Living intentionally: Staying for a 4th year

I'm sure we all know the guy that stuck around high school a little bit too long after graduation. He's 30 years old thinks he's cool because all the high schoolers come to his house for all the parties. He talks about how his time in high school  were the glory years. Or the 8th year senior in college that is still changing his major but really just isn't ready to face the real world. Both of these guys have issues. They are trying to hide from reality. But what exactly is reality?

Now some people will tell me that life here in Japan is not exactly reality and I'm just biding my time until I go back to America and have a "normal life." There have often been times in the past few years where jobs have come up and people have told me, "you can come home and apply for this job!" But the truth is the more I see the world the more I want/need to see the world. Of course, it would be nice to be somewhat settled in my day to day type world but there is so much adventure to be had.

This past year for me has been the hardest to truly decide to stay. If you asked me if I was going to stay in June, I would have said NO. I even talked with my bosses in the summer and told them that I was probably leaving this next year. However, summer vacation gave me hope. It was the first time I got a chance to really see Japan in all its beauty. My brother's family and I road tripped around Japan and I saw actual Japan. There is nothing quite like the views of Japanese countryside. There are these amazing mountains, waterfalls, and towns that are just all over the place. Yet, its so easy to get caught up with the day to day of this job and truly miss the beauty of the life God has given me here in Japan.

I have a job with bosses that truly care about me and want nothing more than me to succeed and a school that is deeply founded in Christian principles that have even helped me to grow as a Christian. After the huge earthquake in 2011, they were the only ones that told me exactly like it was. Not America's embassy, not Japan but MeySen. It would be very difficult to find a school that treats you as well as MeySen does.

There are definitely struggles that go along with this too and the longer you are here the more those things can eat at you. But I think that is true with any job. I've had so many times in this past year where I questioned what I was doing with my life. If I stayed too long already and all kinds of negative thoughts. Pushing through all that, I have grown a true appreciation for what I have been given here and also how amazing God has been to me here. Not just at Meysen but in the position my life is in.

Just like most single 28 year olds, I think aw crap what am I doing with my life. I should be settled down with the picket fenced house and 2.5 children (yes point 5, and I  love him the same). But when you get caught in the should be's you tend to miss that greatness of the moment you are in.

The one thing I plan to do differently in this next year is actually live like I live here. Often, us teachers tend to treat this job as a step to the next place. Then we find ourselves here for a longer time and wonder why we know no Japanese and still haven't taken the time to enjoy the culture we live in. So this next year, I plan on studying more Japanese, getting a car and living intentionally. Does that mean I will stay longer than a year? No, but it doesn't mean that I won't. In this next year I just plan to grow more as a person and in my walk with God, truly enjoying the life God gave me here.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight
-Proverbs 3:5-6


With this decision, the hardest part is how much I truly miss my friends and family that have cared about me through this whole experience and wait for me to come home. I would love nothing more than to see everybody and be home to visit everybody. Its honestly, the hardest part of committing to stay knowing I will not see many people and special events in their lives. Just know that if you are a person that still calls yourself my friend or family you will always be that to me no matter where I live and I can't wait until we can all see each other again!!!

random thoughts on God and indecision

When we struggle and deal with issues and uneasiness we tend to assume God is working in that to tell us to go out and get out of the situation, when in reality he may want to work on us internally so that we don't get uneasy in trying times and trust him more.

When I feel lost out here (which anybody that lives abroad can do) I constantly wonder why and assume God is telling me I need to go home and or find something new. I look for answers externally and try to find what's safe. When in reality God may want me to change my perspective on an issue or trust him more in the trying times. Does worry pain and anguish truly come from God? Are those feelings we get a device for him to tell us to go back and do what's safe? Or  is he trying to take us through the worry and issues so that we can be strengthened? 

Why do athletes lift heavy objects...so that they are stronger to perform the skills they have been gifted. Maybe the burdens on our shoulders are only placed so that when lifted you have greater power and other burdens seem inconsequential. Carrying around a sack of potatoes all day makes the weight of a loaf of bread feel like a feather. 

If we don't go through that internal strengthening we are left weak to handle adverse situations. And there are always more to come in life. But the stronger our faith grows in adversity the greater our trust grows in God,  the greater he provides for us. Not necessarily a new Car/house/money (sorry Olsteen followers) but in a true sense of his presence that is a joy like no other. The greatest reward.

By the end of October I need to decide essentially what my plan is for next year starting next April. If you know me well enough, you know that I struggle to know what I'm doing next weekend let alone several months from now. If I had it my way I could just float through from one exciting adventure to the next and continue to grow and experience new things. However, its important to have that balance. What's your next adventure can quickly seem the same as what did you have for breakfast? It becomes normal and you reach a plateau. 

The great thing is I know God is going to be in on my decision to stay or go home either way. But to be completely honest, I at times am lost in knowing which direction is truly right for me. I try to find signs in everything as to whether I should stay or go and the one thing I realized in doing that is if you are looking for signs for something you will always find them. We want to say "Alright if I walk by someone eating a tuna fish sandwich (random I know) on my way to work, then God is telling me I should do A but if I dont then I should do B." The truth is God works in so many amazing ways that right where you end up is right where you should be regardless of whether you want some ridiculous sign. 

I guess the point of this post is that we shouldn't let our own fears and doubts get in the way of what God has planned for us. If you ask God to carry you through the storm, its important not to jump out of the boat as its still floating or you may never reach that beautiful place he wants to carry you to.

A few of my favorite verses:

Proverbs 3:5

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Isaiah 12:2

2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:27
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Zietlow Family Japancation

One of the great things in life is family. Its something, I've learned to appreciate more when I moved 6000 miles away nearly 3 years ago.  As kids, we went on two vacations that I remember. We went to Sea World in Ohio and then Chicago the next year. Nothing too crazy. This summer I got the chance to spend vacation in Japan with my family. As most people that might read this know, my brother, Ryan and his wife and 3 year old son also live here. I never thought I'd be able to talk my parents into finally coming to Japan but they made it!

We spent the weeks traveling around Japan and seeing the beauty of the road trips and flights that I had never taken the time to see. On the trip, there were many little hiccups in the road. Traveling with me is always an adventure.  Some people are even afraid to travel with me because they think I'm cursed. I disagree, sometimes the best stories are the ones when things don't go according to plan. Its easy to get frustrated and down when things don't fit your exact plan but really what can you do about it? So instead of a long wordy blog about my vacation, I thought I'd share the "interesting parts" and the glass half full way of looking at it. 

Wave 1 Greg 0

1. The very first day of vacation, I decided to go surfing.  This particular day had some monstrous waves. On that very first wave I took, I fell off my board and slammed my head into the shallow sand as the wave dragged me. I ended up with a huge gross looking cut. Glass half full: Outside of pain, my head and neck were ok and my face healed relatively well in a few days. Falling on my head could have ended a lot worse.

2. That Saturday, we decided to go to the beach in Yunohama on the other side of the island. On the way back, we got on the highway and started to run out of gas as there were no gas stations around. We were weaving in and out of mountains dreading the idea of pushing the car somewhere. Glass half full: We never actually ran out of gas and made it to a gas station.

3. Sunday afternoon, after the issues of Saturday we decided to take a road trip 5 hours away to Yokohama. I still can't believe we decided to do that! I packed my bags quickly making sure not to forget anything...only to get to Yokohama and realize I left my bag in another car. I had nothing but the clothes on my back for 3 days. Glass half full: There are lots of great department stores in Yokohama and I could also borrow clothes from Ryan (even if they were a little big haha).

My parents came in Tuesday night  and had no problems getting through customs aside from almost leaving their bags at Nagoya! The next few days we spent around Sendai with no major issues I can remember.

Temporary Housing for 100 families.

4. Saturday morning, we had planned to go to Ishinomaki  for a party with people in temporary housing from the tsunami of 2011. Its about an hour away.  As we got on the highway, our van started to fall out of gear. It was just the opposite of the movie "Speed" we couldn't go faster than 50 KMH. So we had to pull over and then drive the car slowly back to Takamori. Glass half full: The car didn't completely break down.. We took another car and made it out there after lunch.

Monday was great! We had no problems and just relaxed.

5. Tuesday, we were planning on flying to Osaka for a few days. My dad had to stay with me because we couldn't all fit in my brother's car. Our flight was out at 9:15 AM. We got a later start and nearly missed our subway to get us to the train we needed. Because we were late there was only one train that would get us there on time, if we missed it we were screwed. We had to sprint across traffic in order to make the subway. Then we got to Sendai station, got a little lost. We should have actually missed the train but it was inexplicably delayed 10 minutes. Because of the delay, we missed the train to the airport, the next one would have got us there too late so we took an expensive taxi. Meanwhile, Ryan drove what should have been an hour car ride in two because of traffic. Glass half full: Even though at the time it didn't feel like it was going to happen, we all got there in plenty of time for our flight.

6. Upon getting on a 90 minute train ride from the airport to our hotel, we realized that theres no way we would make our 7:15 AM flight Thursday morning with this train. Because of this we had to cancel our last night in the hotel (a pain) and then book a hotel at the airport. This also meant that we had to bring our bags with us the next day wherever we went. Glass half full: This one was pretty annoying. But we did get to get a glimpse of Osaka Castle, Universal Studios, and Osaka Aquarium. 

The moral of the story is that life is always going to throw obstacles in your way. Its easy to sit back complain and say "whoa is me." But ultimately, that just keeps you from experiencing anything. For some reason, I tend to experience more travel issues than most but its taught me great lessons on both trusting that God will get you through anything and worrying and complaining doesn't stop what happened. So you might as well keep pushing forward. I'd hate to not travel out of fear that an issue "might" happen.

I remember vividly, when I went home for a friends wedding and my flight was cancelled on my way back to Japan. I was so annoyed and upset that it completely ruined my day. Instead of enjoying a great day with my family in America, I was upset I couldn't get back on time and there was nothing I could do. I felt horrible that I wasted the day God gave me to be with my family in America because I was annoyed I didn't make my flight. Of course inconveniences suck. Life doesn't go exactly as you plan it. But if you embrace those moments that life hands you, you'll be stronger for it and have a great story in the end. As John Lennon says "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans." 

Hillsong 2013 in Sydney

It all started with an Eiffel Tower...wait what does an Eiffel Tower have to do with Australia? Well I'm going to take a quick segue (no not that motor scooter, though they are pretty great if you've never ridden one but now I've segwayed further). It all has to do with a feeling I got in France.

Last summer, I went and visited London, Dublin, and Paris. It was all great and saw so many interesting things and blah blah blah. I vividly remember going to see the Eiffel Tower and thinking how iconic and amazing its supposed to be and there I was staring it right in the face.. It felt like this completely romantic moment you build up in your head, she's standing right there and the light hits her just right... and then you wake up and realize you are making out with your pillow. It gave me an epiphany of sorts.

I realized that traveling and seeing things does not in itself actually make me happy. In the moment its great, but then you are always longing for the moment or looking for the next great adventure to fill you up. People will find this true with a lot of different things they think they are passionate about whether it be girls, cars, new toys, drinking, drugs whatever. You are always looking for that new fix or something better that's coming out. When you step out of the situation, you realize there is a void there.

Shortly after, I started to read the book "Desiring God" which opened my eyes to where my passions should lie. Its with God and His word. Many of us seek Him in pain, in anguish, in sorrow but often don't seek him for Joy. Trust me it ain't easy. Sin is easy, making mistakes is easy and sometimes necessary but actually, truly, honestly, seeking your Joy in God though difficult has the best reward. The Hillsong conference itself was a chance for me to jump out of my ruts and routines and put God and His work within me ahead of everything else.

Jumping off my segway!

Its funny for me to look at my life and the turns its taken to even bring me to the conference. A year ago, I never even heard of Hillsong. Two months ago I never knew what the Hillsong conference was. I just happened to be sitting down with the pastor of our church, Taka, and another teacher, Steve. They were talking about going to the Hillsong Conference in Sydney. I had joked that I wanted to go. I didn't even take myself seriously. But I decided after that just to randomly look into it. Around the same time, I felt the need to just get out and travel. It just always stayed on my mind.

I couldn't quite get the week off, it wasn't cheap, I would have to miss some of the conference...was it really worth it? Its easy to let this doubt get in your way of taking action. I could have saw these issues and went alright I guess I just won't go and moved on with normal. Being in my 3rd year here in Japan, I've been feeling I'm in this funk of going through the motions with life,  getting tired of what was normal. I felt God calling me to stop sitting back. Instead of going with the easy eh I guess it won't work, I decided to just say "Hey if I get the time off I'm just gonna go for it, No Turning Back." So that's what I did.

I flew out the 2nd day of the conference with a 5 hour layover in Seoul. Jumping on my Segway for a minute again. Incheon airport is probably one of the best airports I have ever been to. Its huge and has a mall, hotel, free showers, a museum and more without ever leaving the international terminal. Also, Asiana Airlines is great. The meals on the plane were actually edible and they even give you slippers, and ports to plug in your electronic devices in the remedial (economy) class. Also, yet again I had no delays or cancels. I actually flew back to Korea the same day that Asiana flight crashed from Seoul to San Francisco. Definitely makes you a little nervous flying but ultimately you can't let the fear of falling keep you jumping to new heights and adventures.

Sorry Segways are very fun to ride. Back to the reason you are reading this:

I flew into Sydney, Wednesday and went straight to the arena where I met up with the pastor of the church I attend out here. They were staying with family and were gracious enough to let me stay with them for 2 of the nights I was in Sydney and really made me feel at home.

I got into Allphones arena, exhausted but excited to get in that environment. There were tons of people everywhere and they spoke English. I forget people do that in other countries haha. Though I was tired I really tried to soak up the teachings and worship time. They days broke down like this.


 9:00 Message and worship time
12:00 Lunch and discussion time with different people that were speaking or performing.
1:00-4:00 break out sessions.
5:00 Random stuff with some Australian comedian team on stage.
6:00 Worship time and message

It was all just really amazing and spiritually what I needed. Worship time was the best I've experienced. I could write a blog post on that alone I think. Most of the speakers had really interesting and positive things to say. I could talk about each day and everything that was said but that would turn into a really long post and if you're interested in knowing more detail or my experience feel free to talk to me. Right now my mind is racing about the different things I could talk about. I'll just give a quick recap of some main points.

TD Jakes: a crowd favorite. He has an infectious ability that just draws you into what he has to say. Main message: God doesn't need anything you lost to heal you. He will use what you have left. He talked about a zoologist guiding him and could tell everything about it but couldn't find it then a Zulu guy driving them around says the elephant is over there.  People can study the Bible quote it and what not but if you don't have a relationship with God you will miss out on the point.

Dosing off

Joel Olsteen: I know people that will roll their eyes as soon as his name is uttered. For people that don't know he is known to preach "Prosperity Gospel." If you are faithful God will give you what you really want, promotions, business, etc. I tried to stay open minded here for his talk.Here's my take: He is a man that does love God, he has lots of good points on how to be happy. I found myself agreeing with him for some things he said. I found myself going "well if you just stopped there I couldn't argue against you" BBUUT he takes the plunge. After worship time, said get out your Bibles then went on a rant about how great his church is and how he never wanted to be a preacher but God put him in the position. Then went on to say if you are faithful you deserve to be rewarded and God will reward you with jobs and success. It sounds really good and that's why he has a following. I just don't see that in the Bible. Which was proven by the fact that he never quoted anything from scripture or opened his bible in the 60 minutes he was given to talk. Being faithful to God SO THAT you get some Earthly gain is ridiculous. I could rant about all the negatives but honestly, the crucial thing in your own walk with God is that you find out for yourself who He is and what He is about. We don't worship the man on the stage and nor are we qualified to judge him as a person.    

Charles Nieman: He was a last minute addition. He was very genuine in his talk and faith. He talked about his wife dying of cancer. His main message was: Gathering with people of God is essential, when life is tough don't leave church. Let God into the NOW moment when you are dealing with the pain. He will help you stand up. Bitterness creates a root and can seep into other areas of your life. Choose to be recovered. God's hope is our anchor for our souls.

Craig Groeschel: He is the pastor of lifechurch.tv and also the youversion bible app most people have. He's funny and speaks plainly. Main message: be adventurous and courageous with your walk with God. Don't just stay comfortable and be afraid to fail. Failure isn't a person its an event. Its the first step toward success.  I'm currently reading his book, The Christian Atheist, its really good and an easy read. It takes a lot of problems we go through as "Christians" that keep us from truly being Christian. I found a lot of myself in the chapters. I HIGHLY recommend it.

He didn't put up much of a fight

Judah Smith: He's a seventh generation pastor and speaks well to the younger crowd. His main message is that God loves us in spite of us. I've been watching a lot of his sermons on youtube lately.

I know the quick summary doesn't even begin to explain all the different stories told by these people and their messages.

Overall, it was a great conference. The whole theme was revival and it felt like it was exactly what I needed. I was glad that I went to this conference in a place I've never been before all by myself. It allowed me to just push everything else out and really focus on God and  his work within me. I didn't care what people around me were doing I just focused on Him.

My biggest piece of advice for people that know of God but don't really know him, or like me thought he was this distant creature that I can never have/don't deserve a real relationship with, seek Him out for yourself. Don't let religion or what you think you know about him, or what people told you about Him get in the way of you KNOWing Him. Trust me, I'm far from righteous and deserving yet I know God loves me and wants a real relationship with me. If you told me if I'd say that sentence a year ago, I'd think  you're chewing paint chips and it sounds hokey. One thing I can say for certain through my experience and connection with Him in the conference is God truly IS. Don't be afraid to let Him in.
...Going to ride my Segway for the rest of this post.

playing a didgeridoo

I did get one free day in Sydney which I used to see as much as I could. One thing about Australia that I noticed right away is that it feels just like America. The style, roads, music, everything besides the accent. Saturday I went to the Opera House and took a tour (travel tip: the tour is $35 and not worth it. You can get a better sense of the history on the discovery channel.). After the opera house, I went on a boat to Darling Harbour. There's tons of restaurants and things over there. I tried to fill in my Sydney Bucket list as much as I could: Opera House, see a koala, play a didgeridoo, eat a kangaroo, wrestle a kangaroo, and watch "Man of Steel." It was a pretty full day. There were a billion other things I wanted to do but didn't have money or time to do.

Kangaroo steak

Sydney was a lot of fun and probably the most expensive city I have ever been to (2. London, 3.Singapore) . If you are eating out and plan on visiting anywhere be prepared to spend $$$. I would love to go back again someday!

Homeless yet Hopeful

Since about February, I've been fortunate to help out with ministering to the homeless in Sendai through the church I attend here, PCC. To be completely honest, around Japan the normal person may never even notice homeless people around town. But when everything is closed down, they pop up all over the place. I went for a walk in Asakusa around 9PM after everything closed and where I saw thousands of people sprawling across the streets, I found homeless men in sleeping bags and boxes right in front of the shops. From what I see, it seems to be different than homelessness I've noticed in America. They seem too proud to beg for things like you might see in big cities. Most don't seem to want attention and are ashamed.

Often, stereotypes of homeless people cause us to fear them and ignore them. Luckily, for me what I have found is something more. Our ministry regularly visits several shacks in a park to keep their spirits up and provide them with essentials they need to better survive. Beyond what they need, we've also been able to get to know who they are. The people that we visit are genuine people that are down on their luck and have been for years. They've caught bad breaks and deal with demons that many of us struggle with but just don't have the right support system. A few of them love to talk and joke around, just genuinely enjoying someone visiting. One guy told me I should be a male model because I have good teeth and look young (I didn't ask about his eye health). He also tried to explain the exact cities for the prettiest Japanese girls to date.

Over the past few times another guy caught my attention. My first interaction he wouldn't even get up to greet us. He may have even been passed out. But this last time, he was up and with it. We all talked with him for a while... well I listened. As I was listening, I could see a look in his eyes as he kept staring at me probably because I was American. It was a look of sadness but ultimately a look of desire for God. He talked about how he's been praying lately and asking God for healing. This is pretty remarkable when you realize that less than 1% of Japan is Christian. On top of that, here's a guy that society might even mark as hopeless. Yet he's coming to God with his struggles. In listening to him talk, you could tell there was a sense of belief in him. Yet he also felt that he was undeserving and too late at times to be reached. But as Ecclesiastes 9:4 says "But he who is joined among the living has hope."

Today was a good example of that, not only did I see him in church but I saw that glimmer of hope in his eyes grow brighter. Granted its just one day in church but a great feeling to see the seeds of God finding soil. I just continue to pray that his plant gets nurtured. All my Christian friends out there, I ask that you continue to pray for this type of ministry all over the world and that people from all walks and struggles with life can come to know Him and His love no matter what their issues may be. 

Why do I believe?

Quick disclaimer: I'm only providing my opinions and feelings on this subject. I have never been a Bible scholar or do I pretend to have all the answers. If you disagree, I respect that. I just hope that you respect my opinion as well. Its my hope that again by sharing that some random person might accidentally read this and relate.  I was very encouraged by the  all the feedback for my previous post and am thankful there are so many encouraging people in my life.

Over the past year, I've been doing a lot of growing in my faith. Not in a man I know everything about God kind of way, but in a God has a grip on me and even when I stumble I feel Him calling me. To be completely honest, I don't even come close to understanding why I feel the way I feel about God or even at times that I am even worthy of Him. Yet for some reason, I know God is calling me. At times, its just this feeling I can't control. To be completely honest, having no control in any situation is something that scares the life out of me. Going from being "Christian" to wanting to be Christian has been anything but in my control. For me, the hardest thing about being a Christian is understanding that God is in control. One of the hardest things for me in general is to trust.

 Proverbs 3:5 is one of the most difficult parts of the Bible for me to follow. It states "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understandings." If I followed this simple message, there really would be no need to worry or have anxiety. Ultimately, it says if you are truly seeking God, he will take care of you even when you're down and things aren't going your way or bad things happen. I could really go on and on with Bible verses that reiterate this simple message. Here's a few for your reading pleasure: Psalm 55:22, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 121:8, Psalm 37:23, Psalm 29:11 (just read all the Psalms haha.), Isaiah 41:10, Romans 5:5, Galatians 6:9, and the most simply applicable 1Peter 5:7. I actually have a bunch of cards with Bible quotes on them, its not all off the top of my head haha.  The moral of the story is God has got your back if you believe.

So this gets me to my point...Why do I believe? For any Christian this is a question that is bound to come up if you have friends who are questioning, in other faith, or just plain don't believe.   Its one that as a follower of Christ, you could get caught off guard and start stumbling and even getting defensive. A simple "because I do", doesn't really cut the mustard. But as I start to think about it other questions pop up. Do I believe because I'm afraid I might go to Hell if I don't? Do I believe because other people make it look cool? Do I believe because I gotta believe in something? Do I believe because it makes life less complicated? To be perfectly honest,if my answer to any of these questions is yes, then I don't truly believe.

The simple yet profound answer is: I believe because I know. What in the world does that mean?you might say. The answer, Paul really says it best: "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are all people to be pitied" (1Corinthians 15:19). Ultimately, the paradigm shift for me is that I don't hope God is real. I know he is. I know this because the way he's taking a hold of me even when I want to pull away. From the little things like the fact that I just got back from working out and had no plans on typing this and Boom! here it is. To the of rush  emotion of God's presence I get in worship music and at church. Its become rare that when I'm alone and got my headphones on that I'm not listening to Christian music. I believe because I'm clueless and lost and have no idea what to think yet I still know. I believe because when I'm down and don't have the answers He still has my back. I believe because even when I get attacked or distanced from non believing friends for what I believe, I still know. I believe because of God's grace he gives.

I believe because God loves me...God's got my back.

Movin' on up and to the 5th Grade/Golden Week

I've been horrible lately about keeping up with my blog and whats going on here at MeySen...but a lot of changes have happened. At the end of the school year, I had to say goodbye to some good friends that came on this journey from the beginning with me. That group of us that came just before the earthquake have remained pretty close out here as friends. Its always tough to say goodbye but I know they are all going to do great wherever they end up. For me, the end of the year always brings the challenge of what am I going to do differently and how am I going to grow? My biggest fear here or with anything is to just be complacent and never growing or moving forward.

Luckily, we've got a few changes that made things different around here. First, I no longer work as an Immersion Friends Club teacher. I've always thought the name didn't quite fit exactly what we do. So now, I officially work at MeySen Academy Premier School. Its a fancier name for a resume that I may someday need to update (hopefully not very soon).

The second major change for me is that I made a change from 3rd grade, which I've been teaching for 2 years, to 5th grade. This is the second year for 5th grade in the Premier School program (still weird to say) so there are a lot of changes and new things to implement. Its just been great to actually feel slightly clueless and at times overwhelmed by the fact that I don't really know what we are doing. Some might think thats crazy but it adds some excitement. I also hate feeling complacent so I need the challenge.

...GOOLDEN WEEK

(The previous post was typed up a long time ago but I'm fat and lazy so I thought I'd put them together.)

This year for Golden week, I literally had no clue what I was going to do until about Wednesday of Golden Week. I was looking pretty much anywhere I could get to that was cheap and not sitting in my apartment in Sendai. I decided on the only interesting last minute place I could afford...Tokyo.

My childhood dream if this was a MegaZord

Tsukiji Fish Market

Of course, everybody and their mom decided Tokyo was also a great place to go. If I could describe Tokyo in one word it would be crowded but crowded doesnt really begin to describe it. I'm talking every single place you ever think of going there are 43 people standing in that exact spot you want to be. Heck just a line for popcorn in Harajuku was 90 minutes around the block (yes it was Garrets popcorn but still).

look at all the people

Waiting in lines is one thing I just don't get about the culture here. Anytime there is something new or a place gets new siding, there is a line around the block for it. But honestly, I think if I created a line with about 50 people at some random store. Within minutes there would be people lining up to see what people were lining up about.

In America, you wait 2 minutes at the express checkout at WalMart and you start freaking out about how slow the customer in front of you is. In Japan, you open your book meditate or just stare off into space for hours.

Another side note, there are probably about 5 million Starbucks in Tokyo but for some reason there is one in Harajuku that people will line up for an hour to get into. Exact same food/drinks! There isnt even enough room to sit. I went across the street to the train station Starbucks, there is no one there.

So outside of lines for the bathroom, lines to get a coffee, lines to walk down the street, Tokyo was still a great time. It was the first time I got to go on vacation with my brother and his family and probably the first time we've been on vacation together since my dad was busy getting us lost in the middle of nowhere (which always happens) as kids.

The most important difference between Sendai and Tokyo is the chain restaurants and stores Americans crave. I spent my weekend going to TGIFridays, Burger King,  some Mexican Restaurant, Auntie Anne's, American Eagle, GAP, Old Navy, Hard Rock Cafe and of course Starbucks everyday. I easily spent most my money on food and probably gained 50 pounds but it was well worth it.

Nice and Cozy

The other random adventure I can gladly strike off my Japan bucket list was sleeping in a Capsule Hotel. Most people have probably heard of these. I always pictured it being much like a morgue. It was truly an interesting culture shock experience:

I walk into the building that looks like a big 1950s clubhouse locker room. I honestly, felt as out of place as when I first came to Japan. I have no clue what to do but luckily there is a sign that tells me to take off my shoes and put them into a locker. This is where things get a little bit prisony. I go to the counter and pay. The guy gives me key to lock all my clothes in locker and a uniform to sleep in. I even put the shirt on wrong. Everybody is staring at me anyway because I'm not the usual 40 year old Japanese business man that is all over the place here.

Honestly, between the constantly naked Japanese men, the stench of moldy, smoky musk that was everywhere, I was pretty uncomfortable the whole time I was there. Some might ask at this point, "Why are naked Japanese men everywhere?" Pretty much everywhere outside of your 6 foot by 3 foot high prison cell is like a big locker room/bathroom.

I finally make my way to my cell block after scrub down time in the public showers/bath and no I didnt drop the soap. My bed number was 2040. I think there are like 600 beds in this building by the way. I make my way to my bed and realize there are no outlets, no fan or A/C,  and the TV doesn't work unless you pay for it. To top it off its a hotbox in there. Its also definitely not for the claustrophobic  There were times I just wanted to run away and sleep on the street but I finally fell asleep and actually slept pretty well.

Tokyo Sky Tree

The other Zietlow's

It was definitely a unique experience. Its definitely not worth it. You could easily get a cheap hotel with better facilities than staying in one. I think its more for the convenience of staying for a few hours and  while in transit.

The time in Tokyo was a lot of fun overall, we went all over the place and rode many, many trains.  It was also a great time to hang out with my family. I won't say too many nice things about them because I know they will read this and get big heads haha. It was also a lot of fun to spend time with my  3 year old nephew as he grows in this culture. He's hilarious and now speaking in random Japanese! I actually let him take some pictures from his perspective. I would love to know whats going on in his brain as he sees everything. Next adventure Mom and Dad are coming to join in the fun! See ya in August!

Zachary's Picture

Zachary's pictures

Spring Break! I have to go Phi Phi.

(Here's where I started before I got onto my previous post)

I just got back from vacation and my head is still spinning from all the things we did in a weeks time.  For me it was back to my favorite country I have been to so far: Thailand. Some people might wonder why i would go back again when there's so many other places I could go. Honestly, it came down to its cheap, beautiful, and has a beach. Also, I really wanted to go to Phuket and the Phi Phi islands because I've heard great things about both.

I went with 3 girls, Karina, Kristin, and Gwenn who heard about all my travel stories and still were ok with traveling with me. I took their group pictures and they had to put up with me going to the bathroom every 5 seconds so its a give and take experience haha. Honestly, they were all a lot of fun to travel with and I'm glad I was with this group.

We started our vacation with a 9 hour layover in China. If you have heard my horror stories about PuDong Airport and China Eastern Airlines, you'd be as worried as I was that something would go wrong. But God was smiling on us that day. The immigration people let all of us through to visit Shanghai for the day. Unfortunately, we had no plan and couldn't read Chinese but that was beside the point. We were able to set foot in China without any hassle! We chose to navigate the subway and hope we could get off at some random cool place. We ended up finding an area that had a mall and other random shops.

We had just enough time to buy Papa John's Pizza (they don't sell that in Japan), get a Starbucks mug and nearly get killed by cars driving by. All in all it was a great unexpected day to see Chinese culture.

Shanghai in a nutshell from my 9 hour experience:

• If you're looking for a sanitary bathroom, you're better off using the sidewalk
• Cars dont stop for you...ever!
• Its very different from Japan

Finally, we flew out of Shanghai at 10PM and into Phuket, Thailand at 2AM. We had just enough time to get through customs and get to our hotel and sleep. The hotel we stayed at was actually the nicest we stayed in the whole vacation but we only used it for about 7 hours. 

Monday, we set off for Phi Phi (save your jokes). We had to take a taxi for about an hour and then a 2 hour boat ride. Koh Phi Phi in one word is beautiful. Its probably one of the prettiest views I have ever seen. There are cliffs merging into the sea, palm trees, tiny islands, lots of beach to see. 

Tuesday was my favorite day. We went snorkeling! Snorkeling was something I've always wanted to do but never got the chance. If you want to snorkel, I highly recommend the Adventure Club. They take really small groups and are very friendly. On our tour the water was crystal clear and we saw so many beautiful fish. My favorite thing to do was just to sit there and watch nature just happen. 

Wednesday, we had to leave but not before we had one last adventure...rock climbing! I've been on a rock wall inside before so I figured it couldn't be that bad. Honestly, its not nearly as scary as it is hard work. It takes a lot of technique to be really good at it. After the first climb, my arms were dead but we still had another to do that was about 45 feet up! As I started climbing a bunch of monkeys showed up to cheer me on...and steal our pineapple. As I was climbing, I got stuck and ended up ripping blisters right off my fingers. Believe it or not, its pretty painful. Rock Climbing was a lot of fun though and I'd love to try it again.

After rock climbing, we headed back to Phuket and found our hostel. Phuket Town, felt a lot more like we were in Thailand. Cars, tuk tuks, and motorcycles, were constantly weaving in and out of people crossing the street.

Thursday, we went on an elephant safari. For people that want to do it, I would definitely research it because there are a lot of places that treat elephants badly. This place is actually a sanctuary that takes good care of the elephants. Its definitely not for the easily queasy. Every step an elephant takes is like a jerky old roller coaster.

We also went to a Wat Chalong, where we met the greatest cab driver. Its not everyday that you meet a person that truly just enjoys everyday. Honestly, getting in his cab I was a little nervous because it was probably the junkiest taxi on the street but his personality more than made up for it. His favorite saying was "Everyday is a vacation for me." He even set up to take us to the airport at 10:30PM Friday. Low and behold, Friday at 5PM his car was just sitting right in front of our hostel. He didn't want to take any fares so he could take us to the airport. He was also very quiet on the way to the airport. He said he was very sad because we were leaving.

Thursday night, we went to the more touristy area of Patong. Honestly, if you want a true experience of Thailand, I would avoid this area. I thought it would be nice to relax with other tourists and meet people. Its basically, everything you could want to do that was immoral or wrong on one street and people are walking through it with children. On top of that things were much more expensive than other parts. If you're looking for Spring Break/Hangover Part 2 then this is your place. Its just not the place for me.

Friday was our last day, we had set up a cooking class to learn how to make Thai food. We went to a sweet lady's house about 30 minutes from our hostel and made 3 different meals. My favorite was Cashew chicken. One of my favorite things about Thailand is the food. There's so much flavor in everything. If you've never tried Pad Thai, you are missing out on life.

All in all, it was a great vacation. Its amazing to look back at all the awesome things we did and fun we had. It was a great time with great friends and I'd go back in a heart beat.

*Side note, all of my flights were on time!!

A Change of Pace: My Pursuit of God

I'd like to apologize in advance to anybody that enjoys my random travel posts because this probably will blindside you.

I sat down to write a blog about my trip to Thailand but something happened. I started getting into the book I've been reading "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. It got me to thinking about what exactly I want out of life. Most importantly, what am I Called to do. As much as it scares me to share my beliefs about God and what at one time I felt was just a personal belief. I have come to the realization that its ridiculousness to bottle up everything I feel about God, when in fact I have this strong burning explosion in my heart that wants to pour out of me. I have a strong feeling that I am being called to bring people to understand God's love. I have no clue how why or what I need to do but its a feeling I can't shake. Its my hope that in sharing this with anyone and everyone that cares to hear that I won't  be afraid to follow HIM. So even though this makes me scared like a lost kitten at a dog pound (I don't know where that analogy came from but just go with it), I feel I need to share my walk with God and how I got to this point.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives
Growing up I found myself always believing in God but not seeking him unless, I really needed or wanted something. I prayed for things I wanted but not necessarily needed. Going to church for me was a duty. I knew that every Sunday I needed to go to church because God expects us to be there. I figured if I go to church and zone out, at least I'm there right? Its better than Joe Shmoe sitting on his couch eating potato chips watching Bozo's Grand Prize game. But as I've found, if you're not seeking its very easy to get yourself pulled away. Maybe this Sunday, I'll sleep in or the next Sunday I'll play video games instead (God understands I gotta beat that level on Grand Theft Auto Right?). All of a sudden, you fall into the problem of being a ChrEaster or maybe just weddings/funerals. 

Between high school and College, I found myself not necessarily turning away from God. I always had a belief there but not really seeking. I was in the mode of God is there but I gotta live my life, I gotta find my own happiness.  At this time, God was this big powerful boss that always told me what not to do. I think everybody has had that feeling where you are constantly walking on eggshells around someone. Its bound to crack. Then its mistake after mistake after mistake. At this point, I didn't quite understand how wrong this notion really was. 

My thought for college was that I'd fall in love get married and have my 2.5 children (ya .5) a dog and a cat and life would be great. But toward the end of my time there, I began to realize it wasn't going to be that easy for me. I felt a strong need for change and to see the world. I couldn't just settle down. Heck I can barely sit down long enough right now to type this. 

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise...instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 

After graduating, I had a degree in Education but felt completely lost as to what I truly wanted to do. Then God sent me exactly what I needed. I was subbing long-term at Muskegon Public Schools and a teacher fair was coming up at my college, Central Michigan University. The problem was, I needed to reach 60 consecutive days in order to raise my pay from $65 a day to $100. This is huge when you live on sub pay. It just so happened that I reached 60 days two days before the teacher fair. Not only the raise but I got a professional development day that I could use to go to the fair. So I was paid to be there! (God's great!) I saw all these crazy lines for different schools and met with lots of people that seemed interested but I just didn't feel the same way about them. I just happened to strike up a conversation with a lady (Melissa) who was just smiling all by herself at a booth. She worked for MeySen academy. As she told me about it I thought oh cool, this sounds like fun. But when I got home, it found its way into a pile on my floor never to be seen again....until June as I was applying for anything and everything that sounded interesting. Some of you may know, I even started to apply for "Survivor."  I found the MeySen pamphlet and thought: why not apply? 

Two days after applying, I got an interview and it just felt right. Everything fit in for me to get this job. I actually stopped applying anywhere else even though, I knew I'd have to wait until February to get the job. 

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. .

When I came to Japan, I thought of it as my chance for adventure and to see the world. I knew MeySen was a "Christian" Academy but never really thought of it as I applied. I sure never thought of myself ever being confident talking about God let alone sharing about the Bible. Then things started to change...

6 weeks after we got to Japan, the biggest earthquake/ nuclear meltdown happened. I found myself an hour away from nuclear catastrophe and 15 minutes from torturous Tsunami destruction. By the grace of God, we were all protected. Through this experience, I began to see a difference in Christian life and the life of nonbelievers. I can vividly picture, the look of complete hopelessness on people's faces like there was no light on in their eyes as they waited in endless lines for food and water. But at my school, we had no power, water but were still singing worship songs and bringing each other's spirits up. We even held a worship service and as soon as we stopped power came back on. God just wanted to tell us we sang well (haha).

Shortly after we reached Misawa and the feeling that I may never come back to what was deemed a disaster area. I flew home and felt helpless and lost but also knew that I had to try to come back. I actually left all my luggage in my apartment just so I would come back. In coming back, things went back to normal. I still wasn't at a place where I'd say that fire for God was burning in me but I could feel he was here in Japan and I wanted to get to know him. 

More unexpected moments started to happen, a frantic/lonely man came up to myself and a few other teachers on our way to a meeting and told us his life story. He said he wasn't doing well and asked for us to pray for him. It was one of the most random but real experiences with God I have felt. Also, around this time, I began to make a better effort to being a church goer in Japan. Its not easy, there arent many and when you grow up with a certain view of how church should be its hard to change your perspective. On top of that, when you work 6 days a week and you feel like church is a duty it becomes less inviting to be a part of. 

Then, I was put in touch with a Japanese conversation partner who genuinely wanted to understand Christianity. I felt I was at no place to explain it to him but for some reason as I started it just felt right to explain things. He even started attending church regularly. As my friend asked my for my views, it forced me to really start to try to actually understand what my views were. 

A few months later, I started to really feel a strong need to be involved in my pursuit of God. It just started happening from little things like listening to Christian music regularly to reading Christian books to watching sermons on Youtube. (This is a change from reading "I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell," listening to Jay-Z (still listen btw) and watching Tosh.0.) Then after  last summer vacation, an explosion started to well up inside of me. I felt God just taking me. My thoughts on certain things and how I viewed things from relationships with others and with God completely started to clear out. I joined a Bible study and read probably the most influential book on my understanding of the Bible and God, "Desiring God" by John Piper. Things just started to make sense. 

I've come to a point where I realize God is not this big scary beast that is out to smite you but He's out there looking for you to LOVE him and to PURSUE him. I realized that if I can put my joy in God and making him happy that it in turn reciprocates to me. From this any relationship you want should be met in the same way. I'm not going to do something nice because I feel obligated to do it. I've found doing something nice to make someone happy in turn brings me the same joy. 

Now of course, its not all rainbows, sunshine and koombaya's here. Truly trusting in God takes a lot of effort and pain. Sometimes it can be completely heart wrenching, sometimes you can feel completely lost in what you are supposed to do. Its easy to give up on things but truly believing and truly seeking God in everything though at times difficult is truly beautiful in its fruition. 

I'm not even going to begin to say I'm close to where I need to be with God. And I definitely don't want any inclination that I am being a holy than though type person here.  Trust me, I have A LOT of growing and understanding to do in everything. I know this pursuit is not an easy course. But in simple moments when I have completely felt God's presence, its this beautiful feeling that is like nothing you can create without HIM.

 I know that I will never force someone to understand what they will not allow themselves to understand. Honestly, many people may have finished reading my blog after the first sentences about God. However, I hope that my ability to make myself vulnerable for God will help me to follow Him even more closely than ever before. I have no clue what/where/why or when my next step in my pursuit of him is but I pray that I will follow Him wherever and however he needs me. 

2 Peter 1:10-11 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Overdue Post: Badabapaba I'm Lovin' It

I know its been a while since I've posted but I need to talk about something I wanted to write about for a while so hopefully its been worth the weight (intended). The subject is something that is near and dear to my American heart. A wordly icon that is more recognizable than Barack Obama...MC DONALDS!

For those of you that haven't stopped reading after that last sentence, this isn't your normal everyday Mc Donald's. I'm talking about Makudonorudo's, the Japanese Mc Donalds. If you're an American in Japan, you've undoubtedly craved a burger at some point. There's Lotteria, MosBurger (the name is appetizing right?), Freshness burger (its ok but super greasy), and probably others. All are overpriced and all tasted like cardboard and have horrible child size portions.. But alas, there is Mc Donald's. If its a burger you're craving, don't settle for those other places.

Honestly, Mc Donald's tastes much better here than anywhere else in the world. And believe me, I've tried it in France, England, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and probably other places. (Side note: England is probably the worst place). The burgers have more flavor and the fries taste less like a tub of salted grease. Its also the cheapest place, you'll find a burger in Japan. Most things on the menu are comparable to prices in America.

Mega Mac

The other great thing is their seasonal menu. Its literally a burger genius explosion. Of course, they do have the Shrimp Gratin burger for the Japanese food fans. BUUT they also have a Mega Mac (double Big Mac) a few times a year. That's 4 patties of Cow (not to be misread as cow patties which is what London Mc Donald's tastes like).

I've also been a huge Mc Donald's breakfast fan. If they served it all day I'd be a whale and looking toward my second triple bipass surgery. In Japan its no exception. On top of the normal stuff. They also have a Mega Muffin thats got TWO slices of sausage, BACON, and an egg with cheese.

Idaho Burger

But literally, the best time of year in MACU world is Big America (they think we're fat, surprise) Time. For a few months, they roll out with random sandwiches that are supposed to embody the Japanese perception of each location. I've had too much of a food coma over the last few years to remember all of them but its back right now. Recently, there was the Texas burger with bbq sauce and onion rings.

 The best burger in the biz right now is the Idaho Burger. This is perfection in the culinary standard that is Mc Donalds. You got your bun, beef, cheese as usual but then they add a hashbrown, bacon and two random sauces I have no clue whats in. The result is a flavor explosion of perfection in your mouth.

Just remember, if you're looking for a good burger in Japan for cheap don't forget about the golden arches.

Christmas Vacation: A Japanese Tourist in America

After being away from the United States for a year, I finally made the journey home. Honestly, going into it I was a little hesitant about going home. I missed my friends and family but I just kind of felt I'd be out of place after being away for a while. Its also easier to block out homesickness the longer you are away. I didn't really want to go home because I felt I might miss it more. As I closed in on the trip home, I kind of felt like it was time to go there.

so close!

The journey was a relative breeze. Kind of a been there done that feeling. I woke up at 7AM to take a 5 hour bus ride to Tokyo. From there, I went to the train station and took the narita express for 90 minutes to Narita Airport. I got there with 2 hours to spare. Just enough time for the 12 hour flight to Chicago. In Chicago I had 3 hour layover (that turned into 5). Then I flew the 1 hour it took to get to Grand Rapids. Then I rode in our van for an hour to get home. Piece of Cake right?

The only real hitch to everything was when we got on the runway in Chicago and the captain says, " I had to make a tough call to choose either people getting to Grand Rapids or some of your bags. I chose the people." Long story short, I was missing a bag with all of my clothes that didn't come until midnight Christmas morning. Luckily, that meant that I got to open an early Christmas present so I didn't wear the same clothes I wore home. (Travel Tip: Always pack at least 1 change of clothes in your carry on. Its saved me at least 3 times off the top of my head).

monster medium on the right

For the first few days, I felt like a tourist. All the Americans were loud, the roads were big, the portion sizes for the food was ridiculous.  I got a medium drink at Wendy's and I'm pretty sure I could have jumped in the cup and took a bath.

family visiting 

Most of my vacation was visiting friends that I haven't seen for the past year. Its great when you see people and can just pick up like we saw each other yesterday. It was always tough saying goodbye though knowing that I wouldn't see them again for a while. But I know when I do, we will pick right back up.

Chicago

The only other thing I did besides visit people and buy clothes that actually fit me, was a random out of the blue trip to Chicago. It kind of went like this between a friend and I: "Hey I wanna go on a random adventure, lets go to Chicago" "Ok". We had no map or plans just kinda went on whim which was pretty cool.  Life is more fun when you stay in motion.

All in all, it was good to be home. It was amazing how quickly, it kind of felt like I never left. I was really excited to see so much family and friends over the two weeks. By the end of the trip, it was hard to leave knowing I wouldn't see everybody for a while. However, the greatest thing about the vacation is that it reminded me how lucky I am to be where I am and doing what I'm doing. Its easy to get caught up in this job and forget how truly unique and awesome this experience is. God has truly blessed me with this opportunity that felt like it just fell into place for me. I'm very thankful for being in this moment in my life and knowing that more is to come. I glad I was able to visit home but I know that I have another home right now and its right here where I type this post. It feels pretty great!

• Random things I'm doing in the next few weeks:  Watching a sumo wrestling tournament in Tokyo this weekend for the first time, doing English voice over work for peoples testimony about the major earthquake, going sledding down a mountain with my students, saying goodbye to my old students and hello to new students,..  (hopefully)taking a vacation somewhere warm with a beach!!