Yesterday we had the opportunity to worship at Nisshin Church. What a beautiful picture of the universal church. It was beautiful to stand side by side with our Japanese brothers and sisters and worship our Great God.

Our Next Steps
Very shortly we will be leaving for language school in Okazaki. (This is an hour away from our team in Nagoya.) We are moving into our apartment and will be unpacking. As you can imagine this is a good time as we will be in a place and get to stay!

The Lord has already been paving a way for us and answering many of our prayers about our time in Okazaki. There is a Japanese family who recently arrived back from the United States. We had met them two years ago and so our reunion yesterday at church was sweet. This family has actually moved to Okazaki and are graciously going to show us around. We anticipate starting a Bible Study with this family and some other Christians who are in Okazaki and have not found Christian community. Please pray for ministry opportunities, the Bible Study we hope to begin, for the Lord to open doors with Japanese in Okazaki, and our language learning.

Personal Notes
So far we have acclimated well to Japan. Jet lag was minimal for Michael and I. Tobin has struggled to get on a schedule but is physically feeling much better. Last night we had a team dinner and are so excited about the families we have the opportunity to serve with. The time was filled with food, fun, laughter, stories, prayers and celebration of God’s work. We are excited to serve alongside our team and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ is this land where there truly is little to no knowledge of Him! Thank you for your constant prayers and encouragements!

We are officially in Nagoya! We arrived around 6pm and were met by our team member Peter. After a lot of interesting packing we were able to load Peter’s van and all cram in. Tight squeeze! We were exhausted and all went immediately to bed once arriving at our temporary apartment. We should be staying there for only a few days before transferring to Okasaki for language school.

Immediate Pray Requests

• Tobin’s Health: He is running a slight fever.  We think it is more then likely from only sleeping 3 hours in the last 24 hours.  Please pray we don’t have to go to the doctor and he feels better once on a schedule.
• Transitioning: We were able to get our car title transferred and insurance for the vehicle.  We still need to get our visa (waiting on paperwork) and then once we have our long-term visa buy cell phones, open a bank account, etc.
• The Relief Work:  Everything here is in transition with team members taking turns for days at a time going up north with delivery trucks and helping to build temporary shelters.  We will be helping tomorrow with loading trucks for the next trip.  Please pray as many meaningful conversations occur and pray the Holy Spirit would pierce the hearts of the Japanese people!

Taking off From Dulles with All Our Stuff

Landing in Nagoya: Only 1/2 our stuff in this Picture!

This past week has been quite the whirlwind, but we have loved being able to meet with so many of our Virginia friends and family. We had a sweet time worshipping Sunday at Grace and a special commissioning time. We are so grateful for the ministry Grace has had in both our lives!

Commissioning at Grace

Today we left Lexington to drive to DC. We had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. We leave tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon from Dulles. We will arrive at 6pm Japan time in Nagoya (after a layover in Tokyo) which is 5am EST. Please pray for safe travel and especially pray for Tobin on his trip!

Car Packed Tight...Barely Fit All our Stuff

Family Time

We are SO excited to be joining our team and bringing the Gospel to the Japanese people! Thank you for uplifting us in your prayers and your encouragement.

Travel Dates and Visas
We are scheduled to leave for Nagoya, Japan on Tuesday March 29. Our first week will be spent setting up cell phones, insurance, bank accounts, etc. We heard back about our visas early this week from the Japanese office and they needed additional paperwork. Due to the delay, we will travel to Japan on tourist visas but by the time we arrive we should have the documentation we need to receive our long-term visas. This means we will receive our visas in Japan instead of in the U.S. Please pray the paperwork does indeed go through by the time we get there.

Job Responsibilities
We were told from fellow missionaries the only stability in missions in change. We have found this to already be true! Our team still desires for us to start language school. How and where this happens is unknown. There is talk we might change plans and to better help with relief we will attend language school in Tokyo and might even be dorm parents for students at the Christian Academy of Japan (CAJ). This is one of many options the teams have suggested and ultimately we will not know the plan until we arrive. Please pray God would give wisdom to the team leaders in Japan to know how to use us most effectively in the midst of the relief/recovery phase in Japan. Please also pray our hearts to remain flexible as we make many adjustments in our lives!

Lexington Folks
We will be having an open house this Friday from 7-9pm at Paul and Julie Carter’s house. (E-mail for address!) If able please feel free to stop in for some treats and have the opportunity to say goodbye.

Goodbyes and Thanksgiving
We are sad to be saying so many goodbyes but excited to be leaving for the field and continuing in God’s call on our lives. We could never have made it through the itineration phase without your prayers, financial support, encouragement and love. We are so thankful for your partnership and friendship. Thank you for the sacrifices you make on a daily basis to reach the Japanese people for Christ. Please keep us updated on how we can be praying for you specifically! Even if we can’t respond right away know you are in our prayers.

We have bought our tickets for March 29, 2011. Praise God for his provision! Currently we are set to go on the 29th.

We have not heard back about our long term visas. Although these are not necessary to still go on time they would help reduce a lot of hassle in three months when our tourist visa expires. Please pray this week the visas would come in!

Thank you all for your prayers and faithfulness to our ministry while intinerating. As you can imagine we are VERY excited, yet nervous to begin our work in Japan. Continue to pray as we round out all of our business in the United States over the coming weeks.

As many of you have heard Japan was hit in the early hours of the morning (EST) today by a 8.9 magnitude earthquake. Following the earthquake a tsunami hit the northern shore of Japan. As you can imagine this is a terrifying time for the Japanese and your prayers are not only appreciated but needed. We have received updates from both the Tokyo (2.5 hours away) and Nagoya (4 hours away) teams that everyone on MTW staff is currently safe including children away at boarding schools. Below we have listed prayer requests sent from the teams.

How this Affects our Current Situation
We were set to buy airline tickets today and now are in a holding pattern until we receive additional word from the team and official approval through the MTW office. Our plans at this point are to fly out on March 29 and arrive in Nagoya on March 30. Classes start April 5 at the language school and thus far classes are still on normal schedule. Please pray we would be able to make arrangements before the 14 day mark!

We wrote in an earlier e-mail to pray for our housing situation. When our team leader called two days ago the 3 room apartment “miraculously” opened up so we will only make one move and should be allowed to stay in this apartment for two years. Praise God for this provision and thank you for your prayers!

We still have not heard news on our visas. At this point we are planning on going to Japan on a travel visa and receiving our long term visas once we are there. Please pray in the next week the visa arrives at our team leader’s house and we will be able to go initially on a long term visa.

Prayer Requests from Japan MTW Teams in Response to Earthquake/Tsunami

• Pray for friends and relatives of church members in the northern part of the country who have not been heard from.
• Pray right now for all the after shocks being felt from everyone throughout the country and expected throughout the night. This is especially terrifying for young ones. (10am-6pm EST)
• Pray for the MTW team who hopes to go to Sendai and provide aid in the morning (EST would be approximately 6pm tonight) Pray for safety, pray for their ability to help restore physical order, and pray for the opportunity to share the message of Jesus Christ to the many many many lost people in Japan.
• It is a time of deep crying out for many in Japan right now. Please pray for bold witnessing of the faith by the Christian Japanese/Missionaries and pray many would come to know Christ in this time of immense sorrow and difficulty. Christ is the only true comforter and Japan is a place where very little (less then .2% of the population) know Christ.

All is in God’s Providence
We recently spoke at a Mission’s conference in Athens, GA. At this conference there was a Japanese man presenting about Japan. This was a unique situation in that this Japanese man is not a Christian. In fact, he is training to be a leader in his religion, Tenrikyo, and in preparation for this came to study non-profit management at the University of Georgia. Part of the program involved interning at a local non-profit and in God’s sovereignty he did his internship with Redeemer Presbyterian. As part of the internship he needed to complete a presentation about Japan. Redeemer invited him to share on Saturday night of the mission’s conference. In his presentation, he outlined some of the issues facing Japan such as high depression and suicide rates. The next day, he heard us talk about these same issues but also about how the gospel answers all of these problems. It was certainly a work of God’s providence to have us both there at the same time so we could share with him the message of the gospel through our presentation. He will return to Japan soon where he lives not too far from Nagoya. He desires to keep in touch, as do we, and we look forward to the opportunity to build on the teaching he is receiving at Redeemer right now. Please pray this man would come to saving faith and become a leader in the Christian church in Japan!

Traveling Across the US
Thank you for your prayers for our travels and for the last of our support to come in. We are home in Lexington, VA after a month long trip across the United States. While in Lakeland, FL, we were able to speak to a few mission committees as well see many of our friends and say goodbye. In Phoenix, a church partnered with our ministry which brought our remaining need down to 7%.

On Friday, we leave again for a trip through North Carolina. We hope at the end of February to have 100% of our budget pledged so we can purchase tickets for Japan and leave mid-March. Please pray for our visas (in process), safe travel, and the remaining $700/month needed to be pledged.

Many Thanks
We want to thank all of you who participated in the fish fry at Covenant Presbyterian in Lakeland. One youth member auctioned  to have his hair cut any way the winner desired. This alone brought in $70+! (See pictures below.)  After expenses we were able to raise approximately $4,500. This is a huge help in getting us to the field and we are very appreciative of all who participated and attended. This alone brought in $70+! Wow, what a crazy haircut.

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On the Mission Front…

We continue to be encouraged by the stories from our teammates in Japan about how God is working there in the lives of the Japanese. There continue to be baptisms and people who come to outreach events and hear the gospel for the first time. There are also stories such as the one about Mrs. T. She grew up as a pastor’s daughter yet had many reservations and hang-ups about the church. Her daughter began attending church on her own which greatly upset Mrs. T when she found out. However, she came with her daughter to church one Sunday and experienced something far different than what she expected. God was working in her heart and she began visiting church off and on. She has since began attending our English language outreach and recently asked if she could join a small group. This is exciting because the seeds  sown many years ago are beginning to bear fruit and we see the working of God’s covenant promises in Mrs. T. Having second or third generation Christians in Japan is so rare and it is great to see God fulfilling his covenant promises for His children.

On the Home Front…

We are continuing to finish our support raising in preparation for our departure to Japan in mid-March. On Monday, we will be leaving for a lengthy time of travel to attend missions conferences, speak at churches and visit friends/family.  Below is our tentative itinerary from now until we hope to leave for Japan in March. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. Pray for safety and the ability to effectively share God’s mission in Japan. Pray also that the Lord would provide the final 10% of our needed support. A

Note to All of Our Lakeland Friends…

If you will be in town on January 21, please attend the Covenant Youth Fish Fry/Silent auction at Covenant Presbyterian. There will be any items up for auction including all of the youth who you can bid on to do those chores you’ve been putting off or any other task you would like them to do. All proceeds will go to support our ministry. Tickets are available in advance from the Covenant Presbyterian church office, (863) 646-9631, or at the door. Tickets cost $7 for adults and $5 for children (hot dogs available for children). The event begins at 5:30 pm. Hope to see you there!

From the Field…

Michiyo*, a Japanese Christian in Nagoya, was diagnosed with a tumor on her lung this past summer. She is a young woman and everyone was shocked when she received this news. There were, of course, tears and sorrow, but she continued to put her full trust in God and to be comforted by his promises. She would take comfort in the promise, “all things work together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.” Other people, expecting her to be devastated and barely able to function were amazed by her attitude of hope and her faithfulness, yet she would always remind them it was only because of Christ in her and nothing of herself that gives her this unique comfort and hope. Michiyo lost 1/3 of her lung and is currently recovering from surgery. She continues to use her circumstances as a testimony to the hope found in Jesus in a land filled with hopelessness.

During this holiday season, we are reminded of the love and mercy God has shown us by sending His son, Jesus Christ. God is using people like Michiyo and the missionaries serving in Japan to reveal these truths to the Japanese.

On the Road Again…

We have been traveling most weekends to churches and presbyteries in order to share our ministry and gain financial and prayer partners. Recently, we were in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the MTW Global Missions Conference where we were able to meet with most of the families who will be joining our team in Nagoya. It was great to start building relationships stateside and pray for the current and future ministry in Nagoya.

Thankfulness for Your Partnership…

We again thank you for your prayers and financial support. You are an important part of our ministry to bring the gospel to the Japanese. We are ready to begin our ministry but are held back by our financial support needs. We need to raise our final 14%, or $1400 a month, before we can head to field. Even a new or additional pledge of $10 or $20 dollars a month would be a huge help in getting us on the field by March so that we can start language school. Also, if you know of anyone who has a heart for Japan or for missions who would like to hear about our ministry, we would love to contact them.

We appreciate your support of our ministry and we consider you to be a part of our ministry and because of this, we would like to be praying for you as you pray for us. If you like, please respond to this e-mail or send us an e-mail in the future of any prayer requests you may have and we will be sure to pray for you as a family.

*To keep updated on this story check out our team leader’s blog.

From the Field…

A Christian woman who attended the Nisshin church plant in Nagoya, Japan recently passed away. She was the only Christian in her family of devout Buddhists. In fact, there were two Buddhist priests in her family who attended her funeral. She was given a Christian funeral where her life in Christ and her new life with Christ were celebrated. After the funeral was over, the Buddhist priests came up to the pastor and were amazed that even in death there was great joy. They were so amazed that one said that when he died he wanted a Christian funeral as well. While they did not come to faith that day, the Buddhist priests recognized that even in death, there is life, hope, and joy found in Christ. This is the message we bring to the Japanese who are largely unreached by the gospel and base their hope and joy in material possessions and success.

On the Road Again…

We have recently returned from a 20 day road-trip from Virginia to Lakeland, Florida. We stopped along the way to see many of our good friends and family whom we have not seen in some time. It was great to reconnect with some of the people who have meant so much to us. We also stopped in at the Mission to the World (MTW) home office for our post-departure interviews. We have completed all of the training required by MTW and during this visit were able to complete the remaining paperwork.  During this time we reviewed our budget and have only 25% or $2500 a month to raise before we can leave for Japan. We are very thankful to God that we have been able to raise 75% of our budget in this economy and we pray we will be able to raise the remaining amount before the end of the year so we can begin the January term of language school in Nagoya.

Meet Up with the Youngs in Atlanta

Pray Continually…

While in Florida we talked with a young couple from our church who has a heart for the Parker Street neighborhood and through God’s working will be renting our home to them. This is a huge answer to prayer and load off our minds. Thank you all for your prayers with our housing situation! Please continue to pray we will raise the remaining 25% of our support by the end of the year. Please continue to pray for the ongoing ministry in Japan and for those ministering there so people like the Buddhist priests might come to know the hope of Christ!