Wrap Up

2011 was a year I will never forget.

So much change, unexpectedness and growth in the Lord happened.

At the end of 2010, I decided that I would choose a word to live the year by. I chose the word, delight.

I picked this word from one of my favorite bible verses, Psalm 37:4

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

I didn’t know that when I picked that word that I would have my world literally rocked on March 11 when my life changed. Experiencing a 9.0 earthquake and seeing the damage from the tsunami had me in awe of the Lord. How the Lord spared my life and then used me to help with relief efforts and then take up a job at my school that I had previously quit from.

I didn’t know that I would have to choose to be delightful in those situations. Bring peace and speak with a calm voice when talking to my family.

Because I chose to delight myself in the Lord, he gave me one of the best jobs that I never could have imagined having. He gave me some of the best friends as well. Friends that know my heart and allow me to share my heart with them. Friends that make me scream laugh all day long. Friends that encourage me in my faith. Friends that will be friends for a lifetime.

I am so very thankful for 2011. I am sad to see it go because it was such a great yet very difficult year. It will be one that I will never forget.

 

One Word Update

This year I decided to choose to live by the word: Delight.

I just sit and laugh right now.

Back here I wrote about some things that I thought I would have to find delight in. In these “hard” times.

I wonder what the Lord thought about when I was writing that post. Thinking about trying to find delight in moving back to America, finding a new job, and feeling lonely.

If you have been reading my blog, you will obviously know that I didn’t move back to America and I didn’t have to find a job.

On March 11th, 2011 at 2:46 pm, the largest earthquake ever recorded in history changed all of my plans. I was in the middle of the biggest unknown in my life. I didn’t know what to do. I chose to be delightful to other people who were scared and afraid because of the unknown. I told myself that I would not freak out and to remain calm and be the ice breaker in this situation.

I wanted to be delightful. This was the time that I had to really live out my word. It was in my face and ready for me to grab it by the handles and go for a ride.

I never, ever, expected myself to be in the middle of one of the worst disasters ever. I was in shock, I still am, that the Lord would spare my life. That he placed me at a school that took care of me and made sure that my health and safety were at the top of the list. I could have easily been teaching at a school on the coast and been washed away by the tsunami. But, the Lord apparently has great plans for my life.

When I called home to talk to my family, I made sure that I was delightful and I was still my normal self. I didn’t want them to worry about me. I wanted them to know that I was safe and well taken care of. Yes, I did only eat two meals a day, but we had snacks in the afternoon and really… I was never really hungry.

When I talk to my Japanese friends in Tokyo, I still choose to be delightful. They ask me, “Why didn’t you leave? A lot of Americans left. Why didn’t you leave?” I told them that the Lord tells me to not have fear. My life is not my own and I am a servant of the Lord. I love the Japanese and I love Japan. I would not want to leave in a time when they need me most. I wanted to show the love of Christ first hand.

I often find myself thinking about my life if the earthquake wouldn’t have happened. I think that I would be lonely, sad, depressed. But I have to be honest, right now I am seriously the happiest that I have ever been in my life. I am not happy that the earthquake happened but I am happy that the Lord is good and he turns everything around to bring glory to himself.

I would have to say that my happiness, or my joy, does not come from my job, my friends or my church. It comes from the Lord. By delighting myself in the Lord, he has truly given me some of the desires of my heart. Right now, that is to be in Japan with the people I love.

 

2nd Year

Well if you don’t follow me on Twitter or you aren’t my friend on Facebook, you don’t know that I will be staying a 2nd year here at MeySen.

I have been blessed with this job. The Lord has made it loud and clear that He wants me to stay in Japan. I mean, I said that I didn’t want to leave.

I have the wonderful opportunity to get to teach the Toddlers class. These precious children are 3 years old. I am SOO excited!

Along with teaching Toddlers in the morning, I will be subbing for almost every other program that you can think of. I will also be teaching High School on Monday and Thursday nights.

Along with getting to teach precious Japanese 3 year olds, I also got to move into a really awesome apartment. It is much bigger than my last one. I feel so blessed.

I think about all that has happened in my 24th year of life. I am seriously blown away.

The only verse that comes to my mind…

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

What is the Lord doing in your life?

Checking in

Well it has been 4 months since I have decided to live by the word, delight.

I always thought that 24 would be a great year. So far, as of this morning, there have been 846 earthquakes since my birthday.

I don’t know why I have always thought that 24 would be a good age. Maybe because I feel like you are old enough, people respect you and it would be a great age to get married.

I never expected the first week of turning 24 to be living in a city where the worst natural disaster was to hit Japan. But, the Lord knew. He knew about me picking to live by the word, delight.

Here are some examples from the past 3 weeks of how delight has been lived out:

I would have to put my delight in Him in order to get through this natural disaster. I would have to delight in Him when I would find out that I would be staying in Japan longer than expected. I would have to delight in the Lord when my heart-strings were pulled and my heart’s motto would change to telling the Japanese about Christ rather than the Africans. I would have to delight in the Lord when He convicts me of things that need to be weeded from my life.

I will need to put my delight in Him because I don’t know what next week holds for me. I will need to put my delight in Him when I am praying about my future husband. I will need to put my delight in the Lord when I think about how He has created and is molding my fh into the man that I will need to do life with. I will need to put my delight in Him when all of my friends are getting married and I am not.

Delight is another word for joy. I want to be more delightful this year. I want the Lord to use me in a way that I would have never imagined. I want Him to show me who He is. I want Him to use me to show the love of Christ to the nation of Japan.

Will you pray with me? Pray that I will choose to be delight(ful) in all situations. Pray that I will delight myself in the Lord.

 

Amazed

I am constantly amazed at the way that the Lord works.

I find myself looking back at the past 5 years of my life and how much I have done in 5 years.

Five years ago, I was finishing up my freshman year of college. It was one rough year if you ask me. It was one of transition, making new friends and learning how to really study.

In the past five years I have learned who I am in my faith. I have been to Thailand, Ireland, South Africa, Japan and Australia. That is a lot of traveling in five years. I have fallen in and out of love. I have acquired a lot of debt in student loans. I have paid off TWO student loans. I have moved to a foreign country to teach English. I have attempted to learn Japanese. I have made lots of friends.

I have been amazed at how the Lord works.

He is good.

He has helped me get over break ups, culture shock, and missing my family.

He has also helped me love on people I have not yet met in real life. Friends who are just online friends, but they are actually so much more than that. They are life friends. Friends that I know that would do anything for me. Friends that if they are hurting, I hurt too.

He has helped me hold onto friendships. Friendships that would have never happened if I didn’t trust in Him. I would not know two of my best friends if I hadn’t trusted in the Lord. If I hadn’t of trusted in the Lord, I would have never been able to go to Thailand or South Africa.

He is good. He is constant. And I will delight in Him.

 

Jobs

Right now I am in a pickle.

Yes, I just said that.

I have been applying for jobs almost every day for the past week. I have applied for jobs all over Kansas City and then I decided heck, why not apply for jobs in other countries.

So my current situation of waiting and waiting and waiting keeps taking me back to my word.

Delight.

I need to remind myself to delight in the Lord because He knows what he is doing. He will provide me with a job. He will help me get my student loans paid off.

But in the mean time if you know of any lovely jobs out there for me… please list away…

 

Life Cycle

When I was home for Christmas, the things that my friends and I talked about were not the things that we had talked about just a few years ago.

We were talking about recipes, babies and jobs.

A few years ago we were talking about homework, boyfriends and weddings.

Six years ago we were talking about homework, crushes and jobs.

This morning while sitting in my bed, I realized that my life is not the “normal” life that most people have. I feel like I am still on the six years ago topics. Talking about who I might like and my job.

Sometimes I feel like my life is not running on the same track that everyone else’s lives are running on. I look at my mom and how she was married and had a baby (me :]) at the age of 24. I look at some of my friends… they are married and thinking about having babies. Or they are going to be getting married at the age of 24.

What will I be doing?

Trying to find a job. Pay off loans. Living with my parents because they are so awesome and will let me stay for free.

With all of that to say:

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

How do you think your life is different from the “norm”?

 

2011

Every year I make a list of things that I would like to accomplish in the year.

It isn’t anywhere near resolutions. It is just things that I would like to do in the year.

Last year I had these things on my list:

* Go to at least 2 new countries (only made it to 1: Australia)

* Read through the New Testament (big fail)

* Pay off $5000 in student loans (paid off one entire loan but it wasn’t $5000)

* lost 15 lbs (lost 10)

* go ice skating

* see all of my Japanese family

* write to Post Secret (I made one but then I decided to delete it.)

* go skiing (nope)

* learn how to make sushi

* learn to drive in Japan

Well that year wasn’t so great. I think it is because there was so much change in the past year. Seesh.

This next year, I have a few things that I want to achieve:

* read through the Bible.

* Do P90X

* Go to a state I have never been to.

* Keep in contact with friends made in Japan

* Volunteer with an organization

* Pay off $7000 in student loans

* Write to Post Secret

* Send more letters

Some of you may be asking, uh… how about a job? Well I would like to get a teaching job in America butttt I don’t know if that is in God’s plan. I don’t know if He will have me teaching or scrubbing toilets at the mall. So, I cannot write that down on my list. :]

Well here is to 2011. It will be a great year and I cannot wait for what it will hold.

Also… you should think about One Word 2011. Click on the link to the right to read more.

OneWord2011

Last week I told you that my one word that I would decide to live out by would be, delight.

My friend Alece over at Grit and Glory challenged us to all try to live out one word for the year.

She never expected it to blow up like it has. So far, over 150 people have pledged to live by One Word this year.

HOLY CRAP!

That is a lot of people. That is people who have blogs. I also know of other people who don’t have blogs who are trying to live out One Word this year.

If you want to link up on Facebook, we have it over there too.

Anyway… about my word….

I have been thinking about what it truly means to be delight(ful). How do you take delight in everything? Is that more like joy? Does it mean the same thing?

Delight has been constantly on my mind.

If you want to revamp your New Years Resolution, then think about living out One Word this year.