Valentine's Day in Japan
As I promised in my last post, I would explain what happened on the flight to Japan. But first...
The day after I told my parents about this opportunity in Kobe, my mother had a dream that I brought home a Japanese wife. But there was a problem, she couldn't speak English. So she was helping my mother in the kitchen but since she was not being understood, she was miming what she wanted while trying to explain in Japanese until my mother held her hands down, looked her in the eyes, and told her “Use your English!” I had to laugh because this would definitely the type of prank I would ask my Japanese (or other foreign) wife to play on my family.
Later, on my last Sunday in Tucson, as I was leaving and saying goodbye, one of the church ladies said to me “When I heard you were going to Japan, I said to myself that he's going to bring back a Japanese bride.”
With that said and the young woman I mentioned in the last post, you can probably guess where this is going.
Being a single man, I have been keeping my eyes out for a potential wife. And since it is Valentine's Day, it is a subject that is on many people's minds, including mine. But much like with other circumstances I've been in, this is not an optimal time for me to be looking for a wife. First, I am only here in Kobe and, hopefully, Osaka for a limited time, thus the time to develop a relationship in that time is slim. Second, my focus for this trip is between the ministry here and my fit in Japan. Third, there is also the concern for immigration reasons. It is possible my fiancé could be looking for a spouse visa and a shortcut to American citizenship. Or the reverse could be perceived as a means for me to stay in Japan. Additionally, there is a notorious type of person in Japan (with parallels around the world) that have a shallow infatuation with foreigners and is not the type of person I want to be romantically involved.
With that in mind, I'm intentionally avoiding looking for a relationship while I am in Japan. While I am not totally excluding the possibility of meeting someone who could be my wife, even in that case it is not my intention to pursue that relationship in a romantic way for the duration of this trip. Thus just as I waited for God for this trip and he delivered in his timing, so I will continue to wait for God's timing in this aspect of my life.
So God's timing is not without a little humor. As I was sitting on the plane to Osaka, a lovely young Japanese woman walked up and found her assigned seat next to me. She was with an older man who looked like was probably her father, he was assigned to the seat behind me. There was a bit of chatter then she asked me to move so she could switch seats, she went back one row and different guy moved forward to the seat next to me. Oh well, at least I had that moment.
Back to current events, I am beginning to adapt to Japan. I've been getting used to Japanese food and some shopping. The first day, Friday, I was totally lost when the pastor took me to a grocery story near the apartment, but as I write this on Monday, the pastor took me to a less expensive grocery story near the church (a 15 minute walk from the apartment) and I felt more comfortable. The later store felt more like the grocery stores in the U.S. which overall helped along with growing more familiar being surrounded by Japanese. And hope it has been clear that Pastor Taniguchi and family have been very helpful in making this sudden transition much more smooth.
Sunday we had three services, a children's service, an adult service, and then a youth service. While the language was different, the students acted identically to the way the same age group would act in the states which was far more comforting than expected in the chaos of students running around. It has also become apparent that even without a teaching certificate, my native English knowledge is helpful in their English Teaching ministry. I have not yet decided if I want to pursue certification when I return, but it is looking more favorable now that I have had a little taste. Perhaps the biggest barrier is still the language barrier but that will still take months, along with the power of God, to overcome.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
God bless,
Carl
p.s. here is a picture of it snowing in Kobe this morning:
Support my mission trip:
by GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/carls-japanese-mission-trip
Please include a note if you pledge to give monthly.
by Mail:
Make checks out to:
East Tucson Baptist Church
9100 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85710
Phone: (520) 917-4233
Indicate money is for Carl's Japanese Missions Trip and if you pledge to give monthly.
By PayPal:
PayPal.me/CarlErbe
Please include a note if you pledge to give monthly.
The day after I told my parents about this opportunity in Kobe, my mother had a dream that I brought home a Japanese wife. But there was a problem, she couldn't speak English. So she was helping my mother in the kitchen but since she was not being understood, she was miming what she wanted while trying to explain in Japanese until my mother held her hands down, looked her in the eyes, and told her “Use your English!” I had to laugh because this would definitely the type of prank I would ask my Japanese (or other foreign) wife to play on my family.
Later, on my last Sunday in Tucson, as I was leaving and saying goodbye, one of the church ladies said to me “When I heard you were going to Japan, I said to myself that he's going to bring back a Japanese bride.”
With that said and the young woman I mentioned in the last post, you can probably guess where this is going.
Being a single man, I have been keeping my eyes out for a potential wife. And since it is Valentine's Day, it is a subject that is on many people's minds, including mine. But much like with other circumstances I've been in, this is not an optimal time for me to be looking for a wife. First, I am only here in Kobe and, hopefully, Osaka for a limited time, thus the time to develop a relationship in that time is slim. Second, my focus for this trip is between the ministry here and my fit in Japan. Third, there is also the concern for immigration reasons. It is possible my fiancé could be looking for a spouse visa and a shortcut to American citizenship. Or the reverse could be perceived as a means for me to stay in Japan. Additionally, there is a notorious type of person in Japan (with parallels around the world) that have a shallow infatuation with foreigners and is not the type of person I want to be romantically involved.
With that in mind, I'm intentionally avoiding looking for a relationship while I am in Japan. While I am not totally excluding the possibility of meeting someone who could be my wife, even in that case it is not my intention to pursue that relationship in a romantic way for the duration of this trip. Thus just as I waited for God for this trip and he delivered in his timing, so I will continue to wait for God's timing in this aspect of my life.
So God's timing is not without a little humor. As I was sitting on the plane to Osaka, a lovely young Japanese woman walked up and found her assigned seat next to me. She was with an older man who looked like was probably her father, he was assigned to the seat behind me. There was a bit of chatter then she asked me to move so she could switch seats, she went back one row and different guy moved forward to the seat next to me. Oh well, at least I had that moment.
Back to current events, I am beginning to adapt to Japan. I've been getting used to Japanese food and some shopping. The first day, Friday, I was totally lost when the pastor took me to a grocery story near the apartment, but as I write this on Monday, the pastor took me to a less expensive grocery story near the church (a 15 minute walk from the apartment) and I felt more comfortable. The later store felt more like the grocery stores in the U.S. which overall helped along with growing more familiar being surrounded by Japanese. And hope it has been clear that Pastor Taniguchi and family have been very helpful in making this sudden transition much more smooth.
Sunday we had three services, a children's service, an adult service, and then a youth service. While the language was different, the students acted identically to the way the same age group would act in the states which was far more comforting than expected in the chaos of students running around. It has also become apparent that even without a teaching certificate, my native English knowledge is helpful in their English Teaching ministry. I have not yet decided if I want to pursue certification when I return, but it is looking more favorable now that I have had a little taste. Perhaps the biggest barrier is still the language barrier but that will still take months, along with the power of God, to overcome.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
God bless,
Carl
p.s. here is a picture of it snowing in Kobe this morning:
Support my mission trip:
by GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/carls-japanese-mission-trip
Please include a note if you pledge to give monthly.
by Mail:
Make checks out to:
East Tucson Baptist Church
9100 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85710
Phone: (520) 917-4233
Indicate money is for Carl's Japanese Missions Trip and if you pledge to give monthly.
By PayPal:
PayPal.me/CarlErbe
Please include a note if you pledge to give monthly.
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