For years we have contemplated whether or not we should move back to the US. We have discussed, prayed, disagreed, questioned...everything you can imagine. And for whatever reason, we both were not ready to pull the trigger. We came here thinking we would stay 2-3 years at the most. But things change, circumstances change, and this city grabbed our hearts in ways we did not think possible. God planted us in a church plant from the very beginning, where we felt loved, nurtured, and most importantly we caught a vision for the Gospel and God's restoration for His glory on this earth. And truth be told, the church played a huge part in why we did not want to pull the trigger. We love our church and we love seeing God work in a city that is so dark spiritually. To think that 200 Christians could worship together in one room week after week in the center of a city/country that is .02 percent Christian is unimaginable. And yet God is doing this in Tokyo. And friends, this is why it has been hard for us to leave. We know God works everywhere, but He has given us a new vision for what the Gospel actually is and what our purpose on this earth is, a vision for His Kingdom and His restoration and we simply did not want to leave. We fell in love with Jesus here in a deeper way than when we came, and so we stayed.
We have been back and forth so many times on where do we want to live if we go back to America. We have asked ourselves if it is better for our kids to be raised in Japan. Where does God want our family? Where does he want us to be part of His kingdom restoration? I would say it was about a year ago at this time, and we both thought it might be time to head back to the US. We simply did not know where we wanted to go. So we started dreaming and asking what we have missed being in the city. We both clearly have missed space and greenery. We had some friends who had moved to Boulder, Colorado so we inquired with them a bit on what it is like and what the economy was like. They had not hing but positive things to say and encouraged us that people come out here all the time without jobs. About a week later, the husband was pursued for a job with a Japanese company in Boulder. We thought for sure this was destiny.. So we waited on the job...and we waited and we waited and then we never heard anything. By this time it was around December 2015 and we knew we needed to make a decision because our lease was up in February and we did not want to re-sign our lease.
We decided to pursue moving back at the end of Febraury with or without a job. We started getting quotes on movers and trying to figure out how much we could afford to live in Boulder without work. Then God showed up in a big way...when the husband approached his boss about potentially leaving, his boss responded with a plan that would transfer us to the Denver office while allowing them to keep the husband coming to Japan until they could replace him. We were definitely excited and very humbled that God would do this for us. His grace is infinite and He clearly was marking the way for us, having his handprints all over us. Things in corporate world do not go quickly, but after living in temporary housing for a few months, we have finally agreed on terms for the transfer and we leave Tokyo on Wednesday.
We are a bag full of emotions- excited about a new chapter opening for us and sad about the current one closing. But I am reminded that we have loved well here, and that is why it is hard to leave. And I would not trade that for anything. We love this city, we love the people and our friends, our church and our community. We love the food, the efficiency, the cleanliness, the politeness, the hustle and bustle...I could go on and on. But we also know it is time, time for a new chapter, and to go to a new place where we can experience God's infinite grace and be part of His kingdom work. People will ask how long we plan to be in the Boulder area. I have learned to not give a time frame because we never thought we would have stayed in Tokyo this long. Our hearts desire is to come back to Tokyo at some point and allow our kids to spend more time here under our roof. But we are not making plans per se. We will enjoy this next chapter and see what God does in our hearts, lives, and how He writes our story. I am by nature a planner, but I have learned to relax and try to listen to God in a new way and see what He is doing rather than plan and dictate my ideas. It is much more freeing to be able to rest in His timing and authorship over my life.
I will leave you with some photos of our last few days in Tokyo...enjoying every minute and embracing the sadness because it means we loved and lived well. I hope when and if we leave Boulder, we will do the same thing.
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