Ponderings!

So I'm the more sentimental of the two of us! I know that...and so does Lew. It's my nature to hold tightly to things and to despise change. And here I go running across the world, which will be the greatest change yet. Some days I ask myself, "what are you thinking?" My heart is in such an awkward place right now. I feel as though I live in two worlds and I am not sure how to exist in either one right now. But, I can say for certain that God's hands is faithfully behind this move to Japan and I can rest assured He is going to be my guide and my strength. The prayer of my heart this year has been that He would show me how to trust Him wholeheartedly! Well, moving to another country, taking a big pay cut, and stepping outside of my comfort zone is definitely a way of learning trust. So far, the Lord has answered EVERY prayer and given me so much more confirmation that I am walking in obedience than I deserve.

Just to name a few:
- Found a home for my bed...and I get it back in 2 years :)
- Found a home for my oak table...and I get it back in 2 years :)
- Found a home for my piano and my friend moved it free of cost...oh what a blessing. It was like the Lord reminding me that HE will meet every need, even before I know about it.
- Provided resources I hadn't imagined I needed
- Provided an amazing church who is supporting me in prayer!
- Provided amazing parents who are storing what I don't sell and have supported me in my wild adventures the last few years. I love you guys!

All of these may seem small, but they are have strengthened my faith in so many ways. When the day is done, I feel overwhelmed at His faithfulness and guidance. I am so undeserving, but so excited to see how He wants to use me for His glory and His purposes in the next two years and beyond.

Once again, thanks to all my friends who read these updates...and more than that, who pray for me on a daily basis! I can already feel your prayers and am so blessed!

Ok...done being sentimental :) Thanks for hanging with me!

It's Official: We're Moving to Japan

Once upon a time, two explorers went on a long road trip...but you already knew that. Ok, so the one thing that we didn't share in our past posts was the conversations we had about the future. On a long stretch of highway over popsicles, we asked each other a question. "What is one thing you would regret not doing before you die?" As you can imagine, this lead to quite a deep conversation and we realized that our answers matched. Lew said,"I want to teach overseas before I die." To which, Ark responded with, "Me too, but I don't want to go by myself." So, we hypothetically began talking about where we would teach overseas given the opportunity. Our four options were Greece, Italy, Taiwan, and Japan all of which avoid the terror of eating spiders and monkey brain like in some other countries. Through many nights at Wildflower Bread Co. exploring school options and applications, we narrowed our search down to Taiwan and Japan. We applied to every Christian International School in Japan and Morrison Academy in Taiwan, and slowly God revealed His amazing plan for us in going to Okinawa Christian School International. God opened up the doors for us at OCSI by having a second grade position open for Ark and a junior high English literature position for Lew. So after applications, phone interviews, and prayer, we accepted the positions offered to us and signed a two-year contract. We began to prepare our hearts and minds for this HUGE step.

So here are some details:

Departure date: unknown...but sometime near the end of July
Housing: We will be living on campus with the other staff members of the school
Island: Yes, we're moving to a tropical island...It's where God called us!!!!
School: OCSI has about 20% of its student population that is Christian upon enrollment, but 80% or so of their graduates are Christians...which means we have a great ministry opportunity with our students, sharing Christ with them and discipling them
Hurdles: Visas (we're a little behind schedule for this...prayer is needed that we get them on time); language learning (Japanese has been called the Devil's Language); adjustment to a new school, culture, climate, way of life, etc; leaving family and friends in Arizona and Minnesota for what feels like a long time
Side note: We'll be learning how to surf and scuba dive and make (and eat and like) sushi
Invitation: Come visit us! We'll feed you the sushi that we have learned how to cook

It has been an amazing journey to watch how God has swung some doors wide open and slammed others tightly shut! We feel immeasurably blessed and grateful for the plans He has for us, which are so much more than we could have thought or imagined! We would love to stay in touch with all of you if you would like to join us vicariously through this adventure. We'll be updating our blog periodically, and if you want to receive a montly e-mail update, send us your e-mail address, and we'll add you to that list.

Lew-shrimpsterq@gmail.com
Ark-aknowinghim38@gmail.com

We also know that we are going to need to be showered with prayer in this dark country, so we would love if you would pray for us.