Japan Newsletter #1 - Arrival

Hello! My name is Hongki (or Joel), and I’m in Japan HAHA.

Wow, getting here was rough. A 14 hour flight is NOT fun, no matter how much space you have. In my case, I had a window seat, which is nice to see the view, but for the rest of the 14 hours, you’re stuck next to two other people who do NOT want to get up for you to use the restroom. So I didn’t. Yes, I stayed in my seat for the whole 14 hours. Did I have to? No. Did I want to? Nope. Then why? Simple.

I was lazy.

I was so lazy in fact, I knew that if I drank too much liquid I would be forced to get up to use the restroom. So instead of asking for water or a beverage when the cart came around, I asked for a cup of ice. Yep. Learned that from somewhere, just don’t remember where loll.

It was okay though. I slept until it was 8 am in Japan, then I played games on my phone and mixed music on my laptop until we got there. My neck and tailbone were super sore, but other than that, it was a decent flight. Only one crying baby on the plane which was a plus.

Once I arrived, I realized how unprepared I was when I got there LOLL. I didn’t know what documents I needed. I didn’t know the procedure to get through customs. I didn’t even know the address of the place I was going to. So after taking a moment to pray in desperation to Jesus, I followed the crowd and asked the employees what I had to do. Praise God they were very nice and helped me out LOL. I managed to get everything I needed done and got through customs. Man, to those of you who are going to travel out of the country soon. Please figure these things out before you go. Sooo much stress will be alleviated if you do. Anyways, once I got through, the REAL fun began.

Fun as in, where in the world is my dad??

So the reason I’m in Japan is because my dad is currently here serving as a missionary. He made the move back in February of this year (2023), and he’s been asking me to come and lead praise for some events that are happening here. So after some planning, in March I decided to go. But honestly, other than knowing that I’m here to lead praise, I’m not too sure of what else I’m doing. That’s why I was so unprepared in the first place because, until the moment I stepped on the plane, this was still just an idea to me. Now it’s a reality, and I’m both excited and nervous about what's to happen. Please God, let Your will be done in Japan!

Back to my dad, he said he’ll pick me up from the airport, but the issue is that the Wifi sucks and I can barely get a hold of him over the phone. Kakaotalk was being soooo messed up to the point that the call would go through but we couldn’t hear each other LOL. So here I was, wandering around the airport like a lost child because I was literally a lost child.

One more call, and finally we got connected for real. He said he was inside the airport looking for me. I tried to ask where, but the signal got bad. Finally, it disconnected again. Welp, at least I know he’s inside somewhere. So I headed to the information desk, hoping that he was looking for me there. I looked around, and alas, no sight of him. But as I was turning to go back to the arrival entrance, I heard a voice say, “Are you Hongki?” But it wasn’t my dad. I turned around and saw my stepmom.

“What???” “Huhhhh??” “Stepmom???” “Wait what??” These might be some of your thoughts right now. HAHA. Yes, I have a stepmom. Not exactly public news, but not private either. If you asked me about it I would tell you, but it’s not something I put out in the open. Not because of my feelings towards it, but because I don’t think it’s a huge issue to talk about. Anyways, yes. My dad remarried in February right before he headed out to Japan. They are working together here to further God’s kingdom, and I’m glad he has someone by his side to help him in his ministry, and to care for him as well. Knowing my dad, he doesn’t care for himself too well, so seeing them together reassures me. Back to the story.

When I saw my stepmom, I actually didn’t know it was her. I saw a picture of her once, but it was from quite a while ago, so I didn’t put two and two together. But I was grateful that I found SOMEONE that knew me, so I followed her as she took me to my dad. Once they were together, that was when I realized, “oh, YOU’RE my stepmom!” LOL. She doesn’t know that though, so let’s keep it that way hahaaa.

Finally together, we ate dinner and made our way to our hotel. The initial plans changed, so I won’t be staying in Hiroshima, but I will be in Yokohama instead. So here in my little hotel room, I’m writing my first newsletter from Japan to you. I’ll be documenting what I do on the daily, as well as what I’ve been experiencing in terms of the spiritual state of Japan. Knowing that Japan is an unreached country, it’s crazy to think that almost every person I see here is not a Christian. In America, the likelihood of meeting a Christian in public is pretty high, but here, it’s a rarity. Please pray for Japan, as well as the missionaries who are here, as well as those who will come.

Tomorrow, I will be seeing Rachel Koh, a missionary in Japan from KCPC, for Sunday service at Alive International, then we’ll hopefully be meeting again later in the week before I leave. I hope to see Pastor David as well. It hasn’t been planned, but more likely than not we will be able to meet. Well, that’s all for today. Catch you in the next one!

With Peace and Love,

Hongki Lee