God's Humor (Bromas de Dios)

The last few weeks have been a cresting wave of ministry and invested time; I was often up until 2AM and back up at 6AM.  It was spiritually and emotionally energizing--the types of deep, sincere spiritual discussions I was having late at night and the types of aid we were giving to those in need were the type of things that amp a person up and give me energy.  On the other hand, it was very physically exhausting to my body, and I critically needed sleep when it was all said and done (and during it, too).

During a tiny lull between two very heavy stretches of time, a little series of events occurred that I want to share.  To me, it was a tiny glimpse of what I perceive to be God's humor (it could also be coincidence, but I find it pretty funny either way and it seems to ring of God's humor). 

Last Thursday, I received a text from some ministry supporters who live a distance away.  They wanted to bring in some items for the free store and would be in Hays.  I told them when I would be up at The dojo/The Gamers Guild/The Free Store, and I planned to show them where they could unload.

It turned out that they arrived right during the first kid's class at the dojo, but Tella was willing to start the class so I could help direct them where to unload.  This particular kids class was the day after our 6-day Aikido camp, so only one student was present (the others were pretty exhausted from all the training the week prior or were out of town this particular day).  As we were unloading, I found out that the couple had received quite a few items from an auction--many of them were the types of items that local families need, including blankets and bedding materials.  They also had brought some nutrition bars and vitamins--I originally thought they were also from the auction as a gift to the food pantry, but later found out they were intended as a gift to me and Tella, which was very generous of the couple (and we've already been putting them to good use).  Anyway, I hurried a bit so I could get back to class as Tella's expression was telling me to hurry up and get on the mats to teach.  I thanked the couple, and then I taught two kids classes back to back like usual.

During one of the adult classes that evening, my students started joking about me teaching in Spanish--some wanted such a class to practice the language and some wanted it to have to pay extreme attention to what was happening as they wouldn't understand the words.  One student said they shouldn't joke about it or I might do it (since I've done it before).  They were right.

Thirty minutes into the class (during which I spoke only Spanish and Japanese), I was having fun using a bunch of Spanish vocabulary about body movement that I don't normally use.  About that exact time, three Hispanic families all came into the free store together.  One of the families occasionally comes in (about once a month or once every two or three months).  They had brought along two other families.  The adults only spoke Spanish for the most part, though the kids mostly only spoke English.  They asked me some questions in Spanish, and because I'd been using the language for the last 30 minutes my replies were natural and fluid.  Also, some of the items that had just been brought in that afternoon were exactly what these (and other patrons that evening) needed.

After I had helped them a few different times with questions (between teaching on the mat), they left got everything they needed and left, and my students laughed about the strange coincidence that we'd done a Spanish class and then had three Spanish families come in as we were talking in Spanish on the mats.  They didn't know the further coincidence that some of the needed items had just arrived that day, nor did they know how infrequently these families came into the Free Store to really appreciate how unlikely it was that it would be on a day we did Spanish class (which almost never happens).  It made me smile and laugh a bit on the inside as it felt a bit like the humor that God often seems to show as He helps things fall together in the right place and the right time.  It was also a great pick-me-up as I finished the big wave of ministry that coincided with the Aikido Camp I'd been teaching and prepared to hit the follow-up wave of the Prerelease weekend at The Gamers Guild (along with some further ministry opportunities and the wedding of one of my Aikido students that same weekend).

Thanks for your continued prayers and support--please feel free to come on out and work with us or talk to me over a coffee if you want to know what else is going on (though my upcoming newsletter will detail some of it).  Vaya con Dios!  (Old Spanish blessing--Go with God)

God's Faithfulness

God recurrently surprises me by showing me prayers that He's answered that I've forgotten I'd even made.  One of the best examples of that occurred to me this last week.  As I was walking into Dillons, one of the employees (who often goes to The Gamers Guild) stopped me and asked me if I'd be willing to do his wedding vow renewals.  We had a bit of a conversation, because I needed to know what both he and his wife were wanting.  First, they often have different desires and don't always communicate well, and I didn't want to step into a minefield.  Second, I wasn't sure if they wanted this to be a Christian ceremony, and I needed to know those details before I decided if I'd be willing to proceed.  We ended up agreeing that he and his wife would meet with me the following day or the day after (they were doing the renewals in three days, and I wanted to let them know yes or no at least a day in advance--preferably much earlier).

They ended up showing up at The Gamers Guild to discuss what they wanted the night before their ceremony.  It took a fairly long discussion as they did want a Christian ceremony but hadn't laid out how the event should look.  They did know some songs they wanted, but there was no sound person or sound system, just a laptop with loud speakers and a cell phone.  They also knew some of the things they wanted to happen, but they didn't have an order or timing set out.  We worked through all of those details and more (I was glad I'd done a wedding once before), and then we set a time to do a rehearsal in advance.

The day of the event, I was mostly present to be a peacemaker and keep everything running smoothly.  I hadn't had much time to prepare a message, but I trusted the Holy Spirit to give me the needed words at the time and had at least some ideas laid out.  I'd be happy to share the details of the day and the ceremony in person at any time, but that's not really the heart of the story here.

The heart of the story is that when I first met these two almost four years ago at The Gamers Guild, they'd walked in as a group of four.  The husband had a girlfriend on his shoulder, and the wife had a boyfriend.  They man introduced himself and his 'soon-to-be-x-wife', in his words, and the woman introduced herself and her 'soon-to-be-x-husband', in her words.  They also introduced their significant others.  Needless to say, I wasn't sure exactly how to respond.  I kept it polite, and I introduced them to what they could do in The Gamers Guild.  I also got to know both of them and listened to their stories.

Over time, I watched them interact with each other and wasn't sure if they should stay together or not, but I turned it over to God in prayer--praying for the best outcome for them and the people with them.  Over the next few months they went through ups and downs, but they were ultimately separate and living with others.  Fast forward to a few years later, and they are back together--not only that, but they are generally treating each other better and are moving slowly towards a healthier relationship.  I'd forgotten about the prayer I'd made on their behalf long ago, and then, out of the blue, I'm asked to renew their vows.

That's when I remembered their true history and also when I remembered what I'd prayed.  It struck me pretty hard--how could I have forgotten those prayers years ago?  How much work had God incrementally done to slowly help these two get to where they were now?  What an amazing series of events must have slowly been occurring that answered a prayer that I'd forgotten I'd even made.

I felt humbled, embarrassed, and thankful all at once.  It was an interesting moment for me, and it was one that I'm still reflecting on today.  How often has God done major things to answer my prayers only for me to no even notice all of the hard work He and The Holy Spirit have been doing in others' lives?  Isn't it crazy that He could be lovingly, painstakingly answering a sincere prayer that I made so long ago that I forgot it?  How amazing is His great love?

Thank God for his patience, forgiveness, and most of all, for His love for all of us...

The Unexpected Kingdom Work Proverbs 3:5-6

This morning had a rough plan--it's my day to get more work done for The Gamers Guild side of the outreach work we do, and I had to get a fair bit done.  Our monthly schedule switches to summer schedule in a couple of weeks, and I need to lock down the hours that we'll change to for the summer along with several big upcoming events (and make sure they fit with direct ministry events, Aikido events, and other happenings).  This involves a couple to a few hours of direct scheduling work, then double-checking them with my wife, uploading them to two websites and four facebook pages, and printing them off to distribute at the Dojo and The Guild.  I had just finished getting around and was running to Dillons to pick up some needed items when I got a call from a local fellow who is getting very involved with several ministries (and who has a building that he wants to use for ministry that may be a long-term fit for us or may be something he'll use for his own ministry initiatives--for now he's working on his own things, which is how it should be at this time).  After making sure it was ok with my wife (the mornings are also our time to be together before she's at work since I work until midnight), I ran the errand at Dillons and headed down to First Call for Help.

Once there, I chatted with this fellow and a guy who's on First Call for Help's board of directors.  Both are idea guys who will follow through, which is great, but it can lead to conflict if visions aren't 100% in line.  The fellow with the building was urging the board member to consider renting out the back of First Call for Help to us (for the Dojo or Guild) and buy the house next door for their high efficiency apartments (instead of using the back we were standing in for the apartments, which is the current plan).  He had a few good reasons, including the fact that our money could go to First Call for Help instead of some local landlord, which I wholeheartedly agree with.  However, the building they bought was bought with intention to turn the back into the apartments, and they do already own the building and are already in process of looking to do that.  Also, the space would maybe work for the Dojo but not for the Guild or free store as it is too small and doesn't have enough parking.  The ceilings are too low for a Dojo, so we couldn't use weapons inside, but in an emergency we could look at renting a space like this one.  Right now at this time, though, it's not a good fit for us.  At this time, as First Call for Help waits on drawings from an architect for the apartments and costs, it's also not a good fit for them.  In future if things fall through, though, it's good to be aware of this option.

I made sure to chat with both men to a fair degree as I could sense the visions butting heads, but I also know both men to be powerfully kingdom-driven and hard working, so a conflict is in no one's best interests.  I also wanted to make sure neither lost drive by their idea not happening--they both do good Kingdom work, and letting them become discouraged is not good for the Kingdom.  Overall, I think it went relatively well--I got a good handle on the situation and I think it opened us all up to options if things change at First Call for Help without overly discouraging anyone; it did end up taking almost two hours, though (I stayed to talk with the board member about this and other things).  After that discussion, I had a very beneficial talk with the director for First Call for Help, which took up another hour or so.  Again, this talk was highly beneficial as it let us catch up, clarified a few cases we are both working on, and it also got us on the same page with this particular idea and a few others.  I was also able to pick up some items for the free store from their back room of extra items.

Afterwards, it was already after noon, and I ran by Breathe to pick up a coffee drink to give to my wife at work.  I wasn't able to chat with her long due to how much work we both had, but it was good to still spend ten to fifteen minutes getting on the same daily page, encouraging each other, and seeing each other.  I also caught the station director--I wasn't sure if he and I were grabbing coffee at 1PM or not--we had tentatively said we might since last week didn't work out.  He said it would work for him if I wasn't overwhelmed, and I felt it would be good to do for both of us and for the Kingdom, so I agreed to meet him.  This left me 40 minutes to get home, get a few quick things done (including eating breakfast at 12:35PM), and then get back.  We proceeded to have a great chat, which lasted until about 2:15PM, which was beneficial to both of us and to some ministry things we're both doing, and then I headed home.  Once home, I had to take care of a few urgent things, and then it was time to pray and center for the day (normally something I do in the morning--now I was doing it about 3:00PM, and I have to head to the Dojo around 4:15PM, so there was no way I was going to get the schedule done anymore, much less several other items on my list for the day).  During that time, I prayed that God help me 'seek first the Kingdom in all I do', which is something I usually pray, and something interesting stuck out to me: He had already answered that prayer in my day today up to this point, and I should have realized He would do so.  In Proverbs 3:5-6 it says 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and He will make your paths straight.'  Had I done my usual day in my understanding, which would have been helpful to ministry, as well, I would have likely missed out on most or all of these things I'd experienced.  Other good things would have happened, but it was seeking God's will in each moment, not relying on my own understanding of how things should go (which would have involved me staying at home to do my usual morning routine etc.), that allowed my day to fall into place in such a beneficial way to myself and Kingdom work.  Seeking His will in each truly small thing in my day, even if it deviates from what I expect I should do, is really the best way to allow me to follow Him so He'll make my path straight--according to scripture but also to life experience (both now and previous). 

Anyway, after my reflection I hopped on here to share it (after getting some water and coffee).  One other thing that I've been adding to my life (almost daily) is to share how God's working and/or write (not necessarily on here), so I figured I'd share a bit of the ministry day today before I head out to the Dojo on my bicycle with my wife in the next five minutes.  I'm looking forward to seeing what else God has in our day, and I'm not worrying about how each little detail will shake out (though I am trying to make sure to get things done that need done in each moment as I go--right now I need to make time at some point to complete this month's schedule as soon as I can, though it may be tomorrow, and I need to make time to iron out the final details of some lifeguard classes I'm teaching later in the month).  The key, though, comes back to not worrying about what I can't control, being present in each moment, and in that moment seeking Christ.  Even now I prepare to hop on a bike and chat about the schedule with my wife on the way, but then I'll fully be in the Dojo mode, thinking of how I can teach the young ones both physical Aikido and Godly principles (humility, respect, love) in the lesson that will shortly occur.  Each phase of my night will be that way--just focused on the phase in front of me, not on what I have to do in the background.  In that way, seeking the Kingdom in each thing, I trust that He'll make my paths straight, and I thank God that He will do so.  I hope you, too, can be focused in your day and can seek first the Kingdom in all you do in each moment; I know that it can be tough when other things pull at us, but I know it will have the greatest result for all of us if we can succeed in doing it.  Go with God and keep serving/loving; thanks for reading and sharing part of your life/time with me!

Adventures and Spiritual Growth in Japan

By the way, if you want to know what happened in my 7 weeks travelling (most of it spent as a live-in Aikido student in Japan) along with some of the things that I grew in spiritually, please feel free to check out my blog relating those occurrences here: (https://uchideshiexperience.blogspot.com).  Not all of the entries talk about spiritual things, but many of them do, and all of them have potential to be interesting if you have never been a live-in martial arts student in a foreign country before (and even if you have).  ;)  Enjoy!

The Small Things

Though we all arrived a little bit late to this morning's small group (that we hold in Breathe coffee house) due to a local walk-for-a-cancer-cure event cordoning off the major streets near the coffee house (and directly in front of it), we all seemed genuinely happy to be sitting down to small group again.  While I was gone in Japan, it sounds like attendance was intermittent, but some of that was due to local events (including a blizzard at one point).  Now at least a few of us are regularly meeting, and more will likely rejoin once semester finals are over.  

For my part, I was glad to see the guys again and hear how life had been treating them.  One of them had gone through several relatively major life events, and the other was primarily focusing on his family and some things his youngest child was going through.  Both were happy to share and to listen, and I really enjoyed hearing what they had been learning about life and spirituality (while that was the main encouraging point for me, you'll have to come to a small group yourself if you want to know what they were learning, as discussions in small group are private).

We didn't get to much Bible study, and we never normally do when someone makes it back after a long absence, but it was still energizing finding out how we could pray together and simply being together after such a long absence.  There are some things you don't realize that you miss until you are back in them, and this time was definitely one of those things.  Though some of our small group times I'm exhausted, all of us (including me) are distractable, or topics range far enough away that it may not be obviously beneficial, many other times we share powerfully as we learn through reading the Bible and discussing it and/or sharing what we've been learning in our own personal, spiritual walks.  This time is invaluable and encouraging in ways I don't always see, so I was very blessed to be able to spend it with some fellow brothers in Christ this morning as I then rolled on into my day (which involved five minutes later selling an Aikido student a wooden weapon and talking about the challenges of raising and teaching children--especially of teaching them morality--and relating that back to our own personal growth in Christ and patience, then running to the bank to make change for The Gamers Guild for tonight and proceeding home to get breakfast and do office work).

Often-times its the small things in my day that end up setting the tone for everything else to go well.  Thanks to God for that opportunity this morning.  

Newsletter and big updates!

Hello everyone!  I want to share an experience that I recently had in Aikido that related directly and very heavily with my faith, but it requires a bit of background information to make sense in context.  As such, please bear with me and read to the end of this update (I also have some big news later in it)!

Back in January, I took my nidan (or second degree black belt) test in Aikido.  In our association, it takes many years to be ready for such a test; I had been training around 12 to 13 years at the point I took mine.  Testing is done at national headquarters in front of the Chief Instructor of our association (Toyoda Sensei) and several other high-ranking individuals.  The test itself involves using Aikido self-defense techniques against whatever attacker they pick at the time (they’ll pick several different ones to execute different attacks) at full speed—showing not only clean techniques but a large variety and an ability to adapt to the strength, speed, and size of whoever is attacking you.  It also involves disarming an armed attacker from several different attacks,  defending oneself on one’s knees against multiple standing (unarmed) attackers, and defending oneself against multiple standing attackers (while standing oneself) at the very end.  They usually last between 25 and 45 minutes and has very few, if any, pauses to catch one’s breath.

The day of my test, I had a lightly injured knee and wrist (I found out later that I had some slight ligament and tendon tears; they have since healed), but I wasn’t really nervous in my mind or heart.  However, the morning of my test I could tell that either my subconscious or my body was nervous, because I awoke early and tense in my cot, unable to go back to sleep.  I headed out to a nearby 24-hour restaurant (around 5AM local time) and sat down, ordering a good full breakfast as my body would need resources later in the day.  At the table, I began my daily prayer/centering/meditation time after placing my order.  It took initial effort, but as I prayed I began to relax into awareness of God’s presence more and more.  During my prayer, I felt that I needed to be in my ‘Sabbath’ mindset and very present in each moment during the day as it occurred, so I started attempting that.

By way of explanation, my “Sabbath’ mindset is the attitude and perspective that I seek to embody during my weekly Sabbath.  It is way of thinking that tries to be relaxed and unworried, appreciating all of the little things around me that I frequently ignore or miss in the busy-ness of a regular work day.  For instance, I daily eat eggs and often have a coffee in the morning, but I’m usually multi-tasking by thinking about the day, talking with Tella (my wife), doing dishes while the eggs are cooking, etc.  During my Sabbath, I try to relax and just enjoy the little things—the smell of the coffee as it brews, the heat of it in the mug in my hands, the cool little wisps of steam rising off it.  I also really love the taste of coffee, so I enjoy it, and I thank God for all of the little things I’m often unaware of and the little ways He blesses me daily.  It’s attempting to embody that perspective and thankfulness over the course of the day. 

As I sought to do this the day of my exam, I had a lot of things that I was able to appreciate.  It also opened up some conversation options and opportunities to love others/serve the Kingdom of God that I might have missed; for instance, at a cultural event that morning we were making mochi (pounded rice desserts), and I was able to chat with a new intern at the Japanese cultural center for nearly an hour about her life, goals, dreams, and faith.  I was also able to share some of mine and get into a decent faith discussion, too.  It may or may not have had a lasting impact on her in any way (I don’t know that it did), but it is an opportunity that I would have completely missed if I had been inwardly focused on the exam and stressing out about the future that was a few hours away yet.  As I was aware of this, I reflected that sometimes stress and worry seek to steal our ‘present’ now in addition to affecting us at the actual moment we’re worried about, and that as a Christian I shouldn’t allow that.  There’s a reason the Bible says to ‘worry not about anything’ but instead ‘pray in everything’.  It turns a potential for darkness to steal our ability to serve God and be at peace in the now into an opportunity to sink into God and His peace and connect to Him as we deal with it and grow.  What a blessing, huh?

Anyway, I was able to better and better be in the now and in peace—seeking to find opportunities to love others (I had a chance to call my wife and listen to what was happening with her, help make things run smoother in our group, and do other things because I was just in the now). 

As the moment approached and we were in our second hour of practice on the mats at the dojo, I felt stress begin to rise and I prayed.  As I did, something internally changed.  I usually have several perspectives that I know intellectually aren’t true but that emotionally I cannot help but feel.  Some of these include feeling like my Aikido does not work the same at national headquarters as it does elsewhere, feeling that the Aikido at national headquarters is somehow different and much better than my own (even though they’ve taught me mine and it’s very similar), feeling stressed about being evaluated by my superiors and unable to be free in my true Aikido, but instead being stuck in a performance mode that is self-evaluating and strategizing and trying to look as good as I can.  All of these things heavily get in the way of being free on the mat and of demonstrating where I really am—there’s also a fear that I’ll be unable to demonstrate where I really am.  As these things began to rise within me and I prayed, it was kind of like the peace of our dojo (training location in Hays) fell into this place.  I feel God’s presence heavily at the dojo at home (partly because I pray there often as do others, which lends a peace to the place, partly because it has students I love and care about in it, partly because when I practice there I’m trying to embody Christ and Aikido principles in everything).  As my peace from home seemed to invade Tenshinkan (the national headquarters training hall), I felt like I was finally able to be myself there—that it was just another location, and more importantly that my usual spiritual connection that I have to God that can be disrupted when I am putting all of my energy to performing correctly (which makes me perform incorrectly) was strong and intact for the first time ever in Tenshinkan.  As I prepared to test, I felt close to God without worry breaking that—I felt the ability to listen to others and be aware of others and love others like I often do in my ministry work.  As the test began, I was free to be the actual me—connected to my very core in Christ—and in the moment that was in front of me (the one person attacking me) not worried about my endurance, stamina, strategy, variety, performance, or even the test itself overall.  I just listened spiritually to the person in front of me, stayed connected to myself, and was free to be my usual Aikido/Christian self.  It was excellent.

It was also strange, because at the end I had no idea how I’d done overall.  Usually I am gauging my performance as I go—in this instance, I just was (or one could say I just was me).  I noted when things didn’t go as I wished, but I adapted and moved on leaving it behind.  I noted when things went well, but when they were in the past they were already done, and they had not hold on me in the present.  It was very disconcerting to have no idea of how I did at the end and also to have a ton of excess energy.  In the little sprints in the test I’d become fatigued, but my training style recently had lent to a very large overarching stamina (as long as I get just a short recovery break—a minute or two at most), so though I’d been exhausted in a couple of sections, overall I still felt like I could go for quite awhile. 

Standing there in that place, I let go of the reflections that I had no control over and tried to calm my physically exhausted body while moving back into the present and being connected to God and those around me (near the end, I had lost connection a bit—just due to physical exhaustion, not due to stress as would usually have been the case). 

It doesn’t leave with a big triumphant moment or crazy testimonial—except that I was truly free during that test.  Technically there are things that I may or may not have liked, but it may always be my favorite test because of how free I was under what is often tremendous pressure.  That state of freedom is what truly embodying Aikido is all about, and it’s what truly embodying CHRIST is all about.  We may not be physically attacked in life frequently, but life itself hits us with stresses, pain, bad situations, and ‘attacks’ all the time.  I find when I am able to be free in Christ like I was on the mat, those negative things lose their power to impact me as much and an opportunity arises for God to turn the situation to good in some way (my growth or the growth of others, or the chance to see a window to love someone else).  I wanted to share this story to encourage you all—please pray and see where you may be letting worry or stresses or circumstances hold you down, and please ask God to help you let go and turn those things over to Him so you can be free—both for yourself (it is much more peaceful even if things still hurt) and for the Kingdom (it’s one of the MAIN PLACES we can grow in and help love others/help them grow).  I know that I’m still praying that I can accomplish that myself!

Speaking of which, I received a chance to practice embodying those same principles again a couple weeks later when I found out that I had been accepted to be a live-in Aikido student of Kobayashi Shihan (one of the older living students—80 years old—of the founder of Aikido).  He’s very impressive—not only is he still technically astute at 80—he throws his students and takes falls from his students—but he very much embodies doing Aikido with joy and life and energy (which is a very big passion of mine, if you can’t tell).  It’s a rare opportunity that not everyone gets, and in addition I had the chance to do it with less expense than is usual due to some other circumstance.  Coupled with the fact that he may retire any year and that it may be my only chance to train under him (and that I could potentially make it work at this point in life but probably could not later), it was quite an impressive opportunity.   As such, Tella and I had been praying over it heavily for some months before I applied in October.  You see, if I was accepted (not many people get to train under him that way), I essentially must accept it—so the application itself was really about praying over whether to do it or not as my acceptance would mean I was doing it.  Then the news came that I had been accepted!

This left me just a few short weeks to outsource all of my ministry work, dojo work, and work at The Gamers Guild for a 7-week trip that would have me mostly living East of Tokyo and travelling between Aikido schools to train under him (between 20-30 hours a week of training, sometimes more, in addition to likely 40-60 hours of cleaning, cultural classes, other classes and duties, etc.).  The stress of outsourcing all of my work was tremendous, so I had to re-embody the principles that I’d been learning—especially this last week as I neared my departure date and things kept piling onto each other more and more (such as the need to do my taxes now instead of in March when I usually would).  There are several times that I succeeded and a few that I at least partially failed, but I was able to keep training at resting, centering into God’s peace and the Holy Spirit in the now, keeping Kingdom priorities top over the urgent, and living as I prepared.  Ultimately, I was able to leave Hays with most everything that was critical done and the rest do-able over the Internet during the very early part of my stay.  I’m typing this now from an airplane that has departed the U.S. and is on its way to Narita airport in Japan (though I’ll likely edit this and actually send it out once I land and have wifi access, and my epically awesome, loving wife will be helping by printing  off physical copies and mailing them to you). 

As I embark on this journey, I wanted to ask you, my ministry supporters, to please pray for me and especially for Tella,  Not only is this the longest that we’ve been physically apart in marriage, but it also is extra work for her and (in a nontraditional sense) a sabbatical for me.  It’s also a growth opportunity for everyone whom I’ve left behind in charge of various dojo, ministry, and Guild tasks (and I hope and pray that they do get to grow while I’m gone—much of my preparations involved setting things up so they could take over for a time and so that they’d have the best chance of growing and gaining from doing so while I was gone).  Please pray that Tella and I have peace, hear the Holy Spirit, and grow and advance Kingdom ministry wherever we are at and that those who are behind grow and advance Kingdom ministry, too (whether they realize they are or not).  I’d also request prayer for clarity for both of us—part of the idea of this trip now is that we both will be in prayer to better hear God’s voice and direction when it comes to some larger ministry and life decisions we have to make.  In 9 years of ministry, I have not had such a long break from having to handle the day-to-day.  Though I will be VERY busy in Japan, I will also be separated from much of what is going on back home and able to pray, listen, and reflect more clearly.  I’ll also have a lot of reflection time due to all the cleaning and duties involved in living here (when I’m able to mentally focus on praying and listening).  Please pray that this time is fruitful for God’s work and for us, and thank you for your support in prayer, and for some of you in financially supporting the ministry. 

If you want to follow my journey while I’m here, you can read my updates at this website (uchideshiexperience.blogspot.com).  I will be posting some of my experiences and reflections on it (along with photos of life in Japan).  The main point of that website is to keep Tella updated and connected with me as I journey over here and she is the main audience, but I’m also fine with friends, family, and those I love (or whomever they feel the desire to share it with) also joining in and reading them, if they wish.  Though they are written for just a few people, I’m fine with God using them however He does.

One final small note—if any of you has free storage available or know of someone who does, one of the homeless guys who is connected to our ministry is looking to store some items there.  Keep in mind that it may be very long term but that it also would help him out.

 

Thanks again for your prayers, and remember to stay free and open in Christ to Kingdom opportunities that may be right in front of you.  Don’t let stress steal your present, but live in peace and joy in the moment, loving others and serving with Christ in the Kingdom.  I love you all, but He loves you even more and better; thanks for being connected to me and all believers through Him!

Gloves

I noticed something small and strange the other day that encouraged me.  I'd been feeling like the Unite Free Store had not been getting much usage in the previous month, but then I noticed the gloves.  A store nearby had too many of too many wrong sizes and had given them to us to distribute.  Even though less than  a month had gone by, instead of two Wal-Mart bags full of gloves, we had only two pairs left.  That's a lot of people--more than I realized--in a very short amount of time.  Thank God for using circumstances for the good of many and for helping me realize how frequently he used something right in front of my face without me knowing it.

God's Timing

Sometimes time seems to work out in inexplicably good ways.  I don't always attribute that to God; I'm pretty sure sometimes it's just coincidence.  Sometimes, though, I suspect God may have a hand in things timing out just right.

The other day was a great example.  I was in the middle of a very busy set of errands; it was Aikido camp week, and I teach a little over 6 hours most days with the usual duties of running a ministry and The Gamers Guild in between.  Near the tail end of my set of errands with only a couple more to do before I had to be back to teach, a fellow was walking up the sidewalk.  This fellow was previously homeless, but a different individual in ministry had helped him find an apartment.  He'd been looking for jobs for awhile and was in a small group that I lead.  I waved while carrying boxes from UPS into the Aikido of Northwest Kansas door, figuring he was just passing by and wouldn't swing in since The Guild, Free Store, and Dojo were all closed at that hour.  As I was cutting the boxes open, I heard the bell jingle at the door and he stepped in.

I asked how he was doing, and he said well and not well.  I could tell by his face that he was quite upset by something.  It turns out that he'd gotten a job interview, which was great, but that he'd also just gotten an eviction notice several minutes before and had gone out walking afterwards due to being so upset.  The property manager had included a sticky note on the eviction notice that said if he wasn't out by Monday and if he hadn't paid rent by then that the sheriff would be by to make sure he was out.  That put us on a pretty good time crunch as it was already Friday afternoon and many aid agencies closed shortly.  There was also no way for me to help him Monday as I was leaving for Chicago Sunday night.

I talked through the facts with him and found out that he didn't have a copy of his contract--it was supposed to be dropped by but never was; it also turned out that he didn't know where he was supposed to pay or how since he'd never received the contract.  He just knew the amount.  As I pieced more and more together, we headed over to First Call for Help--a local ministry that sometimes provides rent assistance.  We found out that he was ineligible for any type of assistance since he'd been helped in November with a bus ticket to the Salina homeless shelter.  The policy at First Call due to its limited funding is to only provide help once a year to individuals.  They did give info for a couple other places we could catch.  We went to Catholic Charities next, and as we arrived we found out they were closing in a couple of minutes.  Fortunately, two of the employees there were generous enough to help out anyway once they found out about this individual's situation.  Their policy was to pay up to $150, but only if the remainder was already paid down to that amount.  The rent was $250, and I just happened to have the register deposit for The Gamers Guild in my right pocket since the bank was my next errand for the day.  With enough money there to pay his rent down by $100, Catholic Charities agreed to cover the rest.  They tried calling the owner (we'd tried that earlier) only to get the same voicemail we had received.  They decided to get in touch with him Monday since it was so late, but they had at least committed to cover the remainder of his rent.  Now we just had to figure out where to pay that rent.

After several more phone calls (one to the sheriff to see if they really were going to be by--they weren't: the property manager was just bluffing to try and scare the tenant out if they weren't going to pay), we got in touch with the property manager who had left the eviction notice.  This was accomplished without a phone number or any other contact method for the property manager--it was also God's providence that we got in touch with them, but that would be a longer story.  I was able to broker peace between her and the tenant (she'd had a few frustrations with the tenant, as well), and everything got taken care of.  One of my senior Aikido students walked in at that point, and then I had to go get suited up for class.

While the story itself is interesting, the seemingly perfect timing is what really sticks out to me.  It was perfect timing for him to catch me at Aikido of Northwest Kansas--there was only a couple minute window.  We got to Catholic Charities a couple minutes before they closed.  I just happened to have $100 in my right pocket due to the errands I'd been running.  We got in touch with the owner and property manager afterwards--once groups had committed to pay for rent--which smoothed that process over.  We likely couldn't have gotten to Catholic Charities in time if we'd gotten in touch with the owner when we first attempted it.  We also got this individual a copy of his rental agreement, helped the property manager get more comfortable with him, and alleviated the (false) stress of him worrying whether the sheriff would be by.  All of this happened just in time for me to switch gears to teach, and it was all fully resolved (which is good since I couldn't help Monday).  Considering how much came together at just the right time, I thank God for the perfect timing of it all.  One of those things might have been coincidence, but with all of them adding up, I think He was involved with helping this fellow out and answering prayers.

Thank you for reading and for praying!

Brandon