WOW.

One week into Journey School Year 2, and I honestly don’t even know where to start. It feels like so much has happened already, and yet I know we are only at the very beginning of everything the Lord has planned for this year. There have already been so many moments where I’ve had to stop and think, Wow, God really brought me here for a reason.

I guess the best place to start is with meeting my squad in LA. I was SO nervous to meet everyone. I had spent the whole summer looking at their Instagrams and seeing pictures of them, trying to imagine what everyone would be like in person. But actually standing there and meeting them for the first time made everything feel real. These weren’t just names and faces I had been looking at online anymore. These were the people who would become my family for the next eight months. Crazy!

It was definitely a strange feeling because part of me kept thinking that my group from last year was going to walk through the door at any moment. I think that’s one of the hardest parts about stepping into something new. Even when you know God is leading you forward, your heart can still want to hold onto what He did before.

But I really believe the Lord has been reminding me that I can’t live in the last season when He is calling me into a new one.

That has been such a theme for our whole squad already. We are called A Squad, and there is something so special about knowing that we are stepping into this year believing that He is doing a new thing.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

— Isaiah 43:19

And that verse has already started becoming real to me.

One of the first ways I saw that was through worship. After meeting my squad in LA, we spent the rest of the night getting to know each other, playing games, talking, laughing, and just getting comfortable around one another. Then, at the end of the night, we worshiped together, which I had the privilege of leading.

Okay, let’s stop right there and talk about that because this is something I never would have expected from myself.

If you knew the past version of me, you would know that I have always loved singing and music. Worship has always been something that has been close to my heart, but leading worship was never really something I imagined myself doing. I definitely grew in that area during the second semester of last year, and by the end I was becoming more confident, but I had never really led by myself or in front of a large group of people.

Then, over the summer, our amazing coaches, Dave and Sheila, asked me if I could lead worship for training camp and help set everything up.

I thought about it for a second and immediately said yes.

Looking back that yes was bigger than I realized at the time.

The whole summer, I prepared my heart and tried to become more comfortable with the idea of leading. But the more I did it, the more I realized that worship isn’t about me at all. It’s not about whether I sound good, whether I hit every note perfectly, or what other people think about my voice. It is simply an opportunity to turn my attention toward the Lord and invite other people to do the same.

That realization has completely changed the way I worship.

Leading worship has become something I genuinely love. I’ve grown so much more confident, but even more than that, I’ve found so much joy in being able to use something God has given me for His glory. It has taught me that God gives us gifts not so that we can keep them for ourselves, but so that we can steward them and give them back to Him.

And that lesson became even more real this past Sunday when I had the opportunity to lead worship at the church.

I was definitely nervous. Singing into a microphone in front of people is still nerve-racking! But I had to remind myself that the Lord is the one who gave me this gift in the first place. I don’t need to try to make it into something it isn’t or worry about making myself look impressive. I simply get to be faithful with what He has placed in my hands.

At the end of the day, it is about Him, not me.

And I think that has been one of the biggest lessons of this season already: God doesn’t need me to be perfect. He asks me to be willing.

After our night in LA, it was time for us to pack up and make the long journey to Japan. And I’m not going to lie—I was nervous about that too.

Eleven hours is NO joke!

But somehow, it ended up being one of the easiest travel days I’ve ever had. (Shoutout zipair for having star link and WiFi the whole fight) Before we knew it, we were stepping off the plane and realizing that we were actually in Japan.

There is something so surreal about praying for a place, preparing to go to a place, and then suddenly looking around and realizing, woah.  I’m here.

That feeling really hit me once training camp started. Training camp was full of so many holy moments. Our days began with breakfast at the girls’ apartment before we drove to the church that has been hosting us, where the boys have been sleeping. From there, our days were filled with worship, prayer, teachings, activations, free time, more worship, and more teaching.

It was full, but in the best way.

And if there is one word I would use to describe this group, it would be HUNGRY.

We are hungry for the Lord.

Every single person here is so on fire for Jesus and willing to say, “Yes, Lord,” even when that yes means stepping outside of what is comfortable. There is a level of vulnerability and openness within our group that has allowed us to grow incredibly close in such a short amount of time.

One morning, we had a time of confession. A few people stood up and openly shared areas where they had been struggling and where their flesh had been winning. Which was so powerful.

Not because anyone had everything figured out, but because there was a willingness to bring things into the light instead of hiding them. There is so much freedom that comes from surrendering the things we try to keep hidden and allowing the Lord to meet us right where we are.

Following Jesus was never meant to be something we do alone. We need people who will pray for us, encourage us, challenge us, and remind us of who God says we are.

God is so intentional. This group is so diverse and all make up different parts of the body. Everyone brings different experiences, different gifts, different personalities, and different kinds of wisdom, but somehow the Lord has woven all of it together.

And even though we have only been together for a short time, I already feel changed.

There are so many moments from training camp that I wish I could fit into this update because I truly feel like the Lord has been doing something in my heart through all of it. I won’t share every story here, but if you want to hear more about what God is doing in our group, please reach out to me because I would LOVE to share more.

During training camp, we didn’t do a ton of formal ministry because we were still focused on teaching, preparing, and getting to know our squad. But one day, I was with a small group from my squad, and we decided to walk around a park next to the church.

We were just walking around. There wasn’t some big plan or organized ministry event happening. We were simply enjoying some free time and exploring.

Then we saw some little boys playing soccer.

One of the guys from our squad walked over to them, pulled out Google Translate, and asked if we could play with them.

The kids got SO excited.

What started as a simple walk around the park turned into almost two hours of playing soccer and spending time with these kids. It was so wholesome, and it reminded me of something I think the Lord has been teaching me throughout this journey:

Our whole life is ministry.

Ministry doesn’t always look like standing on a stage, preaching a sermon, or leading worship in a church. Sometimes it looks like playing soccer with a kid in a park. Sometimes it looks like sitting with someone who feels alone. Sometimes it looks like asking someone how their day is and genuinely listening to their answer.

We were able to talk to a couple of the kids’ moms when they came to pick them up and share a little bit about why we were in Japan.

At the end of the day, the kids were asking some of the boys if they could come back tomorrow.

And the next day, there were so many more kids!

The first day there were about six kids, and the second day there were almost twenty.

How cool is that?

Something so small became an opportunity for connection, and that connection opened a door for the gospel.

God is so intentional.

That has honestly been one of the biggest things I have noticed throughout this whole journey. When I look back, I can see His hand in things that I didn’t understand at the time. He has been preparing us, placing people in the right places, opening doors, and teaching us to recognize the opportunities He puts right in front of us.

And now, I have one more HUGE praise report to share…

45% FUNDED — HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LAMB.

Like, WHATTTTT!! COME ON LORD!

Seriously, I am so incredibly in awe of God. He has been so faithful throughout this entire process, and I am constantly reminded that He is the one who provides.

To everyone who has said yes to partnering with what the Lord is doing through this season, thank you. Whether you have prayed, given financially, encouraged me, shared my updates, or simply asked how things are going, I am so grateful. I truly could not do this without the people God has placed around me.

And if you feel led to continue partnering with what God is doing, there is a support button below. More than anything, though, I would love for you to pray about how the Lord might be asking you to partner with what He is doing here.

As we officially begin ministry, I would really appreciate your prayers.

Please pray that my team feels prepared as we step into ministry and preach His name. Pray that the lies of the enemy would not come near us and that God would speak His Spirit through every one of us. Pray that we would not rely on our own strength or our own words, but that we would completely depend on Him.

Please also pray that our team would find rest in the Lord even with such a busy schedule. There is so much happening, and I want us to remember that our strength does not come from how much we can accomplish. Our strength comes from Him.

Please pray against sickness as well. So many people on this squad have been getting sick, so please pray for health, strength, and protection over our team as we continue traveling and ministering.

And lastly, please be praying for Japan.

Pray that the people of Japan would have a hunger to hear the gospel. Pray that God would awaken a hunger in their hearts to know what is missing in their lives and that they would discover that the answer is Jesus.

Pray for the people we meet on the streets, in churches, at kids camps, and in the ordinary moments that we might not even recognize as ministry until afterward.

Pray that hearts would be softened, that conversations would have eternal impact, and that everything we do would point back to Jesus.

Because at the end of the day, that is why we are here. Not for ourselves. Not to build our own names. Not to have the perfect experience.

We are here because Jesus is worthy.

Thank you all so much for your constant love, prayers, encouragement, and support. We are officially starting ministry today, and I cannot wait to see what the Lord does next.

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

Blessings,

Emma :)