Lots of you have asked about our progress toward Japan, so I figured it's time for an update! If you don't know us well, you will soon find out we don't move fast! Well, I should say, God has not moved fast with us in this endeavor (if you're aware of our meeting/engagement/marriage story it contradicts the moving fast thing!). He is taking His own sweet time, but behind the scenes much is going on.
Greg and I are pretty transparent with our friends that our marriage has been a constant challenge for us. I would say it has been more difficult than parenting four kids (not sure if Greg agrees or not?). We are currently watching clips from a message series Andy Stanley did on marriage with our small group. It is titled: imarriage. We figured out we have an "imarriage". Two big I's trying to make a we. It's been a constant struggle. But, in the past month we can both confidently say, by God's grace we are making good strides. We crossed another threshold and it feels very good. We have both come to new understandings about ourselves and each other. We both desire our marriage to reflect Christ. We are so far from that, but we long to be closer to that goal. God is slowly (we're both slow learners) moving us in that direction.
So, are we any closer geographically to Japan... no. But, we are much closer to a healthy marriage that will withstand the pressure of this life change we will experience. It's interesting for me to look back over the past several years. Since we first heard "China", God has brought me closer to Him than I've ever been (unfortunately many times it involved cutting me off at the knees, my fault, not His!) and in that same process of drawing me into Himself, He's drawing me closer into my husband's arms as well. It's a struggle for an independent German (read stubborn) girl to depend on God or her husband. It's a struggle to give up the way I know (think) it should be and surrender to God or my husband. It's a struggle to give up ideas of how I think God should act or what He should be doing for me/us. But through this struggle I have learned that my ways are not God's ways. Thank God! My stubborness is being chipped away, little by little and little by little I'm learning what it means to submit to my Lord as well as my husband. The lessons have been painful, but God's grace is sufficient and my prayer is His glory will be shown by our marriage testimony. God takes what Satan means for destruction and turns it into a beacon of His glory. How grateful I am for God loving Greg and I so much that He does not give up on us. Believe me, we've both done things that are worth giving up on us for!
So, we venture on. Things are by no means perfect, but we are making good progress. Even if we would never make it to Japan, all that God has brought us through in our relationship has been worth it. I wouldn't trade the troubles now that I can begin to see the reward. That reward is eternal... I will never have to give it up!
We've decided to try to make the January deadline for all our paperwork. Oct. just wasn't the right time. It really had nothing to do with the paperwork and everything to do with my paragraphs above. We're continuing to declutter the house (long process!) and are still aiming for putting it on the market in the spring. As far as traveling to Japan... we're not sure when, but we'll keep you updated. Hopefully sometime next year is what we're hoping.
I tend to get ahead of God most of the time, but I've been thinking about what we might do in Japan. I really have NO idea. I had an idea of what I would have liked to do in China, but not Japan. I'm sure that's a surprise only God knows right now. I told one of my closest friends today that thinking about going to Japan is like thinking about going to Heaven. I have absolutely NO idea what it will be like or what it could be like. I have NO picture of us there or what we would do. I'm guessing that's right where God wants me. My plans are not His plans and my thoughts are not His thoughts. Good thing.
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