To have friends half way around the world...

~Written the night I got back into the states. Miyoko is the one on the left in the picture.~

Its about 3:14 in the morning as I sit here in Dallas and can't sleep because jetlag is not a friendly thing. Nothing else to do besides share a story that He blessed me with while I was in Japan. What better way to spend your time anyhow. So...

There's a woman by the name of Miyoko that resides in Yaizu City (Oigawa), Japan, who has changed my life and I hers. After arriving in Japan and getting settled, it was time to do our information meeting and see who we would be reading with for the next three weeks. After names where drawn, I was surrounded by four wonderful ladies known as Miyo, Akiko, Takayo, and Miyoko.

We started our reading sessions the next day with smiles on our faces and full of excitement. Least to say the first two weeks past and Japan had become a second home in a away. I woke up eager to see who I was reading with each day because I learned so much reading with the girls and watching them soak up and understand The Word made me all warm inside. I can happily say that the first two weeks seemed long but as the three weeks started drawing to a close, it seemed like the time had flown by leaving much more to be done and said to the people who had, by now, become extremely close friends. In the last week, Miyoko finished a whole work book and started into the next. She and I would do anywhere from two to four lessons at a time and then proceed to open up my bible because she was left with more questions that were found else where. We studies out hearts out and told our stories with a few tears here and there. One night I told her the story of how I became a christian and she then told me about how she wants to be a Chrstian someday too. She told me that she wants to study more so that she can hopefully teach her husband and mother but she doesn't want to become one now because she feels that she would be shaming her family because they are of another religion.

She asked me"I always see you smile big when you are talking about Jesus. Why is that?"

I answered her with Psalm 16: 8-11

"I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let you Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life."

Miyoko showed me how you can truly thirst for the living water and not know how to take hold of the cup and drink. Our last day to read together, we proceeded to spend two hours in God's word, enjoying the conversation and discussing salvation. When we got to the fourth lesson, I aksed her if she understood that this would be our last time reading together.

She understood.

I handed her some tissues and grabbed one for myself. We finished the lesson that just happened to be about the Samaritian women who meets Jesus at the well. In this story, for those of you who don't know, Jesus offers this women the living water. The lesson of the story was that the living water is for anyone who believes in Him and is always available. The last question of the lesson was in two parts:

Do you think the Samaritian women wanted the living water?

-Miyoko answered yes.

Would you accept the living water if it was offered to you?

I looked up at Miyoko and heard her say a squeaky yes. She had just told me that she wanted to be a christian and I explained this to her. She and I grabbed more tissues. This was our last reading session and then I was heading home.

She told me many things after she answered that question. A few of them being "You've taught me so much and I'm so thankful for that", "I want to go to heaven one day to so that I can be with God and be happy all the time and also see you again", "I've never met someone with the kind of heart that you have and I'm glad I met you". We said so much in those two hours that it was breaking my heart to think that I had to return to the US in just two days. I was torn because I felt that there was so much left to do but I wouldn't be there to help. I want, with all my heart, to be there the day she is reborn into our christian family.

This was on my heart the rest of the day. I finally FULLY understood what it meant to give your life to God and serve others. To go in to the world and spread the message. To love a complete stranger.

God knew what He was doing when He paired Miyoko up with me. He also knew what He was doing when He sent His son to die on the cross for our salvation.I know that He let me be apart of something great. So many lessons where learned but the greatest thing that happened while I was there was that God found his way into a lost woman's heart.

Great is our God.