I’m moving to Tokyo, Japan!
Yes, you read that right! Since I’ve been back (because I was literally just there a month ago), I’ve been telling close friends and family. Reactions have been varied. Some said, “I thought you were going to New York City!” Others weren’t surprised at all, having sensed something from watching my recent videos in Japan. I must say though, personally, I am still quite surprised by the unfolding of these events. I did not expect or set out to find a completely new direction when I decided to go to Japan two months ago for vacation, but sometimes that’s how God works. When you think it’s Him, sometimes you realize it was just yourself. And other times you think He has nothing to do with it; turns out it was His plan all along. As the proverb goes, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 NKJV).
For my first year, I will be joining Awakening Asia School of Ministry as a student (yes, you read that right as well haha). “You already did two ministry schools. Why another one?” Good question. What drew me to Awakening Asia in the beginning was their community and fire for God. I thought, “I don’t have to do the school to appreciate their community. Why not keep my options open?” One foot in, one foot out, sort of idea. But it was my mom who convinced me—or convicted me—at the end of the day. She said, “I know you don’t want to do the school, and that is the very reason why I think you should do it.” Because God often works contrary to our natural tendency.
When she said that, I understood. God didn’t want me to live half-in half-out any longer. For years I have been looking for community. Maybe this is the season for commitment. Time to go all in. Of course, no community or church is perfect, and I’m not going into this one wearing rose-colored glasses. I grew up in the church, dedicated years of my life to full-time ministry, and I’ve been involved in multiple international Christian movements. I’m no stranger to disappointment, disillusionment, and the deconstruction of faith. My hope isn’t in the establishment. It’s not even in Awakening Asia (So please don’t read this and think I’m encouraging everyone to do what I’m doing and move to Tokyo haha). My hope is in Jesus alone. He is the Good Shepherd, and He has proved His faithfulness to me over and over.
I’m so grateful for the last four years in Taiwan. I moved here in the summer of 2020, at the height of the pandemic. My Youtube channel grew. Different opportunities arose. I got to tick off some boxes on my bucket list, but all these pale in comparison with the amazing people I met and friendships made. Most importantly, I got to spend a ton of time with my parents and soak up their wisdom and love for a solid four years. That is priceless, and I will forever be grateful for this season.
Now, I’m moving into a new season, and I have to say, I am quite excited. I’m keeping my heart open and praying for humility to listen and learn. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Here on my official website melodyhwangmusic.com, you can follow along my journey, stay updated through blogs, and find ways to support me financially or otherwise.
PS: I’m not sure yet all the changes I will be making to my Youtube channel, but for one I may stop live-streaming every week. So join me next Tuesday night 7/16 for my last livestream before I move to Tokyo. I will go back to only streaming from YouTube, so that I can see all your live comments in one place. Hope to see you there!
我要搬去日本東京了！
是的，你沒看錯！自從我回來（因為我一個月前才在那裡），我陸陸續續的在告訴身邊的朋友和家人。大家的反應各不相同。有些人說：“我以為你要去紐約了！”有些人並不驚訝，因為從我最近在日本拍的影片中可能已經感受到了。不過，個人來說，我對這些事件的發展仍然感到非常驚訝。兩個月前我決定去日本度假時，我沒有預料到或計劃尋找一個全新的方向，但有時候神就是這樣工作的。當你認為是祂的時候，有時你會發現那只是你自己。而其他時候你以為祂與此無關；結果發現這一直是祂的計劃。正如箴言所說：“人心籌算自己的道路，唯耶和華指引他的腳步。”（箴言 16:9）
第一年，我將作為學生加入Awakening Asia School of Ministry（是的，你也沒看錯哈哈）。"你已經上過兩次神學院了，為什麼還要再上一次呢？" 好問題。最初吸引我到Awakening Asia的是他們的團契和對神的熱情。我想，“我不必參加學校才能欣賞他們的團契。為什麼不保持我的選擇開放呢？”一腳踏進，一腳踏出，這種想法。但最終是我媽媽說服了我——或者說是感動了我。她說：“我知道你不想再上學校，正是出於這個原因，我認為你應該去上。”因為神的作為往往與我們的自然傾向相反。
當她這樣說時，我明白了。神不希望我再活在半進半出的狀態中。多年來，我一直在尋找團契。也許這是委身的季節。是時候全心投入了。當然，沒有哪個團契或教會是完美的，我也不是帶著有色的眼鏡進入這個團契的。我在教會長大，奉獻了多年的生命於全時間服事，我參與過多個國際基督教運動。我對「宗教」的失望並不陌生。我的希望不在於教會機構。它甚至不在Awakening Asia 這個機構（所以請不要讀這篇文章並認為我鼓勵每個人都做我在做的事情並搬到東京哈哈）。我的希望僅在耶穌身上。祂是好牧人，祂一次又一次地向我證明了祂的信實。
我非常感激在台灣的過去四年。我在2020年夏天，在疫情最嚴重時搬到這裡。我的Youtube頻道成長了。出現了不同的機會。我完成了我願望清單上的一些項目，但所有這些都無法與我遇到的人和建立的友誼相比。最重要的是，我得以和我爸媽相處大量時間，吸收他們的智慧和愛，這四年來是無價的，我將永遠感激這個季節。
現在，我正在進入一個新的季節，我必須說，我感到非常興奮。我保持開放的心態，祈求謙卑地聆聽和學習。感謝大家的禱告和支持。在我的官方網站 melodyhwangmusic.com 上，您可以追蹤我的旅程，通過博客保持最新消息，並了解支持我的方式，無論是財務上的還是其他方式。
後言：我還不確定我將對我的Youtube頻道進行哪些改變，但我可能不會每週直播。所以請加入我下周二晚上7月16日在我搬到東京之前的最後一次直播。我將只在YouTube上直播，這樣我可以在同一個地方看到所有你們的即時留言。希望在直播上見到你們！
我是一位在日本40多年的老頭，是高禱屋的代禱勇士瑞恩，介紹你的信息。說實在我不認識妳，因這這位愛日本的弟兄，我決定留言。
我現在在日本的新宿シャローム教会的一員。我們的教會是一個敬拜讚美的教會，又很棒的讚美的團隊。有些許的讚美敬拜的人材。我是教會中國際禮拜（日中）裡的一員，期待妳能造訪我們。