Seoul Searching

Greetings from Kobe

I've been here nearly 3 months! And at this point things have pretty much settled into a routine, thus part of the reason why these posts have been so few lately. But I will be taking a short trip to South Korea this upcoming week. I'm not going to be in Seoul for very long but it is a necessary trip, maybe I'll find something interesting to write about there. After that, at the end of the month, I will be going to Osaka for the month of June to work with missionaries there. Not to minimize the ministry here in Kobe, but this is what I've been looking forward to for several months before the opportunity in Kobe arose.

But the big news, one I've shared with only a few people so far, is that I will be able to stay here in Kobe another year! To do this, I will be getting a religious visa which allows me to legally stay in Japan long term and get paid. That also means that I shouldn't need further financial support. (There are a few things that I could use an upgrade for, a new laptop and smart-phone are on the top of the list, but I am waiting to see what my budget will look like once everything is official before I ask for any help with those.) At this point, We are planning for me to stay until next summer. There is still some paper work to complete but we are working to get everything ready as soon as possible. I am praying that God uses this time to use me and continue to give me opportunities to serve beyond the summer of 2019.

That doesn't mean I don't need prayer, in fact I will probably need it now more than ever. Here are a few specific requests:

Loneliness – I am a bit lonely here, especially on holidays. This past week has been Golden Week, which is a week of holidays here in Japan. Because of that, I have not had classes most of this week and spent a lot of time alone. Even if I go out, there is still a language barrier and I feel as alone as if I had stayed in the apartment all day. I have also been cautious building relationships since I hadn't known if I was going to be staying for much longer. But since I know I am going to be staying here longer, I'd like to start building those relationships with people I know can speak English. Please pray for wisdom and patience as I seek out and develop these relationships.

Language – I am still struggling to grasp Japanese. A big part of it is that I don't get a chance to practice. Sure, I can say a few words to a cashier but it is hardly a conversation. This is also tied to my loneliness, in that I neither have someone to practice with nor can I speak fluently enough with someone who doesn't speak English. Please pray that God would help me learn quickly and bring the right person to help me study.

Lessons – I have been given the opportunity to teach a portion of a few classes on my own. It has mostly been the upper level classes, but there are a few where they have only learned English at school so far and need to improve their conversational English skills. I also teach a few Bible lessons too, which comes with its own challenges, specifically communicating Biblical teachings without assuming Biblical foundations. It is a new challenge for me since a majority of my students before had been raised in the church and the ones who weren't knew much of the basics culturally. Please pray for wisdom and effectiveness as I teach both English and the Bible to our students.

Once again, thank you for all your prayers and support.

- Carl