I know this post may come across as sort of a downer, but it’s not like that. The last few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster with hopes rising and falling, frantic planning and lots of prayers. But somewhere in the middle of it all I felt like God was telling me to just let it go, that He had a plan and it just wasn’t what I thought it was.
First off thank you for all of your prayers. Second, please keep praying; we are still as committed as ever to getting to Japan, and even if we do have to put off our departure date till 2012, there’s still a ton that needs to happen before then. We’re at 34% of monthly support, so in order to leave by next Summer we’ve got to raise something like 5% a month, which is far above the rate that things have been going the last year. The need for the gospel to reach Japan is as great as ever, and there have been few periods in Japan’s history when it has been this open to the gospel.
We will certainly not be idle over the next year as we continue to prepare to serve God as church planters in Japan. We’re expecting a baby in December, and Tomo was actually a little relieved that moving to Japan before the birth was taken off the table. We’ll have a little more time to prepare for our new arrival without having to worry about packing up and moving across the Pacific. I’ve been serving as an elder at our little church here in San Juan Capistrano, and I feel as though God has given me a greater opportunity to serve the local church and learn how it needs to function, for which I am constantly grateful.
Thank you again for your prayers, we need them; and we need your partnership and support; and Japan needs the Gospel. Lord willing you will join us in meeting those needs in the coming year.