Hello everyone! Day 3 in Japan has commenced! I spent the better half of day 3 actually locating all of the necessary “daily-living” places I’ll need to go to while I’m here such as; the best grocery stores, laundry mats, pharmacies, the local police station, etc. In addition to acclimating to the area and attempting to find my way around, I was able to meet my friend for dinner. Being an Osaka native, she graciously showed me a few metropolitan areas of Osaka. She really is such a blessing and the time I was able to spend with her was extremely meaningful to me! Later that night, the winds seemingly changed and I had an experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Let me humbly share what it was:
I received a phone call. Yes, just a phone call; but guess what? That’s what was life changing. Yes, that’s what was so special. Yes, that’s what I will remember for the rest of my life. A phone call. But not just any phone call…
A Godly woman and dear friend of mine rang me up and set aside two hours of her own time to call me, see how I was doing and encourage me. We talked about the mission field and some trouble I had encountered since being here. She not only helped me navigate the situation by giving me God’ perspective, but she also spoke life into my specific and current condition. We talked about many things and as she asked me questions, she then waited patiently for the answers; letting me completely express my feelings before moving on. She encouraged me to turn to God’s Word and pointed me directly at Jesus. She encouraged me to come to my own conclusions and gently held my hand as God helped me figure out what to do. She then gave me fresh ideas, biblical insight and inspiration. We concluded our phone call with extensive prayer for one another.
This may seem like a simple phone call to many, but to me, it changed everything! The fact that someone took that much time out of their day, to care about little me, halfway across the world- was a huge encouragement! And encouragement in the Lord was really what I needed! The scriptures explain this phenomenon:
“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”
Proverbs 27:9
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”
Proverbs 25:11
Isn’t that the truth! Please do not underestimate the power of what a simple phone call can do for someone else’s life! Any degree of reaching out to show someone you care- however seemingly small- can make a HUGE impact and even change the trajectory of their situation!
In the words of Jesus:
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13
God’s love changed everything on the Cross and continues to change everything today. Let’s not forget to encourage one another brothers and sisters! We are all God’s children and make up a huge spiritual family in Christ! We have to take care of one another while we’re in this world. Let’s continually strive to spend more of our time on others than ourselves. Amen!
Lifted Vision Ministry 