Andrew Wowin' 'em at Cheer 'em Up Shows

Throughout 2009, but especially the past few months, Andrew stepped in to do what I did last year-- perform in our many shows in hospitals-- especially children's wards-- and in adult-care facilities.

Andrew is very good at meeting people and making them feel comfortable. With a big smile and his ever-improving balloon-sculpturing he's a big hit. This Christmas, Andrew was 'Santa's long-legged brother's helper reindeer.

I've posted a few more shots of Andrew here:


http://picasaweb.google.com/bruce.japan/2009AndrewPerforming#

Observing Christmas Day in Japan

The day after Halloween, Christmas decorations went up. Our commercial center is as decorated as in any western country, and there's a park filled with people admiring the lights and Christmas tree (which will go down today, along with all the little mechanical dancing Santas along the main street, leaving just the lights, which will now be New Year decorations.

This is also the month of the bounenkai (forget-the-year-parties) which companies host for their employees. Picture groups staggering out of restaurants discussing where they will go for the 'second (or third) party. Most folks also get bonuses this month, so it's a shopping month too-- many for Christmas presents, even though they might have a difficult time explaining the meaning of Christmas, since perhaps only one percent of Japan is Christian.

To further mix things up, the twenty-third of December is a national holiday, the emperor's birthday-- but not Christmas day.

On Christmas Eve, bakeries and supermarkets sell very popular 'Christmas Cakes'. Restaurants benefit also, as they are full of young couples as it's a special 'date night'-- Christmas IS about love, right?

I don't mind the fuss, for if there were no commercial “Reason for the Season”, then there would be no reason for Japanese to ask-- even if it's only voicing a nagging question at the back of their minds, “What does all of this really mean?”

I go about I sporting a Santa hat and am regaled with “Santa!” wherever I go, while I happily give out printed Christmas messages-- about 300 this year-- that they eagerly take and read, assuming that, since I'm a Westerner, this is the accepted thing to do.

Wherever you are and however you celebrate this Christmas, may you have a wonderful love-filled day.

Bruce

There was a gift to each of us left under the tree of life 2000 years ago by Him whose birthday we celebrate today. The gift was withheld from no man. Some have left the packages unclaimed. Some have accepted the gift and carried it around, but have failed to remove the wrapping and look inside to discover the hidden splendor. The packages are all alike: in each is a scroll on which is written, “All that the Father hath is thine!” Take and live!"―Frank S. Mead

Guided Tour of Christmas Lights by Andrew

Andrew was excited and wanted to share a video of the Christmas lights in the large dining and living room shared by the several families living here. I didn't have much to add since the nativity scene we used in China is in Tokyo-- but there was no lack for decorations, since they've been doing this for fourteen years and each year added something new-- this year the blue lights in the beginning of the clip.

This is my first attempt at posting a video, so please let me know if you have any problem viewing it-- Thanks!

Christmas Activities Update and What's Coming

There has been quite a gap since my last post-- sorry. Last month I was set to launch a second blog as a companion to this one. However, while this is still on the way, I was bushwhacked by a week of sickness and then onset of our busiest season.

I have to redirect the tipserve.com site in the next couple weeks-- before I have to pay for two more years of hosting. It will be a complete website, replacing tipserve.com, and will have several different 'areas' with permanent pages as well as the new blog.

The reindeer in the photo is Andrew. He has been performing with me quite often lately and is doing really well meeting and relating to people. His Japanese has also greatly improved-- mostly just by being with kids his age and joining in their activities. A Japanese family with ten kids-- eight still with them-- came to live with us in July. We also have two young ladies staying with us-- helping, just as I did last year, with our Christmas programs. So we've nearly filled up this former guest house/hotel's ten bedrooms.

I'll put up Christmas and New Year posts here soon-- including photos of our team visiting hospitals and old folks homes-- a dozen or more, three open-house events, and street performing... stay tuned!

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?—Bob Hope

One of My Last Christmases

I just received an update from friends in Fukuoka, Japan concerning a place that we visited each Christmas to share some warmth and cheer

(that's Naomi-- lower left-- and Erica-- lower right in 2005).

"Every Christmas, members of our Family International community visit a nearby retirement home. This year, after dancing and singing, we sculpted balloons to the delight of many of the residents.

One of them, a fireman who had only recently moved to the retirement home after his wife had passed away, was particularly interested in our work and projects.

“I am so happy to see you children,” he said with tears in his eyes, “because I haven’t seen my own grandchildren in a long time. You remind me of them.”

He reached out and gave each of the children a big, warm hug.

“Thank you for coming today. You have made my Christmas very happy. I’m old now, and probably won’t live much longer, but I am glad to have spent one of my last Christmases with you.”

He continued. “Please don’t stop sharing what you have with other people. People need love and warmth at Christmas, and you are providing that. I admire you so much.”

Please pray for them and for us as we visit dozens of similar centers here, sharing love and the message of Christmas. Thank you!-- and thanks, Olivia-- on the right in this photo-- for this story.

Check Out These Great Christmas Resources

Are you looking for some beautiful free Christmas MP3s? -- some stories for children? Poems? Here's a link to fun page to explore with these and more. There are dozens of free Christmas E-cards too.

http://www.thefamily.org/christmas/

If you follow the 'TRACTS' link at the top of the main page, you'll see some of the small messages that, each Christmas, I love to give out to people that I meet... you can read 'em-- print 'em out-- or pass 'em out!

I've been wearing a 'Santa' hat when traveling on the train-- brings smiles to the faces of the normally highly reserved Japanese-- making it easier to offer a meaningful Christmas tract.

Our Christmas in Japan

Our team here in Nagano-- in the Japanese Alps-- is giving at least a couple dozen Christmas shows in shopping centers, nursing homes this month-- as we do each year. We'll distribute hundreds of magazines, music CDs and tracts-- all culminating in a Christmas dinner and program for those we regularly minister to.

No, in Japan they don't have a Western-style Christmas season, but people are still aware of the season-- and many even are somewhat aware of the reason for the season-- celebrating Christ's birth-- even though the commercial 'buy, buy, buy!' spirit is what is promoted everywhere.

Part of the emphasis on shopping is because most employees in Japan get a year-end bonus in December-- Also businesses and government departments nearly all have year-end parties for their workers-- but the biggest reason Christmas has been so commercialized, sadly, is the influence of the West.

The good news is that this season is still a wonderful opportunity to share the Good News. Just as it was in India and China where I spent eight Christmas seasons. These are places where it can be sometimes difficult to approach people directly most of the year. But Christmas is a time when people will readily receive a printed or personal 'Christmas message of God's love'.

Christmas brings new hope and courage, as through the darkness, the Christmas star shines its promise of God's unfailing love.—David Brandt Berg

The Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.—Luke 1:78–79

Follow this link to an article about a recent film by Christian Carion, Joyeux Noël (2005), which retells the story of a well-documented event that occurred on a battlefield in France on Christmas Eve, 1914:

http://www.activated.org/reading/thisnthat_article.php?article=183

[above photo: singing at a local center, Christmas 2006]