The Journal is done!

The really long journal of everything I did in Japan has now been typed up, edited, and posted! A much shorter post with a summary of what was most important to me and what you can take away is coming soon...

Update: New Info, ECD Fundraiser!

Short Version:

1. I just got a whole bunch of new information about my trip! Highlights: Itinerary, team members, final cost, and support level update!
2. I'm hosting an English Country dance as a fundraiser! See below for the invite with all the details...


Long Version:

It's June 12, which means only 48 days until I am actually in Japan! AHH! IT'S SO CLOSE!!

...whew. Ok, I'm good.

In other news, I recently received an email from our team leader (Randy Gilmore), with some more specific information about the trip! First of all, I now know our official itinerary! And with the magic of copy and paste, here it is:

	Where Staying
7/30 - Tuesday	Narita - Crowne Plaza	Stay up until 9 p.m.
7/31 - Wednesday	Ken Katsu Center	Adjustment Day - Visit Narita, go to Ken Katsu
8/1 - Thursday	Ken Katsu Center	VBS and other ministry with Bethel Baptist Church, Iwatsuki, where Joe and Noney Mita serve. The theme is Hawaiian, so if you can find a Hawaiian shirt to wear, please bring it.
8/2 - Friday	Ken Katsu Center
8/3 - Saturday	Ken Katsu Center
8/4 - Sunday	SYME Karuizawa	Bethel Baptist Church SS and Morning Worship. Later in the afternoon we will travel to Karuizawa by bullet train
8/5 - Monday	SYME Karuizawa	VBS-type ministry with Saku Baptist Church, where the Dan and Sharon Roberts serve. We also may do tract distribution
8/6 - Tuesday	SYME Karuizawa
8/7 - Wednesday	NOTE early morning departure from Haneda Airport	Early departure for Tokyo and a sightseeing day at the Tokyo Sky Tree
8/8 - Thursday	Depart Haneda 1:30 a.m.
Please note: There are two groups of three keys to success for mission teams. The first group of three is (1) be flexible; (2) be flexible; and (3) be flexible. All of us like to plan things out to the nth degree, but we must remain flexible on trips such as these, realizing that things may not always go the way we expect. The second group of three is (1) be a servant; (2) be a servant; and (3) be a servant. We will be there to serve the Lord, to serve the Mitas and the Roberts, to serve their churches, to serve lost people, and to serve one another. We all will be tired, but if we can maintain the heart of a servant, the Lord will bless.

So there you have it! It looks like we'll be busy, and having an awful lot of fun! =) In other news, I also now have an official list of all of the members of our team:

Group #1 - Arrival uncertain

Andrew Gonnerman

Janae Gonnerman

Group #2 - Arriving JULY 2, 2013 at Narita Airport in Tokyo TERMINAL 1

Rachel Smith - @ 4:45 p.m.

Emily Davis - @ 5:35 p.m.

Group #3 - Arriving JULY 30, 2013 at Narita Airport in Tokyo TERMINAL 1 @ 4:25

Randal Gilmore

Dale Gilmore

Elliott Gilmore

Adam Breiner

Mark Lounsbrough

Becki Lounsbrough

Daniel Lounsbrough

Christian Cook

Alex Powell

Morgan Powell

Kristen Miyamoto

(I made all the names of those going from FBBC bold, for your convenience. =)

And, on top of all of that, I now have a final number for the cost of the trip: $2,850, just under the 3k mark. As of right now, I have raised $1,369, and earned close to $1,000, bringing me to a total of about $2,369 dollars! That's only $500 from my goal, people! Praise the Lord! =)

As I continue to raise support, I am hosting an English country dance at my church! Here's a copy of the invite (if you didn't get it on Facebook):

Hello everyone! As many of you know, I'm going on a mission trip to Japan this summer, and I'm super excited about it! If you'd like more information about the trip, check out my blog at abridgetojapan.blogspot.com! =) In order to help raise funds for my trip, I will be hosting an English Country Dance, and accepting donations! The dance will take place at Grace Bible Fellowship Church (2331 Milrany Lane, Melissa, TX 75454), on Friday, July 12, from 6:30 to 10:00 pm. There will be some refreshments provided. Dress is semi-formal. Wear comfortable shoes! If you have any questions, feel free to message, text, call, email, or tap me on the shoulder! =) Christian 214-213-9312 christianlikeswhite@gmail.com

(If you're not familiar with English country dance, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnQNMi3skus)

And I think that's everything... Thank you SO MUCH for reading, and please keep Japan in your prayers!

Christian

I'm Building A Bridge!

The short version of this post:

1. I’m going on a mission trip to Japan this summer (approx. dates: July 29 through Aug. 8), and I’m extremely excited about it!

2. The purpose of this blog is to explain why I’m going (hint: it has to do with a bridge), and how I want you to be a part of it! Follow this blog to get updates!

And now, the long version:

Hello everyone! =D

I’ve decided to do this Q&A style, so here we go!

Q: When/Where/How/With whom are you going? I want details!

A: Plans are not set in stone yet, but it right now the trip will last approximately 10 days, from July 29^th until August 7^th. I will be going with a group of about ten people (six are from Faith Baptist Bible College), led by Randy Gilmore with Nippon Initiative (go to their super-cool website at: nipponnow.org). Some potential churches and ministries I will be involved in are: an English camp an hour west of Tokyo, and Baptist churches in Karuizawa, Nagano; Sapporo, Hokkaido; and Iwatsuki, Saitama. The trip will cost me about $3,000.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish in Japan? Why are you going?

A: I hope that I can be a help and an encouragement to the churches and ministries in Japan that we will visit. I also hope to be a witness for God in conversations with the many Japanese people we will meet on the trains, in the city, etc., as many Japanese people speak a fair amount of English. But more than that, I want to build a bridge between the body of Christ here with the body of Christ there. I want to bring back stories, and names, and specific prayer requests from the mission field in Japan, so that everyone back in the US can keep the Japanese people and the missionaries there in their hearts in a more real way. I believe that God has given me a special love for Japan, and I want to instill a little bit of that love in others here in the US.

Q: So why Japan?

A: I have loved Japan for a long, long time. =) I have been interested in Japanese culture and language for a long time, but God began to develop my heart for Japan in a bigger way about two years ago, when the earthquakes and tsunamis struck. I wanted to help with disaster relief so badly! That was also when I learned that only about 1 in 125 people in Japan call themselves Christians; that’s less than 1%. Shortly after that, when I first came to Faith Baptist Bible College, I heard some testimonies from a group that gone on a trip to Japan the summer before. Even though I had never had a strong interest in missions, I decided right then and there that I would go.

Q: Do you need financial support?

A: Yes! Go to the support page on this blog to find out how you can support me. =)

Q: What else can I do?

A: First of all, you can PRAY! I have witnessed the power of prayer throughout my life, and I’m sure you have too. Some things you can pray for are:

            - The salvation of the Japanese people.

            - Encouragement for the churches and missionaries there.
            - A smooth, successful trip, financial support, and a proper heart and attitude for everyone on our team.

Second, you can SUBSCRIBE to this blog! =) I will have a “short version” and a “long version” of each post, so that you can stay connected without taking up too much of your time. =)

Well, that’s it for the first post! Thanks for reading. =)

Christian