It's for real ya'll!

The move is getting more and more real as the days go by. I just talked to Philip, who moved into our apartment in Tokyo on his Wednesday morning (Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of EST). He called from our fabulous three bedroom place which now contains a whopping three pieces of rental furniture, a sleeping bag, some clothes, his laptop, our Vonage phone, and a ragtag band of kitchen necessities that he managed to squeeze into his suitcase. Our fancy new Japanese TV will be delivered in the afternoon as well as our IKEA Japan chairs for the balcony. The majority of our belongings and furniture are en route to the port of Yokohama via sea shipment and are scheduled to arrive in Tokyo in mid- to late-February. We will send four 10-cubic-foot boxes of more immediate necessities, mostly kitchen and baby items, by air shipment on Friday. Soon all of our familiar things will be in a very unfamiliar place.

It's just unreal that we have an address in Tokyo. I know we will make so many memories there, which makes me both happy and sad. I'm happy to think of the place where Matthias may (Lord willing) learn to sit, crawl, talk, and walk depending on how long we are there, and where we will welcome new friends and old ones (hint-hint-please come visit, old friends!). But I am sad to think that we will be so very far away from our families and friends; much too far to spontaneously grab lunch, play a game, or give a hug. It will be hard not to share holidays, birthdays, baby milestones, and ordinary afternoons with the ones that we love. However, I am so thankful for modern technology like Vonage phones, Skype, and Facebook that will help bridge the gap at least a little. Also, Philip has already found a vibrant church in Tokyo and started to connect with a small group composed of English-speaking expats and Japanese people who either speak English as a second language or are learning to do so. I am in awe of how God provides exactly what we need exactly when we need it. When I was in labor with Matthias, I had the song Jehovah Jireh in my head for days and I find myself focusing on it once again:

Jehovah Jireh, my provider
His grace is sufficient for me
For me, for me
Jehovah Jireh, my provider
His grace is sufficient for me

My God shall provide all my needs
According to His riches in Glory
He will give his angels charge over me
Jehovah Jireh cares for me
For me, for me

(Lyrics by Don Moen)