journal entry #3 - safe in his arms

Arrived at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) at 4:50 pm JST on Monday March 22nd, 2010

Where did Monday go? I left early on Sunday morning and arrived at my destination 18 hours later…but suddenly it’s Monday evening? Awesome. I live in the future!

I stepped off the plane and into the Tokyo Narita Airport...walking away from the last piece of familiarity and into a world where everything felt foreign—but knowing that the only real foreign thing there was me. I had no idea where to go or what to do and I quickly realized that when my company said there would be somebody greeting me off the plane what they MEANT to say was that I would need to navigate immigration, customs, and baggage claim alone and they would have someone waiting by the shuttle to take me to my hotel.

Good thing I’m fluent in Japanese! Oh yeah…at this point I can (poorly) say “Arigato Gozaimasu,” “Ohayo,” and “Sayonara.” None of these phrases mean, “Where do I go from here” or “What on earth am I supposed to do now?” I don’t even know how to say, “I don’t speak Japanese,” but I think they all figured that out pretty soon as I walked up to everyone speaking English and looked very lost when they replied in Japanese…yeah, I’m pretty sure my blank stare was as effective as “I don’t speak Japanese.” I looked around me and followed what everyone else was doing, giving my passport to everyone and bowing a lot as an apologetic gesture for having no idea what was going on around me. Everyone was kind and patient though and I somehow managed to wander through to the baggage claim. I quickly became happy with my decision to purchase “distinctive” luggage as I watched the swarms of navy blue and black cases pass over and over and people studying each piece to determine whether or not it was their bag. I can definitely say that not knowing which suitcases were mine was never an issue.

There, I met Tauna Pile. As I started loading my zebra-print suitcases onto a luggage cart, I noticed a girl next to me also piling on two suitcases and carry-on. My first thought involved wondering how many shoes she was able to shove in there and my second thought was that perhaps she was moving here to work as well. We began talking and I learned that she was from Portland, Oregon and had just been hired by my company as me to teach in a city called Toyama—just south of my city, Niigata. We quickly became friends and even though we still weren’t sure where we were going or how to find out which way to go, I instantly felt calmer just knowing that I was not alone. We eventually found the gentleman waiting to take us to our hotel and boarded the hotel shuttle. There, we checked in and went up to our rooms, which happened to be on the same floor and only one door apart from each other…God is amazing, isn’t He?

When I sat down my bags and lay on my bed, I felt an overwhelming rush of emotion and couldn’t keep myself from crying again. Tauna came in and sat on the bed next to me. She played a song called “Safe” by Phil Wickham and reminded me that I was in God’s hands and that everything would be ok. The first verse’s poignant relevance to the feelings in my heart struck me immediately and as I continued to listen, I knew the words were real—that they spoke of truth, and that all would be well. The song begins:

To the one whose dreams are falling all apart / And all you're left with is a tired and broken heart / I can tell by your eyes you think you’re on your own / But you're not alone

The chorus penetrated my heart as I was reminded of this assurance—God had not abandoned me; He had not forgotten me…and He was still watching over me…even in Japan.

Chorus: You will be safe in His arms / You will be safe in His arms / 'Cause the hands that hold the world / Are holding your heart / This is the promise He made / He will be with you always / When everything is falling apart / You will be safe in His arms

Where would I have been without this amazing girl? Later that night, my Canadian roommate Tyla Wilson came into the hotel, as well as Tauna’s roommate Sarah, from England. Although I only spent a few days with these girls, I hope we stay in contact with each other for the rest of our lives…I don’t know what I would have done during my transition to Japan without them and they will always be dear to my heart. They are beautiful, intelligent, loving, and inspiring women. I am so blessed!