Why Okinawa? How the Rock of Ages lead me to "The Rock"

I get asked this question a lot, "Why Okinawa?" Of all the places you desired to travel to and possibly live at, why there? Well, I love sharing this story and I think it's about time to put it down in written form. So, here we go.

In 2002- January, I was in a very dry place in my walk with the Lord. Burnt out, tired, stressed and unmotivated. At the time I was going to a College & Career Bible study and our teacher was Aaron. Aaron heard of a mission trip to Hawaii with the purpose of having a VBS (Vacation Bible School) during the day and then at night we would go out into the streets and share the gospel. Most of the group was made up of college kids.

My sister had signed up to go and said she thought I should go,  but as I mentioned before I really wasn't motivated to do much of anything, let alone to go share the gospel, because I was struggling myself. Nevertheless, she signed me up, paid the deposit and said, "You're going!" Uh, what?! Okay, so after she took a step of faith to sign me up and pay, I started praying, " Lord I have nothing to give, I don't know what to do and I am not good at evangelism"...but the Lord started showing me that I didn't have to be good at anything, just go with a willing heart and He would do the work.

So, I did..we hopped on the plane at LAX and flew to Honolulu, Hawaii..we were told we'd be "roughing it" but everyone thought what a joke, how could you be roughing it in Hawaii? Well, guess what for a week straight, with exception to the last night I slept on the floor of a storage room and we all showered with a hose literally, covered in a PVC pipe shower frame and blue tarp. Toilets we did have, thank God! But my back was sore and showers were cold, but every morning we woke up early, crossed the street and read God's word on the ocean! It was marvelous! We were lead by Pastor Tommy Ruiz who at the time was Pastor of Calvary Chapel Corona, but now is a Pastor on Okinawa.  He would lead us in prayer, worship and Bible studies and had a schedule for us to follow. We had wonderful fellowship, ministry opportunities and a beautiful place to behold the Lord's creation. Then a couple days into the trip, another pastor joined us, Pastor  Rick Barnett of Calvary Chapel Okinawa. He and his family had uprooted from California to Okinawa to start a church plant and had been there for about a year or so. He invited all of us kids to come Okinawa for the summer and help out in various ministry opportunities .

At the time I thought to myself, "I am a broke college kid, how in the world am I going to afford going to Okinawa, Japan"? But, months after the Hawaii Trip, a Missions trip was in the works for Okinawa and two of us had the option of staying in Okinawa for 5 weeks. So, naturally because God is this way, He provided for me to go on that trip and in late June of 2002 I boarded a plan to Okinawa, Japan.

We were taken to Okinawa Christian School International (OCSI) where we would be lodging for the majority of the trip. The school had apartments for the Missionary Teachers who taught at the school. So, we stayed there and I was tasked out to teach the review of Kindergarten to prep the kids for Fall of 1st Grade.

To be honest I did not want the job, I never saw myself being a teacher, because I didn't think I could be patient enough, but regardless of what I wanted, this is what the Lord asked me to do. Well, I had early mornings and late nights..the first two weeks I was miserable and was asking myself, "What in the world am I doing here"? Along with being tired, I was really struggling with the super humid weather and on top of that the creepy, giant bugs etc. It was definitely a time of testing and stretching. After 2 weeks, there was a women's seminar and I was totally broken. After I finally surrendered my reluctant, stubborn will...I had this amazing peace come over me. At the end of that very busy 5 week trip I had become enamored with Okinawa...when it was time to say goodbye, I had a really hard time. I wept and sobbed like a big baby.
When I got on the bus to the airport I prayed, "Lord, bring me back".

So, from 2002 through 2007 I prayed for opportunity to return, and even though our church had sent teams to Japan, the door wasn't open to me for one reason or another, it wasn't God's will for me..but in 2007 our church had planned a trip to return to Calvary Chapel Okinawa to help out with their VBS. Throughout the years I had periodically kept in touch with Pastor Rick and family and was asked if I would be interested in helping out with different ministry opportunities, but they didn't work out.

Our trip was to be 10 days, but because I had such a desire to be in Okinawa, I asked Pastor Rick if I could stay 2 extra weeks. He prayed about it and said okay. So, after the team left, I remained..During that extra 2 weeks I was blessed to help out in various ways from cleaning, to food prep, to helping out in the kids classes for church etc. I met a lot of people and just had this sense of familiarity with everyone and a feeling of being at home, but not wanting to trust in feeling, I prayed for scripture and confirmation from the Lord to know if He was leading me to Okinawa. During that trip I wrote in a journal verses and prayers that the Lord blessed me with that I believed were promises.  The trip was coming to an end, but I remember having a conversation with a couple of people that ended to the effect of this, "I will see you again..probably in the very near future"..When people say that and you are hopeful you wanted to take that as a sure thing, but I had to be careful to test that with God's word and take it with a grain of salt. So, I took those things and pondered them in my heart for a while like Mary did. Then I started praying with others and pretty much anyone who knew me, knew I wanted to go to Okinawa.

Becoming weary and discouraged, It just didn't seem like it would come to be. But, then Jan 2008 I went to a missions conference and that fired was renewed...and I started thinking maybe the Lord wants to me go elsewhere. I didn't have peace about that. I'd been to Okinawa, I had connections there, and friendships over the years that had been made. It was like my other "home". Well after returning home from the missions conference I checked email and low and behold I had an email from Pastor Rick from Calvary Chapel Okinawa! I was like, "NO WAY!" I wonder what this is about, then I read it and he asked me if I still had a desire to return to Okinawa. My heart was overjoyed.

After that there was correspondence about potential ministry opportunities, but some didn't seem to work out, until Pastor Rick suggested applying to teach at OCSI..mind you, this is where I was in 2002 for the summer..so I was familiar. So, I went for it and applied. All the while I'd been trying to pay off debt, passport and VISA taken care of etc..it was a stressful time with deadlines and close calls. Then there was the financial element. Needing to buy plane ticket, get basic things like luggage etc..but not having much to work with , because I was paying off debt.. I was teaching full time at a small private Lutheran School and it was a demanding job. I taught  a mixed class that involved a lot of planning and grading with several materials and such. There was so much to do to prepare for this endeavor, but the Lord saw me through it all.

Along with this my sister was living in Costa Rica and married a nice young man there and was pregnant with her first baby Shawn..I so wanted to see her and meet her husband and meet the baby before I left to Okinawa, but could barely afford what I needed for Okinawa..but the Lord miraculously provided a ticket for Costa Rica through my parents because they had gone for Christmas, volunteered to take another flight and were given free tickets. So my dad gave me his and I was able to go visit my sister with my mom. It was a blessing to be with my sister, but it was also a very emotionally trying time for all of us, as my sister's baby had experienced complications and was in ICU. We spent our days at the hospital visiting and praying. Then one evening we got the dreadful call that Shawn wouldn't make it. So we all went to the hospital with mixed emotions. It was so hard. Yet, our God of all comfort carried us. A week later we had to fly home to California. It was a very hard goodbye/see you later.

We arrived safely in LAX and then that week I had to get packed up and ready to fly to Okinawa. I had been hired as a 2nd Grade Teacher for OCSI and needed to report there early August, but because of the trop with my sister, they gave me an extra week to get there. All week I scrambled to prepare and after having payed off debt, purchasing the plane ticket and getting paper work in order I looked at my bank account and had $5.00. That is all I had, and we were told to have $1000 to hold us over for the first month.

I knew God had been faithful to see me through and had provided so much up until this point, that I just prayed and said, "Lord his is what I have.. I know You know what I need. Please provide for me as You see fit. In Jesus Name,Amen". I prayed this on Monday of that week. Wednesday our missions pastor wanted tp pray for me and send me off from the church. So, they called me up and prayed for me. As I walked off the stage, he gave me a card and I put it away in my purse. Then later after service my friends and I got together for fellowship, well wishes and see you laters at one of my favorite places; Starbucks.

While at Starbucks, a friend came to me with a card and said here look at this later.. so I put it away. Then another friend came to me with an envelope and said, "Look at this later".. so once again, I put it in my purse. So, later that night while at one of my best friend's house with my other best friend...we sat around talking and then they started to have a conversation with her mom, so I decided to pull out  the cards. The first one was from my missions pastor and the church...I pulled it out and in it was a check for $650.00, my eyes got big..then I opened the other card from one of my friends and in it was a check for $300.00,my eyes got even bigger...and after that I pulled out the other card and in that one was a check for $100.00!!! MY JAW DROPPED!!! My friends looked at me and said, "WHAT?!!" I looked at them and said, "God is kicking me out of California, and DEFINITELY sending me to Okinawa!!!"

In two days I'd gone from having $5 to $1055.00; More than I needed!!! So the day came, and I missed my flight!!! I misread my itenerary!!! We got it fixed and rescheduled for 2 days later...It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I had a couple of silly desires before leaving, that I didn't have time to do. 1) go to Denny's with friends from church and 2) go to Disneyland with my best friends...Both desire the Lord met, just because He has a sense of humor and loves us in the little things as well as the big things. So finally, with the proper itinerary and luggage packed, I kissed my parents goodbye and drove off to LAX with a great friend of mine. We prayed and I was off..

The Lord blessed the trip and I was met with staff from the school. They helped me with my luggage and we drove to OCSI..I remembered my trip 6 years prior and arriving at the same place. Except this time, it would be my home. So, began my adventure on the Island and since so much more has happened.

I will be sure to share more of the stories at another time. Praying that, although quite long, that this post will bless you. That you will be able to look back and see how the Lord has put the puzzle pieces together to create this guilt that is your life. We serve a Sovereign God, who has a plan from before we are even born and when we delight ourselves in Him, He brings his plans to pass in His perfect time.

***The very first picture was of me days after arriving to Okinawa in August 2008***

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

  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act". *Psalm 37:4-5