Uncharted Territory

Uncharted territory. That’s what all of this feels like for me. The uncertainty of the situation in Japan certainly resembles the way I felt after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Not that this is really anything close to the magnitude of that event, but this uncertainty and the unknown of what is coming next sure brings back memories.

A few weeks ago the Japanese health minister asked several things of Japan. He asked all companies to allow their employees to telecommute and work from home as much as possible, or to shorten and stagger their working hours. Now this isn’t a mandate, and each company is deciding for themselves what they will and won’t do. CBI is doing their best to allow staff to work from home whenever and as much as possible. We’ve heard in the news how several large companies have complied in Tokyo.

He also requested that people avoid unnecessary and non-essential gatherings. We’ve slowly seen event after event be canceled. Baby English, my bible study at church that I’m a part of, and my weekly Japanese class have all been canceled for the next month. My normally jam packed schedule now has very little on it, and I’m seeing a whole lot of the white walls in my apartment. Which makes me super thankful for the internet, Netflix and You Tube (Eddie’s current obsession is Blippi). I’ve also been talking with my family more often than I have in years, which I would say is a good thing.

We are to avoid crowds as much as possible, which gets interesting when you live in a city with a population density of 7,108 people per square kilometer. For us, we’re trying to avoid the mall and other crowded places and just go to the grocery store. I normally order the bulk of my groceries online once a week, and just pick up a few things during the week at the local store. My online grocery service wait jumped from what is normally two days, to a five day wait. We’re also trying to avoid public transportation, particularly with the kids. Since we don’t have a car, we’re trying to ride our bikes wherever we go and Will takes his motorcycle to and from work.

The last request was to stay home if we have a fever or any cold symptoms what-so-ever. And if you know what it’s like to have a two year old in winter, you know that I’m more or less not going just about anywhere. Eddie’s had a runny nose for the last week, and so we’ve just been chilling at home since I’m not supposed to take him out. I’m also suffering from allergies which aren’t helping the situation.

Last night it was announced that the public kindergarten, elementary, middle and high schools will close across the country through the end of March. Day-cares will stay open to allow parents to continue working. Thankfully we’re almost to the end of the Japanese school year (March 24th was the kids’ last day). The new school year is supposed to start April 7th. We’ll see what unfolds in the next month and if schools start up as they’re supposed to.

Over every break, we get a packet of homework for Nora to do. The summer packet was jammed packed, and I suspect we’ll be getting similar packets to try and keep us busy learning while we’re on this unexpected break. I feel bad for all the extra work this is making for the teachers. I hope that we don’t get anything more than worksheets, because I’m not confident that I will do a good job teaching Nora in Japanese.

I think Japan is doing a relatively good job in trying to handle the situation. All of these things are precautions in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus. Japan has a large number of elderly people, so I think it’s wise. We ourselves are not terribly worried about the virus since we’re in such a low risk group. The likelihood of it turning into pneumonia for us is quite low and we would likely just end up like the 80% who get mild colds. But there are a lot of people around us that it could affect greatly, like our elderly neighbors across the hallway, or my midwife friend who has lung disease, or several of our team members who have underlying medical conditions. So we’re doing our best to heed the government’s requests for the good of everyone. Some of our team members may choose to return to the US for a brief time to ride this out. We have no intentions of going anywhere.

The uncertainty aspect really comes in not knowing where this will go from here. Will our city go under quarantine? (We’ve started stocking up in case) There are 27 confirmed cases in our prefecture and 200 across the country (If you don’t count the cases on the cruise ship). Will companies shut down? What is the economic effect from this for Japan, and really the world as a whole? Will people panic and raid the shelves at the grocery store?

Yesterday I was feeling unsure and anxious about what might come next, and a little song I learned as a child popped in my head, “He’s got the whole world in his hands”, I’ve been singing that to myself when I start to feel unsure or anxious. But it’s true. God’s got this. He’s always had this. We are in his hands and there’s no other place I’d rather be. I’m excited to see the ways God can use us through this to show his love to everyone around us. Some of the closest relationships I have made have been in times like these.

Lord, your kingdom come, your will be done.

Trust in the Lord

It was 2008 when Jo and I first began making plans on how we would come to Japan. There were a lot of things that were uncertain. Where would we go? Who would we work with? What exactly would we do? How would we learn the language? And not least among those concerns was, how would we pay for it?

As many of you know, when we first came to Japan, we weren’t supported missionaries. The idea of raising financial support for our ministry was extremely intimidating and we weren’t sure at all if we would be a good fit for ministry in Japan. Because of that, we decided to not come as supported missionaries but to get jobs and support ourselves.

God answered our prayers much swifter than we expected, and we found wonderful jobs teaching at Meysen Academy. Over the years we have seen people struggle as they have come to Japan and we feel truly blessed to have been with an organization that made the process as easy as it was. Thinking back on our journey, I wouldn’t wish to change a thing.

Fast forward to January 2015. We were getting onto an airplane and heading back to the US. We had spent time working as English teachers and volunteering at a local church, we had then moved to language school and increased the amount of time we were volunteering with another ministry, after that I joined the staff of the church in a part-time capacity, and then we had finally decided we needed to be in full-time vocational ministry. This was the moment that we had feared, but in the intervening years God had shown me the need for vocational ministry and the need for us to raise support.

From January 2015 until January 2016 we traveled the Midwest sharing about the ministry we would be a part of and raising financial support. It was a humbling, exciting, and faith affirming journey. I had no idea how I would raise the money we needed but God was faithful, and he provided what we needed. He never let us down.

In the intervening years our support has waned and waxed and there have been times where we had a surplus and times where we have had a deficit. I must admit that I haven’t always handled those times of stress as well as I could have but when I think back on those times, I see that God always provided for us and he has never failed.

More than just provided, he has been exceedingly generous with us. Over the last 11 years of living in Japan, God has provided for all our needs. We have learned to trust in his provision and guidance. It hasn’t always been easy but when we look back on it, we see the goodness of God in it all.

As I am sure most of you know, Japan is now struggling with an outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Japan is a densely populated urban environment where many people use crowded public transit for all their transportation. We ourselves don’t have a car and use either bicycles or public transit for most of our needs. I have a scooter, but that isn’t very useful when we need to get the whole family somewhere. Needless to say, Japan is a place where this particular virus could spread quickly.

As all of this has been developing, I have been working through my own emotions about it. There is a lot of fear in the media and I feel like in many situations that only makes our own emotions that much stronger. I was considering whether or not to lay out the facts of the outbreak here in Japan in a post like this or not, but to be honest I really don’t want to.

Jo and I feel as safe as we can be here and we have no intention of leaving Japan. We trust in God’s guidance and provision in all of this and feel as though this is not something that need halt our ministry here.

In all of this God has put a sense of peace on my heart. Philippians 4 springs to mind,

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

All of this is true for me. I am joyful for the love and support we have gotten from all of you over the years. The prayers and love from everyone has been a fuel for us as we have worked here in Japan. There have been times in our work where we have been in abundance and times where life has been lean, but in all of that God has provided and we have learned to trust in him and his good provision.

There is so much uncertainty right now but we have peace in knowing that the God who created the heavens and the earth provides for us and strengthens us. We have learned to be content in all things and trust in the strength of the Lord. Psalm 36 puts it like this:

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light do we see light.

Our refuge is in the Lord and we are at peace in it. Pray for us in all of this. Pray that the Lord would guide us and protect us. Pray that we would continue to trust in his goodness and provision for all things. And more than just for us, pray for the church in Japan. That in this time of uncertainty that the church would be a source of encouragement and strength. Please pray that we, the church, would make God’s glory known in all that we do.

Look out! We're coming!

Jo and I have been guilty of neglecting our blog for quite some time but I thought I would try and bring some content back here. In case you missed it this is the last newsletter Jo sent out regarding our trip to the US. 

     Greetings from Japan. We've bought our tickets are are getting everything together to head to Japan in one week! Eeek! We're really starting to get excited about seeing so many of you. 

Here is our tentative schedule: 
July 29th: Leave Nagoya and arrive in Chicago and head to Beloit, WI (unofficially known to our family as the longest day ever. We will "arrive" 40 minutes before we "left". Time travel, ha!)
August 1st: August 10th:  Upsala, MN
August 11th:16th: Larchwood, IA and Souix Falls, SD
August 17th: 22nd: Twin Cities, MN
August 23rd: August 31st: Upsala, MN
September 1st: 2nd: Callao, MO
September 3rd: 6th: Kansas City, MO
September 7th: 10th: Moberly, MO
September 11th:14th: Lebanon and Cape Girardeau, MO
September 14th:15th: Saint Louis, MO
September 15th: October 17th: Hallsville, MO
September 18th: October 15th: Beloit, WI
October 16th-17th:Travel back to Japan

     We would LOVE to see as many of you as possible!  As you can see, its going to be pretty crazy. My (Jo) brain's band with is pretty low right now. Please, please reach out to us if you would like to hang out. Messaging me on Facebook or simply replying to this e-mail would be ideal. If I don't respond in a few days, please do not hesitate to message me again (and again and again). Hope to see you soon! 
     Also, please give our kids extra grace in this period of travel. The constant traveling and sleeping in a multitude of different places can make for little sleep and extra grumpy kids and tantrums galore.

Please pray for us! Pray for:

- Patience with each other and especially with the kids on the flight
- That the kids would actually sleep, and sleep well, on the flight (their track record thus far isn't great)
- For all of the preparations and packing and planning and organizing and on and on. 
- For peace and to not get stressed out in this whole process  
- For as much rest as possible during our travels in the states

We love you all! Can't wait to see you and tell you about all of the awesome things God is doing in Japan. 

Heart of the City

A few weeks ago Jo and I had the privilege of hosting a visiting team from Heart of the City, a church in Anchorage, Alaska. While it was a bit awkward to be on camera for days and days it was a wonderful opportunity to share about the need for the Gospel in Japan. 

Hosting short term mission trips can be exhausting. We've had a couple come this year and while they've been drastically different from one another, I end up with the same exhaustion at the end of the experience. There is a lot to be said about short term missions in Japan and I think I'll be posting something about it soon. But suffice it to say, despite how exhausting it may be, this is a part of what we pray for. 

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.””

— Matthew 9:35-38

This Story Belongs to All of US

The other day I overheard a conversation in the coffee shop and then a few hours later I heard another very similar conversation in the grocery store; they were talking about the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It took me a moment to realize what day it was and that the anniversary of that disaster was almost here.

For those of us that were living in Japan at that time, it was a formative experience. I mean that in all the nuance of the word. I think in some fashion or another we were all formed, changed, by that day. My family noticed it first when Jo and I came back to the US afterwards. My mom said we looked like two scared cats. At every shake in the house or loud noise we both looked up, around the room, and to the exits. Our nervousness may have faded, but admittedly before I decided on the apartment we are in now I checked the distance to the ocean, the shape of the coastline, and the elevation first.

Now for what will seem like a sharp change in subject: I love stories. I think one of the most effective forms of communication is narrative. I could tell you that I felt nervous on my first date with Jo and you might understand it but it would be in your context for the word. But if I told you the ups and downs of that night you would understand it in my context.

When I have the opportunity to preach I always try to tell a story. Sometimes that’s easier than other times. The last time I spoke at Mustard Seed I preached on Isaiah 9:6, but not the whole verse, just two small words. It was enough for a sermon though. The names of Jesus: everlasting father. You might have been hard pressed to find the narrative in that sermon but as I spoke you went with me on the journey that I went on as I read the passage then researched and prayed over it, and hopefully you ended up in the same place as me with a similar understanding of the verse.

I love to read stories too. I have been diving into a couple works of fiction lately and I love a story with exciting world building. There is a sadness that is hard to describe when you finish a series and must leave the rich world the author has built. There are times I wish an author would just keep writing but that doesn’t always end well; I’m looking at you Dune.

I love to tell stories. I love to share an experience or a realization with those around me. There are tiny moments in my life where I am just full of wonder at the world around me. When I tell a story, I am often trying to share that small moment of wonder. I want you to see what I saw and feel what I felt. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I’ll keep trying.

Sometimes though a story doesn’t have a happy ending, or the journey that you go on isn’t a pleasant one. We tell these stories for a lot of reasons, and hardly are they ever the same. There are times that we tell them to warn people. Other times we tell them so that people will understand our own hurt. I have more than once told my own sad stories to break the hearts of those listening; to bring you to the same realization of need that I am living in.

When we tell a story, we share something intensely personal.  When I tell the story of my first date with my wife I always tell it the same way, with a moment of suspense that leaves people waiting. It’s fun, and that story belongs to Jo and me (and that cop I suppose) and no one else. We were the only ones there and it’s something we choose to share. And we can choose how we share it and with what tone. But what happens when a story, an important story, is both intensely personal but incredibly shared?

Millions of people were affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, hundreds of thousands lost these homes, tens of thousands died. It was a disaster shared to some extent or another by everyone in this country and it changed us all on an extremely personal level. But when I tell that story only part of it belongs to me. Much of it belongs to all of us who were affected on that tragic day.

We all share different parts of the same story. What you saw and felt wasn’t the same as what I saw and felt. What happened in the weeks and months that followed may share some of the same themes as what I experienced but it isn’t the same. When we tell these stories, we tell them from our own limited perspective. When we hear these stories, we hear them from our own perspectives as well.

I often find that I have to stop myself when I hear someone else telling their story of those days. I want to interject my point of view, I want to push my story into theirs. But that isn’t right. They aren’t telling my story, and what they felt and experienced doesn’t belong to me even though we share so much of it. I need to remind myself that while this story belongs to me, and it has shaped who I am today, it belongs to them as well.

I want to leave you with a thought: As you go about the coming days and you share your story I want you to remember that this story belongs to all of us. The people listening to your story were shaped by the same events; some more drastically than others. When you make declarations about that time remember that while it may have been an eye-opening experience for you it may have been the worst day of someone else’s life. Remember those who aren’t here to share this story with the us. This story belongs to all of us.

A New Look Version 2

     Just as I was typing the title to this post I felt a sense of déjà vu. It was about two years ago that I revamped our old website as we were getting ready to begin support raising and used the same title 'A New Look". This will be version 2. Time has passed and without getting into the details I have gotten a little frustrated with our hosting service. I have had a lot of problems with their servers and have decided to jump ship and build a new site. 

      This new site has all of the same content that our old site had but in a slightly sleeker, easier to maneuver format. At the moment this is the only blog post but in the due time I will import all of the posts from our old blog. Again, without getting into too much techno babble I am moving content between two very different and not quite compatible systems so it will take a little time to iron out all of the wrinkles. 

     You may also notice that in the address bar of your browser it says willandjo.org rather than willandjo.com. While switching services I received a free domain to add to my ever growing collection. I feel myself slipping towards explaining domain services but I will hold myself back because I think most people find it really dull. Suffice it to say .com and .org will bring you to the same place. 

    We've also decided to change the format of our monthly newsletter as well. I hope to add a lot more pictures to give a better glimpse into our lives here in Japan. You may also notice that our newsletter will come from a new email address, will@willandjo.org. Don't worry though, it's the same newsletter from us. 

     Well, I guess that's about it. Not exactly exciting news for most people but it makes life a little easier for us over here and hopefully we are able to communicate more easily and effectively with all of our supporters. Thank you.