きょうかい

This is definitely my favorite part of this little place called Fukuoka. きょうかい (kyoukai) means church. I can't explain Fukuoka International Church in words. But I'll try now: welcoming, friendly, inviting, hilarious, life-changing, cheerful, comfortable, delightful, encouraging, entertaining, sincere, warm, wonderful, home.
I laughed harder today than I have in months. I can always look to Sundays to brighten my week.
Today, for example, was particularly impacting.
Church is not merely people trying to play upbeat music, nor  a person standing in front trying to make the Bible sound interesting. I feel as though atmosphere in church is almost as important as a message that's given or songs sung. To be completely honest, I'm not crazy about hymns. But there is a sense of community that seems to circulate in the air when people from all over come together, every week, to praise God using pure Gospel in song form. Church is often mistaken to be a building, but it is truly a connection of believers. And FIC shows that very well.
So today was a pretty average service. We heard a message from Reverend Kimura about why the church exists.
After the church service, we had our little English meeting, which almost has an AA meeting feel to it. What is called a "youth group" at FIC is particularly interesting. It basically consists of people under the age of 30. I find it lovely, because I have always wanted to be around people that are a bit older than me. And being the youngest to really be active in this "youth group", I get picked on a lot. If you aren't aware, sarcasm is barely used here in Japan. Like hardly ever. So the people at FIC that are from/ have lived in the US use it brutally with me. I would say 95% of conversation I have at church is me being made fun of or is soaked in sarcasm. And most would think that this would be disheartening. In fact it's quite the opposite. And now you're probably thinking that I'm a lil' messed up in the head if I enjoy being picked on. Well, I can't completely  argue against that. But it reminds me of home. For me, it's a sign of affection. Most of this so-called "affection" comes from my friends Les and Daichi.
So after I got picked on today in the English meeting, it was time for lunch. I sat next to my friend Pat today, who studied Philosophy and often speaks in riddles and reminds me greatly of my friend Emily Coleman in the States. I always enjoy talking to him, even when he never ceases to complain about some things I'm actually quite fond of.
So lunch somehow got us to the conversation about English phrases such as "Howdy"and "'Sup homie". Not to mention talking about children's admiration for finding good sticks, playing in boxes, and Daichi's first love, Maia the "Gold Digger".  Many laughs were shared. I also ended up juggling みかん (mandarin oranges) with Daichi and Sanggi Lee. We're so mature.
Somehow we all got roped into practicing singing hymns upstairs. We sang "It is Well With My Soul" and some song about Danny Boy. Needless to say everyone who could speak English fluently were giggling the entire time with the Danny Boy song, considering it had nothing to do with God, or really anything for that matter.
Usually, I go to a きっさてん (coffee shop) with people after church, but today my host family picked me up before I had 
the chance to go. I really wanted to, but its hard to explain sometimes.
I GOT THREE HUGS TODAY: DAICHI, LES, AND SANNGI LEE! XD

Basically, if you happen to go to FIC and read this, know that you are making an impact on my life, and that I care for you deeply. You are making a difference in someone's life whether you know it or not. You make me smile, thank you for accepting me. I wish I could see you all more often. You all make me not want to ever leave.

りょこう

Wow. Where to begin. Its always so hard to start these things. Let's see.

First off, as of tomorrow, I have been in the great prefecture of Fukuoka for seven weeks. This absolutely blows my mind. As much as I miss the warmth of being at home in Rock Hill, SC, I don't want to leave. You may think, Miah, you still have a super long time there. But think about it this way. A third of my time has gone. While I've been a bit stressed and upset about certain things in life, my time has slipped away in the past week or so. I am slightly disappointed in myself for this, I am determined to enjoy every moment of the next 15 weeks. Whether studying my butt off or enjoying some ramen, I need to soak it up. I want to live with no regrets. Kinda' a motto of mine.

Currently Im trying to remember something and it's driving me crazy.
(Ha! I remembered. #winning)

 Ah! I got my first "care package" from my, I don't even know what to call her. She started out being a friend and work partner of my mom's. Now she is literally part of my family. She is definitely one of my favorite people on the face of the earth. So, anywho, Memory sent me a car package, which included things like deodorant, pencils, and the best thing on Earth, which is Sour Filled Twizzlers, if you didn't know. I shared (I know, it's a miracle) these with some of my friends and got about  85% of the liked it. My friend Daichi thinks he's lucky that they aren't in Japan or he would be addicted.

Speaking of Daichi, I had a lot of fun with him last week. I found out that my friend Sanggi Lee can play the piano very well. And I had a small heart attack when he started to play "River Flows in You" flawlessly. If you don't know this song, drop everything and go listen to it immediately. It is one of my favorite songs of all time. So Daichi made up some lyrics really quickly and they jammed. And yes, that's what I call jamming. And I sat silently and watched in awe. I might have even practiced some of the singing tips that he gave Sanggi Lee this week. Miah's so bad at the singing. 

My friend Chris left my church, FIC, last week. He is back in South Korea now I believe. Honestly I didn't know Chris that well. We talked occasionally at church but that was pretty much it. My church is SUPER traditional, and whenever anyone is leaving the church, everyone gathers around and sings the hymn "On Eagle's Wings." Coming from a church where the worship service looks more like a rock concert, the first time I saw this I was a bit surprised. But when we were all singing to Chris, I teared up bad. Now anyone that knows anything about me knows that it doesn't take much to make me cry (a quality I detest, by the way). But something about this experience was so pure and lovely, I couldn't help it. When my time comes for this, the church will be flooded with my tears. You have been forewarned.

This past week I went on a school trip (trip is the name of today's blog). I went to Kyoto and Nara by しんかんせん (shinkansen, bullet train). Kyoto and Nara are like the still super traditional parts of Japan. Now to be honest, there are parts of Kyoto that look similar to Fukuoka. No, people aren't living in huts, Mom. It's essentially a bunch of parks and temples and places all surrounding a less "big city" feel. I realize that my 
English in that last sentence was super poor. Deal.

I can't finish this post without mentioning this. My homie, Jeff, left for basic last week. So if you could take the time to pray for him I would greatly appreciate it.

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."