This past week we shipped all our stuff over to Japan ahead of us, purchased plane tickets, bullet train tickets and made hotel reservations, and submitted my certificate of eligibility application for a spousal visa to the Japanese consulate, and applied for Titus’ Japanese passport. All that to say, we’re leaving for Japan in less than 3 weeks!
God continues to provide new supporters, and as of now we’re down to $785/month in needed financial support. However as God has already opened so many doors in providing my visa, a church to partner with in Japan, a language school to attend, a large amount of funding upfront already in our account, and so many needs in Japan for us to be a part of meeting, we feel that it’s God’s will for us to trust him with the remaining finances, and proceed to Japan. Over the remaining three weeks we’ll continue to seek out new supporters even as we finalize all our preparations for departure.
On Saturday, March 9th at 2PM, we’ll be having our final support raising event,as we reflect back on the progress that has been made since the 3/11 Tsunami 2 years ago. Please be praying that this event will be well attended, and that God will bring many new partners to us through it. If you are in the area, please consider attending, and inviting people from your church, Bible Study, or others you may know that would be interested in learning about the incredible things God has been doing in Japan since the Tsunami, and the ongoing needs for churches to be planted. The event will be held at Lutheran Church of the Cross:
Lutheran Church of the Cross
24231 El Toro Road
Laguna Woods, CA 92637
We will also be sharing at two more of our supporting churches before we depart, so please be praying that God will help us to establish even better relationships with their congregations, and that He might even lead some of the individuals at these churches to partner with us as well.
We’re extremely excited to be finally moving over to Japan. During the first term we will be partnering with Morioka Bible Baptist Church, working with Pastor Kondo. Our primary focus will be language acquisition for me, learning the local culture and seeking to discern where and how God might use us to help establish new churches in the coastal areas that have no church. Through partnering with Morioka Bible Baptist Church we’ll have frequent opportunities to participate in coastal outreaches and begin to build relationships with missionaries and pastors in the Iwate 3.11 network who may become potential ministry partners in the future.
One of our big prayer requests right now is for a place to live in Japan. As we’ll be arriving in Morioka just a week and a half before language school starts, it would be wonderful if we had a place already picked out before we arrived. Tomo is checking with a number of realtors online, and also working with Pastor Kondo and his wife who are helping us to find a place.