Christmas in Japan 2012

We are thankful to the many people who sent emails, facebook messages, and cards wishing us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Tauna's mother thoughtfully sent our address to everyone, so we have an abundance of Christmas cards decorating our living room.  Each day we went to the mailbox and found a Christmas card waiting for us.  It felt a little more like Christmas with all the love from overseas.

Christmas Cake and spread during TLC Christmas Party.

Many people have asked us these two questions:
Is there snow over there?
Do they celebrate Christmas in Japan?

No, it doesn't snow in Tokyo.  Well, not like it snows in the mid-west.  It can snow in Tokyo, but most days are around 50 degrees and sunny.  It does snow in northern parts of Japan and in the mountains.

Yes, they do celebrate Christmas in Japan!

Christmas here is more like Valentine's Day. Stores and streets are decorated with Christmas lights and you frequently hear hymns and carols.  Christmas lights are very romantic.  On Christmas Day, you and yours truly eat KFC and Christmas Cake (shortcake with whipped topping).  When we were walking home from Christmas Eve service the streets were lined with clerks dressed in Santa suits trying to sell us chicken and Christmas cakes.

We celebrated with our church family all weekend.  A few of us dressed in Santa suits and brought gifts to the families in the congregation who had lost loved ones during the year.  We also had a joint service between the English and Japanese congregations on the Sunday before Christmas.  Pastor Sekino gave the sermon in Japanese and Erik read the translation in English.  Together we sang hymns in both languages.  Afterwards we had a Christmas party.  Those who were new members, recently confirmed or baptized were introduced and presented flowers from the children. We even danced the hula!  And of course, we ate Christmas cake!

Christmas Eve services were beautiful.  There was a special service just for children. The children reenacted the Nativity Story.  The Japanese service was beautiful with hymns and hundreds of candles.  At the start of the English service we had some excitement when a woman sat down and her hair caught on fire from the candle (she was okay).

Christmas Day we skyped our families.  Erik went with Pastor Sekino to visit more people, and Tauna went to the Hongo Center for the Children's Christmas party.

Santa visits TLC during Christmas Party.

It's hard to believe it's already the third day of Christmas here. After a busy month of Japanese lessons, orientation, and serving Tokyo Lutheran and the Hongo Center, we are spending these days sleeping in, exploring our neighborhood, and catching up on our Japanese vocabulary.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
~Erik & Tauna

Thanksgiving

Erik and Pastor Sekino both read from Psalm 100.

Pastor Sekino gets some advice on turkey carving.

We truly have many things to be thankful for.  This time last year we were still living in Wisconsin.  Erik was working part time in a chocolate shop and Tauna was working at the church as we both patiently waited for Erik to receive a pastoral call.

What a difference a year makes!  We are so thankful to be able to serve God as missionaries in Japan.  We are grateful the first month has gone smoothly.  We are thankful for the many people from JELC, JELA, Hongo, and Tokyo Lutheran Church who have helped us get settled and answered our countless questions. We are thankful for our Japanese teachers.  We are thankful for the patient Japanese employees who smile politely and bring english menus when we visit restaurants and stores.  We are thankful for our new beautiful home.  We are thankful for our families and friends back home that continue to support us with love and prayers (and the occasional skype call).

For Thanksgiving day we invited the J3 Missionaries over to our apartment for tacos.  We were really excited because this was the first time we had guests over.

On Saturday, we gathered at Tokyo Lutheran Church for a feast.  Tauna helped another American girl make a turkey.  The church smelled delicious. There were about 40 people at the feast.  We all introduced ourselves and told what we were thankful for.  We had turkey, mashed potatoes, mac'n'cheese, sushi, lefse, salads and several desserts.

As we were relaxing after the meal, there was an 4.0 earthquake.*  It was a reminder that life here on earth is short.  Each of our days is a blessing from God and we must do our best each day to love one another and give thanks.

Blessings,
Erik & Tauna



*This is the biggest small earthquake.  A 5.0 earthquake is when damage starts to occur.

First Impressions

Christmas lights at Shinjuku Station.

Christmas is coming in Japan!

This afternoon we had the ELCA J3 missionaries over for a Thanksgiving meal.  We feasted on tacos and good company.  Erik and I love to host people, so we were grateful for the opportunity to feed people as well as entertain our first guests.  On Saturday we will be joining Tokyo Lutheran for a Thanksgiving Feast.  One of the members made a special trip out to Costco to purchase a turkey!  I am going to attempt to bake my first cake in my Japanese oven for the occasion.

After our feast, I went down to Shinjuku station to do some Christmas shopping.  Christmas is in the air.  The Japanese have developed a love for Christmas.  The windows of the department stores are decorated and the stores are playing Christmas music.  It looks like Christmas in the US, but after our weekend at English Bible Camp in Chiba, I am seeing Christmas a little differently.

English Bible Camp is open for anyone wanting to learn English, get out of town and meet new friends.  Those attending camp aren't necessarily Christian.  English language is taught by reading the Bible and talking with native English speakers.

On the way home from camp we started talking about Christmas.  A young woman told us that they learn how to celebrate Christmas from the Americans that come to Japan.  I asked her if she knew why we celebrated Christmas and if she knew the Christmas story.  She did not.  I then proceeded to tell her the story of how a young girl carried God's son, gave birth to him in a strange town and placed him in a lowly manger.  I was so nervous to tell her this story.  I was going to be the first one to ever tell her how God came into the world.  I had never told this story to "fresh" ears.  I was also nervous that she wouldn't understand my English.  It's hard to put into words how it feels to be in a position where you are sharing the gospel with people for a first time. I have shared God's story with people who have heard it, but pushed it away or forgotten.  It's a exciting, humbling and moving experience.  Reflecting on it brings out an emotion that moves me to tears.  

My experience on the bus ride home made me look at Christmas shopping very differently.  In Japan it is all Santa and Snowmen.  I found myself searching hard for signs of the Christ child.  The one Christmas card I saw with a picture of a church, had Santa pulled up in front with a giraffe and elephant.  I wonder how many Japanese know that we put the star on top of the tree because of the star the shepherds and wise men followed.  I wonder if they know why it's called "Christ"mas.  I wonder if they know why we gave presents.

I look forward to celebrating this Christmas with both the Christians and non-Christians.  Because even if we don't always remember why we celebrate, I know God's love will be with us as we exchange presents and feast on KFC.

Blessings,
Tauna        

Christmas light display on Mosaic Street at Shinjuku Station.

Tokyo Lutheran Church

(If you have come to this page looking for information about Tokyo Lutheran Church...please click on the new Tokyo Lutheran Church page or email pastor Erik at: erik.roth@elca.org)

Tokyo Lutheran Church (TLC)

Last Sunday I preached for the first time at Tokyo Lutheran Church!  I thought I would be nervous, but I felt comfortable preaching because I could feel the presence of the Spirit. I also played Martin Luther in a skit during the Japanese service. The skit was about Martin Luther arguing with the Pope about the sale of indulgences. It was fun, and even though I couldn't understand what the narrator said the Japanese everybody laughed and had a good time. A new and original skit is performed every year during a special "children's blessing" worship service. Last year was David and Goliath.

On Sunday there are four services; children's service, English service, Japanese service, and an evening Japanese service.  There is also a coffee/tea time following both services. My main impression so far is that the congregation is very excited and eager to be apart of God's mission.  I am looking very forward to getting to know people better.

This week I am focused on getting an English Bible study going. The Bible study is open for people of all English abilities and we are going to be looking at the Christmas story/stories. I am not really sure what to expect, but I've been told English Bible studies have been very popular in recent years.

Tauna and I are also looking forward to attending an overnight Bible Camp with the Hongo Student Center this weekend in Chiba. We looked at pictures of the conference center where the camp is going to be and it looks amazing. Look for some great ocean view pictures on our next blog entry! After the camp, we are going to have a busy week getting ready for a Thanksgiving pot-luck at TLC.

God's Love,
Erik

Erik at TLC.  They celebrated their 100th Birthday this year.

Tokyo Lutheran Website
Come Worship with us @ 10:00am.
Stay after for Coffee, Tea, Sweets, and Fellowship.
Then join us for lunch at one of the nearby restaurants.
ALL are welcome.

Questions: Email Pastor Erik Roth: erik.roth@elca.org

Settling In

Our Wednesday morning we started our Journey to Japan. Truth be told, we start the journey 1 year ago on Tauna's birthday when we applied to Global Missions. Wednesday morning we were very excited to get on the plane. We flew out of the Green Bay airport. Since it's a small airport, there was no line and everyone was extra friendly. They were very excited for us when we told them we were moving to Japan. We even saw Packer player Greg Jennings.

Beautiful Alaska The trip was long. We followed the sun to Japan and flew over the beautiful state of Alaska. Our arrival went smoothly and everyone has been very kind and helpful. We were greeted by the staff from JELC & JELA. From the airport we took a bus, then a train and walked to our apartment. More Pictures to Come! Our apartment is beautiful.  Since we have gotten married we have lived in either Tauna's apartment or with family.  This is our first home together and it's just stunning.  We look forward to living here for a while. Guide to Living in Shinjuku We've been told that our first priority right now is to "get used to Japan."  Cindy, from the JELC office, has been our hostess.  She took us to the City Hall office to get registered.  Each foreigner must register in his/her ward.  We got a special card at the airport that we had to take to the city office.  At the city office we    became official, we can now open up bank accounts and get cell phones (iphone!).  We even received special books in English as a guide to living in Shinjuku. While we were walking down the street we heard chimes on the hour play "Hey Jude." It was definitely different then the church bells in Wisconsin. Friday night we celebrated both our birthdays.  We got to sample many different Japanese foods; some very tasty some a little scary.  We had cake and the waiter even brought us champagne "on the house."  Japan has been very welcoming.  We are really enjoying the hospitality. Blessings, Tauna & Erik PS.  Tauna apologizes for the weird layout of this page.  She messed with it for over an hour:( We are working on a picture page and have plans for a video.  Update on Sunday's worship experience to come.

Almost There!

The day has arrived! Tauna and I are on our way to Green Bay for the night, and then we are off to Tokyo tomorrow morning. We have been preparing since last March when we accepted the call to Tokyo Lutheran Church, and now we can finally place faces with names. As we get ready to go, my thoughts and prayers are with all the people who have journeyed along with us, providing hospitality, friendship and support. Saying good bye to loved ones has been tough, but I am looking forward to making new friends as well as hosting people when they come to visit.  

God's Love,
Erik

Destination Delayed

Hole 3 at the Red Putter in Ephriam, WI.

Yesterday we received word that we would not be leaving on Tuesday as planned due to a visa delay. Now it looks like it will be a couple more weeks until our departure. Our hearts broke.  We've been so excited to leave.  We've been waiting over a year for Erik to take his first call. Bags were in the process of being packed and we had our final to-do list written.

To cheer ourselves up we decided to play some mini golf at the Red Putter. There is a pro tournament every summer and to qualify you must golf a game under par (42).  Besides preparing for Japan, we have been trying all summer to qualify.  We played three rounds, but were unsuccessful.  Erik won the first and I beat him the second round. I golfed my best ever, 46!

In the mean time we will continue to be patient and wait until it is time to board the plane.  I trust that God will take care of us and that we will be in Japan soon.

Blessings,
Tauna

Bitter Sweet Beginings

I recently drove down to Madison, WI to visit my friend Sarah. She is getting married in November and because we will be in Tokyo, I am unable to be there.  I used the opportunity to throw her an impromptu bridal shower and bachelorette party.  We had cake, presents, pedicures and Mexican food.

The month of August has been filled with adventures and visits with family and friends.  It's a mix of favorite restaurants, rounds of mini golf at the Red Putter and very emotional goodbyes to our mothers.

I am sad that I will miss weddings, my brother in the marching band, Thanksgiving turkey and watching the Green Bay Packers at a reasonable time.  But I am also very excited to pack up my belongings and board that plane to Japan.  While it is hard at times, I do not doubt that God has called Erik and me to Tokyo.

Blessings,
Tauna