Stacey just completed a 5 week term with j-Teams in Hokkaido, the northern most of the four main islands in Japan. She did an amazing time both through words and pictures sharing her experience on her blog. While reading through her blog I was struck but the insight of a few of her comments. This first one comes form a post on June 5th as she was preparing to depart.
Doing missions always requires a lot of flexibility and humility. I won't have a completely clear picture of what my day-to-day life will look like until I arrive in Japan. I do know that my primary role will be holding weekly English classes at the church and running several outreach events. I also hope to attend activities in the community to meet people and invite them to the events we'll be holding. Even a jog could bring opportunities to meet people and eventually connect them to the church.
After a deep relationship with Christ those two themes of flexibility and humility might be the most important characteristics to nurture in preparation for missions. Without flexibility the stress from miscommunications over schedule alone can stress you out. Without humility you will not appreciate how much the national Christians have to offer and how much you can learn from them. Stacey tells her story far better than I can or should so I highly recommend that you spend some time there on her blog. You will get a good idea of what a j-Teamer with A2 does. In Stacey's final post from Hokkaido she made another comment full of insight into the tension that we feel as cross cultural workers. "When I sit and think about whether discomfort is worth that hope, I know with certainty that it is." Spend some time getting to know Stacey's experience and listen to see how God is leading you in your future.
