That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. Isaiah 45.6 All along the way, God has gently directed my heart toward missions. He has sweetly softened my heart and desires through influences beyond my doing. Moments beginning when I was four and five and “adopting a missionary family” shaped my thinking. I distinctly recall the framed picture and sitting around it as a family (come to find out, I ended up going to school with some of those kids years later). Plastic white church-shaped banks in our Sunday School classes where change would be collected for the missionaries each week where, even as an eight-year-old, Faith Promise Giving was being taught. I remember having widowed missionary shut-ins and listening to their stories frequently. I had close contact with the missionary families that would come through, was encouraged to write a letter to a missionary wife as a teenager and became pen-pals with her until they left the field, having friends who surrendered to missions and are now serving on their respective fields, being gifted a roommate in college who was a missionary kid herself and hearing her desire for Germany, as well as the classes taken with Bro. + Mrs. Hainline and witnessing their love and passion for missions first-hand. Through the process of time, I was led to see closely God’s heart for missions. My husband’s response to the question, “Why Japan?” is most frequently, “It’s always been Japan.” Truly, that is the case. I was probably about nine, I distinctly recall observing the detailed, colorful flags along the auditorium around missions conference and joking without a second thought, “If I ever lived in a different country and had to know how to draw a flag, I’d hope it was Japan.” So many seeds of interests and desires were placed in our hearts, especially Jack’s, at a very young age. As we look back, we can see threads of our future home interwoven into our past. That is the beauty of allowing God to write your story.
For me, I believe it began with a text message. *Jack shared a link* A new prime vacation spot was being built in Japan. “That’s cool”, I responded. We talked about it for a minute, a few photos of nearby cities were shared, and that was that. Or was it? For the next few days, it kept coming to mind along with my husband’s love for the country. Thinking he would enjoy it would have been an understatement. The next Sunday morning as we were leaving church, I suggested to use the vacation savings we’d been working on and - saving plenty more - go to Japan the following year. He excitedly agreed and if we had only known what we had stepped into. Then began an unusual pull to Japan. Jack already had knowledge of the country, but I began reading articles, watching videos, and soaking in all the information. Connections started forming between life here and the Japanese culture, as did a greater fear for the language barrier. The Lord was using my devotions and kept slowly directing my heart towards being willing. As, I was willing to GO anywhere, but my willingness to LEARN a different language, especially one so challenging, would have come with some reservations. (1 Corinthians 14 shed a different light on that thought.) I felt it was an impossible task as I am not gifted linguistically. The fear of failing, being useless, or holding my husband back due to my inabilities with the language was my greatest struggle. As if God’s strength was limited by my ability. The verse we have chosen as our missions verse, Matthew 19.26, reveals the roots in such thinking as simply being self-sufficiency and pride. His grace is sufficient for every need, and if this truly was where He was leading us, He would provide the means to accomplish the task. “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” I had also already been reading Grow Me Deeply by Hannah Schmutzler. How timely. The Lord used her words describing her experiences and lessons she has learned on the way to Mongolia to grip my heart. I felt as if my heart was walking through the experiences with her, being shaped as well; tearing apart the layers of possessions, comforts, and fears. Those pages challenge and convicted my heart and left me forever changed in regards to world-wide evangelism. The book closed on one more tender to His will of missions, seeing the urgency. "What is there in the earth worth living for but the glory of God and the salvation of souls?" - W. Carey. I think it was then that I knew we would be in Japan someday. I couldn't form words better than Hannah's, "There is such an overwhelming, unexplainable peace that these are my people, this was my country that God has placed in my heart to reach, and nothing can be done to scare or deter me. It's amazing how the truth of the Gospel emboldens you to feel untouchable by doubts and fears." One week later, we were sitting at the staff planning meeting. Our pastor shared his heart a bit in regards to the year ahead. He challenged us to commit missions giving and the missions conference to prayer. He shared how he wanted to see missions become a stronger priority to us and in our church. I wanted to stand up and be like, YES! This is me, this is exactly where I am at! But I did not share that day. Nor did I say anything to my husband. I typically tell him everything, but I did not want to unintentionally influence him in either direction. I knew if this was what the Lord had in store for our lives, He would work in our hearts separately and make it clear without my help, and I wanted us both to know FOR SURE that this was the Lord, not our own doing. But I also know my husband well and could tell how that was exactly what was going on in his heart. One more week ahead and sitting with our 8-month-old, holding a test with two blue lines. That’s a whole story in and of itself for later. Both cars just the day prior had stopped running, and our house seemed to be falling apart. When everything financially seemed to be against us, we determined to carry on as planned regardless and trust the Lord for money to do so. One year ahead, so much changed. So many hard things took place. Despite desiring to live openly, much pain can never be shared, such is the nature of ministry. “I know He is using this time to prepare us for something- Japan or not”, I wrote in the red book, “The pruning and molding process is painful, but one to be grateful for if it makes you more like Jesus. Don’t ever ask for Him to make you to be what you should be if you’re unwilling to work through the process. It is a painful process, but one most beautiful.” “Our Guide knows what is down the path where we can’t see yet. What He is allowing you to muddle through now may be making you stronger and more mature for the rest of the trail...We have to be led to learn of His sufficiency. It is not something we naturally seek out on our own..” (H. Schmutzler, Led.) In the end, contentment, new desires, new relationships and acquaintances, even “no’s” were found. Ah, good stuff. The Lord did make it undoubtably clear that He wants our family to declare His name in Japan and has confirmed it countless times over. It just gets SO cool from here. The last weekend in January would probably be one of my favorite stories. Or, how a change in a Missions Conference speaker was just for me. The smallest comment being used as the greatest comfort, unknowing it was exactly what our hearts have craved for years. You know, just “little” gifts our God has given us. If I begin sharing the things the Lord has done already, we’d be here forever. This is where our journey to Japan began for me. As for now, our heart is stretched between two places. Both anxious to go and simultaneously resolved to redeem the time we have here. But, it’s definitely something to get excited about. Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off... Jeremiah 31.10
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Lizzy parkerMarriage.
Motherhood. Ministry. Missions. Archives
January 2023
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