As we have settled down in to our autumn routine, we are thankful for the pleasant, mild weather that is typical of this time of year in Japan. This past Tuesday, October 5th, marked our one year anniversary since arriving in Japan. It is hard to believe that we have been here a year. We praise the Lord for supplying the grace and strength needed to make adjustments to living and serving here in this Land of the Rising Sun.
Thank you for praying for our outreach cookout at Shonan Grace Chapel on September 19th. We had a good group, including three unchurched couples. Greg was able to share some words from Scripture concerning relational dynamics in the context of marriage. It also opened up an opportunity for some honest discussion about some marital challenges being faced by one couple in particular. We along with the folks at Shonan are hoping to perhaps view the Japanese version of the movie Fireproof with one or more of these couples. Pray that in the context of these issues, the Gospel message may be appropriately shared and applied and that God would work in the hearts of these pre-Christians to receive the love, forgiveness and redemption freely offered in Christ.
The kids continue to enjoy their involvement with the kids' program at Shonan. Below is Micah in an intense Twister match with one of the volunteer workers:
Thank you for praying for our outreach cookout at Shonan Grace Chapel on September 19th. We had a good group, including three unchurched couples. Greg was able to share some words from Scripture concerning relational dynamics in the context of marriage. It also opened up an opportunity for some honest discussion about some marital challenges being faced by one couple in particular. We along with the folks at Shonan are hoping to perhaps view the Japanese version of the movie Fireproof with one or more of these couples. Pray that in the context of these issues, the Gospel message may be appropriately shared and applied and that God would work in the hearts of these pre-Christians to receive the love, forgiveness and redemption freely offered in Christ.
The kids continue to enjoy their involvement with the kids' program at Shonan. Below is Micah in an intense Twister match with one of the volunteer workers:
October 2nd was Ellen's birthday -- she turned four. However, it was also a day that Asa played the koto (Japanese harp), participating in a recital in Tokyo in honor of her longtime koto teacher who is retiring at 80 years old (Asa took koto lessons from her for twelve years, beginning when she was six years old). The recital was composed of performances of an array of traditional Japanese instruments in varying numbers and combinations. Asa was glad to be able to reconnect with her teacher after many years and to receive instruction from her over the past several months in preparation for this recital. Our hope is that she will have opportunity to use her ability to play the koto in ministry in the future.
Asa Performing (center)
Of course, we could not forget that it was in fact Ellen's birthday that day. We celebrated by going to a conveyer belt sushi restaurant, and then enjoying a decorated cake in her honor.
Yummm! Salmon sushi!!
Four-year-old Birthday Girl
Ellen & KarinThis Sunday & Monday (Oct. 10-11) we plan to attend (along with a number of folks from Shonan Grace) an annual event called the Keisen Vision Festa (KVF) a couple hundred miles north of us in the mountains of Fukushima Prefecture. KVF is sponsored by the Keisen (pronounced "KAY-sen") Network of which Shonan Grace is a part ("keisen" means "grace spring [as in fountain]" or "spring of grace"). This network is a church planting movement within the Japan Conservative Baptist Association (our mission's partnering church association), and employs the concept of networking as a church multiplication strategy. Pastor Hiroshi Kawasaki, whose church in Yamagata we visited in August, presents an excellent overview of this networking strategy concept at the following link:We look forward with anticipation to participating in KVF, worshiping the Lord with brothers and sisters from across the Keisen Network, connecting with folks from other Keisen chapels, and learning more in depth about the Keisen vision. Micah will be going a day early -- Saturday (10/9) -- to participate in a youth event they have planned. Pray for safe travels (bus & train) and that this will be an encouraging, transforming, and significant time for all involved.
Continue to pray for God's clear leading in our post-internship ministry placement for next spring. We have been hashing through various issues related to this next step, and we will need to have discussions with various parties to discern a sense of where and how the Lord might be pleased for us to serve. One important component in this process, we believe, will be a meeting with Paul Sadler (JBF's CMT Leader) and Pastor Okita (our "Barnabas" mentor) planned for Wednesday afternoon, October 27th.
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