So, how did I get here?
In the summer of 2007, I met a girl named Jinnyeng Son from South Korea. She was this absolutely sweet and fun Christian girl with a heart for international students at my university. She started going to church with some friends from Chi Alpha and soon Jinny, our friend Sarah and I were seeing God do some amazing things in the lives of international students. We decided to start a small Bible study on campus in the fall and it has been going ever since. It grew from three or four girls meeting in the lounge of Ross dormitory to a ministry of students called The Bridge who meet in Flo's cafe on Tuesday nights today.
Through The Bridge, God began to show me His heart for missions, which was about the last thing I ever thought God would call me to. I loved praying and supporting missionaries, and the stories amazed and inspired me - I just never really thought it would be me. But God never ceases to surprise me. By the end of my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to give at least a year of my life to Japan. These people are my absolute passion: their language, their culture and their friendships. My international friends are some of the most genuine and caring people I have ever met in my life. At first, I was extremely apprehensive and unsure but the more I opened my heart to my friends, the more I prayed about it - the more certain and passionate I became. There is nothing like the sense of freedom and determination that knowing exactly what God is trying to say to you and walking in it gives you. I'd never known God like that.
In the summer of 2009, I spent my first few months in Japan. It was fantastic - more than I'd ever hoped to experience. God changed my heart and my life in radical ways and I was able to see Him move in the lives of others as well. I met some amazing people, tried some interesting foods, and wore out a pair of tennis shoes. Upon returning to the States for my final year of college, I immediately began praying about that year I'd promised God.
So, here I am. Just a girl loving Jesus in Japan.
God has given me the opportunity to spend a year in Tokyo working with Chi Alpha, a ministry I was involved with on my own campus during college. I'll be able to teach a little, learn a lot, and continue on this journey He's mapped for me.
