Despite not being in Japan for almost 3 years, upon arrival here, I truly feel an overwhelming and tangible peace deeply rooted in my heart from the get-go. Just like that, Japan has instantly become my new home. I pray that as I truly commit and submerge myself completely into the ways and customs of the Japanese, that our sense of cohesive togetherness would continue to increase abundantly. God has really given me the grace to be able to assimilate into this culture easily and I have been able to navigate everything quite well so far, all thanks and praise be to God! It really helps that I can speak the language too! All in all, things are going very well. God has guided me here safely and I know He will continue leading me faithfully as I minister to the Japanese.
Ok, now for a culturally update! First, the amount of stares that I have been receiving so far has been interesting! To be honest, I have only seen one foreigner besides myself in the entire city of Osaka since I’ve been here! Due to this, you can imagine I stick out *just a wee bit!* Although I stand out like a sore thumb here, my overall experience has been one of great acceptance! Whether someone on the street cheerfully says, “good morning” or someone else starts talking with me about the weather; it’s times like these that I really cherish. Although I’m a foreigner, generally everyone still treats me with true kindness, despite being so different from them. For this namely, I feel blessed.
Now, although we need to do all things without complaining (Philippians 2:14), I don’t want to just simply paint a pretty picture for you. Chiefly, I have been contending with jet lag, which has been very intense with the 13 hour time change. I have not been able to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time, as my circadian rhythm is still set to America. I’m praying that my body will acclimate to the new time zone quickly and that I can resume a normal sleeping pattern soon! Furthermore, during my prayer walks I’m noticing that the spiritual atmosphere is also a bit heavy and resistant. More information surrounding that to come on the next blog post!
All of this to say: please continue to keep me in your prayers! For continued favor with the people of Nishinari and that God would open their hearts to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!
Stay tuned for the next update dear ones!
Be blessed!
Lifted Vision Ministry 