one week.

I have officially been in Japan for a week & I think it has yet to hit me that I am actually staying here longer than a couple weeks, but regardless, I am thoroughly enjoying this country & their people!

fliers & candy for st. band

Sachiko, Ayana, & I

At street band in Shinyurigaoka I met my roomie's friend Sachiko & I made a new friend, Ayana; they are both such wonderful girls & I am so blessed to know them both! At street band in Sagami-Ono (Tuesday night), Christina & I met a girl named Yukiko; she was so sweet & she even sang Silent Night over the mic. . .her fearlessness is something I look up to. Also Sunday was my first time being a part of FUSE Jesus Community Church in Machida & I loved it; my friend Ayana came (which made my day) & I was blessed with a chance to see little children dancing & praising Jesus. . .seriously, there was a little boy who was dancing all over the place! The night after FUSE we had two more missionaries join us here in Japan, one of which is an old friend of mine: Ben & his lovely wife, Jolynn; I am so grateful that the Lord brought them here safely! I am excited to do ministry alongside them.

rice, beef, & onions
yum!

I have been asked numerous times how learning the language is going & all I can say is that it is difficult, but a lot of fun. I really enjoy the language & it is beautiful, but reading & writing Japanese is the most frustrating. Praise God though because I have such an encouraging roommate & such helpful Japanese friends (a big thank you to my friends Kengo, Saki, Naomi, Yuriko, Sachiko, & Ayana for their help). Phil (another missionary here) took me to a ramen place the other night & all you college students back in the U.S. . . .the ramen there has nothing on the ramen here! It was so good & overall the food here is great, but I will be honest, some things are quite interesting haha; however, it is definitely worth trying!

On Tuesdays we all meet early in the morning here at the church in Noborito (where I live) for breakfast & prayer. I find so much joy in that because it is such a huge encouragement to fellowship together (getting to know each other & hearing about how each other are doing), as well as pray together; it is extremely refreshing.

Yesterday after Japanese class, Ben, Jolynn, Isaac, & I visited a folk village (they take old Japanese buildings to a different location & restore them); it was a gloomy day, but so beautiful! Walking through the display of homes it smelled so much like fall. . .I wish I could really describe to you how sweet the smell was! It was really neat to see how these old homes were built & it left me wondering what it would be like to live in a home that had an indoor stable right next to the kitchen (I think it would be pretty interesting). The best part was sitting around little fires with old Japanese men (we would walk into a home & there would be two men sitting around a fire & we joined them) talking & learning Japanese. We did this multiple times & I don't know why, but I got such a kick out of it, haha! There is this one old guy we met that I love so much that I really wish he was my grandpa or somehow related to me! :) It was such a blessing & it's in those moments that I feel the love of Christ. . .there is something so beautiful about simply meeting with strangers in THEIR culture & sharing conversation & laughter with them despite language barriers. After dinner Isaac & I went to an international house of prayer meeting near Tokyo & that was really cool! We worshiped & prayed over Asia, Japan, human trafficking, & the harvest. It was powerful & one of my favorite things in the ENTIRE world is to hear people praying in a different language. . .to me it is so powerful & so captivating! I love being here because I get to hear the children of God praying in a different language. . .not that praying in my own language isn't powerful or isn't effective (I'm not saying that at all), it is just so beautiful for me because even though I may not know exactly what they're saying, I can feel it & I believe it is the Spirit of God moving. God is doing a great work here in Japan, as well as in the missionaries here & the ones that are not here yet!

Jolynn & I

Praise Jesus the swelling in my knee has gone down, I can actually walk on it & I have stopped taking my anti-inflammatory pills!! I only feel a little pain when I sit with my knee bent for a certain period of time & I am so excited! All glory to God :) He is my healer & provider. . .thank You Jesus! Within this past week the Lord has been overwhelming me with encouragement through my friends in the U.S. Thank you for praying for me & for sending scripture to me. You have no idea how much it has meant to me & God is using it to build me up in His confidence & love. THANK YOU! I also want to continue to thank you for your prayers & support. . .God is so faithful in providing you in my life! Please continue to be praying for the people of Japan :) They are so beautiful & I can't wait to continue sharing stories & pictures with you!!

Thank You Father for Japan

Love,
Abigail

SUPPORT INFO: Supporting the Journey to Japan. & EFT: Supporting the Journey to Japan

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance & rest is your salvation, in quietness & trust is your strength. . .'"

-Isaiah 30:15 

waiting for the others in an elevator; girls' night eating Thai food (: