December Sycamore Tree

Every year around the Advent season I am always overwhelmed by the concept of peace because it seems to me as something so large that there is nothing I can do as an individual to help achieve it. Since this year was also an election year and I’ve been living abroad, the idea of world peace has been on my mind a lot because the result of our election impacts the entire world. As one of the most historic presidential races the U.S. has ever seen, it was especially captivating to watch from afar.
On Election Day, I had been asked to share some of my experiences from the Student Center’s spring Study Tour to Okinawa with Tohoku Committee on Okinawa Relations. Okinawa was one of the main battlegrounds during WWII and later annexed by the U.S. before it was returned to Japan. Today, 75% of the U.S. military bases in Japan are located in Okinawa even though these islands make up less than 1% of the total land area entire country. Because of Okinawa’s strategic location in Asia and the fact that Japanese government has continued to support these U.S. military bases financially since WWII, Okinawa provides the ideal base for soldiers before their deployment to Iraq and the Middle East.
Among the countless other environmental and economic effects of the US military presence, the most prominent news from Okinawa is the rape of a 16-year-old girl by a U.S. Marine in February of this year. But this was one reported event from the thousands of such cases on record since Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972. As a result of strong opposition to U.S. military presence in Okinawa by the its residents, a plan was formulated to redistribute some of the military facilities to other parts of Japan like Sendai and other Pacific islands like Guam, both of which already have a strong U.S. military presence.
From the Okinawa study tour this spring I realized that few Japanese and even fewer Americans have seen the impacts of the war in Iraq on countries like Japan that have no direct military interest in the Middle East. If we all were a little more educated on how war affects not just our enemies but our allies as well we might see the urgency in finding a more peaceful solution. So, as Advent is approaching and we try to envision a world full of hope, peace, joy, and love, I’m starting to feel less overwhelmed and a little more hopeful because there are other people in this world who are thinking about how achieve peace too.

SKLT
Global Missions Intern (GMI) and
Assistant to the Director
Sendai Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan

November SHARE

In the U.S., Thanksgiving is a holiday families often share together. It’s a reminder to be grateful for what we have and to share our time and blessings with the people close to us. This year I am thankful that I was able to share this tradition with my Sendai family. This year’s feast featured Pad Thai, meatloaf, 2 types of gratin, Caesar salad, hijiki, Japanese style meat and potatoes, tofu niimono, and completed by fruit custard tarts. The menu included many different flavors from various countries and each person shared one thing that they are grateful for. And, just like at the end of American Thanksgiving celebrations, we had eaten so much we could hardly move and there were still leftovers to take home. This was truly a celebration of our many blessings including a plentiful meal and the company in which to share it.

アメリカの収穫感謝祭は家族みんなで過ごす休日です。与えられている恵みに感謝し、最も身近な人たちと分かち合う日です。今年、私はこの伝統を仙台のファミリーと分かち合うことができて嬉しいです。先日、テーブルに並んだ料理はパッタイ（タイ料理）、グラタン、サラダ、ひじき、肉じゃが、豆腐の煮物、そしてデザートにはタルト！メニューはいろんな国の料理。参加者は皆自分が感謝している事柄をそれぞれ分かち合いました。それで、いつものアメリカの収穫感謝祭同様、食べ終わったときは皆お腹が一杯で、食べきれない物を皆が持ち帰るぐらいでした。これは本当の祝いの時でした。豊かな食卓は恵みを分かち合うとき。いただいた食べ物も一緒にいただいた仲間たちもこの食卓を豊にしてくれました。　

November Emmaus Newsletter (エマオ通信)

Every year around the Advent season I am always overwhelmed by the concept of peace. When I try to envision in my mind what peace is I feel discouraged by all the obstacles we would need to overcome in order to achieve it. Since this year was also an election year in the U.S. and I’ve been living in Japan, the idea of world peace has been on my mind a lot because the results of this historic election impacts the entire world.

On Election Day, I had been asked to share some of my experiences from the Student Center’s spring Study Tour to Okinawa with the Tohoku Kyouku Okinawa Committee. In March, while visiting Henoko looking over into Camp Schwabb, the US Marine base there, we were told that these soldiers were most likely on their way to Iraq. Because of Okinawa’s strategic location in Asia and the fact that Japanese government has continued to support U.S. military bases financially since WWII, Okinawa provides the ideal base for soldiers before their deployment to Iraq and the Middle East.

The Ryukyu Islands have a rich and beautiful culture and I was fortunate to be able to visit them this spring. I’ve also been blessed to be able to meet community leaders in Okinawa that are working to heal from the destruction caused by WWII and continues today from the presence of U.S. military.

This spring I realized that few Japanese and even fewer Americans have seen the impacts of the war in Iraq on countries like Japan that have no direct military interest in the Middle East. If we all were a little more educated on how war affects not just our enemies but our allies as well we might see the urgency in finding a more peaceful solution.

So, as Advent is approaching and I try to envision a world full of hope, peace, joy, and love, I’m starting to feel less overwhelmed and a little more hopeful because there are other people in this world who are thinking about how achieve peace too.



毎年アドベント（待降節）になると、私は平和という概念について考えます。まず、平和という現実を考えたときに、そこにいたるまで乗り越えなければならない様々な障壁があることに気付き、落胆してしまいます。今年は特に、この日本からアメリカの選挙を見つめていました。歴史に残るこの選挙が世界平和にどのように影響を与えるか思わずにはいられませんでした。

丁度、アメリカの選挙当日に東北教区の沖縄委員会の席で話しを頼まれ、青年学生センターの沖縄スタディツアーを通して感じたことをお話しする機会がありました。３月に辺野古を訪れた際、金網の向こう側にキャンプ・シュワブを見ることができました。案内の方によると、キャンプ・シュワブの海兵隊員はイラクに向かうだろうとのことでした。沖縄はアジア地域において戦略的に優れていること、また日本が第２次世界大戦以降継続して米軍を経済的に支えてきたことなど、米国にとって沖縄はイラクや中近東に米軍を派遣する基地として理想的な場所なのです。

私は今年の沖縄への旅で琉球の美しく豊かな文化に触れる機会を与えられました。また、地元で活動されているリーダーたちとお会いし、彼らが第２次大戦から来る破壊、現在も駐留する米軍の存在から来る破壊の傷跡を癒そうとしている姿を見ることができました。

私にとって衝撃的だったことは、イラクでの戦争がどれほど日本をも巻き込んでいるかについて、多くの人が意識していない（日本人もアメリカ人も）現実があることです。日本は直接的に中近東に軍事的関わりがないのにです。戦争は相手国のみならず、同盟国をも影響する。このことを私たちがより深く考えるなら、より平和的な方法を求める必然性が私たちの内に明確にされるのではと思うのです。
アドベントの時は迫ってきていて私は希望、平和、喜び、愛が満ちあふれる世界を想像します。前より少し希望を感じるようになっている自分があります。それは、この日本で平和をもたらすために働いているいろんな人と出会ったから。この世界で平和を作ろうとして一緒に働く人たちに励まされます。

November Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,

Life in Sendai is starting to settle down a little bit now that I’ve had time to calm down from my visit home. I had so much fun catching up with friends, meeting new people, and visiting all of my favorite hang out spots. Since returning to Japan, I’ve been unpacking all the new culture shock I experienced going back to the bay area. I thought back to when I first arrived in Sendai and all of the expectations I had and how they changed the longer I spent here.

Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions I had was that Japanese culture and thinking was very homogeneous. I had always thought that Japan lacked cultural diversity because it hasn’t experienced as much immigration or colonization as the US. However, from travels to places like Kyoto, Okinawa, and the Sendai area I found I couldn’t have been more wrong. One government official in Japan has recently received a lot of criticism for stating publicly that Japan is a monoculture, angering several groups including representatives of Ainu communities in Hokkaido and Ryukyu in Okinawa. Only recently has the Japanese government recognized the existence of these indigenous peoples and their struggle for recognition has been a very long, hard process. So, for a high-level government official to say this in a public statement means they still have a long way to go in terms of raising awareness.

This is only one example of culture shock that ranged from the cleanliness of public transportation to sleeping on a spring mattress instead of a Japanese futon. I’m sure many more experiences will continue to surprise me and some realizations may take years. But, the experience has been an incredible one and I hope that I can make you all proud.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the Sycamore family who is in the hospital, feeling ill, or recovering from the loss of a loved one. The longer I’m away from home the more I realize how much I miss it and my mind often wanders back to all of you.

With Love,
SKLT
Global Missions Intern and
Assistant Director
Sendai Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan

October SHARE

Last month, I made a short visit to California to visit friends and family back home. I think that when visiting home after a long absence, no amount of time will ever feel long enough. What amazed me about this visit was how comfortable it felt. Most of my time was spent sitting around kitchen tables and on living room couches catching up with old friends. It was nice to be able to talk in person again instead of through letters, e-mails, and chat windows.
One of my main purposes for going home this September was to help with the Sycamore Church Bazaar. After WWII there was a lot of resentment towards Japanese and Japanese-Americans in the U.S. In that time churches and temples became important community centers in the Japanese-American community and bazaars became an annual tradition as a way to bring members from different churches and different faiths together.
This year, as usual, the women of the Japanese congregation’s Fujinkai rolled maki-zushi, shaped triangular onigiri, and packaged small cups of tsukemono. The youth helped set up tables and hang signs before they worked their shifts in the game corner. This year I worked with my parents selling cold drinks after passing on my usual task of clearing tables and serving hot tea to another young person in our English congregation.
What makes Sycamore’s Bazaar special to me is that so many people return on that one day even after they’ve moved away or are no longer able to come to church every Sunday. So this is just one of the traditions that Sycamore celebrates as a family and it made me happy to be able to participate again this year. – SKLT

先月、カリフォルニアに一時帰国しました。ずっと離れていて、一時的に帰ると、どんなに時間があっても足りない気持ちになります。でも、今回は自分でもびっくりするぐらい落ち着いてゆっくりと友達や家族と過ごすことができて、やっぱり手紙やメールやチャット・ウインドウとは違う直接人と向き合える時間がいいなあと思いました。
今回帰った目的の一つは自分の教会のバザーを手伝うためでした。第２次世界大戦が終わったころ、アメリカでは日系人に対する複雑な思いがありました。そんな中で教会やお寺は日系人の精神的拠り所となり、バザーは宗教の違いを越えて日系人を一つに集める大事なときでした。
婦人会の人はいつものように巻きずし、三角おにぎり、漬け物を用意しました。若い人はそれぞれのブースに行く前にテーブルを出したり、看板を出したりして手伝いました。今年、私は自分のいつもの役割を後輩に伝授した後、飲み物を売って回るお手伝いをしました。私にとってシカモア教会のバザーが大切な理由があります。それはあの日にいろんな人が戻って来るからです。遠くに引っ越した人も、最近日曜日に礼拝に来ていない人も、この日には戻って来て一つの大きな家族になるのです。私もそういう意味では今年のバザーに参加できたことが本当に嬉しかったです。　サンディー

October Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,

I was so happy I was able to come ho me for the Bazaar this year. It meant a lot to me to be able to share in this annual tradition with family and friends. Like bazaars in the past there were a lot of familiar faces but this year there were also a lot of new ones. Seeing those faces and introducing new friends was a wonderful reminder of the strength in the Sycamore community and the family I represent in Japan.

Thank you all so much!

SKLT
Global Missions Intern and
Assistant Director of the Sendai Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan

September Emmaus Newsletter (エマオ通信)

Recently, I returned from Hawaii where I attended the biennial PAAM Convocation. PAAM stands for Pacific Islander and Asian American Ministries and is sub-group of the United Church of Christ representing the perspectives of churches in this community. My family's church, Sycamore Congregational Church, was actually the birthplace of PAAM over 30 years ago when the United Church of Christ (UCC) leadership realized there was a need for minority groups within it to have a voice.

As a young Asian American growing up in the US, I sometimes found it difficult to identify with other young people around me, especially other Christians. From watching television and listening to the radio as a child I learned that there were many different expressions of the Christian faith that were nothing like my own experiences with God. I wasn't baptized until I was 21 years old but I had been involved with the Sycamore Church youth group from elementary school through college even taking leadership roles in the adult activities as well.

I got involved with PAAM when I was in college by attending my first Convocation. I learned from some of the elders that they had also had their struggles with faith and the idea of mission. In most instances, missionaries had been very damaging to the culture and communities in their native countries or the countries of their parents. But as I continued to participate in PAAM activities I realized that a belief in God didn't have to mean sacrificing a rich cultural heritage. Today PAAM supports the work of organizations aiding survivors of hydrogen bomb testing on the Marshall Islands in 1954 by the US military. They also have a strong voice in the national UCC supporting mission work in Asia and the Pacific Islands.

While I was taking part in youth activities as a chaperone for youth ages 14-18, I realize that they were also learning the same lessons I did when I attended my first PAAM Convocation. They were becoming aware of work being done outside their communities and were able to find shared experience with other Asian American youths even though their ancestors didn't come from the same Asian country. It was a special chance for me to be able to share my work with young people in Japan and visiting small churches in Tohoku with young people from the U.S. At this year's Convocation, the youth and young adults outnumbered the adults for the first time in over 8 years. It was a sign that youths were still interested in exploring their faith but simply needed a space to do so.

最近、私はハワイから戻ってきました。ハワイでPAAMという、２年に１度開催される教会の協議会に参加してきました。「PAAM」とは太平洋諸島とアジア系アメリカ人の協議会という意味で、（Pacific Islander and Asian American Ministriesの頭文字）UCC教会（United Church of Christ：アメリカ合同教会）の中でアジア系の人達の視点を代表しています。私が育った教会である、シカモア組合教会は、実は３０年以上前にPAAMが発足した所であり、UCC教会で少数者たちの声を取り上げていく場が必要だということで作られたのです。

私はアメリカ人の若者として育ちましたが、私と同じ年頃の若い人たちと共通点を見出したり、他のクリスチャンの青年と意気投合できないと感じることがよくありました。テレビやラジオを通して子どもの頃からキリスト教信仰には多様な表現があることを知っていましたし、私自身もそう感じていました。私は２１歳の時に洗礼を受けましたが、私は小学校から大学までずっとシカモア教会の青年をリードし、大人になっても同じようにやってきました。

大学生になって初めて、このPAAMの集まりに出席しました。私は先輩たちから、信仰においていろんな葛藤があったことを伺いました。多くの場合、宣教師は祖父母や両親の出身地の文化やコミュニティを否定するものでした。でも私はPAAMの活動に加わるうち、神様を信頼することは、自分の中の豊かな文化遺産を犠牲にすることではないことがわかりました。現在、PAAMはマーシャル諸島で１９５４年に米軍が行った水爆実験の生存者を救済する団体を支援しています。また、UCC教会がアジアと太平洋諸島における世界宣教の業について強い発言力を持っています。

今回、私は１４歳から１８歳ぐらいの青年部の人たちのカウンセラーとして働きました。この若者たちが、私が感じていたことと同じ教訓を学んでいたことに気づきました。彼らは自分のコミュニティの外の現実を学ぶ機会にも恵まれています。また多様なアジア系アメリカ人の若者たちと、共有する事柄や経験を発見できていました。今回私は日本の若者と活動している内容や、東北の小さな教会を訪ねたことなどを話せてとても良かったです。協議会では、青年（３０歳まで）の参加が大人よりも上回りました。これは８年ぶりのことです。それは青年たちが今もなお自分たちの信仰を模索する場を求めていることの表れだったと思います。　　　

　　（翻訳：ジェフリー・メンセンディーク）

September Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,

I’m sad that summer is almost over and somewhat relieved as well because I don’t think I have the energy to keep going on the same pace all year. This August I’ve traveled all over Japan including Hiroshima on the anniversary of the bombing, 2 summer work camps in Northern Japan, and Hawaii for the Pacific Asian American Ministries Convocation.

Jeffrey said that he and his wife, Kako were grateful that their children Hana and Tomo were able to make so many new friends at Bible Day Camp this year even though they started late. They also said they were singing A-la-la-la-la in the car all the way back to Claremont. Even though I couldn’t be at Bible Day Camp this year, Jeffrey was equally missed at the summer work camps here in Japan. Every year the student center sponsors a work camp to Okunakayama, a local small farming community in Northern Iwate Prefecture (about 3 hours north of Sendai by car).

After the war, the Japanese government encouraged people to set out on pioneer work in the rural areas of northern Japan because much of the farmland around the urban areas had been destroyed. Two of the sheep and lettuce farmers that organized to found Okunakayama in the 1950s just happened to be Christian and that had a profound effect on the development of this community. Our group were fortunate to have an evening with one of the women that was part of this group and learn a little bit about the history from her and looking through old photo albums.

Today the community is also home to the Canaan Bakery is a non-profit organization which sells handmade bread to the surrounding areas to help support the Okunakayama church and an assisted living facility for the mentally and physically disabled. One of the things that make this particular facility so amazing is the way its residents and staff members participate in every aspect of daily life. The residents help with work on the farm that grows their food, to bake bread in the Canaan Bakery, and to process wool from the sheep. After the wool is processed, some of the residents use the wool to make tapestries as part of their therapy, some of which are sold later to help support the facility. Finally, all the members of this integrated community attend church worship services on Sunday.

The name Okunakayama literally translated means “deep mountain” and one of the students pointed out that this name is a pretty accurate description both of the history, the people who live there, and the steep mountains that make up the surrounding landscape. The student center had been leading this work camp for over 10 years and everyone who has participated in the past has made a lot of fun and wonderful memories there, myself included. I have written more and posted pictures on my blog at http://skltstravels.blogspot.com

I miss you all so much and I can’t wait to see you at Bazaar!

With Love,
SKLT
Global Missions Intern and
Assistant Director of the Sendai Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan.

August Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,

Recently, I was asked to give a lecture at Miyagi Gakuin for a class of first and second year college students on topics in contemporary issues. Miyagi Gakuin is the women's university in Sendai that was founded in 1886 by missionaries from the United Church of Christ. At the time it was one of the few schools for women in Japan. Today the campus includes a pre-school/kindergarten, junior high school, high school, and university and has a variety of departments including English, Japanese Literature, Food and Nutritional Science, and psychology. Their music department is world famous and many students in this department are regular members of the student center.

Professor Tominaga is a friend of Jeffrey and a long time supporter of the student center. Her research interests include women's issues in Muslim communities as well as issues in ethnic minority communities around the world. Professor Tominaga also leads a study tour of university students to Tanzania every year. I met her in February and have had the opportunity to sit in on a few of her classes while I've been in Sendai. She was very interested to have me come give a presentation in her class because she thought it would benefit young women to hear the perspective of another young person.

As I've spent more time with Japanese college students and gotten a little better at speaking Japanese, I've come to appreciate the major differences in the lives of Japanese college students from American college students. For example, each semester a student in Japan might take anywhere from 15 to 20 different classes while a student in the U.S. might only take 4 to 8 classes. This kind of schedule makes it very difficult to focus very deeply on specific topics but does give students very broad overviews of many different subjects. However, the Ministry of Education and Science in Japan requires each class to give written final exams, term papers, or projects for grading purposes so the end of July and March are very busy months for students as they study for each of their prospective classes.

In my PowerPoint presentation I discussed ethnic diversity in San Francisco. I knew it was important to use a lot of graphics to enrich the information I was presenting and to keep it very simple. I began my presentation by talking about scale and distance in the U.S. and used a lot of maps (i.e. California is about the same size as Honshu, the main island of Japan). I also talked about the history of various neighborhoods in San Francisco like Chinatown or the Mission District. We had an interesting discussion about Japanese interment camps during WWII and they had many questions about that as well because it's not a topic that's typically discussed in school. But, as I suspected most of the students questions were about me personally and my life in California.

In any case, it was a fun and enlightening experience for me. There were about 100 students in the class and Professor Tominaga translated for me through a bulk of the presentation. I don't know if my talk made any impact on these students but I guess that is the reality of being a teacher. I'll have to practice a little more for next time.

For now, I'm off for summer vacation. I will a little time to travel around Japan for fun and with the student center summer work camps. I will also join Pastor Sharon and Morita Sensei at the PAAM conference in Honolulu, HI in August so I'm sure I will have plenty more experiences to share with you next month.

Until next time! Matta ne~

SKLT
Global Missions Intern (GMI) and
Assistant to the Director of the Sendai Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan

August SHARE

It was wonderful to see so many people at the Class Talent Show, especially all the OB/OG. A special thanks goes to everyone who performed or prepared the snacks, it was a great show. I hope you can all join us for the cleaning & BBQ 7/19 (Saturday) and we’ll see you all for the summer work camps in August and when classes start again in September.
Have a great summer vacation!! --SKLT

　クラス発表会でたくさんの人に、特にOB/OGの人々に会えたことは本当に素晴らしいことでした。演奏・発表してくれた人、お菓子などを準備してくれた人、皆さん有難うございました。とても立派な会でした。7/19（土）の大掃除・ＢＢＱにもみなさん参加して下さい。そして８月の夏のワークキャンプで、また９月にクラスが再開する時にお会いしましょう。
よい夏休みをお過ごし下さい！！　　　　　（サンディ）

July SHARE

This past Saturday (6/21) Workshop Class teacher Tanaka Satoko-sensei initiated a Tanzaku Action & Candle Night at the student center. In addition to a few students, many people from outside the student center community also came to participate in the event. The Candle Night movement started in Japan in 2003 in opposition to the Bush administration's energy policy. The idea is that if everyone turns off their lights for 2 hours and spent quality time with family and friends, the true meaning of a "peaceful life" could be realized. Candle Night was inspired by the Voluntary Blackout in Canada and has since spread many other countries around the world.

In Japan, this year's Candle Night happens to coincide with the upcoming G8 Summit in Toyako, Hokkaido which will be on July 7th. The G8 Summit is a meeting of global leaders from the most powerful countries in the world to discuss global issues. The permanent members in this year's 34th G8 Summit include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries collectively control 65% of the world's economy and hold a majority of the world's military power. This year they will discuss several issues including debt relief in Africa, climate change and sustainable energy, and others.

The idea of Tanzaku Action is to collect the tanzaku wishes from Japanese citizens to Japanese government leaders participating in the G8 Summit to exercise their responsibility in world policy. It was a very fun and informative evening complete with Nepalese curry made by some friends of Tanaka-sensei from the Shapla Neer non-profit organization. Since my parents were visiting me from the U.S. the idea of spending quality time with family while also saving energy was particularly inspiring. It was a good reminder for me to appreciate what little time we have with our family and friends because it will always seem too short. I thought the event was a wonderful way to bring global issues into our daily lives.


For more information in English go to:
Candle Night -- http://www.candle-night.org/english/
G8 Summit NGO Forum Tanzaku ACTION -- http://www.g8ngoforum.org/english/
G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit -- http://www.g8summit.go.jp/eng/index.html
Shapla Neer -- http://www.shaplaneer.org/english_site/index.html

日本語:
Candle Night -- http://www.candle-night.org/jp/about/
G8 サミット NGO フォラム -- http://www.g8ngoforum.org/
G8 北海道洞爺湖サミット -- http://www.g8summit.go.jp/index.html
Shapla Neer NGO -- http://www.shaplaneer.org/

この前の土曜日（６／２１）ワークショップクラスの田中聡子先生が、短冊アクション＆キャンドルナイトを主催してくれました。数人の学生と、外部からたくさんの人がやってきてそのイベントに参加しました。キャンドルナイトの運動はブッシュ政権のエネルギー政策に反対して、日本では2003年に始まりました。その考えは、もしみんなが２時間電気を消して、家族や友人と充実した時を過ごしたら、本当の意味での“平和な生活”が実現するだろうということです。キャンドルナイトはカナダで自主停電をしたことから始まり、それ以来、世界各国に広がっています。

日本では、今年のキャンドルナイトは７月７日に始まる北海道洞爺湖でのG8サミットとたまたま時を同じくしています。G8サミットは世界主要国のリーダー達が、地球規模の課題を話し合うために集まる会です。今年の第３４回G8サミットのメンバーは、カナダ、フランス、ドイツ、イタリア、日本、ロシア、イギリス、アメリカです。これらの国は世界経済の６５％を支配し、世界の軍事力の大部分を有しています。今年、彼等は開発・アフリカを含む課題や、気候変動、持続燃料やその他いくつかの課題を話すことになっています。短冊アクションのアイデアは、世界的政策の中できちんと責任を果たすようにと日本の国民が願いや期待を短冊に書いて集め、G８サミットに参加する日本政府のリーダー達に送るのです。
とても楽しく有益な夜でした。田中先生の友達（シャプラニールNPOのメンバー）が作ったネパールカレーをいただいてすっかり満足しました。私の両親がアメリカから私を訪ねてきていて、エネルギーをセーブしながらも家族と一緒に豊かな充実した時を過ごせたのは特に素晴らしいものでした。このイベントは私たちの日常生活の中に、地球規模の課題をとりいれる素敵な方法だと思いました。（サンディ）

July Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,
Working in a cross-cultural setting or living in a foreign country can be filled with frustrations around language and culture. Even if you have a decent sized vocabulary in a foreign language you still have to now how to use those words in the context of the culture.

I have learned about this a lot lately in the Pop Culture workshop that I lead on Tuesday evenings at the Student Center. In this workshop we discuss various aspects of pop culture and compare our perceptions and actual experience in Japanese and American culture. For the first class I had the students help me to bake chocolate chip cookies and while they were in the oven we talked about the power and meaning of symbols and tradition. I showed them the kanji for love or ai (愛) and then a picture of a heart. I also showed them the kanji for peace/heiwa (平和) and many different symbols of peace like the 'peace sign' and a picture of a dove. We talked about how these symbols are fairly universal and commonly understood across cultures.

Then, I showed them the kanji for home/ie (家) and garden/niwa (庭) and asked them to draw a picture of what these words mean to them while I took the cookies out of the oven. The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is often a hard one to ignore and all of the other classes paused for a few minutes to see what I was doing. I had the cookies cooling on a dish while the students showed me what they had drawn and described each thing. Almost all of the students had drawn a small house surrounded by a small garden. One girl had drawn children and a small dog playing in the front yard. I noticed that most of their houses had tatami floors and one student had even added a kotatsu table.

While we ate the cookies, I showed them photographs that remind me of home. They included photographs of my family, our house, my apartment in Berkeley and my college friends, and some pictures from Sycamore's Day Camp. I told the students that, in America, the chocolate chip cookie is also often seen as a symbol of home because mothers will bake with their children and the smell is very comforting. So, 'home' can mean many things depending on who you're talking to. It was an interesting conversation and a good beginning to the class.

Now, we're working on a survey to distribute to young people in Japan and in the U.S. on favorite movies, books, music, etc as well their opinions on various topics. The process has taken a lot longer than I originally thought it would but has been an educational one for everyone involved. I've learned that there are some questions that you just can't ask in Japanese directly or that some words are more polite than others. Hopefully, I'll be able to share the completed survey with you soon and you'll help us by completing one and sending it back. More on that soon!

Thinking of home constantly,
SKLT
Global Missions Intern (GMI) and
Assistant to the Director of the Sendai Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan

June SHARE

May has been a very busy month for the student center and this year’s yakuin-kai (TEAM-ACT) has been working hard to plan new events. Our Shinkan Hike and BarBQ (5/29) brought in many of new faces and the result was delicious food and a lot of fun. A BIG thank you for everyone who helped cook and welcome the new people. We had several students look through our photo albums and ask questions about SSC’s classes. Overall, I think the event was a huge success. The BarBQ was also great practice for the yakisoba making at the Emmaus Festival (5/31).

The hatake gardening club has also met twice to prepare the land and plant the seeds for the coming year. I’m excited to see our crops grow and even more excited for the feast when it is time to harvest. If you are interested in learning more please contact Taki-Waki (e-mail: yt719 at hotmail dot com)．

I’m still practicing my Japanese little by little but all of the students at SSC have been very understanding and helpful. We’re almost done translating a survey for the Pop Culture class into English and Japanese. I hope that we’ll be able to send this survey to students in the US as well as to universities in Sendai very soon. We hope to collect a good number of responses in order to compare the interests of young people in the U.S. and here in Sendai. So when it is completed I hope that you will all help by filling one out.

TEAM-ACT is doing a wonderful job organizing events and bringing new students into our happy community. Please check our new Event Calendar in the Emmaus Center lobby (near the welcome table) for upcoming events. I cannot stress enough how hard Nita-san, Sato Mai-san, Kou-san, and Natsumi-san have been working in the few weeks since classes started so please tell them thank you if you see them around. It has made my job and Shima-san and Nabe-san’s jobs much easier. Thanks again! SKLT


５月はとても忙しい一月でした。今年度の役員会（TEAM-ACT）は新しいイベントを企画するために一生懸命動いています。新歓ハイクやBBQ(4/29)には沢山の新しい人が来て、食べ物も美味しくとても楽しかったです。料理を作る手伝いをしてくれたり、新人を快く迎えてくれた皆さんに心から感謝します。数人の学生が私たちの写真を覗いてSSC(青年学生センター)のクラスについて色々質問していました。全体として、このイベントは大成功だったと思います。BBQはエマオ祭り（５/31）に学生たちが出す“焼きそば”作りの練習にもなりました。
　
　畑クラブは月２回仲間と会って、土を耕し種を蒔きます。作物が育つのを見るのはとても楽しいし、さらに収穫してそれでご馳走を作るのはもっと楽しみです。もし興味のある方、もっと知りたい方は島さんか、滝脇友紀さんに連絡してください。（滝脇友紀――e-mail:yt719 at hotmail dot com）

　私は日本語を少しずつ練習していますが、センターの学生たちはみんなとても良く理解してくれて助かっています。ポップカルチャークラスではアンケートを作って英語と日本語に訳しています。近い内にこのアンケートを仙台の大学とアメリカの学生にも送ってみんなに書いてもらいたいと思ってます。出来るだけ多く集めて集計し、アメリカの若者と仙台の若者との興味関心を比べてみたいです。皆さんもできたアンケートにこたえて、協力してください。

TEAM-ACTはイベントを企画したり、新しい学生を連れてきたりとても素晴らしい仕事をしています。エマオセンターのロビーにあるイベントカレンダー（ウェルカムテーブルの近くにある）をチェックして近く予定されているイベントを確認してください。クラスが始まってからの数週間、新田恭平さん、佐藤舞さん、菊地仰さん、阿部夏美さんたちがどれだけ一生懸命頑張ってきたか私がどんなに言っても言い表すことが出来ないくらいです。どうぞ彼等にあったらありがとうと言って下さい。おかげで私や島さんやなべさんの仕事がとても楽になります。本当にありがとう！

June Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,

May has been a very busy month for the Emmaus Center, where I spend most of my time here in Sendai. The Emmaus Center was completed in 2001 but it had been a concept for many years before that. The idea was that there would be a central meeting place for the churches of the Tohoku Conference of the United Church of Christ-Japan (UCC-J/Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan). When the building was completed the Sendai Student Center moved into the ground floor of the new Emmaus Center from their old location. I think it’s their presence that creates such a welcoming environment for the center’s activities.

This month the Sendai Student/Youth Center Student Council (TEAM-ACT) has begun to meet regularly and plan events for the year like the Welcome Day Hike & Barbeque on Showa Day (a school holiday). I’m happy to report that we had about 20 new faces join the barbeque, even helping to make the yakisoba over our small teppan. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves very much.

Also, the Emmaus Center will also be hosting their annual bazaar and festival (matsuri) on May 31st. Alumni of the student center, members of neighboring churches, and other supporters stop by daily to contribute items to the bazaar sale. Every year, some of the college students cook yakisoba on the bazaar day to sell for lunch so now they are eagerly perfecting their seasoning sauce and cooking skills. It’s heart-warming to see that people have been a part of this tradition for so long and it reminds me of how Sycamore members come from wherever they are in September to be a part of our bazaar.

I’m sure there will be much more to share as the month winds down…and September is only another 4 months away. More soon!

SKLT
Global Missions Intern (GMI) and
Assistant to the Director of the Sendei Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan

May Emmaus Newsletter (エマオ通信)

In the past 3 months I've had the opportunity to visit many different Kyodan (UCC-J) churches in Japan. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that in the U.S. I often skipped Sunday worship services and sometimes dreaded going to church. I think that many young people both in the U.S. and in Japan share my feelings that church services can be a little dull. Of course, this is not a reflection of the pastor or the congregation just that young people today live very busy lives and might rather spend a few extra hours sleeping or talking to their friends than in church on a Sunday morning.

I've had many conversations about this with my pastor at Sycamore Church in El Cerrito, California and she and I have become very good friends in the past few years. If it weren't for Pastor Sharon I would not be in Japan because she was the one who told me about this opportunity. I had doubts about whether I would be able to fulfill the duties of a missionary in Japan because I don't feel I've ever made church or Christianity a central part of my life. My favorite parts of church are volunteering as a youth counselor in Bible Day Camp or at our annual Bazaar in September. It was through each of these activities I always felt closer to God by actively working together with other members of God's family. Today, I am proud to see young people I watched grow up as members of the Sunday School or campers in Bible Day Camp now leading other youth as camp counselors. They are learning to give back to their community even if they don't always like to come to Sunday worship services.

I have no formal training in theology and do not plan to attend seminary. My future career goals include working with young people in urban environments to reduce pollution and waste. My hope is that I can encourage young people to take an interest in the cities where they live and learn to care for their communities. In pursuing this career path I've had the opportunity to travel to work with non-profit organizations in indigenous communities abroad as well as help to start a community-lead research project in my hometown Richmond, California. I've encountered God and the Holy Spirit in all of these places in a way that I might have never experienced otherwise.

Both my biological family and my church family have always been very supportive of these endeavors and they have blessed me with the chance to represent them here in Japan, the first member of Sycamore to be sent to Japan since its founding over 100 years ago.

I am grateful for the warmth and hospitality as I have in the churches here in Sendai. I have enjoyed the quality time I was able to spend in each congregation either in Church School playing with children, after-worship tea time, or udon lunches. I look forward to visiting many more in the future.

この３ヶ月の間に、私はいくつもの教会を訪ねる機会に恵まれました。ですが私はアメリカでは教会に行きたくなかったり、よく日曜の礼拝を休んだりしていたので、少し戸惑っています。アメリカでも日本でも、若い人たちは私が感じているように、教会の礼拝はちょっと退屈だと思っていると思います。もちろん、それは牧師や教会の人たちのせいではなく、最近の若い人たちは大変忙しくすごしており、日曜の朝に教会で過ごすよりももう何時間か寝ていたいとか友達としゃべる時間がほしいのです。

私はこのことについて、私の通う、カリフォルニアのシカモア教会のシャロン牧師とよく話しました。それで彼女と私はこの数年ですっかり友達のようになりました。シャロン牧師が今回の機会について私に話してくださらなかったら、私は日本に来ていなかったでしょう。私は今まで自分の生活の中心に教会やキリスト教をおこうと思ったこともなかったので、自分が「宣教師」として様々な義務を負わねばならないのではないかと疑心暗鬼になっていました。私が教会で好きなのは、聖書キャンプで若い人達のお世話や相談にのったり、９月に行われる教会あげてのバザーで働くことなどです。このような活動を通して、そして神の家族である、教会の皆と一緒に働くことを通して、私はいつも神さまに近づいた感じがするのです。今、私は私が教会学校や聖書キャンプで育っていくのを見てきた若い子達が、今度は自分たちがリーダーとなってキャンプのお世話などをしているのを誇りに思います。彼らはいつも日曜の礼拝に来るわけではなくとも、教会に何かを返していくことをちゃんと学んでいるのです。

私はきちんとした神学の教育を受けたわけでも、神学校に入るつもりもありません。私が将来目指しているのは、都市の環境の中で若い人たちと汚染や無駄をなくすための働きをすることです。願わくは、私が若い人たちを励まして、彼らが自分の住む街に興味や関心をもち、その街の環境をどのようにして守っていくかを学んでもらいたいと思っています。そのために、私はNGOと一緒に先住民族の村を訪ねたことがあり、そして私の住むカリフォルニアのリッチモンドで調査計画を始めるためのお手伝いをしてきました。私はそのような場所において、今までに経験したことがないような形で神に出会い聖霊に満たされるのです。

　私の二つの家族、つまり私の両親、そして神の家族である教会の人たちはどちらも、いつもできる限り協力をしてくれて、またシカモア教会が１００年以上前に創立して以来始めて日本へ行った教会員である私のために、日本にいても彼らと一緒にあるように、と祈ってくれています。

ここ仙台で私が訪ねたどこの教会でも温かく迎えてくださったことに感謝しています。どこの教会でも礼拝だけでなく、教会学校の子どもたちと遊んだり、礼拝の後のお茶の時間や昼食のうどんなど、とても豊かな時を過ごしています。ぜひもっと沢山の教会をお訪ねしたいと思っています。

May SHARE

New Connections

This week I received two e-mails, one from Jeffrey and another from my pastor at Sycamore Church in California, Rev. Sharon MacArthur. They had met for the first time at the Common Global Ministries Board (CGMB) meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. (CGMB is a partner of the Kyodon in the United States that commissioned both Jeffrey and myself.) They were both anxious to hear about the beginning of the new school year in Sendai and they both send their blessings and best wishes.
Sycamore Church was founded by missionaries from Japan in Oakland in 1904. During WWII Sycamore’s members were relocated to Topaz, Utah. As families moved back to the Oakland area after the war ended, a few church members were able to rebuild some of what was lost. But often the Nisei, second generation, rejected their Japanese heritage in order to show their loyalty to the U.S., the place of their birth. However, this meant that they also separated themselves from their Japanese-born parents. Today many Nikkei don’t have any connection to Japan or Japanese culture except through faith-based organizations like churches or temples. In 2004, Sycamore celebrated its 100-year history and the work we do in the Japanese-American community today including a bi-lingual preschool and Japanese language courses. Although Sycamore has continually received missionaries from Japan to serve the growing Japanese-speaking congregation, I am the first member of Sycamore to come to Japan.
So, I was happy to hear that Jeffrey and Pastor Sharon were able to meet in Cleveland and even happier to hear that Jeffrey, Kako, Hana, Tomo, and Stella will be able to visit Sycamore in July. I think this is just the beginning of new connections between the Nikkei community in the US and the Christian community here in Japan. I’m glad that my presence at the Sendai Student/Youth Center can be a part of that. (SKLT)


新しいつながり　

今週、私は２つのメールを受け取りました。１つはジェフリーさんから、もう１つはカリフォルニアのシカモア教会の牧師・シャロン・マッカーサー先生からです。彼らは、オハイオ州クリーブランドでのＣＧＭＢの会合で初めて会ったのです。（ＣＧＭＢとはアメリカにある日本基督教団のパートナー＝仲間です。ジェフリーさんも私もその団体から派遣されています。）彼らは２人とも仙台での新学期の始まりのことを聞きたがっていました。そして祝福と恵みを祈ってくれています。
　シカモア教会は1904年に日本からの宣教師達によってオークランドに創設されました。私の曾祖父母はそのメンバーの一員です。第Ⅱ次世界大戦の間、シカモア教会のメンバーはユタ州のトパーズという所に強制隔離収容されていました。戦後、家族達がオークランドの地域にもどってきたので、教会員たちは失われたものを再建することができました。が、日系二世の人々は自分たちの生まれた場所である合衆国に忠誠を示すため、日本人として受け継いでいくことを拒否しました。しかしこれは、彼ら自身が日本で生まれた両親からの隔絶をも意味したのです。今日多くの日系人は、教会やお寺のような信仰を土台とする組織を通して以外、日本や日本の文化と何の関係も持っていないのです。2004年にシカモア教会は100年の歴史と、バイリンガルの幼稚園と日本語コースを含む日系アメリカ人のコミュニテｲで私たちがしている業を記念して祝いました。シカモア教会は増え続ける日本語を話す会衆に仕えるために、引き続き日本から宣教師を受け入れています。私は日本にやってきた最初のシカモア教会員です。
　ですから私はジェフリーさんとシャロン牧師がクリーブランドで会ったこと、ジェフリーさん一家（ジェフリーさん、かこさん、ハナちゃん、友くん、Stellaちゃん）が７月にシカモア教会に行くと聞いてとても喜んでいます。これは合衆国にいる日系人たちと、日本にいるクリスチャンたちとの新しい関係―つながりの始まりだと思います。私は、自分が仙台青年学生センターにいることそのものがその一部を担っているのだと思うととても嬉しいです。（サンデｨー)

May Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,
As I’ve been away for over 3 months now, something that’s been heavy on my mind is the meaning of mission work and then my role as a missionary. The word carries a lot of historical baggage and perhaps negative associations with some of the horrible atrocities done in the name of God. I didn’t really know what to expect before coming to Japan to work at the Sendai Student/Youth Center. I knew that I would be asked to fulfill the responsibilities of a missionary but there really is no concrete definition for what a missionary is. I’ve had many conversations about this with other missionaries and friends outside the mission field as well.
Missionaries do many different things all over the world. Many of them are teachers of music, language, mathematics, or theology. Others are staff for faith-based or community development organizations. Of course, there are also missionaries that serve their communities as ministers in local churches. These people come from all many different parts of Japan and the world to share in fellowship with other members of an inter-faith community. There is no one definition for what a missionary is or the work that a missionary does. One thing that I really appreciate about Global Ministries and the work of the Kyodon (United Church of Christ, Japan) is their dedication to social justice issues and standing up for the Burakumin people or protecting Article 9 in Japan’s constitution.
Last month, I gave the message at Sunday worship at Shuri Church in Okinawa. I talked about redefining what it means to be a young person, American, Christian, and a missionary through my words and actions. However, it it wasn’t as if I had any grand ideas that I would be the one to do this. The most important factor in my decision to come to Sendai was that I felt I was needed. The staff here at the Sendai Student/Youth Center asked for a Global Missions Intern to come because they needed a young person to help coordinate events for other young people; they’ve needed a young staff person for a very long time. To me, the most important aspect of the work of Global Ministries missionaries is the concept of critical presence. Critical presence means that a missionary is called to serve when and where they are most needed. Also, this has been a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the ties between Sycamore in Japan.
This conversation about mission work and missionaries is a very big topic. One that probably requires a longer discussion than I’ve started here so please don’t hesitate to write me questions, I’m still thinking through these issues myself.

With Love,
SKLT
Global Missions Intern (GMI) and
Assistant to the Director of the Sendei Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan

Read more at: What is Critical Presence?

April SHARE

Greetings!
Since I arrived in Sendai almost 2 months ago I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the students and alumni of the Sendai Student/Youth Center and participate in many of the activities, like the recent study tour to Okinawa. I am so grateful for the warm reception and the new friends I’ve made in this time. I’ve learned so much about Japan and Japanese culture from all of you and I hope that these friendships continue long beyond our time here in Sendai together. Someday soon I hope I am able to speak to all of you in near perfect Japanese.
As the new school year starts, I’m excited for the launch of my discussion group on American and Japanese pop culture and I hope that it will be fun and we will learn a lot about each other. I look forward to seeing everyone again and meeting all the new students.

SKLT, Visiting Missionary



私は２ヶ月前に仙台に来てから、仙台青年学生センターの学生や卒業生達と会って、楽しくいろいろな活動に参加してきました。最近では沖縄スタディツアーにも参加しました。
　みなさんの温かい歓迎と、新しくできた友達にとても感謝しています。私はみなさんから日本について、日本の文化についてたくさんのことを学んでいます。この友情・交わりが、今だけでなく、ここ仙台でだけでなく、ずっと続くことを願っています。そして、近いうちに私はみなさんと流暢な日本語で（！）話せるようになりたいです。
　新学期が始まって、これから私が始めようとしているアメリカと日本のポップカルチャーについて語り合うクラスが楽しみです。楽しいものにしていきたいし、お互いに色々なことを学び会いましょう。
みなさんや、新しい学生さんたちに会うのが楽しみです。

サンドラ　（短期宣教師)

Becoming Like the Teacher (その師のように)

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "
Luke 6:37-39

Before I begin, let me first start by saying how excited I am to be here. I am very grateful for this opportunity to come to Okinawa and learn from your congregation and our hosts. There is a long history here and it’s important that young people learn from it and pass it on to future generations.

I arrived in Japan a little over a month ago. I am fourth generation Japanese-American (Yonsei). I grew up in Berkeley, California near San Francisco and I represent a Nikkei church: Sycamore Congregational Church UCC (Kyodon US). Sycamore was founded in 1904 and my great-grandparents were among its first members. During the war all of its members were relocated to Tanforan racetrack and then to Topaz, Utah. Sycamore has had a very long history and overcome many obstacles in its 100 years but today it has a growing congregation of both Japanese-Americans and recent emigrants from Japan. The church has always received young ministers from Japan to lead our Nichigo congregation but I am the first member of our church who has ever come to Japan. Because of this connection, this opportunity is especially meaningful to me to build these connections between Sycamore and Japan.

When I first arrived from the US one of the students at the Sendai Student Center told me that when he first heard that a missionary was coming from the U.S. he immediately pictured an older white man. So, since I am neither white nor male nor old he was pleasantly surprised. I am aware that I don’t fit the image that is normally associated with the word "missionary" and, as a young person, I often feel uncomfortable in leadership roles where people might actually listen to what I have to say. I had a lot of anxiety over what message I could share with you. So I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m a bit nervous.

There is a long complicated series of events that lead to my coming to Japan, a combination of good timing and fortunate coincidences. I’ve been blessed with many rich experiences and opportunities to travel and to meet people around the world. So maybe this opportunity to speak to you this morning is another blessing in disguise that I might share some of my experiences and learn from them in the process.

I graduated from college with a degree in plant biology 2 years ago. After graduation I found out about a study tour that introduced college students and recent graduates to issues in indigenous communities around the world. Over 4 months we traveled all over the world including the state of Jharkhand in central India where indigenous communities have sometimes been in life and death struggles over their homes for recognition by the Indian government.

We visited a Jesuit retreat center that was founded by a Belgian missionary. He told us about how he had saved the poor lazy Adivassi (a word used to describe the indigenous people of India) and made them more productive by educating them and giving them jobs. While we were there we also noticed that this same missionary lived in a mansion far removed from the dormitories where all the Adivassi students and workers lived. He was profitting from their labor and spoke as though it was his right to do so because he had "saved" them. The most heart-breaking moment was when some of the Adivassi community leaders themselves told us how they had been saved from their backward ways. It was a day that I began to question my faith and I wondered if this patriarchal attitude was inherent in the Christian faith or merely a reflection of the beliefs of this one individual.

When I returned to the US I was very confused and I felt isolated because, in my mind, there wasn’t anyone else who could understand what I was going through. I was the only student in that study tour that identifies as Christian and other students had already formed a very negative image of Christianity. I stopped going to church and whenever anyone asked me how my trip was I would say very little. It wasn’t until my friends and family started to probe a little deeper and ask more questions that I was able to begin to process what I had experienced. I think that for many young people today the word "missionary" carries a lot of negative connotations and before learning more about mission work I can’t say that I was any different.

Before going to India I knew very little about India or Adivassi people. Upon further reflection I began to examine my motives for wanting to go on that study tour in the first place. Although my family is not rich by American standards, we still live a relatively comfortable life as compared to most of the people in the world. In college, my parents were fully capable of supporting me so that I didn’t have to work in order to eat or buy books. Any money that I made from part-time jobs went directly into savings. I wanted to travel to India because some part of me wanted to help those less fortunate than me. I believed that I had studied hard in school and worked hard so that I could live what I considered a very simple life independent of my parents. In my mind, I was using my own life as the standard by which I measured those less fortunate than me. So in some ways, my motives weren’t that different from this missionary.

I realized that before I am able to "help" anyone else I have to be aware of my own motives and also learn more about what it is that the people that I’m helping are fighting for. I can’t expect that everyone wants to live like my family or achieve what I consider to be a good life. But, if I am able to find some part of their struggle that connects to my own then maybe we can share in that struggle together as friends.

Here in Okinawa, our group had the opportunity to visit Henoko and Camp Schwabb. Our guide, Ashitomi-san, told us about the history of their 4-year struggle to protect the homes of those living around Camp Schwabb. I was shocked to sea the US Marine base so close and separated from us only by a single coil of barbed wire. As Ashitomi-san spoke, some of the US Marines came jogging along the beach probably on a routine morning drill. They were about 50 yards away but they were close enough that we could almost see their faces. We learned that a lot of these soldiers were as young as 18-years-old; some of them joined the military to get green cards in order to become American citizens. Seeing them so close made me realize they were real people. They were young men, around my age, and they were far away from home. Maybe they were homesick and missed their friends and family. They have also been trained to be aggressive, to shoot guns, and to kill. Through this conditioning they’ve also been taught to believe that the US is the best in the world. While I don’t defend the actions of these soldiers I understand what it’s like to be away from friends and family in a foreign country. The combination of this homesickness and military conditioning can be very dangerous. I still don’t know how we can solve these problems since they are so complex and we’re all acting under our own pressures from all directions but I think that maybe the first step towards peace is understanding that there is complexity.

It’s sad that America has so much power in the world today and that the results of our next election, for example, can have so many ripple effects all over the world. What’s even sadder perhaps is that the results of the next election may be determined by which candidate can put on a better show. In America, young people have the lowest voter turn out rate. Young people have a reputation for being apathetic caring only about fashion or entertainment. But I think that young people have the strongest voices if they only had the words and the experience to use them.

Now I have a clearer view in my mind of what my mission is as a missionary, as a Christian, as an American, and as a young person. Part of that, I believe, is to redefine what these words mean through my words and actions. Young people do care about what’s going on in the world. Not all missionaries are out to convert the world and save souls. Most missionaries aren’t even ministers. So perhaps my mission is to contribute to a world where communities and people can live together in spite of (and perhaps because of) their differences by making connections between those who I come in contact with. It’s important for young people to be exposed to the history of places like Okinawa, especially as it relates to their lives as Japanese or as Americans. Through exposing young people to the history of places like Okinawa we are teaching them to look beyond what they read in the news or see on TV. It’s complicated and there are hardly ever clear black-and-white solutions but by first raising awareness of these issues we are involving a new generation and encouraging a fresh set of young minds to think about how to achieve peace in this world.

Shuri Church March 9, 2008

March SHARE

はじめまして。
サンディーと呼んでください。先月末に仙台に到着しました。これから一年間、インターンシップと言う形でこの仙台青年学生センターで働きます。私の役割はまずセンターの活動に加わること。そして、できたら新しい魅力的な活動を生み出すことです。私がここにいることで、皆さんに新鮮な視点・世界を提供できたらと思います。また、私も皆さんからいろんなことを学んでアメリカの友人や家族に伝えられるように持って帰りたいと思います。
　母は中国系アメリカ人、父は日系三世です。私はシカモア教会（米国合同教会）という日系人教会に属しています。現在２１才。バークレー市にあるカルフォルニア大学では生物学と社会学を勉強しました。将来、小学校で子供たちに理科を教えたいと思っています。また、カルフォルニアの地域政策の立案などにも関わって行きたいとも思っています。趣味としては自分で食べる野菜を育てること。そして料理をするのも好きです。その他、人と出会うこと、他の文化について学ぶこと、音楽を聞くこと、野外で過ごすことが好きです。
　皆さんとこの一年間、一緒に活動するのを楽しみにしています。スタッフや会員の皆さんにとって私の存在が何かの新しいきっかけ作りになればいいなと思っています。
　どうぞ、よろしくお願いします。


Hajimemashite.
My name is Sandy. I arrived in Sendai last month to begin my one-year internship with the Sendai Student Youth Center. My role will be to participate in Center activities as well as to hopefully develop interesting new activities. Over this year I hope that I will be able to contribute a fresh perspective and to learn from each of you so that I may take back what I learn to friends and family back home.
My mother is a second generation Chinese-American and my father is a third generation (Sansei) Japanese-American. I belong to a Japanese-American church near my hometown called Sycamore Congregational Church, UCC. I am 21-years-old and I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Plant Biology and minoring in Ethnic Studies. In the future I would like to teach elementary school science and get involved in local policy-making in California. I have an interest in growing my own vegetables and I love to cook. Other interests include meeting new people, learning about other cultures, listening to music, and spending time outdoors.
I look forward to working with you all in the upcoming year and I hope that I will be a resource for both the staff and students at the Sendai Youth Center.
Douzo yoroshiku onegaeshimasu.

March Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,

I have been in Japan now for over a month and so far it has been an amazing experience. I have been settling in to the house in which I will be living in for the next year and acclimating to the weather. Everyone at the Sendai Student Youth Center has been incredibly patient and kind while I’m learning the language and and getting used to life in Japan. Jeffrey and Kako Mensendiek have been especially helpful, showing me where to buy groceries and how to navigate downtown Sendai. The students have been my biggest resource with getting internet set up in my house and taking me to all the best places to eat.

As the school year is winding down for university students I’ve been attending classes held at the Student Center in the evenings and participating in their student council meetings as they’re preparing for the various end-of-school and graduation celebrations. I’ve also been visiting some of the local churches with center staff in order to get a better sense for the Christian community in Japan.

Both the local congregations and students have been interested in learning more about the Japanese-American community back in the U.S and I’ve had many opportunities to give presentations on Sycamore. I’ve been in contact with youth back at Sycamore and students here at the Student Center about a possible cultural exchange through video or e-mail so hopefully this dialogue will continue. If you or someone you know is interested in participating please contact me (Sandra K L T at yahoo dot com) or Minister-in-Training Corbin Davis (hip hop corbin at hotmail dot com).

I am learning a lot about Japanese history and culture as I am preparing to accompany a small group of students to Okinawa early this month to learn about issues of US militarization and sovereignty. I’m sure this will be a very educational experience since these are timely and somewhat sensitive topics.

I am excited to be representing Sycamore here in the Japan and I will continue to keep you updated. Thank you so much for your e-mails, for reading my blog, and continuing to support me in all of my activities.

SKLT