Her There And Me Here
It was the first time my daughter was off island away from us. At 11 years old, she headed to Fukuoka, Japan for an international conference and home stay while we stayed back in Hawai`i.
It was the opportunity of a lifetime that she applied and interviewed for because she has always been very independent, adventurous, curious, and had grown to love Japan and the culture. She also wanted to experience what I did when I was 20 years old: A home-stay with a Japanese family.
After being selected of one of two girls and two boys to represent Hawai`i though the Japan American Society of Hawai`i (JASH) for the Asian Pacific Children’s Conference (APCC) and Bridge Summer Camp, she began her journey to what would culminate with 200 kids coming together from 30 different nations.
She then spent the next 6 months training with the other Junior Ambassadors, an older Peace Ambassador, and a chaperone for the trip doing research on other cultures, practicing presentations, studying, team building, creating a scrapbook, cultural projects and more. The preparation made her even more confident and ready for this experience.
For ten days I let my not so little girl go on her first trip, internationally, and without any communication in this day of age, seemed like a shock to most when they asked where she was. No devices were allowed per the Japan conference rules. No phone calls, emails, or texts between us were allowed. Only photos uploaded in a Shared Drive where we could see their smiles reassured us parents that the kids were having a great time.
And surprisingly, I did okay. Not knowing how it would be for me, I was relieved to see her smile knowing she was healthy, safe, and happy. I knew this kind of thing was for her with her personality, her preparation, plus the reassurance of the care and structure of the organization and process, but the glimpses of her smile reminded me she was okay.
But what really gave me the peace to let her go, was knowing that God got her. We can never be completely in control and have to trust in Him and have faith. Even with her there and me here, He was with us both since He can be everywhere.
Is there someone you need to let go? Or a situation where you need to trust in God for?
Let’s find peace by piece in seeing their smile and remembering that God is everywhere and is in control of everything.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:7