As most of you already know, Japan was one of the most beautiful and defining times of my life. It was emotionally the hardest time of my life, yet a season that God blessed me with exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. God used an incredibly difficult period of my life, and made it the most beautiful.
Our squad had a 5 day debrief up in the mountains at the end of the month. It was the first time a World Race squad had ever come to Japan, so we spent those 5 days resting, spending quality time together, and debriefing the month. It was a week that topped off my experience in Japan in the most unexpected ways. Our squad mentors and coaches from the states flew in for the week to invest in us and pray over us. We spent quality time in worship, quality time with each other, and quality time with the new family we had created that month in Japan. My relationship with The Lord went up an entire new level during those 5 days. I was ready to throw in the towel just days before debrief. I was done with the race, and completely emotionally, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. If you haven't read my testimony about my time in Japan, I encourage you to do so. This post will be so much more meaningful if you do! The link is below.
http://bethanyfristad.theworldrace.org/?filename=breaking-chains
The night before we left Japan, all of our host families came to spend one last night with us. We worshiped, reflected, prayed over one another, and gave sooo many hugs. It was such a beautiful night.
Previously in the month, I went to Gospel Hula class with my host mother. She belongs to a group that meets once a week and hula dances in the name of Jesus…… in JAPAN! How cool is that!? We had a blast at hula class, and I felt so lucky to be apart of it. The night our families came to spend one last night with us, little did we know that they had a dance ready for us. I've been a dancer my entire life, and I've seen and performed a lot of dances in my lifetime. Little did I know, that the dance I was about to watch was going to be the most beautiful dance I've ever seen. Ever.
What makes it so beautiful? Well, I'll let you see for yourself. But, what it made it so beautiful for me were the words of the song that spoke to me in the most radical way, especially after the month I had. It was incredibly beautiful because all my mothers and sisters that had just poured their lives into me for the last month were up front pouring their lives out to Jesus, and to us. They were not just dancing, they were giving every once of themselves to The Lord, and speaking into our hearts and souls at the same time. This dance could not have come at a more perfect time. God is SO good. I cried (ok, more like BAWLED) through the entire thing. It was the most moving and powerful night on the entire race.
I'm SO excited that you get to have a glimpse of it! (Watch in full screen!)
Let the Veil Down – Japan from Bethany Fristad on Vimeo.
