The Wright Brothers were pretty righteous

When I was in the 5th grade, I did a history project on the Wright Brothers. I guess I found them interesting because I had been on airplanes since the wee age of two. The brothers, Wilbur and Orville, were technically the world's first air pilots, since they were the inventors of the first airplane that successfully flew. Upon surfing the web this morning, I discovered that the Wright Brothers were Christians! Their father was a traveling bishop for a Protestant denomination and taught them the Bible since they were young. This was something I never knew about them. I found this so fascinating when put into perspective of how overseas missionaries all rely on air to get places (because who rides ships to preach the gospel to foreign lands anymore?). If it weren't for these bros-in-Christ, I'd be having to ride cargo for months before reaching Okinawa! (Speaking of ships, many did use them to travel around the world and spread the Good News before airplanes. We can credit Noah for inventing the ark with God's help).
I feel so much more blessed to have the opportunity to serve Christ overseas this fall. If God wants His Son's name to reach the world, it will. And the credit's going to go to Him, whether we want to give it to Him or not.

Okinawa

It's official! I've been accepted to Calvary Chapel Bible College Okinawa for fall semester. I'm very excited what God will be doing in Japan in the coming months and also seeing what He has already done so far. Thank you for your prayers! I do have a few more prayer requests, now that I'm in:

- Apparently, since I'll be an international student doing missions work, I'm now considered a full-time missionary (student). Woohoo! Praise God! Please be praying for this new calling in my life. It is something the Lord has pressed on my heart this past year and one that the Lord has been preparing me (I see now) for my entire life. But there's still much more to prepare for!

- Please be praying for a solid, God ordained group of students to attend Okinawa this fall. That this group will serve in unity, that our minds will be focused on Christ and His Great Commission, and that lasting seeds to the people of Japan will be planted.

- Please pray for adjustment to the culture. Although I'm Japanese, I grew up in the States, so I only have had a fraction of exposure to their customs. The Japanese are a very unique & difficult culture to understand at times. But their nation is a lost nation, and need to see true worship, true service, and true relationship with God. Specifically, please pray God prepares me for the Japanese language (I am currently trying to learn some Christian terminology in Japanese, as well as brush up on simple writing/reading and conversational speaking), so I can communicate the gospel effectively.

- Please be praying I have a heart of service to GLORIFY GOD. My Spirit loves to help and serve others but I constantly have to evaluate myself and ask, "Am I doing this for a blessing from man? or from the Lord?" It is a battle. The enemy loves to corrupt that which is for the Lord, so please pray my heart will be right every moment in Japan.

- Please pray for the Lord's provision during my time in Okinawa. I am currently working over the summer with a job the Lord literally has given me back time and time again, to pay for CCBC tuition. I have also been funded for a roundtrip plane ticket. But my funding for personal expenses needs prayer. Please pray specifically that the Lord provides just enough for a phone card to use while I am there, for things like detergent and meals on the weekends, laundry once every 1-2 weeks, for any transportation I have to do within Japan (bus fares, airport shuttles, etc), and for other miscellaneous items and/or emergencies.

- Lastly, please pray that God's time spent there will be redeemed (Ephes. 5:26). In addition to common time wasters such as watching too much TV, playing too much video games, too much internet surfing, etc. the Japanese waste their time in other ways. The Japanese are workaholics and waste time working for men and not for a God who is worth serving. They also waste time following other religions and spiritual practices and are missing the true worship of Christ Jesus. Buddhism is the competing religion in Japan and Buddhism is essentially Atheistic. Which puts their workaholic country in perspective. If there's no God to worship, they must worship ourselves. Please be praying the people of Japan will open their eyes to seeing that the days are evil and that tribulation is coming. But there is hope in that Christ is coming soon, too. Pray that the Japanese will let go of the pride that the enemy has them grasping. And reach out and grab Jesus.