Thank you for your prayers during this busy season of transition! After a week of meetings in Indiana, Yoko and I have safely arrived at Beulah Camp in New Brunswick, Canada, where we’ll be making our home for about the next year. As we begin Partnership Development together, we’d appreciate your continuing prayers for safe travel, effective ministry and new supporters.
Here’s our schedule for July and August:
7/5-12 – Beulah Camp (Brown’s Flat NB)
7/14 – Digby Wesleyan (Digby NS)
7/21 – First Wesleyan (Saint John NB)
8/4 – Woodstock Wesleyan (Woodstock NB)
8/11 – Westchester Wesleyan (Westchester NS)
8/14-15 – National Conference of the Wesleyan Church (near Montreal, QC)
I hope you are doing well, and that summer has found you wherever you are!
Yoko and I are currently in Thailand, where we have just spent the past few days with a number of other missionaries for the GP Asia-Pacific Area Conference. It has been a great time of worship, learning, praying and fellowship, and a great opportunity for Yoko to meet some of the GP tribe she’s joining me in. We’re truly thankful to have had the opportunity to be here this week; it’s been a much-needed time of refreshing and renewal during this busy time of transition.
Since our wedding at the end of April, Yoko and I have been spending a lot of time preparing to head to North America for Partnership Development. And as we’ve had time, we’ve been trying to spend time with friends in Nagoya before we leave. It’s been encouraging to hear the reactions of some non-Christian friends who either attended our wedding in person or watched the ceremony online. For some it was their first Christian wedding, and they were impressed by how joyful and meaningful it was. We’re thankful that our wedding was an opportunity to witness to our unsaved friends, and pray that our marriage itself will continue to show people Jesus’ love.
On June 21, Yoko and I are scheduled to fly to the US for a few days of meetings and training. Following that, on the 29th, we head to Canada to begin Partnership Development. We’re looking forward to connecting with many of you in person over the next several months, and would really appreciate your prayers as we continue through this transition period.
Thank you for your prayers and support for us as part of GP’s ministry in Japan!
Yoko and I are happy to announce that on April 30, we became husband and wife. We are so thankful for those who were able to celebrate with us; for our friends’ and families’ encouragement and prayers; and for God’s blessing on our wedding day. Despite the rain, it was a beautiful day.
Looking ahead, Yoko and I would appreciate your prayers for us as we go through this period of transition, especially for our preparations to return to Canada this summer, when Yoko will be joining me for Partnership Development, a time of re-connecting with ministry supporters in North America. Specifically, please pray for Yoko’s visa situation. As a Japanese citizen she is eligible to visit Canada for up to six months without a visa, but it is very likely we will need to stay longer this time. There are options, but we are still figuring out what’s best and how to proceed.
Thank you as always for your prayers and support! Yoko and I are looking forward to connecting with many of you in person this summer and fall.
Meanwhile, in case you missed it, here’s a link to the Spring newsletter I sent out last month:
I hope you’re doing well. This month’s update is in the form of a PDF newsletter, and includes some big updates on my schedule in the coming months, as well as the official introduction of our manga ministry, Drawbridge Creations.
I hope you’re surviving (even enjoying!) the winter wherever you are. In this part of Japan we’re already starting to see signs of Spring. It won’t be long!
In February we had a couple of significant events in our English ministry at my church in Nagoya:
On the 16th, we held a reunion for the former students of my adult English classes. We had a good turnout (as you can see from the photo), and lots of good conversation. The purpose of this event was not just for the students to catch up with each other, but to keep them connected to our church even though they’re not currently coming here for English classes. Please keep praying for our former students, that our church can effectively share God’s love with them in the months and years to come, and that God would draw them to Himself.
The other big event of the past month was just yesterday — my final kids English lesson. I’m thankful for four years with this particular class and eight years total with this ministry (this being our third four-year kids class). Please pray that these kids and their families will continue to connect with our church through our outreach events and summer camp, and that they will come to know Jesus personally.
Next week, I’m scheduled to travel to Tokyo, Saitama and Yokohama for meetings and mission-related business. Please pray for a safe and productive trip. Pray, too, for the Immanuel churches, leaders, pastors and families that will be going through transitions, which will begin after next week’s annual conference.
As always, thank you for partnering with me through your prayers and giving!
I hope your new year is off to a great start. Things are certainly “looking up” here…
The picture above is some concept art I’ve been working on for the Manga Project. Pieces are starting to fall into place for this project, and I hope to have some more detailed information for you next month, along with sample art from other potential contributors.
Meanwhile, our church had a groundbreaking ceremony on January 21, and the construction phase of our rebuilding project is under way, with the new building scheduled to be finished in August.
And on a personal note, Yoko and I have set our wedding date for April 30 in Nagoya!
Your ongoing prayers for all of the above would certainly be appreciated! Also, please pray for these upcoming dates:
2/13 — Leading worship at the Nagoya Church prayer meeting.
2/16 — Class reunion and coffee time with former English students.
2/28 — My final kids English class.
3/5-7 — The Immanuel Church national conference.
By the way, I’ve been doing some extra blogging lately: New posts include some manga ministry related writing that might help you understand the why behind this new project. There’s also a short video update you can use in your church if you’d like to remind your congregation who they’re supporting. And I’ve been getting back into the habit of posting a Photo of the Week actually weekly.
