannah visits the kindergarten for "Restaurant Day."

February Update

2008-02-27T01:32:00.000-08:00

Well, it's February already! (And by the way, try explaining the how and why of pronouncing that name to a speaker of another language and you will begin to appreciate our job)

Life's been pretty routine for the last month and a half, and yet a lot has happened. We've been busy with our classes at Funechu and Wakakusa. Students are getting ready for graduation. The big tests are finally over. The special English S.T.E.P. test tutoring is behind us, as well. We've been trying to keep all those New Years resolutions (exercise, language studies, etc.). The latest thing is that Adam got a new keyboard and he's been playing/recording some original music. You can check it out in the player on the right.

For our team...well, there are some big changes are on the horizon. The typical transition time for teachers in our program is in August, but this year, for various reasons (all joyful and good, by the way) five of our teammates will be leaving around March 30th and new teachers will be arriving the week after to take their places. We're both very excited for our teammates (Mike, Jen, Randy, Trish, and Jeni) and their "next steps" but we're also sad to see them go. It feels like we've only just met them, and at the same time like we're losing a part of our family.

We're really going to miss them, but we're also excited about the teachers who will be coming in April (Adam C., Adam M., Sebastian H., Amy S., Bethany, Jimmy, and Kayla J.). Yes, there will be three "Adam's" in the same small town in Japan!!! We're already working on a plan to avoid name confusion...(Hint: it involves fun titles like "alpha," "bravo," & "slim.") We're very excited to see the first family come to Japan to teach English. This is a ground-breaker, and we're really excited to see the new team come together.

Furthermore, with the end of the Japanese school year we expect to see some changes with the teachers at our schools. It is typical in Japan for teachers to be shuffled around from school to school every few years. This model, though relationally and practically challenging in some ways, helps schools and teachers both to keep up with the times and do their best. Still, I (Adam) personally am a little sad to see some of my coworkers moving on to a new location.
"Change is the only constant," right? Oddly, that doesn't make it any easier to adjust to or cease worrying about. And so we remind ourselves that we are taken care of, and well provided for. Truly, "the boundary lines have fallen for (us) in pleasant places; surely (we) have a delightful inheritance."

In short, please pray for us to find peace in the midst of all the change. We're in a less busy time, and it's easier to become restless. Pray that we are free from worry and a well of peace.

January Update

2008-01-23T23:45:00.000-08:00

Well, thanks to everyone who has been praying for us, especially for language. We're resuming our classes with teammate, Jared, and actually, we've had some success in the language department these last few days and weeks. We've been learning little proverbs and idioms in Japanese.

I (Adam) have only learned three, but I've already used them all in conversations to great success. Also, I've kind of connected with two boys at my school. They're kinda outsiders, and at the beginning of the year I met them both, and was a little worried for them. (Japan is such a group society that to be even a little "weird" is a major hurdle). Then, they (let's call them Sam and Ted) found each other, to my great relief, and are now great friends. They are so silent in class and in the hall, but the moment they are there just by themselves, they're like totally different kids. I can't really talk to them very much (neither is a great English student) but I've connected with them a little and finally feel like I can pray for them with some knowledge of who they are. I'm hoping that I can spend more time with them and that God gives me supernatural ability to communicate beyond my skills how much He loves them, and maybe more importantly for this stage of their life, that He likes them, just us they are. I can tell that they don't have a lot of money, and in Japan it costs even more to raise children. I'm not sure what I can do for them other than just be friendly and spend time with them, so...pray that God gives me wisdom. They're good kids.

While you're praying, pray also for a general blessing of wisdom and peace. There are a lot of important decisions coming up for people close to us here, and at home. It's an intense time, and we're not the only ones losing some sleep over it all. Still, God is faithful.

Till next time...

Oh, and check out more Germany pictures from our friend Patty in the WebAlbum.

Who likes their Sukiyaki with raw egg??? "Oh, me!"

2008-01-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas & New Years Celebration with the Maki's

2008-01-13T17:24:00.000-08:00

l

We had the wonderful privilege of being the guests for a sukiyaki feast this last Friday night. After our first week back at our schools since Winter break, it was nice to get together with everyone, especially the family, and celebrate Christmas and New Years. Enchou sensei and Tomoko sensei (Mr. and Mrs. Maki) were cooking all day for us, and we could tell. The food was incredible...and copious. I've never eaten such large strawberries (which are apparently just in season, in January...due to Japanese greenhouse growing). The sukiyaki was incredible, as well, and quite the experience. Thankfully, we had a three-day weekend over which to let our stomachs shrink back to normal size.

Now, a little bit on how we're feeling coming into the New Year. We've both come to the place where we are moderately comfortable in what we're doing, and now the challenge seems to be to maintain an attitude of intentionality with our lives. It's easy to drift into doing only what's comfortable and easy. When one experiences such cultural fatigue nearly every day of the week, then it becomes easy to makes excuses for just spending the day (or weekend, in Adam's case) on the couch watching movies. Sometimes this is what is needed, but I'm realizing that sometimes I'm just lazy. This year, I want to shake off that lethargy and be more intentional about things.

On Thursday we talked a little about how fast life goes by. Every moment is a gift. We don't know when our last day will be, or when someone else's will be...and this should stir in us an urgency and intentionality in how we live our lives. The verse we studied in Bible study was "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." Living in the Japanese countryside, we see how at harvest time, people drop everything to get it in. You don't have a lot of time to waste, or whatever you're farming can rot in the field. This truth struck home in a new way.

So, we've written our lists of new goals for the year. Some are prayers for us individually, for us as a couple, for our team, and for our work. We both have some personal goals for ourselves about our daily life, and please pray for strength and faithfulness for us in these areas, but mostly, please pray for us to become more invested in those around us this year. We really want to be there for our teammates and be there for new friends who God might lead into our paths.

Thanks again, everyone, for all your thoughts and prayers. Our Christmas email update should be on the way soon! God bless.

p.s. - Check out the ministry of Second Harvest Japan (www.2hj.org) This is a great organization that redistributes wasted (but still good) food to people in the Tokyo area.

Germany 6

2008-01-05T03:16:00.001-08:00

Skiing in the German Alps with Daniel K.

Germany 4

2008-01-05T03:15:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve in Leutkirch

Germany 3

2008-01-05T03:14:00.001-08:00

Well, Christmas in Germany was terrific. We have lots of pictures in our WebAlbum. Check the link on the side. Also, check out these pictures.

Christmas in Germany

2007-12-25T07:33:00.000-08:00

After a long, long trip...we finally made it to Germany. It almost didn't happen. AirChina...or should we say, DespairChina...told us we had to have a visa to fly through China...Then we had to race through customs in the airport...then a 5 hour delay...and then we stayed with friends in Friedberg, Germany before heading by car to Leutkirch.

I can't give all the details...but we are having a great trip. More later.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2007-12-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

Hannah and I are packing now for our trip to Germany with our friend Patty. We're sad that we won't be home to see all our friends and family this Christmas, but we're excited about what God will do with this time. Patty was born and raised in Germany, then went to college in America, before finding the Wakakusa program and deciding to teach here in Funehiki. We met her 3 years ago when she and the other girls on the team were stranded at Grace Fellowship for two months, but only recently have gotten to really know the gem who she is. We're excited to have this trip to get to know her and her family better. We're also hoping to meet up with Lucy, the Ross' German exchange student, sometime on the trip.

It's been a busy, busy few weeks...and now...tomorrow is our last day before Winter break. It's hard to believe how fast the weeks have gone by. We've had some great opportunities to get to know teammates better, some great opportunities to make new friends, and some great opportunities to see Japan in the past few months. Still, we're excited to have a little break. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures and makes posts as often as we're able.

Merry Christmas everyone! We miss you and love you! Have a blessed holiday, full of God's grace and love. Take the time to remember the precious gift God gave us through Christ. Peace on Earth...Goodwill towards men (and women!)...

Christmas Program 1 - Japanese Dance

2007-12-12T14:44:00.001-08:00

Oh so cute!

"Do, Re, Mi" - Wakakusa Christmas Program

2007-12-12T14:41:00.001-08:00

Well...I just don't see how it gets any cuter than this.

Music Class at Funechu

2007-12-12T07:34:00.001-08:00

Today I got the opportunity to tag-along with the students to a music class. There, I learned to play "Sakura," or "Cherry Blossom," on the Koto. It was a great time...not easy, but fun. Anyway...we're getting ready for Christmas, and our trip to Germany. Life is moving fast. Please keep us in your prayers as we come to the end of this school term. A lot still has to happen, and we're getting tired. God has been good...so thanks to all those who've prayed so faithfully for us. God bless!

TimTam Slam

2007-12-09T03:16:00.001-08:00

So here is a video of the infamous TimTam Slam. It's choco-riffic! Many thanks to John Caldwell for introducing us to it. Now we've passed on the joy to the rest of the team.

The Christmas Program

2007-12-08T00:08:00.000-08:00

Today we got to perform "You Are Special" at the Wakakusa Christmas program. It was a big event, and lots of kids and their parents came for all the cuteness. We were one of the first acts, and our program went off without a hitch. It was a lot of fun. Check out the pics below and on the WebAlbum. We hope that this story will minister to all who saw it.

We also managed a little fun with food today, courtesy of Patty and Ryo. Check it out.

You Are Special

2007-11-26T04:51:00.000-08:00

This is a story which our team is dramatizing for the Christmas program at Wakakusa. We have 15 minutes while the devastatingly cute kids are changing for their next section of the program to share this with the kids' parents. It's a great story, really. Max Lucado writes of Wimmicks, who give each other stars and dots. It's a story perfectly fit for our modern society. Watch this video to hear the story. I hope it ministers to you, too.

Adam's ill-fated meeting with a hamster wheel...

2007-11-25T04:53:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving In Japan

2007-11-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Halloween, Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day and even Easter (sort of) are all holidays celebrated in Japan. Thanksgiving, however, is actually very unique to the United States. So, after introducing the Pilgrim holiday to our classes over the last several weeks, we actually worked yesterday instead of gorging ourselves on all that wonderful Thanksgiving fare. It was a little weird when we thought of our family's and friends back at home getting ready for the big meal, or the big game, or the big get-together. We took some special time on Thursday night, as a team, to worship God in thanks and meditate on all that he has done in our lives over the last year. It was pretty interesting to simply consider all that's transpired in the last 12 months, and it was great to make sometime to intentionally thank God for it all.

We have had the opportunity to talk to lots of family on Skype, these last two days, which has been wonderful. Thanks to all of you who's loved us with mail, messages, and online chats. It's so nice to feel connected, in only in this small way, to life back there.

Also, we've been blessed this weekend with some Thanksgiving of our own. A couple from the church, the Watanabe's invited the whole group over for a feast of epic proportions at their house on Friday night. It was wonderful to spend time with them, eat so much delicious food, and see their pictures of the school and teachers from years gone by.

Today, Saturday, the English teachers are all making our own traditional Thanksgiving meal. Actually, I'll have to cut my blogging short to finish preparations for that meal, but it promises to be spectacular. Then tonight, we're hosting a Thanksgiving dessert party, and hoping lots of our friends from the community will be able to come. Please pray for this as it is a, sometimes rare, opportunity to reach out to people here. New friendships are sometimes hard to build, but once built they are wonderful. Our prayer is that tonight's little "pumpkin pie party" will be a sweet time in more ways than one.

More later...

Cool Ninja Algorithm Dance!

2007-11-17T20:03:00.001-08:00

By the way, Hannah thinks this is the coolest...and she's learning it now...and she expects to teach all of you back home the next chance she gets...so...you better start practicing.

Team Talent Show and the Eki-Den

2007-11-17T17:40:00.001-08:00

Well, this was another busy week. It flew by, really. In addition to our regular teaching we've also been doing some tutoring for students in preparation for a big English test called the S.T.E.P test. Basically, this amounts to staying after school and walking students through practice tests. It was actually pretty fun to have the chance to interact with students on more of a one-on-one or small group atmosphere. Communication is still a constant challenge, but it's getting better.

The big fun for this weekend was two-fold. Saturday we hosted the 1st Annual Team Talent Show. It was great fun. Lots of laughs, and interesting talents.

We've added some pictures in our WebAlbum.

The highlights: Patty's Poi Poi, Jared's Poetry, the Logarithm Dance, Story-Time with Tricia, and Hannah's "Standing Around."

The other big deal this weekend is our teammate Jeni running in the prefecture-wide Eki-Den. The Eki-Den is a competitive race relay across the prefecture. After four years of running with the team, and hoping to get the chance to compete, Jeni was allowed to run this morning. We got up really early to see her run the first leg of the race. It was lots of fun.

Out of 51 teams, Jeni was 23 place in the first leg of the relay. Watch her run in the video below. The race had 16 different legs, with both male and female runners, aged from middle-school through adult. We watched the rest of the race this afternoon and the Tamura team finished 5th out of 51!!! Not too bad.

Christmas Break:

A special announcement: Hannah and I have a rather rare chance to travel to Germany this Christmas break with one of our teammates, Patty. We're really excited about it, and now it looks like it is going to work out. Please pray for the final details to fall into place. It will be a nice break from Japan for a week or so, and a once in a lifetime opportunity to share Christmas with our friend. We'll miss all our friends and family back in the States terribly, however.

Please keep us in your prayers as you are in ours.

God bless.

Bandai and Bowling

2007-11-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

We had a rare opportunity to to hang out with Okubo sensei yesterday. He is our friend, pastor, and an important teacher at Wakakusa English School. We went to Bandai-Atami for a hike to see the autumn leaves. It was beautiful. The best part of the whole day was seeing Okubo sensei able to just relax and hang-out for a while. He works so hard...six, sometimes seven days a week (if you count his Sunday sermon and Sunday school teaching). Last night, in a rare moment, Okubo sensei agreed to go bowling with us on a whim. It was really fun. We had some dinner, and after an already full day, we went bowling for a little exercise in silliness. It was very therapeutic. We really like that guy.

Please keep Okubo sensei in your prayers.

Singing "Change the World"

2007-10-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

At the school festival, Adam joined two of his teaching friends to sing Eric Clapton's "Change the World." It was a good time and a great opportunity to participate (albeit, in a small way) in the major production that is the Funechu (Funehiki-Jr. High) Festival.

Check out lots of pictures in the WebAlbum at the right.

Random Thought: Sneezes!

2007-10-28T03:29:00.001-07:00

No one says anything in Japan when you sneeze. You just sneeze, and the whole horrible event is ignored entirely. Today, in fact, I had the misfortune of sneezing. To my utter and total surprise the other ALT in the room actually said, “Bless you.” What a wonderful gift. I had been missing that gift all week and I didn’t even know it. All my other sneezes this week went by un-blessed by my co-workers. It’s just not one of those things you do in Japan. You could really startle a person if you said something right after they had a terrible sneezing fit! Best to just pretend it never happened. Best just to pretend all bodily functions never happened. I thought it was funny when I first came to Japan, but now I’ve gotten completely used to my sneezes being ignored. How can that be? What a terrible thing has taken place. Yeah, I know the practice of saying “bless you” (or “Gesundheit”) after someone sneezes is a cultural carry-over from the naïve religious misconceptions of the Middle Ages, when people thought you could lose your soul with a sneeze…but dang it, I like my sneezes to be recognized, thank you very much. And I like being blessed from time to time. So for Pete’s sake, remember to say something when poor fellow has a small sinus explosion! It’s the only polite thing to do.

Funechu School Festival

2007-10-28T01:09:00.000-07:00

Just like the little kids, the junior high is "all about" dancing, too. And let me tell you, they take it to another level. Check out this video, and the pictures in the WebAlbum (linked on the right) to see just what I mean.

2007-10-28T01:07:00.000-07:00

Tamura-Fuji Road Race 2007

2007-10-21T04:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I ran my first 10K road race. Actually, this was my first race ever. I'm happy to say it was a lot of fun. Several of the English teachers participated (Jared, Denise, Adam) and several more came to cheer us on (Patti, Hannah, Jeni, Trish, and Randy). I never would have done it except for an English teacher (Japanese) who I work with was willing to run it as well (also a newbie to running). Both of us have been doing some light running, and we thought it was a good goal. He (F. sensei) said it best when he said, "We already accomplished 50% of this when we decided to actually do it and registered...now we just have to run." Still, we were nervous...and cold. It was nice for a run, but not ideal conditions. Pretty cold (12 deg. C) and windy. We were pretty nervous, too, as many of the runners were rather obviously at a different level (like professional marathon level). We were really nervous. But this is only part of the story.

Students from my school (Funechu) and many other neighboring schools, adults from the community, parents...sports teams...it seemed like everybody did something for this event (1K walk, 3K, 5K, 10K). It was really fun to watch my students and yell, "Gambatte!" (Go for it!/Try hard!). So we took lots of pictures. Also, the whole thing kicked off with a really cool Taiko drum performance.

So, how did I do? I placed 25 out of 44 in my age group (21 - 40 year old). My time was 47:25. Not bad for a first try. The 10K's oldest runner was 71, and youngest was 15. Lot's of fun. Check out the pics and videos in the WebAlbum.

Rotary Club Meeting

2007-10-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

So...we uploaded some new pictures. Check em out in the WebAlbum.

Wakakusa Sports Day

2007-10-07T22:54:00.001-07:00

We spent yesterday watching the Wakakusa Gakuen Sports day, or Undokai. It was about the cutest thing ever. Check out all the pics on our WebAlbum (click the link on the right).

Sports Day! New Pictures

2007-09-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

Follow the link on our web album (on the right)

or

click here

Video of us from the Folk and Pop Concert

2007-09-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Video 1

Video 2

Another three day weekend...

2007-09-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

So, today marks the celebration of autumnal equinox, and as such, it is a day off of school for us. We've been getting things done around the house and generally just relaxing. It's been another busy week.

I accompanied two students to the prefectural speech competition. This was pretty fun, and though neither of them are going on to the national level, it was lots of fun and an really interesting experience. Lots of other ALT's were there from other schools with their students, helping them with last minute pronunciation and inflection tips. It was strange, actually, to see so many "gaijin" (foreigners) in one place. They all came from the UK, Germany, Austrualia, Canada and America. The funny thing was, that though we all shared this common bond as foreigners in a strange place, we were also with our students, "our kids" who were competing against each other. It was weird. Actually, it was much easier to talk with the other ALT's after the competition was over.

Fukusaku sensei, one of the English teachers from my school, drove me there and back, and this gave us an opportunity to get to know each other a lot more. He is married, and has a eight-month-old daughter (adorable) who he introduced me to when we got back to Funehiki. We share a lot of interests (music, outdoors, cultural interests) and clicked almost immediately when I got to Funechu. He's a cool teacher, I gather, and has the difficult job of making san-nensei (9th grader - "top-dogs") interested in English. He does a pretty good job. We've been entertaining them lately with a duet of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" in class. It's been really fun. We hope to get together with Fukusaku sensei and his wife sometime for a hike or picnic, maybe.

Actually, I'm actually involved in a little more music tonight. We were asked to do something for a local folk and pops concert. The music is rather eclectic in genre, actually, but Benno and I are doing two songs with guitar. It's not really polished, but it's something. We're happy to be involved as the token Americans if it's for a good cause, and this is. Also, the whole group is rehearsing for a concert for the Rotary club in a month or two. Mr. Maki is visiting every Rotary club in Japan (or maybe just this area). He's already visited 30 or so, and has several more to go in the next few weeks. Well, there is a huge conference coming up and he asked us to prepare some entertainment...so we're trying a few different things. We'll let you know how it goes.

Well, that's enough for now. Be sure to check out the web gallery of pictures (follow the link on the right).

Please keep these things in prayer:

Funehiki Evangelical Church
Pastor Okubo and Pastor Maki
The English Teachers
The growing Christian witness in the community
Our Japanese studies (we really want to get to know people and it's hard without Japanese)
Those who may come as teachers in the future!

Thanks! God bless!

Adam and Hannah

A three day weekend...

2007-09-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Monday here in Japan, and Hannah and I have the day off thanks to "Respect for the Aged" day. We're not complaining. It's been a busy week. Actually, at Funechu (Adam's school), there was testing all week so the "work" was trying to stay awake at my desk for the hours of almost nothing to do, with the only break being stamping thousands of pages of homework with "Good Job!" Hannah, on the other hand, had another busy week with juku classes and elementary school lessons.

What else happened this week? On Thursday night, we took our Bible study time to hear the testimonies of Tricia and Randy Lewis. We have decided that a good way of building community at this early stage in our team-life is to have a time for sharing testimonies every other week, and the Lewis' started us off. It was really fascinating hearing a little more. What was really amazing, and I think so valuable in this exercise, was realizing that there is so much more that we still don't know about each other. We're practically the only family each other have here, and we still hardly know each other. So...we'll keep working on that. We'll be alternating these sharing time weeks with Bible study and worship for a few months, so please pray that these times bear fruit in our lives.

Friday, we met up with some "international friends" here in Funehiki, for conversation and tea. It was really fun. Several of the Japanese had been to America (Mansfield) or had hosted Americans in the past. Actually, I recognized one of the guys from my trip 10 years ago. We talked and remembered that he had hosted my friends Tyler and Seth. It was a good time getting to know some new people.

Saturday Hannah and I slept, shopped, and cleaned. That was pretty much the day. Given that most things close early, and we have to walk it's hard to do that stuff during the week...so it's the weekends. Sunday was church, then we hiked Katasone (the mountain in our backyard). See the picture in the web-album linked below. After that, we had a game night with Randy, Tricia, Carrie, Jeni, Mike and Jen at the Lewis'. Late Sunday we made some phone calls home, and now today we're taking our time getting some random work done around the house.

This week is a short week, but I will also be accompanying two students and some of the English teachers at my school to the prefectural speech competition on Wednesday. They won the local competition, and I've been working with them on pronunciation and inflection for the last three weeks. Their names are Asami and Yukina.

http://picasaweb.google.com/adamhange

Finding our rhythm...

2007-09-07T20:28:00.001-07:00

We've been at it for almost a month now. It's hard to believe. We're getting used to our jobs, house, the challenges of travel and shopping in another language, and laying the foundations of a strong team of teachers who can support and encourage one another.

We've had two team unity meetings (not easy, but very good), a few Bible-study meetings, and a slew of other meetings in the last few weeks. The meet-n-greet schedule has been pretty thorough, as well. Now we're looking forward to just settling in.

Yesterday, actually, we had off from school as a typhoon hit most of Japan. Roughly equivalent to a snow-day back home, many schools were closed because of the strong winds and unending rain. Some roads closed. Trains stopped (a major deal in Japan). Even some crops were heavily damaged, according to the local news. For us, it meant a little rest, which was very nice. Hopefully, we don't need to make it up like snow-days.

Today Hannah and I got up early to take the train to Koriyama (a Cleveland sized city just 30 minutes away). We celebrated life with a Starbucks americano, which just so happens to taste the same no matter where in the world you order it (sugoi!). Then we did some shopping. We instantly realized how much we take for granted back home. Towels and sheets cost a fortune here. Coffee costs a kings ransom. Pretty standard groceries in the states (bread for instance) cost 2x or 3x as much. Some things are cheaper, however. Fish, seafood, rice, ceramics...are cheaper and more abundant in varieties...which is pretty fun, but I never thought I'd be saying this...but...I miss my Walmart!

We're trying to keep our humor, but it's been a stressful few weeks and we've gotten frustrated with each other more than a few times. We're quick to make up, but the lifestyle here is not always really conducive to good marital relationships. The schedules make it really tough. So, we are trying to be intentional about our time together, about making prayer together a priority, and knowing when to say, "I'm sorry, I can't." - Easier said than done.

I'm running in the afternoons most days, and finding it a great way to get to know the area around Funehiki better. There is a beautiful mountain (much bigger than Mt. Mansfield at Snow Trails) just on the other side of town. I ran up it (most of it) last week. It's a gorgeous view. The season is only now switching from sweltering summer days to more comfortable autumn days. Beautiful flowers are in bloom. It's just nearing the end of peach season and pear-apple season. Wonderful fruits and vegetables, locally-grown, are all around. They are pricey but well worth the money. The sun is an early to bed early to rise kind of guy in Japan. I'm not sure I'll ever be up early enough to see a sunrise, and it's often dark well before 6 pm.

Please keep us in your prayers for:

Language acquisition
Team unity
Opportunities with teachers and students
A good witness in the community
Mr. Maki and the rest of the Wakakusa Gakuen staff, as well as the congregation of Funehiki Evangelical Church

Thanks and God bless!

For pictures of our adventures, check out:

http://picasaweb.google.com/adamhange

Bookmark the page to look at other pictures in the future.

First Impressions

2007-08-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty busy so far, so we haven't had a lot of down-time to reflect upon our experience until today. Life in Japan seems both very slow, and very busy, for the English teachers here. There are a lot of small things that need doing from day to day, and the Japanese work much harder than we ever could. Everything is done with careful planning and methodical care, but because we are forever foreigners, and at a loss in the communication department, we sometimes have to be very flexible when plans change quickly. This has not been an issue yet, but we've heard from other teachers that we should expect the unexpected.

Today we will begin shadowing the present teachers, learning our jobs, and getting situated in our roles at our specific schools. To be honest, it's quite intimidating. We know so little Japanese, and though the classroom time is generally all in English, the day-to-day and office life requires much more than "good morning" and "nice to meet you." So...we're studying our kana (alphabet) and phrases, trying to be patient with ourselves as we adjust to this new context. It does make one reconsider, however, how much we all have to "re-learn" to speak whenever we move to a new job, local, or church. The vocabulary is often different. The syntax is changed. The non-verbals are strange and new. The tendency (at least for me) is paralysis. This, however, is not an option. I can only hide-out in our little Japanese house so long...and besides...it's a welcome change to step out into this strange world and see the sights every once and a while...

Besides...it also means a few precious hours of me not bumping my head on the doorways in our house. So I suppose it all balances out.

More impressions later.

O'Bon Festival in Funehiki

2007-08-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we're moved into our place here in Funehiki. It's very nice and it's pleasant just to be out settling into a place at all.

Today we went to church at Funehiki Evangelical. An old friend, Shinji Okubo, the assistant pastor and also a teacher at Wakakusa Gakuen, delivered the sermon...entirely in Japanese!!!

Shopping, too, is a challenge, not knowing the language, but that hasn't deterred Hannah from giving it her best shot! We've discovered the local 100 yen store (equivalent to a $ store...only better) and there is now no turning back.

Tonight we went to the O'Bon festival in Funehiki. It commemorates a time when the spirits of the dead are said to revisit their graves, similar to a Hispanic "Day of the Dead," however the Japanese celebration is marked by paper lanterns, all sorts of fancy fair food, and fireworks. It was a most enjoyable evening. Tomorrow we begin shadowing in our teaching positions at our respective schools. Please keep us in our prayers as we continue to find our footing here in Japan.

So we're at the airport...

2007-08-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Suddenly, it's all happening. The week of orientation in Mansfield came and went SO fast. We are happy to say that our team is chock' full of cool individuals, and we're very excited to be a part of this great team. Actually, there are only four of us (Denise, Jared, Hannah, Adam H.) flying today. Randy and Trishe's wedding went off without a hitch, and they will be joining us next week in Funehiki. Also, Adam C., a very cool guy (doubly cool because he's a name-buddy!) will join us in April after he has finished up his school.

Well, we need to board very shortly for our trip to Chicago, and then on to Narita. Our spirits are high. We miss you all already. Please pray for a safe trip and enjoyable trip. Thank you again and God bless.

Orientation Begins Today!

2007-08-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well, after much anticipation, it is finally time to commence orientation! Today is the day we meet the rest of our team and begin our final preparations before leaving for Japan on the 15th.

Hannah and I are both feeling a little anxious and excited about the whole process. We have had the added privilege of attending the last two of the past orientations in part, and living next door to the program coordinator (Nathan)... but now that we are finally the one's going it is even more exciting. The reality of our imminent departure is finally setting in.

Later today we will meet up with our teammates (Adam C., Jared C., Denise C., and Randy L.) for a little welcome dinner and then tonight will do some final paperwork for our visas. The rest of the week is a mixture of information about where we'll be staying, the schools where we'll be working, and general culture and language instruction.

Just a week ago we were hosting our big "Thank You" party at GFC, catching up with friends over coffee and clothes-pin cookies. Then we had a whirlwind tour to Chicago to meet up with family and friends...and it's been just one "party" after another all week... and now it's time to get serious.

A Few Prayer Requests:

Team unity
Spiritual preparation for the whole team
Final preparations
The many "goodbyes" and "thank you's" with family and friends

I'll try to post more pictures soon. God bless.

More Pictures of our Vacation

2007-07-16T14:52:00.001-07:00

Boston, Massachussetts; Kennebunkport, Maine; Philadelphia, Penssylvania; Jackson, New Jersey. Lots of great times thanks to all our family and friends. This has been a wonderful time for rest and fun. Thanks everyone!

2007-07-10T02:49:00.001-07:00

New Pictures from our trip to Boston:

We began our adventure with an exciting (and by exciting I mean confusing and befuddling) introduction to downtown Boston so as to meet up with college roommates and friends, Ben and Luke (and Joy, Luke's lady). It was a very nice time of reconnecting with my C-town pals before our immanent departure.

Next you'll see a picture of Boston taken from the ferry as we ventured out to Spectacle Island on Sunday.

Then we spent a little time down by Cambridge and Harvard Square

On Monday we went for a pleasant kayak tour of the St. Charles River

June is ...over!!! Gah!!!

2007-07-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

So the tornado that is Discipleship Training School has been downgraded to a tropical storm...or something like that. Anyway, our lives are not quite back to normal, but at least that hurdle is behind us. DTS was really great. I really felt good about how things went, and as my big prayer for this summer has been that I "finish well" in my work as youth pastor at GFC, I can only say that I felt pretty good about that particular paragraph of this particular chapter of our lives.

We've spent this week packing up our apartment, and preparing for our vacation (starting Saturday), as well as getting things together for the local "mission trip" here in Mansfield that will take place Thursday and Friday. As you might gather, life is still pretty busy. In between it all we're trying to steal away for blessed moments with family and friends over coffee and good food.

Prayer Requests:

That the transition out of the youth ministry at GFC and into the English teacher role would go well.
That our marriage stays strong through all the stress of moving, new jobs, living with "the fam," and putting our whole life in boxes.
That we "click" with the rest of the new team (Jared, Randy, Denise, Adam (not me)) and the teachers already there.
That the youth of GFC connect well with the new youth pastor, Andrew, and he has all he needs to do this vital work.

Thanks so much for checking in on us. We'll try to update things more often as the summer goes on. - Adam and Hannah

June is here!

2007-06-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

After a very busy few weeks in May, I'm happy to say it is finally June.

A couple of significant moments from the last month:

Hannah got her passport back just in time and visas for Japan are now in the works
Hannah took a trip to Chicago to visit with her friends from Hope College
Adam finished well with all his work at seminary and graduated with his M.Div.
Adam got to spend some quality time with his family over graduation weekend
Hannah received her scores back from Praxis and she passed all her certification exams with flying colors
The youth pastor position at GFC has been filled, effective in August, by Andrew Nichols. Hooray!!!

Prayer requests for this month:

Adam's Summer ministry plans (Discipleship Training School, Mission Trip)
Packing/Getting-rid-of-2yrs-of-accumulated-stuff
Japanese Language Acquisition
Our team of teachers (Jarrod, Randy, Denise, Adam C., Hannah, Adam H.)
The current teachers as they finish up and (for many) decide upon their "next step"
Philotheos and Kairos youth groups through the transition of leadership

* I don't know how many of you are reading this, but thanks for all your prayers. God bless.

A New Blog for a New Adventure - Finishing Well

2007-05-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well, Hannah is a graduate! Yay!!! Also, we've sold our car. We've made arrangements to sell our living room. Now we're finally beginning to learn Japanese (Rosetta Stone, thanks to the family!). We've gotten a lot of books to read, and we're even learning to do some Japanese cooking.

Overall, it's going to be busy for the next few months. (Adam) I've got two more weeks of school, and lots of homework to do. If there is one prayer for me (Adam) right now, it's that we'll finish well.

Our newsletter (left) has lots more. If you'd like to be on our newsletter list, just send an email to adamhange@gmail.com.