Japan – A Rowdon Adventure

Drum Roll, Please

Fat Drumroll Drum Roll GIF - PitchPerfect BellyDrum Belly - Discover & Share GIFs

We’re moving to Japan!

That’s not a surprise, considering all the posts we’ve done on this blog.

We’re moving to the mountains of Nagano, Japan to intern at a business-as-missions adventure lodge, called Northstar Alpine Lodge!

Alright, there’s the surprise. 🙂

How we found this opportunity: Like any classic mutual connection situation– a friend of a friend introduced us to another friend, who sent us a book, which brought us to Northstar’s website.

What drew us in: Besides having a heart for Japan, we both LOVE nature, mountains, and outdoor activities. Along with this, we’ve both thought on several occasions that it would be right in our wheelhouse to work at a hostel/lodge. After looking through the website and talking more with our contact, we realized this was the perfect place to use our specific giftings: Mark with teaching English and outdoor activities, and me with administrative skills and hospitality. We also really connected with Northstar’s value for community, both within their staff (who are from all over the world and Japan), but also with the surrounding city.

What are the details: If all goes well with applying to visas (we’re still waiting for Japan Immigration to open up applications as it’s closed due to COVID), our official start date is December 15, 2020. This may get pushed back, but as soon as we can go, we’ll be there. Our internship is officially a year-long, but we hope to stay in Japan long-term. Ultimately, we have our hands and minds open to whatever may happen.

While interning at Northstar, we will be working full-time at the lodge, with part of that time being missions-focused (though we consider it all as missions). Because of this, our very basic necessities are covered by the lodge, and we will be fundraising the additional costs. If you are interested in supporting us, you can give online here. If you have any questions or want to learn more, please feel free to reach out!

We are so excited for what is to come. I especially am excited, as living and serving in Japan long-term has been on my heart for a long time.

We’ll keep you posted along the journey. 😊

With love,

Laura & Mark

Long Time, No Write

So, who else has felt like nothing super interesting has happened since quarantining?

Same.. It feels like our life trajectory was put on a stand-still. We came back from Japan six weeks earlier than we expected, then sat back and watched as the rest of our 2020 plans disappeared.

We’ve spent the last 4.5 months in Florida with Mark’s family. Though we were disappointed about the changes in our plans, it was so good to connect with our family.

It’s such a weird year to be in, and I know we’re not the only ones who feel this way. My heart goes out to all of you, especially those who are struggling– whether financially with losing a job, emotionally with being alone for days on end, physically with the change of pace and routine, mentally with the loss of annual events and major life plans.

I think a lot of us feel shame for having sadness over losing the “little” things from our 2020 year, and, I don’t know about you, but I often talk down my emotions in it. It’s okay to grieve the little things; to be sad and to recognize where you’re at and not hold it against yourself.

Okay. Okay. Back to the topic at hand: Long time no write.

Our summer has gone like this:
・Mark teaching English to Chinese kids at early hours of the morning.
・Laura studying Japanese, trying to pick it back up from four years ago.
・Laura hurting her knee and not being super mobile. (Mark setting his Nursing Degree to good use 😊)
・The Florida Rowdons playing a lot of Five Crowns, hanging at the beach, and watching (probably) too much Netflix..Apple TV..Hulu..
・Laura taking a side gig at a Tax Consulting Firm– Who knew I knew so little about taxes??
・Mark and Laura spending the past 4+ months or so trying to figure out what the heck they feel called to do in Japan.

Dave and Buster’s Game Day with the Rowdon Siblings 😍

And so on, and so on.

All of that to say, to be honest we haven’t known what to say.
But we wanted to give you a brief update and let you know, we have some exciting plans in the process!!
Of course, these plans are dependent on COVID and how everything plays out, but we’re looking towards the future with expectant hearts and open hands for what is to come.

A gorgeous sunset welcomed us back to Minnesota for the first time in 9 months.
We’re back until November. If you’re here– let’s catch up!

As with what comes with any classic cliffhanger– more on that next time 🙂

With love,
Laura & Mark

Week 5 Update

Written by: Laura R.

Week 5 was unexpectedly our last week in Japan.

Originally we had a few more weeks planned, working with the Sunrise Team and then going back to Osaka and Tokyo. Due to how the virus would affect flights back to America, we decided to fly home early.

Our goal is still to move to Japan next winter (hopefully early winter!), but we have yet to decide in what capacity. We’ll keep you all updated as we pray and move forward!

As far as this blog, we still plan on keeping it up. ☺️ Whether that’s with lessons the Lord is teaching us, or what’s been going on in our lives— we want to stay up-to-date with you all.

Speaking of which, here’s our last Japan week:

Tuesday, March 17th

At this time we still had no clue we were heading back to America. So we met with the Sunrise team to plan for our spring break camps and to catch up on how we were all doing.

Wednesday, March 18th

Online classes all morning. In the afternoon… I really can’t remember 😓 But I bet it consisted of working out, going for a walk, and hanging out with Andy!

Thursday, March 19th

I went for a long run/walk in the morning along the river.

Picture from a bridge overlooking the river.
Japan was cold almost the whole time we were there.
This was the first incredibly sunny and warm day.
I loved it 🙂

In the afternoon while Mark taught online classes, I met with Wendi. We went for coffee and got to know each other more. It was super helpful asking her questions about their time in Japan and the work they do! Looking back, I’m so thankful we had this time before Mark and I had to leave. 🙏🏻

Friday, March 20th

Morning hike with Christopher and his son, Kenichiro! We met Christopher at Peter and Wendi’s house church. He’s lived in Japan for 15 years now and runs his own English school in Sanda.

The night before, Mark and I learned about how flights to America would most likely be affected by the virus. We spent an hour or so talking about what we should do. Afterwards we met with Peter and Wendi to talk it over with them. Ultimately we decided to come home.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur of packing and saying our goodbyes. It was a sad night, and honestly I felt shocked at the change. There are so many unknowns going on with this virus and how people and governments will react. We trust though that going home was the best decision.

We tried to take a selfie with Peter and Wendi’s family on a Polaroid.
Cut out only two people, so I’d say it was a success. 👍🏻🙃

Saturday, March 21st

A long day— travel day back to Florida, USA from Sanda, Japan.

Peter and Wendi were so kind to bring us to the airport. 🙏🏻

Thank you for following our Japan Vision Trip journey! Though it was shorter than expected, we’re so thankful for the experience. We’re thankful for everyone we met with and got to know along the way.

With love,

Laura & Mark

Week 4 Update

Photo credit: Yuki W.; Written by: Laura R.

Hello all!

First, I wanted to let you know we are doing well. While there are cases of corona virus near us, we have been fine and healthy. There’s a lot of rhetoric about the virus on social media, but let’s all continue caring for one another and believing the best in each other.

Ok, back to the week’s deets.

Tuesday, March 10th

We had our weekly Sunrise team meeting. Mainly we lesson planned for our online classes this week, and for the upcoming day-camps we’re putting on during spring break. Assuming they aren’t cancelled, we have three day-camps planned: American culture camp, spring camp, and microscope camp.

Wednesday, March 11th

In the afternoon I met with Peter (from the Sunrise team) and Mr. Fuji (who runs a nonprofit). Through his nonprofit, Mr. Fuji provides business, family, and life coaching services. His nonprofit’s website hasn’t been updated in 10 years, and he wants to give it a new look. We met so he could share his vision for his nonprofit and the website in order that I can update it.

This was one of my favorite days so far! I loved it for two reasons:

1. Our meeting was entirely in Japanese, besides when I would talk (I know.. I know.. I should be using my Japanese 🤦🏼‍♀️). Not saying I understood 100% of everything, but I understood a lot more than I thought I would.

2. When someone has a vision they are passionate about, I love hearing their dream and collaborating together to make it happen. Along with this, I also enjoy websites and branding. To me, websites are just creative enough that it feels like art, but also functional enough to be a medium for business.

Thursday, March 12th

Online classes in the morning. In the afternoon we went to lunch with the Andoh’s, friends of Peter and Wendi who pastor a church in the area.

Out with Peter, Wendi, and the Andoh’s. 🙂 I faced my fear of eating seafood and ate a lot of raw fish this day. 😅
Mark’s favorite food was the smoked eel sushi. 🍣

We enjoyed getting to know them and hearing their stories as Japanese pastors. They also brought us to their church to show us around. They’re a sweet, dedicated couple who are completely self-supported, yet give their all to the church and community.

Friday, March 13th

Kobe day! When I was on the World Race, my team was here for a month working with a preschool. Mark and I got to meet with some of the moms and their kids at a park. It was a fun day of playing games, catching up, and seeing how much the kids had grown!

Throwing the rocks became the popular game of choice.

Afterwards we met with Vallory. She went on the World Race back in 2013 and has been living/working in Kobe now for a few years. We completely forgot to take a picture (😔), but we did eat the most delicious burgers together while we chatted away.

We walked around after feasting on burgers and fries.
The streets were empty, but the lights were beautiful.

Saturday, March 14th

Peter and Wendi’s friends, the Kohl’s, came over to meet us. They’ve been in Kobe for 15 years now and run a business development firm in Japan. Along with this, the have a nonprofit that assists families with children who have special needs. They’re a funny, laid-back couple, and we loved hearing about their vision for being here through their business.

After talking, we all (we all= The Kohl’s and their son, Peter and Wendi and their three kids, Andy, Mark, and me) went to eat okonomiyaki- a Japanese grilled savory pancake/omelette. Afterwards we went back to the education center building to have a nerf war 😅.

Snuck a picture of the nerf war through a window upstairs.
In order to avoid getting shot in the face, I hung out upstairs with Andy, Wendy, and Kendra.

Sunday, March 15th

Simple day. I worked on the website for a chunk of time, and then in the evening we went to Peter and Wendi’s house church.

Monday, March 16th

Rest day. 😌It was on and off snowing this day.

Andy, Mark, and I made crepes in the morning, spaghetti at night, and watched Rainmaker. Mark loves lawyer movies, so he knew all the answers as it was happening (“That’s leading the witness!”). I was thankful for it because I was confused most of the time. 🤷‍♀️

Thank you for reading this far 😂. We love you all and are so thankful for all of your intentionality and encouragement.

With love,

Laura & Mark