This week has been kind of lazy. Not that there isn't stuff I should be doing.

Reading. Unpacking. Packing. Cleaning. Studying. Writing....the list goes on...and some of it I have done, if in small bursts of motivation. I've mostly watched tv and contemplated my list of things to do while remaining stationary knowing next week I will be very busy and the week after that I won't be here at all.

And oh, there's been a little bit of stress. Dealing with money, new bank accounts, wondering about those ATM cards, phone calls...lots of phone calls...and the general buzz of "will this work in Japan?" Mom and I have never been too good with ambiguity. We like to have our ducks in a row. There's security in knowing exactly what's going on. But that's God, pulling us just out of our comfort zones so we are able to learn to trust Him a little more each time things start to get a little difficult.

And He is so faithful to remind us that He still knows exactly what's going on.

Tonight I was talking to some friends on Facebook. I sent Hiromi a message about how we'd soon be eating Japanese BBQ together. Kara and I talked about how much this summer was going to change our lives. I made some plans to visit Tahlequah once more before Tokyo. Then I talked to Sho, who is traveling around the east coast and Canada this summer.

We were nearing the end of our conversation and he was wishing me well and telling me how excited he was about me going to Japan, then he says "I pray for you every day." A simple statement, but it meant so much to me. In that moment, I knew that no matter what happens - God knows what He's doing and I just need to trust Him. In that moment, He reassured my heart that this is His gift to me.

I feel called to go to Japan to share the love of Christ. I want them to know Him, to feel His love, to share in His glory. But here's the awesome thing about God's plans, it is never about the "work" He wants you to do. Like for me, it isn't just about starting a Bible study and sharing the gospel to international students and it's not just about going to Japan on a missions trip - this is a gift to me. This is the plan God tailored to fit me and I think I am more blessed by the people it has brought into my life than anything else. That's so God! His plans are never one-sided, I want to share His love with the Japanese people, and I learn more about His love through them every day. His plans are perfect, come full circle and they don't just satisfy the soul - they fill it to overflowing. We are so blessed! He loves us so much.

Tonight, I'm just really thankful for what God has already done. I'm excited for what He will do. I trust that He knows exactly what is going on.

10 more days...