I enjoyed my first two years in Japan and made a decision to work long term with the Japanese church. I returned to the UK and spent two years training at All Nations Christian College, to be grounded in theology and cross-cultural mission. I married and moved to Northern Ireland and worked in a Presbyterian church. All good cross-cultural experience too. After being accepted by OMF International I moved to Sapporo, Hokkaido for Japanese language study. I will say more about how language affects cross-cultural communication and Bible reading later.
I studied full time, one-to-one with a Japanese teacher for two years, then moved to Kawasaki (near Yokohama), back to the crowds I had so wanted to avoid, to work as staff member of a large, growing Japanese church to be trained under the Japanese pastor. The church had grown from 40 to 80 in five years and from 80 to 160 the following five years. There was so much going on. Soon after arriving the staff team flew over to Korea for a week’s training, delivered in Korean with Japanese translation from 8 am to 8 pm. On return to Japan, the senior pastor took a 3-month sabbatical and left the remaining staff in charge. For us (I was number four) it meant a long, hard slog to keep things going in his absence. I had to preach once, and lead prayer meetings and bible studies. With limited Japanese it was hugely challenging yet rewarding. This was what I wanted to do.
When you move abroad for an extended period of time it is usually for work. There are many obstacles to be overcome in settling in to a new culture, but doing your job adequately is the first thing to concentrate on. In the first year or two working abroad, while you know you are living in a different culture, you over look the differences, and think that as long as you can get the job done, that business is business (done the same way you always have), all is well. Those you work with may seem a bit odd at times, but you can still do what you came for. Right?
My one sermon took over 50 hours to prepare. Bible studies were fraught with worry because it is hard to answer a question you don’t understand and haven’t the vocabulary to respond to adequately. To be ready to pray spontaneously in prayer meetings in front of a hundred people I always had to have a prayer prepared in my head in case I was asked. All my energy was focussed on getting done whatever needed to be done. I bowed when meeting people, spoke in basic Japanese when spoken to, and didn’t offer many opinions ( I couldn’t!).
In these still-early stages of cultural adaptation, there is no time or energy to understand indirect communication strategies or appreciate group identity dynamics or notice any number of Japanese value-categories I haven’t even heard of. Thankfully, after 18 months, a year’s Home Assignment brought a pause to this breathless rush of activity.
What is it like to read the Bible like this?
Next up: Stage 3: Action Time