Week 1

Only a week has passed and I already feel very at home here at CCSI and in Japan. This school is a jem! I've been blown away by the talent, skill and character of the students here. Most if not all of them are fluent in Japanese, and many in both Japanese and English. (It makes me wish I had been sent to Japanese school when I was a kid!) They're very inspiring, and I'm determined to carve out time to keep studying Japanese.

I've found that the best teachers so far are the youngest children, most of whom don't speak much English and all of whom aren't afraid to correct my broken Japanese. My listening comprehension is slowly getting better, but I have a long ways to go with speaking. 

I've been put in charge of a few classes including a 7th grade grammar class once a week, art class twice a week (team teaching with my fellow intern Heidi,) and two tutoring sessions for English/language arts. I am really enjoying teaching these classes so far and I could see myself possibly doing this into the future. 

I would appreciate prayer for a couple things. First, that I would be able to manage my time well. These past few days have flown by and as much as I've enjoyed them, I didn't spend as much time in the word and in quiet prayer and reflection as I would have liked to. I can't love and serve the people here well if I am not receiving daily and constant strength and life from God's word. 
Second, that I would have the chance to interact and create relationships with non believers here. I might do this soon at one of the English camps... but still the language is a bit of a hurdle. I'm really hoping I will be able to find a language partner who can teach me Japanese and to whom I can teach English. 

 
Bamboo Forrest next to church 
 
Dirt road leading to school
 

 
The fate of the art teacher... endless sorting of art tools.

Elementary Art Class #2... Project "Cats on a Wall"  
The view from Costco... (Fuji faintly visible to the right)
 
Something that astounded me... we leave our purchased goods at the entrance to the food court with no worries while we buy dinner.

 
A beautiful sunny day in oyumino

Unique Japanese advertising ^
 
Where I obtain my daily sustenance of onigiri and green tea 

Comments

  1. CKDJune 5, 2017 at 6:32 AM

    Great post, Sophie! So happy to hear things are going well! We miss you a bunch and are praying for you!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Purpose and Provision

So obviously, I'm not in Japan yet. But anticipating next two months I knew I wanted to keep my supporters informed as to what's going on during my internship. My sister Suza inspired me to write a blog for my time there. Hopefully, I'll be able to post nearly every day with little language and culture findings, as well as news about how God is working there. I will also be posting in these days leading up to my departure with thoughts on scripture and prayer requests.      All I can think to say at the moment is how incredibly God has already been providing for this opportunity. At the beginning of the fundraising process, right after being accepted, I frequently got a sinking feeling in my stomach when I thought about the amount of money and span of time in which I was required to have all my funds raised. I must say, God kept me on the edge of my seat. But in the past four days, a sudden rush of support appeared in my account, and I'm only $500 away from bei...
Read more

Week 4 & 5

Image
I'm tempted to make an excuse for being so late in writing another update... Busyness likely played a part, but laziness was the root. I apologize for taking so long!  The past two weeks have been packed with events as the school year is wrapping up here at CCSI. I am trying to deny the fact that my time here is already more than half way up.  These past two weeks have had plenty of ups and downs. Thankfully, more ups than downs, and God is training my stubborn heart through the downs. :)  I've especially enjoyed the privilege of getting to participate in the Alive International church (held at the chapel next to the school) praise band for the past couple weeks. It's  amazing to play alongside incredibly talented musicians, but even more so to see a  multicultural family united in worshipping God. The community I've witnessed in CCSI and the churches that meet at Honda is really unique and beautiful; a sanctuary in a place I might otherwise feel isolated. I'm s...
Read more

Back in the States!

Image
Back in the States! Note: I would like to apologize for not posting the last several weeks of my internship. I kinda fell off the wagon as things got really busy the last couple weeks. I just arrived safely home yesterday back in D.C. and reconnected with family in Annapolis.  7/28/17 I am now on the very last stretch of my internship here. I am astounded at how fast it's gone by. I return to Chiba today and on Monday my internship will officially end, though I will be spending a week with friends before leaving the country.   Right now, I am gearing up for the last of four days serving in Nagoya. The team here is a group of amazingly talented people who are all using their gifts to serve the purpose of the gospel. We are helping them wrap up their annual music/vbs camp called Kids Gospel. I love this style of ministry as it's a great way to expose kids to the gospel for the first time and connect families to the church. Every day the campers have been practic...
Read more