RheAnn in Japan

Today (April 9) is my first full day in Japan and exactly 3 weeks until my 30th birthday!
I arrived at Narita International Airport around 1:30 pm yesterday and fumbled my way through the various lines and offices required for entry to Japan.  I was feeling very sick to my stomach and still managed to lift all 3 of my 50 lb (each!) checked bags and my 40 lb carry-on onto a luggage cart.  (Someone had left one out so I was able to use it for free and not have to try to figure out the cost or count out any yen!!  It was very serendipitous!)
I made a friend in the Chicago airport and also one on the plane.  This made me very hopeful for the friends I will make during the next 3 years. :)
So far, my experience has been excellent. I'm experiencing typical jet lag symptoms but my hosts and hostesses are very warm and understanding.  I'm already starting to recognize certain words but can't yet remember enough to try to speak.  I'll be glad to start language school in July so that I can feel more confident!  Between now and then I will listen and practice independently, and my hostess/"sister" Urara will work with me as a tutor.  I'm very excited about this!  Today she helped me run some errands--including applying for my residency card.  With this I can open my bank account and get a cell phone and Internet service!  It will be ready for me the day before my birthday.
I feel really good, really happy.
These may be the last 3 weeks of my 20's, but they are the first 3 weeks of the rest of my life!  EVERYTHING is changing...but it feels right.
I was loved and held throughout my preparation for this move and during my travel and upon my arrival.  I know that I am enveloped in prayers and positive energy.  I hope that the goodness I am feeling will ooze into the lives of all the people I meet.
Stayed tuned!!  And keep those prayers comin'! ;)

So many individuals, families, groups, classes, and congregations have blessed me in the work I've been called to do in Japan for the next three years. (I'm behind on my thank you notes, but not on my gratitude. THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!)

In these last two weeks of life in the USA, I'm making another plea for your support. I'm still about $10,000 under my goal. (I'm raising now the money I will live on during my entire stay which is $1,700 a month, or $61,200 total.) To meet this goal is essential. To exceed it would be REMARKABLE!

I have a few ideas of how we can make this happen.

1. If you haven't already, donate now! :) If all of my friends and family sent 10, 15, 20 (or more) dollars to:

RheAnn White
c/o Missions Ministry Team
8207 Traditional Place
Cordova, TN 38016

we'd be in really good shape!! :)


2. Another option is for you, my friends and family, to pledge a larger amount over a longer period of time. For example, you can donate $5 a month for all three years (for a total of $180.) Any amount that works for you, your budget, and your prayerful desire to support my ministry can be inserted into this pledge formula:
X (dollars) x 12 (months) x 3 (years)
Simple, right?
(Your pledge and/or donation can be sent to the address above.)


3. If each of you asked 3 people to match your pledge or donation, we could rapidly QUADRUPLE the figure!!!


Remember all donations (of any size or frequency) are tax-deductible.
Checks should be made to Missions Ministry Team, but should include my name in the memo line in order to insure that the funds are designated to my work.

So, what is my work exactly??

I've been called to serve as an English-teaching missionary in and around Tokyo, Japan!
In addition to teaching 8 classes at 4 churches to students of various ages, I will be attending language school full-time in order to learn Japanese!!
I'm confidant that God will use me to touch many lives and to learn from and grow with the people I meet on this journey.

Thank you for partnering with me on this amazing adventure--through your prayers, your encouragement, and your monetary gifts. ...We're almost there!!  :)

I'll be writing more SOON about my recent commissioning service.  (It was AWESOME!)



And...I leave from St. Louis on April 7th!!!!

After that, all my blogs will be coming to you from a different hemisphere!!!  Yes, starting on April 8th, I will truly be "RheAnn in Japan." :)

Every journey has twists and dips, patches of road without signs where you wonder for a few miles if you're lost; if you missed your turn somewhere, sketchy gas station restrooms, bad radio... Wait.  I think I'm losing the metaphor here.  Refocus.
During these past weeks of perpetual travel, I've been all over emotionally as well.  It has been INCREDIBLE visiting so many churches, meeting so many amazing people, and reconnecting with friends and loved ones across my home state of Tennessee.  I feel very far away from the little girl I was when I lived there, but I feel the lessons I learned then just as deeply within me now.  ...I was also pleased to discover that I'm still learning! ;)
Churches, families, and individuals throughout the state have taken me into their lives and hearts along the way.  I've been so held and well-cared for and no amount of thank you notes could ever aptly express what this has meant to me.  I've also been moved by God's work within the various communities I visited.  From after-school programs to women's missions groups to Bible studies and prayer groups, God is certainly stirring among us and calling us to compassionate living!  It's really inspiring!

On the support-raising front, I have also been the grateful recipient of incredible generosity.  Every dollar contributed will be put to the best use of which I am capable.  Thank you for allowing me to represent you in Japan.  And special thanks to Dyer CPC and Greenville CPC for "adopting" me!!!!  These 2 churches are the first to pledge 100 dollars a month for the entire 3 years of my service!  ::round of applause::

Being in my hometown with my former school mates, saying "farewell," was a beautiful and important stretch of this journey, and in light of the love I felt, I barely missed a beat when in my very own beloved Memphis, my car was burglarized.  Though the back window was broken out, only my coat and scarf were taken.  Anyone who knows me knows I'd have put the perpetrator in my car and taken him or her somewhere warm and given them anything I had that they needed.  Having it taken from me and at the expense of my [mom's] vehicle really upset me for a bit.  But as blessed as I am and with the way my friends banded together to help me, I could hardly focus on that hurt.  Certainly the person who violated my sense of safety was hurting as well.  I'm doubtful that stealing my coat really helped him or her, but I hope that somewhere down the line, they find the healing and peace they need.
In my city, they say "This happens all the time."  I wish we didn't shrug it off so easily.  Surely the fact that it happens "all the time" means that there is always something wrong...something that needs our prayer and our attention.  Alarm systems may protect but they don't eradicate the deeper problem.  I have to wonder:  What compassionate action is God calling us to do in response to this pain in others?  How can we apply the model of Christ's life to help our petty criminals, our impoverished families, and open our own closed hearts?
I was "All Shook Up," ...and maybe it's time to be.

When I left my home in Boulder, a dear friend came by with chai and a few free hours to help with packing.  She also presented me with a precious going away gift.  It was a small silver bird on a thin, pale yellow thread, delicately laced through a small necklace clasp.  It was, she explained, "a wish necklace," meant to be wished upon before wearing and when the thread inevitably broke, the wish would come true.  Upon her suggestion, I infused the gift with all of my intentions for my move to Japan--everything that I wanted to bring, to learn, to see, to hold, to breathe, to experience.  I've not since taken it off, wearing the slowly fraying accessory even when swimming and bathing and getting a massage and wondering when it would finally snap and if I'd even notice!  Since October, that little bird has become a part of my day-to-day life--a reminder of all I am and all I hope to become.  My friend told me she chose that particular emblem because she viewed me as a little bird about to take flight.  I must admit, that is exactly how I feel.

In the past week, I've visited lots of people and places and been highly emotional at times.  I've discovered it's possible to be TOO present! (If you affect your experience of anything by trying to impose meaning, sometimes you're left with meaning...and not experience!) Yes, it has been challenging.  Even when I consider that it might be easier to just scrap this whole idea of moving overseas and resettle among the familiar, deep-down there is a comfortable urge to keep going.  The unknown calls me forward...and the possibility of adversity does not deter me from wanting to soar into the adventures ahead. 

Recently I met JoAnn who'd moved to Japan as a single lady herself in the 60's.  We talked about her life there and the way her life since has been shaped by having lived there.  (She met and married another missionary and their first child was born in Kyoto.  She also carries a deep love for the people of Japan.)  I visited with her and her pastor Kevin and friend Sally.  She even had me over to her farm for lunch.  We looked through pictures and shared our experiences.  I felt like I'd always known her!


Driving back to Nashville, I was on the phone with my mom.  We made arrangements for me to come home for a few days at the start of March (after 2 months on the road) to re-pack and head back out for a youth retreat at NaCoMe--my first one in nearly 4 years, and potentially my last for just as long or longer!  Mom began making suggestions of other churches and places and people I should try to contact or visit before I leave for Japan.  I noticed a tightening in my chest.  "When will I do that?" I asked her frantically.  Then, realizing that I was growing immediately unhappy and overwhelmed, I said to her, "No.  I'm doing enough.  I'm not going to do anymore than I've already planned.  I'm okay."  She agreed with me and it felt really good.  As our conversation continued, I casually reached up to adjust my seat belt off of my shoulder.  My finger caught the thread of my necklace...and it SNAPPED!

I think it's pretty fitting.  I needed to learn and accept that there is no longer a reason to be so hard on myself.  To do what I can is to do enough.  To push myself too hard is to set myself up for feeling overwhelmed or disappointed in myself.  This lesson left me feeling untethered and ready to fly.  Whew!

I grew up on one end of this state but have, at various points in my life, lived all over it.
As I prepare to leave for Japan, this return to my home state has been about more than raising support and connecting and reconnecting with people.  It has also been about connecting and REconnecting with parts of myself.

I will forever carry with me the generosity and hospitality I have experienced in the homes of people who barely know me, just as I have in the homes of those who know me very well.  It feels good to be loved and cared for; to feel safe; to feel like family.  It feels good to drive down familiar roads, sing songs on familiar stages, eat meals in familiar places, and to be surrounded by and embraced by friends.

When I've asked for help, my needs have always been met.  Even amidst a snow storm that prevented me from making it to my engagements in Arkansas, the sweetest lady I know took me in...and made me soup...and told me stories...and let me win at Rummikub. :) 

I've spent hours on the phone and writing e-mails and making plans, but I've spent just as many face-to-face with new and old friends, with family, and with people so inspirational and encouraging that I have been in a perpetual state of, "Ah, I am BLESSED!"

Thank you to the amazing churches and groups with whom I've been able to speak:
Greenville Session, Shiloh Session, Loudon Men's Fellowship, Loudon Morning Bible Study, Brenthaven CP Women's Ministry, Union, Faith Fellowship, Nashville Presbytery Ministers, Women of Woodbine, Mt. Joy, and all of the amazing families and individuals who've offered so much to me.  THANK YOU!

I still have a few weeks left in this state and I'm looking forward to more connections and more growth.  It is such a sentimental journey.  Last week, I stood in front of a small stage in a legendary venue in Nashville and watched one of the former youth from the Brenthaven YouthROCKS which I used to lead, totally rockin out with his band.  To say I felt "proud" would be an understatement.  It really helped put some things into perspective for me, regarding past, present, future, and interconnectedness.  His is one of many lives I somehow managed to shape even a little.  Think of the ripple we can and have already made...

I can't wait to see what's next!

As you probably know, I'll be doing a bit o' traveling between now and my target departure date (3/30).  I'll let you know where and when I'll be just as soon as I know where and when I'll be there!  I invite you to meet me at any of these engagements or propose one of your own! :) I'm hopeful to meet many new people, but equally as eager to see family and old friends before I head across the ocean into Tomorrow. :)

January East Tennessee, Nashville, Southest Arkansas

• 23rd: Greeneville, TN (speaking at the session retreats of Greeneville CPC & Shiloh CPC)
• 24th: Brentwood, TN (attending worship at Brenthaven CPC)
• 25th: Brentwood/Nashville, TN (available)
• 26th: Brentwood, TN (Women's Missions at Brenthaven CPC)
• 26th: Loudon, TN (Men's Fellowship at Loudon CPC)
• 27th: Knoxville, TN (Fellowship Supper at Union CPC)
• 28th: Lenoir City, TN (Bible Study at Faith Fellowship)
• 29th: East TN (available)
• 31st: Monticello, AR (preaching at Shell Chapel in AM & 5th Sunday event in PM--canceled, due to inclement weather.)

February

• 14th: Greenbriar, TN (speaking during worship at Mt. Sharon CPC)
• 21st: Bartlett, TN (speaking during both services at Faith CPC)
• 28th: Dyer, TN (speaking during AM worship at Dyer CPC)

 March

• 3rd: Milan, TN (after-school program & evening fellowship at Milan CPC)
• 7th: McKenzie, TN (preaching at Shiloh CPC)
• 7th: Lebanon, TN (speaking at evening worship at Lebanon CPC) 
• 12-14: Centerville, TN (participating in spring retreat at NaCoMe)
• 21: Brentwood, TN (commissioning service at Brenthaven CPC, 10:45 AM)

Please e-mail or call me to set up speaking engagements!

I'll be honest.
I don't really know where "home" IS anymore?  Even having spent most of a month here at my mom's house in southern Illinois, I can't quite claim it as my own HOME.  Maybe I'm reluctant to settle in, knowing that I'll be traveling and then moving again so soon.

I'm not too worried about feeling "home-less," though.  I've found I catch glimpses of "home" all the time--in a late night conversation with my sister, in perfectly fried farm eggs with my mom, in rollerskating with my 8 year old niece (in the same rink where I learned 26 years ago!), in reading stories and falling asleep with my nephews, in laughing myself to tears with my brother and sister-in-law, in forgetting my worries with my beloved friend Cliff...  Sometimes I think home is where you suddenly see yourself most clearly...





Like 2 weeks ago, when my Auntie Kynda invited me to evening worship at her church A Voice in the Wilderness.  I'd never been there or met any of the members, but within minutes, I felt right at "home."  I am very moved by the voices of genuine and passionate people and this room was FULL of them.  I think many in my generation are turned off of religion--Christianity, in particular--because of the thoughtlessness with which some "Christians" speak and the blatant hypocrisy their closed-mindedness seems to illuminate.  That is why I am all the more drawn in when people are compassionate and loving and fearless.  I was inspired by this congregation!!

Then this past Sunday, I had a REAL "homecoming."  I preached at Burnt Prairie Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a tiny rural church that my ancestors donated land for 150 years ago!  Generations of my family grew up in this church, including my mother and uncles!  It was somewhat surreal to fill the pulpit in a place that shaped the lives of the people who made me who I am today.  In light of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I spoke about not hiding behind our religion or acting/not acting because of fear of how others will view us, but to reveal ourselves--flaws and all--and attempt to remove barriers between ourselves and others, in order to fully connect, to help, and to heal.

...I think I can call any place I am "home," as long as I'm heeding that advice.

The New Year found me heading to the lovely (though frigid) state of Iowa--yes, Iowa!  I had never visited Iowa before and was pleasantly surprised by its character and beauty.  The region along the Mississippi River is especially endearing. I stayed in Burlington--in a hotel the first night.  The next day I hung out with my boss and long-time friend, Bob, making lots of plans and doing lots of brainstorming.  Iowa is very cold, (I really cannot emphasize this point enough.) but Bob and I managed to be productive AND keep warm  AND have fun!  We saw 15 or more bald eagles soaring over the unfrozen parts of the river and later held an international online "call" with my other boss Hiro (in Japan) from a loud and dimly lit riverside restaurant called Mr. Moto's.

(I think "Moto" & "Iowa" both sound like Japanese words!  ...Maybe they are...  I'll soon find out!)



I spent Saturday night with the gracious Carolyn who covered me with 5 blankets and pointed a heater at me.  (Did I mention how COLD it is in Iowa?)  ::shivers::  After a family-style breakfast of eggs and fresh fruit salad, we were off to Shinar CPC.  This church is 170 years old, though the building had to be rebuilt at one point due to fire.  Amazingly the pulpit Bible did not burn in that fire and now sits on display in a plexi-glass case behind the quaint sanctuary.



I felt so blessed to meet the people of Shinar.  I feel like I really got to know people, despite having only an hour or so in their company.  This was a great first stop on my support-raising trail!  It is one of my goals on this journey to deeply connect with the people I meet.  I will remain connected to my new friends in Iowa for a very long time.  ...If I'm ever able to visit again, however, I hope to do so in the spring! :)

Helloooo!  I'm RheAnn, the newest missionary for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and I will be living and teaching English in Tokyo, Japan for the next three years!

My planned departure is Spring of this year (2010).  We're shooting for March 30!!!!  (Japan is 15 hours ahead of Central time zone, so I'll arrive "the next day!")  Between now and then, I'm traveling throughout the U.S. inviting people to partner with me through prayer, encouragement, and financial support.  So far I've really enjoyed meeting new people and sharing my passion for serving others here and in my new home!

I hope you'll follow my journey here and let's keep one another in our prayers, ok?

I'm happy to speak to your church, your friends, your organization, or even your knitting circle! ;)  Contact me here or by e-mail, rheann.in.japan@gmail.com , to set something up!  Arigato!