Day 4

Prayer Request: For God to strengthen and bless the joint efforts of TEAM, SEND, OMF, the Domei churches, JECA, and NDFK as they strive to support and encourage each other in Japan.

*I am not affiliated with the websites connected to the links in this post. I hope that all of the links will help provide extra context for the ministry in Japan, even though they are from a secular perspective. 🙂 Thanks for doing the extra homework! 😉

Today we met with the TEAM Ministry Area Leader (MAL) for Japan, and we learned more about how the TEAM leadership is growing and changing. The goal of TEAM is to establish reproducing Japanese churches in Japan and to work alongside existing Japanese churches and other mission organizations in the process. I was personally encouraged by TEAM-Japan’s focus on collaboration, and their willingness to change to serve the needs of new missionaries who are coming to Japan.

In the past (think post-WWII): missionaries came to Japan ready to preach, and TEAM would send them off to different areas by themselves to start churches. Now missionaries come, ready to be flexible and study, and Team directs them to appropriate seminaries before bringing them back to Japan for intensive culture and Japanese lessons before sending them out into ministry. Instead of sending out solo pastors, TEAM now coordinates church-planting teams who branch off of established churches within TEAM, or in coordination with partner organizations. TEAM also requires regular check-ins for  mental, physical and spiritual health, in order hopefully head off any issues that could end in ministry burnout.

Rett and I were very encouraged by our meeting with the TEAM-Japan “MAL”. It seems to us that the people in leadership, place the highest level of importance on the spread of the Gospel and the integrity of the Church in Japan, and they see their organizational model as a secondary tool that can be changed to best suit God’s leading. All the leaders and missionaries we have talked to have such a transparent desire to serve the Lord, and we are so blessed to learn from all of them.

Sake Barrels Outside Meiji-Jinju Shrine

After meeting with TEAM-Japan we enjoyed getting out to see Japan for the first time in the sun! Rett and I visited Yoyogi Park where Meiji-Jingu (jinja = shrine) is located, and enjoyed a nice walk in a forest, in the middle of one of the busiest areas of Tokyo! I think my favorite part of Japan is how well the Japanese incorporate the natural landscape into urban areas. It feels like there is always an escape from the business of the city a few blocks away.

Udon at Yoyogi Park

After getting lunch at the Yoyogi Park visitor center, and walking through the streets of Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, and Sendagaya to a park that was closed for the day,

Shinjuku Gyoen National Park (Closed)

we decided to see if we could go up in the Skytree now that the weather was nice. So, Rett and I journeyed over to the Skytree, just in time to be told that the line was so long, that we couldn’t get in the line until 6:30 pm (It was around 5:45 pm when we got there)… This gave us some time to pick up some plushies for our kids and some other things from the shops in the Skytree complex before getting in line.

Skytree Station and Surrounding Area

At 6:30 pm we finally got in the very long line and had the opportunity to thoroughly flesh out our financial plan for this trip, and appreciate the artwork on display near the line. At long last, we got to the front of the line, purchased our tickets, and road up the elevator to the 350-meter-high floor. In Tokyo, the sun starts to set around 5 pm this time of year, so we got to see a view of the entire city lit up in otherwise complete darkness. We could see the boats on the river lit up with colorful lanterns, the “Rainbow Bridge”, Tokyo Tower, the Odaiba Ferris Wheel, and most of the other landmarks that we could remember. I have heard that Mt. Fuji is visible during the day, but I am very thankful that we got to see a view of Tokyo at night. After coming down from the Skytree we stopped to buy breakfast (bean paste buns and orange juice) from a convenience store (konbini = Japanese for convenience store, think “con-ve-ni”-ence), and took a small nap on the train ride back to the TEAM center. I think we are finally starting to get past the Jet-lag feeling, and are settling into a new schedule.

Oyasuminasai!

(Good Night in Japanese)