Keep on asking God for the things you want

I have finished work at the two Junior High Schools and have in fact also parted company with Interac. A few weeks ago, I applied to be an elementary teacher at an international school in Nagoya and was successful. I have just completed my first full week there. I’m exhausted, but happy!

For a while, I’d been asking God for an opportunity to return to work at an elementary school and had pushed at a few open doors. However, the doors were closed one by one until I could see no more ways to do it. With the new term just a few days away, I went to the park for a walk and tried praying again, asking God that he would provide something miraculously, but that I was grateful to have any job.

I had applied for the job at the international school a week or so earlier, but received an automated email that explained that my application was too late and they had already recruited for the available positions. Anyway, when I got home from the park, there was a new email in my inbox, sent whilst I was out praying, from the head teacher of the school saying a position had just become unexpectedly available and was I still interested. I couldn’t believe it. I wrote back telling her that I had booked to go to Osaka for a few days and wasn’t available for interview until coming back. She kindly agreed to wait. I got back from Osaka late in the afternoon, jumped into a suit and that evening was offered and accepted the job.

So, I am in charge of my own class again and I get to teach all the subjects! Hurrah! The kids are really young, which is a bit scary, but it’s a good new challenge. They are nearly all Japanese, but their English is great. The day after accepting the job, I learned that the head teacher is also a christian when she suddenly took me to one side and told me that she believed God had brought me here for a purpose, which I would find out in time. She also revealed that she’d had her friends praying fervently after suddenly finding herself a teacher short three days before the start of term.

I am of course delighted that God provided in such a wonderful way. However, whilst the new job is great, it’s the interaction with my God, who listens and cares about me that is more exciting. God wants the same relationship with you.

It’s the weekend! I’m looking forward to a good long sleep and some tennis tomorrow.

Hope you are doing well. Miss you back home.

Japan earthquake and tsunami

Firstly, thank you so much for your thoughts, concerns, messages and your prayers for me and for Japan. It’s really appreciated.

I was at school when the earthquake struck. It was horrible. It felt a lot like motion sickness. I suddenly felt really dizzy but it passed away after a minute or so. Then, with the rest of the world, we watched the TV in horror as the tsunami swept inland, taking everything in its path. We are all shocked at the scale of this disaster. For the people who live in the affected regions, life has changed forever and rebuilding everything will be a huge job.

Like many others, the extent of the suffering has moved me to pray. When Jesus was on earth, he also gave special attention to those who were suffering, whether it was hearing the cries of those who were sick and healing them, standing against injustice or protecting those who were suffering prejudice. Japan is now suffering and I pray that God would give special attention to this country in the coming years.