July 31st

Dear Friends – It’s 8PM Thursday night.  We’ve finished dinner and will have a team meeting in 15 minutes.  I’m going to use this time to begin today’s entry.  It’s been raining really hard for about 30 minutes now – with a lot of lightning and thunder.  Some of it has been very close causing people to jump when it happens.  Not to brag, but it doesn’t effect me that much.  The rain is always important in restoring the earth – but tonight it has been used by God to restore our energy and spirits.  After a busy day, many of us were beginning to drag after dinner.  (I’ll return to writing, soon.  We’re ready to start our meeting.)
It’s 11PM, the meeting is over and we’ve finished a lot of the preparations for tomorrow.  I finally have time to sit down again and write.  I share a room with my good friend Don Kobayashi (Koby).  What I don’t understand is how his half of the room is always so much neater and cleaner than my half.  I’m not implying that he is messy, or anything like that, but…I wonder where he puts everything.  Maybe I should check my duffel bag to make sure there are only my things in there.  It does seem like there is less space in there than when we first came to Japan.
The rain has gone away, the weather is very calm right now and so are the team members.  The conversations are much more quiet and there are some people actually working quietly.  EEC went very well for the most part – there were only a couple of issues we talked about in our meeting tonight.  The kids who come to EEC are no different from what we see at the VBS (Vacation Bible School) at Crossway Church.  Some of the children are very cute, some aren’t; some of the children are very bright, some aren’t; some of the children are very well behaved, and some need a good spanking.  As we have gotten to know these children better and better, we will miss them all.  Today, Shizuka shared with me that a boy at camp asked her, “What do I do to become a Christian?”  This is a boy I saw from my first year in Chino, 2009.  And I understand he was attending from before then.  He is a boy that would have driven me nuts if he was in my class while I was teaching.  It seemed he was constantly doing things he shouldn’t; going places he shouldn’t go to and touching things he shouldn’t be handling.  If it were up to me, I would have tossed him from the camp years ago.  But fortunately, I was not in charge of the camp.  So he continues to come to camp and is one of our success stories.  If you want to pray for us, pray that there would be many more success stories like that here in Chino.  There’s so much that is going on that I haven’t shared with you – just know that God’s presence has definitely been felt this week.  Thank you for your prayers.   Love, Don    

July 29 - part 2

Dear Friends – It’s 10:30PM Tuesday night – we’ve finished our meeting to begin the EEC tomorrow and there are still six other people still up with last minute preparations.  The EEC (English Experience Camp) is a large focus of our trip to Japan and people want to present an excellent program.
This morning I was watching people come into the sanctuary to get ready for our daily prayer meeting.  Chi-chan gave a greeting to everyone – her laughter is so infectious and pure.  It lifts everyone out of their early morning blues.  She is God’s gift to us.
This morning after breakfast we had a concert by the Taisho-koto group that Kawano-sensei belongs to.  The taisho-koto is a stringed instrument that is a cross between a guitar and piano.  There were 11 members, including Kawano-sensei, that played for us.  They played Japanese tunes as well as Amazing Grace.  After the concert, the mission team members were given an opportunity to try playing the instruments.  It was fun even for us non-musicians.  We then had lunch together.  We sat at 5 different tables, with each table having two team members and two or three taisho-koto players.  It was a lot of fun getting to know a few of the musicians much, much better.  We then had Kaori from our mission team, and Satomi-san from the Chino church give their testimonies.  They were both very good, but I was especially touched by Kaori’s testimony.  I guess I’m always surprised by the struggles and difficulties that people face – thinking that “good people” are immune from them.
We spent the afternoon decorating the church for EEC and getting materials ready for the classes.  It didn’t seem like it was very strenuous work, but people were very tired this evening.  We would covet your prayers for the next three days of EEC – for energy and good health,  wisdom in making decisions, and an abundance of God’s love, mercy and grace - that we might exhibit those same traits.  Thank you and God bless you.  Love, Don

July 29

Dear Friends – It’s 11PM Monday night.  It’s surprising that there are seven of us still up.  Even after a very tiring day with the children, people are still hanging around being goofy.  Something that is a lot of fun for me is to watch the team members interacting with the people here in Chino – especially the children.  Monica is usually one of the first people to greet the children who she recognizes while serving on past mission teams.  You can see the children warm up to her hugs and kind words.  The kids love to attack Daniel and Tsuguru and be tossed around and chased.  But to receive a motherly embrace and kind, sweet words, they will always turn to one of the women on the team.  Everyone on the team is very good in spending time with the members of the Chino church and all the parents who bring their children to the various activities.  A special thanks to all the members of our team who speak Japanese and translate our conversations with the people of Chino.
After breakfast Shizuka, Daniel, and Kaori went to visit a member of the Chino church who is in a nursing home after suffering a stroke.  She is unable to speak but communicates in other ways.  She was able to acknowledge to our team members that she was aware of their presence.  This afternoon we had a second day of English conversation classes.  There was one craft class for adults and they made bookmarks.  I know that sounds pretty bland, but these bookmarks were very pretty.  They don’t just slip in-between the pages but fit over the corner of the page.  There were all types of decorations to add and they had a wonderful time.  Koby and Kaori spent a long time talking with the moms as they worked on their projects.  Thank God for the young people on our mission team who can keep up with the energy and enthusiasm of the kids.  For the children, there was a craft class, games, and a sing-along.  The kids had a great time and there were many of them still staying long past the 4 o’clock ending time.
For dinner we had soba noodles with tempura.  This was one of the best meals I have eaten at the church, prepared by the church members.  It was better than eating at one of the Japanese restaurants in L.A.  But even better than the food was the guest we had joining us – Mr. Gomi.  He is the husband of the woman our team members visited in the nursing home after breakfast.  This 93 year old man lives at his home, by himself, without anyone living there to help care for him.  Mr. Gomi’s wife, his son, and son’s family are all Christians and members of the Chino church.  Mr. Gomi is not a Christian and had never been in the Chino church before.  Kawano-sensei half-jokingly said it was a miracle he was in church.  They had Koby and I sit with him for dinner – to put him at ease in the presence of other old men.  He is in good health, has a clear mind, and was a blessing to talk with.  He had a photo album which included pictures of him riding a bicycle backwards.  He stands on the bike facing backwards and pedals with the bike going forwards.  He is still able to do this.  He also rides his bike in the conventional manner around the town.  Time to close this message.
We can use your prayers for team unity and for all team members to share the love of God with one another.  God is always good in answering our prayers.  Don            

July 28th - Part 2

Dear Friends – It’s Monday morning, 4:45AM.  I woke up about 30 minutes ago and I’m wide-awake.  I decided I might as well get up, do some writing and then go back to sleep.  I don’t have to get up until after 6AM.  A few nights ago at a team meeting, I shared that we should be courteous and polite with one another to avoid friction within the group, and to maintain harmony among us.  Of course I was addressing this to other people, and not myself.  So I’m sure you know who the first person was to behave in an un-Christian manner.  I got upset at another person’s behavior and spoke harshly to them.  It was very embarrassing and humiliating for me.  I thought I would be the one who was perfect in behavior and speech.  I would be perfect because I am such a good person.  I would be perfect because I am Don Hori.  Ten quick seconds of losing my temper and speaking without thinking showed all the team members and me that I am not perfect.  I knew that I had to offer an apology – it’s the Christian thing to do.  But as I had more time to think about it, I knew I needed to apologize because that is what God would want me to do.  As I sat thinking about what words to say, I knew it had to be sincere and without an explanation or defending my actions.  Saying “I’m sorry” is one of the hardest things for me to do.  Saying “I’m sorry” sincerely and in humility is nearly impossible.  I think I came pretty close to giving the proper apology – having the proper attitude and saying the correct things.  At first I continued to feel like a failure in not being the one who was better than all the others.  But as I reflected on what I had done, I began to understand that I will never be perfect – not on my own, not with God’s help.  Because I am human, there will always be times when I fail.  So the question is not, “will I fail”, but rather, “what will I do when I fail.”  It is very liberating in knowing that there is no sense in striving to be perfect in my actions and my words –it just can’t be done.  What I need to focus on is doing the right thing when I am wrong.
When I apologized to this person, they graciously accepted it.  And with that, reconciliation began.  In many instances I would go on without offering an apology and acting as if I had never done anything wrong – and I apologize to all of you that I have done that to.  Even as I write about this, I know it will almost always be a struggle for me to offer the proper apology – but it is something I will strive to do.  It seems as if the bonds between people are actually strengthened when friction occurs and then one person apologizes.  On this mission trip, it seems as if God is teaching this old dog some new tricks.  Thanks be to God.  Love, Don      

in 

July 28th

Dear Friends – It’s 11:15PM Sunday night and Shizuka and I are the only ones left up.  Shizuka is writing a report back to her church family at South Bay Japanese Christian Fellowship so it can be printed in their Sunday worship program.  Today was a full day of activities.  We had our prayer meeting at 6:30AM and breakfast at 7AM.  After doing our daily chores of washing dishes, sweeping and dry mopping the floor, cleaning the bathrooms, and a few other things, we got ready for the Sunday school program.  In the blog from last year’s mission, I wrote about a young woman who led this program with great enthusiasm and love for the children.  I heard in a report from their church that she was no longer a member of their church and so I was concerned that this program might lose some of its steam.  But what a great surprise it was to see Chihoyo-sensei, the pastor’s wife, lead the children with the same enthusiasm and joy as the previous leader.  The mission team has been used to seeing her quiet and demure persona, but what a shock.  She was leading the singing while dancing and leading the hand motions that accompany the songs.  Michelle then took over to present a message to the kids.  She was transformed into “Tako Woman.”  Tako is not a Mexican food, but the Japanese word for octopus.  She had a hat with the eight arms of the octopus reaching outward.  The children loved her character.  Ask her to wear it when she comes to church in a couple of weeks.
Next came the worship service at 10:30AM.  Tara and Monica gave testimonies telling how God has worked in their lives.  Their heartfelt sharing was very moving, telling of how God has shown his mercy, grace and love to them.  Daniel gave the message, or “sermon”, for the service.  Reverend Daniel gave a great message to the members of Chino Christ Church.
After the service was a potluck luncheon for the members of our Chino mission.  We sat in four circles of chairs with 2 or 3 members of the mission team in each circle.  It was a great time of renewing friendships and developing new ones.  Many of the church members are very brave in using their English speaking skills in talking with us.  It’s a good thing because I still don’t know a lick of Japanese that would be useful in polite conversation.
Today was Chihoyo-sensei’s birthday with Chi-chan’s birthday coming up in a few days.  We chose to celebrate both mother’s and daughter’s birthdays this evening after returning from the onsen.  We sang “Happy Birthday,” presented their gifts and then had cake to eat.  The Kawanos live simple lives on the income for Kawano-sensei, so Chi-chan probably does not have the number of toys and gadgets that children in America do.  It touched my heart deeply to see the pure joy and appreciation she expressed for the gifts for her 7th birthday.  Chi-chan was actually born during the time of our first mission to Chino.  The team members through the years have been able to see her transformation from a wee little baby into a young girl.  Her sweetness and kindness are clearly a reflection of the love and guidance she receives from her parents.  It is easy to see why she is such a joy to be around.  I don’t know how old Chihoyo-sensei is, and I have the good sense not to ask.  Every year I have come to Chino I have seen more of the talents and gifts that God has given her this to make her a strong partner for Kawano-sensei in serving the church family at Chino Christ Church.  After the training session this afternoon for volunteers to the upcoming EEC program, Chihoyo-sensei, Shizuka and I sat in the upstairs room on the floor just talking for at least an hour – the time just flew by.  It was the most I’ve been able to share with Chihoyo-sensei in four years because Shizuka was gracious enough to translate for us.  It was one of the highlights of the trip, up to this point, for me.
It is very quiet now, as I’m the last person up.  It was almost silent until the music started blaring in Danny and Tsuguru’s room…twice.  Make that three times now.  It seems like it might be someone’s alarm – and the snooze button has been pushed a couple of times.  Either Danny or Tsuguru is going to be very mad at the other person tomorrow.  The music just came on for the fourth time now.  I’m going off to bed now – I hope those two guys get the problem taken care of.  God bless you all.  Don

July 27th - Part 2

Dear Friends – It’s 5AM Sunday morning.  There are already a few people getting up and readying themselves for today’s slate of activities.  We will have a prayer meeting at 6:30AM, breakfast at 7AM, do their Sunday school program (MeBig), at 9AM, and then present the worship service at 10:30AM.  At the MeBig program, Michelle will be presenting the lesson and basically be in charge of everything.  She will do a great job in sharing God’s love with the children.  Tsuguru will be the chairman of the worship service, Shizuka will be leading the team and the congregation in the singing, Daniel will be giving the morning’s message, and Tara and Monica will be sharing their testimonies.  Worshipping together with our brothers and sisters in Chino is always a very blessed time.  In the afternoon Shizuka and I will meet with the volunteers for EEC (English Experience Camp) for a short in-service.  And in the late afternoon, Daniel, Tsuguru, Erica, and Michelle will meet middle school and high school for an English conversation class.  Yesterday, Kawano-sensei, Daniel, Tsuguru and Erica went to the train station and into the community to pass out fliers inviting young people to attend.  Please pray that God will bring many students out to join in the class.
The high humidity seems to be taking its toll on our team members.  Erica, Shizuka and Michelle have all experienced bad headaches causing them to have to rest during some of our activities.  It seems to be tied to dehydration.  But God has been good in using this time of rest to restore their health in a short time to allow them to rejoin the team.
Yesterday we had English conversation classes during the afternoon.  The first, an hour of singing, was with young school age children.  Most of the 20 children seemed to be in the 4 to 7 year old range – and there were about a dozen parents who joined in with the singing.  The songs were all interactive, with hand motions and body movement to accompany the singing.  All the team members participated as Shizuka, Daniel and Tsuguru led us.  It was wonderful to see all the parents joining in enthusiastically with their children.  We then had 2 hours of English conversation classes, arts and crafts for children, and also a time of singing.  Monica and Tara led the beginning and advanced classes with the adults who came to join us.  Michelle and Erica led the crafts for about a dozen children.  You know your activity is a hit when the young children are working on a project diligently and quietly.  This is something all you teachers can truly appreciate.  Perhaps the best part of yesterday’s activities was the number of new faces that were with us.  There were some children who have joined us in activities in years past, but the majority of the children were newcomers.  This is such great news, that the Chino church is reaching out to more and more children within the community.  I understand that the same is true for EEC – there will be more new children attending than “old-timers.”  This is indicative of the impact of a decision made by the Chino school board last year.  The Chino church has been given official status to teach English to Chino students – and so Kawano-sensei was able to give a flier publicizing the English conversation classes and EEC to all 3,200 of the elementary school children in the Chino school system.  God has certainly been building the impact of Chino Christ Church since our partnership with them began in 2007, and 25 students showed up for EEC.  We are now serving over 70 children a year, with many turned away because of space limitations at the church.  We have added the English conversation classes for children, in part, to accommodate the children who were part of the overflow.
Thank you once again for your presence with us through your prayers.  Your love and concern most definitely impact all we do.  Love, Don

July 27th

Dear Friends – I’ve been thinking about an earlier post where I told you about the team running through the airport to catch our train.  Although things looked mighty bad for us, I prayed that God would help us get to the train in time to avoid major complications for us.  While we were dashing through airport I had a very strong peace about me that everything would be fine.  I know none of the other team members shared those same feelings.  As I told you before, we did catch the train and made the connecting train in time.  It has really stayed with me how I had such a great peace, one that I don’t think I’ve experienced before, when it appeared something very bad was going to happen.  I truly believe that God was using that moment to share something very profound with me – when I pray to Him and truly believe that He will answer my prayer, He will give me a deep and unwavering peace.  I know He wants this for me – not in just the small things like catching a train, but in the big and very important things in my life.  I have heard this message many times before in my life, but never experienced this depth of God’s peace and love for me.  May we all experience this again and again in our lives.  Love, Don      

July 26th

Dear Friends – It’s Saturday morning, 5:30AM- and there’s already people starting to get up and prepare for the day, even though our morning Devotional meeting isn’t until 7AM.  We have 2 seminary students helping us with the children’s program and with the housekeeping activities at Chino Christ Church.  They attend Wesleyan Holiness Seminary in Tokyo.  We have had students from Wesleyan come to work alongside of us in the past.  They are always outstanding additions to our mission teams.  Aiko and Megumi both speak English and we are becoming fast-friends with them.
When we arrived at the Chino train station yesterday, we were met by a small band of the Chino church members with a rousing welcome typically given to celebrities.  After a day and a half of travels, it quickly brought our focus back to the reason for being here in Japan – to partner with these wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ in sharing the gospel with their family members, friends, and the Chino community.  All of the other little adventures that we’ve had while traveling are now behind us and we are ready to be witnesses of the love, mercy and grace that God has extended to each one of us.  Thank you for your prayers and well wishes.  Love, Don

July 25th - Again

Dear Friends – It’s Friday night and there are six of us still up.  Things are winding down and people are writing and having quiet and calm conversations (not always the case with our younger team members).  We have started our practice of going to the onsen (public bath) to close the day’s activities once again.  It helps bring the day to a peaceful and clean ending.
We had a very exciting morning to start the day.  We needed to catch the first of our two trains at 8:53AM – so we caught a shuttle from the hotel at 8AM since we were told it would take about ½ hour to reach the airport.  It took much longer than that.  We were literally running through the airport to catch the train – it was like a scene from a TV program or movie.  We got to the train at about 8:52 – the last people to board.  A minute later and we would have missed the train.  If we missed the first train, we would have also missed the second train – and we might not be in Chino right now.  A lot of the team members were very worried and concerned that we would be too late.  But I was not.  And that was pretty surprising considering I usually get pretty worried about things like that.  But I had prayed for us while we were on the bus when it became apparent that we were running late.  Even as it approached 8:50 and we were not yet on the train platform, I still truly believed we would be okay.  God has taken care of many difficulties and problems that have arisen with our mission.  He would surely take care of our need to catch a train.  When we were all in our seats on the train, everyone had big smiles on their faces and we were all pumped up from the fear and running.  It makes for a good story for the team members to tell their friends and families.
Tomorrow afternoon we will finally begin meeting with people from the Chino area for English language activities.  This is what we’ve been preparing for over the last few months.  I’ll let you know in the next entry how things went.  I’m starting to fade very quickly, so I’ll finish now.  Thanks for your support.  Don  

July 25th

Dear Friends – It’s 5:30AM in Japan and I’m up and wide-awake.  I was lying in bed, unable to get any more sleep so I decided to just get up.  After sitting on the plane in an upright position for eleven hours, it was good to be able to lie down on a bed last night.  International travel is really weird – it’s like entering a “time tunnel.”  We entered the tunnel at LAX and came out of it in Tokyo.  When we exit, everything’s different – all the people look like me (black hair, brown eyes and short), they speak a different language, and the time has changed.  I went to bed on Tuesday night, got up and went to the airport.  I got off the plane, went to the hotel and slept one night, and now it’s Friday morning.  It’s 5:30AM Friday in Japan, but it’s 1:30PM on Thursday in L.A.  Each passing minute this makes less and less sense to me.  We need to have one universal time zone – so that wherever you are in the world, or in the universe, you know what day and time it is and everyone agrees with you.  (I know I’m rambling right now, but not much has happened since I wrote the last report last night.)  We will take a shuttle from the hotel back to Narita Airport, get on the first of two trains we will ride today, and head off to our destination of Chino.  That’s another thing – why are we going to the airport to get on a train? Life is just like being in the “Twilight Zone” with international travel.  I expect Rod Serling to walk through the door any minute.  My reports will starting making more sense once we get to Chino today and I have plenty of news to report back to you.  God bless you all.   Don  

July 24th

Dear Friends – It’s 10PM Thursday (6AM Thursday Pacific time) and we’ve finally settled into our hotel rooms.  Both the Sendai and Chino teams are staying in the same hotel but we will be leaving at different times tomorrow morning to head off to our destinations. 

The most exciting part of a plane ride for me is the take-off.  I love the feel of power and acceleration as the plane leaves the ground.  This afternoon as that was happening at LAX, I looked out the window and saw Air Force 1.  The president’s plane, was sitting by itself at the end of the terminal, surrounded by many law enforcement vehicles.  And I believe I saw an African-American man waving to the plane as we passed by.  I flashed him the peace sign and waved back to him.  President Obama came from Washington D.C. just to see us off to Japan.  Well…it could have happened like that.  But you know what is better than having Obama send us off to Japan?  It’s having the Crossway Church members sending off the mission team members from Crossway with their well wishes and prayers.  Before carpooling down to the airport, the mission team members gathered in a small circle and the church family surrounded them, laid their hands upon them, and Pastor Brett and Pastor Roland prayed for them.  It is such an incredible and humbling experience.  The team members are so fortunate to have the support of family, friends, and the church family.  You have all had an enormous impact on our lives.  Your love, encouragement and support have helped in making us who we are.  So when we go out on a mission trip, we carry a part of you within our hearts.  Tomorrow will begin our interactions with the people of Chino.  Your prayer support is vital to all we do – we covet your prayers.  God bless you all.  Don 

           

        

Chino 14 Team

Left to right
Monica Nishida, Erica Sasaki, Shizuka Sasaki, Kaori Watanabe, Tsuguru Kagiwada,
Michelle Mori, Daniel Inoue, Tara Chiu, Don Kobayashi, Don Hori

     This is the team going to Chino Christ Church in Chino, Japan.  We will be leaving from LAX on July 23, 2014 and will return on August 6, 2014.  The team is comprised of members of South Bay Japanese Christian Fellowship and Crossway Church of the San Fernando Valley.  This is the eighth consecutive year that we are partnering with the Chino church to present an English Experience Camp.  This 3-day event will have four classes each day - English, Games and Recreation, Crafts, and Bible Time.  The 70 children who attend will be divided into four age groups and will attend all four classes each day.  While we are there, we will also present English classes to children and adults, present the worship service on two Sundays, and help out with their Sunday School program.  We hope to attract new people to their church, give the members of the Chino church encouragement in their support of their church, and to enjoy the friendship and fellowship of these brothers and sisters in Christ.