Here are some pics of the mt fuji climb that I went on two weekends ago. I think that I am going to be going next week. We have two people who are visiting and they want to go. Of course I am the one who is foolish enough to want to climb it again. It took 4.5 hours to go up and about 2.5 to come down. We started climbing at 2:30 am and reach the top around 7 am. Coming down was no fun since it is solid slitch backs that are just gravel. But since I made it to the top I was able to receive my final training and it is now official I am a ninja.

Officer Retiring

This was a great honor and opportunity that I had, to be able to be apart of this officers retirement ceremony. He retired after twenty years of active service, It was neat because he was able to share during the formal ceremony about the real impact and change that his lord and savior Jesus Christ had on his life. He was that specific and not the tipical generic god.

Anyway it was pretty cool he had been involved in the house before I got here and I had the privelege of knowing him a few weeks and then was able to participate in this ceremony.

More thoughts on Idenity

" The truth is that because we have lost touch with God and His word we have lost the secret both of community ( because sin kills neighbor - love) and of our own idenity ( because at the deepest level we do not know who or what we are, or what we exist for)."

Idenity

" Jesus isnt really concerned with moving us into a new economic strata or a different social structure, and I think the chuch has missed this. Jesus isnt so much concerned about removing you from the margins as he is with helping you understand that you dont have to be named by the margins of this society. He says you're named by God.......His invitation to us is to walk away from the names placed on us by society and to hear and believe the new names the Father gives us.
Legitimate
Accepted
Loved
Cared for
Forgiven

The love of Jesus doesnt come to make us fit into American culture; its here to make us fit into heaven. His love is here to complete us."

Rick Mckinley "Jesus in the Margins"

God is truly amazing

Tonights study went really well we were studying Hebrews chapter 8. One of the final concluding thoughts was that We need to embrace this Gospel the good news of Christ better ministry. That is Christ being the mediator the new covenant. That we need to run back to the power of God's grace in our lives not only to save us but to keep us and not only that but to transform us intoo the image of Christ.

Application discussion came to head with a lot of discussion about work and how we interact with those in authority. I offered a statement which hit me hard and one that is a continualy struggle to totaly grasp so here is the statement for you guys to suffer with so I dont have to be suffering alone.

When ever we have a problem with another person we have a problem with God. For it is never the problem with that person it is a problem with God. ie We we are offended by someone, do we have the right to be offended. Do living sacrifices have rights? I suggest that the more we are transformed into the image of Christ and the more we come to rest in who we are in Christ the more we will understand that we have no rights, and that if we have a problem with someone it is really a problem with God.

Thanks for all of you who have been praying for me and for the ministry here. I know that it is a huge part of Gods work in these men and womens lives. Continue to pray for me and my process of seeking God and making decisions about my future.

Thanks for also keeping me in the loop of what is going on in your lives. If anything I am learning more how to care for missionaries who are over seas.

" God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

Its a bomb!!!!!

So I am riding down to base today and doing my normal pace of what seems like one hundred miles per hour ( remember I live on a hill and the base is at the bottom) and I get on base and continue my normal route to head through Womble gate which is the secondary gate not the main gate and as I am riding through the area where the hospital is notice a police boat out in the marina area. Not that this should be alarming so I continue riding between these two buildings as I approach an intersection I want to make a right here and as I do I am drawn back to this police boat for it looks like it is trying to keep boats out of the area I think to myself....huh.
So now I remember that I am still biking and need to pay attention to where I am going so I turn and look back ahead , maybe it would be helpfull to know that I have slowed my speed down drastically and now I am going along and a semi brisk pace. As I look ahead I am approaching the Mcdonalds on my right, I find it strange that there were no cars in the drive through especially since it was lunch hour. But again I think to myself .....huh. THen as I continue to go forward I see a police truck blocking the exit of the drive through lane. Now I am starting to think what is going on and you will remember that I am still biking at a brisk pace and imediatly I see a guy standing up out of the bushes on the left and he is probably thirty feet from me and he is dressed in a bomb squad gear at that moment I hit my brakes and begin to turn around and then I see the police and fire trucks on the roads on the other side of the bomb squad dude.

So I high tale it out of there knowing that I cannot get into trouble or else the chapel will get in trouble especially my sponser. Well to wrap it up the reason I made it as close as I did was because there was no one posted at the street which I used to get onto the drive through road. Consequently I was able to get that close with out seeing a single police officer. As soon as I turned around though there was a guy running at me and waving yelling for me to get out of there so I did and did not look back. Anyway I ended up going the long way around to get the food court area just down the rode from the Mcdonalds. While I was there I heard that all of this was going on because of a suspicious package, of course I new that because I was right there. Well they made everyone stay in the food court where I was. They closed down all of the building s in the area and had everyone staying put and then proceeded to blow up the suspicious package. Come to find out later tonight is was some dudes briefcase which he set down and forgot and in it were some medical papers. So that was my excitement for the day.


Oh and Bowdens got their new used car today so I had to drive it home from the dealer. First time driving in Japan. It is not so bad I enjoy it actually I have enjoyed driving anywhere I have been. I will try and post some pics of the tin can I mean the car.

Monday

This is for all of you who thought that I would never get around to putting up another post.
Today I spent the day making up business cards for Jim, Martha, and myself. I then spent the rest of the morning ordering books and cds for the ministry. I was then able to catch some coffee with a sailor named Gregg, that turned out to be a great conversation. Gregg is growing and desiring to learn more about what it means to follow Christ.

It has been a tough weekend overall. I was struggling with some relational conflict. God is good and I am having to turn more to Him to wrestle through . Funny how He works at times. I am soo excited about the ministry here. It has been so full and exciting I just dont even know where to start in telling you. Yet at the same time there are times of lonliness. It is a very interesting enviorment here. How does one take a day off? I dont know that I know how? I guess that I will have to ponder that for a while.

My first week in Japan

Cooking Ribs for the 4th of July party
The party in progress
Martha on right Yukie in center and Nic on the left
Outside the back entrance to the base
Looking down blue street

Tokyo Bay

The Island which is center is called Monkey Island

It has been a crazy week, time is already flying by so quick that it feels like it is hard to keep up.

Today Tuesday I received my base pass ( that is an answer to prayer) This is a pass which I have to have in order to get on and off of the base without having to be signed on by another sailor.

The week has been productive, I have been able to meet several guys, these guys have come out to the Lighthouse and are planning on continuing to come. My hope and prayer is that they will be willing over the next few weeks to meet together with the purpose of discipleship and mentoring.

Some of the things which have been difficult already is trying to make up an itinerary for my week. Which is needing to be some what fluid at first until I can know what is required and when.

So far my relationship with Jim and Martha has been going well. There is still room though for improving on our communication between each other.

Today I spent the morning just walking around the base and the city. It was a nice time to just get out and see the town. Trying to learn more how the city is laid out is a challenge. It is very difficult to know which way you are going until you learn the streets. It is not at all like Lansing which is laid out in a grid. Mostly because you have hills and little mountains that the houses and roads all wind around and are nestled between. This can make for some great adventures.

There is another person who lives at the Lighthouse right now. Her name is Yukie, and she is japanees. She has been connected with the ministry here for at least 3 years. She became a follower of Christ in 2006 and has been connecting with the bible study here at the Lighthouse ever since. She and I are close in age and have been able to have some fun times already. She has been showing me around town and the base. She has a great since of humor so we are continually joking around which brings joy and laughter to the house. Though we have also been able to have several very good conversations. Pray for her as she is looking to God to determine her direction in life. ( I guess I can relate to that :} )

Also I just remembered a salior named Gregg. He has been in the hospital recoving from a colasped lung. Pray for him and for his spirit to be lifted, he is a new believer and is seeing God at work, his mom is not a believer and he is trying to encourage his mom to be thinking about God. Pray that through this God might make himself know to her.

Well this is probably extremly long I dont know because I have not gone back to look yet. I guess once I get my fingers typing it seems to just flow. I just wanted to close with sharing how encouraging it is to know that God is in control. I say that because I saw it first hand in all of the people who have gotten behind me and the minitstry here in Japan. There are so many people who have and are supporting me financially and in prayer. That means so much to me, to be half way around the globe and yet to get an email or note that says hey you were being thought of and we are praying for you. THat is the body of Christ in and at work. So to those of you who read this and you fall into that catagory Thank you for your support of me and the ministry here. I pray that God will bless for you support of His Body.

For HIS GLORY

EH

Yokosuka Japan

So here I am spending my first day @ the lighthouse. The Lighthouse is a ministry house with cadence international and they work with the US military both abroad and at home. So This will hopfully be the first of many posts while I am here. I hope to use this as a place to share some of the struggles and deeper thoughts that come up as well as just the amazing things that I know God is going to be teaching me while I am here. SO that is all for now stay tune in the future for more exciting stories from Japan