I can't believe Project is going by so quickly! It seems as if the days are long but the weeks are short. I get to the end of the week thinking "How did that happen?" I'm learning a lot about what it means to be a Project director and a leader. My focus and priority is so different as a director - everything I do, my students and staff team are my focus. Even in evangelism, my focus is to empower my students, not for me to have conversations with Japanese students necessarily.
I came into Project thinking that as a director, I had to have it all together. That as a leader, my students were looking to me for answers, for guidance, for encouragement. But I'm learning that part of being a leader is also allowing others to see your mistakes, your faults and your failures. I had a breakthrough moment when one of my students told me, "At first I was really intimidated by you because I thought you had it all together and I was afraid I was going to disappoint you. After seeing you make mistakes, I respect you so much more." It was so counter-intuitive, but it's a very much needed lesson for me.
And even as I make mistakes and fail, I am quickly learning that God is bigger than our mistakes, and uses even our failures for his glory. The first week, I led my team on a few wrong busses, and even a wrong campus. Our first day going to campus, we were supposed to go to Doshisha University. I accidentally led the students on to Doshisha Women's College. Because we had several guys on our team, we immediately were approached by guards and told to leave. We did eventually find the other university, but I felt so foolish and embarrassed. But right after we arrived at the right campus, two of our guys immediately met two Japanese students, Jo and Natsuki, in the cafeteria. Since Doshisha University was founded by a Christian, they began to talk about Christianity with them and shared how relationship with God has affected their lives. They asked Natsuki if a relationship with God was something he wanted, and he immediately said yes! Since then, Eric and Keith have been meeting up with Natsuki and teaching him more about God. Praise the Lord for our new brother, whom we never would have met except that we got to campus late because we first went to the wrong one. The Lord uses all things!
As I said before, I'm learning that being a director means I must focus more on empowering and caring for my team through training and discipleship; however, I've still been blessed with some opportunities for evangelism with my students. Our first week at Kyoto University, my student Aimee and I met two Japanese girls, Yuko and Sachiho. While their English was not great, they were very sweet and wanted to meet us again. We had lunch with them this past Wednesday, and were able to share the whole Gospel with them. They were both excited and intrigued about it, especially that a God exists who actively loves and cares for them. After we shared, Yuko said in an awed voice, “Before, I just thought of God as an idea, now I believe in God.” As they left, we told them "Anata wo Kamisama wa aishiteiru," or, "God loves you!" We plan to meet up with her and Sachiho again next week, and are so excited to share more with them!
Thank you so much for all your prayers for me and my team! Please continue to pray for spiritual protection, for energy, strength, love, patience and perseverance in our last few weeks in Kyoto!
Waiting for busses is a daily part of life in Kyoto
English Lunchtime games at Doshisha University
Adventure Day to Kiyomizu Temple
Team pic in front of Kiyomizu
