Pioneering in Japan

Still room for one, THEN it's us 4 and no more... One of the great things about taking over the pastorate of a church is, that there are usually at least some people, and often there's a building and even some sort of equipment. You jump right in there and preach that very same Sunday night! And once you convince the faithful ones that you personally didn't chase off the previous pastor  (St. Perfectus the Kind), it's Kingdom business as usual! Now, if rather than taking over a work, you are pioneering, then you can often count on nearby (or relatively nearby) Fellowship churches to roll up their sleeves and till the soil with you. Garage-band disciples with their own bootleg CDs will rap, rasp, or rock-out until the first row (meaning you, your wife and your 4 kids) is deaf and covered with saliva. And since breaking up that fallow ground can work up quite an appetite, the flockless pastor will at least count on one last supper with the impact team at Lydia Pu...

Things are going well. We’re still looking for a bed and some other furniture, but we’re enjoying our privacy for the first time since October! As much as we greatly appreciate the hospitality of Hopie and Atsuko, I'm sure they were as tickled to see us go as... (well, you know what I mean). We got signed up for National Health (you get an ID card that qualifies you for a 70% discount at most clinics, hospitals and doctors offices), and then, after a few trips back and forth, finally got our residency transferred from where we were in Fuchu to where we are in Musashino-shi (a complicated procedure). I think we were number 608... First we had to go back to Fuchu City Hall, and get our "Moving Out Certificate", so we could go to Musashino City Hall and be permitted to fill out a "Moving In" form. Whenever you move to a particular ward of Tokyo, you have to go to City Hall and register (yes, like Mary and Joseph). But you also have to get a special certificate fro...

It’s been chilly and rainy for a while now, but everyone guarantees that soon enough it will turn hot and humid! We hope to be in our apartment soon. We’re currently still in Fuchu, waiting for the landlord to get the apartment “ready” for us. Kazuya, our realty agent (you have to have one here) is a young guy, and he has always felt that it was going to be hard to find a landlord who would rent to foreigners “without a place of employment” (I explained that “I AM my place of employment” and “Until you find me a building I don’t HAVE a place of employment” , but he was still nervous). I think we’re his first foreigners (well, I DID get him off Craigslist). Regardless, we “passed the Lessor’s test” (as Kazuya put it) and while we don’t sign the contract until next week, “we’re in” (I’m hoping it’s one of those “honor” things). So we wait. According to Kazuya, this is the usual timeframe for getting an apartment in Tokyo. And now, all of Japan is observing “Golden Week”, a week of vacat...

So, for those of you who are following the plot - our Certificates of Eligibility arrived on March 12th. We zipped downtown to the Japanese Consulate and turned them in along with our passports - " Come back in a week ". Great! That means we can plan on flying to Tokyo on... (let's see, ichi... ni... san...) the 20th! So best-travel-agent-in-the-world Bridget Harris pulls an extra special rabbit out of her hat, and it's wearing a grass skirt - " How would you guys feel about an overnight layover in... Hawaii! " (it sounded just like Drew Carey saying "... a BRAND NEW CAR!"). So I said: My answer God truly does so much more than we ask or even expect! We didn't get a chance to really go anywhere for our 29th anniversary the week before, but God gave us an anniversary to remember. Armed with our certificates and our long term visas, we bid a tearful farewell to our kids in Denver... and arrived late that afternoon in Honolulu! (I know what you...

URGENT UPDATE:   Just got another email from our lawyer - Dear Mr. Case: We are pleased to inform you that we have at last received your Certificates of Eligibility today. We will immediately forward the original Certificates to you in Colorado by EMS air courier. We are advised it will be delivered hopefully on next Tuesday, or Wednesday at the latest. I'm glad now you don't miss the cherry blossoms which will be in full bloom in Tokyo around April 1st, according to the recent forecast by the Meteorological Agency. Yours very truly, Y Honda So we've been approved and our Certificates of Eligibility are in!!!   Once they get here, all we have to do is to take them and our passports to the Japanese Consulate. Not much longer now! I am constantly amazed (but not surprised) at how God has opened a door every single step along way. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know that this is a direct result of so many people lifting us up in prayer. Thank you. Grace - undeserved FAVOR fr...

Just got this from our lawyer! - - - Dear Mr. Case: Thank you for your letter. It's getting a little warm in these days here in Tokyo, and we can feel spring is gradually coming. Since we have submitted a response to the questionnaire last week, we believe the Certificate of Eligibility will be issued within next 1 - 2 weeks. Therefore, we are quite sure you can enjoy cherry blossoms in Japan. We look forward to seeing you again very soon. Yours very truly, Y. Honda