Church in Japan

Yuya is seeking to start up a surfer friendly church that will be able to accommodate the many surfers CS is reaching out to. At a recent pastors conference he said he was so discouraged by the established churches, "What are you doing that for??!!"

The church in Japan is small (just a 0.1% Christian country) averaging only 25-30 people from a handful of families. It is also conservative and protective, being focused on preserving their own. This is a huge challenge for CS Japan as they seek to build newly converted surfers into a church culture that largely does not want them.

I had the privilege of speaking at David's church from Acts 10 where God challenges the cultural barriers to evangelism and felt called to challenge them to two things 1) Let my people go - in evangelism to the world and 2) let my people come - in embracing new believers to the church. What a challenge!

CSJ is on the cutting edge of evangelism and church development. Whilst it takes Japanese people a long time to come to faith, once they commit they are solid and loyal.

Surfing in Japan

"Hey BD its gotta be just 6 degrees out there, its freezing!" said my travelling buddy and Australasia Regional Coordinator, Richard Agius. He was right, the air temp was way down, the waves were small and inconsistent and yet we saw waves of surfers heading for the beach.

After chasing up an extra set of gloves and hood, I felt like the 'Michelin Man', all rubbered up from head to toe. Just walking to the beach along the pine lined walkway with the windchill cutting through us was enough. Thankfully the water was actually a relief and we enjoyed being the novelty foreigners out in the water. Ever polite, every Japanese surfer said hello and made room for us.

There are some 1.5 million surfers in Japan and nearly all belong to a 'surfshop club' in typical collective loyalty. We visited the Surftech showroom that is owned by Christians and employs Christians and is also the CS Japan office and base. Amazing to see the interaction of this true surf mission business.

Japanese are the great lovers of all things gadget with whatever they are into, and I thought I had seen everything (from surfboard wax up stands to wetsuit softening agents) until I purchased my own sachet of "Super Magical Powder" that you add to water, pour into your wetsuit and hey magic, you stay warm? Only in Japan!

Japan Training

I was wondering just how the CS Foundations Training was going to go in Japan, one never knows when the culture is just so different.

First David Levey, our leader, had laid out a challenge to the whole country to send their best leader to the training. He was hoping for 8-10 and 22 attended! This is great for Japan where just 0.1% of the population is Christian and there is very little training offered by the church at large. I was hoping I was not "Lost in Translation" as the point of the training was not simply lecturing.

Thanks to great translators in Aki and Shinko I think I got through ok. Even better was our national leader David delivering training as well as a local Japanese pastor named Paul. My goal was not just to leave behind the training, but a couple of trainers. We started out characteristically shy and quiet, but by the end there was much chattering and discussion and laughter, which is great for a country whose learning culture tends to be rote memory and unquestioning submission to leaders. I was so excited for them as we handed out their completion certificates and hope this is repeated all over the world.

Training in South Africa

After looking at icebergs over Antartica en route to Johannesburg (funny how the fastest route is that way??), I arrived safe and well. Driving past the new Football stadium and seeing endless roadworks at Port Elizabeth one knows they are in a nation rebuilding its infrastructure for the worlds biggest event - the Soccer World Cup.

Driving by the radical contrast of plush neighbourhoods of largely white people, then the shanty towns of black people, it is also a country still rebuilding its class structure. Great to see so many more middle class coloured people and efforts to maintain peace in a country of 35% unemployment and 45% AIDS.

J-Bay is the classic international surf town, branded with 'Billabong'. Great to meet up with the CS South Africa Interns, shot to Andro, Heinrich, Tristen and did the CS Foundations Training. We partnered up with Des Sawyer and the Surfmasters students so ended up being a bigger group than I originally planned - 16 in all. We did a heap of training and discussion and national director Richard Leonard also delivered material.

Gotta love those South Africa Braii (BBQ) that seem to take forever to cook, but the socialising is what it is all about. Roy and Sharon are great hosts and their kids are classic (Nathan is Roy's ADD revenge!)

Surfing at J-Bay

If a surfer goes to South Africa, everyone is going to ask, "Did you get waves at Supertubes?" Well the answer was by local standards... "Not really," but by any other standards, 3-5' glassy with just 15 guys out it was epic!!!!!!! A couple of mornings we headed down for 'junk 2-3' sideshore' and it was still epic. J-Bay. What can you say?