Agendas

Everybody has an agenda. That's what dad says to me. It's an interesting thought. What is my agenda? Why am I writing this? What is your agenda.. why are you reading it? Why do you do the things you do? I wish I could see everyone's agendas. That would make life so easy.



But I can't so I just wonder. And I think about it often. What really makes the people I know tick?



I want to conform my own agendas to the only worthwhile one. That of God's. I want to see things as they really are. I want to be caught up with his good news so much that I can't help but tell it.

Alana has a blog!

Check it out. How long will it last.....?!



Back from Japan

When I have a bit of time I will give you a more full like report. Until then, you'll have to wait it out.



Agendas

I wanna have a bit of a reflection on these at a later date.

Of Japan

It is seriously hard to get at the computer here. Sorry.



Last night Kensuke (the youth pastor here) Rosa, Lou, and one of the Japanese guys from Chiba (near Tokyo) and myself had a bit of a jam session in the church. It was pretty cool. Kensuke is an awesome pianist. We played many of the old favourites, like `Shepherd of my soul, `Saviour like a shepherd lead us`, etc etc. Rosa taught some of us a Samoan slap dance. It was the jams! Although Lou being the hard out she is ended up with bruises all over her hands. Hahaha....lemons.



On Friday we travelled up to a fishing village on the coast which looked out to Hokkido. Freezing weather, snow right up to the water. On the way back we had a massive as snow fight. We were in the front van and we asked Martin to stop the van so we could have a snow fight. Lou, Rosa, Geraldine, Madeline and myself were in the van, and we decided to work as a team and punish the other guys. Martin stopped our van on the side of the road, and went and told the other vans who stopped behind us some cock and bull story about the van overheating. Meawhile we had all got out of the van and were secretly stockpiling and manufacturing snowballs at the front of the van. Janet came at us with a lone snowball, and beat a hasty retreat after being pummeled with copious quantities of snowballs. Others faced a similar fate. Anna looked much the worse for wear after her brief encounter with our `blitzkrieg`, as did Jesse. It was with a great sense of satisfaction that our team regrouped in the van.



God bless ya`ll and have an awesome Christmas.

Scotty

Crotchety

I am a little crotchety today. Things are starting to get to me. Partially because I was kept awake late last night. It`s taking a big effort for me to be pleasant to everyone! But I will be pleasant to you my long suffering readers.



Rest Home

We sung at a rest home today. It was sad. Here before us were people standing on the edge of the precipice `Christless eternity`, and they didn`t know it. If this doesn`t make you sad,what will?

Raaa

This computer has a thing for Japanese characters. The Japanese below should read `avoid`.



Pleasantaries

It is very nice weather over here. The snow has almost all melted now. Aomori is quite a nice (see post on nice) place. It is built on a large plain surrounded by about 270 degrees of hills/snowy mountains. The harbour and sea surrounds the rest of this large plain. It would be even nicer if it houses and man made structures didn`t fill up the whole valley. Oh well.



Missing Home

I am really missing the wide open spaces of home. One of the first things I plan when I arrive home is a hike in the bush. There is nothing like that here seemingly. Even the `country` is pretty built up. What was scary were the train rides up from Tokyo. Looking out the window, so much of the country was built upon. I need some space, and the beauty of God`s creation.



Oh yeah.... I miss you guys too!

Hello!

Gidday peoples. Finally I get a chance to use the computer.It is in reasonably high demand, when it is actually working. A few important things have happened since I last posted. Yay for the Americans! They finally caught that evil wretch Saddam. Good job. All of Iraq celebrates! Well all except Saddam`s home town.



In Japan news, things are ticking along nicely. We are now in Aomori. Things are starting to get quite busy, and some of us (including yours truly) have a had a bit of sickness. Nothing that a bit of sleep and overdosing on Vitamin C can`t cure. There was quite a bit snow on the ground when we first came up here but the weather has been real warm, and most of the snow has melted.



The team is getting on reasonably well, with only a few injuries from fights.



Quote of the Week

`I will show her who is the man around here`

from film Bad Attitudes

（ａｖｏｉｄ）

Sendai

Well we're off to Sendai today. We have a concert there tonight, and then we are cruising up to Aomori. Apparently it is a bit chilly there, and there has been snow recently.



We went to Disneyland on Monday. I must say it was a pretty good experience, and it was amazing just seeing the lengths the designers had gone to to make you suspend disbelief and feel as if you are in another world. On the down-side, the wait-times for the rides were prohibitive. Most rides took over an hour of queing, which was frustrating. However we sang songs to pass the time, which seemed to amuse the people around us.



The night parade was especially spectacular. Lights and sound and (you get the idea...), but all in all, if you want good rides and fun go to Rainbows End! Haha.



C.I.A

It's great to have a little break from C.I.A, but I am really rearing to get back into it. I have some ideas which I am enthusiastic to implement. Breaks always do that to me, althought generally I don't complete half of what I want to when I get back, because of...procrastination.

Saturday

Interesting incidents:-



1) We met a man biking down the road shaving. As he past us he did the Japanese 'bob/bow thing. You had to be there but it was terribly funny.



2) The 1st concert went very well. I think we really exceeded our (realistic) expectations, which was really nice. We talked with some really cool folk, and one couple are coming down to NZ next year. Another guy I was talking to gave me a couple of Japanese cd's which was pretty cool.



Sunday

Church was really different. It was quite formal, and had sort of a more ritualistic feel. For example there was lighting of candles at the beginning of the service and snuffing them out at the end. Also there are nice stained glass windows, and the building has a real 'church' look.



Peter preached and was translated as he went. So that was a new experience. It breaks the sermon up into bite size sentences. Sometimes the Japanese is much longer than the English, which does make you wonder what extra apologies/corrections/explanations/"what he really meant was' etc are going on.



We went into "Electric City" today. Wall to wall people, and so many good goodies to buy, but unfortunately it was Sunday, so I had to restrain myself. We talked to a couple of people. One was an older man who was trying to learn English, but found us hard to understand because he was learning in an American accent. Another was one of the girls handing out tissues. For those of you who haven't heard of this, there are people over here who are paid to hand out little packets of tissues. Some of our team members kept coming back, and some had 8 or 12 little tissue packets. Also we went into this lift which said it could hold 9 people, but we had it beeping with 6 of us on board. Fatties.



Please remember "if it's supposed to be possessive it's just i-t-s, but if it's gunna be a contraction it's i-t-apostrophe-s." ..........."scalliwag"

Japan

Blogging to you from Ichikawa. Te flight over here was long, but not too tedious. First impressions of this country are all positive, although as Jesse rightly puts it, it is a bit of a sensory overload. It's funny seeing advertising with Japanese people in the pictures. Also of note is the nature of the Japanese people we have seen so far. Amazingly polite describes them. It's quite unlike walking around in New Zealand. One guy in a suit carried my sister's suitcase down a flight of stairs, and another carried Madeline's.



Also the streets are really different. They are sort of a cross between a street and a footpath. Really funny.



The food so far has been super great. We had these sort of bun things, with custardy cream in them. Oiiiiiii! Jesse and I are sharing a room. We have matresses on the floor. Really comfortable, and the duvets are reeeeeally warm.



OOOO! I forgot. The trains. At each station, there is this cheesy music kinda like "do do do dee dee da" (if ya know what I mean), and then this voice in Japanese and then a real cheesy american accent telling you what the next stop is, and to get on the train before the doors close. The trains arrive on time (!) and are clean fast, and comfortable. Gotta say I like the nice backside heaters that the seats have. A nice touch.



Over and Out!

Life Changing Events

Is there such a thing as a life changing event? I can think of one, although when it comes to others, my mind goes blank. Is any single event (apart from the one) something which is enough to completely change a life? Is not the changing of a life, one small but determined step at a time. Never go to something expecting to be changed by it. Go to something, and then change yourself because of it. We are the product of our decisions (to a point), and each little decision we make, creates the person we are. So I would probably say there are few real life changing events. A changed life is more about sweat and determination rather than a single event.



One Man

Can one man make a difference? I was discussing this with a friend some time back on a bush walk. (Incidentally bush walks are very good for conversation.) Are we in a world in which it is increasingly more difficult for one man to make a difference? In past times, we had our Napoleon's, our Washington's etc. Is it harder today to make a significant difference in the world? I don't know the answer, but I feel swamped, and powerless to make any difference in this world, except in the small sphere God has placed me in. Hopefully there I can be of use, and maybe if all of us Christians do the same, some headway may be gained.