Third Week in Tokyo!

Hi everyone!!

We have officially hit the halfway mark (just a little over when you see this post)! It has definitely been a more emotional and harder week. I think the first couple of weeks felt like vacation, but as we have settled in more and become used to a "new normal," there have been many times when it can feel hard. To elaborate further, I think the nature of Japan is so fast and intense that it's easy to get wrapped up in that subconsciously, often losing sight of who you are and who God created us as humans to be. Since processing this and the emotions, I think I have learned how to slow down and be still with God. It is hard to do in a society that doesn't do that at all. What's crazy is that this is the same cultural norm in America, too. I can distract myself or numb out more easily in America than here. I am thankful that the Lord has been teaching me this because sitting still with Him and slowing down has been something that I didn't know my soul longed for or needed.

Another thing I have been processing through and wrestling with is the idea of comfort and what true comfort found in Christ looks like. If you have known me for the seasons where I transition between different parts of life, like middle school to high school or high school to college, then you know how hard it is for me to adjust and adapt to this idea of "change." I think I have always grasped this idea of comfort as being people or a place, which I have learned is not bad to have those feelings when in a particular place or around people who do bring comfort, but putting my entire sense of comfort or feeling only okay in specific settings is something that Christ calls us out of. Instead, I have been learning that I actually get to just find comfort in Him knowing He is always near to me, not in the niche way that everyone talks about Him in, but in a proper and comforting way that the Holy Spirit has given to me because His spirit lives within me and my soul and that He is as close as He could ever be to me. In those truths, I have found it extremely comforting that my external circumstances don't have to define the comfort and rest I have within my soul. In Japan, or really anywhere for long periods, I often find myself thinking, "I just want to go home or be in America," and while that is not all bad, I have been able to find comfort in knowing that Christ is my comfort no matter what side of the world I am on. I have been delighted to be here and work alongside the Lord to shed light on His name and allow others to experience the same freedom and rest I find in Him!

Some prayer points for this week:

+ My rest: I have been unable to fall asleep well since being here, even though I feel exhausted, it has been a struggle

+ For the girls on the team to feel motivated and encouraged to meet new friends on university campuses

+ For the hearts of our team to be aligned with the Lord's and all He desires for the Japanese people

+ That I would have a selfless heart and reflect Christ in all that I do

+ For Wakana, Nigisa, and Maia to come to know Jesus deeply

+ All the Japanese people to know that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 10:10)

+ For my comfort to only be found in the Lord and not in external circumstances

+ That I would love the team well and have a servant's heart towards them and the Japanese people

Some fun updates:

+ We started the Hunger Games series and are on a binge now.

+ The girls started watching Mission: Impossible, and that has been really fun to watch

+ We went to a baseball game, and it's crazy because the fans for each team cheer the ENTIRE game

+ We went to Mt. Fuji, which was super fun but soooo hot. The town itself was so cute and a nice change of scenery

+ We went on a bike ride for a few hours around Fuji, and I forgot how much I loved biking. I may just have to get one back in Norman

+ I tried lavender soft serve ice cream, which was so yummy—it tasted like vanilla with a hint of lavender.

+ I have been learning that the Japanese people love nuts—peanuts, almonds, walnuts—because everything has nuts either in or on top

+ There was a STUMO event last week where we got to invite our new Japanese friends, and it was really fun—we also played a round of knockout with everyone, and I almost won. If you didn't know, I am oddly good at basketball

+ We were able to find stain remover at the Don Quiote (the huge store that has everything you could ever need), and praise the Lord we did because we CANNOT go a day without getting a stain on something

+ The heat has been brutal here, so much so that I have been having to wear undershirts under my actual shirt because of the sweat stains

+ Getting lost in the train station never stops—and it's only this giant station called Shinjuku.

+ I learned a new card game called golf

+ Not that I drink soda, but there is no Diet Coke here at all

+ Elly just learned that organic products are not the same as inorganic—she thought it was a scam this entire time

+Tate, the little boy of one of our leaders, got put on the Jumbotron

With love,

Mia <3