September SHARE

Thinking About Food

A quick glance at the label one of the many processed foods found in any convenience store in Japan or the U.S. would reveal a list of a dozen or so ingredients. Some of these are recognizable like butter or sugar and some are less so. Sometimes it’s hard to draw the connections between these ingredients and something we might like to eat.

At last spring’s work camp to the Asian Rural Institute, a man named Johnny from Malaysia lead a workshop on palm oil production and its uses. We looked the ingredient labels for popular foods like Country Ma’am or convenience store cream pastries and looked for common ingredients. From the workshop we learned that in 2005, palm oil became the most commonly found ingredient in processed foods in Japan. Palm oil is also processed into sweeteners like sorbitol (in Japanese ソルビトール) which is found in yet more foods because it is cheaper and it helps keep the foods tasting fresh longer than using regular sugar. According to Johnny, one of the dangers for palm oil farmers is wild fire. Palm oil trees grow very quickly and they have high oil contents and therefore catch fire very easily.

For the past year and a half I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to participate in these volunteer work camps alongside students from the center. Every time I am shocked to learn something new from people so central to producing the foods we eat. While their hard work makes our lives cheaper and more convenient, theirs become more difficult. Talking about these issues is one of the many experiences I look forward to every summer. The solutions to these problems are not always clear and well defined but it’s the process of finding them together that will make the biggest impact.

- (SKLT)

August Sycamore Tree

When I first arrived I Sendai I remember that one of the first things that one student said to me was that I wasn't what they expected. When they heard that a missionary was coming from America they had immediately envisioned an older white male. Since I am none of those things I guess I hadn't quite lived up to that student's image of what an American looks like. As I've been here longer I sometimes feel like a disappointment in other ways, I look Japanese but don't speak like a native, or that I speak Japanese 'too well' for a foreigner. Recently, a student told me that I speak Japanese 'too well' and they would have to find somebody else to practice their English on.

In time I've also come to realize that perhaps this experience in Japan hasn't looked exactly the way that I had pictured it over a year and a half ago either.So then maybe it isn't that I haven't lived up to expectations but rather that, on both sides, we had to break out of preconceived ideas.

In this same spirit, a few students and I have talked about arranging a trip to Sycamore for the bazaar. After hearing me talk about Sycamore so often they've realized how different my image of the U.S. is from their version of America and are curious to see it for themselves. Probably the next time you see me I will be acting as a tour guide, so I hope that you will help me show these students what our little part of the U.S. looks like.

In regards to last month's article, I always welcome questions/comments/suggestions. Thanks for the e-mails I have received, I'll work on compiling those into future article.

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

July SHARE

Slow Life

As summer vacation is approaching I've talked to many students at the center about their summer plans. Some people are going to study for exams or complete internships to help them with their job searching. Still others are planning trips with their friends to go abroad or visit other parts of Japan. It's exciting to hear about all the different things that people will do with their free time.

Personally, I will be participating in the center's volunteer work camps to Okunakayama in Iwate Prefecture and the Asian Rural Institute in Tochigi Prefecture. I am looking forward to both because of all of the different people we meet in each place and for the slow time that these camps allow center staff and students to spend together outside of our busy work and study schedules. A unfortunate result of urban living is that our lives don't leave time to talk about things that are bothering us, our dreams for the future, or silly thoughts that we have that are forgotten because there are other more important things to talk about.

Most students plan to return to their hometowns for part of summer vacation to spend time with their families. Our hometowns are one of the few places where our lives slow down and we can become magically transformed into children again. Our families and childhood friends don't see us in our current reality of work and school and so we are perhaps more free to enjoy these comfortable conversations. Although sometimes our visits home can seem boring, it's important to remember that these are the moments which allow us to refresh ourselves before going back to our busy lives. I will also be returning home in September for a few weeks for a vacation. I've always thought it would be nice to plan a trip home with some of the friends I've made here in Japan over the past year and a half, my family in California would very much like to meet the people I spend all my time with in Sendai.

(SKLT)

June Sycamore Tree

May 17 – International Day Against Homophobia

As I’ve listened and watched the debates over same-sex marriage and gays in the military happening in the U.S. especially the case of the Arabic translator and Iraqi veteran, Lt. Dan Choi. I’ve often wondered about the LGBT community here in Japan. I’ve found that it’s an especially taboo topic here in Sendai while that does not seem to be as big of an issue in larger cities like Osaka or Sapporo. On May 17, several cities around the world as well as here in Japan held marches and events to raise public awareness about homophobia. This year’s theme was about Transphobia and gender identity.

In Sendai, we passed out flyers that explained what homophobia is and how this movement started in 2005 on the anniversary of the day that the World Health Organization (WHO) officially removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders. We also had a 3 question survey which asked (1) if you believe that there are people in your community who struggle with their gender identity; (2) if you personally struggle with your gender identity; and (3) if you have heard of the movie Milk starring Sean Penn. Participants were asked to place stickers on a large poster board which had boxes for yes and no responses. Everyone who answered the survey got coupons for 300 yen off a ticket to see the movie Milk in theaters.

It was a difficult event because of heavy rains and the more famous Aoba Matsuri happening across town. But, everyone who came out did their best to call attention to this cause. Two participants had written a theme song for the event and sang along to their guitar. Unfortunately, very few people stopped but I was impressed by the spirit of the staff members of the event who stayed energetic despite the cold and rain. The people who did stop, though, asked intelligent questions and I think they left with a higher awareness than when they came.

http://idahomophobia.org/

Pray for Japan on Sunday, May 24, 2009

also posted on the Global Ministries website: http://globalministries.org/prayer/24may2009.html

Lectionary Text and Prayers for Japan: John 17:6-19
I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.

Dear God, thank you for the many gifts of community and fellowship with the global Christian community brought to us through missionaries around the world. This week we pray for Japan. We ask for your light and guidance for Christians in Japan, while few, continue faithfully on their journey towards your kingdom here on earth. Help us, as missionaries, to learn to serve and walk alongside our partners in the Japanese church on this mission. We…

• Pray for global food security and for ministries like the Asian Rural Institute in Tochigi Prefecture which help to inspire leadership in rural communities both in Japan and around the world.
  
• Pray for the indigenous peoples of Japan from the Ainu peoples of northern Japan and Hokkaido to Ryu Kyu peoples in Okinawa, and others as they continue their struggle for acknowledgement by the Japanese people and government.
  
• Pray for the Christian centers and smaller ministries like the Emmaus Center, the Douhoku Centre, the Student Christian Fellowship (SCF), Bazaar Café, and Ginowan Seminar House as they continue to serve as a vital meeting point between the church and the wider community. Help them to continue their work serving the most vulnerable and needy.
  
• Pray for sexual minorities, the LGBT community in both Japan and the US, that they are able to find acceptance and understanding from their families, religious institutions, and government leaders.
  
• Pray that awareness of Article 9 of Japan's Peace Constitution will continue to grow both here in Japan and abroad. We pray that Japan will be an example of peace in seeking non-military means for conflict resolution.

We bring these prayers to you from a world, still broken, as a forgiving and forgiven people of God. Amen

(Prayer by SKLT)

Global Ministries International Partners in Japan:

• Doshisha University: http://www.doshisha.ac.jp/english/ Martha Mensendiek is a teacher of Social Welfare at Doshisha University, Kyoto. Casilda Luzares teaches English.
  
• Asian Rural Institute: The mission of the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) is to build an environmentally healthy, just, and peaceful world, in which each person can live to his or her fullest potential. This mission is rooted in the love of Jesus Christ. To carry out this mission, ARI trains and nurtures rural leaders for a life of sharing. Leaders, both women and men, who live and work in grassroots rural communities primarily in Asia, Africa and the Pacific form a community of learning each year together with staff and other residents. Through community-based learning they study the best ways for rural people to share and enhance local resources and abilities for the common good.
  
• Emmaus Center: Rev. Jeffrey Mensendiek works as the Director of youth ministries at the Emmaus Center, Northeast Conference of United Church of Christ in Japan, based in Sendai, Japan. Ms. Sandra Lee-Takei works as a global mission Intern at the Emmaus Center as the assistant to the Director of youth ministries.
  
• Kobe College: http://www.kobe-c.ac.jp/ekc/index.html
  
• Korean Christian Church in Japan: http://www.kccj.net/
  
• Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University:
  
• National Christian Council of Japan: http://ncc-j.org/english/profile.htm
  
• Tohoku Gakuin University: http://www.tohoku-gakuin.ac.jp/en/index.html
  
• United Church of Christ in Japan:
  

Global Ministries Missionaries in Japan:

• Sandra Lee-Takei serves as a Global Mission Intern at the Emmaus Center
• Casilda Luzares teaches English at Doshisha University and is involved in pastoral ministries to migrant workers from the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand.
• Martha Mensendiek teaches Social Welfare at Doshisha University
• Jeffrey Mensendiek serves and the Director of youth ministries at the Emmaus Center and the Sendai Student/Youth Center in Sendai.
  

May SHARE

Safe Place to Express Yourself

While we were visiting the Bethel House during this spring’s Hokkaido study tour, we met people who had psychological challenges like schizophrenia, addiction, and some who were recovering from agoraphobia. We also met social workers, doctors, and staff who worked alongside them managing the various Bethel projects like konbu sales and creating books and DVDs to teach others about Bethel. Because everyone works together in the same space there is a very friendly atmosphere and members are encouraged to express themselves freely. One of the social workers, Etsuko Mukaiyachi, helped us to understand how the ‘Bethel Way’ differs from contemporary medicine in that they try to avoid medication but to help members cure themselves through learning how to express their feelings and emotions in healthy ways.

I was reminded about a period in my life right after I graduated from college. I didn’t have much success finding work and it seemed like everyone else around me seemed happier and more successful than me. At the time, I lived with a friend who had graduated from university the same year as me. We had lived together for almost 3 years and could talk about all the stresses of each day. I also had one teacher in school that I respected very much and always made time for me when I came to his office. Because I had this support network of friends who helped me verbalize the anxieties I had about my future I was able to realize that there was nothing wrong with me and that I had talents too. When I did finally receive my first job offer, the thing that made me the most happy was telling those same friends.

Something that was unique about Bethel is that members and staff work together as equals and it was often difficult to tell who was recovering from mental illness. We all have anxieties and a low degree of mental illness in away. But, maybe we can also learn to help ourselves by seeking out a community we can trust to talk about and express all the joys and difficulties in our lives. Through simply expressing them aloud to others, we learn to appreciate both our talents and faults and grow from them.

- SKLT


北海道の「べてるの家」を訪れたとき、精神障がいを負う人たちがスタッフと一緒になって働いている姿に驚いた。スタッフの向谷地悦子さんによると、べてるではクスリで病気を治すというよりは、当事者自身がいろんな人に自分を表現できる方法を通して病気とつき合う道を求めているとのことだった。

　自分が大学を卒業したばかりの頃を思い出す。就職活動が上手く行かず、他の人たちの方が自分より幸せに見えた時期があった。あのころ一緒に生活していたルームメイトとは日常的なストレスとか何でも話し合える仲だった。また尊敬していた先生も、いつでも私のために時間を取ってくれた。このような人たちのネットワークの中にあったから、私は自分の将来に対する不安などを表現できたし、自分はおかしくない、自分にはいろんな可能性があることに気付くことができた。やっと仕事が決まった時、私は喜んで真っ先にこの人たちに嬉しい知らせを伝えたのだった。

　べてるの大きな特徴の一つは当事者とスタッフが対等な者として隣り合わせで働いていることだった。誰が当事者であるか分からないほどだった。私たちにだって不安はあるし、精神「病」も少しはあるのではないかと思う。自助努力として私たちができることと言えば、自分を表現できるコミュニティーを探すこと。信頼して自分の悩みや喜びを伝えることのできる場所を見つけることだと思う。単純に言葉でもって自分の内面を他の人に表現することで、自分の良いところも悪いところも見えて来るし、それと付き合って行く力が与えられて行くのだと思う。

サンディー（SKLT）

May Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,

Spring is the season of change in Japan. The fiscal year in Japan begins and ends on April 1^st and companies work hard to close their books for the year and hire new employees around this time. The school year also starts in April and realtors often find themselves busiest during this time and desperately searching for work the rest of the year. It’s no different here in Sendai. At the student/youth center 2 staff retired, one person returned from maternity leave, and one temporary person finished her term. Now, we are left with 3 people, our administrative person Miho Ookoshi who manages the building during the day, Jeffrey Mensendiek and myself who take care of the student center activities in the evenings.

In March, while all the students were on spring break we were hard at work preparing for the new school and fiscal year while Jeffrey and I were traveling most of the month leading a study tour to Hokkaido and a volunteer work camp to the Asian Rural Institute in Tochigi Prefecture.

Hokkaido was the major event of the spring holiday because it was an 11-day trip stopping at various places all over Japan’s vast and northernmost island. Also, the student/youth center has not lead a study tour to Hokkaido in over 7 years. An outline and explanation of our trip’s schedule is at: http://skltsnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/hokkaido-study-tour.html. I’ve also written more about each part of the trip here: http://skltstravels.blogspot.com/search/label/Hokkaido.

Other projects I’m working on are creating an English website and providing more English materials both for English speakers in Sendai but also for our many supporters abroad. I will be sure to keep you updated on these projects as they develop.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

 

SKLT

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

 

To learn more about what Sandy has been doing be sure to check out her online resources:

• Newsletter Articles (English and Japanese): http://skltsnews.blogspot.com
  
• Personal Reflections (English only, sorry): http://skltstravels.blogspot.com