Category: Prayer Update

The average person in Japan has never set foot inside a church building, and very likely has never had a conversation with a Christian. We try to help change that through various outreach events at our church. In October we hosted two English Cafes. In addition to our normally scheduled Friday evening event, we also held a Tuesday afternoon English Cafe. On Friday evenings we normally get a lot of college students attending. However at the Tuesday event we were encouraged to see a different demographic, primarily made up of retired people and young mothers.

Please be praying for those who attended, that God would speak to their hearts, and bring them back again and again so that we can build friendships and have further opportunities share Christ.

Ofunato Harbor at dawn.

I had an overnight trip to Ofunato, a coastal city that is both home to our sister church, and one of the 3.11 Network volunteer bases. There are still many people living in temporary housing, and through the 3.11 Network staff and volunteers, programs are held to encourage these residents as they slowly work towards moving into permanent housing and rebuilding a normal life. For the last three year the 3.11 Network has rented a home to house staff and teams working at the various temporary housing parks scattered throughout the city, however in October the owner of the house needed it back, so I went to help with the move.

Rina, the remaining 3.11 staff worker in Ofunato was given permission to move into one of the open units at the largest temporary housing unit. This is both a blessing and a a bit of a trial. It’s a blessing that she is now able to live right in the midst of the people the network is seeking to help, but it is a more difficult situation to live in, and the unit is very small which limits the size of teams that can be hosted. Please pray for her and the ministry to the residents of Ofunato.

Over 500 people gathered for the national CPI conference.

We also had a wonderful time attending the national Japan Church Planting Institute national conference. Over 500 missionaries and pastors gathered to pray, encourage one another and learn how to multiply churches in Japan. As we are gearing up to be involved in Church Planting after my internship is complete, it was incredibly helpful to start thinking through the ways in which evangelism and discipleship drive the church planting process. Additionaly we gained a clearer sense of the things we wanted to learn during the internship phase at MBBC, and came away really praising God for that. The kids survive the long car ride, and we got to meet many missionary friends from around Japan that we rarely get to see. It was a great blessing.

We’ve been back in Japan for a little over a week now, and are praising God for a safe journey. The trip went very smoothly, although Felicity was not very happy with the long flight (and made that clear to all the other passengers on the plane throughout  the lights out portion of the trip).  We’ve also struggled with some minor health issues since being back, Felicity came down with a fever the first few days, and the rest of us have now caught colds on top of that. Prayers for quick healing are much appreciated.

We tried to take it easy our first week back and give all of us a chance to get over jet lag. Titus was especially excited to be back home and has made a habit of pointing out every place and thing he remembers. 3 months a way is a long time for a 3 year old, and I think he forgot that he would be coming back. He started going to pre-school again yesterday and seems to be adjusting well. He is having a hard time with the language, having forgotten a lot of Japanese over the course of the Summer, and is a little more shy than usual because of it.

We’re starting to ease back into ministry here as I begin my two year internship at Morioka Bible Baptist Church. We’ve got a list of things we’d like to help out with at the church, and will be having a meeting with out pastor shortly to talk about where I can help out.

I attended a meeting with leaders from the other churches in Iwate and was really burdened by the needs of the churches here which are struggling without a pastor. I feel there is a large need among these congregations for discipleship and training of lay members to help lead these congregations during their time without a pastor. Pray for direction and if the Lord wills for future opportunities to help in this area.

We’ve been back in the US now for just over two months, and in that time we’ve visited 8 churches, attended JEMS annual camp, and reconnected with many friends and family. It’s been wonderful spending time back home where we were blessed to see two of my siblings get married this, and meet our newest niece and nephew for the first time.

As we continue to serve in Japan, Lord willing for many years to come, we anticipate returning to the US for trips like these every two years or so. We have a number of reasons for this.

Reporting on what God has done.
First we want to report back to the people and churches who are praying for us and financially supporting us and the work that God is doing in Iwate, Japan. Those of you who partner with us are an absolutely essential part of the ministry that is taking place in Iwate and we want you all to know how God is answering your prayers and using the resources you are contributing, as well as keeping yo informed of the needs going forward and how you can continue to pray and help out. After our first two years in Japan we were really blown away at all that God has done, and have been excited to be back and share about the unprecedented ways He has begun to work in our part of Japan. If you haven’t had a chance to hear an update from us during our time here and you live in the Orange County area, we’ll be giving one final update this Saturday, September 5th.

Click here for for details about attending our Sep. 5th Missions update.

Raising support.
A second reason we’re back is to seek out additional financial supporters, people who God has given an interest and a heart for Japan and want to partner with us to help bring the Gospel to the people of Iwate, and see new churches started in unreached cities. All of our salary and ministry expenses are provided each month by the financial giving of churches and individuals. This is an incredibly humbling thing for us, and yet we see this pattern of ministry to be firmly Biblical, and God honoring. It allows the entire body of Christ to be obedient and involved in the work that God is doing throughout the world. Currently we’re in need of additional monthly financial partners, and our prayer is that God will lead people here in the US to join us, and send us back to Japan to continue His work.

Click here if you’re interested in becoming a monthly financial partner.

Rest.
The third reason we’re back is simply to rest and recharge a little bit. Living in a different country, with a different culture can be a stressful experience, particularly for me as I strive to learn Japanese. Simple everyday activities turn into intense mental gymnastics as I try to catch every sound and recall every meaning in every conversation that I have. It’s been very refreshing to have some time to reconnect with friends who speak English, and to hear sermons and worship in English. For the kids this is a chance to maintain a relationship with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who they rarely get to see. We’re very grateful as a family for this change of pace and this opportunity to rest and ready ourselves for another period of active ministry in Japan.

Throughout our time here we’ve seen God’s blessings in each of these three areas, and continue to look to Him to provide and enable us to do the work that He has called us, along with our prayer and financial partners, to carry out in Japan.

It’s already been a month since we’ve been back in the US, and we’ve had a wonderful, but busy time visiting friends families and churches who have all played an enormous role in our lives and ministry over the last two years. It’s been an incredible blessing to serve with your support and partnership, and we look forward to many more years in the future.

Thank you for your prayers, God has provided both a vehicle for us to use, and places to stay during our time!

We’ve already had opportunity to meet with many of you since being back, and we hope to see many more of you in our remaining two months here. Please check the schedule  to see what churches we’ll be visiting  — we may be at your church soon! If not, we’d love to see you some other time, so please email us and we’ll try to set something up. We’re also in the process of planning a Saturday update at some point, and maybe some evening prayer meetings, we’ll let you know as soon as we get that figured out!

Below are some prayer requests for our time here in the US!

• For new ministry partners. Our monthly support is low, which is one of the reasons we’re back here in the US. Please pray that God raises up new ministry partners during our time here so that we can continue seriving in Japan long term.
• For me and Titus not to forget all the Japanese we learned before coming back to the US.
• That we can see all the people and churches we’d like to in the short time that we’re here.
• That we don’t lose sight of the fact that ultimately Go is the One who is our provider, and therefore not neglect times of prayer and devotion during the short time that we’re here.

If you feel led to partner with us in monthly giving or to give a special gift to enable us to continue serving in Japan, please visit: http://www.daveandtomo.com/support/

Last Sunday at church we were prayed over by the deacons and officially appointed as cooperating missionaries at Morioka Bible Baptist Church, starting our two year term where I’ll be serving as an intern, helping with various church ministries in Morioka as well as other churches throughout the prefecture, particularly those on the coast. Please pray for God’s guidance and direction during this time, that we will faithful to build up the church in Morioka, and that God will fully prepare and equip us for future ministry in church planting in the coastal areas after our time in Morioka is fulfilled.

Tomorrow I’ll be going down to Ofunato Bible Baptist Church, our sister church on the coast which is currently without a pastor. Once a month Pastor Kondo and I attend their monthly prayer meeting. The church was badly damaged in the Tsunami, it’s members scattered, and shortly after their interim Pastor resigned. They currently have only three church members. However there is one new believer who is going through a baptism class in preparation for joining the church, and the 3.11 Network has a base in that town and has been active in reaching out to survivors living in temporary housing since the Tsunami occurred. As a result the love of Christ has been demonstrated and proclaimed on a regular basis for the past four years. Pastor Kondo will also meet with a lady who has expressed an interest in hearing about the gospel when we go visit tomorrow.

We’ve been very busy lately preparing to move into a new home in the beginning of June, as well as getting things ready for our trip back to the US towards the end of June. Please pray that we get everything packed and moved over without too much trouble, and that we can get everything done before we leave. Pray for us as a family that we can avoid getting too stressed out with so much happening all at once, and that we’ll be able to get some good rest while on home service. We’re going to take a few days vacation in Korea as we have a layover there on the way back, which we are looking forward too.

This past Sunday the church voted to officially accept as cooperating missionaries for the next two years! We continue to be humbled by God’s grace in leading us to this church, and for the opportunity to both serve and learn there during the next two years.

It’s the start of the fiscal year here in Japan, and for churches that means a lot of meetings. In the past month I’ve attended numerous Pastors meetings, congregational meetings, deacon meetings, 3.11 Network meetings and denominational meetings. It’s been a little exhausting but I’ve been able to meet many pastors, missionaries and staff workers involved in ministry here in Iwate, as well as gain a better understanding of how everyone is connected and what sort of ministries are taking place. I feel that in the future as these relationships with churches and pastors grow they will prove invaluable to the work God is calling us to.

However for the moment our focus in on our upcoming home service which is now less than 2 months away. We’re in the process of preparing updates to give to all our supporting churches, and getting new brochures and prayer cards made so that we can keep all of you informed as to what God is doing here in Japan. We can’t wait to see many of you this Summer!

We are still in searching for a vehicle to use over the Summer, so if you or someone you know has an extra car you would be willing to let us borrow during our time in the states, please let us know.

We’ve also decided to move to a new house just before we leave. A friend at church who’s mother recently moved in with her, is offering to rent her mother’s house at a very reasonable rate. It will save us about $150 a month in rent, so the sooner we can move the better. This is going to make the next two months even more busy than they already are, so please pray that everything will go smoothly and that we can get the help needed to pull this off.

God has been so faithful to guide and direct us during our first term here, and we have seen Him work in so many different ways. It’s exciting to see the doors He is opening throughout the prefecture, and we can’t wait to share in person about what He is doing when we come visit this Summer!

A lot has been happening since our last update and with the sudden transition from language school to ministry it feels a little like jumping right into the deep end. Even as we struggle a little to adapt to new schedules and responsibilities, it’s also a huge blessing to be able take this next step in serving God here in Japan.

Since our last update we’ve had two meetings with church leadership to clarify what my role will be at the church over the next two years. I’ve been able to go down to the coast twice to participate in a variety of events and outreaches. I’ve also begun attending weekly meetings with the 3.11 Network staff involved in coastal outreach. We’re praising God that my teacher from my language school who goes to our church is able to tutor me so that I can continue to improve in Japanese, and that I was able to find and meet with a young man who is very excited to be a conversation partner.

• During our meeting with Pastor Kondo we set the following goals for my internship at Morioka Bible Baptist Church.
  Gain ministry experience which can be applied to building up and or starting churches on the coast by serving in an established church.
  Improve in Japanese ability by using it in practical everyday situations and speaking opportunities.
  Discover God’s direction for where to serve after internship by participating in various coastal ministries.
• Initially I’ll be simply participating in many different ministries, including Bible studies, prayer meetings and events at the church, and as my language ability improves start to move into more active roles such as giving short messages and leading Bible studies. Additionally I’ll be going to the coast frequently to help with events as needed (and there are always many needs). Also once a month I’ll be attending a prayer meeting with our sister church in the coastal town of Ofunato, where they have just three members and no Pastor of their own. Please bray for God to rebuild His church in Ofunato.

We were overjoyed to witness the start of Sanriku Hope Christ Church which will be holding services in Kamaishi and Yamada. Tomo’s father has been working in partnership with missionaries and Japanese Christians in this area since the Tusnami hit, and this church is the fruit of that ministry. Please be praying for the church to grow and for Tomo’s father who was already pretty busy managing the relief ministry and now is going back into full time pastoring as well. I believe this is the third church to be plant in Iwate to be started since our arrival here in Japan!

Additionally this past week we also welcomed a new church planter who has moved to Morioka with the hope of planting another church somewhere on the coast. He is working in partnership with South Morioka Church, where my brother and his family are serving. It’s really exciting to see God working to start churches in Iwate. Before the tsunami there was a long period where there were no new churches being planted, and even some attempted church plants being forced to be abandoned due to the difficulty of reaching people. Yet in God’s faithfulness and perfect timing it appears that a new season of church planting is beginning in this prefecture. We trust that it is for such a time as this that God has brought us here.

Last week, by God’s grace I completed my course of full time language study, graduating from Morioka Business Information School’s Japanese language program. It’s hard to believe that this period of full time Japanese study is over, but I’m very excited to begin to get more opportunities to put what I’ve learned into practice and begin serving the church here in Morioka as well as having more time to be able to participate in the coastal ministries that continue to bless the survivors of the earthquake and Tsunami that happened four years ago.

Thursday will mark the fourth anniversary of the Tsunami and despite the passage of so much time, thousands throughout the prefecture have yet to be moved into permanent homes. However it seems that this is perhaps finally the year when the majority of those who lost homes in the disaster will be moved into permanent housing. This is a both a source of joy and anxiety for those in transition. Joy in opportunity to move on, and anxiety in leaving the new communities and friendships that were established among the survivors who lived and struggled together in temporary housing parks over the last four years.

Yesterday we attended a gathering of the 3/11 Network staff and churches to learn about the current state of ministry and continue to commit ourselves to serving these communities in the hopes of reaching them with the Gospel of Salvation through Christ, through continued expressions of His love for them both in words and deeds. It was amazing to see the little church we met in nearly bursting at the seams with international missionaries, Japanese relief staff, pastors, and volunteer church members, all with a heart to reach out to those who have been affected by the disaster.

In little ways here and there we are beginning to see the fruit of that labor. Tomo’s father is planting a church which will be meeting in one of the coastal cities that previously did not have any Christian churches in it’s borders. Opportunities to share the gospel are increasing, and we’ve heard testimonies of new believers coming to faith. It is into this environment that we find ourselves preparing to serve, in God’s perfect timing. Pray for wisdom, for boldness and that we will be used by God to build up His church in Iwate, and to preach the gospel to those who are in such great need of God’s mercy.

By God’s grace I survived my final exams at language school. They were incredibly difficult, and I haven’t gotten my results back but I’m still on track to graduate on March 4th! Prior to coming to Japan I was really involved in a lot of ministry at our home church in California, so it’s been sort of an odd feeling being in school full time, and being unable to participate much in church ministry due to my limited language ability. I’m really excited to finally be able to start helping out more and seeing the ways that God can use us as we begin the internship phase of ministry here in Japan.

We’ll be meeting first with our Pastor next week, and then with some of the other ministry leaders at the church the week after that, to talk about the areas that I can help out in. As my language ability grows our prayer is that I’ll be able to preach on occasion, as well as helping with coastal ministries and outreach at our church in Morioka. Currently in Iwate there are more churches than Pastors, so there is always a need for someone to preach somewhere, with Pastors having to rotate around frequently to minister to believers all over the prefecture.

We’re praising God that Tomo’s father is planting a new church among the coastal cities of Kamaishi, Otsuchi and Yamada, which will be officially launching next month. Please be praying for him as he leads this new church, and for the seekers who have been attending Bible studies and outreach events over the course of relief ministry which has been ongoing since the Tsunami nearly 4 years ago.

I’ll also be continuing to study Japanese, Lord willing under the guidance of a tutor. Please pray that I’ll be able to continue to get better at speaking as I begin serving the church. We were also hoping that I could find a conversation partner to practice with on a regular basis, so Tomo’s mom asked her physical therapist if he’d be interested, and he said yes. I haven’t gotten spoken with him yet, but please pray that this will work out and that I can be witness to him even as he helps me practice Japanese.

Finally we’re also getting really close to our first home service. We’re tentatively planning to be in the states from June 26 – August 19. Thanks to God’s amazing provision and your generosity we have all the funds needed for travel arrangements, and are planning on purchasing plane tickets in March. We’re also in need of a place to stay from the time that we arrive until August 1, at which time we’re planning on going to stay with my parents. Currently my brother and his family are back in the US also on home service, and they are staying with my parents till the end of July (not enough room for all of us!). We’re also in need of a car to borrow during the three months that we’ll be in the US. If you are able to help with any of these needs, or know of someone who can, please let us know!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. It’s amazing to see how God has brought us this far, and we can’t wait to begin this next stage of ministry and see the ways that He will work in the coming months and years here in Northern Japan!

First off, I’d just like to share a big praise report. We just got our December giving report from JEMS and were totally blown away at the generosity that was reflected in it. Thank you all so much for your support, and a special thank you to those of you who gave year end gifts. Through you God provided above and beyond even what we asked for in our year end letter. As a result we have all the funds needed in order to cover our travel expenses back to the US this Summer for home service, as well as enough to supplement our monthly support throughout most of the 2015.

As I’ve mentioned before, our monthly support is currently low, however God has been providing through people who have given special gifts as He enables. One of our big focuses for our time in the US this Summer is to find more monthly financial partners so that we can serve without interruption here in Japan for the long term. Our first two years in Japan has been quite a lesson in trusting God, and we’re constantly humbled by God’s relentless faithfulness towards us in spite of our own lack of faith at times. Thank you for your faithfulness, generosity and partnership as we continue to press on to accomplish the calling which God has laid before us.

Last Friday we had our January English Cafe. At the end I shared from the Bible about the parable of the unmerciful servant, explaining how God’s abundant forgiveness enables and compels us to forgive others. Pray that the non-believers in attendance would be confronted with the weight of their own debt of sin towards God, and be drawn to His generous offer of total forgiveness through Christ.

Language school has been challenging lately, as I approach the end of my full time term of study. I met with a disappointing set back when I received the results of the N2 Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Unfortunately I did not pass. My intention was always to continue studying after I was done with school, so now this gives me some clear goals to work towards in the coming months, during which I hope to be able to study part time with a tutor. Despite this my confidence in speaking Japanese is rapidly improving, and communicating in Japanese is becoming easier and easier, for which I am very thankful.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support. The last few weeks have been exhausting on many levels, yet God continues to sustain us and remind us of His goodness. THank you for standing behind us and supporting us.