We have been running hard this year in both work and play, leaning more into our faith in a good God who goes in front of us, runs beside us and pushes behind us. We look up and it’s August! WHAT – Crazy right?
Here is what has been happening:
CASA
We launched CASA (Community After School Academy) where we get to love on kids in our community after school. Our school district had a need and we as a church answered the call. A safe space for kids to learn and play until their parents get home from work. Kids get help with their homework, learn English and hear about God. But most of all, we have fun! A break from the rigors of everyday life in Japan and experience freedom in a way they never have before. A big hit is our trampoline, oh and Meg’s hearty snacks. This is such a great way to connect with kids and their families in our community and further fuel the efforts loving people where they are and making disciples in the process. We worked the entire month of March to get ready to receive children in April, which is the new school year for Japan.
Check out our CASA Launch Recap Video!
Making Disciples
In May we celebrated two baptisms at a river close to our house and another surrendered their life to Jesus. It’s amazing to think that our family arrived a little over 3 years ago and now we have a growing community of Christ-followers meeting weekly serving one another and engaged in outreach ministries impacting the lives of others throughout the week.
NOT ALONE
We are still in the planning phase (feel like we have been stuck here for a while) of launching an initiative to combat the biggest social epidemic in Japan – Isolation. NOT ALONE or 一人ではない (in Japanese pronounced hi-to-ri-de-wa-na-i) is an initiative aimed at leading the charge in reversing the trend of isolation which has severe implications impacting every age demographic. Covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated Japan’s well-hidden isolation epidemic seeing an increase in domestic violence and suicide. Our hope is to spur on churches nationwide to play an active role in inviting those struggling with isolation into relationships and partnering with local organizations providing ongoing community support.
June article on women suicide:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1697/
June article on child suicide:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1672/
Summer Break
Summer break is five weeks in Japan with two weeks left. This means kids are out of school and we have a break from our normal routines. It has been a nice change of pace. We had various family members from Tokyo, Japan which included my daughter and two grandsons, visited 2 of the 5 weeks and we held a summer camp for children in our community one of those weeks. We have two weeks left summer break and Covid Delta Variant is spreading rapidly and we are getting inundated with consecutive days of torrential rain. Mudslide and Flood Alerts are going off as I pound away at the keys. Oh, a typhoon past through a week ago and we had an earthquake this morning a few miles south of us. Never a dull moment!
Prayer Requests
As our church family grows, so do our needs. Part of the discipling process is leadership building. This requires time and resources on our family’s part as well as desire and capacity on those we lead. There are additional cultural obstacles to hurdle in this process. Please pray for discernment on our part as well as freedom and confidence on those we lead to embrace their God-given talents and abilities to serve others and glorify God.
As we deepen relationships in our community, freedom of expression of how people really feel both mentally and emotionally begin to surface. Various levels of depression are exposed which is a systemic issue in Japanese society. Join us in praising God that we have fostered an environment where people feel comfortable and free to share their struggles. Also pray for increased capacity and room for periodic rest to be available and ready to serve those in need.
As Covid Delta variant is spreading rapidly and we are seeing our highest numbers since covid started. Please pray for protection over our church family and the community we serve. One of our church family members is currently infected and we have had others with symptoms that have not been tested but exercised proper precautions (i.e. self-isolation). We cancelled our 2nd summer kids camp that was supposed to be held this week.
Partnership Invitation
Our mission and our church plant is supported in two ways. One: recurring and one-time donations, and two: tentmaking ministry opportunities.
1. Donations (recurring and one-time) The generosity of people like you, brothers and sisters in Christ that felt called by God to support us, or by friends and relatives that love us and want to support our efforts in serving the needs of others here in Japan and reaching the unreached people group of Japan support our living expenses and our outreach initiatives.
2. Tentmaking (ministry opportunities) I currently teach English at our home in the evenings to offset our personal expenses.
Our church plant is supported through our CASA outreach ministry held in the afternoons and tithing of our local church family members.
As our mission grows so do our needs for support and sustainability. In this season of our ministry we are 60% funded to cover our personal expenses and are looking at avenues to make up the other 40% or $1,600 a month.
If you as an individual or organization are looking for ways to get involved in ministry through fueling missions and ministries like ours, we would love to connect with you. Feel free to contact us here to question who we are and what we are doing, the state of missions and ministry in Japan or any other questions you might have. We would love to hear from you!