あけましておめでとうございます! (Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu!)...or something like that...Happy New Year!

I may not be showing it quite as boisterously as this crowd, but I'm pretty excited about the New Year myself.

Not so much the holiday (though hanging out with family will be awesome) but about the actual new year ahead. I know God has some awesome things planned, and I'm excited to discover them- one day at a time. You never know what our God has up His sleeve... :)

Happy New Year!


Speaking of new things...a hopeful thought:

Revelation 21:1-7:
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Merry Christmas!

The chapel scheduled for last Friday was canceled because of snow (sad), but highlights of the week include...

-Making tempura with the family (Honea style: it was a team effort involving a fondue pot, a bit of mess, a bit of guess work, laughter, and lots of very tasty food!)

-Reading William Axling's "Japan on the Upward Trail", an interesting read on the history of Christians in Japan from the arrival of Jesuits in the early 16th Century. (from the perspective of a missionary who had been there 20+ years, and copyright 1923- what a different world it was then!)

-Meeting with 3 adult Sunday School classes at 1st Pres, Danville to share about Tokyo, ministry, and my calling there (a joy to reconnect with members of the church where I grew up: they are always full of encouragement!)

-Oh, and of course, because there was snow, I couldn't resist reliving my childhood: my two younger siblings and I dragged out old plastic sleds and spent a morning blazing icy trails behind the house :)
("Don't worry, Mom, we'll bail out before we hit the trees!")

-and last but certainly not least: Christmas with the Family! We celebrate whenever the most of us can gather together (only 7 of us this year), and that was this morning. So by the Honea Calendar, Merry Christmas!

Let it snow, let it snow...wait! Quit snowing!

One of the things I love about this phase of ministry (pre-Tokyo preparation and support team development/fund-raising) is sharing the excitement. I get all of these opportunities to talk to people about what's going on in Japan, why I'm going, different things I will/might do, experiences from my brief trip this past summer, ways that they (you!) can be involved...I get excited just thinking about it.

One of the awesome ways I get to share is by speaking in chapel tomorrow to about 220 students at Westover Christian Academy, where I spent 13 years of my life. I'm so excited about getting them excited, and encouraging them to shine their light, and sharing practically what that means/looks like...should be really fun. Unfortunately, this lovely snow means school is canceled today, and if it keeps up will be canceled tomorrow as well. Which means no talk :(

So I'm praying the roads clear enough for school to meet tomorrow (and for other meetings I have over the next 2 weeks), and if they don't, that I have a good attitude about it :) Should I worry about the weather? Certainly not: I am confident it is firmly in God's control.
So I might as well enjoy it... :)

It's Christmas time, in the city...

The Christmas tree in the Ginza district of Tokyo (location of Grace City Church). Gorgeous. From what I hear, the western world has done a great job sharing Christmas with Japan. The commercialization, pretty decorations, lights, and presents, that is...kind of like Valentine's Day.




Fun thing to do on Christmas in Tokyo? One suggestion: "snap a shot of Colonel Sanders dressed up as Santa Claus outside a KFC. Apparently the chain takes advantage of their similar look into confusing people that KFC is some kind of Xmas tradition. The lines there on the day are around the block." Sad as I am about the lack of meaning in the celebration of Christmas in Tokyo (not to mention here, but that's another story), I cannot help but find this absolutely hysterical :) You know, old white guy, white hair, lots of red...heehee

Happy Advent

I know, I'm way off topic as this has no exciting updates about ministry in Tokyo, (and when I started this blog I swore to myself I wasn't going to give rambling sermonettes), but I promise there is a connection!

Yes, we are now in the first week of Advent- it's officially Christmas time! Let the Christmas music, pageants, and ridiculous amounts of cookies begin!

It's a season of expectation, looking back on the birth of Christ and forward to what He has planned next. It is a season of joy and peace, because Immanuel has come, and God is still with us. Unfortunately, I realized my mind has been far too mooshed up with thoughts of final projects, exams, planning for break, and when am I going to fit in fundraising?...basically too (unnecessarily) stressed to enjoy and rest in Him. What a heart-breaking realization!

Rest is an important part of shining the light of Christ: we must bask in His light so that we can in turn shine it out to others.

“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him,
for he shields him all day long,
and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.”
~Deuteronomy 33:12

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow- what a week. Woke up Saturday morning in pain and rushed to the hospital. In summary, kidney stones are not fun. But on a side note, morphine is delightful :)

Unfortunately, people tend to get kidney stones over and over, and life is yet young- lovely.

But, (prepare yourselves, this is going to be sap-tastic) I'm really thankful. Of all the times to happen, Saturday was perfect. I didn't miss much, Katie was awesome and spent the whole day in the hospital with me (and was able to get a sub for work at the last minute), Josh was following a doctor in the emergency room that morning anyway, and they were just a few of the many friends/family who have cared for me and checked up on me. Plus, I could spend this week recuperating (and hanging out with family and eating waaaay too much food).

People occasionally ask what scares me about going into missions overseas, and honestly I had been a little concerned that nothing really did. I mean, sure there are "scary" things, but nothing I was legitimately afraid of. Now I've found it: the thought of getting sick, of having these again, but even worse in a foreign country, totally freaks me out. But you know? It's ok. As crummy as it is to have kidney stones (and there are much worse problems to have), God orchestrated it in His timing. And no matter what other crummy things happen, they happen right when God plans them to, even though they usually don't feel like it at the time.

Thanks, God, for the reminder. And for awesome people in the tough times. And for never leaving me. No matter what.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a small world after all...

Aaaaaah! *that is a cry of frustration, because after typing the title, that annoying song is stuck in my head. I think my Mom is to blame.... ;)

But the point is, sometimes the world feels very small when God brings about amazing connections with incredible people. This week that amazing connection was a phone conversation with a delightful lady named Ora Reed. You know those people who just pour out sunshine? Not the fake "I'm-always-cheerful-see?" kind, but genuine love and light, and you can't help but instantly like them. Ora is one of those people.

You can read all about her on her website, but allow me to briefly introduce you: Ora is a jazz singer, 3-time cancer survivor, has traveled all over the globe, and currently spends most of her years singing in Japan. And Ora is a Christian. She shines the light of Christ, and gets to meet so many people wherever she goes. Amazing woman. And when she is in the states, she is here in Jackson, Mississippi! (Hence our connection.)

I invite you to pray with me: praising God for Christians like Ora Reed who are shining His light in Tokyo, and praying specifically for Ora this week, that God would bless her and shine through her in ways beyond our imaginations.

Ever notice how "vocation" is almost exactly like "vacation"? :)

Over the past weeks, well, months, I have had "vocation" on my mind quite a bit. There is the obvious: call to ministry in Japan, but also my current vocation(s) that I often don't value enough. I was reminded of this again last night as I was encouraged by a great friend to take advantage of the present. Only somehow, it sounded way less cheesy when he said it :)

In addition to preparing for ministry in Japan next year, I have a calling NOW to the awesome people all around me, and plenty of things to do and glorify God through. One of those fun things I get to glorify God through is my current calling as a music student, and my plan was to post a few songs to share a little bit of that with you. However, that is turning out to be harder than I anticipated, so stay tuned! I'll figure it out one of these days...

Ok, my post for the day is kind of cheating, as it lacks any creativity on my own part, but check out the Lowther's website! (There have some great articles and videos)

In fact, you'll probably hear a good deal about them in the months/years to come, so perhaps I should go ahead and "introduce" you.

Meet the Lowther Family: Roger, Abi, and their 3 sons, and you'll just have to trust me that they are truly awesome people :) You can see more about them on their site, but the basics are that Roger and Abi are professional musicians also working through Mission to the World, and I'll be serving with them in Tokyo next year! Roger is currently in the states for a few weeks, and I had the chance to meet with him last week, which was very exciting. Until I am in Tokyo myself, I am enjoying hearing about their past/current ministries, and starting my ministry by praying. For example, this weekend Roger is at the big Missions Conference: will you join me in praying for his time there, safe travels, and Abi and the boys in Tokyo?

Reflection...

Even though we're not having particularly cool weather at the moment, something about fall inspires me to look back on life. Do you ever think about every big decision, trivial choice, or even circumstance beyond your control that have worked together to place you where you are right now? Not in a "aw, man if only I had..." kind of way, but in a "woah. God is incredible," kind of way.

For example: I am currently preparing to be a missionary to Tokyo. God called me to this ministry this past summer, shortly after a 2 week trip. A trip I wouldn't have gone on if I hadn't known I have an interest in missions thanks to an internship the summer before, a connection with the missionaries (who taught one of my classes while in the states), and a life-long interest in Japan (simply because I was born there). I wouldn't have met those missionaries or gotten into that internship if I wasn't here at Belhaven. I wouldn't have even considered coming to Belhaven if I had decided to major in clarinet instead of piano. And I wouldn't have decided to major in piano if I hadn't gotten mono/asthma my junior year of high school. Phew. Did that make any sense? Because those are just a few of many factors that have brought me here.

Isn't God incredible?

I highly recommend this kind of reflection. Who would've thought I would be honestly thankful for spending a year of my life pathetically sick? I had no idea what awesome things God had planned. And I can't wait to see what's coming next...

"Ue O Muite"

So, I found this random video, and my initial reaction was giggling at the absolutely fabulous dancing and amusing music. I tried to put it on here, but I am apparently incompetent, so... click here to watch, and enjoy :) It might just be the best 3 minutes of your day.

(by the way, apparently, this is the biggest international hit by a Japanese pop singer)

But then, as usual, I started over-thinking it. I looked at a translation of the song, and a brief summary is, "I'm all alone, and though my heart is filled with sorrow, I'm trying not to cry." And I know it's just a sappy love song, but...well, unfortunately, it has truth. I am by no means an expert, but I feel it is especially true of many in Japan: so hopeless and full of sorrow, but putting on a smile, whistling a happy tune, and trying to act like everything is perfect.

Will you join me in praying for the lonely and sorrowful, those in need of love and hope, especially those in Tokyo?

So Photogenic...

My latest adventure is getting a decent picture to put on an official Prayer Card. Which should be easy, right?
As you can see, taking serious, professional-looking pictures has always been one of my gifts (*note extreme use of sarcasm*)
MTW doesn't seem to approve, but I don't see why...who wouldn't pray for that face, right? ;)

Pretty Spiffy, Huh?

I decided it was high time for some fun facts about Japan, but there are so many to choose from...so I went with the cool gizmos and gadgets.

Check it out. (Yep, the title up there is a link to the Top 10 Strangest Japanese Gadgets.)

I think my personal favorite would have to be the Ear Wax Camera/Cleaner...because who doesn't want to see that? But then again, that futuristic automatic door (that forms to the shape of whoever is about to walk through) does sound pretty cool...

But if you're in the mood for some more useful info, check out these sites:

MTW Japan or MTW Tokyo

Story Time

That's right, Story time! Many people ask me, why Japan? Well, for many reasons. Today I'll just set the stage with the beginning of the story:

My journey to Japan started with a 10 month trip, that I unfortunately do not remember at all. But I have a few stories passed down to me from my parents. One of my favorites is when they went to visit a temple- really cool cultural experience, right? Wrong! The second they crossed the threshold, I started screaming my head off. Idol worship? Not this kid.

Yep, made in Japan. I was going to post a picture of an awesome "Made in Japan" tattoo, but well, let's just say if you get it done, you might as well do it right: Barbie-style.
...maybe I should go with a classier picture...






Here we go. Much better. "Made in Japan." We see it everywhere, and I have the privilege of claiming that statement.




And just for the record, no, I do not have a tattoo...yet ;)

Step One, Complete!

That's right, step one: become a 2 year missionary with Mission to the World, is now complete! To the right is a picture of a few of us with our spiffy new "bling", aka official name badge.

Step two: finish Interview and Orientation tomorrow, and head back to Mississippi.

Step three: actually use this lovely blog I have created...more than every other week.

こんにちは, aka Hi!

As you may have noticed, my name is Ellie, which comes from the Greek meaning "shining light", which as you also may have noticed, is the theme of the blog (spiffy, eh?). My inspiration is even spiffier: Christ's words found in Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." That is my aim. To take all the love, and gifts, and, well, light, God has given me, and shine it out generously to others.

Right now, my adventure is focused on my journey to become an official missionary. The next step in the process is to go to a week of Interview and Orientation this month in order to, Lord willing, become a missionary to Tokyo, Japan with Mission to the World- pretty exciting!



[* if you have stumbled upon this page, my deepest apologies for your eyes as I attempt to navigate the blogging world and get it presentable, but hopefully by the time you read this, it is beautiful]