Joanna
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. This is something I have really related to and learnt over these past few days at JCARP. It has been an incredibly moving and inspiring experience as I felt I could overcome so many of my own boundaries and limitations I never thought I would have. Although, it has only been a short while, it feels as if I have been here and known these brothers and sisters for so much longer. They made us feel like family so quickly despite out cultural and language barriers differences. They were also all so patient and have such an amazing outlook and positive attitude to life, being grateful for even the smallest things. This taught me such an important lesson not to take things for granted and to be grateful for everything I have and receive, especially as this is so easy to do in the UK and in general.
Many times I felt slightly nervous, especially at the beginning, about being the youngest and having to experience so many new things which most people had done several times before. One major example of this would be witnessing at Waseda Unviersity with the help of the Japanese members. I normally get a lot of anxiety talking to new people who I’ve never met or trying something new for the first time – let alone having to do this all in such a different culture and place! This has been a struggle for me personally as it is not always easy to allow yourself to love others fully if you do not love or value yourself first. However, seeing the JCarp members absolutely giving themselves and pouring their hearts out to people was truly inspiring and I was so glad to get to know them more at this point as they gave me so much more self confidence and were always so encouraging and supportive even when my Japanese was so poor. Witnessing was definitely an act out of my comfort zone but when we had finally got to the last few hours, I almost wished I could do more and was so grateful to have had this chance and share it with the JCarp members as well.
I have many things still to learn and improve about myself; however, I know I will take so much from this unforgettable experience and from the incredibly kind-hearted members in Japan. It is hard to put into words the immense gratitude I feel to God, TP and for everyone at the Sousei centre as I feel truly blessed to have been part of this unexpected yet beautiful journey. Overall, they have shown me that the things in life that are most worth doing, are what we do for others.
Many times I felt slightly nervous, especially at the beginning, about being the youngest and having to experience so many new things which most people had done several times before. One major example of this would be witnessing at Waseda Unviersity with the help of the Japanese members. I normally get a lot of anxiety talking to new people who I’ve never met or trying something new for the first time – let alone having to do this all in such a different culture and place! This has been a struggle for me personally as it is not always easy to allow yourself to love others fully if you do not love or value yourself first. However, seeing the JCarp members absolutely giving themselves and pouring their hearts out to people was truly inspiring and I was so glad to get to know them more at this point as they gave me so much more self confidence and were always so encouraging and supportive even when my Japanese was so poor. Witnessing was definitely an act out of my comfort zone but when we had finally got to the last few hours, I almost wished I could do more and was so grateful to have had this chance and share it with the JCarp members as well.
I have many things still to learn and improve about myself; however, I know I will take so much from this unforgettable experience and from the incredibly kind-hearted members in Japan. It is hard to put into words the immense gratitude I feel to God, TP and for everyone at the Sousei centre as I feel truly blessed to have been part of this unexpected yet beautiful journey. Overall, they have shown me that the things in life that are most worth doing, are what we do for others.