When Summer Ends
Hello, everyone! I want to give a little recap on what was going on this summer and some details on what is coming up in the fall. Thank you for reading my update!
International Hi-BA Camp
In July, I had the opportunity to be a counselor for the week-long International Hi-BA Camp. "Hi-BA" stands for "High School Born Againers." This ministry is dedicated to seeing high schoolers reaching other high schoolers for Jesus.
The theme for this camp was "Grace." It was my joy to spend the week talking about God's goodness, discussing questions, and laughing with the students. I was there to listen to the cries of deep emotional pain coming from the young women at the camp. They came to the camp carrying all of their stored up grief and heavy burdens, and they left jumping into the arms of God.
I was amazed to see that God himself was counseling the students. God's work didn't depend on me pouring truth into them or pulling them to a greater understanding of God. It was about me loving them right in the season they are in and trusting that the Holy Spirit would reveal God's love to them. It is by through God strengthening our inner being that we are able to comprehend the love of Christ.
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God," Ephesians 3:14-19.
This shift in my counseling and leadership changed everything for me. God did more in that week than I could ever write about in a blog post. Thank you for praying and for trusting the Lord with me!
A Short Visit in California
In August, I flew back to California to spend two weeks helping my best friend prepare for her wedding. I got to be her Maid of Honor! It was so sweet to see my friends and family again. I was able to debrief the last six months of my work in Japan and catch up on everything I had missed while I was gone.
It is a privilege to be able to go home to open and loving arms. My heart was overflowing with love. I am thankful I had the opportunity to go home and hug the people I love. I returned to Japan feeling refreshed and loved. Thank you, everyone! And CONGRATULATIONS JIMMY AND HEATHER COOPER!!!
The End of DTS
The first week of September marked the end of our 2017 Bi-Lingual DTS. We had 12 marvelous students graduate and return home after living here for almost six months. The last week of lecture they had before leaving was called Re-Entry Week, where the students can process returning home and pray about what is next for them after DTS.
During one of the lecture times, I was invited to share my testimony, which was a great honor. I told the students what my experience of going home after DTS was like, along with what was difficult and what was helpful for me. I emphasized how God was faithful to fulfill the promises he made to me, no matter what I was feeling at the time, and how he used the season after my DTS to reinforce what he taught me during my school. I hope I get to share many more testimonies of God's faithfulness in the future.
Autumn
The last few weeks have been filled with opportunities to share the gospel with Japanese people and with guests and visitors at the YWAM base. Salvation continues to come all around us, which is always encouraging to me.
A few graphic design projects have even come up, so I have been brushing up on my Illustrator and Photoshop skills to accomplish the tasks. One of the projects I am working on is a brochure to inform residents in our city of our YWAM Volunteer Program. We want to love and serve our community in practical ways here where we live in Higashikurume and we need a brochure to show what kinds of services we can provide.
This month we are also planning on throwing a fun Halloween party to reach out to the children in our community. We plan to set up games, contests, and fun ways to demonstrate the Gospel to Japanese children who have never heard about Jesus before. Please pray for this event! We want to see the Holy Spirit release joy and plant seeds for the Gospel to grow.
Later this month I am going to be putting together a newsletter with updates on the continuous ministries and what God has been teaching me. So look out for that! I am excited to share more, but this post is starting to get lengthy.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! I hope this letter is encouraging to you. ^_^
