Finally! The moment you've all been waiting for . . .

I know it may have seemed like I dropped off the face of the earth, but please forgive me for being lax in my communication and know that I am truly thankful for your continuing support, prayers and love.

I will try my best to give you the highlights of the past three months or so without getting long-winded. Bear with me.

Since last I blogged:

Christmas and all it's delicious, busy, decorated, fellowship-filled, cinnamon-scented glory descends on Mito church with more vigor than I had imagined. I had just returned from furlough on the first of December, and so, tumbled head-over-heels in catching up on things missed and preparing for all the special events in December.

Like the English Bible Class Christmas Party

Then amid all the other regular and special church activities, we had 9 people in our home for Christmas. And it was a blessed time to enjoy friends, gifts and good food.

We started 2011 with a sunrise worship at 6 am on January 1st. And I was off and running again with bible studies, cell group, Sunday school classes, Japanese lessons, meetings, etc. until the evening of the 14th, when all of that came to a screeching halt. On my way from working at the church to having dinner with friends, I had a relatively minor traffic accident on my scooter. That night I had surgery (by catheter, so no scar -- yay!) to stop some internal bleeding and put a 'patch' my damaged spleen, but, by God's grace and protection, the only other injury that I had was a bruise and scrape on my knee. And that was only the beginning of the blessings and grace that our Heavenly Father poured over me in a situation that could have easily been much, much worse.

So I spent almost two weeks in the hospital recovering from my injury, learning all kinds of new things about the Japanese healthcare system, and seeing more deeply that the Mito church community is full of love and generosity. I also received the blessing and comfort of so many prayers on my behalf from all over the world, as well as a generous gift from my sponsoring church that was so helpful in covering medical and other expenses that come with a traffic accident.

I was unable to work for about a month, so now that I am back to working full-time, I am playing catch-up again. I feel so blessed by the people here, who picked up my responsibilities while I was healing and did so much to take care of me.

Now I am looking forward into a couple of months that promise to be very full and I have faith that God will continue to bless Mito church as we go through a season of transition at the end of the fiscal year.

In March we will be saying goodbye to some of our members who have decided to return to America after this school year of teaching English. And in April we will welcome a new batch of teachers.

We have also decided that we will begin this year's English Bible Class ministry again in June, so I have already begun thinking about and preparing for that.

Please pray with me . . .

~for safe travels and blessed service for the group that is going to serve in Siem Reap, Cambodia (this includes Joel, some members of Mito church and others from Japan, Singapore and other Asian countries). Please remember the kids in your prayers too. God is working in hearts of Christians in Japan and Singapore to raise money to send some of them to school and provide others with clothes, school supplies and other necessary items.

~that God is working in the hearts of the participants in our EBC ministry. We hope that they have been touched by their time studying the Bible, and that they will be drawn into our community and to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

~a blessing over the English teachers that are preparing to return to the States -- may they be comforted as they say goodbye to life in Japan and blessed as they readjust to life in America. Also, pray with me over the preparation of the new teachers coming (7 coming as vocational missionaries, 5 coming through Mito's sister city program with Anaheim California).

~a prayer of thanksgiving for my speedy recovery from my accident, and all the other blessings I have received along the way. And also please pray for me to continue to heal without incident. (The doctor says that my spleen should be completely done with the healing process in about 5 months.)

A Fine Fall Furlough

On December 1st I returned from my second furlough since I moved to Japan, just over three years ago. I spent most of October and all of November gathering about 12,000 frequent flyer miles, driving another 4,000 miles across 9 states,and seeing the sweet faces of my supporters (i.e. my family and friends). I am not sure how to report about this except to say that there were some really good parts -- like all the kind, generous people who invited me into their homes and let me spend a night or two or several on their couches, air mattress and guest beds -- and there were some difficult parts -- like my grandpa passing away the week before Thanksgiving. But overall I feel like God gave me many opportunities to share about the work that he is doing in Japan, and I pray that he will provide the support that I need through the chances that I had to share with people about the financial challenges of my work.

Here are some highlights from my travels:

An excellent afternoon with Grandma Hazel and Grandpa Jim before he passed away

Thank you, Jesus, for the sweet gift of that time together.

A very encouraging time with the Holtons

Bonus: a mini-tour of the city for my first time to Chicago

A little time with Saprina, my friend, supporter and former roommate

Some time to be silly with my little sister

And some really wonderful time to be with my Mama

There were, of course, many more good things that I forgot to take pictures of or that simple won't fit in the report. I am so thankful for my time to reconnect with my supporters. Thanks to everyone who listened to my stories of the Holy Spirit moving in Japan! And thank you to those of you who took time out of your busy lives to encourage me and refresh my spirit.

One of the other huge blessings that I have received since the last time I sent out an update was the establishment of an official relationship between me and the Mito Church of Christ just before I left in October. I moved to Mito as Joel's apprentice this year in the spring, and I have now been invited to stay and continue working as a member of the Mito church's staff with a commitment until March of 2012. However, I am hoping to stay for at least three years from now. Please pray that God will make that a possibility.

Please pray with me . . .

~a praise for the opportunity God has given me to continue to serve him in Japan.

~a praise for the safe travels that God gave me over the last two months.

~that God will continue to bless the English outreach ministry at Mito church, and that he will give me wisdom and guidance as I try to work towards growing the ministry and the ways that the foreign and Japanese church members can find a place to serve in this evangelistic outreach.

~that God will grant safe travels to Joel and the group that he has taken to do mission work in Cambodia this month -- and that God will move through them and their service.

~that the Holy Spirit will be working in all of the unique opportunities we have to reach out and share during the holiday season.

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.