A Night for Japan

“Konichiwa, Yugin! Yugin! Konichiwa! Konichiwa, Yugin!” I giggled while driving as I listened to 8-year-old Jonatan practice the Japanese greeting “Hello, Friend” in a variety of voices ranging from Asian ninja to elderly grandpa to preppy girl.

“Noooo! The other van is going to beat us! Faster, faster, faster!” shouted Fanny. “Sa-rah, Sa-rah, Sa-rah” the kids began chanting in unison. “Sa-rah, Sa-rah, Sa-rah” we were just about to turn into the neighborhood, a good 50 yards in front of the other van full of kids coming to Japan night when….

“NO!!!!!” I exclaimed. The kids grew silent. “A red light!” All of the kids screamed in horror! “Turn green, turn green, turn green” we pleaded as the other van rounded the bend. Suddenly we were neck and neck. The light turned green, and my van coasted through the gate just before the other van. The kids exploded with cheers and laughter—we made it to Japan! To be more accurate, we had made it to the Back2Back group house that was decorated like Japan and where we would spend the night celebrating and learning more about the island nation. But from the kids’ perspective it was just as good as Japan :)

We passed out the passports, paired each child up with an American friend for the evening, and sent them to the basement where we would experience Japan for the night. The twinkle lights and paper lanterns had been hung with care. Kids giggled as they sat on towels on the floor placed around low-lying tables, enjoying cups of green tea. The tutor started off the evening by telling us more about the island country and leading us in an activity worksheet. Then the kids got to learn how to make sushi with their new American friends—the silent room was filled with both determination and concentration as Americans and Mexicans delicately lined up the ingredients and used the bamboo placemat to roll out the most perfect looking sushi rolls. As Brian put it, he didn’t like the sushi roll—he loved it!

For dinner we had fried rice, a new dish for all of the kids. As much as they enjoyed the rice, I think they liked eating with chopsticks even more. Their faces beamed with pride as they conquered a piece of chicken or a pea or a bit of rice by wedging it between the two thin sticks and shoving it into their mouths. We finished off the night by making Japanese paper lanterns and handing out goodie bags with Japanese hot wheels cars and Hello Kitty cookies.

 As I dropped the kids off at their houses that night with voices shouting Sayonara Sarah still echoing in my mind, I was overwhelmed with joy. Through simple things like celebrating Japanese Night, these kids were learning that the world is big and that different cultures do things differently and that people can do really big, cool things through Christ. To me, that night was an example of how God wants to give more to his children. He doesn’t want them to live mediocre, ok, fine lives. He wants to invite them into a life filled with abundance that is so much bigger and greater than we can imagine. While those kids’ parents were sitting at home counting out pesos wondering what they could afford to buy for dinner, God saw them and brought a Bible teacher to live next door who has been serving hot meals twice a week for twenty years. While their illiterate moms were struggling to make their kids do the homework that they couldn’t read, God saw them and brought a tutor to the Bible school last November to help them succeed. And while neighbors are shooting fathers with bullets out of anger, God sees and sends an angel to help his children not to be afraid. So while I don’t know the plans that God has for his children, I am confident that they are far greater than anything I can ask for or imagine, and I am grateful that he has allowed me to be a part of bringing more to his children’s lives albeit in small ways like a pretend field trip to Japan.