Well, the day started on a good note in that I got a great night sleep. I attribute that to getting another blanket last night so I didn't wake up freezing multiple times in the night. Anyways, that's not important compared to the day's events.
So we headed to the worksite like normal. We were assigned to the Abe house again, which I was really happy about. It was also nice to be in the same house two days in a row. We got there and took out a closet floor that had lots of mold under it. The closet was right next to their ancestor worship shrine, so we had to be extremely careful, especially when we knocked out the walls. By the time we got that done it was time for break.
Right after break we left the house and went to the 'ground zero' area of Ishinomaki for a house dedication ceremony. This ceremony happens at every house once the carpenters are finished. As a side note, though, finished does not mean ready to move furniture into..Samaritans purse does everything but the painting and some special electric work that is done outside the drywall for free. After that they have to hire someone to completely finish it..even still, SP saves them a lot of money.
Anyways, back to the dedication. Everyone that had worked on the house was there, along with Pastor Suzuki and his wife. We sang worship songs in Japanese and then Pastor Suzuki gave the message in John 3:16 and told the homeowner about Jesus. When he asked the man if he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart, the man said that it was all a lot right now and that he needed some time. That is totally understandable, and Pastor Suzuki is going to follow up with him. Hopefully it will sink in soon. We prayed over him and over the house, gave him a Bible and some easy to understand stuff about Christianity, took pictures, and said our goodbyes to him. He was a very nice man, and I hope he will act on his interest in what we believe in.
It was then time for lunch, so we ate quickly. With about 2 hours less in our workday, we had a lot to get done before our day ended at 4:30. My afternoon was spent packing insulation into the walls and cavities in the floor. Over the past 2 days I have almost become more of a carpenter than a mud out person. That is totally fine with me...I really enjoy carpentry stuff. In addition to having to use math skills, doing carpentry work makes me feel like I am working with my grandpa again. There have been countless times this week where I have heard him in my head saying things like, "here, kassidy, turn the hammer this way..it will make it easier." it has been a great time to reflect on the great memories I have with my Grandpa.
Well, enough of my heartfelt moment, back to the day. We got to 4:00 and the family came home. As I said yesterday, it is a husband and wife and their 10 year old son who is a great golfer. The dad spent about 10 minutes talking with Wayne, our leader, about what types of wall he wanted and all that good stuff. Then he and the son left with the golf clubs. We finished cleaning up and then prayed with the mom. She is such an amazing lady and is so friendly. The carpenter team left in their van and us 3 mud out people were left there waiting for our ride to get there. In the meantime, we got a chance to talk to the mom a little bit (I really wish I knew enough Japanese to carry on a conversation..). When our ride was about ten minutes late we joked with her that if our ride didn't come we would just crash at her house. She laughed and eagerly nodded her head. I think she really enjoys us.
Tomorrow is my last day at the Abe house because the carpenters don't work on Saturdays and we can't work without the carpenters there. I am sad that this week has gone so fast..I wish I could stay here for a couple months more...but I am very appreciative of the opportunity I have been given, and I have enjoyed every second.
Last thing..sorry this blog is so long today.. At sharing time tonight a Japanese girl talked about working at an elderly woman's house. She said that the lady's family doesn't stop by much and all her friends and neighbors have picked up and moved away. She expressed that she was very lonely and just needed someone to talk to, so the girl sat down and had a long conversation with her. This woman sees the joy and hope we have, and it was evident she is attracted to it..hopefully God does great things in that woman's life!
Ok, that was way too much stuff, but today was a great day.
Specific prayer requests:
- Mrs. Abe-san (we don't know her first name, and we privately call her 'okaasan' which means 'mom' because she has one of those "your mom away from home" personalities) and her family...that they would know God's love and get rid of the idols in their house
- the elderly lady that was talked about in sharing time
- the gentleman whose house was dedicated today, that people would follow up with him and he would let the holy spirit sink in
Thanks for your prayers and for enduring this extremely long blog!
1 comment:
I enjoy your reports Kassidy. I love that you have memories of your grandpa surface too. It reminded me of times spent with my dad. Praying for the seeds of love you are planting to take root and flourish long after you are gone. God bless you, your team and effort!
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