"Where has the time gone?" has been said by a hundred generations of parents all over the world and now Cari and I find ourselves uttering these words almost daily as we prepare ourselves for Jessica's college departure. A departure that will take her to Tokyo, Japan where she has enrolled into a 4 year program at ICU (International Christian University)to study International Relations.
To say we as parents have mixed emotions would be an understatement, but as the days approach we are filled with excitement that God has designed Jessica with a sense of adventure and has given her a relationship with her Holy Father that allows her to enter this new chapter in life with little fear. Cari and I can rest knowing God is everywhere and that He has a love for her that is beyond our ability to measure.
Yesterday the bags began to be packed and the reality of her leaving really started to hit home. One really takes on the understanding that every minute counts. This time has been all about Jessica enjoying those last fleeting days of summer with her friends and family.
This Monday the 30th of August Cari and I will accompany Jessica to Japan (a first for all of us). My mother will be staying in our home caring for Meghan and Cole while we are gone. What a blessing!
Jessica will check into her dorm on the 1st and begin a week of orientation while her mother and I attempt to navigate our way through various parts of Japan playing the role of tourist. Then on the 12th of September we will say our goodbye's and probably cry like babies.
Let me take answer a couple of commonly asked questions.
-Jessica chose ICU after attending a college fair and realizing her college choices were not limited to the United States
-Jessica does not know Japanese and will be required to take 35 credits in that language during the first year
Our one and only request from our friends and family is that you pray for Jessica. We each feel so blessed to have so many amazing people in our lives and give thanks to God for the gift of relationships.
-Kurt
