thoughts...
as I keep walking through doors, God keeps opening new ones. It is
impossible for me NOT to say that God does not exist, cuz then I would
be lying to myself.
Where to start...I will start with the opportunity to go to Japan this
past summer to do ministry for 3 months. God broke barriers in my life,
got me out of the comfort zone and I got my feet wet to do ministry
there in the future. I was this girl who was terrified to perform
infront of people, but God put a mic in my hand and I toured with Mika
for couple months. I led worship in Japanese and English. Then by the
3rd month, I was playing guitar and singing out in the streets in Japan
for 2 weeks straight and had my own show at the church coffee shop for
a week for couple hours.
I come back to school and had heard that 3 people had left One Accord
07. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that maybe God was opening
another door. But at the same time, I felt like that I would never make
One Accord and it was just another dream that wouldn't be caught. As I
was walking back to the Fine Arts Building after Performance Prep
class, Dave Pedde, the professor that oversees One Accord, pops the
question "so.. what if I asked you to be on One Accord?" I was shocked,
honestly. Of course, my answer was yes. I realized that I get to do the
type of ministry I had dreamed about doing. Leading worship at summer
camps, youth groups, youth rallys and Sunday worship, being a camp
counselor, performing original songs, going to high schools to do
school assemblies, and most of all, be there and love on young people.
The cool thing is that since at this point, English is my stronger
language, I feel like God is preparing me to use me in this type of
ministry from English first.
Because of One Accord, I was a little sad that I wouldn't be able to do
ministry in Japan this summer, but then here comes another door.
About 7 weeks ago from today, 10 Japanese exchange students set foot on
Minnesota ground and didn't know what to expect. By their 3rd week
here, somehow they ended up at a church where they met my neighbor,
Masumi. She invited them over for dinner and invited me as well. I felt
a tug in my heart that I needed to be there, so I took work off and
hung out with them for a while.
I told my mom about it and she invited them to come to a Japanese
outreach that we hold at our church once a month. Most of them came and
my mom talked about how God is love and for us to feel loved and love
others, we have to believe and accept the love that comes from God. One
of the guys sitting next to me started shaking a little bit and got up
to ask my neighbor some questions. Another guy went to talk to my mom.
The other, my dad. I started talking with one of the girls about what
my mom was talking about and helped answer some of her questions. I
could feel that night that God was definitely on the move.
I told them that they could call me that weekend so I can drive them
places to go shopping or whatnot and invited them over for dinner at my
house then go see my dad play at orchestra hall. During dinner, some of
them were asking my mom and I questions about God and it was pretty
intense. After the concert, two of them came and hung out with me and
my family. I shared my testimony and my mom talked about having purpose
in life and God being our direction.
Their last week here approached and my mom invited them over again for
dinner at my house (which was 2 Thursdays ago). I randomly saw Stas
Roberson in chapel (whom I barely ever see) and he mentioned that he
had met 10 Japanese exchange students who were studying at the U of M
for 6 weeks. This is when our "SHUT UP!! Are you kidding!?" type
moments started occuring. haha. Exactly. He had met them and kept
seeing them. So I invited him to join me at my house the next day for
dinner.
We were all eating and started asking them to reflect on their stay
here and talk about it. They all had mentioned all the weird encounters
they had with people and we were all connected somehow. Then Stas
talked about his experiences in Russia and shared a little testimony
about that. We started talking about God and my mom shared the gospel.
We gradually all kind of split off into little groups to talk more God
and what they thought about God. Stas and I went to a different room
(since it was soo loud) and talked with 2 of the girls. We asked them
that if they believed that God really did exist, what they would ask
God if they had an opportunity. Their question was "What does God think
of me? Even though he knows our past, our mistakes and everything about
us" We asked them to close their eyes and asked them to ask God
themselves. We prayed outloud for them and as we were praying, one of
the girls started crying. She started saying that there was a darkness
which was her loneliness, mistakes, regrets which was all in a clump in
her life, but she felt God wrap his presence around it and said "don't
worry." We finished praying and we asked them if they want to believe
in God and wanted us to pray with them. They said yes and so they came
to Christ! We went to another room where one of them was trying to nap
on my couch and as we approached him, he said "I believe in Jesus!!!" I
couldn't believe it. He had already talked to my mom about it. We were
all chillin in that room and I could hear my mom praying with 2 of them
and they were repeating back to her the sinner's prayer. I was
SCREAMING inside. I was soo amazed. So they also joined us in the room
afterwards then my mom was then praying with another guy. I was going
CRAZY! OH MY GOODNESS. So that night, 6 of them came to Christ! SOO
crazy. I have never seen a group of people be SOO pursued by God! All
this time, people from Chi Alpha were praying for them (in which I
found out later that a few people from North Central has met them and
have been praying for them). Somehow these students met soo many
Christians as they were just here.. it AMAZES me.
Back tracking a little bit, I had told Jolene that I was going to Japan
for 3 month to do a missions trip. Then, she asked me if I would
consider maybe leading a ninedays missions trip to Japan in 2008. I
told her that I would pray about it and get back to her on it. The fall
term started and I met with Jolene and told her all about what God did
on my trip to Japan and at that time I also told her that I was willing
to lead a trip to Japan for this next year. I was soo excited! As time
has passed this semester, I had many people asking me if I was going to
lead one to Japan and they were interested in doing ministry in Japan.
It has been soo cool to see that God is putting burdens on people's
heart for Japan!
During chapel yesterday, God really put a vision in my heart to do a
children's ministry AND campus missions if the ninedays thing works
out. I started crying and my heart grew heavier and heavier for the
people there. Ryan Cragg started praying for me and it was soo cool
because I never see Ryan during chapel, but yet God put him in my heart
during chapel to ask him consider going on this trip. Ryan was going to
tell me that he wanted to come to Japan with me, but I asked him before
he could tell me. AHH! so CRAZY.
I turned in my ninedays leader application this week and I have a
interview on Monday! I'm praying that everything would go the way God
wants it.
See? God opens doors. It's just totally AMAZING to me how much each
door is preparing me to do something greater. I can't even start to
imagine what God is going to do through me. Dave has definitely been an
encouragement to me because he keeps telling me that he's a fan and
that I won't even be able to comprehend what God is going to do. He
also said that after One Accord, I need to record a full-length
original Japanese album....coming from DAVE, it's just.. crazy. I'm a
little scared to know what is going to happen to me, but at the same
time I'm soo freaking EXCITED! It's so crazy that I only have 20
credits left to graduate.. I graduate May of 2008!!
Thank you for those who read what is going through my head. I pray that
you guys will all continue to pursue what God has for you and aim high!
Comments (3)
that is so incredible! all GLORY and PRAISE to GOD!! after reading your whole story, this verse came to my mind...
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"
honestly, if i were you, i probably would have actually been screaming when i realized that so many of them were coming to Christ. WOWSERS!!!!
Rusty