Nin-chan, warrior sensei...

I am happy to say that I am nearly done with my cold. YES.

So, I haven't been too incredibly busy in the last few days, though this week should change that. That being said, I made sure I took yesterday off, until 6ish anyhow, when I left to go to Machida to meet two girls who are contacts/friends of the girls (short-termers) here. We met up at Starbucks, so I could meet them and we could hang out and I could become friends with them so we wouldn't lose the contact.

It was a great meeting, and I ended up with an invitation to go out to Kamakura, where the girls are from. So, I think we got along really well and I look forward to pursuing this friendship with them so they can establish a much more important one!

Anyway... I don't even know what time I got home last night. I wanna say between 10:30 and 11. Not that it matters, but it made for a tired Janine today... not to mention that I dragged a bass on my back and a backpack with my Bible and laptop and purse stuffed on it on my front side. I'm sure it made for an interesting picture.

Well, let's see. At the prayer breakfast this morning, we all shared out of quiet times and then split up into groups for prayer. My roommate was in the group too, but she had to leave quickly afterward to head to her college. Her bike was already at the church, so she was like, why don't you take my bike home, since your's is at home?

Then, as she was getting her key for it, she said with her Korean accent, I just realized that I'm so smart.

We died laughing. No, it wasn't that she got into the top university in Japan. It was that she thought ahead of the double benefit of me taking her bike home.

Now, let me mention that I got only a little bit down the road on the bike before it started raining. So, I walked the bike the rest of the way home. Joy!

Anyhow. I rushed to my English class... which... wow, do you know how many activities you have to plan for 2 6 year olds in a 35 minute period? Let's just say this class could get interesting, but they are super cute. They may already know this.

So, the kids call me Janine-sensei. Is that not really cool? For real. I feel like I've been imparted with some special ability and the accompanying aura when that happens... and then class starts.

To accompany this greatness: My nickname here, among the group and at the Fuse is: Nin-chan. (Neen-chan)... which sounds like Ninja when you say it.... Janine-sensei... Nin-chan...

Yes, I am destined for black masks and karate moves.

So, this morning, in the line of less superficial (though amusing) things... we talked about some of the things going on here... and what God is doing in the lives of some of the kids... and how some of them are at a decision point and different family influences going on. Family is super important here... Like in a co-dependent sort of way. There's lots of books about it.

But some of the group had a good conversation with a young man here, who spent lots of time at the Fuse and is really a part of the community and thought he was a Christian, but he hadn't quite understood it all yet (not that you have to understand everything)-- but the whole message of the cross when he talked, you knew he didn't understand. One person in particular had a long talk about it with him and challenged him on it... and he walked away a little hurt by it... but a couple of nights later (not sure on the time frame when that first conversation had), when on the subject with someone else who didn't know about this previous conversation, he said, I believe that Jesus came to die on the cross and save me... I believe it though he has some issues with proclaiming it because of his father. So, we were really happy to see that God has been working on his heart and that he really thought about where he stood with Christ. God definitely has a call on his life, and so we are waiting to see what God is going to do. Even now, he was talking about how his mom says that he's changing, being nicer... and he was complaining the other day-- I can't even litter anymore!

There's another girl who seemed to be in the same boat last December, but then she had a definite, deep experience with God, and she drastically changed. God has a real call on her life too! She still has a fear of rejection from her family, but we're trusting and waiting on God to work with her on that.

One of the other guys, who I think I wrote about, Ma-kun, he's become a Christian... and boy, can you see he's a changed man! We're believing for many stories like this!!

Anyway... I need to get to a few other things and then I'd like to make up tonight for the sleep that I missed last night.

Catch ya'll later!