Caleb took a business trip to Japan Sunday January 31st through February 4th 2016. With a 13 hour flight and lay flat seats he felt well taken care of and was able to sleep most of the trip. Arriving in Japan and working with the Boston Scientific (BSC)Japan team it became obvious that they needed extra help in planning and launching Rhythmia to the Japan market. If handled correctly BSC could go from 2 percent market share to (hopefully) well over 10 percent. Rhythmia’s groundbreaking technology will be well received in Japan. This is a great opportunity for BSC Japan but they are so focused on the Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) side of the business that they might miss it.
Caleb used his Japanese skills learned in high school and quickly made a good impression.
Partway through the trip Caleb texted me and half jokingly said “want to move to Japan…. it’s kind of the semi running joke.” my response was “that would be different” My reaction was not fear of the unknown or worry about details and safety. I had an immediate sense of peace, adventure and excitement. We have been preparing mentally and physically to move to Seattle this summer. It feels like God may have been preparing us for something bigger.
For a couple years both Caleb and I had a stirring to ask “Is MN our forever home?” Coming to Minnesota 11 years ago was a great adventure. God has blessed us incredibly. We are in a place “above and beyond what we could have asked or imagined” (Ephesians 3:20) The church is thriving, and is definitely “planted”. They are in the process of signing a purchase agreement for a new building. That is a long way from our church community center days. Winters in Minnesota are long and not as enjoyable as they once were when we were children! In 2015 we added new winter sports: learning cross-country skiing as a family, and creating an ice rink in our back yard. We also added a hot tub to our deck expansion.
With no clear direction but the desire to explore living somewhere else we embarked on a journey to explore the west coast, California, San Francisco, and Seattle areas. When praying we have felt that God will bless us wherever we go. When visiting Seattle we fell in love with the landscape, nature and loved the idea that we would have family nearby.
When he got home from his Japan trip we talked about the known logistics. In a conversation with Mark (Caleb’s manager) on the way to the airport he outlined that Caleb would be a great fit to help the launch Rhythmia and that he shouldn’t feel pressure, but the opportunity is there if he would like it. A 4-6 week assignment would provide some support but in an assignment of 12-24 months would provide the type of support that is needed.
We still don’t know what our future holds but we are excited to entertain this idea.
Here is some random things I have found out about moving to Japan:
http://lovinghappyeverafter.blogspot.com/2012/07/15-things-you-need-to-know-before.html
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/living/livingabroadin/living_abroad_in_japan_moving.shtml
http://www.survivingnjapan.com/p/start-here.html
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