We loved our last location, Yokohama! It felt very community and family oriented. The YWAM team partners with Hongodai Christ Church- where we stayed (dorm style/bunk beds). It had laundry units down the hall and multiple bathrooms (luxury!). It had a tiny kitchen, a warm prayer room, and a little meeting room. We had to coordinate using these shared spaces with a DTS outreach team from Costa Rica. Time and space was tight during meal times.
Beach ministry was special. We went to the beach every Friday (for three weeks) to build relationships, talk with, and encourage the locals who were at the beach. Yes, it was February and cold, but there was still some activity out there. People were surfing, playing basketball, volleyball, walking dogs, and just hanging out. While some teammates played sports, others drew pictures and encouragements to pass out. We would worship and greet dogs as they passed by to start talking with the owners. Who knew dogs would be so effective for evangelism. I drew a picture of Mt. Fiji and gave it to an older couple and I loved seeing their faces change as they received a tiny gift. Another reminder of how easy it is to make someone’s day- acknowledge them and give them a little attention! We all want that. A teammate created a sweet relationship with a cafe worker and over the few weeks, we got to continually pour into that worker. She even joined us for a game after her shift one day! This ministry was about organic moments to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us.
Thursday sport ministry days at the park were also about organic moments with the Holy Spirit. This park felt like my hometown with families and youth playing everywhere. Lots of running around playing games in the field, some basketball games with broken glasses, and conversations at the skate park filled our time here. If you stood at our “meeting place” at the park, you could see our missionaries making friends in every direction. Isn’t that what we should see? Christians loving people all around us.
We had a really special ministry day teaming with SOMEA – School of Missions, Evangelism and Apologetics. They are a team from our base in Tijuana. How special to see friends in Japan and do ministry with them. We did free hugs and free photos that day. The last time I had done ministry with them was in Tijuana when I was still uncomfortable with evangelism. I started with free hugs and had a blast hugging with them. I got a lot of hugs that day (I think I must have been wearing clothes that seemed really calm and inviting). Most people hug and move on. One lady hugged, moved on, but came back. I did not talk with her in our initial hug- I just gave her a hug. She came back to give me a bracelet. SO SWEET. Then we talked on Google translate and I shared why we were here. She let me pray for her about about specific things in her life – which isn’t the most common thing in Japan. Usually people say no to prayer or I give them ideas on what I can pray for. She was so sweet. Another lady let me pray for her that day and gave a specific prayer request. I was encouraged by both of these encounters because it means people ARE open to Jesus and prayer in Japan. They just need opportunities to encounter Jesus and that is why we were there.
Some afternoons were spent at nearby parks or train stations. On a free day, Breanne and I went to a coffee shop to catch up on reading and we drew a picture for two young girls sitting in front of us. After giving them the gift, we went back to our seats and they kept looking at us. Before they left, they came to us and gave us a little drawing. It is a ripple effect when we love people.
Each Sunday, I was doing something different at church. The first week, I sat in on the church service. We had earpieces with someone translating for us. We were so surprised to see how well established this church was with quite a large congregation. Yay for Japan! The next Sunday, our team went to kids church called “Joy Joy Chapel.” They run the kids church down the hill at their gym. This was one of the most organized kids ministries that I have ever seen with so many adults and youth engaged and involved! Different people on our team led games, a story, and an activity. I became friends with a little girl from Texas. Her family had just moved to join YWAM Yokohama so I was happy to be her friend and make her comfortable on her first day at kids church. Every time we saw each other at meetings or activities, she was quick to come find me. Later, I learned that she had an aunt Natalie (who had passed away, so the name was important to her). I got to be her “aunt Natalie” for a little bit and help with the transition.
On Chinese New Year, we got to do ministry in China Town! We did free hugs and free photos with the Costa Rica DTS team. It was a very distracting day of ministry because of all the festivities going on and the dancing dragons (that I loved), but we worked really hard to be intentional. I was recovering from a bad cough, so I joined the photos team because I didn’t want to hug people and cough on them. (yes, good choice, thank you) We went to the temples and tried to catch people on their way in or out to take pictures and make people feel good. We love the question “why are you doing this?” because it is an easy slide into saying Jesus loves you.
On Saturday, we joined the kids ministry team at the park. The kids director/pastor goes to a park and plays with the families there to invite them to church. He shared that one girl that was playing basketball with our team has not been to church in many months. I thought I would draw her a little picture with an encouraging note. I drew the picture and went to the pastor to have him translate the note for her. In the middle of his translating, he stopped and did not continue. Awkward. Super awkward. The girl took the picture and left and so did the the pastor. Awkward. Whatever I wrote might have been too bold? But I would have written that for anyone. The next day, I was going to share a quick 5 minute testimony at the kids church. I shared about God caring about what we have to say and that he wants us to come and talk to him. At the end of the program, the pastor comes up to me with…THE GIRL I MADE THE NOTE/PICTURE FOR. He shared that she understood the note and that she wanted me to pray for her. Yay! She came, even after my super awkward and uncomfortable encounter. After months of her not going to church, she comes the day after I gave her a note and on the day I share my testimony. All I have to say is “embrace the awkward.” I don’t want to forget this story. She matters. God wants to meet with her. He used me, someone who lives across the world, to remind her of that.
With three days left before going back to Mexico, we had a surprise trip to Disneyland by a generous, secret donor. And it was awesome. We waited 2+ hours in a few lines, ran around the park and laughed a lot.
The plane ride back to Mexico was only 9 hours and it was pretty easy! I slept. We had three days to recover from our jet lag as the other teams arrived and, oh boy, was I so excited to see my friends from the other teams!! We had a long, long, long week of debrief. There was chaos in packing up EVERYTHING. It was probably one of the saddest weeks of my life saying goodbye to friends that feel like family while also looking forward to coming home to see my family and friends.
I was welcomed home with lots of love and sweet embraces! Everyone is so kind. Thank you for being patient with me as I am transitioning home. It is a bit of a struggle, but I am giving myself grace and time to get back into the swing of things. Give me some time por favor.
Looking back on the whole DTS experience, I just feel a lot of love. I learned and experienced so, so much that I can’t write it all down. I fell more in love with our real, good, gentle, kind, and forgiving God. I am growing in my passion for the Bible. My quiet times with the Lord and the Bible are my absolute favorite. I learned how forgiving the little, tiniest things can bring so much freedom. I am learning that there is nothing better than being loved by God and that Jesus is an “older brother” bringing me to the presence of God. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are for us. Now. Everyday. God is the same in Mexico, Japan, and Lynden and I have full access to God at all times. How cool.
What’s next? Yeah, great question. I had a goal of not thinking too much about life after February 14, so that I could let God do whatever he wanted to during those five months. Now that we are past February 14, I just want to live with and for God. As I am transitioning back home, that means resting, sitting with the Lord a lot, and starting to get back into substitute teaching and ministry.
I will be going back to this YWAM base in July with NCCTK youth group. I cannot wait to go back and serve with students and see some of my YWAM family. Having this trip planned made it a lot easier to leave so I could say “see you later” to some people!
All I know is that the “one thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
