March 2022 Update

On March 1st Japan opened their borders to new visa applicants like me. This is not the first time they opened their borders to us during the pandemic though. For 3 weeks in November they had them open before closing them again to the Omicron variant. During those 3 weeks we learned how arduous the paperwork process in Japan could be. It is my understanding that only (roughly) 75 people were able to get through during that window of opportunity.

Knowing this, I mentally prepared myself for another long paperwork process. Tuesday morning I gathered together all my documents and made my way to the Japanese Consulate in Chicago for my first attempt at applying for a visa. To my surprise, the process was much smoother than I expected. My paperwork was reviewed and approved. I was given a receipt and told to return next week to pick up my long awaited for visa!

Now what..?

Well, I feel the world is changing. Whether it is a global pandemic, or a global conflict, we can not assume that any window of opportunity that is given to us will last. With this in mind I have been moving with a sense of urgency. Urgency in prayer. Urgency in coordination. Urgency in movement.

Therefore, with the approval of SEND, I have booked my flight to Japan for MONDAY, MARCH 14th.

This leaves me about a week and a half to coordinate shipping of my belongings and other loose ends that need to be taken care of before leaving. Most importantly, it only gives me a few precious days with my friends and family here in Chicago.

May the Lord give me the grace to end well.

For those of you interested in seeing how God will use me in Japan, please feel free to check back on this website. I plan to update it frequently with videos, pictures, and blog posts. Some of it may be informative. Some of it may be encouraging. Some of it may be entertaining. I hope all of it is useful.