So I woke up this morning at 3:15 then went back to bed at 5:30 and then woke up again at 7:30am. From the time that I got on the plane I feel like I have been in one long dream. The only way I know that I am not in a dream is because I can't speak Japanese fluently or fly.
For lunch today Keith, Buff, and I went to the Seikyo (student cafeteria) for lunch and ate with Teppei. As I was walking around everything was very familiar but I felt like I was still in a dream. Now as I write I am ready for a nap. Don't you love jet-lag. For all I know, I will fall asleep and then dream that I am in Japan but hopefully realize by my superpowers that it really is a dream.
I definitely feel overwhelmed with how much stuff I need to try and do over the next week to get settled in to my new living situation. I also need to figure out what to do about starting language school here in the next week or so.
Friday, May 11, 2007
I have arrived!
I have arrived in Japan! I feel like I am dreaming right now. Is this really real? Have I finally reached Japan for 2 years?
Check-in went great with no problems. I was able to take my guitar with me on the plane. On my first flight it was able to have its own seat and then on my long flight from Chicago to Narita it flew first class. The 13 hour flight was long and miserable. I slept for maybe 1 hour. When I arrived at Narita I felt like a deer who had just been hit by a car but I was warmly welcomed by Yuta and Gibbs. We then hopped into the van and drove the backroads home to Utsumoniya. We stopped at coco ichiban which is a curry restaurant and I had my first meal back in Japan, chicken katsu curry. Oishikata. It was very delicious.
We arrived in Utsumoniya about 9pm and came to my new home at Blue Sky. I had yet another warm welcome by my new roommate Tomo, who was very kind in buying me some breakfast food, which I am about to eat at 4am this morning. There was a Bible Discussion going on when I arrived and was able to see Keith, Hiroyuki, and Yamato again and then met Hiroko and Kazuki. I went to sleep about 9:45pm and woke up about 3:15am. 5 and 1/2 hours isn't to bad considering I slept for 1 hour in the previous 26.
I look forward to this evening as we leave for Kodomo no mori camp where we will go camping tonight. When we get there we will cook out and then have a Bible Discussion along with some games. From my understanding most of the students also stay up all night long and then in the morning we will play gym hockey which sounds like a lot of fun. I believe there are 58 people going which is a huge amount so I will probably be forgetting names just as fast as I learn them. (In the end, I will just blame jet-lag if I keep forgetting peoples names).
Check-in went great with no problems. I was able to take my guitar with me on the plane. On my first flight it was able to have its own seat and then on my long flight from Chicago to Narita it flew first class. The 13 hour flight was long and miserable. I slept for maybe 1 hour. When I arrived at Narita I felt like a deer who had just been hit by a car but I was warmly welcomed by Yuta and Gibbs. We then hopped into the van and drove the backroads home to Utsumoniya. We stopped at coco ichiban which is a curry restaurant and I had my first meal back in Japan, chicken katsu curry. Oishikata. It was very delicious.
We arrived in Utsumoniya about 9pm and came to my new home at Blue Sky. I had yet another warm welcome by my new roommate Tomo, who was very kind in buying me some breakfast food, which I am about to eat at 4am this morning. There was a Bible Discussion going on when I arrived and was able to see Keith, Hiroyuki, and Yamato again and then met Hiroko and Kazuki. I went to sleep about 9:45pm and woke up about 3:15am. 5 and 1/2 hours isn't to bad considering I slept for 1 hour in the previous 26.
I look forward to this evening as we leave for Kodomo no mori camp where we will go camping tonight. When we get there we will cook out and then have a Bible Discussion along with some games. From my understanding most of the students also stay up all night long and then in the morning we will play gym hockey which sounds like a lot of fun. I believe there are 58 people going which is a huge amount so I will probably be forgetting names just as fast as I learn them. (In the end, I will just blame jet-lag if I keep forgetting peoples names).
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Check-in Time
Well, I am about to leave for the airport in about 14 minutes and you can say I am a little nervous, mostly about the check-in though. I have two packed suitcases both at the 70lb limit and my guitar which I may or may not take. That solely depends on how much they charge as extra baggage since it is over the 45" linear carry on. I also have a one-way ticket which means I will probably get cavity searched, at least extra checked.
Once I get into the airport, it should be beautiful sailing as the weather is very nice. Thank you for all your prayers and help in getting me to Japan.
Once I get into the airport, it should be beautiful sailing as the weather is very nice. Thank you for all your prayers and help in getting me to Japan.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
One More Day
It officially hit me today that I am about to leave for 2 years. After so many goodbyes I felt that I was about to leave but it was not until I started to pack my suitcases today that I realized that this was for 2 years and not 2 months.
I am almost done packing and I have a few more errands to do tomorrow before I leave on Wednesday. This evening my Mom and I went and watched Spiderman 3 in an Imax theater. I had never been to an Imax before but I was a little disappointed. The only thing that really seemed different was it was shown on a bigger screen, but overall, I think the movie was alright with a great final fight.
I am starting to get nervous and excited at the same time. In 31 hours I will wake up and head to the airport. So little time and still to much to do before I leave.
I am almost done packing and I have a few more errands to do tomorrow before I leave on Wednesday. This evening my Mom and I went and watched Spiderman 3 in an Imax theater. I had never been to an Imax before but I was a little disappointed. The only thing that really seemed different was it was shown on a bigger screen, but overall, I think the movie was alright with a great final fight.
I am starting to get nervous and excited at the same time. In 31 hours I will wake up and head to the airport. So little time and still to much to do before I leave.
Recap
Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you so much for all that you have done to help me reach my goals while fundraising. Praise God that my visa went through with no problems and I was able to get a cheap plane ticket. I wanted to let you know what will be happening now that I am leaving soon. You can quickly scan each Bold topic if it applies to you.
DEPARTURE DATE:
I am leaving on May 9, 2007 from Madison Wisconsin and am arriving in Narita airport on May 10, 2007. What will I be doing until I leave? I will be leaving Lafayette on Wednesday May 2 and head up to South Bend, IN. I will be in South Bend on Thurs, Friday, and Sunday. On Saturday I will be up in Michigan visiti ng family. I then plan to leave South Bend on Sunday afternoon to go up to Wisconsin where I will proceed to do my final packing and then fly out on Wednesday morning.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Language Acquisition- Language can be hard and difficult at times, especially when that is my focus for the first month. Please pray that God will humble my heart so that I will be practicing Japanese with many people and not worry about making mistakes and a fool of myself for saying the wrong things. Also for patience and perseverance that I will study hard and not want to give up.
2) Living- This involves transition to the Japanese culture like cooking, conserving energy, and many things that I probably don't realize. During my summers I have found little ways to avoid things for 2 months and will become problems if I don't learn how to do them for 2 years. Cooking is the best example as I would like to learn how to make real, actual meals at home instead of ramen and curry.
3) That God would show me 2 guys that I will b e able to be great friends with and disciple them in God's Word and that these 2 guys will become great men of faith in the country of Japan as Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists,...
4) Please pray for my goodbyes, that they will be an enjoyable time and also for my travel and safety when flying.
5) Pray that I will continue to grow deeper in love with God and His Word and that I will not be distracted from Him from all of the new circumstances of living in a new country.
6) Please pray for my fellow staff in Utsunomiya: Bryan and Renee Gibbs (3 kids), Ruth Ann Hurd, Keith Brooks, and Tomo.
Thank you very much and if you have any questions please let me know.
Alan
Thank you so much for all that you have done to help me reach my goals while fundraising. Praise God that my visa went through with no problems and I was able to get a cheap plane ticket. I wanted to let you know what will be happening now that I am leaving soon. You can quickly scan each Bold topic if it applies to you.
DEPARTURE DATE:
I am leaving on May 9, 2007 from Madison Wisconsin and am arriving in Narita airport on May 10, 2007. What will I be doing until I leave? I will be leaving Lafayette on Wednesday May 2 and head up to South Bend, IN. I will be in South Bend on Thurs, Friday, and Sunday. On Saturday I will be up in Michigan visiti ng family. I then plan to leave South Bend on Sunday afternoon to go up to Wisconsin where I will proceed to do my final packing and then fly out on Wednesday morning.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Language Acquisition- Language can be hard and difficult at times, especially when that is my focus for the first month. Please pray that God will humble my heart so that I will be practicing Japanese with many people and not worry about making mistakes and a fool of myself for saying the wrong things. Also for patience and perseverance that I will study hard and not want to give up.
2) Living- This involves transition to the Japanese culture like cooking, conserving energy, and many things that I probably don't realize. During my summers I have found little ways to avoid things for 2 months and will become problems if I don't learn how to do them for 2 years. Cooking is the best example as I would like to learn how to make real, actual meals at home instead of ramen and curry.
3) That God would show me 2 guys that I will b e able to be great friends with and disciple them in God's Word and that these 2 guys will become great men of faith in the country of Japan as Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists,...
4) Please pray for my goodbyes, that they will be an enjoyable time and also for my travel and safety when flying.
5) Pray that I will continue to grow deeper in love with God and His Word and that I will not be distracted from Him from all of the new circumstances of living in a new country.
6) Please pray for my fellow staff in Utsunomiya: Bryan and Renee Gibbs (3 kids), Ruth Ann Hurd, Keith Brooks, and Tomo.
Thank you very much and if you have any questions please let me know.
Alan
Friday, April 06, 2007
Visa and Ticket
I found out today that I should wait to buy my ticket until I turn in my visa application. The visa application had been in the beginning stages and then my support came in rapidly. It makes since to wait to buy the ticket because I sure don't want to waste $700 and not have a visa.
Please pray that I will receive the items I need from Japan in about a week from now. The sooner I receive the papers and information I need, the sooner I can turn in my visa.
I am currently looking to leave on Wednesday, May 9th but this is a tentative date as of right now. In the mean time I will be focusing more on my language study, heading to South Bend for Easter, coming back to speak to the Navigators on April 13th, and then I have no idea what I will be doing. I would like to go to Grand Prix this year as my former team should do very well this year. I even received a jersey for this years team, thanks to my awesome old roommate, Gordon.
Please call me if you want to find out where I am or what I will be doing. I guess you could email me too.
Please pray that I will receive the items I need from Japan in about a week from now. The sooner I receive the papers and information I need, the sooner I can turn in my visa.
I am currently looking to leave on Wednesday, May 9th but this is a tentative date as of right now. In the mean time I will be focusing more on my language study, heading to South Bend for Easter, coming back to speak to the Navigators on April 13th, and then I have no idea what I will be doing. I would like to go to Grand Prix this year as my former team should do very well this year. I even received a jersey for this years team, thanks to my awesome old roommate, Gordon.
Please call me if you want to find out where I am or what I will be doing. I guess you could email me too.
The Last 5 days
I have been absolutely blown away over what happened from Thursday Night to Tuesday Night. That 5 day time period was blessed by your prayers and blessed by God to bring my support up by 28%.
During my time of fundraising, I initially was not thankful for where God had me and how slow things were going. God continued to teach me verses about being thankful always (Eph. 5:20, I Thess. 5:18, Col. 3:17, etc). Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This does not only mean when things are good or sometimes I will give thanks but ALWAYS give thanks in all circumstances. Always means Always. God started to change my view at the end of January to be thankful that I am still here with my funding going slow.
There were things he still wanted me to do here. Examples, my fathers death, continue ministry, and to be prepared more for my time in Japan. How great are the plans of God as they are always better than our own plans.
Seeing my support go up unexplainably, except by God's timing, I realize that it is my time to start to leave for Japan. While I am still here one more month, God has more things to teach now before I go to Japan and I am thankful that he cares for me and loves me and shows me his steadfast love in the mornings and his faithfulness by night.
During my time of fundraising, I initially was not thankful for where God had me and how slow things were going. God continued to teach me verses about being thankful always (Eph. 5:20, I Thess. 5:18, Col. 3:17, etc). Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This does not only mean when things are good or sometimes I will give thanks but ALWAYS give thanks in all circumstances. Always means Always. God started to change my view at the end of January to be thankful that I am still here with my funding going slow.
There were things he still wanted me to do here. Examples, my fathers death, continue ministry, and to be prepared more for my time in Japan. How great are the plans of God as they are always better than our own plans.
Seeing my support go up unexplainably, except by God's timing, I realize that it is my time to start to leave for Japan. While I am still here one more month, God has more things to teach now before I go to Japan and I am thankful that he cares for me and loves me and shows me his steadfast love in the mornings and his faithfulness by night.
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