I went to Hiroshima on Thursday, by myself.  I was pretty excited.  I’ve been preparing for this trip for a solid month…at least.  The plan was to take the Japan Rail slow train to either Kokura or Shin-Shimonoseki (about 15 minutes) and then catch a shinkansen bullet train to Hiroshima (about 45 minutes).  In order to save money, I decided to take the shinkansen from Shin-Shimonoseki. 

It was really neat.  My first time on a speed train.  Alas, as we were all lined up to board, I noticed that not many people were going to the last unreserved car, so I went on over…only to discover that people were smoking on it!  Yuck.  It took me a couple stops to realize that I was in the smoking car, so I switched to the next car and was able to breathe for the last half of the trip. 

When I stepped off the train, I was so disoriented.  It took me a good 10 minutes to find a map, in English.  I sat in the terminal and tried to get my bearings.  I felt pretty good about it, so I walked out toward the city.  Not before long, though, the streets I was walking along were not matching up with the map.  So, I asked a waitress a very handy question indeed, “Watashi-wa doko desuka?”  (Where am I?)  She didn’t know how to explain, so she pulled her boss/cook aside and he told me that I was going East when I wanted to go West.  I came out of the wrong side of the train station. 

I was able to make it back to the station and get on the correct side when Aki called me and said that she and Taka would meet me in front of the baseball stadium.  I felt like I could get there alright…they have streetcars that go straight there from the train station.  So, I got on and started hyperventilating a little bit.  Now, I usually can keep my cool when I’m traveling around places, but this time, I was so discombobulated.  If any of you watch LOST, you know that Desmond did a bit of time travel in his mind during this past season.  One thing he discovered was that you need a constant…something that is the same in one time as well as in another.  Without it, your brain will explode.  I’ve come to the conclusion that this is necessary for regular travel as well.  Thankfully, Taka and Aki were more than willing to oblige as my constant and after sitting down for some okonomiyaki lunch, I felt much more at ease. 

We went to the Peace Park, saw the A-Bomb Dome.  It is the closest building to the blast site to still be standing, so they have left it in its original condition (post bomb of course) as a reminder of the travesty of nuclear warfare.  It was pretty strange being there…as an American…watching and learning firsthand the destruction brought to Japan by my own country.  I still don’t know how I feel about the whole thing.  I think there are very valid points on both sides.  Just now, I think I have decided…yes…I have come to the conclusion that war is ugly.  No one really wins in it.  No sir, I don’t like it.  I have another post on here, a couple blogs back, that discusses some more things indepth dealing with the war, so you should look at that if you have time and are interested.

While we were in front of the Peace Flame and Memorial Cenotaph, two Jehovah’s Witnesses came up to us and began to witness to us.  It was crazy.  Here we were, three Christians, in the middle of Hiroshima, being witnessed to by JW’s, while people near us were bowing down and offering flowers, money, and incense to the souls of the victims of the bomb.  It was so strange, in fact, to me that I began video-taping it.  I have the link below for you.

After that part of the city, the Asada’s and I parted ways.  They had a baseball game to go see, and I was sufficiently buffeted with my constant (which I have concluded to not only be the Asada’s but also food in general), so I went off to explore some more parts of the city.  I went to the Hiroshima Museum of Art (not planned…but there was an exhibition of Parisienne Art) and then walked toward the Hiroshima Castle.  There, in front of a vending machine, I met three tourists from Amsterdam, Holland.  When in the East, it’s typical for foreignors not to acknowledge other foreignors.  I’m not sure why…but it’s almost an unspoken rule.  I hate it.  So, I spoke out that you could tell we were all foreignors because we are actually hydrating ourselves.  They laughed and agreed and then the acquaintance was made.  We went in the castle together discussing our different purposes for being in the country…mine being scrutinized by the one agnostic guy, praised by the one Christian guy, and disregarded by the atheistic woman.  It was a really neat “coincidence” and I hope that I was able to bless their lives a little in that time we spent together in the castle. 

After that I went to a coffee house and sipped some ice coffee while writing out 18…yes, 18…postcards.  I had bought stamps earlier that day and planned to drop them in the mailbox by the train station before boarding the JR slow train back to Shimonoseki.  I boarded the train, with a bag of McDonalds food…only because it was fast…don’t judge me.  Cringed when I saw a bunch of US Marines consider getting on my train, but they decided to wait for the next one through Iwakuni.  I was glad.  I had 4 hours ahead of me and I didn’t really want to be grouped in with a group of young Marines for one of those.  Around midnight, I got back to the Center and crashed in my bed.  Enjoy the pictures below!

My Pictures!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144077&l=e8a51&id=500635206
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144080&l=75075&id=500635206

A Video for your enjoyment

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=BbeZ-JhVEXo

I went downstairs to watch/listen to the sermon by Francis and Lisa Chan from July 27th, and then my own pastor’s sermon from last week (but I found out it was Randy Baird and not PT…to my joy.  It is good to hear the voice of a friend even if they’re not talking to you directly.)  Now, don’t be frightened when I say that Francis AND Lisa were preaching, because it was more of a seminar kind of thing on Christ-Centered Relationships…the first of an un-numbered series.  I am so glad of it too, because I’ve been thinking a lot about singleness and everything.  I have come to the conclusion (at least right now) that I am doing best being single.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  First, let me introduce you to a friend. 

This is Frederick.  He decided to sit and listen to the sermons as well, and though I tried to remove him from the premises…he just would not cooperate.  Maybe he has been struggling with singleness as well.  Just joking!  I know lizards don’t have spirits!  I was able to finally coerce him into my “Pocky Men’s Chocolate” packaging and deliver him to the outside world where there are many wonders and insects for him to gobble.  I don’t know if it’s common to get lizards in the buildings this time of year, but I enjoy the little guys and I’m hoping to see him again sometime.  Introduction over, back to my blog.

Have you read these verses? 

1 Corinthians 7:29 – This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short.  From now on, let those who have wives live as though they have none,
vs 30 – and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no good,
vs 31 – and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it.  For the present form of this world is passing away.

Ok…I’m pretty sure I’ve read these before, because I conveniently have the last sentence of verse 31 highlighted with orange colored pencil.  But, I don’t remember an ounce of it. 

Shoot down to verse 35:  I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

I don’t think that Paul is saying that it’s not good to have a wife (or husband), or to mourn, or to rejoice (definitely not rejoice because in Philippians 4:4 he calls everyone to rejoice and then to rejoice again…which literally translates to 4x the joy), or to have goods, or to deal with the world.  BUT, he wants us to know that TIME IS SHORT!  It’s short!  The word “short” means that the time has only been contracted out…like work on a new building in town.  There is a bigger picture than our relationships, our griefs, our joys, our possessions, and our events.  It’s God…that’s all there is to it.  It’s God.  And we need to be careful that we do not give too much emphasis on those “other things” that it takes our focus away from what we are supposed to do – tell about GOD!

A couple weeks ago, Greg Laurie of Harvest Ministries, received terrible news that his 33 yr old son, Christopher, died in a car accident.  He was on his way to help set up and organize for a huge conference Harvest was having in Anaheim.  Chris was married with a kid and a baby on the way.  Two weeks later…just this past weekend, Greg preached at the conference on life, death, and passion.  Over 1,000 people received Christ out of the 11,000 in attendence.  That’s wonderful!  What a witness!  “and those who mourn as though they were not mourning.”  Of course Greg and his family are mourning their loss…but Greg knows enough about God to know that he has to keep going, that the work is bigger, and that Chris is not lost to them.  He is in heaven right now and God is so pleased that he took Chris while he was serving God.  What a way to go!

“Those who have wives live as though they had none.”  I’m not married, and frankly, right now I am glad of it.  I think that I am too independent and selfish for my own good.  Right now, I feel content with it being just me and God.  And I don’t think that’s a bad thing.  I think I am afraid that if I got married, I would try to depend on my husband more than God.  Francis and Lisa used an analogy of divers in a tank of water fighting over an air tank.  In any relationship, we should be getting our sole support from God, not depending on another person.  I agree that a happy relationship is not a list of 10 things in which “Having God first” is the #1 point.  I think the list should only be God.  Everything else will fall into place…if you are really loving God and seeking to give Him glory, it will all fall into place. 

I don’t know if marriage is in my future.  I don’t care!  Right now, I can see that I am most effective in glorifying God by being single.  If He chooses to change that, so be it.  But I’m not going to put any pressure on myself just because the world thinks it’s weird for me to be 20-something and not in a serious relationship.  I AM in a serious relationship.  I am passionately in love with my Savior…the God who decided to forget all the terrible things I have done to Him…all the times I have disobeyed His commands…and chose to love me.  Love me so much that He sent His Son to earth so that mankind could do our best to destroy Him.  Wow, I love that God!