God's Strength > coffee

i did it.

i went an entire week with no caffeine of any kind. this is a much bigger deal than you may think- i have been addicted to coffee/caffeine for about 6 years. the only times i didn't drink coffee were if i was sick, and then it didn't matter b/c i was sleeping all the time anyway. the past few years i've had, on average, at least about 4 shots of espresso per day. i had been challenged to not drink coffee before, but i did not have the faith that God would wake me up for class or keep me awake to write a paper during the school year. but this is all just a testament to the amazing power of God, because no one and nothing else would have been able to give me the energy and strength needed for this past week. because this past week was really draining, physically and spiritually, and the combination of less sleep, more spiritual conversations, challenges and responsibilities, and no caffeine really took its tole. i would go to campus every day feeling tired, out of it and unfocused, but God blessed me with energy and strength and words to speak and a clear mind every time i needed it. it was so awesome. and even when jess and i were having a conversation about how unmotivated and tired we were, God gave us grace and handed us 2 girls to talk to- they just sat down next to us while we were complaining about our tiredness! it was such a good reminder that it's not about us, how we're feeling, where we are, or anything like that- it's about God, and his power and plan for us.

my theme verse for the week: Isaiah 40:30-31

"even youth grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who wait upon the Lord shall have their strength renewed. they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

as for my goals for the week:
1. my ministry goal was to share the gospel with 15 people- God actually granted me even more opportunities that that! it was pretty awesome b/c i was so worried about being goal-oriented but He just kind of made things happen on their own
2. personal goals: succeeded with coffee, but being constant in prayer was hard. i'm starting to think a lot more before i talk though so i am being more careful that my words are uplifting and beneficial
3. still praying that God would establish Student Impact as an official club at Hitotsubashi

friday we had English Lunch at Gakugei, and i got to chat with the girls i'd shared the gospel with on monday, but we didn't address anything spiritual, which was actually good b/c i want to build their friendship too and don't want them to think i'm pushy or anything. friday was the first day i didn't have a single spiritual conversation though, which bothered me at first because i felt unproductive or like i wasted the day or something, which totally wasn't true. i got to help out by being a part of English Lunch, which not only helped the JCCC staff but also i was able to talk with the girls again (Nemo and Ran) and then jess and i found a couple freshman girls who were really sweet and we found out one of them was going to a gospel concert both jess and i had been invited to, so we planned to meet her there. friday after we got back from campus we only had a little time before we needed to head to Mitaka for the Student Impact Annual Discover Friends Party. we helped them set up and prayed for the students who would be coming. the party was so much fun- we taught the ice breaker (a name game called Samurai) that everyone really enjoyed, then we had dinner, then jess gave her testimony with kylan translating (all the japanese were very impressed with him and his amazing japanese skills), then some of the students performed a dance, then we did a thing called Solarium- we broke into groups and laid out a bunch of different photographs and asked the students to pick which ones represented their lives and why, what they wished to have in their lives and why, which one represented their idea of God, and if they could have a relationship with God what picture would represent it. it was so cool to hear their answers and see them open up and talk about deeper things in their lives (because japanese totally don't do that). i had Nemo, Ran, and 2 other girls from Gakugei and they all are SO CLOSE to trusting their lives to God! they just aren't quite there and i don't know what's holding them back so i'm praying desperately that they can surrender whatever it is and accept Christ's love. joe and i got to explain a lot of how God has been working in our lives though and share the gospel through our stories, which was cool. i gave Ran a New Testament and so i really hope she reads some and understands.

saturday gen and heather (with jeremy's help) cooked a brunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup for all of us, so that was really nice to sleep in after a long week and then have food waiting when we woke up. that afternoon most people went to harajuku but i got to meet up with my friend Manami who i'd met last summer at Dokkyo University for 1 day- we only spent a few hours together but kept up occasionally on facebook over the year, and she wanted to meet up with me while i was here so considering how saturday was a free day i figured it would be a good time. we met in shibuya (praise be to God for her finding me- there were so many people i knew i'd never find her!) and we went to a store so i could get a journal, then got some ice cream and sat and talked about our lives for awhile, then went to starbucks and continued the conversation. it was so good! i really didn't know much about her at all and was a bit worried we wouldn't be able to talk about very many things, much less about God, but we just shared so much about our lives and i was able to share so many things God has been teaching me, and got to explain a lot about the gospel to her and it was just so cool. and she's coming to our Goodbye party! so yay. saturday night i went running (a lot longer than i'd wanted b/c i got kind of lost...) and then took it easy and finished up a lot of things i'd been putting off.

sunday amy and i woke up early and went to a gospel concert with some professional gospel singers we'd been invited to, and it was pretty awesome (even though half of the songs were in japanese). it was also just really encouraging to see so many Christians and visitors there to hear the gospel- it just reminded me of a verse that says:

“ Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.” (Acts 18:9-10).

after we got back i took a nap, then we had team meetings. this week our focus is perseverence and team unity. we even get to switch campuses one day this week. i'm pretty stoked.

and now it's bedtime b/c it's past 2 am. and even though i can now technically drink caffeine, i'm going to try to do without it as much as possible.

please pray for Hitomi, Ran, Nemo, Shunire, Ngoc, Hikaru, Manami and all the other students we've talked to and shared with- that God would continue to work in their hearts and give us more opportunities to witness. :)