Good morning!

Hey everyone, Lee here again, crawling out of dormancy. Sorry for the long delay since my last post (and my last prayer newsletter). I never quite caught up with studies AND had spare time to finish my Hokkaido trip recount till today. Well, I still don't have much time, but I'm going to post this anyway.

It's amazing looking back, how much ground we've covered in just under three months. I'm told it only gets busier from here.

A certain habit I have, which some may even call OCD, is that if I start something, I will make sure that it will be done justice, otherwise I won't begin at all. It works out as a good habit for most things in life, but when it comes to keeping those back at home updated on my time in Japan through a blog, particularly in a year as busy as this one, it's kind of unrealistic to spend two hours per post. Plus, I am fully aware of tl;dr. I don't like reading long posts either, particularly when they're not written in a very engaging style. I promise that my Hokkaid trip post will be my final long post. It will be difficult to force myself to keep posts short and sweet, but that is something I need to learn. Be praying I will keep that up, so that I can share updates more regularly.

I am deeply grateful for those who noticed my lack of activity on my blog; it tells me people actually do, and want to, hear how I'm going in Japan. So special thanks to +Gabriel Fong, +Sam Chua and +Michael Tong for checking up on me. You guys motivate me to keep going. I will hopefully be able to dedicate a post to it in the near future, but for the moment, in short, my walk with Christ is well. And I am looking forward to whatever this year will bring.

Again, please pray for consistency in publishing blog updates. It's not something I'm used to doing, nor something I'm good at yet, but it's what I want to sustain. Please also pray the same for sending prayer newsletters, to those who have sustained me through prayer while I'm here. Lastly, pray for the time leading up to our first important exam (it actually counts this time) - the end of semester 1 exam period from July 12-18. There's a considerable amount to study, and a significant standard of performance to meet. I am also aware that it overlaps with MYC for CBS at UNSW. I'm praying for God's word to work powerfully in those who will be in attendance. May God work powerfully to build up the body of believers to live and speak in truth and love. For those who are reading this also, pray particularly for the first years, that they might be equipped to be salt and light amongst their new classmates and in their new classes.

A parting word from the memory verse at Tama church this week:

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift. Eph 2:8　(HCSB)

あなたがたは、恵みのゆえに、信仰によって救われたのです。それは自分から出たことではなく、神からの賜物です。　エペソ人への手紙、２章８節（新改訳聖書）