Let me start at the very beginning, few of my friends and I decide to go to DC and hang out, go to a museum. On our way back we stopped at a bookstore. My friend Ashleigh had been reading manga, Japanese comic books. She picked one up and started reading it. Of course these manga were translated into English. She told me that she goes to the library and checks out manga. I never read a manga before…so I picked one up and started reading. At first I though it was really nerdy, well actually I still think it's nerdy, but one of the manga I picked up was made into a live-action Japanese TV show!
I found one with subtitles of course and started watching. While I watched this show about a high school Japanese girl trying to get by in school, I realize how pretty the language was. I thought it was so beautiful. I loved it.
But, long story short, I started watching more and more Japanese shows falling more and more in love with the language and the culture. I wanted to visit Japan one day. But the one thing I did find out that I didn't like about Japan was that only 1% of the Japanese people are Christian. I also found out that Japan is filled with lost soul and confuse people. The suicide rate in Japan is in the top half of other countries rates.
Well, last summer, I convent my mom to let me take Japanese classes. I really wanted to somehow help these people that I have feel in love with. But how could I tell them about God if I didn't speak the language. When I started the class, I knew how pretty the language was but I had no clue how hard it was to learn. I covered my walls with Japanese, determined to have this learnt. So with hard work, I passed the class and was heading into my sophomore year at George Mason.
One day at school, I saw a kiosk that said "Study Abroad." And on the table, sure enough, there was a flyer for Japan. Yes, this is what I always wanted. This must be my ticket to Japan. I grabbed the flyer and read it over in my dorm room. As I read and read on about the information on the sheet, about studying the language at a Japan's collage, God spoke to me. He told me that yes He does want me to go to Japan but this is not the way.
So of course I listen. I throw the flyer away, but now more then ever I wanted to go to Japan. How did God want me to go to Japan, if it wasn’t to study abroad? Two days later at Cru's weekly meeting, they had people come up and talk about summer project. What is a summer project?
I found one with subtitles of course and started watching. While I watched this show about a high school Japanese girl trying to get by in school, I realize how pretty the language was. I thought it was so beautiful. I loved it.
But, long story short, I started watching more and more Japanese shows falling more and more in love with the language and the culture. I wanted to visit Japan one day. But the one thing I did find out that I didn't like about Japan was that only 1% of the Japanese people are Christian. I also found out that Japan is filled with lost soul and confuse people. The suicide rate in Japan is in the top half of other countries rates.
Well, last summer, I convent my mom to let me take Japanese classes. I really wanted to somehow help these people that I have feel in love with. But how could I tell them about God if I didn't speak the language. When I started the class, I knew how pretty the language was but I had no clue how hard it was to learn. I covered my walls with Japanese, determined to have this learnt. So with hard work, I passed the class and was heading into my sophomore year at George Mason.
One day at school, I saw a kiosk that said "Study Abroad." And on the table, sure enough, there was a flyer for Japan. Yes, this is what I always wanted. This must be my ticket to Japan. I grabbed the flyer and read it over in my dorm room. As I read and read on about the information on the sheet, about studying the language at a Japan's collage, God spoke to me. He told me that yes He does want me to go to Japan but this is not the way.
So of course I listen. I throw the flyer away, but now more then ever I wanted to go to Japan. How did God want me to go to Japan, if it wasn’t to study abroad? Two days later at Cru's weekly meeting, they had people come up and talk about summer project. What is a summer project?
They all explained that "Summer project offers the opportunity for you to take the good news of forgiveness in Jesus to virtually anywhere in the world with Campus Crusade for Christ so ultimately everyone will know someone who truly follows Jesus!" While they were talking, I heard that someone went to Japan on a summer project last summer. I had to find him. When I did, he explained things he did and how if impacted his life. Right then and there I just felt the Lord telling me that this is the way He wants me to go to Japan. To do his work and to share the word with the Japanese. I was so excided that I ended out being one of the first people in my project to sign up for Japan.
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