I sometimes sit and talk with my roommate, Bethany, about all that has happened since moving here both professionally and personally. While there have been many positive things that have happened that I have been involved in or a part of, I still sometimes wonder what the big purpose of me coming here has been all along. Perhaps I'll know when I leave or maybe I'll never know on this side of Heaven. Then I thought that maybe the point of me coming here had more to do with what He wanted to do in my heart and less about how I impact the people I'm surrounded by everyday (though I think this is still really important and I believe I am being used in my community in positive ways).
My heart is not the same as it once was and that both excites and scares me as I think about moving back to the States. I fear that I will become spiritually complacent as I once was and I don't want that to happen again after seeing what a life of actively living out faith is really like. I don't want to get too comfortable with my surroundings that I forget to rely on Him which was so easy to do for me when I lived at home. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that people can't be actively living their faith in the States (in fact, I know a great number who are) but for me it was more difficult to do than it has been here where I've had to rely on Him in ways I have never had to before.
On a completely different note, I just returned from Japan. Bethany and I stayed with the parents of one of our teachers here on staff. I felt so blessed by this couple (Jim and Barbie) and can safely say I have "Japan parents" now :) They shared their lives with us and allowed us to be a part of what all they do. Barbie teaches quilting to locals and uses it to share her faith with her students and she and Jim both teach English weekly with the same idea in mind. It was really cool to hear some of the stories of the students and friends they had.
We also went snorkelling, sight-seeing, ate delicious Japanese food and quilted with Barbie while we were there. To say they spoiled us would be an understatement! One morning, Jim had walked the dog, Opie, to Starbucks before Bethany and I woke up. He returned and said that Opie "told" him to buy us Starbucks mugs with drinks inside! This was just one example of how giving and generous they both were to us. They felt that because they had been so blessed by Jim's job and income that they wanted to bless others with what they had. There is no way we could've afforded that trip without their hospitality and I'm so thankful.
Another thing we did in Japan was go to one of the military bases which, for someone who misses American food, was AMAZING! I thoroughly enjoyed Taco Bell! :D I also got a chance to speak with some teachers from their area and talk about the DODDS schools (where kids of military parents attend school) and I honestly wouldn't be opposed to looking into that in the future if I felt lead. We will see though. We also visited their fellowship where we were greatly encouraged by the people we met there.
Okinawa, Japan is absolutely beautiful and I would recommend it to anyone!
We are still on Spring Festival holiday and don't return to school until March 2nd. I'm enjoying a few more days off before we head towards the end of 3rd quarter. March will be pretty busy with Choral and Band Festival in Tianjin, but the students have worked really hard and I am excited to hear them perform with students from other schools. After that, we will have spring break during the first week of April and then the final set of weeks before the end of the year when my mom, Caleb, Hannah and Dr. Richardson will come to our school! SO EXCITING!!! :D
-Rachel
No comments:
Post a Comment