Prayer Request of 2nd part of 2011

Since Mar 11, we have entered the fifth month after disaster. 

After working with various people while serving the disaster areas, 

I began to step back in May, slowly adjusting my pace,

thinking and readjusting my thoughts, my position, and most importantly, 

the will of the Lord in this entire work.

Current Work and Expansion

It was almost the same time, 

few things happened in Tokyo:

1. I am finding hard to catching up with my studies and thesis after a long "vacation" away from school;

2. My work in Tokyo expanded, where I have now a new group of hikikomori or young people to work with;

3. My health getting worse, with the seemingly frequent pain that associate with frequent urine. 

On another hand, the work in the disaster areas had made new contacts, and new people to follow up with.

In the effort of one of our partner in Heart4Japan, Ps. Sakae Makita had established an NPO for East Japan Disaster Recovery, http://ejdrf.weebly.com/

I am expected to contribute my biblical disaster mental health experience in this group.

I am expecting and excited to expand my hikikomori service to Akita, where I put my main effort in community approach suicide prevention, and to link both Akita youths and Tokyo youths together, by sharing their knowledge and experience together.

Source of Support

A church in Brunei that I had never met approached me about three months ago, about adopting me into their missions board, although nothing had been said nor decided, the work of the Lord no doubt encouraged me deeply. Knowing that the difficulties in getting church support, I took up a 2 months part time job to help out a professor in Chiba University on his English assignment. This work takes another 1.5 hour for one way commute. 

There are several courses that I need to take from now, conferences to attend, I pray for strength and His light to guide me in this work. 

Would you pray for me with what the following?

Schedule

July 16   Volunteer to Disaster Area: Ishinomaki 石巻

July 22   Fieldwork to Special School in Tokyo - Showa Gakuenhttp://www.showa-gakuen.net/index.htm 

July 31   Fireworks with young people from Seisa (Hikikomori Freespace)

Aug 6-7   Social Disparity and Health International Conference in Tokyo - Presenter

Aug 21-29  Fieldwork to Akita, working with young people on hikikomori

Sep 6-7  Fieldwork in Tokyo: Special school and Hospital

Sep 9-28  Missions Trip to China/International Suicide Prevention Conference in Beijing

Oct 1   Study Group (Schizo) - Presenter

Oct 19-21  Public Health Conference in Akita - Presenter

Nov 3    Department Seminar - Presenter

Nov 9-11  Child and Adult Mental Health Conference in Tokushima

(highlighted in yellow are the events that I need to prepare as a presenter)

I am planning for the new season of hIkikomori study group from October, but I am yet to apply for ethical approval as well as grant. Grant is not so often available, yet my young people would need the funds to help them to travel to Tokyo for the study group.

My health Condition

I had a dramatic weekend last week. :-)

I was admitted to the emergency ward in Tokyo University Hospital last Friday due to a severe pain. After a few good hours, I was told that instead of appendicitis, the CT scan confirmed that I have two big uterus fibroids (10cm and 5cm) that pressed on my right ureter, causing thickening of the wall, which suspect to contributed to the frequent pain and urine that i had suffered a while. I am given pain killer to control the pain. As the compression also caused stomach discomfort, reflux and nausea, I do have some difficult times.... ><

Because of the expansion of work in Tokyo, and the condition of my health, moving to Tokyo seems to be the best option at this moment. I am looking forward to move. 

Surgery would be scheduled in October or November. 

Hormone therapy would be needed prior to the operation to shrink the fibroids. 

First Session: July 27

Second Session: Aug 31

I went for MRI on Monday, it was terrible....... >< the sound was so loud!!! They put this earphone on my head, and surprisingly.... I thought I heard worship songs..... probably because I was warned before I went through the procedure, I was well prepared with prayers. The Lord seemed to be citing Psalm 91 to my ears... it was a lot of comfort. 

I am going for the nephro test tomorrow :-)

Oh yeah, I am also attending a youth mental health seminar in the evening tomorrow! :-) Let's pray for all the best!

Please pray for HIs provision of strength, comfort and finance on all the work that need to be done! May the peace of the Lord to be upon me, and you who are at the same frontal line of this intense battle.