It's Monday, March 21, 2011, and I was scheduled to be in Tokyo as of right now, however the Lord saw fit to change my plans. It was hard to take in what exactly was happening when I first heard the news that a major earthquake had hit Japan's northeast coast. Tsunamis battered the shores and wiped a few coastal villages off of the map. It was crazy to say the least. There was a mix of emotions as well as a bit of confusion and a lingering sense of being overwhelmed. I was so close to leaving and then all this happened. What do you do after that? I guess I did the only thing that I could do at that point, I prayed and I waited. After several days of watching the news reports go from bad to worse, I felt like there was something I was missing. I knew God had a plan in all of this, but what was it? How did I fit into all of it? Did this change plans? How does this affect my trip? Is it even safe to go over there? There were so many questions, and yet because there was so much that was unknown by American news teams, it seemed there were little answers.
After much prayer and consultation with Mark, the pastor in Japan, and my friends and family, and after the smoke began to clear in Japan, it became apparent that I needed to stay. This was not a decision that I made because I was told that I should stay. In fact, I had the same people who were saying, "Stay," telling me to go if the Lord was still calling me. This decision, I felt the Lord lead me to make. So on Thursday afternoon, the day before I was supposed to leave, I called American Airlines and asked them to postpone my flight. They offered a one time, flight change with waived fees and told me that my flight was basically now an open-ended one. I still have a ticket, but it's up to me when I want to leave. I felt that I needed at least a week to pray, seek the Lord and wait for more of the situation to unfold.
News reports were saying that the Japanese government was telling people within a certain radius to stay indoors or evacuate. Americans were being urged to either leave Japan or avoid "non-essential travel." I felt that what needed to be taken into utmost consideration was the radiation situation. At the time, it didn't seem like where I would be was in any immediate danger. Ten weeks is a long time, though, and much could change. How would I know that it would stay unaffected over time? How do you tell? Radiation isn't something you can see coming, and it doesn't always show signs right away that it's affected you. I didn't want to act out of fear. I think if I had, I would have canceled the flight long ago. The situation was growing more serious as the days progressed, however, and it just felt like the Lord was laying it on my heart to wait a week at least to see what happens.
My contacts in Japan are safe and unaffected by the earthquakes and tsunamis so there wasn't any fear of that, although I knew that they were still experiencing some aftershocks. I wanted so badly to go and help, but would my ministry still be the same? In other words, would I still be used the way I felt that God was wanting me to be used if people were staying indoors or if everything I would be doing was focused on the relief efforts? I would happily help with the relief efforts if I knew that God was calling me to be involved in them, but as of now, I'm not certain that I could be of best use in that situation. However, I'm still praying about it, and I need much prayer about how to continue forward from here. Do I go in the next few days? Do I wait another week? Does God have other plans for me? These are the main prayers that I have right now, and I know that God is faithful to answer them. I know He has a purpose in all of this, but it does seem a little like my world is a bit upside down right now. I do know that I need the love, support and of course, prayers of those of you who have committed to pray for me during this time.
I do know a few things though, I originally planned to leave on Friday, March 11, which is the day this all happened. However, I decided to postpone the trip a week because the following week was my girlfriend, Grace's, spring break, and we decided to spend that week together. Had we not decided that, I would have been over there in the midst of all this turmoil. (Praise God for her!!! :)) I was also told that the winds were blowing North so the radiation was being blown away from Tokyo. However, I was talking to a friend and one of the thoughts he presented to me was, "What if the winds change while you're there for 10 weeks?" It was something I had thought about and I'm glad that he brought it up to me as a need for serious consideration. Today, I heard a news report say that the winds had in fact changed and were blowing South. Now, I have no idea how much that will affect Tokyo, and I don't know how serious it is. It may not be as a big a threat to the area that I would be staying in, but I do know that for me, it's very serious. There are many things that I need to be taking into consideration at this time in my life, and I don't feel like the Lord is leading me to make such a risky venture, although He knows that my heart is going out to the Japanese and is aching at their tragedy.
Please continue to pray for me, if the Lord brings me to mind, for wisdom, strength, clarity and decisiveness to do His will no matter what He leads me to do. There are still many challenges I'm facing in the midst of praying and waiting. I thank you for your support and for your encouragement, and I can't wait to speak and see all of you who are supporting me through prayer! Much love and many thanks in Him!
P.S. Don't ever stop thanking Jesus. Even if our plans are upset, it's because He loves us. Everything that comes to us must pass through Him because we have accepted His Lordship over our lives. He is good! He will always be good! And everything He does is for our good! (Rom. 8:28) Thank the Lord! Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment