Lately, I've been trying to get as much help/experience/practice available to me in to get prepared for Japan! My friends have been so great, especially my roommate Hiromi and our friend Sho - who have both taken time out of their already busy lives to share their culture and their language with me. Last night, Hiromi and I practiced using chopsticks while I was doing my Hiragana practice for Sho's nihongo lesson today. I'm, um, getting better...
Note - eating dry cereal with chopsticks is hard, but will make eating things like sticky rice a breeze! We are taking our chopsticks to dinner for some official practice after my lesson with Sho...I'll let you know how that goes...Matsuri 2009 is coming up! Matsuri is a Japanese festival at NSU hosted by JNSU(NSU-Japan). We had one last semester, but the Spring event is much bigger. I was the first American member of JNSU(now 1 of 2...), and it has been so much fun being involved with events like Matsuri. I've learned a lot about traditional foods and culture this way. If you are available April 10 from 3 to 6 pm...you need to come to the 2nd floor of the University Center at NSU and experience Matsuri. I'll be there. Come see me!
Ok, so here's the skinny on how support is coming along - 1) God is faithful. 2) My family and friends? Amazing. 3) We're almost there! In less than a month, almost my full budget has come in! I have been so incredibly blessed by those around me. I was worried that I'd be up to the last minute with this money, but I always had a peace that God would provide and He has! There's still some money I need to get in but...
I presented my missions trip to my home congregation a few Sundays ago. I received a lot of financial and, of course, prayer support there and the women's ministry decided to help out by hosting a spaghetti dinner(April 26 - Wagoner First Assembly of God) Before the date was even set, we received food donations to help keep the cost of the spaghetti dinner low! We were also able to put an article in the local paper about my trip and get the word out that way. In the paper, there were two other girls from Wagoner raising support for a trip to Wales. They had a garage sale last week at First Baptist in Wagoner and raised a lot of money, then they donated a ton of stuff they had leftover to me for the garage sale my mom and I had been planning(probably the first weekend of May...) What a blessing!
As I look at the calendar, I begin to realize how close I am to Tokyo. Hiromi handed me a sheet of paper last night with a ton of useful things written in all three alphabets. Words like station, train and Tokyo - and any combination of the three. Soon, I'll be there - needing every bit of the information, language and connection that I've acquired in the last year. I'm nervous, but I know God's got so much waiting for me on the other side of that 13 hour flight across the Pacific.
To all those who praying, giving or just reading :: Thank you - I pray God doubles the blessing you've been to me!
If you would like more information about joining my support team, feel free to contact me by e-mail at fosburg@nsuok.edu or by mail:
Amanda Fosburg
P.O. Box 105
Wagoner, OK 74477
God is amazing isn't He! He knows are every need.
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