Well, I just finished my first day of work. I didn’t even know I was going to work this morning. Surprise. I feel like that will be happening quite often the next few weeks and months.
We left the hotel in Tokyo at 9 in the morning. Our flight was delayed and we didn’t leave until 11:40. After going through a ridiculous process to get our luggage and to the meeting room, I met my boss Jun and my predecessor Steve around 1:30. Three trains and 5.5 hours later, we were picked up at Shibecha station by the mayor. All three men came to my house. The mayor helped me make my bed while the other two made sure things were in order so I could settle in. Around 8, my boss and I walked to his house down the street to have dinner with his wife and son. They decided I needed food, so they drove me to the 7-11 to buy breakfast. I got home sometime around 11 and passed out. My boss rang the doorbell at 8:40 this morning wearing a suit, and I was dressed in jeans with a sweater. Little did I know, today was my first day of work.
We tried to get my paperwork taken care of, but ran into some difficulties due to the size of our village. Things will just take a little longer than expected, but that’s alright by me. Not like anything is happening right now anyways.
I wish I had taken some pictures during our 5.5 hour train ride. We pulled away from the station and it turned into green. It was like a movie scene. Fields of green waving in the wind and hills lined with giant trees. The train wove through the forest of trees with the fog lurking between trunks. Then we burst out of the forest and we’re suddenly at the ocean and I watched the waves pound the shores before we headed back inland into a sea of green waves. The clouds were amazing and as the sun set it literally looked like the sky was on fire. In all of my sunsets, that was probably my favorite. Through it all, I could feel God and I could hear Him whispering, “I’m still with you and I am still good and you are still mine.” It was the most peace I’ve had in a long time.
Shibecha is nothing like I expected it to be. It’s like a real place. There is definitely more than one street. And there are convenient stores. Oddly enough, there’s a tiny golf course between my house and the office. The recreation center is massive and fairly new. It’s gorgeous. It feels like home.
I got my “new” car today. My boss drove me to the shop to pick it up during lunch. Then he told me I was free to eat lunch at home (which worked out fine because I didn’t bring any food with me to work). I sat in the car and stared blankly for a while. I had no idea how to get home from the shop. I had no idea how to drive a manual car sitting on the right side. So he led me home and watched me stall as I tried to pull into my driveway (it’s an extremely skinny street and a giant bump to get into the driveway). I decided to drive around the neighborhood during my lunch break and definitely almost got hit by a car in an intersection. It was enough adventure for the day, so I parked the car at home and walked back to work. I did manage to drive to the home store and super market after work…in the dark and in the rain. WIN!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Life begins...tomorrow
Today was another day of seminars. Seminars on how to play games with small children and incorporate English. Seminars on how to take social cues from your boss and coworkers. Seminars on how to drive in Japan without getting arrested. Seminars on what to do if you are arrested. All the fun stuff we needed to know before we're shipped off tomorrow.
My friend and I went to a seminar today called "How to Thrive as a Rural JET." We were hearing about how sometimes it takes an hour to get to the nearest grocery store. How there are no streetlights (just like PV haha). What to do when you hear air raid sirens at 6:30 every morning. I looked over and I saw huge tears welling up. Then deep breaths. We walked out and I asked if she was okay. She said she just needed the deep breaths. We just stood and stared out the window of the 43rd floor over Tokyo--our Japan.
So far, the Hokkaido JETs have all sympathized together. We banded together under the banner "We're moving to the middle of nowhere and no one in our village will speak English and I'm absolutely terrified." We've clung together because of that commonality. But tomorrow we'll get on our plane, land in Sapporo, and then be dispersed. No cell phone numbers to exchange. No internet access for the next couple of weeks. That'll be the scary part.
They said we should have internet sometime between 2 weeks and a month from when we get to our new homes. So until I get internet at home, I won't be able to update. But I'll be okay. Trust God to take care of me the same way I'll be trusting Him to hold my hand on the plane ride and long car ride to my new life tomorrow. He promised He'd hold me in His righteous right hand. I'll hold onto that promise because my God doesn't go back on His promises. My God doesn't change. My God holds the whole world in His hand. And tomorrow I can trust Him to hold me and comfort me all the way to Shibecha.
My friend and I went to a seminar today called "How to Thrive as a Rural JET." We were hearing about how sometimes it takes an hour to get to the nearest grocery store. How there are no streetlights (just like PV haha). What to do when you hear air raid sirens at 6:30 every morning. I looked over and I saw huge tears welling up. Then deep breaths. We walked out and I asked if she was okay. She said she just needed the deep breaths. We just stood and stared out the window of the 43rd floor over Tokyo--our Japan.
So far, the Hokkaido JETs have all sympathized together. We banded together under the banner "We're moving to the middle of nowhere and no one in our village will speak English and I'm absolutely terrified." We've clung together because of that commonality. But tomorrow we'll get on our plane, land in Sapporo, and then be dispersed. No cell phone numbers to exchange. No internet access for the next couple of weeks. That'll be the scary part.
They said we should have internet sometime between 2 weeks and a month from when we get to our new homes. So until I get internet at home, I won't be able to update. But I'll be okay. Trust God to take care of me the same way I'll be trusting Him to hold my hand on the plane ride and long car ride to my new life tomorrow. He promised He'd hold me in His righteous right hand. I'll hold onto that promise because my God doesn't go back on His promises. My God doesn't change. My God holds the whole world in His hand. And tomorrow I can trust Him to hold me and comfort me all the way to Shibecha.
Monday, July 26, 2010
USA<-->NEW USA
Just a funny picture I thought I'd upload since I had time. We saw it while waiting to board our bus from Narita Airport to the hotel. While standing outside in the Tokyo humidity for an hour in suits after sitting on a plane for 10.5 hours, we all joked about jumping on the USA bus to New USA...wherever that might be. We decided New USA definitely did not have ridiculous humidity and stiff business dress codes.
On to more updating...
We have been in seminars and lectures since 9 this morning. I also didn't sleep last night as noted in my last blog. I also didn't have a venti Starbucks to accompany my lectures and seminars. I don't know how much of anything I was supposed to learn today will actually go with me to Shibecha. Everything they've taught us has been fairly common sense. For example, if you have multiple schools, get folders for each school to keep organized and remember which days you go to which schools. However, the strangest thing I've learned is why I do the things I do. They always say, "Well, you see in Japan, they do things like this." And I sit there thinking to myself, "Well, that's how I do things in America." I've realized that being Japanese American has its perks. There are certain things we apparently just do. I've met a handful of JA JETs, and the conclusion is that JA JETs are awesome because we already know what to do...because we're awesome. But that also could've been the lack of sleep speaking.
Tomorrow is another full day of seminars and workshops. Wednesday morning, the rest of the Hokkaido JETs and I will be flying to Sapporo to be scattered across our island. Exciting and terrifying at the same time. It's been nice to know other Hokkaido JETs who will also be living in tiny remote villages. It's terrifying to know that we will all soon be spread apart...very far. But praise God for Skype and trains and cars!
After our Welcome Reception this evening, a couple of the guys and I went over to Shinjuku Station to find Mr. Donut. I love Mr. Donut. They were joking that Mr. Donut is all I've talked about since we got on the plane at LAX. It quite possibly is true. We took a cab, walked around in the rain, and got lost before we got our Mr. Donut. Oh, did I mention we were still in our suits in 85F degree thunderstorm weather? Yeah, Mr. Donut is that worth it. We bought our donuts and walked back in the rain. And we each went to our rooms while everyone else downstairs was ready to go karaoke. I came upstairs in the quietness of my room to enjoy the AC and my Angel Cream Mr. Donut.
Walking around Shinjuku felt like home. It didn't feel weird or unusual to be walking around the world's largest train station looking for a donut shop in business suits. The sight of all the lit up stores was familiar. The sound of the trains rattling above was familiar. The smell of wet asphalt and cigarette smoke and all kinds of delicious food aromas combined was familiar. The feel of Tokyo summer stickiness was familiar. It almost felt like I was back at home. I suppose it hasn't really sunk in yet that I'm starting my new life in Japan. Perhaps it's because Tokyo still feels like...Japan. It still feels normal to be here. But I'm sure come Wednesday, when the bright lights and noisy trains and sticky humidity fade into the background, I'll realize I'm not "in Japan" as I have always perceived it to be. And until then, I don't think I'll realize that my new life has started. I'll thank God for my Mr. Donut tonight and for the chance to "be at home" again...even if it's just for tonight.
God is...AMAZING!
So I'm here...in Tokyo. I haven't slept. We have a full day ahead of us. But God is too good. You think I'm joking. I probably should've slept the entire plane ride over to keep myself from crying. But God is too good. I probably should've crashed as soon as we got to the hotel and cried myself to sleep. But God is too good. I probably should've been sleeping at 4:30 this morning. But God is too good.
I walked through the airport security lines yesterday with my eyes all bleary with tears. I tried not to look like a buffoon with all my luggage in the security line and crying and whatnot. I tried to stay composed. I saw 3 of my friends from orientation, all with red and puffy eyes. I looked around, and everyone had red puffy eyes. We sat there for an hour already homesick in LAX. We talked about how as soon as we got on the plane we were going to sleep, wake up and cry, and then fall back asleep. We all boarded the plane together...and all got split apart.
I sit next to a little Asian guy. He introduces himself. Gabriel. So we start talking about where we're going (the usual conversation starter for JETs). He starts talking about church. I ask if he's a Christian. He is (Praise God!). We spent the next 10.5 hours talking about our faith and sharing our testimonies and praying over the upcoming year. AMAZING. God is too good.
Then we get off the plane, and my uncle is standing there at the exit. SURPRISE! God is too good.
I couldn't sleep. Kept tossing and turning. Kept thinking it was already time to wake up. I got up at 4:30 and there was an amazing sunrise over the skyline. And I was reminded that God is still God. The same God I met every morning at 5:30 in Webb Towers. The same God I met all those times at the cliffs. God is too good.
I walked through the airport security lines yesterday with my eyes all bleary with tears. I tried not to look like a buffoon with all my luggage in the security line and crying and whatnot. I tried to stay composed. I saw 3 of my friends from orientation, all with red and puffy eyes. I looked around, and everyone had red puffy eyes. We sat there for an hour already homesick in LAX. We talked about how as soon as we got on the plane we were going to sleep, wake up and cry, and then fall back asleep. We all boarded the plane together...and all got split apart.
I sit next to a little Asian guy. He introduces himself. Gabriel. So we start talking about where we're going (the usual conversation starter for JETs). He starts talking about church. I ask if he's a Christian. He is (Praise God!). We spent the next 10.5 hours talking about our faith and sharing our testimonies and praying over the upcoming year. AMAZING. God is too good.
Then we get off the plane, and my uncle is standing there at the exit. SURPRISE! God is too good.
I couldn't sleep. Kept tossing and turning. Kept thinking it was already time to wake up. I got up at 4:30 and there was an amazing sunrise over the skyline. And I was reminded that God is still God. The same God I met every morning at 5:30 in Webb Towers. The same God I met all those times at the cliffs. God is too good.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Time to be honest...
I haven't slept well in days. I think in the quietness and darkness of my room at home I realize the loneliness that exists. For the past four years, I've shared a room with someone, maybe not someone I knew well, but someone nonetheless. The last few nights when I've been lying in bed and it's just me and the dark silence, I cry. Not because I'm scared of the dark, but because I'm scared of being alone. I'm beginning to realize that being alone is going to be a very real reality in just a few short days.
So last night, I really couldn't sleep. I literally laid in my bed at home and cried for a good hour. Not wanting to leave the assured company of my friends, my sisters. I ended up having this text conversation with one of my dear sisters:
Me: "Yeah, the loneliness is definitely the scariest part. I keep thinking about how alone it is going to feel & it freaks me out. I don't want to leave my community. It's so hard to trust God to provide that when I'm moving to the middle of nowhere with no people."
Her: "Mmm hmmm. And leaving such a great community. He's taking you into a new season. Be brave, be bold, cry. Skype when you can, and always be prayerful above all."
So last night, I cried. I cried to God for the first time about the whole ordeal. And in the midst of it all, I realized why it hurt so bad to be leaving them. I trusted them more than I trusted God. I put my relationships with my sisters above my relationship with God.
There's that worship song, Only You Can Satisfy, and it says, "To live for Christ I first must die to all the rivals in my life." I let my relationships with other people govern my relationship with God. I have to trust that God is going to maintain those relationships that are supposed to last and I have to thank God for letting me have those relationships in my life up to this point. So last night I laid down all those relationships at the foot of the cross. I told Him I was willing to follow Him no matter what the cost. And if those relationships are getting in the way of me being obedient to His calling, then I need to surrender those at the cross.
God, I said I'd follow You. I said I'd lay down my life at Your feet. I'l lay down my community at the foot of the cross. I thank You for blessing my life with those relationships. I thank You for surrounding me with people who love You and make me want to love You more. I thank You for the time I've been able to physically be with them. I thank You for putting skin on when I needed it the most. But these relationships are now Yours. And I'll leave them behind at the foot of the cross. These are Your daughters. I have to trust that You'll take better care of them than I do. I have to trust that You'll take better care of me than they do. God, You give and You take away. You give and You take away. My heart will choose to say, "Lord, blessed be Your name."
You are stronger. Sin is broken. You have saved me. It is written, Christ is risen. Jesus, You are Lord of all.
To live for Christ I first must die to all the rivals in my life. Only You can satisfy.
At the cross I bow my knee where Your blood was shed for me. There's no greater love than this. You have overcome the grave. Glory fills the highest place. What can seperate me now?
Sin has lost its power. Death has lost its sting. From the grave You've risen victoriously.
My Savior loves. My Savior lives. My Savior is always there for me. My God He was. My God He is. My God He's always going to be.
Oh, no, You never let go through the calm and through the storm. Oh, no, Lord, You never let go of me.
I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see. Because this broken road prepares Your will for me.
So last night, I really couldn't sleep. I literally laid in my bed at home and cried for a good hour. Not wanting to leave the assured company of my friends, my sisters. I ended up having this text conversation with one of my dear sisters:
Me: "Yeah, the loneliness is definitely the scariest part. I keep thinking about how alone it is going to feel & it freaks me out. I don't want to leave my community. It's so hard to trust God to provide that when I'm moving to the middle of nowhere with no people."
Her: "Mmm hmmm. And leaving such a great community. He's taking you into a new season. Be brave, be bold, cry. Skype when you can, and always be prayerful above all."
So last night, I cried. I cried to God for the first time about the whole ordeal. And in the midst of it all, I realized why it hurt so bad to be leaving them. I trusted them more than I trusted God. I put my relationships with my sisters above my relationship with God.
There's that worship song, Only You Can Satisfy, and it says, "To live for Christ I first must die to all the rivals in my life." I let my relationships with other people govern my relationship with God. I have to trust that God is going to maintain those relationships that are supposed to last and I have to thank God for letting me have those relationships in my life up to this point. So last night I laid down all those relationships at the foot of the cross. I told Him I was willing to follow Him no matter what the cost. And if those relationships are getting in the way of me being obedient to His calling, then I need to surrender those at the cross.
God, I said I'd follow You. I said I'd lay down my life at Your feet. I'l lay down my community at the foot of the cross. I thank You for blessing my life with those relationships. I thank You for surrounding me with people who love You and make me want to love You more. I thank You for the time I've been able to physically be with them. I thank You for putting skin on when I needed it the most. But these relationships are now Yours. And I'll leave them behind at the foot of the cross. These are Your daughters. I have to trust that You'll take better care of them than I do. I have to trust that You'll take better care of me than they do. God, You give and You take away. You give and You take away. My heart will choose to say, "Lord, blessed be Your name."
You are stronger. Sin is broken. You have saved me. It is written, Christ is risen. Jesus, You are Lord of all.
To live for Christ I first must die to all the rivals in my life. Only You can satisfy.
At the cross I bow my knee where Your blood was shed for me. There's no greater love than this. You have overcome the grave. Glory fills the highest place. What can seperate me now?
Sin has lost its power. Death has lost its sting. From the grave You've risen victoriously.
My Savior loves. My Savior lives. My Savior is always there for me. My God He was. My God He is. My God He's always going to be.
Oh, no, You never let go through the calm and through the storm. Oh, no, Lord, You never let go of me.
I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see. Because this broken road prepares Your will for me.
Friday, July 16, 2010
The single-digit countdown begins!
COUNTDOWN: 9 days
In 4 years of living away from home, I've managed to accumulate lots of...stuff. Free t-shirts. Random giveaways that have random company logos on them. Cups. Sweatshirts that aren't mine. Sweats that aren't mine. Unclaimed socks. Unread books. But today, I'm packing it all up into boxes and taking them back to my parents' house. It's hard to decide what to keep and what to throw away. But at some point, you have to let things go.
I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I'm leaving in 9 days and I still need to move out of my apartment and pack my bags and say my goodbyes. It's a strange thing to be moving...let alone to another country. For the past 4 years, I've lived next door or shared an apartment or around the corner from friends. And now, I'm moving to a village where I don't know anyone. It's going to be an adjustment to say the least.
While I'm packing my college life up in boxes, it's crazy to look back and see how much things have changed in 4 years. How different of a person I am now that I'm saying goodbye to South Central than when I first came here 4 years ago. Maybe that's a good thing. There are days when I doubt that God knows what He's doing and I ask Him if He's sure that Shibecha is where I'm supposed to be going. But I can look back at these past 4 years and know that God had everything planned perfectly. That everything happened in His perfect timing, not mine. So while I hate to only have 9 days left with my friends and family in LA, I know that leaving in 9 days is part of His perfect timing, even if I wish I didn't have to say goodbye so soon. And I know that there will be days when I'm going to doubt God's plan for me being in Shibecha or me being away from my friends and family, but I have to remember that God is God and I am not.
The God that got me through freshman year and finally broke me sophomore year is the same God going with me to Shibecha. The God that got me through my sophomore year and ridiculous junior year is the same God going with me to Shibecha. The God that got me through senior year is the same God going with me to Shibecha. My God promised He'd never leave me nor forsake. My God promised He would go before me. My God promised to hold me by His right hand and to keep me. My God doesn't go back on His promises...ever. I can rest assured of His promises because His promises never fail.
In 4 years of living away from home, I've managed to accumulate lots of...stuff. Free t-shirts. Random giveaways that have random company logos on them. Cups. Sweatshirts that aren't mine. Sweats that aren't mine. Unclaimed socks. Unread books. But today, I'm packing it all up into boxes and taking them back to my parents' house. It's hard to decide what to keep and what to throw away. But at some point, you have to let things go.
I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I'm leaving in 9 days and I still need to move out of my apartment and pack my bags and say my goodbyes. It's a strange thing to be moving...let alone to another country. For the past 4 years, I've lived next door or shared an apartment or around the corner from friends. And now, I'm moving to a village where I don't know anyone. It's going to be an adjustment to say the least.
While I'm packing my college life up in boxes, it's crazy to look back and see how much things have changed in 4 years. How different of a person I am now that I'm saying goodbye to South Central than when I first came here 4 years ago. Maybe that's a good thing. There are days when I doubt that God knows what He's doing and I ask Him if He's sure that Shibecha is where I'm supposed to be going. But I can look back at these past 4 years and know that God had everything planned perfectly. That everything happened in His perfect timing, not mine. So while I hate to only have 9 days left with my friends and family in LA, I know that leaving in 9 days is part of His perfect timing, even if I wish I didn't have to say goodbye so soon. And I know that there will be days when I'm going to doubt God's plan for me being in Shibecha or me being away from my friends and family, but I have to remember that God is God and I am not.
The God that got me through freshman year and finally broke me sophomore year is the same God going with me to Shibecha. The God that got me through my sophomore year and ridiculous junior year is the same God going with me to Shibecha. The God that got me through senior year is the same God going with me to Shibecha. My God promised He'd never leave me nor forsake. My God promised He would go before me. My God promised to hold me by His right hand and to keep me. My God doesn't go back on His promises...ever. I can rest assured of His promises because His promises never fail.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The 2 week countdown begins!
Oh man...I'm leaving in two weeks. TWO WEEKS! WHAT THE NUTS?!
I'm a pretty scared, little anxious, and super excited. Let me expand on those a little more.
What is Kari pretty scared of about going to Japan?
I'm the ONLY English speaker in my village (did I mention I'm moving to a village?).
I'm an hour away from the nearest town (again, did I mention I'm moving to a village?).
I'm four hours away from the nearest city (I'M MOVING TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE).
Why is Kari a little anxious about going to Japan?
There's a 16-hour time difference if I want to Skype back to LA.
I don't really do cold weather (I'm freezing at 60F).
I can sort of drive a manual transmission (but this hasn't been tested with the shifter in my left hand and on the other side of the road).
Why is Kari super excited about going to Japan?
BEING IN JAPAN IS THE DESIRE OF MY HEART!
I love Japan (maybe because I'm Japanese), but it has never ceased to excite me. Being in Japan is like being at home. The smells, the sounds, the food, the language. It's like being 4 years old again and running around my grandparents' house.
I'm a pretty scared, little anxious, and super excited. Let me expand on those a little more.
What is Kari pretty scared of about going to Japan?
I'm the ONLY English speaker in my village (did I mention I'm moving to a village?).
I'm an hour away from the nearest town (again, did I mention I'm moving to a village?).
I'm four hours away from the nearest city (I'M MOVING TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE).
Why is Kari a little anxious about going to Japan?
There's a 16-hour time difference if I want to Skype back to LA.
I don't really do cold weather (I'm freezing at 60F).
I can sort of drive a manual transmission (but this hasn't been tested with the shifter in my left hand and on the other side of the road).
Why is Kari super excited about going to Japan?
BEING IN JAPAN IS THE DESIRE OF MY HEART!
I love Japan (maybe because I'm Japanese), but it has never ceased to excite me. Being in Japan is like being at home. The smells, the sounds, the food, the language. It's like being 4 years old again and running around my grandparents' house.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Koinonia
I just got back from a crazy 2-week long trip to Israel and Italy with my parents. We spent 10 days in Israel and then 4 days in Rome. Israel was AMAZING and INCREDIBLE and AWESOME and far beyond my expectations. I won’t lie—I was not all that thrilled to be going on vacation to Israel. But it was an intense 10 days of hands-on Bible-infused learning tour. I was literally overwhelmed by the amount of information. It was probably one of the BEST trips I have been on and would definitely recommend people to go visit. It just makes the Bible so real, so alive, and helps put things into perspective. Rome was cool, but Israel definitely topped it.
I learned a lot of Bible knowledge on this trip. But I didn’t have much time to process it. Nor did I have anyone to process it with. I think I’ve taken my community for granted these past couple years. Don’t get me wrong—I loved being able to spend time with my cousins in Israel and with my parents in Rome. But there’s something about community that I missed. There were so many opportunities to debrief each night with my cousins after a day of touring Israel, but we never did. There were so many opportunities to talk with my parents about things other than where we were going for dinner, but we never did. It made me crave the community I had back home, back in my apartment, back at SC.
Every night for the past few months, my roommates and I have had “Bible time” together. We read a chapter together and then discuss it. It doesn’t take long. Sometimes we get into deep discussions, and sometimes we don’t. But that, just that, every night has made me look forward to coming home after work. And I get sad when we don’t get to do Bible time because I’m not in the apartment or no one was home when I went to sleep. I know that we don’t have many more Bible times to share, but I’ve come to cherish those chunks of time every night. I’m blessed to be living in an apartment full of women who desire the heart of God and encourage me to do the same. During the school year, it was a blessing to wake up every morning and see everyone sitting at the kitchen table with their Bibles doing their morning devotion before heading to campus for the day. And being able to share what God was revealing to each of us was such a blessing.
Maybe it’s just summer break (or now, the “real world”) that makes me miss my sorority sisters more than ever, but that has been my community for the last 2.5 years at SC. Summers are always tricky with work and only seeing each other on weekends rather than everyday on campus or staying out late at night on some random adventure. But it’s not just those random adventures that I miss about my sorority sisters. I miss the accountability and questions that you don’t want to answer but need to be asked. I miss intentional conversations, always encouraging smiles, random run-ins on campus, and genuinely wanting to know the answer to “How’re you doing”. But most of all, I miss hearing 35 beautiful voices worshiping God in our living room and praying together with my pledge sisters in someone’s bedroom or on the porch and. I miss that community.
As I was flying back to LA, I realized how desperate I was to be back in community, in fellowship. I am thankful to know I have community and that God provided that for me these last 2.5 years. I also realized how precious and vital community is to growing as a Christian. Life wasn't meant to be lived alone in isolation. It's scary to be leaving the comforts of my community and putting a 16-hour time difference there. But I know God will provide. He always does.
I learned a lot of Bible knowledge on this trip. But I didn’t have much time to process it. Nor did I have anyone to process it with. I think I’ve taken my community for granted these past couple years. Don’t get me wrong—I loved being able to spend time with my cousins in Israel and with my parents in Rome. But there’s something about community that I missed. There were so many opportunities to debrief each night with my cousins after a day of touring Israel, but we never did. There were so many opportunities to talk with my parents about things other than where we were going for dinner, but we never did. It made me crave the community I had back home, back in my apartment, back at SC.
Every night for the past few months, my roommates and I have had “Bible time” together. We read a chapter together and then discuss it. It doesn’t take long. Sometimes we get into deep discussions, and sometimes we don’t. But that, just that, every night has made me look forward to coming home after work. And I get sad when we don’t get to do Bible time because I’m not in the apartment or no one was home when I went to sleep. I know that we don’t have many more Bible times to share, but I’ve come to cherish those chunks of time every night. I’m blessed to be living in an apartment full of women who desire the heart of God and encourage me to do the same. During the school year, it was a blessing to wake up every morning and see everyone sitting at the kitchen table with their Bibles doing their morning devotion before heading to campus for the day. And being able to share what God was revealing to each of us was such a blessing.
Maybe it’s just summer break (or now, the “real world”) that makes me miss my sorority sisters more than ever, but that has been my community for the last 2.5 years at SC. Summers are always tricky with work and only seeing each other on weekends rather than everyday on campus or staying out late at night on some random adventure. But it’s not just those random adventures that I miss about my sorority sisters. I miss the accountability and questions that you don’t want to answer but need to be asked. I miss intentional conversations, always encouraging smiles, random run-ins on campus, and genuinely wanting to know the answer to “How’re you doing”. But most of all, I miss hearing 35 beautiful voices worshiping God in our living room and praying together with my pledge sisters in someone’s bedroom or on the porch and. I miss that community.
As I was flying back to LA, I realized how desperate I was to be back in community, in fellowship. I am thankful to know I have community and that God provided that for me these last 2.5 years. I also realized how precious and vital community is to growing as a Christian. Life wasn't meant to be lived alone in isolation. It's scary to be leaving the comforts of my community and putting a 16-hour time difference there. But I know God will provide. He always does.
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