Lenten Encouragement

My heart is so full tonight as I catch up on news from Japan. In one of the most unreached nations in the world, the Church is being mobilized.

I received an e-mail from Food for the Hungry (the organization through which I sponsor a little girl in Rwanda) detailing some hopeful stories about the Church in action. From the e-mail: "One of the pastors told of working at the feeding center and how one person exclaimed to him...'Thank you for being Christ to us!' It is just one example of how Christ's body is making an impact here in Japan."

If you haven't read my friend Sue Takamoto's blog, you really should. She is one of my most treasured heroines and writes so poignantly about her family's ministry in Japan, especially during this current crisis. Yesterday she posted a video about one American business man's (a friend of the Takamotos') impressions of the way God is working through hardship.



And another video of Eric Takamoto, who is in Sendai helping with the relief efforts through a Christian organization called CRASH:



As I was doing my Lent readings tonight, a piece by R. Kent Hughes resonated in relation to these things. He writes,

Christ was in control when life was falling in, when things looked the worst...Gethsemane was not a tragedy, and neither are our Gethsemanes. This does not do away with the wounds of affliction in this life, but it is encouraging to see that behind human tragedy stands the benevolent and wise purpose of the Lord of human history. Life may be dark at times, tragedy may come, and at times the whole world may seem to be falling apart. The wheel may appear ready to crush us. But this is not the end. "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28), even in Gethsemane.

The Jesus who drank the cup of wrath for us and the Father who sent Him to do it are infinitely Wise, Sovereign, and Good--even when the whole world seems to be falling apart. Praying expectantly for God to continue moving in the hearts of those who do not know Him in Japan.

When the Earth Gives Way

I haven't been able to turn off the TV as I've read my Bible the past couple of days. I am glued to the news, failed news writer and hater of bleak news stories that I am. The devastation in Japan is weighing heavy on my heart tonight as I try to focus on my Lent readings.

As a little kindergartner who was sad to be losing friends who were moving back to Tokyo, I vowed that I would learn the language and someday travel to their homeland. Thus began a journey that included years of language study (much of it resulting in tears and frustration), a strange call to ministry that I still don't fully understand, and two trips overseas to visit the land that God had placed on my heart. All these years later and my heart aches for the people of Japan--of whom only about 0.5 percent know Christ--in a whole new way.

This week, I am thankful that my friends who serve in Japan with Asian Access are okay. The entire mission was gathered together in the Nagano Mountains, just 200 miles from Sendai, for their annual ministry retreat. A time that was meant for reflection and refreshment became a time for prayer in the midst of total devastation.

On Friday, my friend Sue Takamoto wrote:

God’s timing is strange. Last Saturday Eric and I attended an all-day training to help Christians in Japan be prepared to respond in case of earthquake. Eric was supposed to teach that day, but we felt this was really important. We both sense that it is likely that Eric will go and be part of relief efforts. How thankful we are for God’s timing in preparing us to be able to more practically help. We will pray and wait to see how God may use our family, our mission, and the Church to bring much-needed relief as the days unfold. Our prayer is that God will quickly move and unite the Church to reach out during this terrible tragedy. The news that we are hearing is that it may be the worst earthquake in the history of Japan.

We also believe that God has our mission gathered at this time for His purposes. Pray that God will give us wisdom and allow us to be strategic in what will be challenging days ahead. We do pray that the God of Psalm 46 will bring hope to those who right now are buried in tragedy. (More on Sue's blog.)

Asian Access president, Joe Handley, writes along a similar vein:

We have been praying fervently and are convinced that this is a "kairos" moment for the Church in Japan. This is an historic opportunity for the Church to be the Church and rise up to serve the needs of the country in the name of Christ. We at Asian Access believe that God has called us similar to how Mordecai spoke to Esther centuries ago, "you have been called for such a time as this." (Read more at the Asian Access blog.)

Thanks to the many of you who have texted and called to find out how the Takamotos are doing and to say that you are praying for them and other Asian Access missionaries. It is encouraging to know that just as the Lord has been faithful to use them in their everyday comings and goings to "love people like crazy" (as Sue and Eric would say!), He will use them now in a special way.

I am praying Psalm 46 along with them:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging..."Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 46:1-3, 10

To donate to Asian Access' relief efforts and join the work God is doing in Japan, please send checks marked

"Japan Tsunami Relief Fund" to:
Asian Access
P.O. Box 200
San Dimas, CA 91773 USA

Pray for Japan

Here's a quick little morning plug for my homepage, Operation World. I've recommended the "Pray Today" feature before; it highlights a different country of the world each day and gives specific direction in how to pray for missionaries, native Christians, and the lost. Last week Japan was highlighted, and it's been helpful in reminding me of specific ways to pray for Japan.

Check it out here. (And if you want some motivation to pray for the need that's in the world, make it your homepage!)

Adoption Stories

Hey, friends!

My most recent article is up and ready to be read at myMISSIONfulfilled.com. You can read it here. I feel so blessed to get PAID to write about things that are close to my heart, and this article is a perfect example. When my editor wrote to offer me the assignment, she said, "please just tell me if you hate this but...I need someone to write about adoption..." I told her that I didn't hate it at all; in fact, I LOVED the topic! And when I asked her how she felt about my interviewing my friends (not exactly kosher in hard-hitting journalism) and she said "Go for it!" I felt especially blessed to be not only writing what I love, but interviewing people I love (and not having to conform to the standards of "good" journalism)!

I'm so excited for you to read the stories of my dear friends, the Tims and the Takamotos. I just know you will be so blessed by their hearts for their kids, their ministries, and adoption in general. Both families are such a beautiful picture of the gospel in my life, and I know you'll be inspired by them, too! (Read more posts about adoption and about a brilliant sermon Rob gave last summer at FHBC here.)

And here's another shameless plug for the site (you knew it was coming!): please let the young women in your life about myMISSIONfulfilled! There are lots of great Bible study and ministry resources, along with stories of missionaries on the field at home and abroad.

Thanks for reading!

Gracious Uncertainty: Lessons from the Pillar of Cloud

For several years now I've been challenged by the story of the pillar of cloud. My freshman year of college, I had been praying fervently about spending some time ministering in Japan, and things were uncertain. Plans for my trip had fallen through several times, and I found myself questioning if God was shutting the door on my going or if I just needed to push through some opposition from the Enemy. That semester, I was reading Shadow of the Almighty, a book about missionary martyr Jim Elliot, written by his wife, Elisabeth Elliot. (If you've never read any of Ms. Elliot's books, I commend her to you as an incredible writer!) In one of Jim's college journal entries he wrote:

"Guidance for Israel in their [sic...] wandering was unquestionable (Numbers 9). There could be no doubt if God wished them to move. Shall my Father be less definite with me? I cannot believe so. Often I doubt, for I cannot see, but surely the Spirit will lead as definitely as the pillar of cloud. I must be as willing to remain as to go, for the presence of God determines the whereabouts of His people. 'Where I am, there shall also My servant be.' Very well, Lord--what of this summer?"

"Surely the Spirit will lead as definitely as the pillar of cloud"...Those words were like water to my soul during a time when the only thing clear was my inability to make things happen. And "I must be as willing to remain as to go"...a challenge to open my hands as I waited to see what was in store. As I, too, asked the question, "What of this summer?" the Lord ministered to my heart in regards to the clarity He promises those who call upon Him. He showed up in a powerful way, opening every door to allow me to go to Japan (see photo above of time spent in Kobe) and affirming His ability to accomplish His purposes regardless of circumstance.

Three summers later, a college graduate with no job, Numbers 9 is again the meditation of my heart; only now I am saying, "Very well, Lord, what of the rest of my life?!" While not having a job has certainly had it's perks this summer--like having time to go to weddings and to get settled in a new city--there have also been plenty of days when I'm discouraged by my unemployment. I have to say I never thought that as a college graduate I'd be excited about a job at the mall...it is a humbling thing, really. But even on those difficult days, I'm reminded of how God provided for His people in the desert by sending them manna (Exodus 16) and quail (Numbers 11), and by causing water to gush from the rock (Numbers 20). In similar fashion, the Lord's sweet blessings have "gushed" out in my own life this summer--He's provided a wonderful family for me to live with, He's met my needs through supportive parents and a meager income working a few hours of retail, and best of all He's lavished me with an amazing community of friends here in Nashville. I'm trusting that just as He guided the Israelites through the desert and into the land of the promise, He will "establish the work of my hands" (Psalm 90:17) in due time. In this case, I must be as willing to go as to stay!

I'm reminded of a quote from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest:

"Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life…gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in, but you can be certain that He will come!

With breathless expectation!



*and for a humorous take on this subject, check out my good friend Josh's blog post:
http://lifewithusthree.com/archives/34