along the path

I keep pulling parables out of my visit to the Japanese garden.

Here's one from last night, between the waking and dreaming:


I mentioned before the deliberate-ness of the construction of the garden. Everything has a purpose and a hidden meaning. The path at one point in the garden was uneven, cut into the side of a hill. As I slowly walked from stone to stone, the sound of the waterfall grew louder and more powerful. I knew I was getting ready to see something wonderful. Can you imagine walking a path similar to this one in traditional Japanese geta (wooden sandals traditionally worn with kimono)?!

In thinking about God's sovereignty, I wonder if maybe the "path of life" is more like this picture than the paved interstate that we all want. We don't want pot-holes and we definitely want mileage markers and good signage, don't we! I wonder if God has instead placed us on a path that is meant to be traveled slowly and deliberately, with eyes wide open. We can walk this path one stone at a time, taking a breather if we need it on the way up and even stop every once in a while to listen and anticipate what's ahead.

Living with purpose. Deliberately. Thoughtfully.

The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD.

He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will not fall,

for the LORD holds them by the hand.

Psalm 37:23-24, NLT

shejayemshe camp

Say it really fast and that's the way CJMC is pronounced by my Japanese friends. I'm posting pictures from our summer's family camp that I attended in July. This was a very significant outing for me because it helped me to get to know the church members a lot better. Please continue to pray for these relationships. My hope is that I will be able to share my vision and desire to go to Japan and that some would partner with me.

My favorite spot

Yummy Curry!!!

Many had never been horseback riding before. All faced the challenge head-on.

Mick leads worship with some assistance

The whole gang. See you next year!

a taste of Japan

As I promised, here are some pictures from the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford. If you are in the area, you should go before it closes for the winter on October 31st.

Here we are, crossing over the bridge to enter the garden. The gate behind our heads was made of cedar and smelled AMAZING!

Do you like my hat?

The Girls...

What am I looking at?

The Boys...

Mick (on the far right) is my Japanese tutor. We've been studying together for around 7 months now. He's very patient with my terrible pronunciation! He introduced me to the Japanese church where I worship on Sunday afternoons.

Beautiful! I felt like I was transported to Japan for a couple of hours.

Reminders

I just love it when God reminds me of my calling and gives me a boost of faith!! Today I went to an amazing Japanese garden in Rockford, IL (pictures hopefully to follow soon!). We had an impromptu tour guide in a staff member checking on the status of the Tea Room. She explained some of the intricacies of the room and the symbolism behind them.

This isn't a picture of the one we saw today but I want you to see the small door on the right hand side of the picture. Donna, from the garden today, explained the purpose of this door. In the time of the Samurai, there was tension between the Samurai class and the Merchant class. The Samurai were very proud and thought that the Merchant's manner of making money by profiting from other people was dishonorable. Someone came up with the idea of having tea in a room with the entrance being like the one you see here. When a person comes to this door, he must remove his shoes and sword (if a Samurai) and any other symbols of status, kneel in the entrance and crouch down low in a bowing position to enter. This creates a sense of humility. All who enter into this building are then created as equal and worthy to drink and ponder philosophical thoughts together.

I thought this was such a beautiful image! So many things in the Japanese culture are so precise and deliberate. Everything has a purpose. Because I'm a Christian, this idea of humility made me remember how we must gather around the Table that Christ has set before us. In communion, there is no room for pride. Christ extends his grace to ALL, despite our differences in class, race, or even our acknowledgement of Him. We are all welcome to kneel down and enter in humility to take that which he has given to us.

Beautiful...

Another reminder:
One of my new friends I was with today is named Kumiko. She is from Japan but has started her freshman year in a Chicago-area college. She is a young Christian and eager to learn. She told me that she has a hard time telling her friends about Jesus and inviting them to study the Bible or to church. Since the 1996 terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway by the Aum cult, many Japanese are reluctant to attend any type of religious service. In their misunderstanding of Christianity, they don't want to be part of any fanatical beliefs. (Think Waco, TX and poisoned Kool-aid type of fanaticism).

In my conversation with her, I was able to encourage her with my viewpoint and to be reminded of the challenges that Japanese Christians face everyday. God is giving me a glimpse of what type of ministry I'll be doing in Japan now. Even now I have many opportunities to serve Him and the Japanese here in the Chicago area!

An amazing day of remembering...

VBS

What cute little munchkins we had this summer at our church's VBS program!!

Marie (youth pastor extraordinaire, in the blue shirt-center) has adapted the same curriculum to be used in conjunction with our ESL program each week. Instead of basic child care for the children of our English students, our 10 children get to hear Bible stories and play games, do crafts, and hang with cool adults two times a week. Last week was our first week and God really blessed us with a great start. Our little church with a big heart is really blessing my life right now!

35%

No, my monthly support is not going down! Don't panic. My monthly costs have increased slightly, making the percentage drop a couple of points.

I'm excited about the increase, as funny as that sounds, because it means that if I am able to leave in March 2007 for Japan, I will be able to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Asian Access with my A2 family in Malaysia!

Here are the latest numbers:

Monthly Support: 35% ($1,127.50 raised) ($3,197.43 needed)
Start-up Expenses: over 100% ($13,895.50 raised) ($12,250.27 needed)

Praise God for His continued blessings through you!!!!!

New Job!

Long time no blog...sorry about that. Especially since the last entry was such a downer.

God has been faithful in building me up. One of those ways is that I have started a new part time job at a local retirement community. I am an activity assistant for the skilled nursing unit. I LOVE IT!!!! If you know me well, you know that God has gifted me to love and serve the elderly. This job fits me and my gifts so well! I'm so thankful.

I was hesitant for the longest time to work more hours because I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time for support raising. The necessities of living on my own (groceries and gas money!) made it impossible to live on 4 hours a week of work. So, I looked into a job and found this one almost right away. It was a completely from the Lord and I'm grateful.

courage transfusion

I heard something on Moody radio today that applies to every cell of my soul right now.

To encourage someone is to give them a courage transfusion.

I'm not eager to tell everyone that I could really use a dozen pints of the stuff right now. I have been discouraged for many weeks and have doubted my calling to Japan. This time of raising support is one of the most difficult times I've encountered in a long time.

I found hope in an old promise in Romans today.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:3-5, NLT)

I've named my blog "Confessions of a Water Walker" after a book that has had a powerful impact on my response to this calling to Japan. I heard a sermon preached by Dr. Richard Butmann from Wheaton College about risk taking last summer. He spoke about John Ortberg's book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. From that sermon, I knew that God was calling me to be a Water Walker and to take a risk in going to Japan with Asian Access.

Now I'm on the water, and like Peter, I'm beginning to look around me at the storm. Only in my case the storm is the discouragement of not meeting my own terms of success in support raising. I'm wondering just how long it will take for the money to come in. I'm forgetting that God is the Source of everything I need. So, I'm beginning to sink in my fear and doubt.

Dear friends, I'm in need of a courage transfusion. Please pray for me. Pray that I will rely only on God and that I will not look to others to meet my needs. Please pray that my character will be strengthened and that I will be all the more prepared to serve in Japan because of this tough time. Please pray that I will be filled with a full measure of the Holy Spirit so that I will once again find joy in this time of preparation.

a tree of life

Hope deferred makes the heart sick
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life
Proverbs 13:12

After almost one full year, my final paper is FINALLY finished to complete my MA from Wheaton. Some friends gently, but firmly reminded me of this proverb and it motivated me. Writing the paper was a long process of digging through my time at HoneyRock. It was reflection that was long over-due. I feel like a burden has been lifted.

My Japanese tutor has asked me to teach a Japanese woman English. She is not a Christian but has an interest in Christianity and making a change in her life! This is a wonderful chance to minister to this people group that I love here in the states! This is very similar to what I would be doing in Japan. Our first meeting is August 1st.

I will be gone this weekend on a retreat with my Japanese church. We will be staying at Streator Baptist camp in Illinois. Please pray for this time. I'm hoping to build stronger relationships with the members of this church.