Last Night in K-Town!!!

So many things are going through my mind right now. It is my last night in Kesennuma tonight. It has been quite the roller coaster. So many things I want to do yet... I still feel like I should have two weeks left. This week has been an exceptional week though. It was as if God just kept sending blessing after blessing and then challenge after challenge. I would go to bed every night excited about the day and what was to come the following morning but then at the same time wake up every morning thinking... Ahhh crap what am I going to have to deal with today.

I have had a lot of first while here in Kesennuma... but some of my favorite memories have happened this week. On Monday I spent the day with two of my students going to see a World Heritage location called Hiraizumi? It’s a bunch of temples...most famous is the temple completely covered in gold and precious shells. The day proved to be a wonderful experience. We managed to lock the keys in the car, which was a fun challenge!!! I offered to use my wana be car-jacking skills but in the end we decided to let a gas station man do it... While waiting for the gas station dude we ate a Japanese snack... it was Devils tongue!!! This proved to be more difficult to eat than anything yet this whole trip. In fact I would eat the fish eyeballs over this again... On the way back to Kesennuma we had a wonderful discussion about death. Ms. Osawa and Mr. Takahashi were really wonderful to have a conversation with. I had the opportunity to tell them what Christianity teaches about what will happen after you die. The funny thing is they have asked me this question before... and I am sure they will continue to ask it again... What is important is that they keep asking...because that means they are thinking about it. That means that we need to keep listening... because you can't talk until you listen.

Once we got back I had a dinner party with the Lion Chaser at his home with his family. You wouldn't realize what a big deal this is unless you experienced Japanese culture. But this is huge. I remember only having dinner at a Japanese person's house a few select times when I was growing up. Dinner was at 6PM I didn't leave until 9:30PM. I had the opportunity to me the Lion Chaser's oldest son and as I expected I was very impressed. We had curry for dinner. Our conversation was just perfect the whole night. I brought a dinner party gift as would be expected. I introduced him to Guinness! We had talked about this a few days ago and he said that one day he would like to try it... long story short there is one store in Kesennuma that sells it and Ms. Osawa was the one that found it!!! I felt like we had been friends for years and we were just hanging out. They explained to me that I was the first non-Japanese person to ever step foot in their home. Not only was I in their home but also eating dinner in their home. They explained that they never expected this to happen. I feel truly blessed. That was a better pat on the back that I could have ever received. By the end of the night I was walking away with gifts for Andrea and tears in my eyes. It was the last time I was going to see them for what may very well be forever.

Tuesday I had my first class with a new student. Yuki San! I wish I had met him sooner as he seems to be a really interesting person. We decided to have class every morning at 9:00AM :/ this is kind of early for me over here in Japan. So I decided that since we were only going to have a few classes I was going to make breakfast for each class. We have had French toast and "eggs in a nest". Class has been awesome and I am really bummed out that I cannot continue teaching him.

Wednesday I met a very wonderful woman. She plays a Japanese instrument called the Koto. She is an old classmate of Ms. Sato who unexpectedly dropped by. She also happens to own the company that delivers the newspaper in the area. Did I mention she also makes a local newspaper that gets sent out twice a week to thousands of people in our area? And did I mention that when I found this out I obviously asked her what it would cost for me to get an add in here local paper for the LECC relief center? Well that all happened and guess what her answer was? "What do you want me to put? I'll do it for free! How many issues do you want it in there for?" I went to bed that night more upset than happy. I couldn't help but think, "how come this had to happen two days before I leave!!!! I want to develop this relationship!!!!! GRRRRRRRRR

The next day I had a wonderful breakfast with Yuki San! I was then quickly swept away by another Student who wanted to spend some time with me before I left. Mr. Takahashi and I went to the Onsen (hot spring). The whole getting naked in public wasn't an issues rather for me its always been having to sit there and just relax that I can't handle... I usually just want to be doing something... meeting a goal. It was a really great afternoon. However due to the Onsen being so far away I ended up canceling two appointments. But spending the time together was totally worth it. I saw more destruction then I ever imagined... I can't even explain to you the feeling I had when I saw some of those things. I was later told that Mr. Takahashi was really struggling with me leaving. Ms. Osawa explained that he thought of me an extra son. This made me happy but also very disappointed in myself for allowing this to happen as I was determined to not allow a strong relationship develop between me and another but rather between the LECC and another. Yet I know that Mr. Takahashi was a gift from God to help me and encourage me to keep going day after day here in Kesennuma. One day in about five years, Mr. Takahashi plans to take a trip either that is going to be a trip to some tropical island or to Wisconsin... where he wants to grill out... The tailgate had a big effect on him ;)

Later on Thursday afternoon I was serenaded by the Japanese Harp in a private-ish concert. You haven't been sung to until you have been sung the famous Japanese song "Sakura Sakura" by a professional Koto. It is probably a step below what I would think an Angel sounds like. I will never forget this experience. And to think she had only met me the day before. She explained that this rarely happens that she would do this but for some reason she had some spare time and just felt that it was a way to thank me... I am eternally grateful for that experience.

Thursday evening I attended toastmasters. This was a tough night for Ms. Osawa the club decided that because they were losing so many members at the end of the month they were going to make some very significant changes... It was sad news as Ms. Osawa and I had talked weeks ago about these changes and she had told me what her feelings were towards the changes. This will prove to be a challenge for her. My hope is that the volunteers to follow realize the value in attending this club and will become a support to Ms. Osawa and the others that participate in it.

After toastmasters ended I went out for a bite to eat with a couple of NICCO staff. I had the opportunity to meet them through Toastmasters and I am hoping that we can continue to develop a strong relationship. NICCO is a non-profit that does Community Development around the world. They currently have a branch in Kesennuma.

But before going with them I had to say good-bye to Ms. Osawa, I thought saying good-bye to my Fiancé sucked... but saying good bye to Ms. Osawa was something I hope I never have to do again. It was Ms. Osawa who was with out a doubt an Angel sent from God. With out her there is no way I would have made the connections I did. We hoped to see each other again but we both knew that it was a very slim chance that that would ever happen. She will never be forgotten.


Friday. My last day in Kesennuma. I checked out of my hotel pretty early. Said my good byes... being at that hotel was a blessing. I can't begin to explain to you what a support the staff are to the LECC Center... They don't really know they are but at the same time they do... ya know what I mean?
Yuki and I had our last class. We agreed that for the next week he would still do English studying and I would teach him through the use of Skype and over the phone. We wanted to make sure he stayed focus and having a week break may de-motivate him... so we are going to do that for a while. I then had lunch with a man by the name of Daniel Ross. He is an English teacher here in Kesennuma that I had met... that went really well and we discussed some ways that we can be supports for each other... he gave me some great resources to read about working in a team and facilitating communication!!!

My last class with Mr. Suzuki was memorable. We ate snacks until we couldn't... we described the snacks we were eating until we were sick of saying it was sweet or salty... Then we exchanged gifts. I gave him a cross-tied from rope. He gave me so much more. He gave me a music box that played a Japanese song titled "never give up on your dream". He wrote me a letter that I will never loose. What is also crazy is that I know where he got the music box from... I was at the store a few days prior... The music box is not something he could afford... It was exceptionally hard to say good-bye to Mr. Suzuki.

My evening ended with Mrs. Sato and her husband. Twice in one week I was invited into some ones house and had dinner... This has got to be a record! I am telling you this is not a normal thing for a foreigner to be invited into the home and then actually eat in their home... not after just two months and limited contact during that time. We had a great evening. We talked a lot... My only regret is not taking more time to get to know Mrs. Sato and her husband better. My hope is that the others to follow me will be able to make up for my failure to understand the needs of Mrs. Sato and her Husband and then respond to those needs appropriately.

I finished my last evening here in Kesennuma with going to the Temporary Restaurants by the Harbor to say good bye to those that I had gotten to know. I gave them all a card...and a picture of me (obviously), and a cross made from some rope... In case you are interested in why I gave them this I included a picture and a brief description.

 Black--- Sin
Red--- Jesus blood
Green ---- Life forever and ever... there is lots of green because Life in Heaven is the best!!!
Cross--- what Jesus did to give us that Life

It is a simple as it could be. It doesn't need to be complicated. I learned that through Jesus Cares Ministries. And man were they right. Ask Mr. Suzuki (if you ever see him) what the colors mean. He knows... he knows it better then the name of fruits and vegetables...and He sells Fruits and Vegetable for a living!

The following week is going to prove to bee the most challenging. The last seven weeks have only been God giving me the necessary research to be able to succeed this week. My first stop is my child hood home church and then later that week lots of other stuff that I will tell you about later.

Have a wonderful weekend every one. If it’s not too much to ask please remember the people here in your prayers this weekend. The center that many relied on for consistency and a support will be closed for a week and for some this will be difficult. Pray that they continue to attend class and meet with the new volunteer in April. Because one day... it might mean getting to see them in heaven. And that would be FREAKING SWEET!!!