When I left Japan after ten weeks in the summer of 2003, I said to myself, "Ten weeks is not enough time to befriend the Japanese people. I would like to pray about coming back for 2 years."
And yet, here I sit, the eve of my leaving Japan... two years behind me and I again want to say, "Two years was not enough time..."
There is so much more I want to do and be a part of...
How can I tell you about these past two years? Things like the deep conversations spoken with no words because language was a barrier by God's grace we could overcome and connect, teams that became like family, students that became my younger siblings, lessons learned the hardest way, laughter that was spilt over coffee tables, and tears that were shed in almost every place.
I have been poured into. An earthen vessel which bears no beauty of its own, a plain vase waiting to be filled... I have been filled and overflow with the grace of God. I can not fully tell you the last two years and the impression that has been left on my heart.
I don't want this time to end but I know I cannot stay. But for tonight, for this moment, let me just sit here...
and cry my heart out.
