August Update

SCHOOL AND SUMMER

The school term has finished here at Torchbearers Yamanakako. It was a very fun season. We had a total of 16 student pass through our doors this term to learn from 10 different teachers that came to Torchbearers from around the world. 

Work Day Wednesday was the weekly event that I enjoyed the most because it was the one day that I could spend any significant amount of time with the students which allowed me to get to know them as we worked on projects together at Torchbearers and in the local community. At graduation it was great to hear the students share about their experience, what they learned through the teaching while being removed from their home cultures. They not only increased their academic knowledge but also grown spiritually, more inline with who they have come to know God wants them to be. It was great to hear the students share their desire to potentially serve God here in Japan in the future but most of all to hear their desire to be a more effective witness back home.

With the school being over, Torchbearers Yamanakako staff had two weeks for new staff orientation and prep for the summer season. This year our summer season is only spread over 6 weeks; essentially ending by August 24. During this time I am part of the meal prep crew which means I get to work in the kitchen putting together meals for our guests. It has been a lot of fun to work alongside the new summer staff and serving the Japanese church by providing a place to host retreats and camps.

August 31st I’m getting on a plane for Canada. I have already started the weekly countdown and as it gets closer to the end of the month the daily countdown will begin. There will be a lot on my “to do” list before I leave, like emptying my bank account, packing and saying good bye to people and places. Once I’m in Canada I’ll have 14 days to find a car, job and a place to live before the first class for the Education Assistant Certificate at Columbia Bible College. I don’t know if I have set my schedule too tightly but I’m hoping it’s not.

This is my last update from Japan and I want to thank you for your prayers and support as I have served here in Japan. This won’t be my last update I will write at least one more to confirm my arrival and my settling in in Canada.

Thank you again Your Brother in Christ,

Karl Friesen

May Update

CANADA AND TORCHBEARERS

In Mid-January I travelled back home to Abbotsford for a visit while Steve & Jen, Directors of Torchbearers Yamanakako, were back in Canada.  It was a good time for me to connect with my supporters and church family; and to start preparing for my return to Canada at the end of my term with SEND Int. in August.  On March 9th I returned back to Torchbearers Yamanakako in Japan.

While I was home I enjoyed reconnecting with the members of my home church in Canada.  The past two years the church has gone through a lot of changes.  As The Life Centre seeks the Lord, I pray they receive a clear vision regarding its future.

I have been asked by a supporter what my future plans are in relation to Japan. Right now I know at the end of my term I need to be back in Canada and engage in the church and serve my community to the best of my ability. I believe that using my teaching experience in Japan and the opportunity to return to school is a means for me to have a good career back in Canada.

When I returned to Canada from Japan in 2007 I didn’t transition very well; I do not want this to happen to me again.  So while I was home in January I knew it would be best for me to start making plans for my return.  I applied to Columbia Bible College (CBC) in their 13 credit Education Assistant Program; I believed that this could be a very good fit with my teaching experience and I was accepted to attend CBC this fall.  This is an opportunity for me build on the education I already have without committing a lot of time and money to additional studies. With the completion of this program I see the potential for me to work in two areas, either with students whose second language is English or with students that require assistance to be successful in school.

In April, Torchbearers Yamanakako has received more staff; two individuals have come from the United States for six months and another has come from India for two months. They have already been a great addition to our community; they have made the daily work load much lighter for the Torchbearer staff, enabling us to work on other projects for the Centre.

This month on May 7^th, the Torchbearers Yamanakako school season began; it runs until July 4^th. I am looking forward to a fun season of serving the students and providing hospitality to them while they attend classes by guest lecturers.

Please Pray

For my focus to be here at Torchbearers in Japan even though it is necessary for me to start making plans for school and work in the fall.

That the students will learn as much as they can during the two months they are studying in Japan.

January Update

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

The holiday season is over and for me it was a really good one. For Christmas day the staff at Torchbearers Yamanakako enjoyed breakfast together, then Steve, the director, took the staff out for lunch. In the afternoon I took some time to enjoy a bike ride around lake Yamanaka; I stopped at a local cafe and also took some Christmas photos of Mount Fuji. I was even able to say, “Hi,” to fellow SEND missionaries staying in the area. In the evening we had a gift exchange with the staff to cap off the day’s festivities.

For New Years Torchbearers Yamanakako runs its own retreat. The retreat provides a Christian alternative to all of the cultural religious obligations that happen over New Years in Japan. So from Dec. 30th to Jan. 2nd we were hosts to 30 some people for New Years. One of the highlights for me was that Rocky and Marla Ayatsuka lead worship for the retreat. I met them many years ago when I was working in Aomori. It was fun to connect with them again and they really encouraged me and my continued ministry in Japan. For the retreat one of my main jobs was providing transportation. I drove people to see Fuji at sunrise and sunset as well as getting people to the onsen where they could sit in the baths and enjoy the view of Fuji. It was a lot of fun connecting with the guests and serving them over the New Years festival season.

CANADA VISIT

January 14th I’ll be heading to Canada for a visit and work. Since the winters are so cold here in Yamanaka and the buildings aren’t very well insulated from the cold; it is more beneficial for Steve and Jen to visit Canada for the winter than to pay to heat the buildings.

Rather than hanging my hat at another missionary’s place for those two months Steve has asked me to also head to Canada to help with a few projects in Calgary and attend the Reaching Japanese for Christ conference in L.A. to represent Torchbearers Yamanakako with them.

While not helping Steve and Jen with Torchbearers stuff I’m looking forward to connecting with my supporters and church family. I am also planning on attending Missionsfest Vancouver at the end of January which is always a highlight for me. I’ll be returning to Japan on March 9. Then we will start prep for Torchbearers' spring Bible school and continue to serve the church in Japan by hosting retreats and groups.