I'm a little miffed. A little dazed by it. A little excited. Name an emotion and I probably feel it.
But even as I go through the gamut of emotions, my days seems to be getting better and better. On Wednesday my morning class took me out for a delicious lunch and gave me a beautiful set of Arita tea cups. And in the evening it was my last class at Saginuma. One of the faithful few was sick, and even though she couldn't stay for class, she came in to say goodbye. The three of us who remained had a ball--there was a lot of laughing, I remember that much. I'm glad that I have one more night with all of them. This coming Friday, we're going out to "our" restaurant, the fish restaurant. And the guys I haven't seen since before the holidays will be there as well. I'm so looking forward to that.
Yesterday and the day before were spent in Hakone with Anne Marie. It was a wonderful trip, beautiful mountains. I got to experience the Japanese countryside as well as some history. I'm reading Daughter of a Samurai and it was neat to explore the time period that I'm reading about. We spent the night in a traditional Japanese hotel--tatami room, hot spring baths. I felt out of place and at home all at the same time.
I'm so excited about what God is doing in and through me. Endings are natural periods of reflection and I've been doing a lot of that. God's taught me so much, reminded me so much of His faithfulness and power. He's teaching me about praying with expectancy. And He's showing me what happens when you fully surrender and let Him work. I've thought back through conversations I've had with my students and I'm amazed at the number of times I can honestly say it was Him speaking and not me. This last week in our Bible times was a perfect example. I knew the story I was supposed to share, but I didn't know what to say. And before I realized it, I was sharing about the cross and Jesus' amazing gift to us. I was empty of words, but the Lord provided.
I think my favorite part of this whole experience has been sharing God's awesome love with those around me: through words and action both. I love that moment in the Bible lessons where I can look each one of my students in the eye and tell them how great is God's love. Have you ever felt your face radiating? It's Exciting to tell people that God loves them! It's like I get to share in this amazing gift-giving process. To see the looks on some of their faces--they're shocked. I don't know if they're more shocked by my volume and enthusiasm or by what I'm saying, but with some of them, I can see they're hearing and it's Exciting! There are many who don't pay attention and many who watch the clock, but that doesn't matter. It's those times where I can't keep my mouth shut, even if they don't seem to be hearing. It's such a beautiful and amazing thing to be able to share love with somebody.
I'm not quite sure what to expect with the rest of my nine days here, but the Lord will work everything out. I'm excited to see what He has for me when I get home, because I know He has something planned. I've felt throughout these last five months that now is a jumping off point. From here on out, the Lord's taking me and we're running together. Last Spring when I prayed the words of Isaiah 6, Here I am, Lord, send me, I didn't realize that they'd extend well past the time that I'm here. And finally we've reached the point where He's sending me home. Just as the Lord brought me here for a purpose, He's bringing me home for a purpose as well.
And I can't wait to see what it is.
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