Isaiah

I'm sorry I haven't been updating y'all, I was kinda just waiting for something to post about. The rest of the team got here a couple days ago. I don't think I've ever been more excited to see people. It was so great to see people who I had already met and new friends that I hadn't. After only a couple of days, I can say that I love this team so much. God has done a great work in bringing people together from all over the country and different walks of life to serve Him together this summer. I got to experience the most amazing community with the team from last summer, and it has been weird not seeing them here with us, but I am excited to see how God unites us this summer for His glory. Everything is different from last year: new team, different missionary, different ministry plan, and I can just feel that something glorious is going to happen this summer here in Tokyo. We may not fully see the results for years, but I am confident that God is going to stinking rock Tokyo and Japan this summer.

Yesterday my area team and I went to our park to prayer walk and just kinda scope it out. Our park is huge and has a lot of great things for park ministry days. The most interesting thing is the shrine to one of the gods of fortunes. I had been praying earlier that I just wasn't feeling the darkness like I had last year. I didn't want to be hardened to it, I wanted to remember how important the gospel is and feel the urgency to share it. So God told me to go to the shrine and pray. The darkness hit me immediately. I quickly flipped to Isaiah and started praying through chapters 64 and 65. I had forgotten how relevant Isaiah is to Japan. I was shaken up a little bit. I was definitely reminded. I read Isaiah 45-47 this morning, and just got so much out of it. It was one of the best quiet times I've had in a while, thank You Jesus. God reminded me that He will tear down the exalted places, but He does things in His timing. And His timing is perfect. The end of 47:11 says: "...I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have a purpose, and I will do it." Our God is so big and mighty and completely sovereign. He will make Himself famous in Japan and all over the world. But He knows what the right timing is, and it's not mine. If it were up to me, all the temples just all fell down and everyone would turn to Jesus and there would be mass revival all over Japan that would spread all over the world. But I am finite and know nothing of the grand plan the Master Planner has for His creation. I just have to trust, pray, and be obedient.

Please pray that our team would continue to mesh well and just become a family. Some our us are sick, please pray for total and complete healing in every way.

Please pray that I would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and God's ancient work all around me, and that I would be patient. One of my friends who I went to Germany with in 2007 gave the best definition of patience I have ever heard: "Patience is not just waiting for your turn, it's being ok if you never get one." My job here is to do what I can to help the interns shine as bright as they can for the Lord. We went and did 5 minute English the other day and everyone got to talk to someone but me. That might be a theme for the summer, sitting back and praying for my friends as God uses them to share His story with people. Part of me thinks this in unfair because last summer I didn't really get to have a contact or a Bible study, I should get to have one this summer right? So very wrong. I am not God, He does what He pleases. He accomplishes His purposes in His time. There is no I or Kelley in God or Jesus. I don't really fit in the story, He chooses to use this broken, selfish vassal for His glory, even though I stumble all over myself and trample dirt on His name almost by the minute. That is a little bit of where I am. I am nothing. He is everything. I don't want my nothingness to get in the way of everything He wants to do.

Please pray for volunteer teams as they are gearing up to get here. I am not really sure how many we are going to have, but in the next two week we are going to have three. Pray things will go well, they will be ready to hit the ground running, and that all the interns will know what they are doing haha.

I love y'all. Sorry this is long. I will try to keep y'all more updated to prevent super long blogs in the future. :)