Despite getting stuck on a plane yesterday for two hours at SFO due to a problem with the engine and then getting deplaned and then getting back on only to get delayed again in the air at Denver due to a tornado warning... I'm here in Ft. Collins!  I made it!  I'm at Xtrack for the summer (two months to be exact) preparing to go back to Tokyo.  Thank you to all who made it possible for me to be here.  It is SO refreshing to be here.  Today was a great day to reconnect with Jesus.  Whew, I needed that.  Thank you Jesus!

P.S. I "accidentally" stumbled across this verse this morning.  We were supposed to look up Deuteronomy 31:3, 6 but this one really spoke to me!

For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice.    Deuteronomy 13:3-4

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: E-moderate, N-slight, F-clear, P-moderate

Your temperament is best described as creative, curious, enthusiast, versatile, spontaneous, expressive, independent, friendly, perceptive, energetic, imaginative, and restless.  Potential areas for growth include a temperament that tends to have trouble focusing, and become easily distracted.  You may also ignore deadlines and procedures, overextend yourself and tend to be non-conforming.

According to the MBTI, when you are under great stress you may become overwhelmed by detail, losing your normal perspective and sense of options.  Then you may focus on an unimportant or distorted detail, letting it become the central fact of your universe.

Today I just re-received the results of my International Placement Profile done by trained missions psychologists.  This personality part of the test part may explain why my week in Hawaii has been sooo crazy.  Of course, it also seems like I just attract adventure.  I'll have to tell you about my week here.  (Next entry)


P.S. For the most part this describes me to a T (especially becoming easily distracted and overextending myself) but I DO value deadlines and I tend to be conforming rather than non-conforming.  Maybe that's just because of leadership experience rather than my natural personality though.

I don't know though, for those that know me well, do you think this is an accurate assesssment?

Laura, Paul, Jared, Chris and Kel,

     As I'm sitting in the Whitmores' apartment using their internet, I thought I'd just "journal" a little bit.  Laura, Paul and Jared - Chris, Kel and I miss you sooo much!  It's only been a week since you've left Tokyo, but it feels longer.  I know that some of what I'm going to say I told you during debriefing, but I wanted to say it again since debriefing happened so late at night and I'm not sure I remember everything you guys said or if you all remembered what was said.  (But I swear I wasn't sleeping!!)

    We came together not knowing each other or knowing how this year would turn out.  We had the common goal of wanting Jesus to be glorified in Japan, but really that was about it.  We knew very little about how we would get along or how we would work together.  Yet we were told we would be "God's provision for one another" and that by the end of the year we would become like family.  Because of last year, I knew it would be true, but I still had hesitancies/wondered how that would come to be.  Especially because I did like last year's team so much.  And while nothing could replace the people or experiences of my STINT '06-'07 team, Jesus truly grew my heart to love you as though you were truly my family.

     Paul, co-leading with you has been a huge blessing this year.  I had an awesome experience last year with Joe as my co-leader which made me nervous about having to readjust.  Especially since I didn't want to really LEAD - I just wanted to follow/be the helper of the "leader".  But you made it easy.  While I did have to adjust, you're easy-goingness, teachable heart and love for Jesus and EVERYONE made it really easy to relax and in a way follow your lead.  You've said I've been the anchor of our team, but when I think of it, during the crazy times you were the one who was calm and thought things out and just went with the flow (but you didn't compromise our team values or standards).  More than being a great co-leader though, you've been an awesome brother and friend.  You know when to joke to lighten the mood or to remind me to not take myself too seriously, but you also know how to listen well or to ask the right questions.  You value and love people soooooo much, people don't ever feel like they have to perform around you.   You've TRULY become a brother . . .

     Chris, you're still here in Tokyo and I'm glad for that.  I'm also glad that we live in the same area (kinda) back in the States.  As much as I say you're mean or that I "hate you", you know that I love you right?  I was so excited when I first found out you were coming on STINT.  I didn't know you well, but I was excited to have a fellow UCD alum join our team.  Since you weren't a part of Campus Crusade at UCD, I was wondering how you'd adjust to our team since everyone else had been apart of CCC in the States.  But you adjusted exceedingly well - you're heart for evangelism and people FAR exceeded my expectations.  I wouldn't say I had low expectations, I just didn't know what to expect with you Chris.  But out of everyone on our team, you've surprised me the most.  Always in a good way.  The way you would give notes or gifts to people when they didn't expect it, or when you would open up and we would get to see your heart or when you would have the discipline to run rain or shine, hot or cold every day really showed me your character.  A lot of times I wouldn't know what you were thinking or feeling, but I've learned to really trust you and looking back I can honestly say that I've never been disappointed but instead have been super blessed.  You need to come back to Japan!

    Jared, you are so solid.  You love Jesus.  You love the Word.  You live out your faith.  You lead sooo well.  Even though you weren't given a title of "team leader" you ARE a leader in your example and walk with Christ.  I've loved getting to talk with you, pick your brain a few times on things and really just see the way you love Jesus and others in your life.   I've loved that you've really shared your heart and life with our team . . . we've been able to grieve with you and rejoice with you over many things.  But seriously, your engagement with Ally was one of the highlights of my STINT year!!  I loved getting to celebrate that moment with you two!!  You've really raised the standard of what to look for/expect in a husband.  Thank you so much for that.  As a sister, it's really really encouraging to have a brother like you. 

   Laura, I just love you so much.  Having your room be empty is really really sad.  I wish you were here reading in your futon or around to see if you wanted to go running today (even though it's miserably hot) or to watch another drama.  You're one of those quality girls that is so easy to connect with right away because of your understanding of Jesus, the Word, and people.  The way you're disciplined by the Word is amazing to me.  Being your roommate, I've seen you struggle with things (maybe internally), but it seems like your knowledge of what the Bible says or the Holy Spirit's conviction always wins out.  You're so willing to submit to Jesus - I love that and it's kept me accountable this year.  And the way you cook and clean spoke volumes of love to me!!  Maybe cooking and cleaning is my love language for receiving love . . . I really felt loved by you a lot!  You're going to make an amazing wife and mother one day.  =)   But I'm glad for now that you're coming back on STINT next year.  You've connected so well with the Japanese culture and people.  Not just connected - I feel like you've really become Japanese!  Chris, Kel and I were talking about how Japanese you've become the other day (like the way you didn't like dramas before and now you love them, or the fact that you bought us taiyakis when you didn't like azuki beans before!  btw, that was oishii!)  I love you Laura!

    Kel, I take you for granted.  I feel like we'll always be friends/like sisters so I haven't felt the need to tell you how much I love you or that I'll miss you because I feel like we'll still see each other.  Or maybe I just don't want to let myself get sad.  But it won't be the same after this year.  You're one of my dearest friends, so of course we'll still be friends - but it'll be different.  Doing life together in Japan the past couple of years has seriously been one of my biggest joys.  I feel like I've experienced so much of Jesus through you.  I've seen Him change and mold you into His likeness more and more and I've seen Him use you in huge ways . . . just in my own life He's used you to show me how to love and how to speak truth with grace.  I'm so glad that God brought us back together on the Epic Summer Project five years ago and I'm so glad that he's deepened our friendship and given us a chance to live together and really become sisters.  Like I said before, I was afraid of living with you because I had heard that living with friends could ruin friendships.  But throughout this year I've realized that that would definitely be true if we were afraid to really get to know each other/wouldn't want the other person to REALLY know who we are.  But because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit working in our lives, we could easily admit that we're both just weak sinners who constantly need forgiveness and grace.  And that's why it's been easy for us to give grace to each other.  Thanks Kel for everything . . .

Now as we've already gone our separate ways/are preparing to go our separate ways in just a few weeks, I have to really thank Jesus for this chapter in our lives.