God at work...1 Corinthians 3:6-9

"6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building." --1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (NIV)

Boy this passage fits this blog post perfectly. Before I get to the point of this entry I have to give some background information. So, as I have said before, last time I was in Japan, we got the chance to take Sae to church for the first time. She is not a Christian but was curious to see what it was like. After the service at Grace Tokyo Church, she said she enjoyed it and said it was very different than what she expected it to be ("It was happy. I wasn't expecting that"). Zach, one of the NWC students on the trip with me, gave her his Bible, and ever since we got back some of us have been working with her little by little over facebook to guide her through parts of the Bible. I was happy to learn that around Christmas time she traveled to Nagasaki and intentionally sought out a church while she was there. Apparently Nagasaki is the start of the Catholic church in Japan, so there is a massive church there. She happened to visit during the Christmas program mass, and she said that she enjoyed it.

Fast forward to yesterday. I log into facebook and see that Sae had written a status. Usually they are about science stuff (she is a biology student), but this one was different. This is what it said (direct copy and paste):

i saw a movie "chocolat". i really moved young priest's instruction at last scene.

I want to talk about Christ's humanity, I mean how he lived his life on earth: his kindness, his tolerance. We must measure our goodness, not by what we don't do, what we deny ourselves, what we resist, or who we exclude. Instead, we should measure ourselves by what we embrace, what we create, and who we include.

What does this mean? I don't know for sure...God does though. I do know this--God is doing something in Sae's heart. While I may never know if Sae accepts Christ into her life or not, I know that the seed has been planted in her heart. We are trying to water it as much as possible, but like Paul says, only God can make it grow.

In your prayers today, please pray for Sae, that the seed in her would grow and that she would get connected back with Grace Tokyo (or any church) so that she can be surrounded by believers. In a country where only 1% of the people are Christians, becoming a Christian is relatively unheard of. However, through the work of churches like Grace Tokyo and Christian organizations like SEND, Jesus' name is becoming more and more familiar to the Japanese people (Praise God!). God is great, and His love for the lost is so incredible. My prayer is that Sae sees that and crumbles at the feet of Jesus :)

Video from SEND International

Here are two videos to describe what I will be a part of in March. The first is produced by Samaritan's Purse and the second is by SEND International. I am going through SEND, but they are partnering with Samaritan's Purse for this project, so I will also in a way be with Samaritan's Purse, if that makes sense. While both of these videos were from October, there is still obviously a lot to be done--rebuilding, absolutely, but also emotional healing.

Donations Update

The paperwork finally got processed and I have received the donation information. I don't want to put SEND's information on here in case it falls into the wrong hands, so if you do not receive a support letter next week (Week of January 16) and you want one, comment on here or send me an email if you know it and I will get one out to you.

Thanks again!

Endless Blessings

"19 God is not human, that he should lie,
   not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
   Does he promise and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;
   he has blessed, and I cannot change it."  --Numbers 23:19-20 (NIV)

I came across this passage today, and it describes the past 4 days perfectly. In getting all of the application paperwork complete, SEND needed a copy of the photo page of my passport for obvious reasons. Long story short, I searched literally everywhere for this passport. Along with it, my social security card was also no where to be found. So here I'm thinking, "Great, not only do I have one more thing to worry about with this trip, including an extra $200 for a new passport (expedited), I now have allowed another Kassidy Cook to enter the United States system and trash my name." I struggled to sleep for two days while I searched and thought of any and all places these things could be. Meanwhile, Mom was at home checking the house as well. Nothing. I was in constant prayer with God for at least the passport to show up. Yes the SS card is very important, but at least if I have to replace it it's free.

Well, Monday night I get done with basketball practice and check my phone to see that Mom has left a voicemail. I tried not to get my hopes up, but as soon as I heard her go "HEY! I have good news for you!" I almost fell onto my knees on the sidewalk outside of the school. I kept my feet, but I thanked God the entire way home for answering my prayer. He kept it missing long enough for me to realize I need Him to help me and then he answered me.

God has a promise for me. He called me to Japan, and I keep forgetting that He will provide a way. I have a control issue in our relationship, and it's things like this that he really works to get me to give up control. If you haven't done so today, take some time and thank God for the blessings he has provided you and the promises he keeps. It may not seem like he is keeping them at the moment, but take this passage from Numbers to heart and be comforted in knowing he will fulfill them when His timing is perfect.

Donations

Thanks to a few of God's servants, I have already begun to get the question, "Where do I send donations?" First, to those people, thank you SOO much! You are truly a blessing! Now, there are two different routes here. If you want the donation to be tax-deductible I would tell you to hold on for a week or so. Right now my application is being processed (even though I have been in contact with the lady that does the application processing and we already have a tentative schedule down) so as of now I do not have an account for funds set up. When the application goes through I will have a fund that you can send the donations to SEND and they will give you a receipt. I will post that here as soon as I know it.

The second option is if you don't want/care if the donation to be tax-deductible, in which case you can send me the donation and I will get it where it needs to go. If you want my address just comment to this post.

Either way is totally fine. Most will want to send it to SEND, so in that case, please hold on for a week or so and I will update you as soon as I know more.

Thank you all SO much. You are truly a blessing!!

Because of Him,
Kassidy

Change of Plans

Wow have things changed in the past couple weeks!! Long story short, I realized I was bucking God and His plan for me and was instead trying to do it myself. I had an opportunity to rebuild houses around Sendai with SEND International. However, that trip would have been more structured and also would have cost more. I sort of bucked it for a few weeks until I realized that that was the door God was opening (Revelation 3:7b) and I was standing there trying to open a shut door. So, even though I most likely won't get to spend time with Sae and Takuya and I have a week less to raise a couple hundred dollars more, I am filling out my application to make it official and thus begins the wild ride to raise between $2,500-$3,000 before mid-February...Gotta trust God to provide... My biggest fear is that the funds will not come through and I will have just put myself in an EXTREMELY bad position for school next fall. Everything I am earning this year is going to have to go to Northwestern next year so I can finish my degree, and if I have to pay a large chunk of this trip (more than probably $500) I will not be in good shape for school.

That is why this trip planning has been so stressful; I am taking a huge leap here knowing I have the chance of not being able to pay for school next year. However, with that in my head, I feel God calling me to go back. It is a passion I have honestly tried to push aside and convince myself that it's not the right time. Then I have a quiet time and it is clear that this is the perfect time for me for a few reasons:
1) This is likely my last spring break..Next year I will probably have an internship spring semester.
2) It will look GREAT on my application for the JET Programme (Japan Exchange and Teaching Program..basically a government funded program where English speakers teach English in Japan for between 1-5 years). The JET Programme is very selective (around 70% get rejected) and the more culture experience I have in Japan, the better. My teaching experience is good; I need more culture experience.
3) Japan is at a key fork in their road right now. My generation of Japanese are very open to the Gospel--Something that traditionally has not been with older generations. With the younger generation looking for something more, and then the events of March 11, 2011, there are thousands, perhaps millions, of Japanese who are in need of hope and of a place to rest (rest that is found in Matthew 11:28).

So here I go, I feel like a little kid trying to learn how to ride a bike. There is a chance I will fall and get scraped up financially and I get scared out of my mind when my head gets consumed with that thought, but then I look back and realize my Father has a hold of the seat and is running with me keeping me steady. Unlike learning to ride a bike, though, I will never get to the point where I will be safe saying "Let go Daddy!" And I'm okay with that :)

So if you could pray for me during these next few months, I would be ever so grateful. It is going to be crazy.