Exactly one year ago today,
I decided to surrender my future to God and join full-time staff with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ).
I decided to become a "career missionary."
Exactly one year ago, I was at my last Cru weekly meeting in Tokyo before heading back to the States. All summer, God had been showing me hints of the brokenness of the Japanese people, the need in Japan, but also how open they were becoming to the Gospel. For example, Japan has the highest suicide rate in the world. While I lived in Japan, every day I would see train delays on the tv screens in the trains from "passenger injuries." Every day I'd see the delays for other trains. But last summer, it was almost every day that my own trains would be delayed. I'd be the one sitting on the train or on the platform for 1-2 hours, waiting. And I'd look around me and realize that no one cared that someone had just lost their life. To everyone else, it was just a daily inconvenience that their train was delayed because someone had jumped on the tracks. And I said, "God, this should never be normal. This should never be something we get used to, that's just a daily part of life- that someone was so devoid of hope or love or joy that they threw away their life in front of a train."
And God nudged me and said, "You're right. What are you going to do about it?"
And I realized I have this message of love and hope and joy, and that I need to be sharing it with every person who God puts in my path.
But God was also working in the hearts of Japanese students. Students I'd almost given up on would ask ME to take them to church. Students would ask about Jesus and the Gospel. I was able to buy my friend her first Bible. And at the last Cru weekly meeting, God showed me very clearly that He was changing the spiritual atmosphere of Japan.
We were talking about the Holy Spirit, and I was sharing about how the Spirit had brought me to Japan 5 times, after originally never giving Japan much thought. And all the sudden I heard myself saying, "You know, I also used to say I'd never work for Cru, but now I've realized I have the best job in the world, and I just can't think of anything better." And then I started crying. In front of everyone. It was awkward. I sat down and my friend nudged me, "Were you expecting to say that?" he asked. "Heck no!" I replied. The Spirit was definitely moving in my heart.
Then a Japanese girl stood up. "Today was my first time to come here, and I want to become a Christian," she said. We all looked around in shock- that NEVER happens in Japan! It was so exciting, and God nudged me and said, "Hey look what I'm doing in this country."
Then we began worship in Japanese. My Japanese is not particularly good enough to understand the songs, but I sing along anyway. We sang this one song called "Anata no mina wo hometataeru," and as I was singing, I started crying again. "Ok this is ridiculous," I thought. "I don't even know what I'm singing!" But since I was crying, I figured it was probably important, so I pulled a girl aside and said "Ok what am I singing?" She said, "Oh it says 'Lord, remake my heart, I want to be your hands and feet in the world, I want to shine your light..."
...........yeah.
After a sign like that, I knew that God was calling me to be His hands and feet and shine His light to the nations, and I decided to join full-time staff with Cru.
I came home August 2nd, went to my first training in Orlando in September, then began the long year of raising financial support, with a month of training in January and 3 seminary classes in between.
It's been a long journey to get here, and I think my whole experience with Cru has been reluctant, but amazing. My friend Gen had to yell at me to get me to go on my first Summer Project to Japan. God had to slap me in the face with STINT. But last summer, it was like God was saying "Kimi, it's your choice, but this summer I'm going to show you all the reasons why YOU WANT to join staff."
And goodness knows He did.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Remembering 3.11.11, Two Years Later
I honestly am not sure if I can write anything better than what I wrote one year ago, today, as I reflected on the Japan earthquake/tsunami of March 11, 2011.
It was the scariest five minutes of my life, crouched between my bed and my desk with my pillow over my head as if that might protect me somehow from any falling debris, desperately praying to God to make it stop and that I would live. God did protect me, but over 20,000 others died that day. As I sit here on my sofa in my cozy house in Dallas, TX, it hardly seems real that it was two years ago. Two years seems so long ago, and yet so recent. So much has changed in two years, and yet so little.
Japan needs our prayers no less than they did two years ago. "Pray For Japan" is not just a catch phrase or a hashtag or something to make into a cool artsy design. It's a promise, it's a call, it's a warning, it's a mission, it's a battle cry- for all of us. After the earthquake, I set an alarm on my phone to 2:46 pm, the time of the earthquake, so I could pray for Japan every day at that time. Some time ago I stopped doing that- I am shamed to admit that I honestly do not know why. But I am committing to start that again today, and for anyone else who wants to join me, I ask that you'd also set an alarm to remind yourself to pray a quick prayer every day for Japan and it's people. They are still so broken- physically, emotionally and spiritually, and need our prayers now more than ever.
Continue to #PrayForJapan.
Here is my blog post from a year ago- no less relevant, and perhaps even more so today:
"One year ago today, at 2:46 pm Japan Standard Time, a 9.0 earthquake struck of the coast of Japan, instigating a 130 ft tsunami that devastated the coast. Over 20,000 people lost their lives, and over 110,000 lost their homes. I will never forget the feeling of a 5 minute earthquake, and thinking I might not live. I will never forget desperately praying to God to make it stop. I will never forget seeing image after image of the tsunami destruction. I will never forget driving through Tohoku one month later and seeing the devastation without end. Mile after mile, hour after hour, never-ending debris, twisted cars and toppled ships. I will never forget staying at the evacuation center and playing with children who lost their families, and cleaning out homes filled with mud. And I will never forget standing alongside Japanese believers at church that Sunday, singing "Everlasting God," "How Great is Our God," and "You are God" and crying...Here is an excerpt from my blog after that church service:
"I looked around and saw and saw a room filled with Japanese Christians, singing of hope, love, and of a God greater than earthquakes, greater than tsunamis, and greater than our fears. Needless to say, it was a moving moment, and I cried all during worship. Our pastor reminded us that while we are such frail beings, the Truth tells us we have no need to fear, because we are held in the hands of the Almighty God of the Universe. Hebrews 12:25-29 reminds us that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and to that hope and truth we must cling to during times such as this."
I want to thank you for all of your love and support during that time of fear and uncertainty immediately after the earthquake and during the nuclear crisis. Those were dark days, filled with huge aftershocks and fear that we may be sent home due to nuclear meltdowns. Your prayers and words of hope and encouragement were such blessings to all of us. While we may never understand why the disaster happened, I know that the Lord continues to work in Japan. Last week, Franklin Graham spoke to over 12,000 people in Tohoku, and over 400 people accepted Christ. Join with me in celebrating our new brothers and sisters, and continuing to pray for the millions of Japanese still without hope. I ask you to never forget the Tohoku Triple Disaster of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant. Please take some time to pray for Japan today as they remember all that was lost.
Here is some footage I took in Tohoku about a month after the earthquake. While thankfully it no longer looks so bad, it will take many, many years to rebuild. Please feel free to share this with others- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71jy-kTVzWQ
May the Lord bless you today and remind you that He "is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling...The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." - Psalm 46:1-3, 7
がんばろう、日本。私たちはあなたの為に祈りを。"わすれないで、we fight together."
It was the scariest five minutes of my life, crouched between my bed and my desk with my pillow over my head as if that might protect me somehow from any falling debris, desperately praying to God to make it stop and that I would live. God did protect me, but over 20,000 others died that day. As I sit here on my sofa in my cozy house in Dallas, TX, it hardly seems real that it was two years ago. Two years seems so long ago, and yet so recent. So much has changed in two years, and yet so little.
Japan needs our prayers no less than they did two years ago. "Pray For Japan" is not just a catch phrase or a hashtag or something to make into a cool artsy design. It's a promise, it's a call, it's a warning, it's a mission, it's a battle cry- for all of us. After the earthquake, I set an alarm on my phone to 2:46 pm, the time of the earthquake, so I could pray for Japan every day at that time. Some time ago I stopped doing that- I am shamed to admit that I honestly do not know why. But I am committing to start that again today, and for anyone else who wants to join me, I ask that you'd also set an alarm to remind yourself to pray a quick prayer every day for Japan and it's people. They are still so broken- physically, emotionally and spiritually, and need our prayers now more than ever.
Continue to #PrayForJapan.
Here is my blog post from a year ago- no less relevant, and perhaps even more so today:
"One year ago today, at 2:46 pm Japan Standard Time, a 9.0 earthquake struck of the coast of Japan, instigating a 130 ft tsunami that devastated the coast. Over 20,000 people lost their lives, and over 110,000 lost their homes. I will never forget the feeling of a 5 minute earthquake, and thinking I might not live. I will never forget desperately praying to God to make it stop. I will never forget seeing image after image of the tsunami destruction. I will never forget driving through Tohoku one month later and seeing the devastation without end. Mile after mile, hour after hour, never-ending debris, twisted cars and toppled ships. I will never forget staying at the evacuation center and playing with children who lost their families, and cleaning out homes filled with mud. And I will never forget standing alongside Japanese believers at church that Sunday, singing "Everlasting God," "How Great is Our God," and "You are God" and crying...Here is an excerpt from my blog after that church service:
"I looked around and saw and saw a room filled with Japanese Christians, singing of hope, love, and of a God greater than earthquakes, greater than tsunamis, and greater than our fears. Needless to say, it was a moving moment, and I cried all during worship. Our pastor reminded us that while we are such frail beings, the Truth tells us we have no need to fear, because we are held in the hands of the Almighty God of the Universe. Hebrews 12:25-29 reminds us that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and to that hope and truth we must cling to during times such as this."
I want to thank you for all of your love and support during that time of fear and uncertainty immediately after the earthquake and during the nuclear crisis. Those were dark days, filled with huge aftershocks and fear that we may be sent home due to nuclear meltdowns. Your prayers and words of hope and encouragement were such blessings to all of us. While we may never understand why the disaster happened, I know that the Lord continues to work in Japan. Last week, Franklin Graham spoke to over 12,000 people in Tohoku, and over 400 people accepted Christ. Join with me in celebrating our new brothers and sisters, and continuing to pray for the millions of Japanese still without hope. I ask you to never forget the Tohoku Triple Disaster of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant. Please take some time to pray for Japan today as they remember all that was lost.
Here is some footage I took in Tohoku about a month after the earthquake. While thankfully it no longer looks so bad, it will take many, many years to rebuild. Please feel free to share this with others- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71jy-kTVzWQ
May the Lord bless you today and remind you that He "is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling...The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." - Psalm 46:1-3, 7
がんばろう、日本。私たちはあなたの為に祈りを。"わすれないで、we fight together."
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Summer in Tokyo
it seems that i have a lot of catching up to do. my apologies.
in my previous post, i talked a bit about my first couple weeks back in Japan for the summer. June sped by much quicker than i anticipated, and it seemed like before we knew it, the PSW A Summer Project team was having their goodbye party and packing up. they left an awesome legacy though- i was so proud of them, not only because they were led by 3 students who had never even been to Japan before, but because they arrived in Japan in the middle of much transition within JCCC and had to muddle their way through ministry without much extra assistance. but they persevered and were rewarded- 2 Japanese girls accepted Christ at their farewell party, and the team was imperative in creating "Let's Talk Waseda" - a weekly English lunchtime with JCru staff and students at Waseda University. a few of the students are already considering STINT in Japan, and my friend Devin from Hilo is currently applying to intern at UH Hilo in the fall. they were such an encouragement to me, and i was so blessed to meet and work with every single one of them.
this summer, i celebrated my birthday in Japan for the first time. in some ways, my 24th birthday seemed not very exciting- 24 has no big milestone attached to it, other than it's one year away from 25, which just makes me feel old. but it turned out to be a day full of surprises and joys- i woke up on June 29th to my old roommate Christina fixing chocolate chip pancakes in my apartment (a tradition we began back in October). i then met two old friends, Kaori and Yuki, for lunch at Waseda, and they surprised me with a huge chocolate birthday cake. then that evening after campus time, i met Christina and my USC friend Brandon (who had come to Tokyo for the weekend) for dinner, and they surprised me by taking me to Sweets Paradise, an all you can eat sweets buffet. so basically i had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, chocolate cake for lunch, and more cake for dinner. it was kind of wonderful. the next day the Summer Project team left, and so i saw them off and moved to Tachikawa, my home for July. i stayed with a Japanese couple from Yukiko's (one of the JCCC staff) church, and when i arrived i was greeted with yet another birthday cake. all in all, it was a wonderful birthday weekend.
in my next post, i will share about July, but for now, enjoy some pictures from June:
in my previous post, i talked a bit about my first couple weeks back in Japan for the summer. June sped by much quicker than i anticipated, and it seemed like before we knew it, the PSW A Summer Project team was having their goodbye party and packing up. they left an awesome legacy though- i was so proud of them, not only because they were led by 3 students who had never even been to Japan before, but because they arrived in Japan in the middle of much transition within JCCC and had to muddle their way through ministry without much extra assistance. but they persevered and were rewarded- 2 Japanese girls accepted Christ at their farewell party, and the team was imperative in creating "Let's Talk Waseda" - a weekly English lunchtime with JCru staff and students at Waseda University. a few of the students are already considering STINT in Japan, and my friend Devin from Hilo is currently applying to intern at UH Hilo in the fall. they were such an encouragement to me, and i was so blessed to meet and work with every single one of them.
this summer, i celebrated my birthday in Japan for the first time. in some ways, my 24th birthday seemed not very exciting- 24 has no big milestone attached to it, other than it's one year away from 25, which just makes me feel old. but it turned out to be a day full of surprises and joys- i woke up on June 29th to my old roommate Christina fixing chocolate chip pancakes in my apartment (a tradition we began back in October). i then met two old friends, Kaori and Yuki, for lunch at Waseda, and they surprised me with a huge chocolate birthday cake. then that evening after campus time, i met Christina and my USC friend Brandon (who had come to Tokyo for the weekend) for dinner, and they surprised me by taking me to Sweets Paradise, an all you can eat sweets buffet. so basically i had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, chocolate cake for lunch, and more cake for dinner. it was kind of wonderful. the next day the Summer Project team left, and so i saw them off and moved to Tachikawa, my home for July. i stayed with a Japanese couple from Yukiko's (one of the JCCC staff) church, and when i arrived i was greeted with yet another birthday cake. all in all, it was a wonderful birthday weekend.
in my next post, i will share about July, but for now, enjoy some pictures from June:
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| "Let's Talk" Waseda |
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| PSW A Summer Project's Farewell Party |
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| Birthday glasses and pancakes from my former roommate Christina |
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| surprise birthday cake from Kaori (center) and Yuki (right) |
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| Hanging out with Brandon after Sweets Paradise |
Thursday, July 5, 2012
There and Back Again
so i'm back in Japan.
i arrived June 9th, and so it's now been a month since i first arrived. i honestly was unsure if i'd be able to come back, but by the grace of God, He allowed me to return for the summer and finish out my STINT year in Japan.
it's actually been a much easier adjustment than i thought it would be. i guess since this is my 5th time in Japan, coming back is more of a "sweet i'm back in Japan" as opposed to a big adjustment process. i did still have a few days of jetlag but not that bad. i think the biggest adjustment was living in Koenji again- i lived there for 5 weeks on Summer Project in 2009 but haven't lived there or really been back there much since, so it took a little while to get oriented to the fact that i had to go different directions on the trains. i lived with the Summer Project team girl leaders, Tori and Beth, and the other girls lived in the apartment next door. the team had 5 guys (including Devin from UH Hilo) and 6 girls- most had never been to Japan before, but they were full of passion and excitement for ministry in Tokyo.
my first Sunday back in Tokyo, June 10th, i went back to my church, New Hope Tokyo. it was so awesome seeing everyone again. in fact, it was Yusuke's 1 year anniversary of becoming a Christian- it was so cool to see him and celebrate that with him.
my ministry time was half spent helping out the Summer Project, and half spent reconnecting with old students. i spent my first Monday and Tuesday re-acclimating, unpacking, etc. Wednesday i went to ICU High School with the Summer Project. many of the students i'd been friends with had graduated, and there were many new freshmen to meet. Thursday i went to Waseda with the team- i was pleasantly surprised to see that the JCru staff and a few students + the Summer Project had begun an English lunchtime on Thursdays at Waseda. it became an awesome place to invite students and connect them with staff, and of course, they wanted to meet students from America so i got to introduce them to the Summer Project.
on Friday we hosted a huge "American BBQ" for the ICU High School students in a park in Mitaka. we played games, ate hot dogs and "banana boats," and got to have spiritual conversations and share the Gospel with several of them. it was so encouraging to see how the ICU High School ministry has grown over the past few years- when I came on my Summer Project, it had just begun, and now it's a full-fledged ministry! praise God!
on Saturday i went back to Odori Samurai practice for the first time. it was so fun to surprise people (most of them had no idea i was back in Japan), and really nice to be back in the Odori Samurai environment. unfortunately it was also a bit frustrating since i couldn't dance, and while i was in Hawaii they learned their new dance for 2012 (they create one new dance a year), and not gonna lie, i really wanted to learn it. it was frustrating to have to watch from the front and not be able to learn it. but it was still nice to be back.
i think the most frustrating thing about Japan was/is the state of my knee. not being able to dance, or play soccer, or even little things like having to search for elevators or escalators at train stations (some don't have them, and stairs are a rather big challenge) or not being able to run to catch a train, so if i miss it i just have to wait for the next one (some trains only come once every 15-20 minutes) -- it's difficult to not be frustrated, to not think about "what if?" i know God's plans are perfect though, and it's easier to have a better mindset now that i can walk without crutches. the first week was pretty rough. but every time i started feeling sorry for myself, i would see someone in a wheelchair with one leg, or someone with a twisted leg on crutches, and i would stop and apologize to God, since at least my injury is temporary.
and on that note, i end my first week in Japan. more to come! and now for pictures:
it's actually been a much easier adjustment than i thought it would be. i guess since this is my 5th time in Japan, coming back is more of a "sweet i'm back in Japan" as opposed to a big adjustment process. i did still have a few days of jetlag but not that bad. i think the biggest adjustment was living in Koenji again- i lived there for 5 weeks on Summer Project in 2009 but haven't lived there or really been back there much since, so it took a little while to get oriented to the fact that i had to go different directions on the trains. i lived with the Summer Project team girl leaders, Tori and Beth, and the other girls lived in the apartment next door. the team had 5 guys (including Devin from UH Hilo) and 6 girls- most had never been to Japan before, but they were full of passion and excitement for ministry in Tokyo.
my first Sunday back in Tokyo, June 10th, i went back to my church, New Hope Tokyo. it was so awesome seeing everyone again. in fact, it was Yusuke's 1 year anniversary of becoming a Christian- it was so cool to see him and celebrate that with him.
my ministry time was half spent helping out the Summer Project, and half spent reconnecting with old students. i spent my first Monday and Tuesday re-acclimating, unpacking, etc. Wednesday i went to ICU High School with the Summer Project. many of the students i'd been friends with had graduated, and there were many new freshmen to meet. Thursday i went to Waseda with the team- i was pleasantly surprised to see that the JCru staff and a few students + the Summer Project had begun an English lunchtime on Thursdays at Waseda. it became an awesome place to invite students and connect them with staff, and of course, they wanted to meet students from America so i got to introduce them to the Summer Project.
on Friday we hosted a huge "American BBQ" for the ICU High School students in a park in Mitaka. we played games, ate hot dogs and "banana boats," and got to have spiritual conversations and share the Gospel with several of them. it was so encouraging to see how the ICU High School ministry has grown over the past few years- when I came on my Summer Project, it had just begun, and now it's a full-fledged ministry! praise God!
on Saturday i went back to Odori Samurai practice for the first time. it was so fun to surprise people (most of them had no idea i was back in Japan), and really nice to be back in the Odori Samurai environment. unfortunately it was also a bit frustrating since i couldn't dance, and while i was in Hawaii they learned their new dance for 2012 (they create one new dance a year), and not gonna lie, i really wanted to learn it. it was frustrating to have to watch from the front and not be able to learn it. but it was still nice to be back.
i think the most frustrating thing about Japan was/is the state of my knee. not being able to dance, or play soccer, or even little things like having to search for elevators or escalators at train stations (some don't have them, and stairs are a rather big challenge) or not being able to run to catch a train, so if i miss it i just have to wait for the next one (some trains only come once every 15-20 minutes) -- it's difficult to not be frustrated, to not think about "what if?" i know God's plans are perfect though, and it's easier to have a better mindset now that i can walk without crutches. the first week was pretty rough. but every time i started feeling sorry for myself, i would see someone in a wheelchair with one leg, or someone with a twisted leg on crutches, and i would stop and apologize to God, since at least my injury is temporary.
and on that note, i end my first week in Japan. more to come! and now for pictures:
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| my room in Koenji |
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| Summer Project students sharing their testimonies in ICU High School classes |
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| small group discussion in ICU High School classroom |
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| worship at Thursday night Student Impact meeting |
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| ICU High School picnic |
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| getting ready for the relay race at ICU High School picnic |
Sunday, July 1, 2012
CruOhana
some of my favorite pictures with my 2011-12 Pacific Islands STINT team.
Fellowship Forever. a hui hou.
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| STINT Briefing 2011- where it all began |
 hanging at the Matsuis cabin in the mountains  | ||
| the girls at Richardson's Beach, Hilo |
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| the girls again |
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first team picture on the Big Island
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| Green Sands Beach on St. Paddy's Day |
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| Band Picture #1, Volcano National Park |
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| Band Picture #2 |
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| the airport. we spent a lot of time here. |
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| first time surfing at Waikiki Beach |
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| Akaka Falls |
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| Mauna Kea |
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| The Hunger Games |
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| the British bunny brothers |
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| Hilo Coffee Mill, in front of a cacao tree |
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| The Avengers |
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| Asian family portrait with our adopted white sister on the beach in Maui |
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| last Pacific Islands STINT picture...i love you all so much |
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STINT 2011-12
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Memories of Paradise
some pictures of the islands.
aloha mau loa, a hui hou.
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The Shire- our home
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first time in Kona
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| palm tree sprouting out of a coconut in a volcanic field |
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| the south side of the island, on the way to Green Sands Beach |
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driving down the highway, the ocean all around us
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| paddleboarding for the first time in Hilo Bay |
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| sunset over Waikaloa |
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| beach in Kona |
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| my first experience with vana (sea urchins) |
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sunset over Kona
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Akaka Falls
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the top of the world, Mauna Kea
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| Lanai Island |
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| snorkling point #3 of Lanai |
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| hula dancers in the sunset on Maui |
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| a luau in Maui |
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| sunset over Maui, looking at Lanai in the distance |
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Waipio Valley
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| The Hi Life |
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| Pacific Islands STINT 2011-12 (Maui) |
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