Category: Prayer Update

OK, so a lot has happened since our last prayer update, so I’ll just jump right in. The event with the former terrorist who became a missionary to Japan went really well. Thank you for your prayers! He also shared at some of our Bible Studies, and at a college class which Pastor Kondo teaches, and at all opportunities we had good turn outs, and great times of sharing.  Please be praying that those who heard the message would be challenged to seek the sort of change that Christ can bring about in their lives change which can only be brought about through being born again.

The Ballinger family, our friends, neighbors and fellow missionaries serving at Morioka Church left to go on home service back in the UK. (That’s Titus with their son up top). They’ve had a tremendous impact on the church here and did so much to help us get settled in and connected ever since we arrived last year, they will be dearly missed. God has opened the door for them to work in Tokyo after they return to Japan, which is about 6 hours south of us by car, so we won’t get to see them too often. Please keep them in prayer as they’re doing a lot of traveling on their way back home to the UK.

James Ballinger was coordinating the monthly English Cafe that we have been helping with since last Summer, and so in his absence we’ve agreed to take over his role and keep it going. We had our first one since they left last night. The turnout was pretty low, with only a few people from the church showing up, and no one from outside the church attending as usual, but everything went pretty smoothly for our first time heading it up, and we’ll do a lot more to promote next month’s 4th of July themed Cafe, trusting that God will continue to use this event to reach out to people throughout our city.

Tomo’s just had a checkup, and as has been the case throughout, everything with her pregnancy is completely normal, praise God! In case you missed it somewhere, we’re expecting a baby girl, somewhere around September 16th. Tomo’s belly is getting pretty large, and often get’s in her way, and she’s been pretty uncomfortable lately. Right now it’s the rainy season, but shortly Summer will be in full swing and it will probably get pretty hot humid. Our apartment is not equipped with AC, so it’s won’t be the most comfortable place to be 9 months pregnant. Please pray for us to be able to get through the remainder of the pregnancy as easily as possible, and for a safe delivery and healthy baby.

Looking ahead I’ve got a lot of Japanese tests the last week of June and the first of July. Please pray that I will be able to pass them and continue to progress. I think I’m still about on track for meeting all my language goals that I set on the outset, but these tests will give a pretty good indication if that’s the case. As this point I’m getting pretty good at understanding what people are saying, and can usually give adequete and sufficient answers to questions I’m asked. Carrying an extended conversation or sharing from the Word still requires a significant amount of preparation beforehand, but I continue to practice a little every week at Wednesday prayer meetings.

Thank you for your prayers and support! It’s a busy time of life for us, but whenever we take the time to stop and look at what God is doing we excited to see all the ways He’s working. Pray that we can find time to do that more often!

We’re incredibly happy to announce that we’re expecting a new baby, due on September 16, 2014! We’re praising God for this new addition to our family, and are looking forward to meeting this little one with lots of excitement (“Will it be a boy or a girl?”) and a little bit of nervousness (“How in the world are we going to handle TWO kids?”). But with each new ultrasound and checkup we’re once again in awe of our amazing Creator in watching Him knit together this little child as it develops and grows from a little speck to now even at just over 3 months, squirming around with his/her little arms and legs.

Titus will be a few months short of three when this new one is born, and while he was born in the US our second will be born here in Japan, so it’ll be interesting to go through the whole experience in a Japanese way. The doctors and medical system is quite good over here, but there are definitely differences. For one doctors are a lot more strict about weight gain here, often putting pregnant women on diets to keep it within what they consider acceptable levels. On the other hand Tomo’s American doctor told her to start eating more milkshakes and ice cream with Titus because she thought Tomo wasn’t gaining enough weight. Also, here Sushi is considered one of the best foods for pregnant women, whereas in the US most doctors said you shouldn’t eat any raw fish.

The timing of this new baby fits pretty well with our anticipated home service schedule. We’re shooting to be back in the US in February of 2015 in order to keep Tomo’s green card from being revoked. That would mean the new baby will maybe 5 months old. We appreciate your prayers for Tomo and the baby throughout her pregnancy!

David’s Spring Semester Grades:

I just got my grades in for my Spring finals, and as you can see, I’m still struggling to keep up with Kanji in this more advanced class. And since I can’t read the all the Kanji, that makes reading comprehension a big challenge as well, which is also reflected below. On the bright side I scored really highly on the speaking section of the test (96%), I feel like I’m getting the hang of the Japanese accent, so as long as I can study up on the other areas I should be relatively easy to understand when speaking with people (or preaching).

Speaking:   A
Grammar:   C
Writing:   C
Listening:   C
Kanji/Vocabulary:   F
Reading:   F

As I now enter into a two week long Spring break, I’ll be spending a lot of time trying to catch up on Kanji and Vocabulary, so please be praying that I will be diligent during this time and be able to memorize the dozens (hundreds?) of Kanji characters that I need to be able to read and write for next semester — which is actually the start of a new school year in Japan. So I’ll be a Ninensei (2nd year student), which means I can boss around all the the new incoming Ichinensei (1st year students), Japan’s pretty rigid about seniority here, not just in school, but in basically every aspect of society.

All day today the news was covering stories of survivors on the coast, and reporting on the many memorial events that were being held. It was three years ago today that the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima were devastated by an unprecedented 9.0 earthquake, 10 meter high tsunami and the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Three years seems like a long time, and while most of the world has moved on to other concerns, for those living on the coast, dealing with the loss of children, parents, friends and homes and entire towns, the pain is still as fresh as ever.

The nightly news struck a very personal tone. A story about a father who lost his wife and son, but survived with his then three year old daughter was particularly difficult to watch. I could easily imagine being left alone with Titus, struggling year after year with the memory of loss, trying to keep that memory alive in my own mind and in the mind of my child. Tomo saw another story about a father who lost his wife and three children. His youngest daughter was 10 at the time, and he held her in his arms as tightly as he could as the waters rushed in until he was knocked unconscious. When he came to his daughter was gone, but he was still alive, and alone. The man said that he talked to his daughter everyday since, and all he could say to her over and over was that he was sorry, but he never heard a word back from her.

Initially I wondered how these people could even bear to share their stories on television, bringing out photos and videos of their lost loved ones to show to TV crews. I wondered how the stations could have the heart to broadcast such sad and hopeless stories of loss, one right after another. I think it touches a bit on how the Japanese deal with death. Remembering those who have passed before them is of utmost importance. They don’t want to forget their loved ones, they want the memories to stay alive, and to share those memories with others. Likewise the survivors themselves do not wish to be forgotten. And despite the fact that an estimated 267,000 people are still living in temporary housing, much of the world has forgotten.

I understand that, there are daily tragedies in this world, new fears, new threats, new disasters. It is impossible to keep track of them all, to care for them all. But it is in large part because of this disaster, and because of these survivors that God has called us here, to Iwate to serve and love and reach out. And for that same reason, many of you have committed to praying for us, and supporting us. God has put on our hearts, and yours as well, a burden for these people, to love them and pray for them, even when the rest of the world forgets them.

May the love of God finally break through into the hearts of the survivors, even in this, the darkest hour of their lives. May we do whatever God has enabled us to do, that His love might be demonstrated and made known among a people that has suffered and lost, and has yet to hear of their God who suffered like them in order to purchase for them a great and everlasting Salvation.

I’ve got lots of things to share in this update! First off, thank you so much for your prayers concerning Tomo and I acquiring our Japanese Driver’s licenses. As of last week both of us have passed all the tests and received our official Japanese Driver’s licenses. My brother and his wife (Tomo’s sister) were going through the process at the same time, so often we would go to the testing center together and all try to pass the road test. In the end the four of us failed a total of 11 times before passing. I had the best record, managing to pass on my third attempt. As small of an accomplishment as this was, it marks yet another milestone on this journey; we’re here for the long term, and little by little we’re starting to belong to this place and these people. As the Apostle Paul sought to become all things to all people, we strive to become like the Japanese all around us (easier for Tomo than me), in order that by God’s grace we might present the Gospel without any distractions to the hundreds of thousands all around us who have never heard it.

Another huge part of that is language learning. Mid March will see the end of my first complete school year attending full time language school here in Morioka. I’ve come a long way from not being able to speak or read or write at all, but still have a long ways to go before I can adequately communicate the message of the Gospel to those around us. March 13-14 I’ll be taking my final exams, and would appreciate prayer, that I would do well, and be able to integrate all the vocabulary and concepts I’ve been learning this term into my mind. While I’ve made a lot of progress in catching up to the rest of my class, I’m still struggling in a number of areas, and the workload to keep up.catch up is pretty intense. Despite all this I continue to marvel at how far God has brought me, and am pretty well satisfied with the progress that I’ve made so far.

March 11th will mark the third anniversary of the Earthquake and Tsunami. While some of those who lost homes in the disaster have begun to find permanent ones, the vast majority are still living in temporary housing. Some estimate it may take another 5 years before permanent housing is found for all the survivors. Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and as each anniversary draws near, suicides among temporary housing residents increases. One staff member who goes to our church recently went to visit an elderly lady that she had befriended, only to find that she was in the hospital, having survived a suicide attempt. Pray that those who are losing hope will be led to Christ, and to an eternal, everlasting hope that shines even in the darkest of times.

There are many other things to share, but they’ll have to wait for future updates. Thank you for your prayers. Recently we have been very busy, and somewhat exhausted. Please pray for God’s strength and peace, and for effective management of the limited time that we have, that we might use it most effectively to the praise of God’s glory.

This past week both Tomo and I each took a one hour driving lesson in preparation for taking the test to acquire our Japanese drivers license. Since we arrived we’ve been using an international driver’s license that expires in April. Getting a license is much more difficult here in Japan than in California. Normally everyone has to enroll in a driving school for about 6 months (at a cost of up to $5,000 or more), after which they have to pass a written test, and a closed course behind the wheel test, which nearly everyone fails at least once (and according to the guy who gives the exam here, it’s not unusual for foreigners to fail it 10 times. We think he was exaggerating.)

Because both of us have a valid US license, we’re exempt from enrolling in driving school, and only have to pass the written and behind the wheel exam. Recently a couple of our missionary friends have taken and passed the test with varying degrees of difficulty. One friend failed it three times, while another managed to pass it on his second try. Please keep us in prayer over the next few weeks. Tomo’s California license expires in April, so our plan is for Tomo to try to get hers first, and then me second. In Wednesday and Thursday we’ll go to file an application to take the test, which includes an interview where they want to establish that we’ve had sufficient experience driving in the US in order to be exempt from taking driving school. After that we’ll gate dates for actually taking the test, and see how many tries it takes us. Please pray that we do well, and that the weather doesn’t get too snowy and icy, in which case they don’t let you take the exam.

One big praise is that our December giving report came in, and we’re praising God for His provision and your generosity. We received more support in December than in any other month this year (or at any time since we started support raising for that matter). Our goal was to raise an additional $6,000 at year end in order to cover our needs in 2014, and praise God for providing $5,700 above our normal needs from October through December!

Our two biggest concerns are, first that Tomo can pass the test before her California license expires (if she doesn’t, she’ll likely have to enroll in driving school), and second that we can both pass before our international licenses expire in March (if we don’t we won’t be allowed to drive in Japan till we pass the test, which will make things pretty complicated for a bit).

A few other things that we would appreciate prayer for are:

1. There is an English Cafe on Friday that we’ll be helping with. Please pray that God will bring non-believers and for Him to work in the hearts of those who come to draw them to Himself. Pray that His gospel would be clearly presented that those who come might hear and believe.
2. We’ll be returning to the US for home service next year, in 2015, but we’re still struggling to figure out a workable Visa solution for Tomo. So far all the options that we’ve come up with will require us to spend at least some time separated.
3. We have to file Japanese and US taxes soon, and expect it to be somewhat complicated. Pray that everything goes smoothly, and that our estimations were accurate and that we saved up enough to be able to pay our Japanese taxes.
4. For me to be able to learn lots and lots of Kanji really quickly. I have a small Kanji test tomorrow. 

We had a wonderful time chatting with three of our prayer partners during our first Google Hangouts, and look forward to planning another one sometime in the future. Life in a new culture, learning a new language, preparing for a new vocation, constantly meeting new people is challenging and stressful basically all the time, yet it’s a huge blessing and encouragement to know that you are praying for us, standing behind us and serving with us here in Japan.

With the new year here we’ve been thinking and praying more and more about where God wants us to go after I graduate from language school in March of next year. Sometime in 2015 we’ll be coming back to the states for 3-6 months for home service. During that time we’ll be reporting back, in person to our supporting churches and individuals, as well as raising support in preparation for our next term.

We’ve been incredibly blessed by our relationship with our receiving church here in Japan, and shortly we’ll begin meeting with Pastor Kondo to figure out how we can best assist in the ministry needs on the coast, which he has been intimately involved in since the disaster struck nearly 3 years ago. Please keep us in prayer during this time, that God honoring partnerships will be formed, that God directed steps will be taken, and that ultimately God’s kingdom will spread throughout this prefecture.

Language study continues to progress, though at times it can feel all consuming. I feel much more like a college student than a missionary at this point, as the vast majority of my time is spent in class or doing homework. Still God continues to remind me of what an amazing thing this is, to be able to devote my time to learning a new language, so that I can assist in bringing the gospel to people who have never heard it before in their lives. Thank you all for your prayers and support at this time, which make this necessary preparation for long term ministry here in Japan possible.

If you’re free on Friday evening, we’d love to see and chat with you on our first group video chat on Google Hangouts. We’ll spend some time sharing about what we’ve been up to lately, what the current needs are herein Japan, and close by praying together. To join the video chat you need to have a Google Account (if you have a Gmail or YouTube account, you have a Google account). If you want to join, simply visit the page now, and look for where it asks if you’re going to watch. Click Yes. If you’re already signed in with your Google Account, it’ll submit your RSVP and I’ll send you an invite on Friday when we start. If you don’t have a Google Account, it will ask you to sign up for one (it’s free). You’ll also need to install a small plugin when you join the chat. We hope to see and talk to many of you on Friday (it’ll be Saturday morning for us).

Click Here to RSVP and Join/Watch the chat.

As a life long native of Southern California, Snow was never something I had to deal with on a daily basis. It was always something that I went to visit, played around in, and then returned home to my warm home on the coast. But this past week saw the seasons first big snow here in Morioka, and I’m learning all kinds of things. For instance, if you don’t clear the snow off the top of your car, it will all fall onto your windshield the first time you stop at the bottom of a hill. Also, even if you have 4WD and snow tires, a patch of ice right before a stop light is a terrifying thing. Please pray for our safety, particularly on the roads as we learn to drive in these conditions. This is going to take some getting used too. On the bright side, Titus loves the stuff.

Tomo has been keeping busy helping out church. Last Sunday she chopped vegetables for a church lunch and then played piano for the worship service. Our church also decided to put together a women’s choir for Christmas, and Tomo was asked to play piano for that as well. She also participated in the church wreath making outreach event, and just spent the better part of her evening tonight making a sheep costume for Titus to wear in the Christmas pageant tomorrow.

Language school has taken up most of my time for the last few weeks. Since the beginning of December I’ve had 7 Japanese tests, including the JLPT level N4 test, which is a four hour long three part test, and a two-day, 6 part final exam for the winter quarter at my language school. Over all the tests have been helpful, and I think will give me a good idea of where my strengths and weaknesses lie. I seem to be doing fairly well with the grammar and pronunciation, but I’m struggling with learning all the vocabulary and Kanji. Overall I think I am still on track to meet my original goal of being able to pass the N2 test at the end of my two years of language study, and in fact my teacher is encouraging me to try to go beyond that and study for the highest, N1 level test.

Tomorrow at Church we’ll have a children’s outreach program, featuring the aforementioned Christmas pageant, and a children’s hand bell choir. This coming Friday is the Christmas English Cafe, where I’ll be giving the Bible message (in English). Pray that this season they, and many others throughout this city and prefecture will learn why the coming of Christ is cause for celebration all over the world.

Thank you for your prayers, support and partnership. After 9 months of living here, we’re still at the very, very beginning of seeing what God will do. Thank you for your patience and perseverance in continuing to lift us up and support us as we prepare for many years of labor and service in this country, in the hopes of seeing God do something that has never been seen before in the history of this nation; opening the eyes and hearts of the people to know and love Him.

As in America, here in Japan Christmas time presents one of the best opportunities to talk to people about Christ. In recent years Christmas has become a very popular holiday in Japan, thanks to the tireless work of Japanese department stores trying to capitalize on America’s largest retail holiday of the year. However, as you can imagine, very few people here actually celebrate Christ’s birth during Christmas time, or even know that that’s what Christmas is actually about.

Christmas in Japan is traditionally celebrated with such festive customs as eating Kentucky Fried Chicken (not even joking here, KFC somehow managed to convince the whole country that fried chicken dinner is what you’re supposed to eat on Christmas) giving Christmas cakes (white cakes with straberries on them) and asking out that special someone for a romantic Christmas Eve date (hopefully not to KFC). There are Christmas trees, snow men and Santa Clauses everywhere. Pray that this Christmas people in our city, and on the coast will find their way to one of the many Christian Christmas events that are happening this year. For example:

Today the ladies group at our church had their annual wreath making event. In the past this has been an event for church ladies only, as they met to make wreaths to decorate the church during the holidays. But this year it was decided to turn it into an outreach event and invite non believers to come participate. Tomo and Titus are still over there now right now. Our church will be hosting a Christmas Carol service in a couple of weeks, please pray that new people will come to here and sing about the birth of Christ, and also for a number of believers who have stopped attending church for one reason or another, that they will be drawn back to their church family during this holiday season.

On December 20th we’ll be having a Christmas English Cafe at the Church. We just had a thanksgiving themed one a few weeks back, and once again had a number of new people come to the church to practice their English. For the Christmas one I’ll be presenting the Bible message, please be praying that I’ll be able to present the Christmas story in a way that reaches the hearts of the Japanese in attendance, and that God will work to bring them to Himself.

Language school has been taking up most of my time, which means that most of Tomo’s time is taken up by Titus and helping out with Church Christmas events. All of us are getting a little tired I think, but things will only get busier as Christmas approaches, I had a grammar test today (didn’t do so great), I have a Kanji test on Monday, and then final exams the week after next. Tomo is helping to organize a ladies Christmas choir, and playing piano this Sunday. She hasn’t played this much piano since high-school, so it’s been a struggle for her to keep up and get enough practice time in, but she’s been doing a great job and been a huge blessing by stepping up to fill a hole in our churches worship rotation. Please pray for strength for us during this hectic time.

Thankfully we’re scheduled to take a vacation right after Christmas where we plan to go up to the mountains and basically do nothing for a week. It’s going to be glorious. We look forward to spending time as a family, spending time in the Word and prayer, soak in hot springs and do a little snow boarding. This will be the first time since we got married that we’ve taken a vacation solely for the purpose of taking a vacation.

Language school remains our primary ministry assignment during this time, and that means that I’ve been spending most of my time studying Japanese. Since the joining the group lessons in October my class schedule has shifted from the afternoons to the mornings. On a typical day I’ll ride my bike 15 minutes to get to school by 8:45am when class starts, and spend the next 4 hours in class. After that I’ll eat lunch at school (sometimes Tomo and Titus come to join me if they’re free), and then spend the rest of the afternoon at school studying, till 5pm. I have my second Japanese Language Proficiency Test on December 1. I’ll be taking the N4 level test, which is the second of 5 (N1 being the most difficult). My goal is to pass at least N2 by the end of language study, which is commonly what missions organizations expect missionaries to be at before beginning full-time ministry assignment.

We have a Thanksgiving themed English Cafe on Friday 11/29, where I’ll be giving a short talk about Thanksgiving in America. Tomo has is building a friendship with a young, non-Christian mother who attended the last two English Cafe’s with her family (her son is 1 years old). This past week the lady came to a church event to bake pound cakes to be served to people living in temporary housing on the coast as part of Tomo’s parent’s ministry to the survivors. Please be praying for this family, that as they get to know people us and people at our church, that they would be drawn to our Savior.

Please also keep Tomo’s mother in prayer. She has been struggling with a chronic lung condition that has become very severe over the last year. She was starting to do better, but then got a cold that forced her to check into the hospital for the third time this year. She has now gone down to Tokyo (about 6 hours south of where she lives) to see a specialist and will likely be in a hospital in Tokyo for a month. Please pray for healing, and for physical, emotional and spiritual strength through all of this.