Finally in Japan!

Hi all! I wanted to let everyone know that I finally arrived safely in Japan. The plane ride was great because I got to travel with my friend Debbie whom I met at orientation who will be serving in Tokyo. I'll be in Tokyo for the weekend before traveling up to Utsunomiya with my supervisors on Monday who are going to help me get settled in up there in my new apartment. Pray for me please! I woke up today and realized once again how scary this whole thing is, but also so excited to see what God has in store in the coming days. I mean I woke up and looked out the window of the guest apartment I'm staying in and it finally hit me that I was actually in Tokyo, and I couldn't help but to praise God for how he has orchestrated events in my life to bring me to this place, at this time. Praise God indeed!!!

Anyway, it's a new beginning, but there were a lot of goodbyes that took place in the states before I came over. So I want to give some face time to my family here. I'm so grateful for all of their love and support. Please keep them in your prayers as well as we all get used to this change.

My sister, mother, and me

My father, sister, and me

Mindy and her fiance...er....boyfriend, Jimmy

Me and Mindy

I was dead...but now I live!

I want to share with you all a thought that has continually come to my mind in recent weeks as I look toward to heading to Japan. I can't fulfill this assignment in Utsunomiya. I'm not creative enough to do it. I'm not attractive enough or smart enough either. I have no discernible skills. Despite my best intentions, on a daily basis I fall far short of being the person whom God desires that I be. I'm still bent on fulfilling the desires of my heart rather than the desires of my Heavenly Father. I'm constantly reminded that there is nothing good within me in and of myself.

Based on that I consider it no small thing that Christ sacrificed himself upon the cross for me. What would drive the God of this world to give up his Son to pay for my mistakes, my shortcomings, my failures? It is this amazing grace and amazing love that I'll never fully understand.

I cherish the song by Casting Crowns titled "And Now My Lifesong Sings." The lyrics go:

I once was lost, but now I’m found
I once was lost, but now I’m found
So far away, but I’m home now
I once was lost, but now I’m found
And now my lifesong sings

I once was blind, but now I see
I once was blind, but now I see
I don’t know how, but when He touched me
I once was blind, but now I see

And now my lifesong sings
And now my lifesong sings
And now my lifesong sings

I once was dead, but now I live
I once was dead, but now I live
Now my life to You I give
Now my life to You I give
Now my life to You I give

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Let my lifesong sing to You

It's the last verse that gets me every time I listen to the song! "I once was dead, but now I live!" Without Christ in my life I would be as good as dead. In fact, that's exactly what I once was. But because of what He did and because of who He is, it is now that I truly live. All that is good and decent in me is because of He who lives within me.

As I head to Japan next week I am aware that if I go in my own wisdom and strength and with my own agenda and laid out plans, then my life will resemble more of that dead man that I once was rather than the new life that I now live in Christ Jesus. Pray that I'll be wholly dependent upon God in the coming weeks, months, and years, and that I'll live out that new life I have in Christ in a way that brings the utmost glory to God.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ..."--Ephesians 2:4-5

I'm obviously using my FPO time wisely

DC Trip Pictures

Here are some pictures from my trip to DC last week. Enjoy!

Looking down Pennsylvania Ave. towards the U.S. Capital Building.


Looking towards the U.S. Capital Building from the Washington Monument.

The Korean War Memorial with the Lincoln Memorial in the background.

Honest Abe in all his glory.

This is my friend Debbie. She's been begging me to put up a picture of her up on my blog for a while now. Since she's the only person who has posted a comment on my blog I am granting her wish. The double thumbs up sign is still in style apparently.

Finally.....the money shot! This is me standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument in the background. This is about the best I've been photographed in the past 8 years.

DC Trip and Rook Addiction

Hey all!

We had a great trip as a group last Tuesday to Washington D.C. Our assignment for the day was to interact with internationals in DC. We were to observe them whenever we had a chance, we were to assist them if they needed any help, we were to eat at an ethnic establishment, we were to identify 5 smells not common to our home, and most importantly we were to lead an international person one step closer to Jesus Christ.

My group included my roommate and my friend Debbie, who is going with me to Japan. We had a good day. We were able to speak with a lady from Burma at a Burmese restaurant and also to a young Japanese man at the train station near the end of the day. It wasn't a sightseeing trip so to speak and so we didn't see a lot of the sights, but I did get to go by the White House and the Washington Monument for a few minutes. One of the missionaries going to the Pacific Rim region wasn't able to go with the whole group on Tuesday so she is going to DC this Saturday. I am going to go back to DC with her for the day, and we are going to meet up with one of her friends from seminary while there.

I plan on taking some more pictures on Saturday and so when I sort through some I'll post the better ones on this blog.

Finally, I learned to play this card game called Rook here at FPO. Debbie is my Rook partner and I just want to give her credit before all 4 of you who read my blog here, for she is the best Rook partner ever. Debbie and I dominated everyone else early on here at FPO, but then we went through a period when we couldn't win a game. Then all of a sudden last night we couldn't lose again. For 5 hours we destroyed all challengers who dared to play us. The reason we were losing for a while in the middle there was all because of me though. However, despite how bad I was playing Debbie stuck with me as a partner and just kept on encouraging and supporting me. It would have been easy for her to trade me in for a better partner, but she didn't. And because she didn't we are back on top of the Rook world! Here's to you DD!

God Bless you all!

Orientation #1

I've finally settled in here at orientation in Virginia. Some days have been harder than others, but there have been some enjoyable moments as well. Please pray for me that I'll balance my time wisely while I am here. There is a lot of stuff to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. Anyway, here is some things you should know about FPO (Field Personnel Orientation):

1. Our daily routine includes eating, sitting in a chair for 4 hours, eating, sitting in a chair for 4 hours, and eating again. Trust me, it is not nearly as exciting as it sounds.

2. I tried to fight falling asleep during some of our early sessions. Now I just go ahead and put my head down on the table in front of me.

3. We spent an hour talking about Malaria the other day. Surprisingly I stayed awake for that entire session.

4. I'm not the only person here going to Japan. There is a girl who is the same age as me going to serve with one of the teams in Tokyo. It's nice to have at least one other person going to the same country as I am.

5. My car made it out here safely, but shortly after arriving it became sick again. It still drives okay, but it doesn't always start when I turn the key in the ignition.

Hope all is well in all of your lives. Jarod

Sushi

Friday night my sister, her boyfriend Jimmy, and myself went out for Sushi. Now my sister has no interest in anything Japanese, particularly Japanese food. So this was a big step for her to take. While sushi wasn't her favorite food in the world, she was a good sport about it all and was able to down a few pieces. I love my sister a lot, but she is one person I'm not expecting to ever visit Japan in the near future. She's lethal with those chopsticks though.