My time in Japan has ended, and I’m overwhelmed with emotions. So thankful for what the Lord has done for me. You know His word is so true, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” Eph. 3:20 Maybe it’s the air currently blowing on me, but that verse is giving me chills.
It was my dream to room with my cousin, but never could I have imagined it’d be in Japan. Three months was already incredible, yet He gave me double with another three months. Can’t believe it!
The sweetest surprise was just revealed to me that was secretly planned since the beginning of last month. I was told to leave the first Sunday of next month open on my schedule but didn’t suspect anything. Erica was on the phone often in the evenings, and I would hear my name mentioned, but this wasn’t unusual because we’re always together so it’s possible I would come up in conversation. However, I later learned that she and her close friends were planning a special road trip for me before I leave! If you hadn’t already guessed, Erica is bilingual so she was speaking Japanese, which is why she could discuss everything right in front of me. Haha.
Even though Japan is an island, the city of Kyoto where I’ve been living is surrounded by mountains, so the ocean isn’t near us. Awhile back, I’d been asked if I’d seen the beach, but I hadn’t and thought it’d be nice!
The day before Sunday hit, I opened up an envelope addressed to me and inside was their invitation. Included was a list of each stop, but the humorous part was that they purposely wrote it in Japanese, so I wouldn’t know where we were going until we arrived! Haha. At sunrise and in a rental van, all seven of us drove to Awaji Island and each destination was so beautiful! You can imagine the whirlwind of emotions I was feeling. Couldn’t believe they’d done all this for me. It’s so the Lord.
Though I’m in my mid-twenties, I confess I’ve never gone on a road trip with a group of friends or “hangout” with a group of girls enjoying some laughs together. Haha. The only thing that came close to this was when my three older brothers use to take me out with them and their friends. It was a very endearing thing for them to do, since what brothers would take their little sister out with them and their friends?
Looking back, the Lord has been preparing me for these blessings. Facing difficult choices and placed in difficult situations, but He helped do what was right. Speaking to you mothers, again, your daughters are precious and need you as their example and know the Lord as their first Love early on. Waiting has been something I’ve accepted knowing that His word never ever fails, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord …Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, yes, wait on the Lord” (Ps. 27:13).
Waiting for the Lord’s timing and provision is worth it! Something that may sound small like a road trip with a group of female friends was a “wait,” but worth waiting for since look how He blessed me! It all happened in Japan, and I went to an island! When I see how He’s blessed me in the “smaller” ways, I can only imagine how He’s going to bless me for my commitment to Him by remaining a virgin (never dated, kissed or held a young man’s hand) until the bounds of marriage. Your daughters can experience this too! Learning the value of waiting, they won’t believe what the Lord will do for them!
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. (Prov. 31:25)”
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” Eph. 3:20
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord …Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, yes, wait on the Lord” (Ps. 27:13).
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. (Prov. 31:25)
~Tara, heading back to Missouri