Fall(ing) Fast

First of all, I would just like to share the amazing news of my engagement to Michie Mori!  I am just so excited that she said “Hai” [Yes] when I asked the big question this week.  Michie and I have been courting – dating with the intent to be married – for over a year now after I first realized God was leading me in this direction.  It took me some time to realize what God was doing, but I am just so thankful that he brought me to the other side of the world to meet someone so special.

Michie and I have known each other for over three years now since we first met at NORTHSTAR.  Ironically, we both came for a short time during the same season during the fall of ’07.  After that, I began to see God’s direction to live in Japan serving at NORTHSTAR full time as the staff care supervisor, guide/instructor, and sometimes an English teacher.  Whereas Michie, who had spent some time living in Hawaii attending a missions training school and serving in Southeast Asia, was also realizing God’s direction in her life.  After her time abroad from Japan, she began to sense that God was leading her to be a “missionary” right here at home.  She began to sense that while there are many needs and opportunities to serve elsewhere, she could not abandon her home which is just as spiritually needy.

It took me longer than Michie to realize we were both going in the same direction, with the same desire to reach a new generation in Japan.  And although I began to sense this a couple years ago, maybe part of me was just a little stubborn.  I did not know at the time what life was going to be like in Japan.  Maybe I was a bit afraid of making any strong commitment.  But the longer I have been here, the more I hear God asking, “Why not?”

So now that we are engaged, I am starting to realize how many more “To-Do’s” I need to add to my list.  Thankfully, we are coming up to an extended vacation period during late November ~ early December during which we can sit down and start making some decisions together.

Fall

You would not even believe how gorgeous the colors of autumn in the mountains can be!  Although fall is probably the most striking season in Japan, I must honestly admit that it is not actually my favorite – in terms of seasons that is to say.  With winter on the way, I cannot help but think about shoveling snow, frozen toilets [yes, two years in a row], and broken heaters.  My list of items to repair before winter sets in has been growing and not getting smaller.

This fall started out great and just got busier.  After attending my brother’s wedding in Nebraska over Labor Day weekend, we started off with an outdoor film festival, followed by weekday camps with schools and weekend mountain bike tours and events.  This year, we held our third Norikura Century ride.  It is a road cycling event that journeys over 100 miles over the top of Mount Norikura and back to NORTHSTAR.  As this event is charity based, we were able to support two youth focused organizations – one which works with youth cancer patients and another which is involved in mental healthcare for youth affected by the triple disasters in Northeastern Japan.

10th Year Anniversary

Things will gradually begin to slow down now that most of our fall schools have come and gone, but we still have a couple events for our last weeks of autumn.  This weekend, we are excited to begin the 10th anniversary of NORTHSTAR outdoor adventures.  We will kick everything off tomorrow with our fall event.  This will include a big celebration Saturday night with friends new and old.  We will be sharing the story of NORTHSTAR’s beginnings and where our theme “real life, real adventure” comes from – John 10:10 which says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

What an incredible journey this has been, and we all look forward to another 10 years of Aloha with God at the wheel.

UPCOMING

After our celebration, we plan on heading to Tokyo for an event staff have attended several times now.  Every year The Global Leadership Summit, which was started by Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek Association, is held somewhere around Tokyo.  It has been a great processing time for all of us as staff together, and I hope that this year will be no exception.  We will be getting together with many other ministry leaders across Japan to be challenged in our walks with God.

PRAYER

• Please be in prayer as we share deeply with our friends during our 10th Anniversary celebration weekend.
• Next week, as we attend the leadership conference, that we might be challenged to think deeply about ministry here in Norikura.
• That as Michie and I begin planning, God would direct us and be honored through our decisions.

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