The Call to Return | Tosados Field Journal

The final week solidified for us everything that we felt God telling us. This had become normal, and these people were now life-long friends.

The last Sunday was very special. Luis helped lead worship and Kelly helped out in the cafe after service by taking orders. Both of us enjoyed it more than we expected. But the most special part was how loved we felt as the time drew closer to saying goodbye.

Three friends with ice cream in a convenience store — Great memories.

Two people walking a field path under blue sky — Great memories.

The five of us in a selfie on the Tsukuba Center steps, flowers and blue sky behind — Final goodbyes at Tsukuba Center.

Two people speaking on stage at TICA — Sunday at TICA.

A hand holding a TICA invitation card in front of the stage during the Sunday service — TICA invite cards given out every week.

The church praying over Kelly and Luis, heads bowed, as the pastor speaks into a microphone — Being sent off in prayer.

Kelly making a teary face behind a bag of homemade cookies labeled with her name — She made special cookies just for me.

The trip wouldn't have been complete without getting to experience every kind of Japanese weather, so when a typhoon approached from the Pacific, it felt like the final boss.

There were alerts of flooding and landslides. We watched the waters rise in the rice fields, flooding the strawberry farm down the street, and nearly overflowing the field right beside the church.

A phone held up showing the typhoon's wind field spiraling toward Tokyo, September 21 — Here it comes.

A laptop playing Japanese news coverage of Typhoon 25 with Level 4 heavy rain and landslide warnings — Flooding and landslide warnings on the news.

Emergency evacuation alert on a phone screen — Emergency Alerts to evacuate the elderly.

Power lines over a wet road at dusk — The downpour begins.

Team members looking out over a flooded field — Flood waters rising beside the church.

Water rushing through a drainage channel — Drains flowing like waterfalls.

A white X painted on wet asphalt — Soaked streets.

A collapsed greenhouse in a flooded field — The strawberry greenhouses flooded.

A strawberry farm greenhouse beside standing water

But the sun always rises after the storm.

By the end of the trip, we were certain that this was the place God wanted us to be. It's hard to leave once you have that mindset, knowing that what lay ahead was at least a full year of applications, training, and itineration in order to come back. But God's timing is perfect and we just have to trust His process.

Sunset over the fields and Mount Tsukuba — The sun after the storm.

The Ushiku Daibutsu rising above the treeline and power lines, seen from the road — The grip of culture.

A dark bus interior at night — The weight of expectations.

Morning sun blazing over green fields and power lines, seen from the apartment balcony — The sun rises in the morning.

There is a long road ahead of us to return to Japan long-term. But we're so grateful for everyone who helped us go on this first trip, and we pray that you'll continue to stick with us as we get ready for the next.

There is so much that God wants to do in Japan.

Pray with us this week