Hi Everyone!
I'm back in California, and it's good to be home where there are mountains (although it's quite dry and chilly for my Florida-acclimated body). My family explored Yosemite the first weekend I was back, and it's amazing to see landscape that gives perspective to verses like Psalm 18:2,
See the grand and majestic views below!
Summer Mission
We are finishing our second week of summer mission! Our team is comprised of four staff and nine students, and we've been working together in Los Angeles. Check out our students' group picture below!
Why LA? Originally, this summer mission was a trip to Japan, but due to present circumstances, we rerouted our trip. While we are not able to meet Japanese students in person, we are connecting with them virtually, as well as serving the local Japanese-American community. This has been a big shift from working from home, but it has been great doing life and ministry with them.
This week, the students joined a few Zoom English classes from the University of Kyoto. They facilitated English classes with about fifty students, chatted with them more in breakout rooms, and got their contact information to connect more outside of class.
Remi, one of the Japanese students, emailed the professor saying how much she enjoyed the classes:
"At first, I was so nervous because I did not have confidence whether my English was transmitted and whether can I understand what they said. But when I told them “I have a hearing disability so please talk me widely lips and a bit slowly”, they did reassuring reaction, and they talked me like easy to understand or typed what they told when I could not understand it. I am so thankful these and could enjoy so much."
Praise God for the energy and excitement of both groups of students from these initial interactions! Please pray that, despite time zones and language/cultural differences, the students would be able to continue deeper relationships and share God's love in their words and actions with the Japanese students in the coming weeks.
And this is our staff team — Sasaki, Tiff, and Teddy! We plan opportunities for students to engage more deeply with Japanese culture and guide them on their spiritual journeys. It has been really fun working with them and seeing their hearts for the students, as well as experiencing their open communication and fun personalities as we tackle unexpected problems together. It's crazy to think that we only met two weeks ago — it feels like we've been a team for so much longer :)
But hanging out with a group of students, staying flexible through changes, and leading trainings are all new things that take a lot of mental and emotional capacity. It is a stretching experience, but I'm thankful for opportunities to share what I've learned the past two years in Orlando. I've had the privilege to lead two trainings on Vulnerability and Healthy Conflict Resolution, and I pray that the students this summer will be able to grow in intentional love for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Post-Cru Plans
In the midst of this hectic summer mission, I wanted to update you all on my plans after Cru! I recently accepted a job with ESM Prep, an academic mentoring company that focuses on college counseling, test prep, and tutoring.
God has been so good through the interview process, and I am very excited to use my passions for education and student development to be a light in this new environment. Thank you all for your faithful prayers through this discernment process!
Thank you for your prayer and support, and allowing me to end my time in Cru with this new experience of directly pouring into college students.
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