Hearts Enlightened

Last year, I was able to lead a women's bible study at an English school every Tuesday. They would come to the bible study and it would end just as their children's school would end. There were about 5 consistent women who went every week. Well, the M here asked me before I came this summer if I wanted to pick up that bible study again every Tuesday and I was really excited because that grew to be my favorite part of the week. I have been meeting with these women and 2 were the same from last year and then 3 new women. Every week is the same 5 women, so I have been able to grow really close with them and has been such a blessing to see their growing hearts for Father. None of them are believers but they are all very, very interested. This is the most consistent bible study. It is so rare to have 5 consistent women attending a weekly bible study who are not believers. This has truly been a blessing from Father. This Tuesday was my last one for the summer. It was really hard to leave this time because I am pretty sure that Father is calling me to stay in the states next summer. Although, I had the best conversation with one of the women even before the class started. We both got there about 15 minutes early and she mentions something about her daughter going to a Christian school in America last year. Her daughter is 4 and her family has been in American for the last 7 years until this last summer. I asked her why she chose for her daughter to go to a Christian school and she said, "I love the Bible and I know that it is truth, and I want my daughter to learn more about Jesus and have the choice of becoming a Christian. I am not a Christian because my family is Buddhist and I have to keep tradition." My heart was filled with joy and sadness all at the same time. I then asked if she had ever talked to her parents about Jesus, and she said that she hasn't because she wouldn't be able to bare it if her parents were upset with her. By that, she means that she thinks that her parents will shun her from their family which is very common if Japanese choose Christianity instead of their family traditions and beliefs of Shinto or Buddhism. I then encouraged her that if she puts her faith in Christ then He will give her the boldness to tell her family and He will transform their hearts to accept and have peace with it, maybe not right away but over time. I then told her that if we ask then we will receive. The Japanese Christian sub- Takako at Honeybee, the Christian school where this Bible study takes place, helps me by translating for me sometimes during the Bible study. Takako explained how she became a Christian and her father was upset at first, but now he had Christian friends and goes to church. The woman was very encouraged! I was so touched by this! It was the perfect way to end the summer at Honeybee. Father has done SO MUCH ancient work in these women's lives. Every week, they ask really great questions that also challenge me to dig deeper in the word for answers. They are now understanding that this is not just a story because they are applying what they learn to their own lives. So much fruit has come from this. LIVES ARE BEING CHANGED! I have seen so much work and love through these women. This is why I am here. This is what our Father does if we ask- He truly is the king of kings and Savior! I have peace with leaving because I know that He has been working and will continue to work and eventually these 5 women will become Christians. I have received so much joy from this. Words can't describe all that I have seen and heard. Our Father is so much bigger then these 8 million useless gods in Tokyo. These women one day will no longer worship them and soon they will mean nothing to them. Father is the only who who can heal.

PR that these women see that He is the lasting and living water and that they will never thirst again if they choose Him. PR that they would see that they NEED Him right now and have a strong sense of urgency. PR that He would give them peace and boldness.

Jesus come!!

We met with M-san and K-san on Tuesday for our Bible study. Two words- holy cow!!! We met for at least 3 hours in Starbucks. We asked K-san what he thought about the first 5 chapters of John and he had some great questions. You could tell that he intently read it and was really searching. He then told us that in his religion class that they watched a movie earlier this same day about the Crucifixion of Jesus.
Okay- what the freak?! Father set up for him to not only read about it in John, but watch a movie over it the day that we were supposed to meet to talk about it! Divine appointments everywhere!
Hunter began to explain the gospel and K-san couldn't understand all of it so M-san translated. If you don't remember, M-san has perfect English and K-san is learning. They are both coming to American in September until March for study abroad. M-san was translating the gospel even though she is not a Christian. How beautiful is that? The most amazing this is that she just kept on speaking Japanese. She talked with K-san for a good 7 minutes and then leaned over to us and said that she had just explained the trinity and creation of the earth.
Ummm excuse me?! We never mentioned anything about the trinity or the creation of the earth. She has soooo much Bible knowledge from going to a Christian middle and high school. At this point, we were all shocked and in awe of what Father had just done. Hunter can speak the most Japanese out of all of us and he said that when M-san was explaining things, she would say "we Christians." When she talks to us, she says that she is not a Christian. We think that she wants to be but hasn't admitted that to herself.
While the boys are talking with K-san and explaining more, Kelley shows me Ephesians 1:17-18 That the God of out Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
M-san sees that I flipped to it in my Bible and was reading it, so she flips through her Bible to Ephesians. I told her where to read and then explained that, that was our prayer for her- that her heart would be enlightened to what He has called her which is His glorious inheritance. We then told her that we came to Japan to share Jesus with them but since she has become to dear to us, and we love her so much, that we want so badly for her to experience the joy and new life in Christ that we have. Hunter then chimed in to explain that the way we met with her on the train one night was not a coincidence but a divine appointment from God. It was also in His plan to have her bring her friends like K-san so he could hear more about Jesus, and was also in His plan that she went to a Christian high school. She paused and said, "Yes I see that this is all in God's plan that I met you and have my friends at school who are Christians."
My heart did not know what to do! It was about to beat out of my chest.
Thank you, Father! Thank you!!
M-san knows everything she needs to. She just needs to accept. She showed me her Bible and there are notes and things highlighted everywhere!
Father, you have never stopped loving and seeking after her. I praise you for that!!

PR for our next meeting with M-san and K-san. We are going to see Toy Story 3 with them this Saturday. PR that conversations start up again about the gospel. PR that they would come in contact with strong Christians at their universities in America. M-san is going to Arizona and K-san is going to Seattle. PR that they accept Christ into their lives before the end of this summer. PR big requests for these two! I love them so much and I know that they are so so close.

We talked with them about them spending the Christmas break with us in Texas. Hunter will have K-san with him and M-san will travel between Sarah, Kelley and I. Amanda's wedding is during Christmas break and they are going to go with us to that. They are very excited about this. PR that airline tickets become available and that this Father would use this opportunity for His glory!

Thank you all so much! Father is doing so much work! PR is working!
-Cara

"Go On Speaking and Do Not Be Silent" Acts 18:9

One month from today we will be leaving Japan. Yikes.

This week has been so great! All of us got back from our retreat on Friday and it was exactly what we needed. We went to a bible camp in the mountains and it was so beautiful! It was really great to get away from the busy city for a while and just relax and rest in His creations. This was a smaller camp right on the river in the middle of green hills and mountains and words cannot describe how beautiful and peaceful it was. I was really excited to finally see some of Japan's country side.

I feel that Japan is so so close to changing for the Lord. It is so evident in all our contacts and conversations this summer. There are still many people who have never even heard Father's name, but I feel that it is dramatically different than last summer. I know I'm not the only who thinks this either. Every contact that we have this summer has a story of Christians in their lives, went to a Christian school, or something along those lines. The Japanese see that there is a savior, the only thing is that they don't understand why they personally need Him. Traditions are still very, very strong here, but a lot more Japanese are having boldness in standing up for their faith and sharing the gospel. The Japanese churches are now understanding the importance for them, the Japanese, to share with other Japanese. Father wants to use them to reach their own people and I love that! We, the M's, have planted seeds, but Father is using the Japanese to be a part of the growth.

So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily! Acts 19:20

Please be PRing that the Japanese Christians will rise up and boldly proclaim the Truth with urgency and love. My heart yearns for this change!

Father encouraged me today with this amazing passage- Acts 19:25-27 saying that people are seeing that "gods made by hands are not gods" and those idols and beliefs are "counted as nothing" by the people who used to worship them. I PR that this will be Japan very, very soon!

Tonight we met with M-san again and her friend K-san again. We all met up at Starbucks and were there for about 3 hours. Amanda, Sarah, Kelley, Hunter, David and I knew that this would be the day that we would share more about our Father. We got together to PR before our meeting with them that doors would be wide open to lead to the gospel. Wonderfully enough, they did. We talked about it for a good 2 hours. The conversation couldn't have gone any smoother. K-san, to our surprise, shared that he knows the whole story of our Father and went to church as a kid with his friend from America. He said he knew why Father died on the cross and he responded. "He died for all of us." He and M-san already know the full gospel! To them it seems like it is just a story. I don't think they understand that being a Christian means having a new life and a personal relationship with Father. PR that this will change. M-san loves to sing and she told me that Psalms is her favorite and she used to sing them in her Christian high school. We started to talk more about His word and then asked them if they wanted to study more and have a bible study over John. When we gave K-san the gospel of John he said, "Can I borrow this?!" He was so excited to read it! We then explained that it was his to keep. He wanted to know more even without us really offering it to him. We are meeting with them next Tuesday for a bible study over the first 5 chapters of John. They both seemed really excited! K-san said that he would read it tonight.

Please PR that they open their hearts to His word and that Father would give them lots of questions for us. His word is so powerful. I have no doubt that those 5 chapters will do amazing work in their hearts. PR that they see His love and their desperate need for it.

Thank you all so much for your PRs! I cannot wait to see how next Tuesday goes.

Prayer Requests and Updates

I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by! The high school interns got here about 5 days ago and it has already been so great to have them. All of us college interns have come to this point where we are pretty tired and in need of rest, but thankfully we have our 3 day retreat tomorrow! It will be a great time of fellowship, rest, and a chance for all of us to get to know all of the high school interns. Even though we are growing a little tired, Father has not. Everyday there are new stories about His faithfulness and grace.

Here is some great news and PR requests:

Sarah and I think we might have found our Cadence (the person we have been pring to meet who plays the ukulele)!! Saturday was park ministry day and Sarah and I both took our teams to Yoyogi park. That morning, we both PRed that today would be the day we meet Cadence. It was a pretty slow morning and was raining off and on all day, so there weren't too too many people in the park. Sure enough, just as we were rounding our groups up to leave, I saw 2 Japanese women hula dancing and someone playing the guitar. Sarah and I thought that maybe they would have a ukulele. We walked up to them and there were like 6 ukuleles laying around and about 2 people playing them. They asked us to join in with their song and gave us each a ukulele to play. It was so much fun!! They were so inviting and so sweet and obviously obsessed with Hawaiian culture. One of the women playing the ukulele gave us her card because we told her that we wanted to learn more and it so happens to be that she is a teacher and member of the Japanese Ukulele Association. I was silently freaking out. She really wants Sarah and I to contact her.

Please please be PRing that this is Cadence and that many doors and opportunities would open up!

Us ILT (intern leadership team) had dinner at our M's house our first week here and on our way back we met a girl named M-san who has perfect English and went to a Christian mission high school. We have been hanging out with her and her friends a few times now. I feel like I have known this girl for years- she is so sweet. Her friend S-san is not like other Japanese guys. He is very very sweet and caring. My heart breaks for him every time I am with him. They know that we are M's in Japan and we have shared with them a little, M-san already knows a lot. We are going to meet with them very soon, like in the next couple of weeks or so. Please be PRing that we would have a great open door to share with all of them. Please PR that their hearts will be open to what we have to share with them and allow them to see the urgency and their need for our Father.

I feel like this is very brief, so I am sorry for that. I know I have said this before, but I will be updating more often. Thank you all so much for your support!

Yuki is Here

So here is a quick update: I found my ukulele!
Last Wednesday, Kelsea and I went to pick up the iGo Kansas Nebraska team at Tokyo station. It takes us about 40ish minutes to get there and we were so pumped to pick up an iGo one week team. We finally got a seat on the train and I heard over the speaker, "Next stop is Ochanomizu". I had no idea that Ochanomizu was on the same train line at Tokyo station. Right then, I had this feeling that I had to stop at this station. I turned to Kelsea, "Kelsea! We have to get off! My ukulele is here." She looked at me like I was crazy haha. We then got off at Ochanomizu (this is the station where Sarah got her ukulele) and we started off down the street with the 12 million guitar shops. I was on a mission. I just knew that my ukulele was here. The 3rd place that I went to was the home of my precious ukulele, Yuki. It was the first one that I saw and the place was having a huge sale! My ukulele ended up being more than half off! It was even under the price that I had prayed for. The really cool thing is that I was not even supposed to be picking up the iGo team that day. My teammate Jill was put on the schedule to do that, but she wanted to be with the CBU team that day so I told her that I would switch with her. Father really does have his hand on every moment! Each step of this ukulele journey has been a blessing and so incredible. It has only been a little over a week and I have learned so much about our Father and His work.
Saturday, two days after I got Yuki, Sarah and I were put on the schedule to lead the Kansas Nebraska team to do park ministry. Of course, Sarah and I took our ukuleles. We met a girl who also played the ukulele but it was not Cadence. It was a good encouragment though. We were asked to share our ukulele story with the Kansas Nebraska team earlier that morning during their orientation time and we got some really encouraging responses and we have the whole team praying with us to find Cadence. This student team has been so amazing and ready to do Father's work every step of the way. I am so blessed that we could share our story with the group and have them be a part of His story with the ukuleles. Even if it is not Father's will for us to find Cadence, I know that this story has done great things through the teams hearts and my own. It has really shown Father's faithfulness and love.
Thank you for all of the prayers! I know that Father has put together this story for a purpose and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds.
Love you all!

"Ask Whatever You Wish"... Ukulele?

It has almost been 2 weeks here in Tokyo which sounds so crazy to me. I want it to go by as slow as possible but it has been speeding by. Wow guys... our Father is just incredible!! I cannot get over how amazing it is that our maker is so big, loving, sovereign, I could go on forever. I want to explode with praise! iGo Global teaches us some core values and one is our Father's ancient work. That is something that I have seen everyday through some of my own stories here in Tokyo and through the other interns and missionaries' stories. He hasn't ever left any of His people here in Tokyo. He has always been doing work here. He is doing HUGE things this summer! This is a part of our Father's word that He has been showing me every morning which has been so encouraging:
For you are all children of the light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober... but since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 1 Thess. 5:4-8
Okay so story time!
This is going to sound so crazy, so I am just warning you.
On Sunday mornings, the missionaries and intern team get together for church in the park. Well on the train to the park, my teammate Sarah and I got to talking. Long story short, we both shared that we both have been wanting to play the ukulele for a really long time. For some reason recently I have been thinking that I wish that I would have bought a ukulele and brought it to Tokyo. I dont even know how to really play haha. I told her this and then basically we got the same thought at the same exact time. Two words: Holy Spirit. I know, sounds crazy right? Well Father told us both to buy a ukulele. We then started to PR walk to the park and then He told us both to pray for a specific girl to teach us ukulele and in return we would teach her His word. All day we PRed for this girl, we call her Cadence, and some amazing opportunities to use the ukulele for His glory. Little did we know that ukuleles are apparently a huge deal here because they are obsessed with Hawaii. We also PRed that Father would take us to a place where they sell cheaper ukuleles.
The journey for the ukuleles began after the park around 3. We stopped at this station called Kichijoji because we heard from the Journeymen that they have a guitar shop there. One of the journeymen also told us the wrong exit to the station so we were both standing there not knowing where to go. We saw these 2 guys and went up to them and asked them where this shop was. They took us there, that's what these wonderful Japanese people do when you're lost. We got to the store and we stood outside of it to chat with them for a little bit. We ended up inviting them to play games with us at the park where we have church every Sunday. We also added that we were Christians and the guy points to his cross necklace, "Christian". I asked, "are you a Christian?" and he responded, "oh no, just for fashion." The fact that he knew that the cross meant Christian is huge! That means that he has been shown the gospel and knows a little about Jesus! That's like a miracle. Crosses are just a huge fashion trend here, but people have no idea what it means.
We looked around and all of the ukuleles were way too expensive. We then went to another station about 4 stops down our train line where Sarah and I knew that they had a whole street full of shops. It was about 7 when we got there. We knew that the chances of places being open would be slim, but we just felt like we HAD to go. We were totally walking by the Holy Spirit's guidance. We had no idea where we were going or what we were going to be doing, we just knew that we had to follow where our Father was leading.
We arrived and basically all of the stores were closed because its Sunday night at 7. We begin to turn away to go back to the station for home when Sarah looks down this dark alley and sees this guitar place all lit up. We walk in there and sure enough, the first thing I see is a ukulele for $30! Totally Father! We were floored! I kept thinking, "okay, is this all really happening?" So of course we bought it. One down, one more to go.
We ended up finding another guitar shop walking on our way back home but it was closed. We picked up a flyer from the previous shop and it has a list of all of these ukulele cafes in our area! Every place that we went to that night had a purpose.
This all happened last night in about 4 hours. We know that our Father has huge plans, so right now we are just following and waiting for Him to give us opportunities and one last ukulele for me.

We are PRing for Cadence, a second ukulele, and the locations to put all of this together.
This is by far the craziest yet the most amazing thing ever. Our Father is so amazing. I love how He uses His children!! Please join with us in PR for these specific things. These are the things that Father has laid on our hearts.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. John 15:7-8

Love you guys :)

Yay Tokyo!!

Well, I got to the wonderful place of Tokyo 2 nights ago! It has been so great to be back. I feel so at home here. I love love the intern team. I think that this is going to be an amazing summer. Please be PRing for team unity!! I am so excited to see how Father uses us this summer. I will be meeting with my friend R-san sometime soon. I met her last summer through some of my team members and they already shared the gospel, so I am super super excited to follow up with her and build on that. Please be PRing that her heart will be open and desperately wanting something more!! She is so much fun and I can't wait to meet with her.
Okay I am still suffering from some jet lag, so it is a little difficult to form sentences at this hour. Its only 6:56pm right now. Yikes. This post is going to have to be short.
Thank you so much for your PRs!! I will update more later.

-Cara

Thank You, Thank You!!

The time is coming up! Base Camp (iGo training) is in 2 days on Saturday which also means that I FINALLY met my payment deadline! The wonderful place of iGo let me extend it until Base Camp.
This last week has been crazy amazing! I think I have the most intense fundraising testimony in the history of fundraising. Here it is:
This time last week on Thursday I called iGo to see how much I had left to raise. Somehow I thought that I had $1100 left to raise. Well, I was wrong. Crystal from iGo told me that I still had $2400 left to raise. I think Crystal could hear the subtle freaking out in my tone and she said to me, "It's okay. We can do this! Don't worry." It was something like that. Of course, I got off the phone and started worrying. I cried. Yes, I do that when I am stressed. I kept going through my head all of the things that I could possibly do to make this money. Yep, I had nothing. In my head there was absolutely nothing I personally could do. I was finally at a point where I had no control. I asked God to amaze me! Do something to blow my mind like You always do! Right then, in that very minute, I had the strangest feeling. I was at peace. A peace that I have never felt before. I just knew without a doubt that Father was going to do it. I can't explain this amazing feeling. It was then that I let everything go and let Him do what He has been wanting to do from the get go. He wanted me to be completely useless so He could show me how glorious and mighty He truly is and take full control.
The next day, I got an email from Crystal saying that I only had $977 left to raise. I then cried again. This time it was out of pure joy. Father is so so so good! Just like that, in one day, He was able to put together all of that. In the next 5 days, the rest came in from my wonderful, wonderful church family and friends. Father put some people on my heart to call, and sure enough it was on their heart also. I was so afraid to make those phone calls, but they ended up to be so amazing and encouraging. I not only was able to get my final balance, but I was able to have some great conversations with those who gave before I leave for Japan. So here I am, 2 days before I leave, and I now officially have my total balance. PTL!!!

Thank you iGo Global for being so faithful! They not once gave up on Father or me. They knew that He was going to provide even when I didn't. I love you so much!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! The staff at iGo is so wonderful. I love each and every one of them!

Thank you family and friends for being a part of this trip with me. Father has used y'all in amazing ways and He will continue to use that this summer in Tokyo. I don't think y'all know how much you truly mean to me. I am so blessed!!!

Lastly, Father has really given me a passion for prayer. I noticed it especially today when all I can think about it arriving in Japan and praying for the Japanese and my team. It is really cool how that works out because my position on leadership this summer is prayer coordinator. I was really nervous about it and still am, but I know that He will direct me and show me what to pray for and how to be available in areas and those who need it. I am so ready to be there! Thank you for all of your prayers! We will be in Tokyo on the 26th! Just a few days...

Love y'all so much!
-Cara

I Don't Know What the Title Should Be

I am in the mood to blog, but I am not sure what... well how to say it all. I am also procrastinating. I should be studying ASL, but nope. Not feeling it.

This week, well last couple of weeks, have been pretty challenging. I am not all that upset about it though because I have found so much comfort in His Word. He has given me so much joy in the midst of all of these worldly troubles. I am so so amazed, blessed, in awe, and thankful that the Word is living and moving! I am reading through Romans again, and it has been truly fantastic! Well, duh. It's Romans.
*Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:26-28

I have so many favorite parts in those verses:
"and he who searched hearts"- Amen! Our Father is so good and unbelievable. I am so not worthy of his grace and love, yet he searches MY heart. I know all of these things are like, duh, but they are also so profound!
"The Spirit himself intercedes for us with GROANINGS TOO DEEP FOR WORDS"- Love, love, love that!

Okay, well here is some big news: I am still $2000 short. I was not able to make my final deadline, but iGO is so awesome, that they let me move that back. So yep. Wow.
I am so blessed to have made all of my deadlines up until this one. Thank you guys so much for all of your support! It is truly a blessing! Now, I am really trying to put ALL of my trust in Father that He will bring in the rest. I know that He has called me and is just, so He is not about to just be like, "well I have taken her this far, and now she's done." To be honest, that is my biggest fear even though I know that's not what He is doing. Japan is on my mind and heart just about every minute of every day. I want to be there so badly! I so badly want to be there serving and growing with my team. I know that I am so not worthy of this call, but I know that He has called. I just have to trust and know completely that He will provide. I am nervous though. Please pray with me about that! Pray that He puts that on people's hearts to give. Please pray for the rest of my team and their financial goals and their preparation for this summer. It is coming up fast!! Only about a month left. Wow!

I have found a lot of comfort in this verse that Father showed to me the other day.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer! Romans 12:12

I love you all! Thank you for your support.
-Cara

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope. Psalm 130:5

I have been putting this off for the longest time, but I am now finally posting something! I do realize that I told y'all that I would keep you updated on my journey leading up to Japan... so here it is about a month and a half before I leave. I'm sorry it has taken me so long.

Here I go...

First off, I want to thank everyone who has helped me financially and with prayer for my trip to Japan this summer! I can't say that enough. It is truly a blessing! This year leading up to this summer has been crazy. School has been hectic and a lot of things have been going on, but at the same time, it has been so good! Most importantly, Father has been so wonderful!! I have been able to make all of my payment deadlines on time. I am coming up on my FINAL payment deadline in about 2 weeks and it's a biggin! Satan has really been attacking me the last monthish which has lead me to a lot of doubt. I hate that. I don't know why I do because our Father is so faithful and He has made it known that He will provide all of it.

I then realized a few days ago that I only have 2 weeks left until the final deadline and I am pretty sure that I am really behind. I have an account with my church, so I try not to look at it too often so I don't freak out haha.

Last night was the first day back from spring break and I was filling Kat in about everything and I mentioned that and asked for her to pray for me. Today, I was chatting with Father and asked for confirmation about me going back to Japan. He then said to me, "Cara! I got this! Trust me!" Right when I got back from class, there was an envelope on my door that said, "Cara Scott Japan." I opened it and there was money in it for Japan and no name. Ah!! Thank you Lord! He basically said in that moment that I need to be patient because the money will continue to come in, but on His time.

I rejoiced. It was awesome!

My good friend Kelley, who will be going back with me again to Tokyo this summer, shared this with me just a bit ago and I thought I would share it with you... because it's awesome!

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has no rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!!

Psalm 66:16-20

My heart hasn't ever ached for a place like this before! It is unreal. Oh how I love and long to be in Tokyo again! Thank goodness I won't have to wait too much longer.

Please continue to pray for

• team unity!
• the hearts of the Japanese that we will be in contact with
• the spiritual strongholds to be broken
• payment deadlines for me and my team members
• growth and focus leading up to our arrival in Tokyo

This was a lot of information to fit in to a small space, so I am sorry if it doesn't all make sense. I tried not to make it too wordy haha.

1 Timothy 1:12-16

Super Summer Global is coming this Tuesday which is very exciting! There are about 103 high school students. They will be an encouragement because our time here is winding down, and I know that everyone is getting a little tired.

Hachioji has been great recently! I have talked to so many people during 5ME who are very interested in the news that we are bringing them!


Friday was our last campus ministry day at Soka and it was so great! Kat and I got to eat lunch with the 3 girls that we have been meeting with since the beginning of the summer, and it was so much fun!


The previous week, Kat and I shared the whole gospel with them and both of our testimonies! They were very very interested, and it helped so much more because we had spent so much time with them building a friendship. The next time we went, they even brought Father up into our conversation. Incredible! While we were PR walking the campus, Father really laid this on our hearts: 2 Corinthians 4:4-10 and 2 Corinthians 6:3-13
That explains the stuff that goes on here in Japan and in Soka exactly!! Incredible stuff right there!
The two that we are really close with, R-san and N-san, skipped class so they could spend more time with us since it was our last day on campus. I started to help R-san with her English homework and then it transitioned to slag words. This pretty much made my summer. Kat and I taught them words like, "legit", "Girl shut yo big head up!", "I got your back", "tight"... the list goes on haha! The funniest one was when they asked me if I knew what "Break the window" meant... I had no idea. Then R-san said, "You know, poo." I started to hysterically laugh and responded, "POOP?!" Both of the girls turned to red and started to laugh in embarrassment. R-san was like, "No! Air... poof" and did a little flick/poof hand gesture. Then it clicked. "Oh! You mean toot?" They looked clueless. "Poot?" Then Kat says, "Fart!" and all of us crack up!! I felt like I was 8 haha... it was great! The girls then told us that their teacher from Ireland told them that "break the window" means to toot (I hate the word fart). Later that night, kat and I realized that they meant break the wind hahahah! I love those girls!

My women's B Study on Tuesdays gets more and more amazing each week. Last Tuesday, I was able to present the whole gospel the whole time of B Study, and by Father's grace, they understood every word. The language barrier has been a problem in the beginning, but today it totally clicked with all of them because they were asking me all kinds of questions left and right. Normally during the B study, I just pick out simple scripture and explain it, and then just talk with them to build that friendship and trust. Father's timing is so perfect!

PR requests:

• Hachioji area
• Super Summer Global volunteers (they will be here July 21-29)
• Japanese strongholds
• Hearts of our contacts- that they will continue to spend time with us and open their hearts to Father.
• Divine appointments!
  

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

Romans 8:26-27

I am so sorry that it has almost been a month since the last time I have posted something on here! Father has been doing crazy amazing things, so I am sorry if I seem short because it has been really hard to put everything that He has done into words. Here I go...

The high school interns are now here (GT's) and 2 of them are put on each team. Hachioji (my team) has 6 people now! The more the merrier! Our 2 GT's are Hannah and Shannon. They were such a light to the group too. I know that all of the GT's are. They are all so excited and ready to do Dad's work... it was just what we all needed. Last week before they got here, us college interns went on a retreat to one of the 5 lakes around Mt. Fuji. It was so beautiful and peaceful! Father moved through us and rejuvenated all of us during that time. We are now half way done with this summer. So weird.

Ministry at Hachioji is getting better and better as the days go on. It is definitely apparent that Hachioji hasn't ever been PRed over because the ground was very tough when we first started. As we PR and seek Father, we are able to share and see His work more. One thing that has been really apparent is that no matter how weak and useless I am, Father still does His work anyways. He is so good because I know that I am those things a lot of the time if not always. One thing that my team has discovered, and yes it took us a while to figure this out because we are ridiculous haha, is when 2 people PR while the other 4 are doing 5 Minute English, people come flooding in to talk with us which leads to sharing the Good News bookoos of times! Praise Him!! PR is so powerful!! If you ask, he will deliver. BAM! haha.

GREAT NEWS!! O-San was baptized and we also have around 35 new believers! Speechless...

Since the 5 weeks are up, Kat and I are now in the apartment with the other college interns. The homestay was the best experience! I will remember that for the rest of my life. S-San, our host mom, is the most gracious and giving person I have ever met. Father taught me so much through her and how she perseveres with her faith through this dark country. She is for sure a beacon of light. I was on skype with my mom one night at the house and I brought S-San in the room so she could also talk with my mom. S-San thought that was the coolest thing haha. I love her so much!! Words can't describe how thankful and blessed I am so have stayed with that family. Wow.

Dad has really been teaching me to not be mediocre anymore. That might sound really simple and elementary but it He has presented it so profoundly. I am just sitting in awe of Him and His greatness. I am so excited to see what He has planned because His hints sound ridiculously good. He is moving here without a doubt and... I just can't say enough. I am in awe.

PR requests:

• Send people who are searching for Him our direction.
• Interns' strength
• Strongholds that Satan has on the Japanese
• Soka University (our campus that we go to, to find friends and share) This campus is 99% Buddhist and those 99% are very devout. Satan thinks that he has won these students over, but PR for that to change.
• 1 and 2 week volunteer teams that come

I will update next week :)

News of Praise!

Funny of the day:
Kat and I were at the park making flower necklaces for little girls, so that way we could give the Gospel of John to the parents as a "presento." Anyways... Kelley (our other team member) came up and asked us what we were doing. We showed her our necklaces and then Kat says, "Watch this" all smug and everything. She walks over to this adorable 2ish year old Japanese baby and says, "Presento" and puts the necklace over the little girls head. The little girl then starts hysterically crying!! hahaha! Oh, it was priceless.

We had our first salvation in Hachioji today!!! Praise Him!! The guy's name is O-San. The coolest thing is that Michael called me to tell me to meet our new brother when me and a group were praying over a shrine in Hachioji. When Michael told me, I was able to yell, "O-San became a believer!!" in the Shinto shrine!! Take that Satan :)
Please be PRing for O-San while he shares what happened with his parents. He might possibly be shunned from his family, so please PR that his family will be accepting and want to learn more as well. Also PR that he joins us in 5ME and becomes a strong leader. He is also without a job right now. Michael and Joel taught him how to pray, and his first prayer was that Father would give him a job. PR that he does, and when he does, make sure that O-San knows that is was Father who did all of that.

Father told us to PR unceasingly. Please be doing this for O-San and our area, Hachioji, so we can see more people accept our amazing Father!

Listening to:

"I'm Singing" -Kari Jobe

Oh Tokyo...

Here are a few funnies...

• Since Kat and I are at the homestay, you have to eat everything that is in front of you or else they think that you hate it. On that note... S-San made us try some Japanese dessert. Harmless right? FALSE! We had to force down this clear, jelly ball with fake chocolate syrup on top. I tried to hide that I didn't like it but she figured it out and handed me some water to wash it down haha. She called them rice cakes. So not accurate!


• S-San also gave us some grape soda. Again, harmless right? FALSE FALSE FALSE!!! She started to pour the soda into our two glasses, and instead of it running/dripping out of the can... it plops! Yes, it plops! There was clear gew coming out of it. Right as I saw this, I looked at Kat and she had the funniest/most horrified look on her face! We started to giggle and then it turned into uncontrollable laughing... all while S-San was pouring out the goopy grape soda. We told S-San that we loved it. We fibbed.


• Today, while doing 5ME, Kat and I experienced a drunken Japanese man... at 4 in the afternoon. He came up to us... long story short... he tried to pay us because he thought we were prostitutes. I have never felt to violated but now it's just really humorous. Come on, Kat and I? Really? Way too innocent looking I think.


• Kat saw S-San's cat while we were eating and gagged. Yes, a legit gag. She loves cats.
• Riding the train, a man fell asleep on Kat's shoulder. A normal occurrence.
• While walking down the streets of Tokyo, it randomly smells like rotten eggs. At this moment you must say, "Tokyo threw up" or "Tokyo tooted."

Okay so Father has been so faithful! Michael, Kat and I met with two Japanese girls our age tonight for B-study and they were so responsive to His word. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing that conversation was. At the end, you could really tell that they understood and wanted to know more. We are going to meet with them again. I was so overjoyed that I was on the verge of weeping. I have only known these girls for about an hour and I had a love for them and only God can give. Imagine, Father loves us like that but a billion times more. I can't even begin to fathom that. If I were him, I would be weeping ALL of the time. haha. Those 2 girls, M-San and S-San, will unfortunately be leaving for school in Washington. PR that they encounter a strong disciple that will pour into them when they get there. Also PR that they become our sisters before they leave... Lord willing. That would be amazing! Please be PRing for these girls. They are so close!!! PR that he makes himself known in a powerful way!

Goodnight all!

Finally Here!

Hey y'all! Well... it is my 5th day to be in Tokyo and it has been great! It seemed like I had never left. Through these past 5 days, my JSI team has been doing orientation everyday with our head "M" Buddy. He has been walking us through and preparing us for what we will be doing through out the next 10 weeks. Father has really opened my eyes to see that this has NOTHING to do with me and must surrender myself completely to Him for His glory. Please continue to PR for my team and the people of Japan. We are starting to fast daily and continue to be in PR so that the strongholds of Japan will be broken. I really hope that you would join us in a weekly fast on Tuesdays and PR for Japan. If anything works... it is this! Father has really put that on our hearts.
The homestay family is great! I have never met such a kind hearted woman as S-San (we can't put full names on the Internet). We are staying with a family of three: mom, dad, and daughter J-San who is my age. Please PR for this family! They have become really dear to my heart already and S-San (the mother) is the only one who has Father in her heart. I know that the mother and father are having marital problems so please be PRing for that also. I can see that Kat and I are here in this house for a reason, and I am PRing that this will bring praise and glory to his name!
Exciting news! Michael, Kat, and I are all in the same focus group! That means that we will be with each other everyday in a specific spot in Tokyo. Father has something amazing planned for that!
Kat and I met 3 girls and we PR that they will accept Dad's Word and become our sisters!!

Please be focusing on those few things that our Father has presented to us! I will be on here in a few days to update some more. Remember to fast on Tuesdays!!! :)

Japanese Homestay‏ Here I Come!

9 more days until I am in Japan!

I got an e-mail from our "M" saying that there will be 4 available spots for girls in 2 Japanese homes for 5 weeks out of the 10 weeks that we will be there. It was a first come first serve kind of thing, so without knowing much about it, Kat and I immediately jumped on it knowing that it would be a pretty incredible opportunity. Normally as JSI's, we all stay at an apartment in Tokyo for the whole ten weeks, but this was just a special kind of thing. Once I replied that I wanted to be considered, I got really nervous and had a ton of doubts just because I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Anywho... Kat called me early this morning to tell me that we both we chosen for a family together!!! At that moment, I could have cared less about my lack of sleep haha. I ran to my computer to read about the details and I couldn't be more excited!! I am so blessed to have this kind of opportunity with my best friend! There were two other girls chosen and put with another family. How crazy is it that Kat and I were chosen to be together! Buddy, our M, did know that we were friends... I think? But still! Amazing!
We will still be doing all of the same work and stuff in Tokyo with the rest of the JSI's, but instead of going back to the apartment, we will be going to our homestay. Another way cool thing is that the Hamada family lives in Yokohama! Our train rides will be a little longer than others because we will be traveling to Tokyo and they will already be there... but who cares! What a great time to spend with our Father before our day officially starts.

I am so excited to get to experience real Japan and be totally engrossed in the Japanese culture! I know that there will be challenges, but I am more than ready to face those with Father's guidance. I am so pumped to leave for this journey! The days could not go any slower!

With love,
Cara

Getting Ready

Hey guys! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have been on here.
So I am going to give a short update:

• Fundraising was amazing! I met my money goal right on time. Thank you all for helping support this journey that God has panned! I can't stress that enough.


• Thank you for your prayers! Father is so faithful!


• Kat and I sold our t-shirts and made a really great profit off of that which also contributed to our money goals.

My JSI retreat for iWitness was this last weekend, and I finally got to meet the rest of my team for the summer. I fell in love with each and every one of them! Our missionary ("M") was also there, so we got to visit with him about this summer. He told us the plans for each of us this summer and I felt my stomach fill with the same excitement that I had last summer! I am so unbelievably excited to see what Father has in store for Japan. I know it's going to be huge!! Praise Him for being our sovereign king! It brings me so much joy whenever I think about how much he loves us and the lost in Japan. He never ceases to stop searching for them. I have so much more to learn about Him which is so so so exciting! I can't wait to tell of his great works because they will be GREAT without a doubt!

Much needed prayer requests:

• Constant unity within my team this summer. We have to be able to depend on each other for accountability because we are going to be fighting Satan and his doings. That is one way that he will try to hinder us.


• Our strength! Satan and his spiritual darkness are going to try to tear us down emotionally, physically, and spiritually, so we have to stand firm in our Father for strength.


• We need to stay humble because this has absolutely nothing to do with us. This is for our Father's glory... not ours.

I am so nervous and excited to be with the Japanese and share of His great works! YAY!!! I will for sure be on here a lot more when I am in Tokyo giving y'all the 411. Keep on praying!

In Him,
Cara :)


"Worthy is the man who was slain. Holy, holy is He! We sing a new song to Him who sits on Heaven's mercy seat. With all creation I sing praise to the king of kings. You are my everything and I will adore you!!!"

Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him!!

Father has really been telling me to trust in Him completely, and it has been a little hard lately. I just transferred to UMHB, a private school... which means more money on top of my Japan payments. I have had a few trials, but He never leaves me on my own regardless of how much I try to take it on my own without Him. I finally realized that I was saying that I was trusting in Him, but in reality, I was just giving Him some of it.

Today was a pretty challenging day. I got a call from my mom, reminding me to get a few more addresses for support letters because the 2nd deadline is coming up, and we would not be able to pay that ourselves. I then tried to think of all of the things that I could do, but that got me nowhere. I texted my friend Amanda before class and asked her to pray for me. Right after I did that, Steven (my youth minister back at home) called me and left me a voicemail telling me to call him. After class I got the message, and called him back to hear that someone gave me a really really generous amount of money for Japan. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't help but cry. Father is so good!! Just when I think that things are too much, He intervenes in unbelievable ways!

I look at situations like this, and I wonder why I am so blown away in the first place. He is almighty and faithful every second of the day. There is never a moment when He just feels like He isn't going to be there for us, so why am I so amazed that He would provide like this? Praise Him! His works are so beautiful!

Thank you guys so much for being a part of this. I know I have said this before, but this truly means so much to me! I can't wait to see how He molds and strengthens my heart and the hearts of my fellow JSI's. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me!

With love,
Cara

So far...

Hey everyone!
Thank you so much for checking out my blog and wanting to know more about my trip to Tokyo. This post is really just to let you know what I have been doing recently for the trip.
Kathryn is also going to be a JSI in Tokyo this summer as well, so we both decided to design and sell T-shirts for fundraising. We have contacted the T-shirt company, and now we are just waiting for them to send us the official design for the shirt. As soon as I get all of the information from the company, I will be sure to post it on here so y'all can take a look at it.
I have also just finished writing my support letters, so I will be sending those out in about a week.
I am so excited to see what God is going to do throughout this whole fundraising process. $4500 dollars is quite a bit to raise, but I have faith that He will provide that for me. Thank you guys so much for all of the thoughts and prayers! Please keep checking back here for more blogs to come!

Prayer requests:
-Pray for the Japanese.
-Pray for my JSI team.
-Pray that Father will transform the hearts of the Japanese and break the spiritual strongholds that keep them from experiencing the freedom that is found in Christ.
-Pray for the missionaries that are already there in Tokyo.
-Pray for the teams that will be going in and out of Tokyo this summer.
-Pray that we would be equipped for doing His work.