Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. — Prov. 19:21
A few months ago I asked everyone to pray about various language learning opportunities that started to pop up after God helped me get past a slump of discontentment. One of the opportunities that seemed the most promising was the possibility of taking a Japanese class from a local college, but I hadn’t looked too far into it at the time. It was in pursuit of that opportunity, however, that I was able to see God give another incredibly clear answer to prayer.
In August I switched from full-time hours to part-time hours, with a primary goal being language learning. I had found out that a local college offered intensive Japanese courses (three hours long, five days a week), including some in the afternoon. The afternoon class times worked with my new schedule, so on August 24th, I went to check out the classes to try and figure out what level I should take. New classes were set to start early October, and I found out on the day I observed that the only classes that would be offered in the afternoon starting in October were the lowest level class — essentially all the basics that had been covered in my year of Japanese at university, and not worth the very large chunk of change it would cost — and the highest level class — one or two year’s worth of pretty intensive study from where I was. They said I would need to pass an entrance exam to get into the higher level class, and they told me to come back to take it on September 25th.
The task was, therefor, to cram at least a year’s worth of knowledge into a month’s time. So every day for a month, I studied an average of eight hours a day. From the start, I knew it was impossible. I knew it would honestly take a miracle for me to pass — essentially God guiding my hand to guess enough of the right answers that I could enter the class and catch up from there. Though I hadn’t yet encountered a task that was truly beyond my ability to successfully complete, academically speaking, I fully understood that this one was. It was actually quite comforting. Unless God willed it otherwise, I would fail. Though I was of course going to try my best to the last, I knew the result was entirely in his hands.
The day of the test, I finished work, sped through notes on a few grammatical constructions, and headed off on my bike for the college. As I was riding my bike, my prayers went something like this: “Lord, you know it will take a miracle for me to get into this class. So if this class will be the best way for me to learn this language and connect with these people and reach out to them for Christ, please make it happen. However, because many people have been praying about this, Lord, I know that if I fail, it only means that a better way is out there. That you have a better plan. So, if I fail, I pray that you would clearly show me the better way today. Please guide me, and help me listen to the Spirit. And help me make it in time to take the test, also (I had noticed, mid-prayer, that my bike tires seemed wonky and pedaling was a bit tough).” It was a 10-15 minute bike ride to the college, so I prayed many more things and repeated a few times the prayer that God show me that day the better way he had for me if I failed, and that he would help me really pay attention to the Spirit. Fortunately my bike made it to the college, and I started the test right on time.
I had expected a multiple-choice test, as these classes were based on the five-level Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which seems to be entirely multiple-choice. This test, however, required that I write down most of the answers, whether writing kanji based on their readings or writing the readings for certain kanji or writing full-sentence answers to reading comprehension questions…Anyway, I failed epically (I think my score was around a 30%, maybe less?). The professors at the college gave me a flyer for a group that gave free basic Japanese classes near there, thinking it might be a way for me to find a tutor. I had heard of it before and hadn’t thought it sounded too promising, but I wasn't about to say no to something God may have prepared. I took the flyer, left the college, and headed that way.
On my way, my bike started jolting up and down, and I realized that my back tire was totally flat. I got off my bike, and before I had taken five steps a Japanese lady came up to me to ask if I was okay. I said everything was okay and my house wasn’t too far from there, but she persisted in wanting to help me find a bike shop. She asked a passing stranger if he knew where one was, got directions, and said she would go with me. I said I didn’t have any money, but she said that would be okay (in retrospect, she may have been planning to pay for me). We exchanged small talk on the way, and she struck me as a very outgoing and kind person — many Japanese people are kind, but very few are especially outgoing, so was glad I had run into her. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the bike shop. I insisted it was okay for me to walk, thanked her very much for trying to help me, and we parted ways.
As we walked in separate directions, I soon realized fully that meeting her was not a coincidence — I had asked God to show the better way clearly, that day. It also just so happened that my bike had broken down and a very friendly and helpful Japanese lady had come up to me right after that. When we were talking, the thought had crossed my mind that perhaps I should ask if she knew a good place to find Japanese tutors. But I hadn’t asked her. I realized the Spirit had been nudging, just as I had prayed for, but I hadn’t responded when I had the chance.
I walked a little while further until I stood on a curb, grasping my bike handles, wondering whether or not to just go home. I decided instead to try and find that group with free classes again, just in case. I crossed a big intersection, and, to my utter amazement, the same lady from before came up to me once more. She told me she had found out where a bike shop was, and tried to explain to me how to get there. I had tracked pretty well with everything she had said before then (she and I had only been speaking in Japanese), but this time I was too surprised, and too excited, to really understand. When she finished giving directions, I asked her if it was okay to ask her a question, and she, being very friendly and helpful, of course said yes. I explained my situation — wanting to learn Japanese, failing to get into a class — and asked if she knew where I could find a tutor. She whipped out her phone, looked something up, and called. She proceeded to explain everything (stopping somewhere in the midst of her explanation to ask my name because we actually hadn’t even exchanged names at that point); she then asked whoever it was to please help me, and she handed over her phone.
Long story short, within three days the person on the phone was able to set me up with two conversation partners eager to meet for free. Within two weeks, this talk of conversation partners ended up leading to three more conversation partners being found. Depending on the ladies’ schedules, I now meet with 3-5 women throughout each week, each meeting lasting for anywhere from one and half hours to four hours depending on the conversation partner and the day. Because of these wonderful conversation partners, I am able to get great listening and speaking practice, and even study some reading and kanji, with native Japanese speakers. Though a class would have been a very good way to study Japanese, the only Japanese person there would have been the teacher. But as it is now, I have been able to connect with and be introduced to many more Japanese people than before. And I have to say, studying eight hours a day for a month was great preparation for it. ;) Of course, I firmly believe that too was a gift from God.
As was the case in the last update, I could not have asked for a clearer answer to prayer than this. I asked God to show me the way he had for me the day of the test, and he did. I had undergone approximately 250 hours of studying followed by total failure, and I honestly could not have been happier, because God had shown how great he is through all of it. When I got home that day, I felt so thankful. I felt so blessed that the body of Christ had been praying, and that God had absolutely been listening. I felt so excited to see where all of these new friendships would lead, and confident that God was carrying out what he has planned. Truly, our God is an awesome God, who sees all things.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. — Prov. 3:5-6
In Christ, Anna Faeh
P.S. For prayer requests, please check your church email or the Things Hoped For Facebook group. Thank you so much for your support! I hope this update has been able to show you even a little how incredibly important and impactful your prayers are.
P.P.S. The next couple of updates will be coming from Audra, and hopefully the next couple after that will come from April, so this is the last you will be hearing directly from me for a while. I expect you can look forward to much less flowery, much less long-winded posts for the foreseeable future. XD
Things Hoped For