**Disclaimer: THIS post is gonna be a long one. I've MUCH to say, and don't reeeeally wanna be bothered with monitoring a word count... So I understand if you just wanna wait til the next post to read.. Hahaha**
I'm writing this post from my hotel room in Osaka, Japan. I left for Japan on Thursday, December 4th. I've only been gone for 3 days but the days are already merging into one big blurb. I can't tell ya if it's Sunday or Wednesday... But I can tell you that it's been a wonderful trip so far.
The last time I was here was in September of 2011, and my dear friend and brother Maurice Carter had passed away months earlier in June. Maurice and a few others from my church, went to Japan months earlier in June. Maurice went home to be with Jesus, the day after they returned to the States. The loss was devastating. The SHOCK and disbelief... The pain... Monumental. It left all of us who knew him closely in more pain than we knew how to process.
When our team came to Japan in September, the pain of our loss was still palpable. Not just among those of us from America, but for those who'd met him while he ministered here... I marveled at the stories and testimonies I heard from "strangers" he'd only had one conversation with, who credited him for changing their lives.
A beautiful song came from our pain entitled, "The Healing Has Begun". It's words were true. The more we ministered and sang, the more we prayed and cried; the more we witnessed and poured ourselves out.... The more healing came to out hearts.
I for one, was inspired by the legacy and testimony of my friend, to live each day as if it could be my last. I became more mindful than I'd been before, that life is but a vapor. It's fleeting. Here one day and then suddenly gone. Your testimony is what lives on... I vowed to myself that I would live ON PURPOSE like I'd seen my friend Maurice do.
He and I had countless conversations over the years where we talked about what our purpose was on this earth, and how hard it can be to pursue it with reckless abandon at times.
When you choose to live in and on purpose, your relationships with loved ones are often challenged. Folks who truly love you, can hurt your heart terribly because they can't for the life of them understand why you'd CHOOSE to live the way you do. Financial peace can be hard to come by sometimes... Having love and romance in your life can seem impossible.. Your friends may feel slighted at times because you're always seemingly too busy for them. Many times it seems like you're working in vain. You find yourself feeling discouraged & alone when after years and years of hard work, faith and perseverance, your life doesn't look the way you thought that it would after all you've given up, to live the life that you were called to live.
Maurice and I talked about this ad nauseum. We wiped each other's tears away many nights. My 1st visit to Japan left me more encouraged and determined than ever before to unashamedly be who God created me to be, and to work towards that end with reckless abandon!
I received words of prophecy about the season I was about to enter in personal ministry by several people while we were in Japan.
All of the messages given to me said that God was about to send ME forth, into the nations. They spoke of the dreams and visions I've had about myself since I was a little girl. I was told that this new season was SWIFTLY approaching... And boy were they right.
When our team left Japan our hearts were so full it seemed like they'd burst. I could not WAIT to return the next year with our crew and minister again. Well...time moved on, and I moved to Orlando a few months later to be the worship leader for an awesome church in Orlando, New Beginnings Church. I didn't go with that team again any of their subsequent visits to Japan. *I may or may NOT have been slightly jealous of that fact... I can't say. Lol*
This year has been a BIGGIE for me in the way of the growth and further development of my own ministry. I set the goal of having 3-4 songs recorded for my album before the year was up and I DID IT!!
It wasn't easy. At times it seemed like NOTHING was going right. I battled hoarseness caused by seasonal allergies for MONTHS... I battled fear. I battled pride.... But God remained faithful, and I DID it.
My being in Japan right now is a testament to the faithfulness of God. He is doing what he promised to and I love him so much for it.
Today I have my first of several concerts. I've also been asked to preach. (ME.. PREACHING..AAAAGHHH!!! Lol)
I'll be honest and tell you that I'm a bit apprehensive at the moment. My voice still isn't fully back and I really feel quite limited.. Like I'm only working with about 12 and a half GOOD notes to my range kind of limited. It's NOT FUN.
I'll be even MORE honest and tell you that I'm also feeling a tad disappointed. For nearly an entire year I've been working hard to make this trip happen, and now I'm here... But my voice is NOT... Fortunately, I know enough about how God works in situations like this to know that he's got it all under control, ESPECIALLY when I don't, and that's the only reason I'm not laying in bed this morning, crying a river...
If I'm not mistaken, there was a point when Maurice was ministering here when his voice caused him some trouble as well... Did it stop HIM from giving his all, in every imagineable way? No. It did not. I'm not gonna let it stop me either.
Here's to the faithfulness of God, and the legacy of my buddy Mo'! I want to make God proud of me while I'm here!! It'd be awesome to think that Maurice would e proud of me a little bit too!
Now... If you'll excuse me, I've got to go work on my Japanese. I'm SUPPOSED to sing " Let it Go" from the movie Frozen today, partially in Japanese... And I've got to go Iron my PRIESTLY ROBES for my sermon today. PRAY for me!! Hahaha
Arigato!!!
~Lici~ 
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