We took 5 boys and 1 mother to California this summer. We went to Hollywood to see the famous sign on the mountainside and downtown Hollywood where Star’s stars line the sidewalk in front of the Mann Chinese Theater, Beverly Hills homes and the beaches along the PCH on our way back to the Ventura-Oxnard-Camarillo area. We went to a Dodger game against the Florida Marlins, where the Dodgers unfortunately lost. Yet, it was a good game and lots of fun for everyone. Mia got a baseball given to her by one of the Marlin outfielders, just minutes after arriving at pre-game batting practice. We went to Disneyland and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.

All of that said, the most valuable and important part of our trip was Vacation Bible School at Calvary Chapel of Oxnard. The students and mother joined the program and participated in the stories, songs, dance, snack-time, games and crafts along with over 500 other kids to learn about the love God has for all who want to listen and learn about Jesus Christ.

The 5 days at VBS are the highlight of the homestay program and the main reason behind it all. None of the students accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, but they are all reading their Japanese Bibles given to them by Calvary Chapel of Oxnard and open to learning more about Jesus Christ.

Tatsuya said he had a hard time sleeping one night. He said he believes in Jesus and prayed asking him to help him sleep. He said he fell asleep shortly after and woke up feeling great. He was very excited to tell us and all the other students. None of the other students expressed anything like his story, but they did say that they were all reading their Bibles.

Yuki, up to that point and to the end of the homestay program, was reading his Bible everyday. Several others were also reading their Bibles.

All of the boys showed great ambassadorship to Japan. They had a few quarrels along the way, but nothing that didn’t get worked out.

It was an amazing homestay program this summer. Before the program started, because of an all-boy group, we were a little curious how it might pan out. It turned out to be one of the best homestay programs. The students participated well in the VBS program doing the dances and songs with more overall effort than any other year so far. Even the shiest boy, Keigo, ended up dancing and singing by day 5, the last day of the program.

All the boys did well practicing and building their English. Some of the boys arrived with hardly any English, but left with a much larger English vocabulary and better ears for listening and grasping the language.

Seeds are planted and these students need prayer and nourishment. Pray we can continue our relationships with these students and answer any questions they have about Jesus Christ. Pray they will have a desire to join us at Suita Bible Gospel Church in Suita, Osaka or another church closer to their homes that can water the seeds planted in their lives. Pray they all grow to know Jesus and grow into fine young men. Pray also for the mother, who really worked hard on her English and learned a great deal about America, Americans and traveling abroad. It was her first time outside the country.

I want to personally thank Calvary Chapel of Oxnard and Suzanne Still and her husband, John, who help make this program possible each year holding VBS each summer and welcome us and the students with open arms and hearts. Also, I would like to thank all the host families for opening up their homes to the students and shared their lives and love. Without them, we could not do this homestay program. On a personal note, I would like to thank my family for putting us up the entire time and for praying for us and sharing the house. Sorry the house is so quiet now!

Please pray we can continue doing this homestay program for years to come and that God will pour out his blessings on all who participate and Calvary Chapel of Oxnard.

Tags: japanese students, homestay, home stay, california homestay, homestay america, american homestay, christian, christian homestay, calvary chapel, oxnard, ventura, camarillo

Everyone met at the church in the morning and received their VBS T-shirts. Then we gathered in the sanctuary and sang some songs. After that, we went to our room the church has set aside for us to use throughout VBS this week and talked about the Bible, Christianity, and what they are going to learn at VBS this week. Next, we went downstairs and they made a fish key chain out of beads to either hang on their backpacks or use to hold keys. We then went to the sanctuary and learned two songs and dances with each. At first they most of the students were a little shy, but they warmed up and began dancing and singing the songs once they heard the songs a few times.

After singing and dancing, we went back up to the room to talked more. Then we went downstairs again and the students went outside to eat snacks and play games with American kids their ages. They raced in an obstacle course which involved running and jumping, diving through a rubber hoop and climbing through a tube. It was a lot of fun.