You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cups overflows. Psalm 23:5
Malaysia was a hard month. There I said it. It was an extremely trying and dry month which challenged my team physically, mentally and spiritually. Coming into Japan, my team was tried and in need of some serious refreshment! I prayed that God would provide people to pour into my team and I. I prayed that The Lord would give us avenues to pour out the spirit and other ways for us to be poured into, to be filled with the spirit and loved on.
Then, while we were in our mini cultural debrief, I found out that our team would be the only team participating with home stays with Non-Christian families. On top of that, I would be staying with three different families, moving around every week. When I heard the news I wasn't disappointed but I was surprised. It sounded like God was giving me the exact opposite of what I had asked for. I was asking to be in Christian home, I was asking to be in a positive environment where I was filled with the spirit, loved on and cared for. But I knew that God had a plan in this whole situation and I was excited to see how He was going to use this situation for his glory. And boy I didn't know what I asked for.
This month living with the Ishuzuki, Miyoshi and the Yamamura I have been blessed and filled with the love of God so much. There has not been a moment this month where I have felt tried or spiritual dry but I have been full of the love of Christ. I was so blessed by my families that it's hard to even put into words. Through the numerous amazing meals, to the fun activities we were allowed to experience, to the families sacrificing their own bedrooms for us to sleep in, to all the gifts we were given on our arrival to each house, I was completely and totally overwhelmed by the generosity and sincerity of the Japanese people. They had such a heart to serve, to make us feel loved, and help us experience the culture. Their level of serving reminded me of the love. Christ calls us to give to others. A selfless and generous love that prefers others an desire to make people feel special, valued and loved. Through my families hospitality and generous love they had for me, I was filled with love, compassion and grace that I could pour out on others.
On top of my families amazing hospitality, I also had the opportunity to work in a Christian preschool which brought a lot of joy and healing into my life. This family center is filled with the Holy Spirit and seeks to teach their students about Christianity that they can go home and share with their family. The kids learn about Jesus and God the Father who loves them more than anything in the world. The students at the school love to pray, listen to the Holy Spirit, and sing praise songs to God. This preschool is a special place that seeks influence the new generation of Japan and let me tell you getting prayed over and blessed by preschoolers is quite a humbling and inspirational experience. Through the students and fellow teachers, God challenged me, humbled me, and brought a lot of healing from the wounds of Malaysia. He used this precious place to fill me in ways I never expected, providing exactly the people I needed to promote the growth, healing and challenge I needed.
Through these people I felt The Lord pouring out of me this month. Not once was I tried or spiritual dry but instead I was constantly in a place of pouring out and relying on The Lord for strength. God rarely works in the way that we expect him to work yet he constantly is reminding me that his way is the best way. Though I may sit through trials and hardships or not get what I desire, everything is used for good. God knew that I need some intense loving this month and he wanted to use some unexpected ways of doing it, reminding me that God holds me in the palm of is hand and that his plan is the best plan!
