Fall is my favorite season. I love everything about it, especially watching as the leaves begin to change colors. So when I came on the race, I thought I wouldn’t get to experience fall as I knew it at home. I guess I just assumed most of the places I would be visiting were going to be warm and tropical (that expectation was shattered month 1 when we arrived in the frozen desert that was Bolivia) and in my mind I had accepted the fact that I would miss my favorite season while being on the race.
And then we got to Japan in early November, where the beautiful fall colors surrounded us and the cool air reminded me so much of home. It seemed appropriate that we were in Japan during this season of change because I was also entering a new season on the race.
First, there were team changes. At the end of our fourth month in Colombia, all the teams on my squad were changed, as new squad leaders were raised up. So my first team, Fearless Laughter, was split up and new teams were formed. At first the thought of team changes terrified me. I loved my first team so much and I knew another team just wouldn’t compare. In my mind I was expecting the worst. But God obviously had other plans, and I was pleasantly surprised when I found out who my new teammates were. There are seven of us all together, and we are team Boxcar Children (named after a children’s book series we all read when we were kids).
I really felt the love from my team on my birthday, and I’m so thankful that they willingly put up with my insistence on being the “birthday princess.” They’re the best!
Team Boxcar Children celebrated Thanksgiving in the mountains with two other teams from our squad, and it was great. I missed my family back home, but I had lots of fun spending the day with these beautiful girls!
Second, we changed continents and entered a new culture that was completely opposite from South America where we had been for the first four months of the race. For the first time in my life, I was in a country where I didn’t know a single word of the language, (I’m happy to say after spending a month in Japan, I now know about four words of Japanese!) which was definitely a different experience. But I quickly grew to love the people there, despite the language barrier and cultural differences.
Our ministry was unique because it was very relational and varied. We lived with host families in the city of Ashiya (near Osaka), so our team was split up and two people lived with each family. Most of the host families had young children who attend the preschool where we did ministry during the week. It is a Christian preschool and the children learn about God, but many of the parents are not yet Christians. So we spent much of our time building relationships with our families and showing Christ’s love to them. Casey and I lived with two different families throughout the month, the Yoshida family and the Wazaki family. Each made us feel right at home and blessed us so much during our time there. It would take me forever to tell about all the fun things we did with them, but some highlights included site seeing in Kyoto, visiting a ninja village, playing tennis, going to an uninhabited island, and eating LOTS of yummy Japanese food!
This is us with the Yoshida family (and samurai warriors) at the Kyoto Studio Park. So much fun!
The Wazaki family treated us with a visit to the Ninja Village!
This is Takahiro, and he is the most precious seven year old boy I’ve ever met. He has such a loving and gentle spirit!
This is Yuki. The only times she spoke to me in English were when she wanted a foot massage. “Massage, please!”
Beautiful view from the uninhabited island we visited with our host family!
On weekdays we were with our team at the preschool/family center. Some days we would help with the kids in the preschool or do some gardening outside, but most of our time there was spent with the moms who wanted to give us a taste of Japanese culture. They made us authentic Japanese lunches and took us to sing karaoke, among many other things. One of my favorite activities we participated in with them was a weekly Bible study led by our ministry contact’s wife. Some of the moms who attend the Bible study are not yet believers, so it was really neat to be a part of that and to see how God is working in their lives. Please be praying that God will continue revealing Himself to them!
This is outside the preschool where we spent much of our time.
Some of the sweet moms surprised me and Whit by dressing us in kimonos to celebrate our birthdays. We even had a photo shoot with the authentic pose!
In some ways Japan was a very comfortable month and reminded me of home, yet it was also very different and at times I found myself getting homesick. But every time I started to miss home, God reminded me that I am exactly where He wants me in this season of life. I was so blessed by my time in Japan and the people I met there.
Please continue praying for me and my team as we are now in Malaysia and almost halfway finished with the World Race. I am still in need of about $2500 by January first in order to stay on the field. For anyone who would like to make an end of the year, tax-deductible donation to help keep me on the race, please click the “support me” link at the top of the page. I know God has called me here and will provide, and I greatly appreciate all your prayers and support!
