In the Middle

Hi Everyone,

I have a new blog address, so please come visit me there!  www.lorainjapan.wordpress.com

Thanks,

Lora

On Monday I returned from a two-day trip to Lexington, KY.  My friend from Japan was visiting, and though I had visited with her the previous weekend in Knoxville, I took the opportunity to make the short trip and visit with her once more before she returns to Japan.  

I was surprised by the opportunity to join her for a dinner party and meet several other Japanese who have migrated to the U.S. through their companies.  I was one of two who could not speak Japanese at the party, and my kindred spirit left early.  I was surprised by how different it feels to be a minority here in the U.S. verses in Japan, or to be alone in that instead of with a team.  Most of the night by head moved back and forth like someone watching a tennis match as I listened to the conversation and then to my friend translating the best she could.  This allowed me to follow the conversation, a few lines delayed, even if I couldn’t participate.  As I sat there in silence, I realized that this will be what my life is like soon.  Very surreal!

Though I felt more than a little awkward at times, the evening was a great chance to take in Japanese culture, meet new friends, and build on the relationship between my new friend and I.  I even had the opportunity to talk to her a little bit about why I want to go to Japan.  

As I was driving to Lexington and realizing that I wasn’t exactly sure when or where I would meet my friend, or how long we would meet (these sort of details can be difficult to air out with a language barrier), I offered all the unknowns up to God and asked Him to use the time as He would.  What an answer!  I even got to meet some people at the party from Osaka, who were very excited to learn I had been there last summer.  ”That’s where I’m from!”  ”Good choice!”  They said.  I imagine I’ll get that excited if I ever run into anyone in Japan who has visited Tennessee :)

I don’t have any news on the Visa situation.  Please keep praying for God to provide a sponsor in Japan.

Other prayer points:

-Those in the Blount County area probably heard about Tanner Jameson, the 13 year old boy who died unexpectedly last Friday while he was playing basketball.  I had the privilege of taking care of Tanner and his brother several years ago when I worked at after school daycare.  Please pray for this family, that they would call out to the Lord in their pain, and that He would comfort them as only He can.

-Please continue to lift up my financial support.  At almost 50%, I feel like I’m sitting on a fence and ready to swing the other leg over.

-Also please pray for a heart of submission and trust in God’s perfect timing and provision

-Pray for safe travel and a time of rest and encouragement for my family and I as we head out for vacation on Sunday

-Praise God for you, the people who have given your time, encouragement, prayers, and finances.  God is using you to encourage me  when I need it most, so thank you.

-Praise Him for this opportunity to go to the people of Japan!

-Please pray for my teammates – the Huddlestons and David who are in Japan now – for God to use them as they offer themselves up to Him, and for Elisabeth who is here continuing to raise support – pray for God’s provision for her so she can get there as soon as He says ‘Go’.

Thank you for going with me,

Lora

P.S. Please let me know how I can pray for you too!

Hi everyone.

I got some news today regarding the process of getting my Visa and wanted to share it and ask for your prayers. In order to be granted a missionary Visa in Japan, you have to be sponsored by a Christian organization.  My teammates and I were pursuing this sponsorship from the same organization that granted theirs. Yesterday, however, they were notified that this would not happen. The organization has decided it is too much of a risk to sponsor someone they have never met.
Because we were banking on this, this news comes as a surprise. We aren’t sure who will fill this role now.  My teammates have been very encouraging, helping me keep in mind that this is part of God’s timing and plan. This is a discouraging bump in the road, but that is all it is. I will continue moving forward on this end, as Chad and Jennifer graciously manage the burden of things in Japan. Please pray for God to lead us to who He would have sponsor me and my other teammate, Elisabeth.

Thank you for praying with me,

Lora

Dear friends,

Just a quick post to update you all on the happenings of June so far.  Last week I got an e-mail from my teammates in Japan informing me that the organization we have asked to sponser myself and Elisabeth in order to get our Visas has called and requested more information. Thankfully Chad and Jennifer were able to respond quickly (in Japanese!) and give them more details.  Would you please spend a few moments praying for the results of that meeting? Pray that we would hear back from the organization that they are willing to sponser us. This is an important step in getting our Visas so we can enter the country when it is time without worrying about having to leave again in three months for further processing. Pray God would work out the details and timing of this to His will. 

David, my friend and team’s summer intern in Japan, has been settling in for about two weeks now.  He says his schedule has filled quickly.  Please pray for the people he will be meeting this summer, and for how God will use him and grow him in a new season of ministry.  This is his first time being there without other teammates.  Pray God would spur him on and encourage him as he needs.

Some other things to pray for:

• For my relationship with Jesus to grow, and for a humble heart before him
• For this season to build and strengthen relationships with friends and family before the time comes to say goodbye.
• For my teammates (Elisabeth, Chad, and Jennifer)
• I am purchasing health insurance for my remaining time here before leaving.  Pray I would find an affordable plan that will best meet my needs.
• For Japan!  That I would have God’s burdens and visions for His people.

Please also join me in thanking God for new pledged support this past week, moving the monthly percentage up to 46%!  He is achieving this obstacle bit by bit!

Thank you again for using your time to stay updated and pray for me.  I love hearing from you, so please let me know how you’re doing and how I can pray for you too!

-Lora

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.”  -Oswald Chambers

Hi Everyone,

I hope each of you are well and enjoying the warmth of this season.  Since I’ve been back home, I’ve been staying busy by babysitting for two families and continuing to work towards being fully prepared to leave for Japan. With the help of my teammates in there, I’ve begun the steps of getting a Visa. Because it is such a lengthy process, they have advised me it is best to start now and have everything ready to proceed once we have a departure date in mind.

The question I hear most is, “when will you leave?” As much as I wish I could give a date with flight information, I don’t have a specific answer… yet!  That being said, I am praying about October. This is when language schools begin new semesters. Language school will be my first endeavor once I arrive in Japan, so this seems like a good goal to set. Please be in prayer about this with me.

Other points of petition:
-Praise God for special gifts given that will contribute to one-time expenses (and thank you for giving!)
-Praise Him for an unexpected visit with a good friend this past weekend.
-Pray that God would lead me to more people who would be a part of taking the Gospel to Japan by partnering with me through prayer and giving
-Pray for my teammates
-Pray for a friend in Japan who is a believer and struggling to accept God’s grace.

Thank you for your faithfulness in praying.  Please drop me a line and tell me how I can pray for you too.

Love,

Lora

Quote for thought: “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” -Dr. Seuss

Saturday I packed up everything and headed home from CIT, saying goodbye to good friends and a season of growth and transformation that is unparalleled in my life.  I am sad that it is over, and thankful for God’s kindness to give me this time of preparation for the things He is calling me to do, as well as who He is calling me to be.  

In the weeks since my last update (again, too many!), I took three other modules: Second Language Acquisition, Effective Teams and Team Leaders, and Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills.  During Second Language Acquisition, I met two families who are also preparing to go to Japan.  Then, as I shared in my last newsletter, I was able to reconnect with a couple I met in Japan last summer.  It was a great encouragement to spend time with them and learn from them.  God gives so many good things!

Brian, Yoko, and I pointing to our (new for me) home on a world map in our classroom

If you are on facebook, you can check out other photos from my time at CIT and see some of the faces that are going around the world.

Thank you for your continued interest, support, and encouragement.  Thank you also for your patience during the past few months, as I’ve not updated and communicated as often as I had been.  

Please pray for:

• My adjustment back to life in TN
• That my dependence on God would increase for all things
• For God’s provision of more people to come alongside financially and through prayer.  Pray specifically for The Journey Church in Fernandina Beach, FL who I was able to contact last week about some sort of partnership – pray for God’s plan in this.
• For God’s wisdom as my teammates and I think about language school options and setting a departure goal
• For West Towne Christian Church in Knoxville, TN – for God’s provision for all their needs.  Praise God for the encouragement and support they have already demonstrated

Please feel free to share the happenings of your life with me, prayer needs and praises, or to contact me for further information on how things are progressing.

Thanks!

I finished my first class (Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life & Ministry) here at CIT last Thursday. We covered a list of 25 topics in a period of five weeks. But it was more than classroom learning. We had small groups and life together outside of class, making it a time of learning by immersion. I’ll be processing the content of this class for a while. Thankfully, the staff has provided the course material on small, easy to pack disk so I can bring it with me to Japan.

Speaking of Japan, as time goes on, my heart grows in excitement and anticipation for moving there daily. I look forward to being there with the people, doing the work God has called me to.

Yesterday we started our second class: Second Language Acquisition. This is not geared specifically at Japanese, but is geared towards the attitude and tools needed to learn a second language. Today we practiced phonetics. Interesting point: the human vocal apparatus is capable of making more than 700 sounds. In English we only use 44. These exercises are geared at beginning to bridge this gap, which will make pronouncing the words of a new language more accurate.

There has been a splendid emphasis on how learning a language is a ministry as we seek to empty ourselves and become like the people we are going to. The best language learners are children; unafraid and humble, willing to make mistakes and have fun learning. As children of God, we can be terrific language learners! It is part of how God has created us!

Japanese phrase for you: Shu wa subarashii! God is so good!

One of my new friends here from CIT invited me to go with her to visit some friends in Florida last weekend!  We traveled to St. Augustine on Thursday and returned on Sunday.  It was a nice time to get away after such an intensive class.  I had a great time with these new friends.  A few months ago I was thinking about the beach and how much I love it (I could stare at the ocean for hours!), and I asked God if I could go before leaving for Japan.  He answered, and in a way I couldn’t have predicted!  

Prayer Needs:
-Praise God for His presence and reformation during this time.
-Pray for 2 friends who have sicknesses in their families
-Thank God for His love for all peoples of the world, and that we can be a part of that on this side of heaven
-Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance with the material and time here at training
-Pray for wisdom and clarity regarding a timeline for departure for me and Elisabeth, my teammate, as well as for God’s provision for the rest of our budgets
-The Huddlestons

Hi from Union Mills, North Carolina! I arrived here around 5:00 on Tuesday, and was welcomed by the friendly faces of the CIT staff. I didn’t have much time to get settled before I needed to be back up in front of the cafeteria for our first activity – drawing a map of the world with chalk in the parking lot. I’m glad this was a group effort, because my lack of knowledge in world geography came through!

As of now, I am scheduled to be here for six weeks of class. The classes included in this time are Equipping for Cross-cultural Ministry and Language Acquisition.

It has already entered my mind that I might like to stay on for further training. There will be four more weeks of training beyond the six I have signed up for, and these will include courses on Sharpening your Interpersonal Skills, Effective Teams and Team Leaders, and TESL (Teaching English as a second language). I think all could be very valuable in my ministry, and have desired to take a TESL class since returning from Japan. Deciding to stay would mean a need for additional money, and throw a hitch in ‘my’ timeline for support raising. I desire to arrive in Japan in God’s time and to be as ready as possible for effective ministry. Please pray for wisdom and provision regarding whether to stay on.

Additional prayers and praises:
-Join me in thanking God for His goodness in providing a time and place to focus on nothing but Him for an extended period of time and prepare for the work that He is giving.
-Two friends invited me to write to their church and volunteered to bridge the gap for me. Join me in thanking God (and Melissa & Seth!) for this, and pray for how The Journey of Fernandina Beach, FL may partner with me.
-While I am at CIT, support raising will be at a minimum. Please pray for God’s provision beyond what I can imagine so that I can arrive on Japan soil soon after I complete the training
-Please pray for my teammate Elisabeth as she continues support raising, and for the Huddlestons as they carry on the work God has given them there in Japan.
-Pray for our friends and family in the church there, and for those who don’t yet know Jesus!

Always feel free to drop me a line and let me know what is going on in your life and how I can pray for you.

“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:17-19

This makes me think of another Shane and Shane song.  Are you surprised?  It’s called Bad Days, and the last lines are:

Bad days are coming.
Rainy days are always around.
But if I can see you, just one glance upon you, the sun comes out.

I’m dancing in all the rain.
Cause you make bad days better

I would like to say thank you and welcome to the new partners through prayer and financial giving!  I pray for how God will use us together in this journey.

This week will be a busy one.   I plan to speak with a youth group this Wednesday, which will be fun and a little nerve racking.  Please pray for God to use this time as He desires, and for words that can encourage the high schoolers.

I’ll also be working on wrapping up some things before I leave next week for CIT.  I would love to meet with a couple of potential supporters before I leave, and I need to send some copies of my diplomas to Japan so they will be there when the visa stuff begins to develop.  Thank you to Chad and Jennifer, for leading the way in this process!    Please pray for God’s timing in all these matters.

Prayers of thanksgiving:

The opportunity to meet the Missions Committee at West Towne Christian Church and their decision to commission me and send me out!

One new monthly supporter!

God’s constant love and call to serve Him

The wedding of Kazu and Yuko, two friends in Japan who met through Be One

Please share with me how I can pray for you!

Love and Blessings,

Lora

I’m looking out the window to a white ground as the snow continues to fall. It’s beautiful. The last time it snowed, I had a brief conversation with my friend about whether each snow flake is really different from all the others.

Today as I took notice of the snow, I thought about that conversation that lasted maybe 30 seconds. Today I was more intrigued. I even googled the question. Most sources said it is true – no two snow flakes can be exactly alike. The one source that disagreed  said that while no two flakes are the same, smaller bits of ice can be the same. So it seems that for the original question, whether snowflakes can be the same – the answer is still no.

This caused me to think of God’s creativity. How interesting and wonderful that in something as fleeting as a snowflake He has demonstrated how unending He is.

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:3-5