Month: July 2024

On the other hand, the seminary in Massachusetts is relatively close to New York and easily accessible, so I thought it would be more reasonable to transfer to this school since I would be able to frequently return to my beloved church in NJ and the ministry team in NYC. However, for some reason, I hadn’t heard anything from this school after sending my initial inquiry email, and while I was waiting for a reply, I unexpectedly received my acceptance to Asbury Seminary.

Around the time the acceptance letter from Asbury arrived, I finally received an email from the seminary in Massachusetts. According to them, they had tried to contact me several times by email, but couldn’t reach me at all. I also checked my spam folder carefully and sent emails several times, but I couldn’t find any replies, which was really puzzling. By that time, however, the school had already finished their final interview period. Considering the urgency of my situation, they even offered to arrange a special interview opportunity just for me.

But I wondered why God had facilitated the process with Asbury so quickly and smoothly while halting communication with the other school. Logically, it seemed reckless and irrational to go to distant Kentucky, far from the seminary near the community I had spent the last seven years in, where I knew no one or anything about the place. However, at that moment, this scene from Exodus came to mind:

“The LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way by day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel by day or night.”
(Exodus 13:21)

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“Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.”
(Exodus 40:36-37)

The Israelites continued their journey through the wilderness for 40 years, moving whenever the pillars of cloud and fire moved, and staying when they stopped. The people did not know when the pillars would move. Perhaps there were times when they had to quickly pack up and move because the pillar moved while they were preparing dinner. God’s timing is not always what we consider the best timing, and regardless of whether we are ready or not, when God moves, we move. Above all, God always accompanies us on our wilderness journey, continually meeting our needs with manna and guiding us where we should go.

When I thought about the Israelites’ days in the wilderness, I felt that the pillar before me was moving toward Kentucky. Saying a sudden goodbye to my beloved church family in NJ, the Japanese evangelism I had been pouring my heart into in NYC, and all the wonderful ministry teams and mentors was very painful. After deciding to go to Kentucky, I cried for two days straight, but after those two days of tears, I made up my mind to let go of various things and began to prepare to leave New York, where I had spent the past seven years, holding only onto God’s sustaining hand.

To be continued…

Finally, I have finished the internship.  I’m currently staying in Hawaii. Hawaii is a special place for me as it is where I was led to church and met God. As soon as I arrived at the airport, I felt that I had come home.

From June 27th to August 13th, I attended the Free Methodist Retreat, the North American Holiness Retreat, and WIT24. Through various services and encounters, I felt that each participant loves God and is loved by God. At the Free Methodist Retreat, I was in the kid’s program and took care of kids. How cute are children! As I felt this from the bottom of my heart, I realized how difficult it is to raise children as a mother. At the Holiness Retreat, we sold EC goods, and the goods were more popular than we expected! Although I was busy with various services, I was able to sit in front of the Word and listen to a session with my brothers and sisters at WIT24. I was blessed to spend 3 nights and 4 days praising God with everyone.

God is the one who pulls us out of the mire, no matter how uncertain or despairing life may be. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2

I am grateful that God is always by my side and understands me, whether I am happy or sad.

On July 1st of last year, I received an email from the graduate school of the seminary in Manhattan where I had been enrolled for two years.

“The school will be closing at the end of next month (the end of August).”

At first, I couldn’t process the sudden and unexpected news. I just had a premonition that “God must be planning something again.” With less than two months from the announcement of the school’s closure to its actual shutdown, there was no time to leisurely ponder or make decisions. I found myself suddenly thrust into the ultimate test of faith, simply moving in the direction of God’s voice.

Soon, I received a list from the school of partner seminaries across the United States where I could transfer my earned credits. However, since my program was a Master’s in Counseling, not a Master’s in Theology, the number of partner schools offering a counseling master’s was limited compared to other theology students. In the end, my choices were narrowed down to two seminaries: one in Massachusetts and one in Kentucky. Typically, applying to graduate school involves months of procedures such as obtaining several recommendation letters from professors and pastors, writing essays based on themes provided by the school, and undergoing interviews. The thought of completing all these tasks within just a few weeks was overwhelming. I felt like giving up and flying back to Japan. Yet, I believed that God, who had invited me into such a fierce storm, must have a plan beyond my imagination. A concerned friend called me and encouraged me with a prayer, reminding me that “even when Christ and His disciples encountered a great storm on the Sea of Galilee, He rested on a pillow. God will provide you with rest even in the midst of this storm.” I prayed, “I will go through this storm with You, God. Please sustain and bless me as I do.”

I quickly contacted both of the seminaries I had narrowed down. Soon, I received a response from Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. They understood my unusual situation and rapidly supported my application process. Asbury Theological Seminary is a small seminary in a rural town in Kentucky, rooted in the teachings of 18th-century theologian John Wesley, belonging to the evangelical Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Honestly, until last year, I knew almost nothing about this seminary. In February of last year, there was a revival (referred to locally as an “Outpouring” with a sense of humility) at Asbury University, an affiliated college of this seminary, where the Holy Spirit worked powerfully, leading to a large-scale awakening of faith. I saw this news on social media and was very encouraged. I had been thinking of visiting someday, and now I found myself applying, much to my own surprise.

The application process with Asbury Theological Seminary went surprisingly smoothly. My mentors in ministry promptly sent recommendation letters despite their busy schedules, a young church member stayed up until nearly dawn to help edit my English essay, and I was supported by the prayers of many. From application to interview and acceptance notification, everything was completed in less than ten days. Thus, the path to Asbury Theological Seminary, where the Spirit is actively working, suddenly opened up.

However, due to student visa restrictions, it was not permitted for me to take online classes from Kentucky’s Asbury while living in NYC. I had to complete the entire enrollment and transfer process, including obtaining student residence documents, and move to Kentucky’s campus within less than a month before the new semester began in late August. If I couldn’t make it to the campus by the start of the fall semester in September, I would have to give up, return to Japan, and start preparing to study abroad all over again, which was a huge pressure. At that point, I also had no prospect of paying for tuition or dorm fees, and everything was unknown.

To be continued…