Q&A from both of us :)

For this blog post I thought that Jared and I would answer some specific questions. This may help you get some insight into our personal thoughts, and please do let us know if you have any more questions for us, we'd love to answer them!  

What was the biggest thing God taught you last year in Japan?

Lily: As we planned to go to Japan last year we were really encouraged to be flexible and willing to adapt to any situation. Knowing that I generally like to plan ahead and know what is coming I prayed diligently that this would be true. By God's grace I was not thrown off whatsoever when our coordinators on the Japan side announced that we had the opportunity to serve at a camp in more northern Japan as there was less work at the guesthouse than had been anticipated. The interesting thing was that God truly solidified this lesson when I returned and if I am honest I am still reminded of it often. I truly struggle to give up the reigns of control, day by day I have to submit to His plans and be willing to serve in any area He is calling me. When I think back to Japan 2018 I am reminded that He truly always has the best plan, He is trustworthy and relying on my self never works out. 

Jared: God taught me through the process of getting ready for our trip to Japan and during our time their just how important it is to trust God and let him lead. Our journey with Christ is not about jumping from project to project or from mission to mission but rather it is about who we are journeying with, Christ, and to the promised victory he already has in store for us. He will lead us to tasks along this path that he wants us to be a part of and do for him but it is in his time and not ours. Our job is to be open to when the Spirit calls us to move for our strength is never enough but his always is. 


What are your thoughts or goals for this coming trip to Japan?

Lily: Last year as we went to Japan I prayed that God would make it clear if this was the country He was calling Jared and I to, I knew Jared felt fairly certain but I wanted to feel God's peace in my heart as well. What a blessing it was when He truly affirmed it in my heart and by also providing the opportunity to talk with many missionaries on many different stages of their full-time missionary journey. By our experiences we learned some logistics of being a full-time missionary and the people were so generous in explaining how it all worked and how some day-to-day experiences could go. This time around I pray that God would give me a love for the people of Japan - that I could see them through His eyes. Of course it is not as if I dislike the people now but I desire to talk with them and get to know them and share in their stories, I want to be able to represent them better and serve them well. I believe that we can love people more by knowing them better. I feel that last year we went in with a country view and this year I pray for a people view. 

Jared: My goal for this trip is to be as much of a support to Luke and Yuko Elliot (the Long term missionaries at Aomori Christian Center) as I possibly can be. My hopes going into this year as well is to be able to see and hear more about the Japanese people and for God to continue to give me a love like his for the them. The first years prayer was that God would lay upon lily and I's heart I love for the country of Japan. This years Goal builds upon that with the prayer that God would continue to grow our love for Japan and its people, and that we would be willing tools for his work there.


How did God break your heart for the people of Japan?

Lily: Something we were told even before we arrived in Japan is that the people of Japan don't like to make waves, they like to all appear similar so they do not risk offending anyone. Of course this creates a very polite culture which was a joy to experience but I think it also makes so that relationships can lack depth. I really believe that God created us to live in community, there is something so special about sharing in each others joys and sorrows. It was interesting to me seeing how people could live in such close proximity, see perhaps thousands of people everyday and yet not have a deep, meaningful relationships with anybody. It makes my heart ache just thinking about the loneliness. 

Jared: Matthew 9:36-38: 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
This is the verse that comes to mind most in my prayers for the people of Japan. They are a people lost and lonely though they are surrounded by crowds. They are a people longing for the shepherd but so few have heard his voice. They are a people in need of workers for the harvest is oh so vast. My prayer is to the Lord of the Harvest that awareness would be brought to the plight of the Japanese and that a fire would be started in the hearts of believers for Japan.



What are some ways people can pray for you?

Lily: As we prepare for Japan this year I would be honored if you would pray that I would be able to have conversations with Japanese people (even if only through a translator), pray that I would be bold and follow as God leads. Pray that we would be able to hear their stories and share even just a small part of their lives. Pray that I would have a servants attitude all throughout our trip. We also ask for prayer for the financial side of our trip, we must have half of our funds raised by the end of May and the rest soon after. We trust God will provide but hold our plans with open hands as He knows best. On a different note I also ask for prayer for my left foot, I have tendinitis and am training for an exam on June 5th. Pray for healing and easing of pain. 

Jared: Pray that God continues to teach me how to listen, obey, and trust in him and that I would not be drawn to relying upon my own wisdom and strength for never has it proved sufficient. Prayers for my health as I have been struggling with head and nasal congestion on a monthly bases. And prayers that God would give me a boldness for him and to be unshackled by the nervousness that sometimes grips me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and follow along in our journey, we're beyond grateful! Please do let us know how we can pray for you! 

~Jared and Lily~