We're Going Back!

We're going back to Japan! And it's kind of a crazy story why now!

So recently, someone from church (who wants to remain anonymous, so I'm being deliberately vague for a lot of this) approached us and said, basically, that despite their monthly budget looking pretty much the same as it always has, they'd developed a savings surplus of $15,000 in the last several months, and they felt like they were supposed to give it to us.

This is already crazy! Very generous and very cool to experience. But it gets better!

See, they didn't know that back in January, I was praying about Japan - as I was and am always wont to do - and I'd realized that we'd been praying for and expecting God to bring us back to Japan by giving us a work visa or something, somehow paving a path for us to go and stay. But what if God wanted us to go back on tourist visas again? So I asked God to make it clear to us if that was what he wanted us to do, and he was like, "Sure. Ask me for a sign - something unmistakable."

I knew Cassie was worried about our finances, and that going back to Japan would be easier for her if she wasn't stressed about the cost, so I said, "Okay, if it's cool with you, let's make the sign $15,000 - not $14,000, not $16,000. If we ever suddenly and unexpectedly get $15,000, we'll go back to Japan without any plans, just tourist visas again."

And then this happened. By the time it did, I'd pretty much forgotten about the sign, too - it took a minute for everything to click into place, but when it did, I burst into tears on the spot. I am so excited!

We're obviously praying very hard that we get to stay there - that God's plan for that will become clear once we get there - but it's always just so exciting to get such a clear reminder that whatever the plan is, there is a plan. We've got tickets for the beginning of July, and whatever happens, we're so so excited to see all of our friends in Hakodate again!

Praise God!