Live long and prosper

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). It's such an encouraging verse, and it's no wonder it is constantly quoted to those who have no clue what's going to happen next. But...have you read Jeremiah 29:10 recently? It says His plan of prosperity is that He will fulfill His promise to them...in 70 years! I don't know about you, but that realization was not a warm fuzzy one.

The slow progress of support-raising reminds me of that some days, but I am beginning to sink in to the comfort of the truth. It's not a nice comfort of believing God is working everything out for my ease, pleasure, health, and wealth, as soon as possible. It's way better. It's a trust and confident hope that this is His plan, right now, and it's way bigger than me. If my desire is for Him alone, and for Him to get bunches of glory and worship, I can have complete confidence, because, as Pete the Cat says, "it's all good". (By the way, if you are unfamiliar with the story of Pete the Cat, you are missing out. You should follow that link immediately.)

One of my favorite reminders of how big and awesome God's plan is? When my mom was living in Japan 22 years ago, pregnant with me, when she went to church and the music of worship started, I would start wriggling and kicking like crazy, like I wanted to get in on the action. I was clueless, and He was already setting everything up for Himself, music, and Japan to be ingrained in my life. Yeah...He knows what He's doing. (The picture is me with some random lady who thought I was cute, and you can see my Mom to the right)

Thus ends summer.

I just got back from a wonderful week away: walking on the beach, making castles for the nieces to squish (*insert picture of the 3 most adorable girls in the world here. That's right, use that imagination. Okay, so I'm terrible and have no pictures. Yet.*), reading lots of good ol' fiction (fantasy/adventure, of course!), hanging out with family, and in general getting a much-needed chance to let my brain rest (or perhaps disapparate would be more accurate...)

Anyway, rest. It is good. But now it is done, and work is also good. As much as I love the work God has called me to, sometimes I have to keep reminding myself of that. When in need of a jump-start, I like to soak in this verse:

“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished." ~1 Chronicles 28:20

Prayers for strength, courage, and perseverance until the work of raising support is finished are always very much appreciated! What He has started, He will complete. Let the working recommence!

Sakura, Cherry Blossom

I think I've mentioned sakura, or cherry blossoms, before in a post. Aren't they lovely? I feel like I could ramble on and get far too philosophical about how they blossom magnificently, but last only a short time; how you know they're coming every year, so they are a kind of symbol of hope....but anyway, they're pretty :)

So beauty, hope, Japan, all wrapped up in one little flower. What could be better? That was my inspiration for the support-raising status graphic below. While I am not a visual person, many of you are, so I finally decided to take everyone's advice and design one. What do you think? Suggestions?

Help color the sakura! Each pink cherry blossom represents $95 in monthly pledges, or you can color a few petals for about $20/month each. ~"But how do I color a blossom/pledge?" I'm so glad you asked. Just click on the link to give online (also in the side bar----->) or check out all your giving options at this link.
~"And...am I committing to give forever?" Not at all. You can start giving now, and continue giving through the 24 months I'll be in Japan.

As you can see, I'm about 6% of the way there. Thank you all for your continued support!

P.S. While I have a long way to go in monthly support, my one-time support is over 80%! What a blessing!