Interview

A couple of months (or so) ago, I was interviewed, via email for GP’s newsletter/magazine GP Worldview. I thought I’d share it here on the blog for those of you who haven’t read it. It was edited for space in the mag, so I’ll include some of the stuff that was cut out.

Tell me about your call to missions, especially to Japan.

I was “finished school” and working full-time as a graphic designer when I first started sensing God call me into ministry. I didn’t know where that would lead me ultimately, but it started with going back to school, where I received my Youth Ministry degree from Bethany Bible College.

After Bible College I still had no plans to go overseas as a missionary. I was a youth major, after all, and had a passion for worship leading. So I pursued various potential opportunities in youth and music ministry. But in all my searching for just the right ministry position, nothing I pursued worked out. For months, it seemed like every door I tried was closed. Then, through the internet, an opportunity came my way completely unexpectedly: a one-year position teaching English and doing ministry in Japan, at a little place in Sayama City, Osaka, called Grace English School.

After a lot of prayer and thinking, I really sensed that God was leading me to accept the offer. So in the summer of 2002 I left Canada for a year in Japan. It will be a great experience — an adventure, I thought, and besides, it’s only for a year, right?

That year changed my life. It was an adventure, yes. But it changed me in ways I didn’t ever realize at the time. It changed the way I looked at the world, the way I looked at missions, the way I looked at life in general, and the way I looked at myself. I fell in love with Japan and, seeing the great spiritual need, have been carrying a burden for the Japanese ever since.

I know this isn’t your first time in Japan. Tell a little bit about your first or past times there.

As I mentioned, my first experience with Japan was the year I spent in Osaka. My day-to-day life consisted mainly of teaching English, but since the English school I worked at was owned and operated by Believers, there was quite a bit of opportunity for ministry as well. We did a weekly event called “International Fellowship”, which was a time of sharing about culture, and a time for people to practice their English, but also a time of worship and Bible study. I played guitar and lead worship almost every week, and had the opportunity to do the Bible study on several occasions as well.

One thing that stood out to me about Japanese society was their ability to embrace modern ideas and technology while at the same time holding on to their distinctive culture and traditions. It’s a fascinating mix of the ancient and ultra-modern. But what I came to love most about Japan was the people.

How is the language learning process coming along? Are you able to communicate in Japanese?

I suppose that depends on how you define “communicate”! For a native speaking, talking to me in Japanese is probably like talking to a two-year old! On the other hand, that’s better than a few months ago. I have certainly made a lot of progress in my first couple of months of formal studies, but language learning is a slow and difficult process.

What cultural practices are the most challenging to adjust to?

In Japan, everything matters. There’s a rule and a right way to do everything. When you’re not from here, that of course means a you face a huge learning curve. Also, communication is often indirect, so you need to learn to read between the lines. And the language barrier just makes all of this learning all the more slow.

I know you have only been in Japan since the end of December, but so far what has been your high point?

It’s been a few years coming, so for me just being back in Japan feels great. But recently I had the opportunity, along with a new Japanese friend, to sing and play a duet during a Sunday afternoon outreach service. We sang a bilingual version of “The Love of God”. I also gave a brief introduction in Japanese. It was an amazing experience to be able to minster in this way in Japanese — even if (to be honest) I didn’t understand every word I said, and had to read the whole thing! One of my dreams is to be able to lead worship completely in Japanese, and this was a small step in that direction.

What will your ministry be?

During this term, my main focus is on learning Japanese. However, I will be involved at Immanuel Nagoya Church by doing some English teaching and helping with their youth ministry. I also recently began giving one-on-one English lessons to a young Japanese guy in exchange for his help with my Japanese. He’s not a Christian, but is open to studying the Bible, so we’re going to be going through the book of Mark together.

Do the Japanese know anything about Jesus? How do you go about sharing the gospel with them?

Japan is basically 99% unreached. That means the average person not only isn’t a Believer, but probably doesn’t even know who Jesus really is. With this being a group-oriented culture, where indirect communication is the norm, aggressive or confrontational forms of evangelism aren’t the way to go. Which is fine by me, since I’m not aggressive or confrontational. I think relationships are the key. That’s one of the reasons English teaching is such a great ministry tool here. As a native English speaker, this is a service I can offer the church as a way to help them to connect with people outside the church. And this is something I can do even while the language barrier keeps me from other areas of service.

What is your vision for the Japanese people?

I think there’s a great openness to the Gospel among today’s youth. I think the opportunity and possibility of reaching Japan may be greater now than ever before. My dream is to see Japanese Believers of this generation seize the opportunity to reach their generation with the love of Christ.

What has God taught you personally on this journey so far?

Patience! Maybe I should say he’s teaching me patience. Learning another language takes a lot of discipline and hard work. And with or without language and cultural barriers, ministry in Japan is a slow process of building relationships, planting seeds and trusting God to bring the harvest.

Zach Motts Invades Nagoya!

This past weekend, as I mentioned before, Zach came to Nagoya. I had the task of being his tour guide, which was kind of nice, because it gave me someone to do some site-seeing with (the locals, just like back home, take local landmarks for granted).

We met up Saturday morning around 10 at Nagoya Station. After a brief discussion we decided on three things to do: visit Midland Square (tallest building in Nagoya) and check out the view of the city; go to Nagoya Castle, where they were having a samurai parade and battle re-enactment (which was not nearly as cool as it sounds); and travel to Gifu (the neighboring prefecture) for the Fire Festival, which just happened to be going on Saturday night.

The Fire Festival was just as crazy as the name implies. Basically, a bunch of “bare-chested, sake-fueled men” (as the article read) carried around portable shrine things making lots of noise — typical Japanese festival stuff, but with the addition of fireworks being shot into the air, lighting up lanterns and sending ashes and sparks down on the aforementioned bare-chested men. There were also lots of booths set up selling various food and souvenir items. Zach got a bbq squid on a stick and I bought a huge bbq sausage on a stick; there were lots of things on sticks, now that I think of it. There were also lots of people.

Anyway, here are some photos and videos from Midland Square, Nagoya Castle and even Gifu (where it was too dark and far from the action to get good video on a cell phone but if you look carefully you may see some of those bare-chested men dancing beneath the flames).

Nagoya Castle and the surrounding cityscape,
as seen from Midland Square:

Fierce-looking samurai warriors:

Me! At the Castle:

Me again! On top of a replica of one of the
“Golden Dolphins” that adorn the top of the outside of the Castle:

More fierce samurai. Myself included:

Zach and his squid-stick:

The craziness just getting started in Gifu:

Lanterns on FIRE!

Going up the elevator at Midland Squre:

Taiko drummers at the Castle:

Craziness at the Fire Festival:

Free Hugs

One recent weekend I was wandering around taking pictures and enjoying the nice weather (It’s spring here, you know, and that actually means something, unlike back in Canada). In front of Nagoya Station, probably the busiest part of the city, I saw the above-pictured group of people offering free hugs to passers-by. I watched for a while, while literally hundreds of people passed by and barely anyone stopped for a hug. If someone did stop, it was some really extroverted person. I saw others try unsuccessfully to persuade their friends to go get a hug, too. But still, hardly anyone stopped, though many looked and smiled or laughed or looked away like they were embarrassed.

It was an interesting sociological experiment to watch, as I’m sure it would have had different results in another culture. You don’t see a lot of public displays of affection in Japan, especially between people who have just met. Interestingly enough, Zach had a similar experience a while back, all the way up in Tokyo.

I’m not sure who this particular group was (This was one of the many times I’ve wished my Japanese was more developed) but they were nice enough to let me take their picture. I also got hugs from all five of them — which is five more hugs than I’d gotten since coming to Japan 3 months ago. Made my day.

On Street Musicians and Parking Violations

I was wandering around in Sakae (a busy, trendy shopping district of Nagoya) one Friday night and heard what sounded like live music. I followed the sound a sure enough, there was a band playing on the sidewalk in front of a certain department store near a busy street corner. And they’re weren’t just your typical acoustic sidewalk musicians either. They were a full-on rock band, playing classic blues-rock style music, loud a clear, the only thing missing a lead singer. They were good enough (and fun enough to watch) that I stayed quite a while. I also took a lot of photos and even shot some video, but the department store closed and turned of their huge neon window sign, so the lighting wasn’t so good.

The best part of the whole show was when the cops showed up. Turns out the band’s cars (parked right behind them) were illegally parked. So right in the middle of another jam session, the guitarist and bass player had to take off and move the cars before they got ticketed or towed. The drummer and organist kept playing for a while, but paused after a few minutes while the organ guy handed out flyers. Soon, though, the other returned and they picked up seemingly right where they left off, without missing a beat. I was actually quite impressed.

You never know what you’re going to find when you go wandering the streets of Japan on a Friday night.

Idol Smashing

I hesitated to share this story because I don’t want to come across as culturally insensitive or religiously intolerant. So first let me say that I do respect people of other religions (here in Japan it’s Buddhism and Shinto), whether I agree with them (or even understand them), or not. I would never purposely do anything to offend someone. I would never enter a typical Japanese person’s home as a guest and start criticizing them for having a family shrine or Buddhist altar in their house. If I visit a public temple or shrine I try to be quiet and respectful and to not disturb people.

On the other hand, I will celebrate for and with someone who leaves all that behind and embraces Jesus Christ.

And now that I’ve gotten that disclaimer out of the way…

Last night I had the rare privilege of helping the assistant pastor destroy a couple of Buddhist shrines. And it felt really, really, really good.

An elderly lady from the church had them from before she became a Christian. Actually, she came to Christ several years ago but her husband, who died back in November, became a Christian more recently, about a year before passing away. She couldn’t bring herself to destroy them, either for fear (in Japan, religion seems to be more about fear and superstition than anything) or because of the family connection, or both. So she brought them to the church for us to take care of, and for some reason the pastors thought it would be a good experience for me.

What they didn’t know is how much I enjoy breaking stuff.

Unfortunately we live in the city so burning them was out of the question for safety reasons. Plus the neighbors might complain. But we did have some good hammers. And boy, we wrecked those shrines and everything in them — real good. I mean, Buddha’s head just went flying. There was broken wood, nails (I almost impaled myself at least once) torn paper, dust, incense and other wreckage everywhere. It took about a half hour to dismantle everything, and another 10 minutes or so to clean up after ourselves.

Good times.

Seriously, though, it really was a good experience. I’d never seen such literal, tangible idolatry before I came to Japan. Being a part of someone’s deliverance from that felt good (even though I had nothing to do with these people coming to Christ, just laying the physical symbols of that past to rest). It was like something out of the Old Testament during one Israel’s times of turning back to God. It was a symbolic breaking away from the past. It was an outward, visible sign of a changed life. It meant freedom from the past, from superstition, from false gods, from evil spirits.

For Japanese people, making that kind of break is difficult. Not just the getting rid of physical symbols of the past, but actually breaking away from generations of family and community and society tradition in a homogenous, conformist, group-oriented society.

What I saw last night, for me, symbolized what I’d like to see more of. Changed lives. That’s why I’m here.

TV Program Leads Japanese Youth To Faith in Christ

Read this: Worship & The Arts: TV Program Leads Japanese Youth To Faith in Christ. Great testimony.

Old Japan Journal, Part 4

Following is another old entry from my former website, written during my first, year-long stay in Japan:

Monday, February 24, 2003: Relaxation, Japanese-style…

Last Monday I had a Japanese-style relaxation experience. I was invited for dinner to a student’s house along with a couple of fellow-teachers. We got there at around 11:30 am and didn’t leave until after 4. So if you ever get invited to a Japanese person’s house for a meal, go hungry, and be prepared to be sitting at the table, eating and chatting, for a good long while. I guess this is a sign of the Japanese being a very hospitable people as well as their abilty to relax.

Today I had the ultimate Japanese relaxation experience: the Onsen. Onsens are hot spring bath houses, with natural spring water that is heated by volcanic activity beneath the earth. Aparently the water is full of minerals and things that are very good for you as well. The custom is to bathe in the nude, with men and women in separate rooms of course (though I have heard there are exceptions).

I had heard of these onsens before, but today was my first visit to one. The real question is: Why did I wait so long? It was great. I highly recommend it to anyone who may plan to visit Japan, as long as you don’t mind being naked in front of strangers. It is very relaxing, and many of these onsens also have places where you can eat, sleep or get a massage. I was so relaxed after spending some time at the onsen today that I just wanted to come home and have a nap; so I did.

Like I said, Japanese people know how to work hard, but – wow – they really know how to relax as well!

UPDATE (March 1): It has been brought to my attention that the public bath we went to that day was probably not an actual onsen. Onsens, like I said, are natural hot springs. In the area of Japan I am living in, bath houses of the onsen variety are pretty rare. So it was artificially heated most likely. The Japanese word for “bathroom” is “ofuro”. Perhaps that would be more appropriate in this case.

Old Japan Journal, Part Three

Continuing my series of reflections from my first time in Japan (2002-2003), here is another entry, re-posted from the web journal I had going at the time:

Saturday, December 2, 2002: Reflections on Kyoto

… The lady who guided us is a student here, and was a great host. In fact, she spoiled us, insisting again and again on paying for parking, admission and meals — and there were five of us, uncluding her! One thing I have learned in my three months here is that when a Japanese person wants to give you something, it is very hard to say no. Maybe I shouldn’t generalize so much, but I have found the Japanese in general are very kind, giving and hospitable. The people I am meeting here are perhaps the best thing about this place, and are what I will remember the most about my time here.

While in Kyoto, we visited three different large, famous shrines or temples. From a cross-cultural, architechtural and historical perspective, this was very interesting. From a Christian perspective, it was kind of sad. At one place, Sarah (a fellow teacher) said she felt uncomfortable, but I said I didn’t — I felt sad. She asked if it was breaking my heart, and I said “maybe a little”; what I should have said is “not enough”. As a Christian, it is sad to see people turning to idols; and that’s what we saw — idolatry in its most literal sense. Very sad indeed.

All in all, it was a good day, though. We were definately experiencing Japan and seeing the Japanese in their cultural particulars. Eye-opening, in a way, and part of a year-long experience that is, I believe, going to be looked back on as a time of great learning; perhaps, even life-changing.

Old Japan Journal, Part Two

This is another post from my old website’s journal. I’m not posting these in any particular order. This one was based on one of my final adventures before leaving Japan: Climbing Mount Fuji. I post it today to go along with the above Photo of the Week of me and the group I climbed with.

Monday, August 19, 2003: Whitey Versus the Volcano

Early in the morning on Saturday, August 16th, Sam, Michelle (two friends and fellow-teachers) and I began our expedition to Mount Fuji. After travelling all day by bus, our tour group arrived there right around supper time. The bus took us to the highest point you can go to by bus, about half way up this tallest mountain in Japan.

After taking some time to eat and get ourselves ready, we began our eight-hour-plus journey to the top of the mountain. We would travel over night in hopes of seeing the sunrise from the top of Mount Fuji early the next morning. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the weather did not allow us to see the sun rise.

The weather also made the climb alot more difficult than it might have been in better conditions. The first hour or so of the hike was pretty easy, really. The trail was steadily uphill but not too steep for the most part. The ground was loose gravel and small rocks; nothing too serious. By the time it was completely dark out, though, it had started to rain and we were coming upon more and more difficult climbing conditions, involving some big steps over large rocks and the need to be careful to get secure footing. It was getting more and more cold and the air more and more thin as we ascended higher and higher. We were also getting wetter and wetter as we went. I in particular was not prepared for the rain as much as I should have been, but even those who were supposedly well-prepared were getting cold and wet.

Climbing Mount Fuji was definitely one of those “only in Japan” experiences, and not only because of the large crowds, tour buses and shrines. Late at night, after about four hours of climbing and hiking with only short, still-wet stops along the way, we stopped for our one long break. This is when things got interesting. Our “sleeping” arrangements were less than ideal, but amusing if nothing else. Picture this: dozens of people lined up as tightly as possible, side-by-side, lying alternatingly with their heads facing one way or the other so as to cram as many people in as possible, sharing blankets, in crawl spaces one on top of the other. Rolling over was not an option, and sleeping didn’t seem to be either, what with the closeness inside and the noise from outside the “bedroom”. I did hear some snoring, though, amazingly. But the good thing was that we got a chance to get ourselves warmed up nicely before once again braving the elements for the final four hours or so of the journey.

And so, after that “sleeping” break, it was back out into the cold in our wet shoes and insufficient rain gear to climb the rest of the way up the mountain. It was at this point that we first realized that our climbing guide had been drinking on the job. Apparently during the long break, he’d had a few too many, and by this point was a little tipsy and a lot more talkative than he’d been before. My friend Samuel was great to have along at this point, because he has no inhibitions about speaking up or anything, and was the one who got our guide moving again several times along the way, encouraging him to shut up and get moving. Our Japanese fellow-climbers never would have spoken up, I’m sure, holding to the Japanese mind-set and culture of politeness and respect.

Somehow, after many hours of climbing and seemingly almost freezing to death, we made it to the top, even with a drunk guide. We got there around sunrise, but as I said, the weather didn’t allow us to see a sunrise; it just got light out. So I didn’t get many good photos either. But we made it. And that seems to be saying alot, considering that of the over 30 people in our group, only about six or seven of us made it all the way. It was definitely a challenge and I’m glad it’s over, but I’m glad I did it too. I’d been dreaming of climbing Mount Fuji for about a year, and it was great and rewarding too see my dream come true.

Vision Tour Report

In May I had the priviledge of spending about two weeks in Japan. I am a part of Global Partners, the missions department of the Wesleyan Church. In Japan we partner with an indigenous denomination called Immanuel General Mission. My purpose in visiting Japan earlier this month was to meet IGM leaders and pastors in person so that we could get to know each other better, and so that we could get a clearer picture of how we might work together in the future.

To the left is a picture of the Immanuel Church in Nakameguro, Tokyo, where I spent my first couple of days. The pastor in Nakameguro is Isaac Saoshiro, who is also the president of IGM (regrettably I didn’t get a photo of him). I had a great time getting to know Dr. Saoshiro and his wife, who are former missionaries themselves. I also participated in their mid-week prayer meeting.

From Nakameguro, I moved on to Yokohama, with a brief stop in Funabashi along the way. In Funabashi I attended an Undokai (kids’ sports day) that the church was putting on. Many people from the church and community came out to participate; it was a fun time, and seems to be a great way for the church to connect with the community.

In Yokohama I stayed at our Wesleyan Mission House (pictured to the right), which is actually divided into two apartments: upstairs is home to fellow-GP-missionary Andrea Swarthout; downstairs (where I stayed) is home to our Asia Area Director, Paul Turner, and his wife.

In Yokohama I visited the local IGM Church, as well as the denomination’s Bible Training College. I had the opportunity to share my testimony in both settings.

Below is a photo of me with a few of the many people I met in Yokohama….

While in the area, I also hopped the train and visited with Kevin Zirkle, a WGM missionary to Japan. I took part in one of his weekly Bible studies at Rykyo University (see below). In addition, I had the opportunity to address a meeting of IGM’s district superintendents.

After my time in the Tokyo area, I rode the bullet train to Osaka, where I not only got to relax and visit with some old friends, but I also met with another IGM pastor — Benjamin Tsutada — whose church in Sakai is active in reaching young people through soccer.

Many details about my future appointment in Japan are still to be worked out. But this trip was definitely worth the time because of the relationships that have begun to be built between myself and our partners at IGM. Not only that, but I have also come away from the trip with a fresh perspective and new motivation to raise support and study Japanese.

After this trip to Japan I am more convinced than ever of both the greatness of the need and the greatness of the opportunity in Japan. For those of you who are helping me with your giving and your prayers… thank you. If you are not yet a part of this team, please consider joining me in this great adventure. Your giving and prayers are investments that help us to strengthen and expand the Church in Japan.