Well, I've never written a blog before, nor have I ever thought blogs were a cool idea, but with all the requests I'm getting to "Keep us updated so we can pray for you," perhaps a blog is a good idea. I do appreciate and NEED the prayers. Plus, now everyone can stalk me and see what I'm doing in Yokohama, Japan.
No, don't worry, I am not actually out of the country yet. I am still in tiny, little Paw Paw until August 24th when my mom and I fly out. She is so great--she's coming with to help me get set up and adjusted to the different lifestyle over there. We better hope I make all my cultural faux pas while she's there for correction so I don't embarass myself any further.
At this point, we are at a countdown until take-off--26 more days. I just retured from our Ecumenical Mission Personnel Orientation in Chicago where the Reformed Church in America, the denomination that I am volunteering with, met with mission personnel of other denominations such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), Episcopal Church (USA), and the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps (Catholic). I met some great people, some of whom will be going to Japan [shout-outs to Dana, Lizzie, Doug & Sue, and Don & Akiko], as well as friends from RCA going to Hungary [yeah for Trazy and Jeff]. We've already discussed plans to visit one another. :)
Just in case you're wondering exactly what I'll be doing in Japan, here it is. I will be teaching Conversational English at Ferris Jr/Sr Girls' School, a prestigious private school in Yokohama. My class sizes will be relatively small in comparison to the grammatical English classes--I've been told about 25 students?? We'll see. My apartment is within a five-minute walk from the school in a building called the Greenhouse. The second floor will be my apartment, and the first floor is like a youth center where we can gather to socialize, hold Bible studies, etc. I'm still unsure as to exactly what we do there, but I will find out soon.
Well, now you know the same amount of details that I know as well, which is not very much. That has been the greatest thing about this new chapter in life: I have been taken on this rollercoaster ride in which I don't know where the turns or drops will occur, and yet I still have complete confidence that at the end, I will arrive safely. I can look back and see exactly where those turns and drops occured, and it is at that point that it all makes sense. The Lord works in wonderful ways and I love not knowing what is in store for me--the people I'll meet and the places I'll go.
