It's May already?!?

I can't believe April is over now. It's been 3 weeks and 3 days since I moved to Tokyo. I am still settling in (yes, I'm slow at everything), but I might still feel like that a year later. Some people from the Tokyo team here have left already and more will be leaving :(. Cassandra, a big help to me, left earlier this week, Daniel a jman left yesterday, and an ISC couple will be leaving next Wednesday. Ahh!! They say that my 2 years here will probably feel like 6 months. I don't know how to believe that hehe. I'll let you guys know after 2 years!

Well the summer is about to start! Summer interns (3 months) come and then the GoTokyo team (6 weeks) come, and then summer volunteers (a week maybe) come and it is just a crazy fun time going out in the streets and evangelizing. Of course I don't know this from my own experience, just from others' experiences ;) but I'm for sure looking forward to it! It's going to be crazy busy! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us this summer! :)

Now for something I got from Gods Word ;)

"For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. I am afraid hat when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged." 2 Corinthians 12:20-21.

- Well this reminded me of all the time and energy put on new believers or even non-believers who are interested in studying the Bible. We think that all our effort will amount to something, and we want it to like Paul did "I may not find you as I want you to be", yet they may not be where we want them to be with God. But Paul says this is God humbling him before the people, that there will be many who will not have repented of their sins. I think this will be a theme for the next two years. I will probably pour my life into some people with no fruit. How sad, discouraging, and frustrating that will be! But this is ok, because God will humble me through this, and it will be a reminder that it is in God's timing, and it is through God's grace and His power that we will be able to rejoice. When I see the fruit, I will see that it is because of God, and not because of me, and it will all be to His glory. This is all nice on paper but this is for sure going to be a struggle in my real life!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9a.

- It is not by our works but by God's grace and power. We need self-discipline of course but that isn't the focus, God's grace is key, it is what makes things happen. It reminds me of being a Sunday School teacher. Being a Sunday school teacher can be dangerous I think. Because you go every Sunday and it can so easily become a routine! You think you will get something out of it because you are sacrificing your time and your energy. Eh but being a Sunday school teacher every Sunday don't make you a better Christian yo. It's not even about how many times a year you can read through the Bible if you think you are safe because of it. It's not even about being humble outwardly or humbling yourself, because you can become prideful about how humble you are. Craziness. God can see the motives of our hearts. There really isn't anything you can hide from Him. He's the potter, you're the clay, He's going to mold you however He wants. And it's about God's grace in your life, how He works in your life, not how you work in it to "be a better Christian".

Shibuya Crossing

Okinomiyaki!

Urgency

So I've been here now for one week and 4 days. And boy, I've been so tired. There is so much to take in and process!!! I am busy doing things I am supposed to do, but all the walking really really sucks the life out of me! When I think "walking" I think of something that is enjoyable, at a leisurely pace. But here (and I already knew this in my brain but didn't fully knoww until I've been immersed in it) walking is NOT at a leisurely pace, and it is NOT enjoyable! Walking here involves, LOTS of long distance endurance (which I don't have yet), constant dodging going left or right to not crash into anyone/anything, walking up and up and up flights of stairs, and just a quick quick pace - keep up! So I do have time when I get home, but usually I just crash because I'm just so tired. But mind you, it's not like walking all over Japan is my job! Lol I have other things too...that get me tired!
For example, one thing that I do not love, if I can be honest >.< is this thing called 5 Minute English. Basically, we stand outside a big and busy train station with signs that say Free 5 Minute English and try to attract people's attentions so that they will come up and speak with us in English. Then if we get a chance, we will share the Gospel with them. Now before all this, I thought hrm, sharing Jesus with people - how hard can it be? Just share any chance I get! But man, let me tell you, sharing Jesus is hard work! And out of all the people I've shared with so far, nobody has been like "YES this is what I've been searching for!" Which is normal. But wow, it's been very draining and yes it's only been one week but I've been starting to drag my legs a little.
However! Today, my partner, Cassandra, in all this reminded me of the urgency and the necessity of what I'm doing. She asked me, "Surely God would provide some way for people to go to heaven if they never got the chance to hear of Jesus?" But the Bible says Jesus is the only way to heaven...it's the hard truth. I know it took me a long time to accept it. Because it is so sad for me. You would think, surely surely God would provide a way. And that's what He did - He gave His Only Son - "the Darling of Heaven, crucified". And my partner reminded me, "well we're all sinners so we deserve hell anyways". How right she is! I guess for me, somewhere along the line, I started forgetting that because I do have Jesus. I'm saved yes, but what about others who don't have Jesus?!?!? And my partner said, "it makes me want to share all the more!" And she is so right. Shouldn't we all have this attitude? This passion? This desire? This URGENCY?!?

Pictures! I still haven't figured out how to move them around, etc...so I'm giving you just the pictures!

 

How Blessing it is to Share

So I am so jetlagging still. I'm pooped but I gotta share this. It's been four days now. It's only been four days but it feels like it's been at LEAST a week! And although it's been only four days, it's been such a blessing to me. I've gotten the chance to share Jesus with several Japanese already!! And I may look like a fool, and it may be difficult to start, but each time I've been able to share the Gospel, I am so blessed and so honored that I got the chance to share the Good News and be a part of God's Kingdom work. 

The second day I got here I did Free 5 min. English lesson outside a subway station (called train station for future references) with 3 other people. Wow it was such a great time. I was a little nervous - nervously excited to have the chance to share Christ, and nervously scared that I would actually have to do it with someone! Lol. Well I did get to share with this guy named Yohei, and it was a good time of me presenting to him the Gospel. I gave him my email, some info, and a postcard type thing where he can mail in with his info to receive a free Hope dvd. You can pray that he would follow up in any way - contacting me, getting the dvd, etc. I loved to see how one of the journeygirls who has been here for almost 2 years worked it. Wow it was so encouraging how she was so straightforward and so bold! I loved it! 

Today at the Easter party a journeyguy and an ISCer put together, I got to share the Gospel with two people who heard it presented specifically for them for the first time. Their names are Misato and Genryu (not too sure about this name!). I loved sharing with them who Jesus is, and why I love sharing with them. It was awesome. And Misato, I hope that I will be her friend for the rest of my time here...she is the sweetest thing. And then with another, who had heard the Gospel, I got to share more about Jesus with him.  

There are also so many things I've experienced and seen but I'm too tired to write about them all. I have pictures and videos too and they'll be up asap!!!

Verse

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Amen.

Getting Ready to GOOO ~

An update is very much in need :) Sorry to keep you guys wondering ~

So here I am, with only 3 full days left before I depart to Nihon! I am so excited!! But I am also bogged down with the worries and stresses of packing as much and as completely as I can for the next 2 years. I want to bring as many things that are important to me as I can. 

I had a week and a half to spend between training and departing for Japan, but I wonder where all that time went? I got to spend time with my Irvine family, sharing stories from FPO (training) and things I learned. I wish I could spend more time with them to share MORE, but it's ok, although it seems like it's not enough time, God will use the little time there was for His glory. Now I am in NorCal and I am trying to do as much as I can, except I'm so unorganized that I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing ;)...packing, more sharing with more people, spending time with family, and saying goodbyes. I'll be leaving right before my sister's birthday :( it's so sad. 

As I've been out and about taking care of last minute things, it's been interesting to see random strangers' reactions to my going to Japan as a missionary. Cause that's what I'm doing, if you didn't know yet :) I don't wear a sign that I'm going to Japan for two years as a missionary, but they end up asking me questions, which lead me to explain my next two years in Japan. It's actually been very encouraging. For example, at Chase the other day (I'm so sad it's no longer WaMu) I asked about using my account overseas, etc. and he asked me where I'm going, which led to for how long, which led to why? And I told him why although I didn't use the M word because it seems to have a bad stereotype attached to it for some people. Well he got it! He asked who is sending me because some church or other must be commissioning me to go, and it turns out he himself is going to somewhere in the Middle East for short term missions! Awesome. I love to see bits and pieces of what's going on with God's Kingdom work.

Well, sometimes two years seem really short and sometimes it seems reallllly looooong. So I go through these weird mood swings, where one moment I'm chill, and the next I am stressed out! I do have moments when I'm like, "What am I doing?!? Why am I going to a foreign land where I don't know anyone and I don't know anything??" hehe but my reassurance comes from knowing that God is with me, and God has been with me up till now, and He will be with me in Japan. I am so glad that God has already been at work in Japan and that there have been many before me. I hear about all the exciting news of Japanese coming to faith in greater numbers and I am super duper excited to see what God will be doing when I am there!

Let's pray that I will not miss opportunities to share my faith that someone might be brought closer to Christ :) Thanks.