Prayer Answered!

I already posted on this nearly 3 weeks ago, when the certificate of eligibility came in, but now it is officially in my passport and on record: you are looking at the first Calvary Chapel Sapporo missionary! And I was given a 3 year visa! PRAISE THE LORD!

３週間前に認定証が届いた時にも投稿しましたが、昨日から公式になりました。私は史上初のカルバリーチャペル札幌の宣教師です！しかも３年間のビザが与えられました！主に感謝します！ハレルヤ！

Autumn - Beautiful Hokkaido!

今日はちょっと暇があって地方にドライブしに行きました。支笏湖は日本の最も深い湖の一つです。その周りにある森林はちょうど今、紅染めの真っ最中！残念ながら、札幌から出発するのが遅くて、いっぱい写真は撮れなかったけどこのような景色だった。

Today I was able to take a drive out the the countryside to a place called Shikotsuko. It is one of the deepest lakes in all of Japan. Well anyways, the weather report also gives a foliage report, and they said Shikotsuko was "in season" whereas some of the other spots in Hokkaido are already "out of season." So I went and here's what I saw:

Yuni Once More - 由仁・ワンス・モア

木曜日の夜はいつも通り由仁町に行って伝道をしました。今回はキーボードがなかったため、スティーブさんが御言葉を分かち合ってくれました。由仁町のSさんがいっぱい質問して、本当に救いが近いと思います。続けて祈りましょう！

Thursday night, as always we headed out to Yuni to do ministry. Since we didn't have a keyboard with us, we mostly did ministry through the Word. Steve shared, and Mrs. S had lots of questions. I think salvation is near! Let's keep praying for Yuni!

TOO SOON!

I can't believe my eyes... look at the weather forecast here! (You don't need to know Japanese to understand what it says.) SNOW in OCTOBER? I'd like to say "bring it on" but I'm not mentally prepared for winter yet! Nor do I have enough winter clothes! Couldn't we have at least another month of snow-free weather, God?


これは早すぎるよ、神様！１０月の雪は悲しいよ！まだ冬服は持ってない！あと１ヶ月ください！まぁ、神様は全能全知だから大丈夫だね！がんばります！

#1 Professor

OK I probably should not choose favourites now, should I? But I have to say I have been inspired by this lady. In my eyes, Kathi Bailey is the ultimate professor: she is extremely intelligent but very down-to-earth; she is friendly and personable; she has purpose in everything that happens in her classroom; she treats her students with great respect; she has a wonderful sense of humour, she has the power of observation like none I know; she knows the answers to many questions, and when she doesn't, she knows where to direct us to find our answers. I really hope to have her as my thesis adviser. Of course that will depend on my topic, but I almost want to do something in her area of expertise just to increase my chances of "getting" her! Thanks, Prof Bailey, for the inspiration!!! I look forward to that lunch in Monterrey if/when I swing by!


英語で僕の気持ちを言い表すのに奮闘しましたので、日本語ではなおさらだ！ベイリー教授は僕の中で完璧なプロフェッサーです。簡単に言うと、抜群な知識に人間力。模範生じゃなくて模範先生だ。僕がベイリー教授のようになりたい！いろいろありがとう、ベイリー先生！もし良かったら僕の卒論の指導者になっていただきたいです！そして、カリフォルニアのモンテレイに行くなら必ず連絡します！一緒に食事でもしたいです！

Dinner on Day 3 with the AU Classmates

Saturday night after the class sessions, a bunch of us (6, I think) went for a walk towards the main road, towards the subway line. We found a place that served dak galbi - you gotta try it to understand. Now I know why Pastor Tommy told me I couldn't leave Korea without trying it! It was so spicy but so tasty! It was awesome talking to Arun about his agricultural career, his novel-writing career, his machinery career, and all these things before the age of 14! Man I have interesting classmates! Anyways, it was a delicious meal, and the guy helping us (the only guy in the place who could speak English) was cool. I walked out with my bib (on purpose) to see if they would stop me, and they didn't so I ran back in and gave it to them... couldn't live with myself for 'stealing'! Anyways, thanks all for partaking with me in my final supper in Korea!


土曜日の夜、授業終わったら６人で街を歩いていた。みんなお腹空いてて最後の日だからこそ韓国料理が食べたかった。ので、ダッカルビ屋に行きました。すんごく美味しかった！トミー牧師が「韓国料理といえばダッカルビ」と言った理由はやっと理解しました！食事しながら僕と同じ血を持っているアルンといっぱいしゃべれて最高だった！アルンのお父さんはインド人でお母さんは白人です。僕も同じです。二人ともクリスチャンで二人ともインドに行った事がない。二人ともアジアに関心があります。（アルンは中国、僕は日本。）とにかく楽しい一時をありがとう！僕はアナハイム大のクラスメート、大好きだ！

Lunch on Day 3 with the AU Classmates

This is turning into a food blog, isn't it? We went to a pizza place because we were all spiced out... anyways, the sign there said "Love for Women" so we had to have a picture next to it! I had no idea pizza places in Korea preferred female clientele! But I guess they do. Well, the pizza was tasty and fairly reasonable in price... better than most J-pizza I've eaten! Woohoo!

なんか、食べ物ばっかりだね！土曜日は女性陣と一緒にピザを食べに行きました。男性も何人かいたんだけどレストランの窓に「ラブ・フォー・ウーマン」って書いてあったから女性陣だけの写真を撮りました。可愛いでしょ？

Dinner on Day 2 with the AU Classmates

Tonight we ventured out a little farther to get our evening meal. Itaewon is kind of like Gate 2 Street in Okinawa, but bigger and with more shops. So I bought me a Jarome Iginla jersey for around $30, and got some good food at Gecko Garden. Then we just hung out and talked for a few hours before calling it a night. I gotta finish my homework for class, after all! Good times with the classmates, though!


今晩は昨日よりちょっと遠く行って夕飯を食べました。そして人数も昨日より多かった。国籍、個性、多様性のあるグループだったけど同じ勉強をして同じ苦難を受けているから仲が良い。今日は空港通みたいな雰囲気のある街に行ってアイスホッケーのユニフォームを買って「家守の園」というレストランでアメリカンフードを食べました！その後、違う場所に行ってしばらくクラスメートとおしゃべりをしました。少し早めに帰りましたけどまだ宿題が残ってるからそれに取り組みます！また明日、時間があれば更新します！

Dinner with the AU Classmates

Well, my second grad school conference started today. It was an exhausting but fun day, filled with enough information to make us all real hungry! Here are some of my classmates, including 2 whose native language is Hungarian! Can you believe it, Steve?


今日から日曜日まで、大学院の研修会があります。一日目はやっぱり疲れました！一年ぶりにあの優秀な教授たちの授業を生で受けて本当に光栄です。今晩は５人のクラスメートと夕飯を食べに行きました。ピザが食べたかったけどホテルの近くあるピザハットが閉めちゃったため、トンカツを食べに行った！美味しかった！僕が注文した定食はなんと、トンカツスープだった。初めて食べたけどなんとか美味かった！

House of Hope

Wednesday morning, Pastor Mike and Daniel and I went to the countryside, to a Christian place where the physically and mentally handicapped people. It's called House of Hope. Anyways, every week they go there and serve - doing whatever physical labor is asked of them. This week it was easy work - just picking ripe peppers off some branches. So we did that for the morning and then had lunch with the people. We cleaned the lunch hall and headed out. Normally I think they help in the afternoon as well, but because I needed a ride to the train station, we left early this time. It was a blessed time and reminded me again that Jesus came to serve the people - and to heal and give hope to the sick.


水曜日の朝、マイク牧師とダニエルと田舎の方に行って身体障害や精神障害を抱えている人たちのホームでお手伝いをしました。その場所の名前は「希望の家」だそうです。あそこで毎週、頼まれたことを朝から夕方までやってるらしいです。今回は私がテジョン駅まで行かなければならなかったため、午前だけに労働してお昼食べて掃除して帰りました。けど、その体験の中、イエス様が人々に仕えること、そして病人を癒して希望を与えるために来られたことを改めて覚えました。