Palpably Polymathic

日本のたくさん新しい写真　(Many new photos of Japan!)

2009-01-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

So short and brief descriptions in this blog. Yet, this post is replete with pictures to hopefully make-up for my negligence.

I think this means "Welcome to Japan!"

We went to a temple around New Years time and it was so crowded! I found it really interesting how you can have this traditional temple in the middle of a sprawling metropolis. This picture captures that dichotomy.

Beautiful Tokyo Tower, I love this picture.

Just some innocent fun at the Laundry Mat! You can kind of see me in the reflection. Using appliances in Japanese is not the most convenient thing if you catch my meaning. I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out what meant "normal" on this thing.

Oh sweet Lord, I love this. The first Japanese appliance store we went to had this... thing. So funny to watch and so fun to ride. I think it's ages 12 and up.. what's really funny is maybe a month later we saw this machine in some woman's house. I can't believe people use this to work out. It's a mechanical saddle.

These are some girls who we met through the church. The one on the right accepted Jesus while we were there. I think the one on the left is still non-Christian. I swear though this is how they looked all the time. They were always giggling about something. You can kind of see the church in the background lots of people. Talking... eating.. It's after service lunch-time.

We arrive in Osaka, fresh off the Shinkansen. At first we though the Shinkansen didn't have bathrooms (that's what we were told). Then we found the bathrooms were accessable by these gliding doors -plus!- the toilet seat (up/down) and flush are activated by an IR Sensor you put your finger near. Different, yeah?

This is my room in Osaka. I love it.. the best part is Eco, our toilet. I will introduce you later.

Track Sushi in Osaka, for a team members birthday.
I spent $12 for... 24 pieces of mind-boggling delicious sushi.
I can get used to that!

This is the karaoke place we went to after track sushi. I think the following video will speak for itself.

Hello from Iwake!

2009-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

I want to apologize for the lack of updates, it's very difficult to find an internet connection let alone a time get on! I just woke up and had breakfast and we are supposed to gather for devotions in 5 minutes.

I'm out in the "country". The town is called Iwake, and is about a 2 1/2 hr drive from Tokyo. They told me it was the country, but it's actually a city. There are mountains and more green than Tokyo, but it ain't the country! It is only me and 4 other team members here, as we split the team into three groups for this week. My team went to meet with a guy named Eriya who is involved in the CCC (Campus Crusade for Christ). We spent 3 days in the city of Tokyo, where he is located, and then left for Iwake (another 3 days here). I feel like I have so many stories, but I can't get them all out on the blog. I'll just have to tell you in person! Remember, God is good!

One cool thing though, I went to an onsen (public bath). It was really relaxing, but there is something unsettling about showering/bathing naked in a room full of gloomy japanese salarymen. So... More to come later!

今日は東京に行きました。(Today, to Tokyo, -oh baby I- went.)

2008-12-29T06:28:00.000-08:00

Once again, I don't really have enough time to bust out any major essay, but I can give you my first impressions of Tokyo and how things are going so far. (I lied if you keep reading.. this thing is huge.) The people at the Church in Ichihara are so encouraged, I think. We have been doing some youth nights and stuff with kids in the community and just fun and games type stuff. For two days I worked on installing insulation in these Christian kindergartens. During those two days I was hosted by a Japanese family. Oh sweet Jesus, thank you for the Japanese. Great food, great bed, great bath, complimentary tissues w/ drink tray ( In case I'm feeling parched during the night) that is what I'm talkin bout. God bless those people!

東京!
I only had an opportunity to stay in Tokyo for about 2-3 hours. We were passing through on our way to a YWAMers house where I am at right now.

My first impression of Tokyo: The architecture is mind boggling... you either have gravity defying skyscrapers, ancient circa. 942 Japanese temples/buildings, or lego-polygonal blocks 5 stories high and only 1 foot away from each other.

2nd, (Japanese) people are everywhere. For instance the Shibuya Crossing has 2.4 million people cross it every day. You cant stop them, they just keep coming, like a sea of hello kitty. I was briefly in Shinjuku which is a very populated area, so yeah.. its nutso.

3rd thing: Anyone who has ever traveled somewhere else will tell you McDonalds is different in those countries. Im here to tell you my Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese was much tastier than any McDs Ill have in the states. Fries (or Furido Potato) are the same, which is nothing less than satisfactory. Btw, if you want to know how crafty the Japanese are they turned McDonalds and Starbucks (Yes! It really is everywhere.).. they turned these places into verbs. If you want to say "Wanna go to Mcdonalds?" You say.. "Maku ru". That is the epitome of craftiness.

And one more thing! I was asked if we have McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken in America. Globalization accomplished! I said.. "Yes, all these places came from America, and so did Starbucks" ..their reply *pure unadulterated shock*... "Also seven eleven and baskin robbins came from America" ...their reply *seriously out of this world upside down town*.. I was amused... so. Its funny, but I don't blame them -these chains are everywhere.

SO! Hopefully I will have some stories about amazing moves of God and more of what He is doing in Japan. I think it is so easy to get distracted here, and the past ten-twenty years have not been good to Missions/the Church in Japan. Ask Uncle Rob and he will be able to fill you in. So that is what we are struggling with daily. Please pray for my team, for Japan, and for the lasting impact this outreach will have on my life and on Japan. Love you all!

Im in Japan!

2008-12-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

I am at an Inotaneto Cafe. Nobody here speaks english. If I stay on too long I have to pay an extra 100 yen. We had a safe flight, a great experience so far. I think my Japanese will have no choice but to improve in this situation! Later I will come back here, as they have wi-fi, with my friends laptop and update the blog with pictures from my travels. I will also hopefully chat with my family! But... since I have to pay as of now I would like to keep things brief. I love you all, please keep praying for me.

Gavin

日本(Japan) Edition! Pt. 1

2008-12-18T02:33:00.000-08:00

この朝は日本に行きます。僕は日本人があうと楽しみしています。僕ために祈りてください。天国のお父様はあなたに祝福です。僕は二ヶ月にあなたに見ます。
(This morning I will go to Japan and I am looking forward to meeting the Japanese people. Please pray for me. Heavenly father's blessings to you. I will see you in two months.)

So to start... This is my room. Everything is in chaos as people prepare to leave for their outreach locations. I haven't had a moment to breathe today!

To start our Japan plans, we will be staying at a church in Chiba!

Here is the church's mailing address. I will only be staying there for two or so weeks. Air mail will arrive in about 5 days. It's expensive, so if you want to send something please wait!

Ichihara Shalom Church
Goi 4871-1, Ichihara City
Chiba Pref., Japan 290-0056
http://church.ne.jp/ichiharashalom/index.htm

Check out the website!

So here is the schedule:

1. We arrive in Japan, and take the train to Chiba. The city is across Tokyo bay. The bay is about 4mi in width, I believe.
2. We will stay at Ichihara Shalom Church there in Chiba for two weeks working in maintenance and/or using it as a base of operations.
3. After Jan 4, we will move into the Tokyo Metropolitan Area for two weeks. The YWAM base is located in Shibuya, ontop of that we have several other contacts. It is a possibility we will go into international schools and work with students there who are learning English.
4. From Tokyo we will take the shinkansen (bullet train) to Osaka. There in Osaka we will be hosted by a church which has worked with YWAM in the past.
5. Then from Osaka, fly out and return to Kona to debrief (Feb 15).

Shinkansen path: Tokyo to Osaka.

This is my crazy Japan team. This is actually only half of them, but I love this picture because everyone in this picture is posed in a way which represents one aspect of their character. For instance, Sydney is making the "cute" victory sign with her fingers. She does it in every picture (It's hilarious to see that almost every Korean or Japanese does this), and yet she is too busy to look at the camera.

This is a song my sensei "Yukako" taught our outreach team. She is Japanese from the northern part of the main island. It is the Japanese version of an originally Korean song dubbed "The Blessing" song. Yukako really helped our team with some insight into Japanese culture. She also was gracious enough to set aside time with me so I could work on speaking the language. She'll be doing her outreach in Boulder, Colorado. I have been there.

I'm really excited to see what is going to happen in Japan. We've had some great prayer times and already God has moved to reveal potential problems for our team. Please keep all of us in your prayers, as I believe there will be a lot of opposition waiting to mess with us in Japan. I believe, however, that in the end we will see how God's works prevailed.

Peace

Oh snap! (notice the onomatopoeia pun)

2008-12-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I went to a place called Makapala which is near Palolu Valley.

This is what it looks inside...

This is what it looks outside...

You see that land way below me in the above pictures? Well, this photo is sea level baby! I trekked down into that land, sweater tied to my waist, walking stick in hand, and mustache bristling in full glory.

Just wanted to share the love. More to come later this week so keep an open eye!

A Thanksgiving Birthday

2008-11-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

Today I have officially survived 19 years on a massive ball of dirt hovering, drifting eerily close to an even larger fiery nuclear ball, all through an unfathomably large vacuum. I would also like to congratulate the other 6,500,000,000 people, on this Earth, for surviving another year. Praise the Lord. In the spirit of sharing here are three wonderful pictures! I hope you enjoy them.

I call this "Nature Meets my Mustache"

This is my work-duty team "Special Projects"

I call this one "Me, the Ladies, and the Cactus People"

Time is flying by!

2008-11-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

WOW! Things are going by quickly. A week just zooms by! I was talking the other day to some friends of mine about how when we first got here a day was so slow, and now it's like a week goes by and I don't even notice...

Anywho... this last week was on the topic of relationships. They were both from Hawaii and it was interesting to here their take on relationships, and "culture sensitivity". Relationship is one thing I have neglected in my past, but as time goes on I realize that in any situation, or field of work, the first thing you should do is develop a relationship with the people around you. It is crucial! The main focus however was making our relationship with God right, and continuing to let down walls you've put up which limit God's transformational power.

About 4 weeks ago I joined the "Choir of the Nations". This weekend we gave two performances: one to the Kona base, and the other in a local market. It was a really good experience to work with people who had limited musical backgrounds yet were so passionate for Jesus and for glorifying Him. Despite some technical difficulties here and there, everything came together in a surprisingly solid way! By the way- our choir dressed in Hawaiin shirts and khaki's for the performance.

I've been experimenting a lot with language and how we communicate as I've been here. One of the first things you notice on the Kona base is how diverse language is here. So on top of my Japanese studies I have also been messing with constructed scripts (creating an alphabet for any language). I have also just checked out this book from the library called loglan.

To summarize, Loglan is a language designed to test the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir-Whorf) that the natural languages limit human thought. It does so by pushing those limits outward in predictable directions, principally by:
-forcing the fewest possible assumptions about "reality" on speakers
-incorporates the notational elegance of symbolic logic
-removing all structural sources of amiguity
-generalizing all semantic operations (what can be done to one word, can be done to all)
-derives its word-stock from eight natural languages (culturally neutral - [or at least culturally diverse])

Making up for lost time..

2008-11-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well first of all... here is a picture of me in Kona. In case anyone was curious as to what it looks like for me to be in Kona. Actually this is a picture of me in my dance attire, to be more specific. I am learning Ceroc. It is a swing/salsa fusion with a dash of ballroom. It is as strange as it sounds.

Here is what is going on in a nutshell:

Last week- A team of guys came in to talk on worship. What ended up happening was we spent the majority of the week in crazy worship, minus the talking part. This one guy was insane and would began to cry and drool because of the hurt in people and in communities around the world. We had one night where 17 drums were on stage and everyone just danced, like in that one matrix scene. However, despite the insanity, there were some powerful times spent in the midst of the Holy Spirit. By the end I was ready to process a lot of it all.

This weekend- I spent most of the time indoors studying Japanese. 私は八時間が先週末で勉強しました。 Which means! Last weekend I studied eight hours. I think. Soo...

This week- we are covering the Holy Spirit. The woman teaching it is serving as a doctor in Japan which is exciting. She has many impossible stories how her hindu family all came to Jesus through the radical power of the Holy Spirit moving on them. So, crazy stuff.. and today we had a big prayer time.

I've been fasting and praying asking for some guidance as to where I should go after this. Strangely, I think my plans and God's plans might line up more than I figured they would. So the plan still is to finish my college applications. I think UChicago may be where I need to go. So please pray for me and I will keep you posted.

I'm still here..

2008-11-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been updating lately. I will post in a few days with a picture of Halloween and to explain recent events here at YWAM. In addition to this I have the final details on my outreach plans.

"I am the vine and you are the branches"

2008-10-24T01:12:00.000-07:00

Just felt like I should make a quick post about some amazing things which have recently transpired.

The week's speakers, Ane and Nu'u, have allowed the past two days to remain open for what God might want to do.

Well, yesterday I went up for prayer and it was powerful. I am struggling to humble myself before the Lord, but through prayer and God's grace my heart is softening. God is moving with a firm steadiness into the deeper regions which I have kept to myself. What is so exciting is that once I received the prayer I was really able to clearly hear the Lord and clearly perceive things.

I often felt ashamed at how I could be more excited about touchscreen technology-or home cooked meals- than God. That clarity and connection with God I felt was so incredible, that now I get really excited now when I have a chance to pray. I'm entering into a place where I can pray to, or praise Jesus fully, the result of which is a more palpable relationship with my Creator. Now there is a peace within me which truly passes understanding (considering I should be stressed out of my mind).

Tonight I was in the prayer room just freely talking to God. He talks in paragraphs, it's crazy, but anyways. I was walking out thinking that I have so much to learn and how I still get confused if it's really God or half God or if it matters or if I'm out of my mind. So.. I walk out and this girl and guy from my DTS are talking. She is looking for confirmation that she picked the right location for outreach. Apparently he confirmed it for her after prayer. She says to me "pray about it", and I don't want to because I know I will get it wrong or something. I kind of thought it might be in the pacific, myself. So anyways I got peer pressured into telling her what I heard. I stop and just pray and wait to see if God decides to play along. Immediately, for some reason, one place stuck out so... I asked if it was right, and to my surprise it was the place she felt lead to -and the same place the guy had confirmed (not the pacific). Life is full of some amazing coincidences... right? *cough* *cough*

So I felt like I should share some of that.

Food for Thought

2008-10-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

Ohayoo!

So once again I've picked up learning Japanese. I unintentionally began a weekly class for my DTS. It was going to be just private tutor time with this guy named John (A Korean student from Tokyo University), but it turned into 12 people in our classroom with John. What was funny was that some people were asking me if I would be attending/knew about it. My friend Yukako (Ashley) promised she would teach me some Japanese, and another girl in my DTS, Yuko, will be helping at Japanese class.

I had a dream last night that I was playing the piano with sticks and everyone was amazed at my talent. It sounded beautiful though, at least in my dream.

I am thinking of writing a story for one of my application essays. If I do write it and finish. Count on me uploading it.

So far things here at YWAM are fine. I pray a lot, we go to worship often, and our speakers have some crazy stories. Sometimes the speaker will prompt our direction, other times the speaker will do nothing and God shows up and everyone gets really excited, etc. etc. I think if I wasn't crazy before I came here, I sure will be by the time I leave. Walking around talking to God all the time (I can't see Him but He comes with me everywhere), abandoning the common sense of the world (Who cares about money, or physical security? I don't!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA -Lord help me), and all that good stuff. No one will think me in my right mind.

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

2008-10-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well, here's a quick video for you. I volunteered at the Ironman race as security. With my XL shirt tucked in, and my aviators on, I looked like a real pro. I can safely say that I was very strict with every person I encountered.

Just look at the picture and video they speak for themselves. This is an awesome event. The youngest competitor was 18 and the oldest was 79, at least that is the oldest I saw.

More to share

2008-10-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry, if I haven't been updating as regularly as I should. I am guessing there will be around two-three posts a week.

So I know some have wanted to see pictures of my roommates, so today I have two to introduce to you.

This is Rex (a.k.a T-rex) When I tell him to pick up his clothes he calls me Mom.

This is Zack. He spends so much time in the student lounge, I go there to find him.

Mokuaikaua Church: This is the first church I attended here in Kona. I thought the Hawaiian doxology was awesome. It goes as follows -
Hoonani i ka Makua mau, Ke Keiki me ka Uhane no, Ke Akua mau hoomaikai pu, ko keia ao, ko kela ao. Amene.

The Ironman is one of the world's toughest triathlons. Anyone competing in the Ironman must swim 2.4 miles then bike 112 miles then run a final 26.2 miles. All this must be completed in less than a 24 hour period. From 6 am to 12 am! If you finish in time, you are an Ironman. It's a big event here in Kona so I will have more pictures since I am volunteering with security there.

That is all for now, more to come later.

Earning my stripes

2008-10-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

to Intro: Here are some stories and facts about my experience so far.

The school has students from 51 different countries; It is almost impossible to escape a foreign language. It's mostly Korean I hear because Koreans are the largest group on campus. I may hear some spanish, some strange conglomeration of European tongues, and then English.

My work-duty job is to work on cars. So I should be a skilled mechanic by the time I finish! It's possible, seriously I'm a quick learner. So.. the other day I replaced a water pump in a truck with my mechanic buddy "Tabs". Skinny blond-haired Finnish girl. I think she's from Finland at least. By the way, she doesn't know anything about cars either.

Funny story! My work-duty supervisor Bob faced a repair crisis beyond his expertise. So, he concluded that the car would have to be brought to the 76 auto shop down the street. The only problem was that the car wouldn't start. However, instead of towing it... He had me sit in the drivers seat to steer while a tractor rammed the trucks bumper and pushed me. We only broke the tail lights and mangled the hitch. After we had reached a down hill position, I fastened the emergency brake and Bob took over. He coasted down the hill, relying on us to wave him "yes" or "no" to oncoming traffic. Half a mile he coasted down campus, then turned onto Kuakini Hwy and coasted all the way down to the auto-shop. I think he must've done it before. We rode a truck back up, but the battery died so we had to give it a good push start. I'm telling you this is the high life.

Loren Cunningham gave a little speech about how YWAM had grown. 500 bases and over 400,000 people go through YWAM as staff or temporary staff. This is yearly 400,000 people. Mercy Ministries helps 3 Million a year. He predicts that in 2020 it will be 100 million people a year helped by Mercy Ministries. Incredible stuff.

Classes have yet to get in the full swing of things.
I took my SAT as well, so pray that God goes back in time and gives me some grace. He can do that, right?

I know it's a bit much, but I have little time to update. I'll keep posting and I promise some pictures next time.

Not yet so riga-a-marole cont..

2008-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

So, to speak on my limited YWAM experience: Half the school is Korean. In fact, there are more Koreans than Americans! I'm using this opportunity to make some overseas friendships, and to pick up a little Korean as well.

Kwangtaek, but I call him Hyung Yim (Big Brother)

You can really feel the presence of God on campus. It's a peaceful place like no other. Worship times are hyper-intensive, which I'm not used to. I'd rather just meditate in a quiet place. Although, I think it's proper to celebrate every now and then. There was a big ceremony last night celebrating the 41 nations meeting here in YWAM. Here are some pictures, I think they'll speak for themselves.

Flags held around the congregation.

A dance by the base"host culture"

Spanish Dance.. with fans?

This shot would be better if I could photoshop out the metallic fan and the tiny heads lining the bottom.

Everyone standing up is Korean.

Keep checking back because I'll keep posting.

Not yet so riga-a-marole

2008-09-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

First I promised pictures of Campus.

My room, and the others down the line.

Crazy Spider! They have webs that arch over walkways.

This is near the entrance.

That is the entrance to building 4

Getting these up before breakfast starts.. I'll upload the rest later.

Aloha!

2008-09-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

So, made it to Kona alive. By the third plane I'd be looking forward to take-off. I bathed in those G-forces. It's beautiful in Hawaii and I welcome the amiable milieu here. The YWAM Base is lush, I'll take some pictures. For now here are some photos/video of my total 14 hour trip.

BTW: Took a practice SAT on the plane and scored myself 2070. I got some work to do, but I'm gaining confidence.

Phoenix Airport (I'm in this video)

Grandma promised me beautiful Hawaiian women and all I got was this guy.

Honolulu

Arriving in Kona presidential style.

My Verbose Blog Title Exposition

2008-09-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

I felt it necessary to explain the reasoning behind palpably polymathic:

If you do a little wikipedia search you will find that the term polymath is synonymous with Renaissance Man. That being said, you may wonder, "Ok... but why polymath?" This is simply because I will be posting on a variety of topics. So you will most certainly see pictures and news of my time in YWAM, but you will also see the various tangents of my thought process (which generally manifest themselves into vague philosophical ramblings and esoteric experiments). Please feel free to post comments ranging from "I cite Occam's Razor!" to "Gavin, I used to think you were a fairly sane individual." to "What is this rubbish?"

That is it in a nutshell.

Genesis

2008-09-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I want to thank anyone who took the time to stop by and visit this blog. I will be boarding a plane to Hawaii on September 25th! In addition to that: I am close to reaching that comforting goal of a fully funded outreach mission. I was hesitant at first to make this leap of faith, but now I feel as though God has confirmed it through his providence.

My guess is that I will update this blog one to two times a week depending -maybe even more. God bless you all, and please keep me in your prayers.