10,030 words

Shyla teaching Nao about Jesus and His love

With Keiko

Odaiba tree

Odaiba beauty

Sophia Christmas party

With Chihiro

USC girls

Really cool choir people

I got an oven

Altos

love

I've been pretty busy, so I'm still planning on posting some video footage but haven't gotten to it yet.

Yesterday, I had the most amazing birthday I could have ever imagined. I was so loved! Suddenly on the train I realized something. Usually, I'm very, very, extremely happy on my birthday. I make a really big deal out of it. But this year, I didn't notice that. It's because I'm super happy everyday and am doing what I love to do.

Also, the precious gifts and spectacular ice cream party helped me to enjoy my birthday!

Tonight we somehow had 12 people in our apartment for dinner. We just moved most of my stuff into Shyla's room and used every single dish we own. It was madness but pretty miraculous.

a solid week

I really love having people over for dinner, and this week I got to twice. Last time, Yukiko and Naomi ordered Pizza Hut for us Americans, so this time I cooked Japanese. I didn't get to the miso soup, but I made yakitori (like chicken kabobs) and fish and served some tofu with ginger and crushed peanuts. There was also some salad with sesame dressing. It was a pretty big hit, thankfully, and I even enjoyed it too. We went to see the soft cream man afterwards.

Then, tonight, I made tacos for three students, a Japanese staff woman named Ayumi, and my roommate Shyla. Unfortunately, my camara didn't make it out for this one. It was cool though. The idea for this "takos" party started when I first met Aya. We somehow ended up talking about Mexican food and bonded immediately. Nao and Haruna also came and tried tacos for the first time. I'm still so excited, because Nao is the girl that lives two hours away but comes all the way to hang out. Tonight, I also realized that she is very interested in learning about the Bible. She comes to our English lunch at Sophia, so she asked me to teach her about the Bible next Friday.

I'm really thankful for these awesome times! It's been a rough week in some ways too though. Maybe I make way to big of a deal out of it, but my birthday is coming up. This week I got a package from my mom and my grandma and realized that I won't be spending my birthday with them. Usually I hang out with my family or really close friends, so this year will be somewhat different. I love it when it's my birthday. I really love it. It's just hard because I usally have a little more control in planning who I celebrate with and how.

I forgot to mention last week though, that I got to see a family from my church in Fallbrook! I hung out with them two Sundays ago, and it was so refreshing to spend time in Tokyo with them. They spoiled me too and just made me feel really alive and blessed!

The leaves are gorgeous right now.

Thanksgiving!

We had our big Thanksgiving outreach, and it was indiscribable! I'll post video when I get it from my friends.

This is a picture from one of my favorite campuses! Sophia Univeristy. From Left to right, Yuko is a super cool Christian girl and student leader of our lunch on campus. Kristen is my cute team leader that lives right below me. I don't know this guy's name, but he's also a Christian but doesn't speak English. Then me, and my fabulous roommate...she was the M.C. with Masaki, the guy below her, for the Thanksgiving party. And then there's Keiko, who is very interested in Jesus and comes to all of our events and loves them. She wants to learn more about all religions though, so she can discern which one is right.

I'm so excited, because I'm having a bunch of girls from Sophia over for tacos next Saturday (there is no Mexican food in Tokyo). When they email me, they say things like, "Christina, I am so happy for takos party!"

Today was so good! We watched the USC vs. UCLA game at 6:30 am. That was the third game I got to see, and I loved every second of it! My loving mother even sent me some USC tortilla chips that were cardinal and gold colored! Then I went to church at 11:00, and it's starting to feel a little more homey. I also met some little kids when I went on a walk this evening. The language barrier was funny, but I was really surprised by how much non-verbal communication worked. They were named Haruka, Chinatsu, and Koji and were 12, 10, and 12. They all play basketball. One girl lives in the same apartment building as some of my friends. I hung out with them for a while and they taught me a little Japanese. They were so amused when I got it! I miss my little brothers and sisters and cousins a lot, so it was super nice to meet them.

Tomorrow I'm going to Rikkio University to meet a student and watch them light the Christmas lights on the tree. Tokyo is pretty festive, and there's no shortage of Christmas decorations or Christmas music! Happy December!

coughing/churro

I apologize, because there are no pictures to show you right now. I have failed but will do better in the future!

So, I've been a little sick. It's kind of a bummer, because I feel like when you get sick in Tokyo, it really just takes it out of you. Good thing colds don't last forever! Today I felt much better even though I'm still coughing.

Japanese students are so cool. I got to go to another festival today at Todai, also known as Tokyo University. It was my privilege to enjoy the many talents of this fine university's students including, but certainly not limited to, various a cappella groups, pseudo-gangsta dancing performances, stunning floral arrangements, and traditional Japanese calligraphy and weaponry. Above all, I was thoroughly impressed with the circle that sold churros. These kids are so smart! Having a churro in Japan really enhanced my festival experience.

An Absolutely Beautiful Week

This week was great because:

1) I could see that the Bible really is God speaking to me.

2) When I shared with one student about Jesus and how God sent Him to die for us so that we can be forgiven for our sins and become part of God's family, she told me she was really glad she got to talk with me about this.

3) I hung out with a student that lived in San Diego for five years before.

4) Her and I have a scary amount of things in common and she's helping me with Japanese.

5) It was sunny and not incredibly cold for the majority of the days.

6) I sort of got to talk on Skype with a whole bunch of really cool USC people.

7) I had a fake tattoo that my family sent to me of a pink and black gecko for three days.

8) We celebrated the birthdays of two beyond cool people I work with.

9) I watched Fresh Prince and had quality time with Lisa. She speaks English, isn't a co-worker, and loves Jesus.

10) Two Japanese staff ordered Pizza Hut for Laura and me since we miss America.

11) God healed me even though doctors this summer had no idea what was wrong. Praise Him!

Some things were less fortunate, such as when two co-workers had to go home for funerals. But they'll be back next week. It also seemed unfortunate when the temperature dropped about 20 degrees yesterday. There's still way too much to be thankful for though. Hallelujah!

Well, my camara was out of service for a little while. Praise Jesus it's working again, but I haven't taken any pictures. My roommate got this one in my Halloween costume advertising at Todai though and this one at our party.

I'm a little busy, because we're getting ready for our Thanksgiving outreach now. My co-worker Jared and I are working on making the flyer this weekend, and we're definitely not Photoshop experts. Our other friend and co-worker Victor is a huge help, however. He's a blessing for sure, but we could still use your prayers!

So, quickly I'll mention a few eventful moments in the past week. We took a retreat to Hakone, which was a little touristy but beautiful. I really started to bond with some women from both the Japanese and American staff. I'm starting to feel closer to a lot of people and feel so blessed to love all my co-workers so much! Also, I got my first view of Mt. Fugi, which is quite a site.

Time on campus was pretty encouraging this week. Friday I met some girls that I really want to hang out with soon. On the train I was talking about how there don't seem to be any students interested in running, but at lunch I found one! We're planning on going early in the morning or late at night, because she doesn't want to get any sun. She's super cool.

I also had the grand privilege of watching the USC vs. Oregon St. game last week. I really love watching my trojans play! It was great to see Booty back, and I've always been a Chauncey fan. This week I had to go to church during the game, but that was great too. Fight on!

Halloween

Well, Halloween in Japan was definitely different. It was amazing though. I apologize, because I don't have any pictures, but once my friends send them to me, I'll post em. We had a big party and tons of students came, including some that I've gotten to know a little bit. Halloween's growing in Japan, so they were all excited, and for many it was their first Halloween party. There were tons of carnival games, with bobbing for apples and facepainting and stuff. Then we had a costume game and a slideshow of everyone. Also a big hit, was when my team leader Jonathan shared about his life and "the Masks we Wear." I think students related to his experience trying to mask his true self and pretending to be someone he's not. I was really touched by what he shared too. Many students expressed interest in learning more about Jesus Christ, the God Jonathan shared who accepts us and doesn't require us to wear any masks.

I also went to a festival at Sophia University yesterday. It was incredible to see how much talent and hard work went into it. I saw many dances, a show choir, beautiful flower arrangements, and tons of different foods. Being the baby I am, I had some chicken and later on a waffle. My friend Ayumi, who's on the Japanese Campus Crusade for Christ staff, was more adventerous. We had a good time though and met some super cool students. I was planning to go back today, but it's cooling off so quickly outside and I'm a little sick. I'm thankful for yesterday's experience though. The first picture is with Ayumi and Mai, a student we met last week in Masquerade, the show choir. She was very excited that we came to watch her perform.

I also thought it was cool when I saw these guys at Toyo putting little flower raft things in the river.

Please post your comments if you want to, or if you have any questions let me know or email me! Peace.

I love my life.

A few things that have contributed to my quality of life since coming to Japan:

Visiting Yokohama, the bakeries, the lake and park, the fact that side pony-tails are acceptable and even fashionable, and going to a baby shower and doing other fabulous things with the amazing people here!

Also having a positive effect on my life (not shown) are:

Samurai movies with happy endings, meeting students that like me because I smile, the taco seasoning I brought from home, Skype (my name on Skype is christina.eads), emails from loved ones, and the joy Jesus gives me everyday.

one month down

It's incredibly hard for me to believe, but I've been in Japan for one month. I love it here, but the reality of missing home hit me this week. Things are good, but I had an emotional past few days and relied on talking to my family more than I had so far. I've been a true girl, laughing and crying and experiencing extreme emotions of joy, sorrow, grief, thankfulness, excitement, worry, and hope. I have awesome support back at home and here in Tokyo, and above all God has been there for me! Life is good!

Tonight I walked over to the next city, Kichijoji, and strolled around through the night life. There are still plenty of streets for me to explore, but I'm starting to know my way around a little better. People are all over, shopping, eating, and just chilling. I checked out some running stores and found some shoes in my size. Luckily, I'm only a size 7-7 1/2, so I'm still in the Japanese range. I also went to the Nike store and got a new water bottle, which if you know me well, is an essential part of my life. I'll go back to Kichijoji for church tomorrow.

Two of the crazy cool people I'm with here go to Toyo University with me. We've had mixed experiences there, but a ton of girls came to our English lunch on Wednesday. I ended up with 10 email contacts by the end of the afternoon. Some speak English better than others, but we all had a good time. I was confronted by a girl named Erika too, who might help me learn Japanese. She introduced me to two of her friends, and they're all English majors. I'm really excited to spend time with them next week!

Peace.

meeting people

By my third week in Japan, I've been to six university campuses. I've met people on five of them and will be returning to three or four regularly. Also exciting has been my reunion with my freshman year roommate from USC, Yumi. We made brownies at my apartment, which didn't work so well in the fish broiler (next time we're making them at her house.) She lives less than 30 minutes away, which is crazy to me! We plan to hang out again tomorrow too, which makes me so happy...she's going to help me with Japanese too!

As for students, I've met the most at Sophia University, which is a Catholic school, but without many religious pupils. I don't know if you can see the cross in the picture, but it's on the top at the right. I'm planning to join a swimming circle at Sophia, and two students offered to take me to the pool! I met some other students as well at our first English lunch on Friday. I'll be bringing a copy of The Case for Christ to Keiko next week, because she has been unable to find a copy in Japanese (we're still looking too though.)

Our team also visited Nihon and Todai Universities on Wednesday. I will be going back to Todai with Kermit and one of the Japanese staff members, Yusuke. He was able to introduce us to a Christian student, Nobu, who is a freshman this year. Oh, and in that picture from Nihon, it was really funny...later on during our ride home on the train, Yusuke asked if Kermit liked Shyla since he put his arm around her. The answer was actually no, and Americans sometimes just do that with friends.

Naomi, who is also on the Japanese staff, also introduced me to a freshman, Aya, at Rikkyo University. This is another Catholic school, also known as St. Paul's. Again, there aren't many Catholic students. It was fun to talk to Aya for a while, and she's going to introduce me to her boyfriend from Osaka during Rikkyo's festival week at the beginning of November.

I've also been to Waseda and met a girl who used to live in San Diego at Toyo University. I hope to hang out with her again next week! I continue to love the Japanese people, my teammates, and everyone!

Getting settled

Well, I've been in Tokyo for two weeks now. Life is very good! I have been blessed with an amazing team and incredible Japanese people that are so welcoming I can't even believe it! Both of these pictures are of my team in Kichijoji, which is the number one prefecture in Japan to live in, voted on by the citizens. My roommate from freshman year, Yumi, told me that. She lives between Kichijoji and the prefecture I live in, Mitaka. There's plenty of shopping for all of my needs and this big, beautiful park to run in.

I've been to Waseda University once and Sophia University twice, but mostly I've just been adjusting. Very slowly my Japanese is improving. My roommate taught me how to write a little bit, and I've been practicing. I've also been reading and just finished a fantastic book called Waking the Dead, by John Eldredge. It used to be hard for me to read, but here I enjoyed it. My ability to journal has also been better. The food and bugs have been the greatest challenges, but I'm totally hanging in there. I guess I just love it here, even though I miss everyone back home too!