So. Big changes. Sorry this post is going to be ridiculously long. I'm really not even sure where to start. The most important news is that Japan has denied our visa paperwork and so we have been reassigned to Hilo, Hawaii. We leave Tuesday for a briefing in LA and then go to Hawaii on Friday. Here is my attempt at explaining how this all came about:
We (my STINT team and myself) have been planning to go to Japan for a very long time. In August, we submitted paperwork in order to get our Certificate's of Eligibility, which you need in order to get a visa. Tokyo Immigration says that it takes between one and three months for this paperwork to get processed, but in the last six years that Cru has sent a team to Tokyo it has usually taken about 4-6 weeks. Two months at the longest. So, for about two months we waited, expecting to hear any day that our CoE's had arrived. We packed and had goodbye parties and bought winter clothes. At the two month mark, Japan Campus Crusade for Christ called the Immigration office and asked about our CoE's. They were told that things were taking a little longer because of the tsunami, which is completely understandable. Another month passed, and JCCC was unable to get a hold of anyone regarding our paperwork at the Immigration office.
Two weeks after the three month mark, we still hadn't heard anything. On December 1st, our leadership made the decision to send us to Hilo, Hawaii if we still didn't have our paperwork by December 6th. As it happened, on December 6th we received word that Immigration had reached a decision regarding our paperwork and that it was in the mail. On December 9th, we learned that our CoE's had been denied.
Everyone was surprised by this decision, since this has never happened in all the time that Cru has been sending STINT teams to Tokyo. Apparently, there have been some recent changes to immigration laws that we did not know about when we submitted our paperwork. In the next week or so, JCCC will be sending staff to find out exactly why our CoE's were denied and what we can do to make sure that this doesn't happen in the future.
So we are going to Hilo, Hawaii. There are a couple of different reasons. One is that there is a very large Japanese population in Hilo, and at the University of Hawaii, Hilo where we will be working. There are only two staff people on the whole island and the movement is just getting started, so it's really great that our team gets to be there to help build the ministry. Another reason is that we won't have to wait for paperwork. Hilo is (obviously) in the US, but we will still be able to have an overseas STINT experience and live in a different culture without sacrificing anymore time.
Honestly, this sucks. I am really sad that we won't be able to go to Japan. I know that our leadership is sad we won't be able to go to Japan. JCCC is sad that we won't be able to come and be with them. I am disappointed. But mostly, I am confused. I don't understand why the door to Japan would be closed to us. Why my teammates and myself would feel called there, but unable to go. This is something I've been asking God a lot the last couple of days. And I get the sense that He is telling me to wait and see. I absolutely believe that this is God's plan. I don't get it, but I know that He loves Japan and knows what is best for the Japanese people. He loves my team and knows what is best for us.
There are a lot of sad things about not going to Japan, which I will not list because then I'll start crying. But there are also a lot of awesome things about going to Hawaii, of which I will list some:
-I cannot wait to see what is going to happen. I know that we might not get to see the results of our going to Hawaii, but God has a purpose and I hope that we will be able to see even just a part of His reason for sending us to Hawaii.
-In sort of an interesting twist, about two years ago I briefly considered interning or something in Hawaii with Cru. It's kind of funny to see how God works.
-I'm excited to build up the ministry in Hawaii. The movement there is small, and a lot of people don't know about the truth and hope and awesomeness that is Jesus. I can't wait to see how God uses our team.
-My team finally gets to be together!
-Seriously. Hawaii. There are worse places to go.
-I like the ocean.
-I don't have to get traveler's checks (for once in my life, procrastination paid off)
-UH, the university we will be at, has the Vulcan as its mascot. Granted, it's more Roman god Vulcan and less Star Trek Vulcan, but I can pretend.
-My phone will work in Hawaii! So call me!
-Hawaii is probably not as expensive as Japan.
There are more, but this seems like a good start. Let me know if there are any that I absolutely must add. And since this post is really long enough, I will end there and leave you with two verses that have been impressed upon my heart the last few days:
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
*The title of this post comes from a truly terrible quote in an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series called Spock's Brain. Just from the title, I'm sure you can tell it's a winner. I <3 TOS very much, but this one is just bad. At least it's funny. Basically, a woman appears on the Enterprise and steals Spock's brain (surprise!). When Kirk and Co. beam down to find it, they are confronted with a bunch of people who are extremely unintelligent. When they try to explain that they are looking for Spock's brain, the head woman literally says, "Brain and brain, what is brain?!" Listen here! I'll stop there. Don't want to ruin the episode for anyone.
The other reason for the blog title is that it rains, according to Wikipedia, approximately 126 inches a year in Hilo, Hawaii. I'm from Arizona. We get about 9 inches of rain a year. One hundred and twenty six inches. I. Do. Not. Understand. I literally cannot wrap my mind around that much water falling from the sky. Rain and rain, what is rain?!
Also, if you connected that Star Trek quote with this blog post, you have a problem. That's okay. I do too.
