Finally Fall

So friends, here were are -- I completely missed writing a blog for August, and the time for writing September's update has certainly snuck up on me. That should be plenty of evidence that I am keeping busy. But God has given me a couple of moments to look around and notice that autumn is finally here -- we had a long, hot summer, so I am very thankful for the cool breezes, the changing colors and the smells and tastes of fall.

One of the major things that has happened in the last two months is the beginning of the English Bible Class ministry. Our first class was on September 5th, and we currently have over 40 students in 15 classes (and 1 kids' class). One of the highlights of this year's program so far was an outing to Hitachi Seaside Park. We had a great time -- it was an excellent opportunity for church members and EBC participants to mingle and build friendships, and we had great weather in which to enjoy the beautiful park. We praise God for providing for such a wonderful day!

Another major development is that I have received an official invitation from the Mito church to continue working here until March of 2012. I am so thankful to be serving here, and I pray that God will continue to use me, grow me and bless his Kingdom in Japan. I will be leaving next week to travel to America to visit many of my supporters and share about the ways the Holy Spirit is working in Japan.

Beyond that I have continued on with the "regular" things, like my language classes, helping to teach a Junior High Sunday School class two or three times a month, getting together with my flock (small group), and connecting with the members of our young adult cell group on Sunday evenings. I have also started to meet with two of the ladies in the church for a Bible study each week. That has been a particular blessing for me in that it has given me the chance to study God's word, deepen relationships with those two sweet ladies and challenges me to share and explain deep, abstract and emotional ideas in Japanese.

This weekend Mito church will have its annual retreat, so we are all pitching in to help with the preparations and looking forward to some great fellowship. Then the day after we return from the retreat, I will get on a bus, then onto a plane heading back to the States. So I am looking forward to seeing many of you over the next several weeks.

Please pray with me . . .

~that God will use the EBC ministry to draw new people into his kingdom and his truth. Let's pray that the participants will find their hearts open and hungry for God's righteousness. And please continue to lift up the teachers and other helpers as we serve our Lord and reach out to build connections with those who don't know him.

~that my travels will be safe and blessed. My prayer and hope is that I will have opportunities to glorify God and testify about the work he is doing in Japan. And please pray that I will be able to continue trusting that God will provide for the spiritual, financial and other needs of this ministry to which he has called me.

~for wisdom for the AETs (assistant English teachers) serving as vocational ministers in Mito church as they struggle through this season of deciding whether or not to renew their contracts for another year.

July 2010 -- Some highlights

As usual, July was another busy month.

The "Flocks" began meeting, and God is blessing those connections. Our group met for lunch on the 11th of July -- we are hoping to set up some more time together in September, since many people will be traveling in August. (Almost everyone in Japan has summer vacation time in August.)

We also continued to prepare for the English Bible Class outreach ministry, which will begin in September. With the guidance of those wiser and more experienced than I am, I have been working on writing the text for the small group discussions. It has been more challenging than I expected, but I have really enjoyed the experience. I think that God has helped us to create a text that will facilitate relationship building and spiritual conversation. We will have a training session for the teachers on August 29th. And then twice monthly classes will begin on September 5th. May God bless this ministry!

On the 18th Daniel, Staci (two Mito church members) and I began teaching a class for the Junior High School students on Sunday mornings twice a month. This is a little outside my area of expertise, since I have never worked with junior high kids, but I am learning a lot. My hope is that the class will be an encouragement for the kids. I am glad that God pulled me toward helping with the spiritual development of these kids. They are wonderful!

Some of the friends in our Sunday evening Young Adult Cell Group

Girls' Bible Study -- hosted at my house in July



VBS -- hosted by the Taga Church of Christ and a group from California

Please pray with me . . .

~that God will prepare those who will teach the EBC classes, and that he will open the hearts of those who will come for the lessons. As of today (August 17) we have 14 adults and 4 kids registered.

~that God will continue to shape and protect the hearts of the children of Mito church. We are so blessed to have many children worshiping with us -- please pray that we will be able to be used by the Holy Spirit to help in their spiritual growth.

~that the Spirit will continue to work among the people of Siem Reap, Cambodia. Please also pray that God will bring the group from Japan home safely, after their time of traveling, building relationships with Christians across Asia and sharing God's love with friends in Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

~for God to help me to be more disciplined in my faith and my work. It is easy to lose motivation and feel discouraged when we are not depending fully on God -- please pray for my protection and that my dependence on God will grow as I try to do the work the Spirit calls me to do everyday.

~for times of quiet and holy rest. Japan and America are both busy countries, full of distraction and demands on our time. Let's pray together that we will make time to be still and to listen for the voice of our Lord and Savior. Praise Jesus for his desire to connect with us!

A June Jammed with Joy

June began with the National Ministry Workers' Workshop. Rich Little came from the Naperville Church of Christ to share with us about spiritual disciplines and discipleship. I felt convicted and enriched by what I learned and encouraged by the great fellowship.




Then we were very blessed by a visit from Crimsen and Saprina. They spent about 10 days in Mito with us (they also visited Sendai for about a week). We enjoyed showing them around Mito and introducing them to many of our new friends. I am so thankful for how encouraged I was by their fellowship -- it always wonderful to have good friends visit Japan!


On the weekend of the 18th, Atsushi (Mito church minister), Joel and I planned a one night retreat for the foreigners at Mito church. We had time for prayer and worship, discussion and planning for this year, and fun and fellowship. I think that everyone is excited for some of the changes we will be making to the focus of the group in our times together. I feel like God has great plans for the members of Mito church, and a portion of the potential that I see in Mito church is in this group of vocational missionaries. I feel so fortunate and exited to be working alongside them in God's mission in Japan.



Also, we assembled our "Flocks" (small groups, a little like host families) in June. Our hope is that God will use these cross-cultural groups of Mito church members to build deeper spiritual relationships in our church family. We are focusing on unity within our church in order to strengthen one another as we go out into the community, the nation and the world to glorify our Heavenly Father!

Joel and I continue to visit the Ibaraki Christian College campus every Tuesday with the intention of building relationships and looking for opportunities to serve the spiritual needs of the students we meet. This is difficult for me because I am not naturally outgoing, and even more shy in Japanese. But God is opening doors for me to slowly build relationships with some of the students. I am thankful for this opportunity, even though it takes me outside of my comfort area.

And this month we began making preparations for the English Bible Class (EBC) ministry, that Mito Church of Christ hosts from September to March. People interested in studying English (using the Bible) can attend small group conversational English lessons taught by the native English speaking members of Mito church. Joel has delegated the organization of this ministry to Kendon (one of the AETs) and me -- so, with the help of the other foreigners, we will be writing the curriculum, preparing the teachers, running registration and seeking God's wisdom in this outreach ministry.

The last weekend in June, we began hosting a cell group in our home on Sunday evenings for the young Japanese members of Mito church. Please pray for this group! The devotional times are led by the members, who all want to work on growing spiritually together, share testimonies of how God is working in our lives and spend more time devoted to praising God. These young adults are the future leaders of the Lord's church in Japan, and I am so blessed to be growing, praising God and serving with them.

Please pray with me . . .

~that we will find times of rest, times to just be with God. Mito church has a lot of ministries and other activities going on -- so please pray that each one of us will continue to find and protect times of quiet to renew our spirits and spend time with our Creator.

~a praise to God for the Mito church family's desire to be a church united by the Holy Spirit, despite the challenges that come from being an international church. Please pray that the Flocks within the Mito church family will be protected and blessed, as those relationships grow.

~that God will continue to open the way for me to build relationships with the students of Ibaraki Christian College. Please pray that I will be confident to build new relationships, and that God will work through me despite my weaknesses.

~for the EBC ministry. Please pray over the students that will come to learn English. Please pray for the church members who will lead the small group discussions. And please pray for all of us who are working to prepare the materials that will serve both as a tool for practicing English and a stimulus for spiritual discussion.

~a praise to God that Joel is getting some time to rest and enjoy his family reunion. Please pray that his family will be blessed, and that he will have safe travels back to Japan.

~a prayer of thanksgiving for all the provisions that God has made for Gaku in his life in Mito. Please pray that God will bless him with rest within his difficult work schedule, and that the Holy Spirit will continue to protect and grow his new relationships and continue to bless him with spiritual mentoring and opportunities to serve.

The Many Mighty Blessings of May in Mito

Friends, May was an excellent month in Mito!

We started the month off with some great fellowship time during the national holidays in the first week of May. And that set the tone for a month of building deeper relationships with many of the church members. Joel, Gaku and I were blessed to be able to host one of the church member's parents in our home while they were visiting from America (because God blessed us with a guest room). Chris and Sharon were a great encouragement to us!

On the 5th we got to spend some time with the Tsuneki family, Chelsea (a new AET) and Yayoi-san (who has been joining Bible studies at the church lately). We visited Hitachi Seaside Park together.


We also stretched the seams of our house to bursting one night when we had a Pizza night with the AETs and several other friends. People were spilling out into the kitchen and hallway, but I think we all enjoyed the fellowship.


We invited Olive Cell, a group that has a Bible study at the church each Monday afternoon, to meet at our house on the 17th for a potluck lunch and Bibly study/singing time, so we could have a chance to enjoy their company and get to know each of those wonderful friends a little better while we fellowshipped and worshiped together.

On the weekend of the 22nd, we went to Tokyo on Saturday with a group of nearly thirty people to worship with the Passion World Tour. I know that we were all blessed by that time of praise! And I was pleasantly surprised to meet a friend from Sendai and a friend from last year's Church Planting Institute conference there -- that definitely gave me the perspective that we were worshiping together with the whole nation. Five of the Ibaraki Christian College students that went to worship with us also stayed overnight at our house and worshiped at Mito church on Sunday morning.


On the last Sunday of May, Mito church was blessed by a message from Rich Little (minister of the Naperville Church of Christ in Naperville, IL) -- he came to be the guest speaker at the National Ministry Worker's Workshop (June 2-4), but was able to share a little time to be an encouragement to Mito church too.

Also, at the end of May we said goodbye to Tammy, one of the AETs who had stayed on to cover for the newest AET, who could not move to Japan until the beginning of June. We miss you Tammy!

We have been trying to invite the church members one by one to have dinner with us at our house -- it has been a blessing to get to know them better. And I am so excited for the opportunities I have seen for us to grow together spiritually.

I don't know if this "laundry list" of times of blessed fellowship adequately communicates the ways that God is working here, but I can say that God is moving in and speaking to Mito church. I feel like I have so many opportunities to serve, love and encourage. My prayer is that God will use me (and the church leadership) in whatever way he can to help Mito church grow spiritually, become more unified and shine even brighter in this city.

The best blessings of the month were the baptisms of Saki and Ayami -- two of our friends that are students at Ibaraki Christian College. Please rejoice with us over their decisions to commit their lives to God.

Saki's Baptism

Please pray with me . . .

~that Mito church will experience more unity among the young people, across the generations and between the foreigners and Japanese members. I think we all want this, so please pray that we will have wisdom as we work toward this goal with the Holy Spirit's blessing and guidance.

~that the members of Mito church will grow in spiritual maturity, and the Holy Spirit will raise up new leaders in the church to strengthen and grow Mito church into the future and also for Mito church to be able to send leaders out into the rest of Japan to help in the growth of new churches.

~that Saki and Ayami with overcome all of the obstacles to having faith in Japan as they continue to walk with our Savior.

~a continuing prayer for my language study -- I think that I am slowly improving, but feel like I have hit a wall with the new challenges to my study in our new living/working situation. Please pray for this, because without adequate language skills my ability to serve and build relationships with Japanese people continues to be very limited.

~a praise for the new support I am receiving (bringing my monthly support up to about 75% of my financial needs). I continue to be amazed at the ways that God provides! Please continue to pray that God will find that last 25% for me.

April Showers of Blessings -- the Sequel

When I thought of the title for this month's blog, I realized that I had already used it in April of 2008. I went back and read that update, and I was really amazed to see how much God has grown and changed the ways that I am serving him in Japan. I am still learning -- especially now that I find myself in a new city, learning about a new church and building tons of new relationships. I am still learning, and I am still feeling overwhelmed, but I am thankful because God has opened my eyes to lots of ways that he is blessing me and the work in front of me (that I see people doing and that I need to do). So I want to share a little bit about that with you.

One blessing in April was the uncountable opportunities to spend time with Mito church members. We have been getting to know several of the Assistant English Teachers (AETs), since they all fall into the "young adult" category (one of the ministries of which Joel will be in charge). Eight new teachers arrived from America, so we have been helping them to get settled into life in Mito, which is sometimes comical, considering that Joel, Gaku and I just arrived in Mito a month ago.

In the month of April, I had many chances to observe what's happening around here. I helped a little with the "Agape" homeless ministry on the 10th -- some members from another church in the city come each month to help serve curry to, sing songs with, and build relationships with some of the city's homeless people in the Mito Church of Christ parking lot.

On the third Sunday, I attended the annual all-church meeting. It was a great opportunity to observe how Mito church, as a body, deals with major changes. I also learned a great deal about the history of Mito church, and was so encouraged by the direction in which this church family is going.

On the 25th, the church hosted a combination welcome/farewell potluck for Joel, Gaku and I/the Hancock family (former missionary family at Mito church). It was a great time of fellowship and celebration of the time that the Hancocks were members of Mito church.


At the end of the month, our friend Akiko (young Christian, who recently married and moved from Sendai to Yokohama) visited Mito to spend a few days with us and attend the All-Japan Worship at Ibaraki Christian University (located a little north of Mito). The morning's worship and the lunchtime fellowship were a great blessing to me, especially a really encouraging conversation I had with Paul and Stacey Herrington, missionaries at Haruna Church of Christ in Gunma prefecture (near Gaku's hometown).

We have also spent a lot of time thinking and praying about the future of Mito church -- the immediate future and hopes beyond this year. This year's theme is "Growing Deeper, Going Beyond" -- we are focusing on Acts 1:8, and hoping that this will help us become to a more outreach-focused church family, while also deepening our relationship with God and with one another. We want to be Jesus' witnesses in "Jerusalem" (here -- in our church, in our families, among our friends), in "Judea and Samaria" (in Mito city, in Japan) and "to the ends of the earth".

I am full of hope for the future of Mito church, and I am so blessed to be here, to have the chance to help and encourage, to be encouraged, to share my faith and to learn and grow alongside my brothers and sisters here.

Please pray with me . . .

~that the Mito church family will continue "growing deeper, going beyond" -- that we will find ways to dig deeper into the spiritual spring and allow the Holy Spirit to flow out into our church, our families, our friendships, our city, the nation and the world. Holy Father make Mito a light in Japan!

~for new leaders in the churches of Japan. The churches are aging; numbers in fellowship are decreasing. Please pray with me for those struggling churches. And please join me in praying that the Holy Spirit will make Mito church into a place for growth, equipping and sending out of new leaders to revive dying churches and plant new ones throughout Japan and even throughout Asia!

~Please pray for Sendai church -- please pray for the Suzuki family, for Yuko and for Toshiko. This is a difficult time, and the future of the church is still uncertain, so please pray that they will have wisdom and boldness in making difficult desicions. And especially pray that their faith will grow strong and not become weak in this challenging time.

~that the new AETs will continue to find their places in Mito -- that they will settle in to their work situations, that they will find a place to serve in Mito church, and that they will receive wisdom and guidance in their efforts to learn Japanese language and culture.

~a praise to God for helping me to begin to find my place in Mito church -- of course, I am not completely settled in, and my place to serve is still taking shape, but I feel like the Holy Spirit is guiding me in opportunities to build relationships and chances to learn and serve. And I am so thankful for this time

~that I will hear and follow God's guidance as I make decisions about the future. I have lived in Japan for 2 1/2 years now, and my current commitment will end at the end of this year. I feel that God is and has been leading me to stay, but the obstacles to that seem fairly daunting, so please pray that I won't be led by fear, but will boldly do the work that God has set in front of me, in faith that God will provide in all ways.