Let the journey begin!

 

Well, it's finally about that time! The last couple of weeks have been a flurry of packing, shopping, classes, praying, preparing classes, a little more shopping, a lot more classes... yeah, it's been somewhat of a whirl wind! But after reaching my own limit and crying out to God, I've found that He gives strength, wisdom and direction for every day, and even in the midst of all that craziness, I was still packed (well, at least mostly packed) for three trips five days in advance!!

 

I think I mentioned before how I had prayed for some more private students. Well, God answered that prayer and I went from 4 private students last year, to 19 this year!! :o So it seems that every spare minute is spent either teaching or preparing to teach! It's been a good kind of challenging though. I still often feel extremely frustrated at not being able to do more than just "teach English"... I want so desperately to share the gospel with each of these students but still hit some kind of wall. Not sure whether it's just me, timing, spiritual opposition or what. Although sometimes I do have a small opportunity to share a testimony or something, usually I just get into teaching English and end up focusing on that. But if you all would agree with me in prayer for a breakthrough in that area, I'd appreciate it!

 

Tomorrow morning, June 13th, I leave for a week in Tokyo! It's the annual "summer trip" for our junior and senior high school students. We'll be driving up on Thursday (I will helping drive the "luggage van"... so please pray for safety on the road!!)... it should be about an eight hour drive. Friday, we're planning to go  hiking on Mt. Fuji!! We won't be climbing to the top (bummer!) but I'm still pretty excited about it!! Saturday and Monday we'll be sightseeing in Tokyo. On Sunday we're going to Calvary Chapel, supposedly the biggest church in Japan... the kids will be singing a special there and we'll also get to take part in a youth fellowship in the afternoon!  I think we're visiting another church school on Tuesday, and driving back home on Wednesday. Please pray for the trip... for safety, wisdom, and for God to work in each of our lives through this trip!

 

I'll get back from Tokyo just in time to leave for Africa!!! Thankfully, I do have one day in between that to unpack, wash clothes and repack! On Friday, I fly to Chicago where I'll spend two days at my sister's house. Then on Monday, June 24th, I'll meet up with my Dad, sister, and two others and we'll fly to Malawi!! We change planes in Amsterdam... so in one weeks time I'll be in four different continents! I honestly can't even imagine what kind of jet lag that will bring!! You can pray for me!

 

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the month we have in Malawi. We'll be traveling to different churches all across the country and holding pastors and church leaders training seminars. I'm not sure what I personally will be doing, but probably sharing in song and testimony at the meetings, helping out with the kids, and just in general being available for WHATEVER God gives me each day to do! I really want to be sensitive to His voice and leading, and pray that He would use us in a powerful way. I pray that He would anoint us to "preach good tidings to the poor; heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound!" (Isaiah 61:1) That He would confirm His word with signs following. I'd appreciate your prayers for traveling mercies, health, safety, unity, wisdom and guidance as well!

 

On July 25th, we head back to another mission field of sorts, home! Already this summer is filling up with family reunions, youth camp, VBS, and more! I'll have about four weeks in the states, before heading "home" to Japan again, where the journey continues... :)

 

I pray that God will bless your summer as well, wherever your journey may take you!  

 

Here's a copy of my latest "newsletter"...

Hello!

I know it's been a while since I've written an update! January and February flew by and now March is here! Yesterday was so warm you could smell spring in the air! Today it was snowing again, but that's beside the point!

Anyway, we've just got two weeks until graduation! We have five seniors graduating this year... all of them have been with us since their first year of junior high... six years. It's kinda sad to see them go, but exciting to see the work God is doing in them! Two of them will be going to Bible school in Tokyo while the other three are heading on to different colleges. Please pray for God to keep, lead and guide them!
 

After graduation, we have a three-week spring break. The first week, I'll be going along with a team from church up north to the Tohoku area. It's been two years since the tsunami and they've come a long way. But there is still much need there. This time we will be staying in a fishing village and helping to harvest seaweed!! Should be a very interesting experience! There's a local pastor who's been working in that area since the tsunami and there's a lot of openness to the gospel. I heard that recently people have even opened their homes to a Bible study! Please agree with us for opportunities to minister and for a harvest in that region! Also some people said there's still concern about effects of radiation, so please pray for protection from that, and for health and protection the whole week.

 

The next thing on the schedule then is Philippines!! A very good friend of mine is there for two years interning at a school of midwifery. It's a Christian organization who works with women, helping with the delivery of their babies and bringing the hope of the gospel. I'll just be there for less than a week. It will partly be a vacation with a little ministry squeezed in there where possible... I may even get to help deliver a baby! Oh my!

I'll get back from Philippines just in time for the entrance ceremony and start of the new school year! And the beginning of my tenth year here in Japan! :o I can hardly believe it!

 

 

God has also opened up the door for me to go to Africa this summer! My dad and sister have been going to Malawi, Africa for, is it 16 years?! Maybe more? Anyway, a long time! And ever since they first went, I've been waiting for a chance to go along. This year I really had it on my heart to go and was trying to make it work, but it didn't seem possible. I finally gave it over to God and said, "OK, I won't mention it again!" The very next morning I had about 5 texts from my mom and sister saying, "Call NOW! We found a good ticket and we're getting you one, too!" I asked the pastors here if it was OK, and they said, "As long as you come back!!" :) So within 24 hours of surrendering it to God, I had permission to go AND a ticket!! God is good!

Well, thank you all for your continued prayer and support! God bless!

 

Hope

I opened my Bible the other day and the pages fell open to Proverbs.

          "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life."
                                                                                                                      Proverbs 13:12

This verse has always kinda bothered me. I mean, it's not MY fault when my hopes are disappointed!
Or is it? When your hope is in something that is unstable, they are almost guaranteed to be disappointed!

              So where am I placing my hope?!

If you look up hope in the Bible, almost every single reference says "hope in God". Too many times though we look for hope in the wrong places. We look around at our options or try to see if something is possible. Only then will we dare to hope. But that hope is disappointing.

But look at Abraham. The Bible says in Romans 4:18,19:

          "He believed, even God... who calleth those things which be not as though they were.
          Who against hope believed in hope, that he might be the father of many nations."

Even when everything he knew with his natural senses screamed "IMPOSSIBLE", Abraham put his faith and hope in God and as a result witnessed a miracle!