The Precious Hearts of Gakshuin

Chika and Kasumi

On the first day that our team went to Gakshuin (last Monday, May 28th) Cherie and I wanted to meet people, so we got food and tried to talk to this girl, but she was totally not interested. We moved to a different part of the cafeteria, and went to sit at a table near the window. Before we could even completely sit down, the two adorable girls at the table next to us made eye contact with us and said, “Hello! Hello!” We sat down with them and chatted like old friends.

Both girls are majoring in English Literature, both are in the guitar club at Gakshuin, and both are tiny! I feel like a giant around them, we always hang out when we are sitting down. ☺ Kasumi speaks better English than Chika, but Chika has visited the US. (She has been to Disneyland… She loves Disneyland! So cute!) The whole first day we didn’t have any deep conversation, it was all pretty sweet and on the surface getting to know you stuff… we were laughing and joking and it was a good time. Cherie and I were so encouraged by how easy it was to meet people, and how excited they were to speak English with us and hear about out lives in the States. We exchanged contacts and set up a time to meet the next day.

On Tuesday we had lunch with them again, and then they had to go to class, so we wandered and found our boys. Then Chika came back and said that she didn’t have class, so she wanted to hang out more. She got to meet Gen, Kris, Russell and Greg, and Gen talked to her in Japanese about Disneyland, and California and it was really fun. All of a sudden, I realized that everyone left and it was just Chika and I sitting and talking about our friends and our families and how she gets lonely sometimes because she is an only child. I showed her pictures of my best friend and my brother and other important people in my life, and she said that she wants friends like this. I then told here that even though they were all amazing people, and I love them all dearly, sometimes they hurt me and I hurt them. I told her about a friend I have who never will hurt me, but who takes my blame away when I hurt others. I told her about a friend I have who never leaves me, so I never have to be lonely. She understood some of what I was saying, but she thought that I was talking about the boy I am dating, and so I had to communicate to her that my friend was not a friend in the typical sense of the word. I called Gen and he came back to try and translate my heart for Chika. At the end of the conversation she told me that she wanted me to talk to Kasumi about it, and that I should put her “in charge” of talking and explaining because she could do it in Japanese. It was a great time for me and hopefully for Chika as well.

The next three days we were at Waseda, so we didn’t see the girls, but they invited us to their guitar club on Friday. Cherie and I went and met about ten of the girls’ friends in their club. They played for us and they laughed when we didn’t know how to play but were willing to try. Somehow I let it slip that I sang in highschool, and I found myself singing out Beatles songs with the guitar baking me up, laughing and joking and being silly with these amazing Japanese students.

When we were back on campus on Wednesday we ran into the girls and took them to English Lunch. Later in the day I took Gen and Greg back to guitar club to meet the kids (Greg plays guitar, Gen speaks Japanese, I thought it would be cool)
I was feeling a little sad on Wednesday night, though, because when I thought back to our time at lunch together, I remembered Chika saying something that made me realize that despite how much time I thought I had spent with her, I really didn’t know her at all. I had put her and Kasumi into little boxes defined as “Adorable Japanese girls who love Disneyland and guitar” and hadn’t wanted to realize that they have so many deeper aspects to their characters, so many places in their heart that I wanted Jesus to go, but I didn’t want to go myself. I prayed for them and asked God to not let me be discouraged. I wanted to understand how to love them better, and I know that means just continuing to spend time and delve deeper into their hearts.

On Thursday (yesterday) we met up with them again, and Kasumi ended up not having class. I felt like our conversation wasn’t going anywhere when everyone else left, so I asked her if she had wanted to go practice guitar, thinking that we could spend time together without talking if we went there. (I was scared… so silly, I know, but I felt like I was failing them on one hand by not actually knowing them and I didn’t want to give up on the other hand.) She played a bunch of songs and then the last one was one that her friend wrote. I thought of Jay Denton and the CD he and his buddies just made, so I asked her if she wanted to hear a song that my friend wrote (I had my iPod with his CD on it) Her and one of her friends in the club split my head phones and really liked the music. As they got into it, I told them that Jay was singing to God, because he loves God and God loves him. I asked Kasumi what she thought about that, and she said she didn’t know, but she wondered if I had an opinion…
Do I have an opinion?!? I think so…!

I shared the gospel with both of them, and it was beautiful. Kasumi wanted to know when I started thinking about God, and I told her a little bit of my testimony. She was so open to it all, and I couldn’t have been more excited!

Cherie and I are going to continue to pour into these two girls and love on them in anyway we can. Soon I will have a good picture to post with this, so you all can see their beautiful faces – these girls are so precious! They make me smile; I want to call them my sisters so badly! Please pray for them, that they would come to know the perfect love of Christ that is not found anywhere in this world. I will keep y’all posted on the progress of our friendship… Gosh, they are beautiful.

UPDATE!!!!!
On Thursday, June 14th, we found out that Kasumi had accepted Christ! Cherie had talked to both Chika and Kasumi the day before at English Lunch. I had shared the gospel with both girls individually, so Cherie initiated conversation with them to see what they thought and what they were continuing to think about religion. They were both interested in talking about it, and Cherie said that we wanted to give them copies of the New Testament. On Thursday, Chika sat next to Cherie and Kasumi sat next to me, and when I gave her the Bible (Cherie and I had written notes and bookmarked passages in both of them) I asked her what she thought.

Without hesitation, Kasumi told me that she believed in God and Jesus, and she pulled out the "Knowing God Personally" booklet I had given her. She flipped the pages to the part where it talks about how it is our choice to respond to God's sacrifice and ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives. She pointed to the circle that had Christ on the throne and said that it was her life now, that she had decided that was what she wanted. I think that I almost squealed. :)

It was really the most amazing experience ever. She showed me that she is writing an opinion speech for her English class and she decided to write that Japanese people should believe in God. We worked together on her outline and then got to read the Bible together. I told her that she should pray for Chika, and she said, "How do I pray for Chika? Do I have to pray in Japanese?" This prompted me to grab Gen, and the three of us prayed, with him starting in Japanese, Kasumi praying second and me closing, thanking God for my new sister, for her precious heart and beautiful faith, and asking for protection for her and Chika.

We said good bye to her and Gen turned to me, saying, "I almost cried when she prayed." He translated her prayer, which was something like this:

"So yesterday I decided to believe in you, and I have never done this before, but I am very glad. Thank you for Christina, Cherie and thank you for Gen. Thank you for the Bible. I am very excited to read it and to know you better. This feels a little strange, but very good. I am very happy."

She closed with a Japanese phrase that directly translates as "I put myself in your care" but it is something that you say when you first meet someone, like "Its nice to meet you or make your acquaintance."

Needless to say, we were very excited. I introduced Kasumi to a Japanese Crusade staff woman, and they clicked right away, so that way when we leave there will still be someone to pour into Chika and Kasumi.

Praise God! The angles are rejoicing, and we are so excited. God is good, and His word does not return void. I have faith that Chika will come to know Him, too. (How could she not, with all y'all praying for her?) Love you! :)