KG Reliquary

So That's How you Skin a Pig!

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:34:00 +0000

(Well, that's not the only thing we learned in Thailand this year!)

Every year, with the cooperation of the Student Services Association of KGU and International Soroptomists, our KGU Sigma Society sets out on a service-learning trip to Thailand. We stay in Bangkok for a few days, learn about some of the shapes of poverty in this complex city and volunteer in a day care center in one of the eastern slum areas.

Then we head up to Chiang Rai province in the northernmost part of Thailand to learn about the challenges faced by ethnic minorities living there (these folks are sometimes referred to as "hilltribes" peoples though many of them don't live in the hills anymore). For the past number of years, every year we've built a multi-use church/community center/shelter building in a different village. This year, we helped put up a wood/brick building in the small village of Lu-an.

Next, we headed down to Chiang Mai for a week of visiting a number of Christian institutions serving at-risk ethnic minority children and youth. Some of the "kids" we met were AIDS orphans, others were rescued from abusive situations, and others at high risk for falling into prostitution. It's always an eye-opening experience for all of us, reminding us of our responsibilities to work together to solve the human and political problems so many of our "brothers and sisters" around the world face.

For more pictures of the trip, check out this link!

http://www.davidsonjapan.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=912

A Christmas Song for YOU!

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:51:00 +0000

Enjoy this Christmas song from the students in the KGU Fellowship group!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYGcc4REBxI

An Important Lesson at Kanto Gakuin's 125th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:43:00 +0000

A surprising thing happened to me this week—and it taught me an important lesson.

Because I’m a chaplain at Kanto Gakuin, I often have opportunities to study our Christian history. This month, KG celebrated its 125th anniversary. As many of you know, Kanto Gakuin traces its roots back to 1884, when American missionary, A.A. Bennett founded the Yokohama Baptist Seminary.

As part of the 125th anniversary celebrations, Kanto Gakuin wanted to invite two great-grandchildren of A.A. Bennett to come to Japan from America to attend the celebration. Early last year, I was put in charge of finding and inviting these people. After months of searching, I was finally able to find some of Rev. Bennett’s descendents—and we contacted them, asking them to attend our celebration.

Here’s the surprising part—these folks knew that their great-grandfather had founded a seminary in Japan. In fact, they had a number of books he had written in their home. But they didn’t know that the seminary had grown into the modern Kanto Gakuin. When they attended the celebrations this weekend, they were visibly moved. The small school their great-grandfather had started had turned into a 15,000 student institution! They were amazed to travel to the Mutsuura Campus to discover that “Bennett Hall” existed—all of this was completely new to them. They were truly filled with gratitude for being invited to attend our 125th celebration as representatives of the Bennett family.

But here’s the lesson I learned. One of the family members said to me, “I’m sure that when my great-grandfather started the Seminary in his home with 5 students, he had no idea it would ever become something like Kanto Gakuin!” She continued, “This makes me realize that we never really know what will happen as a result of our service to others. I’m sure my great-grandfather had times of real discouragement, but he just continued to be faithful to the calling God had given him. Maybe this is what we all need to do—just be faithful to our call.”

That was a great encouragement to me. None of us can control what the results of our service to others will be in one generation, or two, or three. But we can control this: whether or not we are faithful to do what God asks of us today.

文学部教員コラム vol.22 『関東学院創立125周年での大切な教訓』

（英語英米文学科　D.P.デビッドソン先生）

先日、驚くことがありました。そして、それは私にとってとても大切な教訓になりました。

私は関東学院の宣教師です。そして学院のキリスト教の歴史をよく調べたりします。今年の10月、関東学院は創立125周年を迎え、その記念を祝いました。ご存知のように、関東学院の源流の一つは、1884年にアメリカから来た宣教師A.A. Bennett（ベンネット）氏（下写真）により設立された、横浜バプテスト神学校です。

2008年の春、関東学院の関係者が集まり、創立125周年記念式典に、Bennett先生のご子孫を探して、彼らをお招きしようという計画がたてられました。そして、私は、そのご子孫を探す仕事を担当することになりました。数ヶ月して、私はやっとBennett先生のお孫さんとひ孫さんを見つけることができました。そして、そのお二人を私たちのお祝い場へ招待することになりました。

そこで一つ驚いたことがありました。Bennettのお孫さんたちは、A.A. Bennett先生が日本で神学校を設立したことはよく知っていたのですが、それが現在の関東学院だということを、全く知らなかったのです。10月の記念式典に参加してくださったA.A. Bennett先生のひ孫さんたちは、関東学院のことを知ると、とても感動していました。彼らの曾祖父が作った小さな学校が、なんと学生、生徒、園児15,000人を超える関東学院になったのだと！また、私は彼らを金沢八景キャンパスのSCCの建物に案内し、4階にある「ベンネット・ホール」を紹介しました。すると、自分の曾祖父を記念するホールがあることを知って、彼らは言葉を失うほど感動していました。今回、A.A. Bennettのご家族の代表者として、関東学院の創立125周年記念のお祝いの場に参加できたことに、彼らはとても感謝していました。

横浜外国人墓地（横浜山手）に眠るベンネット先生"he lived to serve"の文字が刻まれている今回私は、彼らから大変大切なことを学びました。ある時、お一人が私にこう言いました。「私の曾祖父が自分の家に学生5人を集め、神学校を創った当時、彼は将来の関東学院のことを想像出来なかったでしょう。それを考えると、やっぱり私たちも、自分の小さな奉仕がどんな実りになるかは知ることが出来ません。私の曾祖父は、大きな試練を受け、落胆することもあったと思いますが、彼は、神様からいただいた使命を毎日毎日忠実に果たしてきただけなのです。おそらく、私たちも自分に託された使命を忠実に担うことしか出来ないでしょう。」

私にとって、それはとても励ましの言葉になりました。私たちは、他者への奉仕について、将来の結果を完全にコントロールすることは出来ません。しかし、コントロールできることが一つあります。忠実な日々の奉仕。将来の実りについて、神様に任すしかありません。

The Fellowship's 30 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:42:00 +0000

This year, Kanto Gakuin University's The Fellowship group will be thirty years old!

The Fellowship started in 1979, when American Baptist missionaries, Charles and Judith DeRolf began inviting students over to their home for Bible studies and meals together. The DeRolfs continued leading this group until they retired from work in Japan in 2005. Here are some quick historical highlights of The Fellowship:

1982: The Fellowship becomes an official club of students at the university.

1985: Eiji Osato becomes a Bible teacher at Kanto Gakuin Mutsuura Jr./Sr. High school and begins helping out at the Fellowship.

1992: Eiji Osato and his wife, Emi (whom he met at the Fellowship group) become Japan Baptist Union missionaries to Thailand, working in leadership development among the Karen tribal group

1993: Fellowship goes to the USA (Yosemite National Park and Chicago, IL)

1994: Fellowship goes to Thailand to volunteer with the Osato family

late 1990s: The Fellowship takes a number of overseas trips (to Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, and to multiple places in the US)

1999: Sanae Nakajima, a Fellowship alum, founds "Free the Children, Japan"--an NGO which works to save children around the world from exploitation

(see http://www.ftcj.com/index.html )

2002: Fellowship goes to Boulder, CO, USA

2005: The DeRolf family retires from missionary work in Japan; Rev. Hogari becomes the advisor; Rev. Noh begins volunteering with the group

2006: The Fellowship begins annually welcoming two groups Korean college students for cultural exchange; Dwight begins volunteering with the group

This year, we start our 30th year of friendship-building and Christian witness. PTL!

Sigma Society Volunteer Trip to Thailand, Spring '09

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:25:00 +0000

This March, 17 students along with Rev. Morishima, Mr. Kanda, and myself, went on the Sigma Society volunteer and study trip to Thailand. What a great trip! For the first couple of days, we stayed in Bangkok, getting oriented to Thai culture, and learning about the plight of children living in slum areas outside the city. We volunteered at a daycare center in one of these slum areas, with the help of Japanese missionary, Rev. Matsushita and his wife.

We then headed up to Chiang Rai, where we worked with Akha Churches in Thailand to build a shelter in a remote village called Hoi Chom Pu. We stayed in the village for three days--eating delicious stuff like rice, mountain veggies and meat from a freshly killed hog (we also ate some other stuff like ant eggs and and various hog "parts"). The Akha people were lovely and were happy to share their lives and culture with us. The shelter/church building project was carried out with generous funding from Soroptimists International, Japan.

We returned to Chiang Mai after this, to visit a number of Christian ministries which offer help to hill tribes peoples: The House of Love and The House of Hope (both AIDS orphanages) and the House of Blessing (a daycare serving underpriviledged hill tribes children). We also had the chance to have a joint class with students studying Japanese at Chiang Mai University.

This two-week trip was a great chance to put KGU's motto "Serve the World" into practice, as well as a great chance to get to know one another better.

See the full pictoral report at:

http://www.davidsonjapan.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=701

A Busy School Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:50:00 +0000

At this year's "Bunka-sai" (Culture Festival), two of the clubs related to the chaplaincy at KGU had booths. The Sigma Society, which is a volunteering club, put up an exhibition advertized in this flyer.

The flyer says, "Lots of Thai Children! Pictures! Video! We've been doing volunteer work among the minority people groups in the mountains of Thailand... Riding elephants, working out in the forests! We've seen lots of smiling faces--come take a look!"

The booth was a great success, with many students and a number of teachers getting a good introduction to the work these students have been doing in cooperation with Akha Churches in Thailand and International Soroptomists.

The Fellowship group also put up a booth in front of the chapel--a long standing tradition. This year, we made "Tonjiru" - Pork Soup, a fall time favorite in Japan.

To make this soup, students first had to prepare the "konyaku"--a strange rubbery food made from a root vegetable (like a potato) we usually don't grow or eat in America. I've always thought konyaku was a little bizarre, but the tonjiru sure tasted good when all was said and done!

Good job, everybody!

Obama & Pooh sighted in Japan...

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:30:00 +0000

The Fellowship group had their annual Halloween party lately and we had lots of interesting entries for "best dressed." Pooh showed up, as well as Sen. Obama--both very popular here in the land of the rising sun!

We have about four Korean students coming to the group now, and they have been helping out with the music end of things, as well as teaching Korean language at lunchtime on Fridays. These Korean volunteers have been a real blessing to us--they are all Christian young adults who are in Japan for ministry or for study purposes. I sure do appreciate their willingness to try to communicate in Japanese to build friendships and share their love of people and of Jesus.

This week, one of the young ladies in the fellowship group decided to become a Christian. This was a big decision for her, and we wish her the best in her spiritual journey!

New Friends from the USA

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:24:00 +0000

Kanto Gakuin has been inviting international exchange students to participate in our campus life for many, many years. One of our oldest partnerships is with Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon--another institution historically related to the American Baptist Churches, USA.

This year, we had 11 students from three different American universities (Linfield, University of Arkansas, and University of Minnesota) come to share the fall semester with us. These students study Japanese, learn about Japanese culture and religion, and get to make friends through a "buddy program."

This is a picture of this year's group, with some of their buddies. Let's pray that they have a great semester, full of new and enriching experiences.

Funny Lucky Charm

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:24:00 +0000

This caught my eye in a knick-knack store in Kyoto. It's the shape and size of a traditional o-mamori.

An o-mamori is a small (usually) fabric good luck amulet sold at temples and shrines in Japan. The name of the temple is usually written on one side, and the "wish" written on the other. Sometimes, o-mamori have a piece of paper in the middle for you to write a specific wish on. O-mamori are usually for safety, good luck in business, for passing a test, to ensure love in marriage, etc., and they're often attached to backpacks, cell phones or rear view mirrors.

But this caught my eye. First of all, it was not sold at a temple, but at a knick-knack store. Second it says, "Good luck in Soccer!" and, where the name of the shrine is usually written, it says, "Club Activity Shrine!"

This is obviously not a real shrine--it's just being marketed as a good luck charm by some businesspeople. A little confused by this, I asked one of my students, "Are you offended that this religious item is being copied by businesses so they can make money?" She laughed and said, "Of course not--it's just cool looking."

I thought, "Hmmm... Another good example of the difference between the Japanese notion of Shinto as a 'religion' and the western idea of Christianity as a 'religion.'" Can you imagine going to your neighborhood 7-Eleven and buying a single-serving "Holy Communion packet?" Think about that for a minute!

Beautiful Kyoto!

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:24:00 +0000

In early September, the Fellowship group took a three-day trip to Kyoto, the capitol of Japan back in the olden days. Look at this picture! This is the biggest group we've had at a Fellowship summer trip for about 5 years!

We tried something new this year--a suggestion from our dedicated planning team: to take an overnight bus back and forth to Kyoto. Wow--a SEVEN hour drive! Do you think anybody slept on the way down there? If your answer was "yes," you've obviously not worked with college students for a while...

We did the Kyoto thing--going around to get a taste of the rich history of this city, visiting a number of temples, shrines and gardens. But we also had a fun time doing everyday things--riding the buses, chatting in restaurants, relaxing in the public baths at the end of a long day. Lots of friendships were strengthened, a few new ones were made.

For more pictures of our trip, see http://www.davidsonjapan.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=593

"O-hisashiburi"

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:37:00 +0000

"O-hisashiburi!" means something like, "Wow, it's been a long time!" in Japanese. Standing in front of the Kanto Gakuin Mission House here are the current residents of apartment B (the Davidson family), and the Miyake family, who lived in this apartment up until 2000. The Miyakes were in ministry in Japan for eight years. Ron served as a missionary teacher at the Miharudai high school campus of Kanto Gakuin, and Carol assisted at the Mutsuura Preschool, among other ministry activities. What a joy to be able to visit with them and to hear their stories of "days gone by" here at the Mission House.

The current Mission House was built about 35 years ago, and has four apartments--two for families and two for single missionaries. Though only two of those apartments are being used as residences at this time, one of the other apartments is being put to good use as a weekly meeting place for both the Sigma Society (a college volunteer club), and the Fellowship group. We also use it to house guests coming to volunteer in Japan through the ABC/USA.

Ron and Carol are now active in Evergreen Church in Southern California, and are enjoying their ministry in the US. God's blessings be with them!

"The Amenables" hit Japan!

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:06:00 +0000

Lawrence, Woun, Sun, and Jeremy--a praise band called, "The Amenables." They took Japan by storm! Well, anyway, they were very well received at Soshin Jr. High and High School and at Kanto Gakuin University, where they led worship and got to share their gifts with students one-on-one.

Here at KGU, they did two chapel services--on two different campuses--and rocked the house with an tripped out version of "As the Deer" as well as a number of original compositions. "Wow--those guys can play!" said one student. Another wrote, "超～良かった！{heart}" ("Totally fabulous!")--Maybe she had a little crush???

Anyway, after a long day, I figured the guys needed a break, so we went to Miura no Yu, a cool public bath right underneath a suspended train track close by. YES, that sounds like a strange place for a spa, and it is. But anyway, once you get inside Miura no Yu, there are plenty of ways to relax. Everybody especially liked going into the hot sauna until they were beet red, then plopping into the freezing cold "mizu-ba" (cold water bath). Yikes!

The Amenables joined us in a Fellowship group meeting and got to spend time jammin' out with a group of 12 Korean Campus Crusade for Christ summer volunteers, too. Everybody in Asia seems to know the song "Kimi Wa Ai Sareru Tame Umareta!" So we had a "Kimi Wa" songfest in Japanese and Korean...

Thanks for all your energy and tireless ministry here in Yokohama, guys! We love ya! Come back soon!

The Amenables are related to Japanese First Baptist Church of Seattle, WA, though a few are members of other churches, as well. For a complete report of The Amenables' trip, or to find out more about them, check out their website at:

http://www.jbcseattle.org/amenables/home.html

"Pray for me!"

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:56:00 +0000

...was probably what Bob was thinking when he was eating this "sazae"--Japanese conch--during a recent visit to the Tokyo bay area (Barb looks like she could have handled it though, huh). Bob is a volunteer with American Baptist Churches Board of International Ministries who travels the globe to provide pastoral care to missionaries and their families. He also trains in prayer ministry.

He and his wife, Barb, were on their way back from Thailand and were able to spend a few days with us in Japan. While here, he got to meet a few other mission colleagues and to lead a seminar in prayer ministry with pastors in the Japan Baptist Union. Lots of hard work, mixed in with all this fun!

He also did a great job entertaining our kids with his crazy Italian, NEW JERSEY accent--"Woada--can I get a glass a woada please!"

Take a moment to lift up a prayer for the Santillis as they continue to serve in ministry around the world!

Back to the Beginnings...

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:06:00 +0000

We often get the chance to host visitors to Kanto Gakuin, but recently, we had a rather special opportunity. Three guests from the US were able to join Tokyo-based colleague, Roberta Stephens and me on a tour focusing on the history of Baptist missionary work in Japan. Much of that history is centered right here in Yokohama.

Rev. Ebistubo (the stately looking fella' in front) is a Baptist history guru, and (among many other places) he led us to this hard to find monument in Yokohama--it was the original site of the Yokohama Baptist Seminary. The seminary, founded in 1884 by American Baptist missionary, A.A. Bennett, would eventually become Kanto Gakuin, a school system which now serves over 16,000 students annually.

Missionaries have had a long and rich history here in Yokohama. To find out more about Baptist work in Yokohama, take a quick look at my gallery at:

http://www.davidsonjapan.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=389

ABC/IM East Asia Area Director, Stan Murray is standing here with Rev. Oya of Yokohama First Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist church in Japan (est. 1876). Rev. Nathan Brown, the first pastor of this church, is a famous man! He completed the first translation of the New Testament into common Japanese with the help of a Japanese partner, T. Kawakatsu, back in the 1880s. A very rich legacy!

"Strike!"

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:20:00 +0000

The Fellowship student group at Kanto Gakuin University has gotten off to a good start this year. Having begun the year with just a little over 10 students coming regularly, we now have nearly 20 coming to each meeting.

We decided to begin the year with a party to welcome new students--a bowling party. Wow, I had forgotten how bad I was at bowling. Bowled a 141 in my first game, but a whoppin' 69 in the second. How's that for consistency!?!

A big blessing is that many of the incoming students are women. For almost 4 years now, the Fellowship has been composed of 90% men! So it was good to balance things out a bit with this incoming group of students.

Each meeting, students lead a discussion based on a topic they've chosen. In each session, we've done a short devotion using Henri Nouwen's book "Bread for the Journey," in Japanese translation. We've got a few musicians who've entered the group this year, so maybe we can convince some of them to do the music for our opening praise time as the year goes on...

We're looking forward to a fun and fruitful year!

A Homecoming

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:23:00 +0000

Dr. Raymond Jennings served as a chaplain and missionary teacher here at Kanto Gakuin from 1948 to 1960. He and his wife, Irene, came to Japan with two children, and another was born here--she's standing on the left in this photo.

A memorial service was held in Dr. Jennings' honor at Kanto Gakuin Church on April 6, 2008. We had the opportunity to remember a wonderful family who contributed much to KGU and to the wider Christian church in Japan.

While Dr. Jennings was in Japan, he worked both at the University and at the fledgling Baptist seminary--at that time located right here at Kanto Gakuin. Though he was surely no stranger to debate, he seemed to have been loved by a great number of folks here, as his memorial service was atttended by well over 100. He was a broad-minded Baptist, and left a legacy of building bridges.

For more information on Dr. Jennings' life and work, see:

http://www.rayjennings.com/index.html

I was very interested to talk with two of his children who were able to attend the ceremony (along with their mother, Irene). They were raised right here on Kanto Gakuin's Mutsuura campus, and it appears that things were different back then! Yanagicho--a housing development near us--was a swamp; the large, busy road in front of the campus was unpaved; and Americans were getting 350 yen to the US dollar (over 3 times the current rate!). Ah, the good old days!

Volunteer Trip to Thailand, Spring 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:19:00 +0000

Though Kanto Gakuin's overseas development and volunteer work began with an association with the Karen minority group in Thailand, for the last four years, we have also worked among the Akhas living close to Chiang Rai. In this trip, members of the Sigma Society and Olive Branch--two college volunteer organizations, helped build a multi-purpose building in Doi Chang, along with our partner organization, The Akha Churches in Thailand. The building will be used as a community center and as a disaster shelter, as well as a place for a church to meet. We went to Chiang Mai to learn about work being done for AIDS orphans and in the area of AIDS prevention, as well. It was a good trip, exposing us to the reality of life for people without full citizenship rights in Thailand. A real chance to reflect on our call to be the "salt of the earth."

Mr. Kanda, a graduate student and member of Soshin Baptist Church is the leader of these two student groups. From this year, I've become their faculty advisor.

Check out the picture gallery for a virtual tour of the tour!

http://www.davidsonjapan.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=476

"Anyong haseyo"

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:37:00 +0000

...is the way to say "Hello!" in Korean. A couple of times a year, the students in the Fellowship group at Kanto Gakuin University get the chance to meet up with some Korean counterparts. This January, for about two weeks, a group of 10 came from South Korea--all volunteers with the South Korean Campus Crusade for Christ.

These students are always a pleasure to be with--lively, joyful, and truly good-natured. This group was particularly strong and we had a good time getting to know them. But just imagine the communication hurdles. Times like these make everybody realize how useful English really is!

A moving moment in this group's visit occurred at the beginning of our last Fellowship meeting together, when we all sang the well-known song, "Give Thanks." With one of the Korean students at the piano, everyone sang the first verse in English, and the second in their native language--English, Japanese or Korean! A beautiful cacophany of gratitude for our many blessings!

It occurred to me again that the good news we have in Jesus knows no boundaries.

"Worship South" Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:06:00 +0000

These are a few of the kids who come with their parents to a monthly English worship gathering we host here at the Kanto Gakuin mission house. We have always called this gathering "Worship South" for the strange reason that, when we started it back in 2005, there was a similar group meeting in central Yokohama--we were the southern group, thus the name. Unfortunately, though, the group in central Yokohama stopped meeting this year. Maybe we ought to change the name of our group, huh?

Every month we have a potluck meal at 5:30, then begin an informal, emergent style worship time at 6:30. One of our teens looks after the kids. 30-35 people usually attend, and we're from all different sorts of church backgrounds (some from no church background at all), so the discussions are always lively and invigorating. We've often used video to start discussions, a big hit being the "NOOMA" series by Rob Bell.

Last month, we had a "Thanksgiving" theme, so the kids made a "Thank You Chain"--each link is a prayer to God and has a "thank you for..." written on it by one of the kids. Of course, as for us parents, these kids themselves are some of the "things" we're most thankful for!

A Safe Place

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 04:34:00 +0000

KGU's Institute for the Study of Christianity and Culture recently sponsored a lecture by a 28-year old author of a book on bullying. The book came out of the author's personal experience of being bullied--an experience that eventually forced him to quit school altogether.

As he shared his experience with over 200 students and teachers, it occurred to me that having a "safe place" is very important for people. The speaker explained that when he tried to tell his parents and teachers about the bullying that was going on, they basically replied, "Are you sure it's not your fault?"

Interestingly, one of the students asked him about whether or not he ever used his school's counseling room. "Well," he said, "a school counseling room is an okay idea, but the fact that you have to go to it reaffirms the notion that you're 'different' and that you have 'problems' to discuss. What I really wanted wasn't a place to go talk about my 'problems,' but just a place where I could be normal with other people--a place where I was accepted for who I was."

This struck me as so true. We all need a place to be fully accepted for the special creations of God that we are--a safe place. Church is supposed to be that kind of place for people, of course, but in a culture like Japan's, where participation in church is not part of mainstream life, "safe places" are sometimes hard to find.

At the Kamariya campus of KGU, I've been holding a "Chaplain's Lunch" every Friday. There's no program--it's just a time for students to gather, eat and chat. Hopefully, it's providing a safe place to some of our students. Heaven knows we all need to find a place like that.

Fellowship group at KGU "Culture Festival"

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:36:00 +0000

Last weekend, we had the annual KGU Culture Festival--a fun three days of making and selling food and relaxing with friends.

This year, The Fellowship group on campus decided to do an "American food" theme--with Johnsonville brats, clam chowder, nacho chips and American soft drinks. All went over really well, though nobody seemed to like the root beer!?!

I asked the group after all was said and done, "Well, how much did we make?" "Hmmm...," she said, "I think we broke even." "Yikes! What are we doing this for?!" I thought. Then I remembered that we're in Japan and just doing something together is sometimes the point of it all. That's not such a bad thing....

Oh yeah. Here's something fun--a movie clip of one of the student bands that was playing on the green. The real Japan!

For more pics of The Fellowship's booth at the culture festival, see:

http://www.davidsonjapan.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=301

An old friend...

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 13:30:00 +0000

It's nice when folks come back into your life... One of these fellas to the left was in my elective Bible class at KG high school a couple of years ago. After he graduated, I imagined I'd never see him again. But lo and behold--he's come to Kanto Gakuin Church a number of times this summer--interested in learning more about becoming a Christian.

All of us are growing and changing, obviously. As we grow older, questions arise we didn't have before, and options open up to us--mental, emotional, spiritual options. It's great to see people growing--it's a very natural thing. With God's grace, I'll keep growing, myself.

"Elijah" appears...

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:13:00 +0000

Did you know there was such a thing as "Japanese Christian HipHop?" Hmmm... I didn't either, until yesterday. "Elijah" came to the Kamariya campus yesterday to give a concert and share his faith story. A good message about the unconditional love of God to the 50 or so students cranned into the small room we use for chapel on this campus.

When I first arrived in Japan, I was interested in the draw of African-American culture here. Gospel music is quite popular and some folks pay up to $20 per session just to practice with gospel choirs around the Tokyo-Yokohama area. Can you imagine that? Someone paying to be in your choir!

Everybody wants to feel free, right?--unrestrained. And in a culture as socially rigid as Japan's, it's tantalizing for folks to be able to "go a little crazy" for a while and let their emotions show. We're all human...