I have some good news, dear friends...
I found out today that I have raised 94% of my support!!! I am also aware of an organization that has been collecting donations for me that will put me over my $7,460 budget, so this means that not only am I fully supported, but I am over-supported, which is a huge blessing!


Now I need to pack like crazy, book tickets and coordinate with the Japan side about when they can be ready for me, and finish figuring out some last-minute schedule things for when I'm in Japan, although probably not in that order. :) 
I'll let you all know when I have everything figured out!


These are some random thoughts but I need to share...

Recently, a lot of things have happened. One of my friends died. Another one has been seriously considering suicide. Others have been changing drastically, turning to drugs and alcohol and partying instead of friends for comfort.
All of this has changed my thinking about life. I decided that my personal mission in life is to help people - no matter what they’re going through. I want to be there for people. To help them get past whatever’s going on in their life. I also decided that I want to live my life to the fullest, all day every day. You never know when your life is going to end, so why not live every day like it’s your last? Yeah, it can be hard to do, but why not? I was listening to a song recently ("We’re All Going Somewhere" by Abandon Kansas), and there was a line in it that I thought was really profound: “We spend our lives tiptoeing carefully just to arrive at our death safely.”
I don’t want to do that. I want to live life. I want to be a force to be reckoned with. I want to make a difference in the world, whether I’m safe doing it or not.
Only time will tell what that difference will be, and how I’ll do it, but I swear I will. My first step? Helping people. All day every day.
That's part of why I'm going to Japan. To help. And to encourage those who have been helping, whether I'm safe or not. 
Who knows what I'll do after? Only time will tell. But for now, my job is to help. And I will do my best to do so.

後でお会いしましょう！

See you later!

~Chloe