May was a very full month! Thank you so much for praying!
The big highlight was our English Club event on May 10 featuring Kat McDowell in concert (see photo above). We had 61 people there… about half of whom were guests! These included many non-Christians, including a few of my English students and their family members. I shared a message about God’s love for us and our need for Him, based on Jesus’ lost sheep parable.
One of my adult students had told us very firmly when he first joined the class that he was not interested in religion. Well, I’m happy to say that not only did he show up to this event, but he actually complemented me on my message! It’s a little thing, but I feel like it’s a sign that his heart is becoming more open. Please pray for him and the rest of our guests and students.
Another highlight of the month was teaching our twice-a-month English Bible class in place of Denise (who took over this class when I was back in Canada last year). It’s great to see so many non-Christians engaging with the Word and learning about Jesus. Please pray for our English Bible students!
Please pray in the coming weeks for the following things:
The GP Asia area retreat (June 2-6)
Worship leading at our June 10 prayer meeting
Monthly English Bible study June 21
Continuing English classes and Japanese studies
Your prayers and support are much appreciated! And needed!
Also! One more thing before I go…
Most of you know that I’m an artist, and that I’ve been making comics in my free time seriously for the past few years. You probably also remember that part of my vision is to share our faith through comics, which are huge in Japan.
Well, I’m happy to announce that my first graphic novel has just be published! Doodze is a cartoon fantasy story, and not overtly Christian, but has a lot of positive, redemptive themes. More importantly, getting this published is a huge step in the direction of making my ultimate vision a reality.
All that to say, I’d really appreciate it if you would share this link online, tell any friends who might be interested, and even consider buying a copy. Here’s the link to my online store:
Here in Nagoya the sakura (cherry blossoms) are in full bloom, which means that spring is here! Thank you for your prayers over the past month.
The photo above is from an early Easter tea party hosted by Denise, who leads one of our English Bible classes at the church. Denise continues to do a great job teaching this group.
Meanwhile, I started a new English Bible study in March, which will be meeting once a month. We only had 3 students the first time, but several others have expressed interest. Please pray that this important part of my ministry will grow and bear fruit!
Our monthly English Cafe re-launched in March as well and 8 people took part. Not a bad start…
This past weekend, I attended the Immanuel Church’s annual conference. This year marks their 70th anniversary, so the schedule was a little different than usual. One major highlight was a big youth event on Saturday. It’s good to see the denomination make our youth and young adults a priority. Please continue to pray for the Japanese church!
Please pray with me for the following as well:
1. English Cafe this Friday, April 3.
2. Leading worship at Inspa (returnees ministry) this Saturday.
3. Leading worship at prayer meeting next Wednesday, April 8.
4. English Bible class on April 19.
As always, thank you so much for your partnership in our mission to Japan!
Even though I’ve been back in Japan for over two months, and I’ve settled in pretty nicely, in some ways it seems like I’m still just getting started. This month brings a lot of new beginnings, even as other things come to an end.
The photo above is from our final class with the first kids class we started at my church 4 years ago. It’s a 4-year program and this is the first group we’ve graduated. It’s sad to see them go, but exciting to see how they’ve grown. Please pray that as they move on from this class we won’t lose our connection with them and their families.
As one class ends, a new one is beginning — this Thursday! Also this week, our monthly English Cafe is re-launching. In addition, later this month I’m starting a new, monthly English Bible study.
Please Pray For:
Our new kids class starting Thursday
English Cafe this Friday
Our new monthly English Bible study
The Immanuel Church 70th anniversary celebrations and annual conference in Tokyo (March 27-29)
Thank you for your continuing prayers and support!
Well, as you can see, I’ve arrived safely back in Japan. I got here on December 28, and have been enjoyed getting caught up with friends and celebrating the New Year. Thank you for your prayers during my time in North America and my travels to Japan!
This week I’m taking time to get organized and prepared for the year’s ministries. I’d appreciate your prayers during this time; please pray that God will give me vision and direction as I plan and set goals for the coming months, so that I can have an effective and fruitful ministry this year.
In my last prayer letter, some things were kind of up in the air. So I wanted to write to you today with an update. In the past week, I’ve received the paperwork I was waiting for, applied for and received my work visa, and booked my plane ticket back to Japan.
I’m scheduled to leave, as I was hoping, right after Christmas: this Saturday, December 27. I’ll arrive in Nagoya Sunday night, local time. I’d appreciate it if you would remember me in your prayers as I travel.
Thank you for your prayers and support throughout 2014! Lord wiling, my next email will be from Japan in early January. In the meantime, I hope you have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
In celebration of the season, I’m going to be posting some holiday videos here. This one’s called Christmas in Japan, by my friend John Janzen (Fatblueman). You either get it or you don’t…
