Lows and Highs in Shizuoka

Wow these last few days have been a lot like the terrain in Shizuoka, a deep ocean on one side and high mountains on the other. Until last night, I was feeling so lonely that I felt I had no one to go to except God, i felt like an outcast within the team and I was pulling away from relationships with students, but thankfully I did go to God, or else I would still be a wreck, yesterday morning we had our team time and I was feeling like I could weep at any moment, and then it happened, bryan (our leader) called on me to share what I was struggling with, and the floodgates opened (at least as much as they open for me). My eyes teared up and I cried, sharing what I felt and how I thought it was the toughest time I have ever had emotionally. Then we went out to get lunch and discuss the bible study. After that the team split up and I felt very alone again, little did I know what the team and God had in store for me. After spending some alone time with God and venting in a couple of emails, I was feeling a bit better. And that pretty much ends that day. This morning I woke up semi-realizing that I was indeed 22 years old (though my birthday didn't officially start until about 6 hours later due to the time difference). I got in the shower, then went back up stair to get ready for our first day of teaching english, when I came back down, I was surprised to find the girls and most of the guys in the kitchen preparing banana-chocolate chip pancakes, and everyone greeting me with a Happy Birthday! Then while eating they sang to me, took pictures and gave me a present and a card that everyone signed, I will have to take a picture of it and post it somehow. Brendan even made me a hat to wear out of the newspaper, that i wore to school actually! Btw, they bought my gift when we split up after lunch the day before, when I was still feeling awful, so even though I felt horrible, they really were thinking of me. Anyway we went to school and I taught english to a bunch of 9th graders all by myself which was really fun! Then we came home, by this time I was ready to spend some major time thanking God for what he had done,which I did, and then spent some time in his word studying 1 John 3, and meditating on what it meant to be a son of God, to be set apart, chosen, to be his! Then I went to this really small, hard to find, Christian bookstore and got the story of Christ in manga (japanese comic) form to read with a student. Then I came back to Joyhouse, the house I am staying in, (this title definitely has new meaning for me now). When I arrived Shigeo, a friend that visited us in Lincoln this semester, had a gift stashed away for me in the pantry to find, it was a big pillow that looked like a burger to fit my new nickname, "Dollar Burger". Earlier in the day, Bryan had asked me if he could hang out and get dinner tonight, so we went out to a place called Cappacino (sp?) and met the owners, friends of Bryan, and really got to spend some quality time with Bryan, something I haven't really had a chance to do as of yet. After a couple hours of great food and conversation, we came home to the rest of the guys watching kickboxing, which was amazing and the guy who won was this ginormous black guy from america, he really put the beat down on his opponents. Anyway while watching this the girls trickled into the house in pairs and then we left to get ice cream at Baskin Robbins (yes they have those here), where Sarah (the girl's leader) payed for me, and I promptly dribbled ice cream on my shorts during the car ride home. Oh yeah and Jeanette gave me a card b4 we left for ice cream since she was feeling bad this morning and wasn't able be at breakfast. So then we all just sort of hung out and watched "Tommy Boy" and talked. So that was my shift from being in the depths of the ocean to the heights of Mount Fuji (which btw I will be climbing near the end of the summer, and I found out that it is over 12,000 ft high and we will be starting a sea level, for those who are hikers). Anyway I should be getting to bed, it is 1 AM here, everyone has been in bed for about an hour at least. But, one final thing, for those of you on my team that may be reading this, I don't really know how to express my gratitude to you for all that you have done to serve me. I pray that God will use me to bless you as much as you have blessed me, and more. I don't think I have ever been loved as much by the body of Christ as you have done today. I love you all so very much!!! And then to those at home I miss you guys, David and Kelly, I hope you had a great time in CO. So, I guess that is a wrap, tomorrow is our day with God (we get that every Wednesday, YAY!!!) So until next time,

Grace and Peace to you,

Dustin