I'm leavin on a jet plane!

Sooo...it's pretty much here. I've got 4 days till I'll be in Japan. I am floored by God's provision with my funding (94% of the way there:) and it has felt really good to not feel so bogged down by that aspect of the trip. I'm also pretty much filled with excitement that I know is not from me- it's totally a gift from God. The past two weeks at home have been for the most part restful- I say for the most part because I get restless without anything to do- and basically I've wasted a lot of time... but I know that I really probably needed that time between school and Japan.

Soo...anyway...I'm ready to get on the plane. I pretty much giddy and I have no idea what to expect. This week I've been really reflecting on what I'd love to see happen this summer. I've struggled with feelings of inadequacy that I know do not represent even a fraction of truth. I was reading in Jeremiah 18 and this is pretty much what I'm clinging on to as I claim the truth that God can in fact use me for his purposes:

"But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as it seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you what the potter does?" declared the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand." (Jer. 18:4-6)

So that pretty much it- I'm excited and I know I'm in God's hands and that he's going to do amazing things this summer. If you can, I'd love for you to join me in prayer for these things:

*For God-ordained friendships with the Japanese students
*For God to be working in the hearts of the students, and preparing the way for us to live out the gospel with them
*For the Rood's and the long-term staff in Japan- for them to be refreshed this summer and for us to be a blessing to them as we join their efforts
*For a new thing! (Isa. 43:19)
*That I would know the secret of contentment this summer, and find that contentment in Jesus Christ as I deal with homesickness and whatever else comes my way (Philippians 4:12-13)

That's pretty much it- talk to you all soon!

Umm...so....ummm

So I have a prayer request. I am less than a month from leaving and I am still $2000 short of my fund raising goal. I have contacted the church I attend in Tucson as well as the church my parents attend, and I am trying to think of any person I could possibly ask for funding. I feel kind of needy and ridiculous for posting this, but I am asking you- my friends- to hold the ropes for me and pray that God would provide the finances that I need to logistically get to Japan.

Thanks!!!

Woot

So, in an attempt to delay my studying efforts, I decided to create my blog which will be my way to share the craziness which will be my summer in Japan. Right now, I'm kind of an emotional mess. I freak out every time someone asks me about my Japan prep. I've been praying for over a year that God would scare me- that he would take me to a place where I would have no choice but to surrender to him and his will. He's apparently doing that. God answers scary prayers.

So I'll leave with this verse which has been my verse for the year, and is something that I pray that I'll get to experience in Japan this summer:

Isaiah 43:19: See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up: do you not perceive it? I am making a way through the desert and streams in the wasteland.