New Season in Life!

This is one of the most exciting seasons in my life up until now! I am now enrolled in school, making friends, studying, worshiping, praying, growing, and learning so much! It is crazy to be living in another country, in a State I had never been to, learning how to care for a house, live with roommates, take classes, complete homework, develop friendships, shop and cook for myself, deal with problems and miscommunications, balance time, become accustomed to American culture, and grow deeper in my relationship with God. It is challenging in so many ways! It is exciting and thrilling at the same time! I'm am so glad to be here, learning so many new things!
Thanks for praying for me and keeping me in your thoughts! I appreciate it!

Here are two videos I put together about starting at IHOPU and moving to the States. If you haven't watched them, enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiRLCnZPuhE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v19i6KIyENY

Thundering Water

Despite torrential rains which threatened to discourage us from our intention of a long drive into New York State to see the well known Niagara Falls, we persevered. With rain falling heavily, we could see a vehicle only if it was a few yards in front of us. Through the back window we had slightly more visibility and could see the foggy paleness of the headlights of the cars behind us. I think we were all straining our eyes in order to see what was so difficult to see in the dim light created by the downpour. Construction, several lanes closed, and lots of orange signs certainly did not help. Finally we found a place to exit and pull into a McDonalds, where we could wait and breathe a little. It probably was another 20 minutes before the storm seemed to have partially passed. We were trying to decide whether to go forward or drive back and skip the endeavor. Kristi decided to be brave and continue onwards. If we ran into such bad weather again, we would turn back and go home. Thankfully we had already gone through the worst. There were still several places where it started raining so that it was difficult to see, but there were also places where the clouds withheld their droplets.

The salty fishy smell of the sea was my first impression as we neared the falls. Bouncing along the road in our small 5-seater vehicle, we were anticipating our excitement when we would finally get our first glimpse of the famous location. I had a variety of thoughts and feelings as we neared our exit off the highway. My eyes scanned the surroundings eagerly for any glimpse of the falls, I also tried to watch for signs of direction so that we could find our way as quickly as possible. With the previous experience of such low visibility from rain, I was trying to help by being the third pair of active eyes. Thankfully when we exited and searched for parking, the rain had died down to mere clouds and humidity. Excited, the five of us piled out of the car slightly cramped, but thrilled to be so close. After asking for directions several times, we hurried towards the viewing location. Mom was forced to walk slower due to shooting pain in her leg from a pinched sciatic nerve. The clouds seemed to grumble as they collected above. They did not look all that hopeful, yet we prayed that God would scatter the storm and grant us blue skies. We discussed our hopes and plans for the afternoon as we waited for the crosswalk light to change. A lady tending an outdoor stand commented, "If you're going to do anything you should do it right away. You have about fifteen minutes, but a big storm is coming your way with the potential of flash flood warnings." Thanking her, we now had even more reason to hurry.

 

I immediately was impressed with my first glimpse of the Niagara falls. I couldn't help but marvel at Gods beautiful workmanship. Water cascaded over the cliff with a roar like contemplative thunder. But I was surprised that the falls weren't the only eye drawing feature. I was astounded by the cliff walls surrounding the waterfalls. And the foggy shapes of the Canadian buildings were well crafted and admirable. The large quantity of water thrown off the falls created a mist like thin curtain pulled in front of the distant buildings.

After viewing the American Falls for a few minutes, we returned to our car and drove to Goat Island which is located between the two major portions of the Niagara Falls. The other side of the falls was even more gorgeous, I thought. I could see more of the falls and we were about to walk very close to the pouring water. Busy taking pictures, trying to capture the breathtaking view, I had to consciously stop myself in order to stop and simply breathe in the beauty without trying to capture it all on my small electronic gadget. It is sometimes difficult to pause long enough to truly enjoy a moment, especially if I am trying to capture it with pictures and videos for posterity. I did manage to put my camera down and simply enjoy the sights for a few minutes, however.

 

 As we stood taking pictures and commenting on interesting portions of the falls, storm clouds began marching towards us. I was so enthralled by the waterfall itself that I had hardly even glanced at the sky behind us.

 

"Oo." Mom commented as she noted the dark clouds crawling steadily towards us. "Looks like it's going to rain." I ran down to the viewing location near the water's edge to grab some close up pictures. Then I took a moment or two to simply watch the powerful movement of the water as it ferociously sped off the edge of the cliff where part of it blew off into the atmosphere to create a mist of moisture, while the rest plunged into a free-fall down to the swirling rapids below.

 

The dark clouds continued to gather. We were determined to stay as long we could before the impending downpour. I felt a sense almost like we were racing the storm. We got to enjoy the falls for probably about 15 minutes before I felt water drops on my head. Then the wind picked up. I felt a thrill as the storm threatened to break loose. We remained a few more minutes and I could hear the clouds rumbling with thunder. I couldn't help but smile in the face of the storm with a surge of excitement. With final shots of the gorgeous waterfall, the clouds finally made up their minds to release their storehouse of moisture. Immediately we tried to stow our cameras in a dry place as quickly as possible. With umbrellas and jackets we made a dash up the hill to the restaurant Top of the Falls. Mom generously treated us to drinks and dessert, which we thoroughly enjoyed while still able to view part of waterfalls. Once we finished, we returned to our car for a much less eventful drive home. Although the clouds maintained a pouting attitude during the first hour and released a little bit of rain, the sky cleared for part of our drive. It was nice to see sunshine for the first time that day.

 

I'm so thankful to finally have gotten to see the Niagara Falls. It was truly a testimony of God's incredible creation. As His child, my response is that of being impressed by His magnificence.

 

Rain, Fire, Leaves, and Sand

      Jenny and I stood happily near our campfire, cheerfully waving to Tiffy who had run to another slope of the woods. Then I started to notice crunching and rustling in the leaves nearby. My heart began to pound as I realized that the noises were too loud to be a mere bird. Jenny turned towards me and asked, "Kimby, do you hear those sounds?" Trying to sound unconcerned I replied that I did. For several seconds we waited and listened as something was moving around in the underbrush to our left. I had my suspicions of what it might be, having seen footprints in that area often. A grunt from the underbrush made me quite sure that I was right. I picked up the shovel I had brought and handed Jenny a stick, just to feel more secure. Tiffy was jogging back and Jenny shouted, "Tiffy, there's a wild boar!" She ran faster at that, hoping to get a glimpse of it. Jenny and I stood where we were, watching the bushes to see if it would emerge. Just before Tiffy made it to the top of the hill where we stood, Jenny and I started singing to inform the nearby animal of our presence. As we sang the crunching of leaves grew fainter until we couldn't hear it anymore. Tiffy arrived and panted, "Where is it?" We listened, but couldn't hear it anymore. Personally I was relieved, but Tiffy was disappointed. "I wanted to see the wild boar. I mean how exciting!" 

 

               This weekend Tiffy, Jenny, and I went camping. Due to someone building a house where we used to enter the woods, the hike was a bit more challenging this time. With somewhat aching shoulders from carrying all our gear, we arrived at our personal campsite! We set up our tent, gathered dead branches and twigs for firewood, and prepared for a enjoyable afternoon and evening. Not long after we finished setting up our tent, it began to sprinkle. The sprinkle turned into a light rain which lasted for about 30 minutes. It was just after the rain began to clear up that we heard the rustling in the underbrush. I've seen wild boars several times in Nishinomiya and I have often seen wild boar tracks in our woods, but hadn't actually heard or seen one near our town. Heart still pounding a bit faster than normal, we gathered more sticks for our little campfire. Around five o'clock we started dinner. We roasted hotdogs over the fire and ate our macaroni and cheese with chopsticks. =) It was fun. For dessert we toasted marshmallows and made s'mores! Yummy!

Haha! Jenny is really not sitting on the fire! =)

             The sunset was beautiful! As it started to grow dark, we noticed that there was a helicopter circling over the mountains not too far away. We watched it for a while trying to figure out what it was doing. I would have enjoyed sitting around the fire after dark, but since we didn't want to concern the helicopter we let our campfire die as the sky darkened. The girls finished packing up the food as I helped the coals and ashes cool with sand and water. Once I was sure the fire was out, we all went in the tent to play games. 

             "Umm. Do you guys know where my pillow is?" Tiffy asked as she finished spreading out her sleeping bag. We searched inside the tent. We checked outside the tent with flashlights. We even checked the last part of the trail to see if it had dropped nearby. But we couldn't find her pillow. So I took the pillowcase off of my pillow and we stuffed it with extra clothes. I then used one of the sleeping bag covers as a temporary pillowcase. 

       We played card games for an hour or so. And we discovered that none of us had brought a very good flashlight. =] So seeing our cards was a challenge. By nine thirty we decided to go to bed. So with one last check to be sure the fire was completely out, we zipped up our tent, snuggled into our sleeping bags, and tried to imagine we were at home where it was comfortable and totally safe. Unfortunately for me, I was cold the whole night. So I slept lightly and kept turning over, continually adjusted my blankets, and wished I had brought longer socks. Tiffy found that her make shift pillow wasn't nearly as comfortable as the one she wished she had. So Jenny made up a poem about the poor lost pillow. It went like this:

The poor pillow waits

old and dusty.

It began to deteriorate

and grow musty.

It lies alone, 

forgotten, and forsaken.

Waiting for one of us

to awaken.

Then perhaps, "Oh joy!"

It will be found!

And it will no longer be

a lonely wet mound.

It will be picked up

and used once again.

It will no longer remember

that sad sad time when alone it had lain.

            Just before 5:00 AM, I woke up. Tiffy also was awake. Both of us were trying to warm up as the chilly morning air filled our tent. We tried snuggling deeper into our sleeping bags. We tried wiggling and bouncing to get some circulation. We tried sit-ups which definitely helped, but didn't keep us warm very long after we stopped. With Tiffy and I moving around so much, it wasn't long until Jenny woke up too. Perhaps around 5:30 Tiffy and I decided to get up and run around a little. As we unzipped the tent door we both we were amazed as we stared out over the fog filled valley. The sun was just barely beginning to be visible over the treetops. It was so gorgeous!

 

 

          We enjoyed the beautiful sunrise for a while and watched as the clouds began to dissolve and

 the hill tops appeared. Then we went back in the tent to play more games and eat an early breakfast. The day was sunny and warm. So we ended up talking, resting in the sunshine, and playing games until noon! We packed up and began hiking back home, so that we arrived around 1:40pm. Just before we hiked down the last hill and entered our town, we found Tiffy's poor pillow. Tiffy was carrying so much stuff on the way that it must have slipped out and we didn't notice! Thus "it was picked up" and will be used once again! =) 
           It was a fun camping trip! The first time we have gone with only us three girls!

 

Mission Trip in My Country 日本

Processing an Amazing Experience

 

        I was privileged to be more involved with the Bethel team this year. I got to be the team's guide, so I helped figure out the train routes so we could get to meetings on time. I also got to act as translator a few times and as adviser to help strategize one or two of the meetings. I got to participate with the team to minister in a number of locations throughout the Kansai area.

        One of the most impacting things for me was just to be with the team. There is such strength and courage that can rise when you are with other people that have a similar passion and will back you up when you step out. I hadn't felt that sense of backing for a while and it was really refreshing. Not to sound like we don't have a team of friends in our area. We have such amazing, godly friends! But because the demands in each of our lives are so big, it's hard to have that sense that there is more than enough and someone will be there for you. So being part of a team was one amazing part of the experience.

        I was also super fascinated to find out the details of how a mission team like that functions. How do they debrief, how do they stay filled up, how do act when they are not 'in ministry', and what do they do in their free time? I was pleased to find out that the team was just as awesome during breakfast as they were in a Church meeting. They were just as passionate for God on the train as when they were praying for someone. I loved being with people who were focused on God and full of hope and anticipation of what He would do!

         It was such a powerful experience for me to be included as part of their team. I helped with worship, I was on the prayer team to minister to whoever needed prayer, I practiced feeling God's heart of love towards people, and I was encouraged to take more leadership in several locations. I felt like during the week I spent with the team, I was being empowered to go to a new level with God. Now I've done the same stuff the Bethel team did with very similar results. God was faithful to show up at every meeting. I had already done almost everything before, but to do it with a team and in such a concentrated amount of time helped me take it to a new level. 

         Before this team came, I had heard testimonies of teams praying for people on the street or on the train, but I hadn't ever actually seen anyone do it. I've walked down streets in Japan thousands of times and haven't figured out a good way to approach someone and ask to pray for them. On one of our train rides together, a young lady sitting nearby was watching us. I started talking to her in a combination of Japanese and English and eventually asked to pray for her. She agreed (which is amazing! And thankfully becoming more common, I believe). So a few of the team members and I prayed for her and the lady sitting next to her. It was so powerful for me to see that praying for people in public, especially on the train, is possible! Both the ladies were very open and friendly.

          With that experience behind me and lots of testimonies of healings from the week, I found myself alone on the train on my way home. It was Monday, April 8th, in the late afternoon and I had just had a great time walking around downtown Kobe with Agnese, Anna, and Simon. As I boarded the train there was a considerable struggle inside me. On the one hand, I have ridden the train so many times that I've learned how to give people their space and not be loud or obnoxious. It takes too much energy to talk to people, so if I'm alone I usually try not to engage them. On the other hand, I had just been with the team and seen so many amazing things: people getting healed, God speaking words of encouragement to individuals, and for my own self a refreshing realization that there are people that are also just as passionate for God. I had just practiced praying for several dozen people, I had seen that it was possible to talk to someone on the train. So with these feelings battling inside me, I boarded the train feeling alone, like I was missing my team. I happened to stand in front of a girl who had really bad allergies, so her eyes were red and a bit swollen. I stood there thinking, "I just saw so many people get healed, wouldn't it be cool to pray for her and see Jesus heal her, too?" Part of me was trying to figure out how to interrupt the silence and talk to her without making her feel embarrassed or self-conscious. And there was another voice telling me, “You're tired. You need a break. It's awkward to try to talk to her. Just leave her alone.” I stood there as the young girl sat with an instrument on her back and seemed to be nodding to sleep. Her mom sat beside her, working away on her cell phone. I watched them hoping that they would look up even once and make eye contact. But they didn't. My brain was trying to figure out a phrase to interrupt and talk to them. Part of me so wanted to just ignore the allergies and just pretend I was the only person on the train. And part of me was almost desperately trying to figure out a way to graciously talk to them, knowing that we might arrive at their station at any moment. Finally I broke the silence and asked in Japanese, “What is the instrument on her back?” The mom looked up and was very friendly. She said it was a violin. Her daughter didn't look up, but continued to try to sleep. I talked with the mom for a little bit about violin and school and how old the girl was. Finally I said, “Her eyes look a little bit itchy?” and she replied that it was spring allergies. Then I was able to ask if I could pray for her. The mother agreed and as she did the train stopped at their station. As I quickly prayed, "God, please heal her," and said goodbye, they exited the train.

              “I did it,” I thought. “I actually prayed for someone on the train by myself!” The results of that prayer I have to leave in God’s hands, but for me it was a breakthrough. For a while I've been trying to figure out how to reach people in Japan. I've live on the mission field and I see people every day who don’t know the love of God. I feel like being part of this last Bethel team gave me some new tools to help me figure out how I can reach out to those around me. 

              Another thing I found out on this trip was that we all get tired. It makes so much sense now that I've experienced it, but I hadn't factored that into the equation before. I figured that you should get energy and get revived when you are literally seeing people healed or impacted God, and He is moving through you in visible ways. But every time you interact with people, especially when you are giving and helping and praying for others, there is a physical drain. Spiritually, emotionally, and physically you are giving to others. There was also an excitement and adrenaline that came with seeing God moving through me to touch people's lives. And there was an energy that came from being with the team and being included. But there was a lot of output over the week and I found out that everyone also got tired. It was amazing to see how every day God gave new grace and energy, especially during the meetings, but I found myself super exhausted some of the days, too. Thursday was a particularly long day, since we started traveling at 8:30 AM, began ministering at 10:30 AM, and continued until 9:30 PM. However it was also one of the most fruitful and reviving days we had. Each of the three meetings and the meals in between brought more of the presence of God, fellowship, and connection with those around us. But by the afternoon I was seriously tired. And by the time we got home at 11:30 PM, I was beyond exhausted. Although it took nearly a week after the trip to fully catch up on sleep, God’s grace was there for every day and every meeting. For each person we prayed for God spoke new words specifically for them and gave me the energy to share with joy and hope.

 

              So now it has been a full week since the team left. The week we had together was so powerful and fun. So much happened that I'm still trying to process and record miracles, words, and revelations. It was a week packed with God's presence, miracles, new experiences and opportunities, growth, and fun. Now I'm trying to figure out how much of that can I do on a daily basis with those I interact with. What can I carry by myself and share with those around me? Obviously I can't keep up the pace or intensity that we had while the Bethel team was here. We don't have that extra input and it was too physically exhausting to maintain long term. But throughout the week I have tried to watch for moments that I can continue what we did. Whether it's to stop and turn my heart to Jesus, or to pause for a moment and feel His presence, or to share with someone I teach English to of the amazing things God did, I've been trying to notice the opportunities God brings to share and encourage others.

The rest of the team went back to America. They planted seeds in Japan in faith and left them in God's hands. But I am still in Japan. I am right here. Three main points stand out to me to kind of summarize my thoughts:

1.      I can do what teams from Bethel can do. The Holy Spirit is with me always. The things God does through other people, God is more than willing to do through me.

2.      I get tired. Ministry isn't just easy and fun. There are elements of extreme satisfaction that nothing else can give, but there are also elements that are extremely exhausting. Learning to balance your life with ministry and rest is absolutely critical.

3.      Japan will be reached by a combination of short-term and long-term, God-centered people who can hear God's voice and love His children. We need new people that come in for short intense trips with energy, hope, and life, and people that are willing to come long-term, who learn how to actually live life and balance ministry and rest.

I realized that sometimes from the outside it seems like, “Why is it taking so long to reach Japan?” Sometimes I've thought, “Why does it seem so slow to see change in people's lives. Look at all the change we saw during that one and a half weeks the Bethel team was here. We have people living in Japan full-time that can do the same stuff, so we should be able to multiply the number of people that were touched in those 10 days by 35 and that should be the amount of change we should be seeing!” But you have to also take into account the cost the team went to in order to interact with the people they did. They all spent their spring break to minister for one solid week in Japan. They paid their own way to get here and travel to various locations in Japan. And they each used up an incredible amount of energy. If you multiply that by 35, anyone can realize that it is impossible to maintain that intensity of time, energy, and finances long-term.

So now I've been processing how to balance time, energy, and resources in order to stay healthy and continue to see God working in my life and the lives of those I come in contact with.

Seeing a nation change for the Lord may seem slow and costly, but it is also so rewarding. And it starts with one person. Myself. I must discover who I am and work with God to find a healthy balance of giving and receiving in my life. And from there I can help, give, bless, and encourage those around me as God gives strength and grace.

Thank you everyone from Bethel who came to Japan for this spring break! God did so much through you guys and you blessed so many people! I want to say thank you especially to the Kansai team for including me during your time here. And thank you to all of our missionary friends who organized or helped make this trip possible!